Born of Ice

“What are you planning?”


“To get my baby back and to kill anyone who gets in my way.”



Alix listened to Shahara, Nykyrian, Syn, Nero, Jayce, Sway, Vik, Darling Cruel and Devyn’s legendary uncle Caillen all argue on how to get Devyn out of custody. But as every minute ticked by, she became more and more concerned about him.

“I can shoot my way out without a problem,” Shahara snarled.

Syn shook his head. “The hell you say. You’re not that good, baby. They’d mow you down.”

“It’s quite a show, isn’t it?”

Alix jerked her head up at the sound of Zarina’s voice. “What are you doing here?”

She crooked her finger for her to join her outside.

Curious, Alix followed her out into the hallway and into a small room.

Her jaw hit the floor.

Her mother and Tempest stood in the middle of the room, looking about nervously. Her heart pounding, she ran to them.

“Alix!” Tempest squealed, pulling her into a tight hug.

Laughing, she looked at the two of them, who didn’t appear any worse for the wear. “I don’t understand. How did you get here?”

Her mother pointed to Zarina. “She and another lady came and they freed us.”

Alix looked at Zarina for an explanation. “While Jayce and DJ went to take care of you guys, Devyn had me, Taryn and DJ’s sister take the freedom certificates to the Ritadarion high justice.”

No, that wasn’t possible. “What?”

Zarina smiled. “Well, you know it’s illegal to hold a freed slave as chattel. You can be fined up to ten times their value, and when one of them is a prime virgin female . . . let’s just say the warden let them go without a fight.”

“I don’t understand. They’re not freed slaves.”

“Oh, yes, they were, too. Your father freed them and you five years ago on Kirovar.” Zarina winked at her.

Alix finally understood what she was saying. “You forged the documents?”

She blinked innocently. “Forgery’s illegal. I would never do anything like that.”

Yeah, right. ’Cause that would just be wrong.

“Thank you, Zarina.”

“Don’t thank me. I’m not that good. Devyn’s the one who got the certificates for you.” She held out a certified document.

Alix took it and stared at it in amazement. It was her own freedom there. She couldn’t believe it.

After all these years, she was free.

But Devyn had bought her freedom with his own.





CHAPTER 15


Paden paced the floor outside the interrogation room as he tried to think of some way to save Devyn’s life. For hours Merjack had been torturing him, and with his brother’s weakened heart, he knew Devyn couldn’t take much more of it.

Merjack no longer wanted a public trial for Devyn. He wanted to torture and kill him, and then send the tape of it to Devyn’s parents.

Psycho bastard.

He’d sent Darion on to see if he could get a League transfer to get Devyn out of Merjack’s hands. But not a single word had come back from him.

And every second brought Devyn closer to death.

All he could do was wait and pray that his brother held on and didn’t have a heart attack before they could save him.

He heard someone approaching.

Hoping it was Darion with good news, he waited until a group of League soldiers appeared. Sure enough, Darion and Jayce were with them. Relief tore through him as they marched past him and into the room with Devyn.

Darion stopped in front of him and winked.

“What did you do?” Paden asked.

“Nothing. I couldn’t. No one would listen to me.” He indicated the soldiers with his thumb. “This is all from the Overseer’s office.”

Paden scowled at that. The Overseer was the highest authority in the Ichidian Universe. Her will was law, and she ruled everyone, including The League.

“Why is she involved?”

“Alix is a firecracker. I don’t ever want to be on her bad side.”

Shaking his head, Paden followed the soldiers into the room to see Devyn pinned and bleeding against the far wall. Merjack had done a number on him.

The soldiers surrounded Merjack and pushed him away from Devyn.

Jayce cornered him. “Uriah Jonas Merjack, you are being remanded into Overseer custody.”

Merjack’s face flushed with color. “For what?”

“False imprisonment, torture, trafficking in freed slaves and terrorism.”

Merjack was aghast at the charges. “What? Who would dare?”

And it was then that Merjack fully understood as he saw the procession behind the guards. Emperors Nykyrian Quiakides and Caillen de Orczy, along with Darling and Ren Cruel. They led Shahara and Syn into the room.

Yeah, that was the power-player brigade that no one in their right mind would cross.

And at the rear of their company was one lowly slave, who ran to comfort Devyn as soon as she saw him.

Paden shook his head in disbelief at how lucky his brother really was. Because in his heart, he knew that if he were the one chained to the wall, there wouldn’t be a single soul who’d step forward on his behalf.