Grai's Game (First Wave) Read online

  Grai’s Game

  By Mikayla Lane

  Cover art by: humblenations.com

  First Wave Series in Reading Order

  Hunting Cari

  Finding Jess

  Chasing Dare

  Grai’s Game

  402 Word Document pages

  83,574 Words

  To TDB

  Thank you for being a great sounding board. You definitely encouraged me to write faster, so everyone can thank you for this getting out early. You’ve been truly wonderful!

  To my Readers:

  I know everyone hates cliff hangers and that Dare left a lot of those open. I apologize for that. I certainly did not mean to anger those that I wish to read my books. Nor was it a ploy to raise the book prices and get you to buy it. I have no intention of raising the prices anytime soon. Times are hard enough on all of us as it is.

  My intention was to stay true to Grai. Because these two books are so interwoven together, finding a stopping point that would allow Grai’s book to stay true to his character was difficult to find. I was also determined that Grai’s book accurately represent him and to do that I thought it had to be done this way. That doesn’t mean I was right.

  With the major issues behind us with this book, there shouldn’t be any more serious cliff hangers unless it’s mostly back story.

  I apologize to those so upset over Dare, and I hope Grai answers all of your questions.

  As always, feel free to email me any questions or suggestions.

  [email protected]

  Mikayla Lane

  Chapter One

  Grai T’Alq, first-born son and heir to the Relian Empire, stood shaking in fear. Gripping the cell phone tightly in his hand, he struggled to pull himself together and think clearly.

  “Hold them for as long as you can. I am coming. Now.” Grai said into the phone before ending the call.

  “What happened Grai?” Koda asked with concern. He’d never seen his brother turn that shade of white before.

  “They found her and have her locked up. They will begin interrogating her soon.” Grai told his brothers as he walked to the safe in his office.

  “What are we going to do to get her back?” Traze asked, excited about the prospect of being able to fight this time. He’d hoped that he had proven himself enough in the mountains with Koda that Grai would let him help more with the daily operations and more importantly the missions.

  Koda and Traze waited quietly for Grai to answer and watched as he started pulling multiple devices out of the safe and stacked them on his desk.

  He was filled with sadness, fear and a sense of excitement as he looked at the items on his desk and then his beloved brothers.

  “Although the child is not mine, one of the beasts residing in it is mine, and it may be enough to find the cure I’ve been looking for all these years.”

  “This is not the way I would have chosen to do this, but nothing worthwhile is ever planned. This my brothers, is the moment, I have waited hundreds of years for. This is the sign from the Gods that now is the time. Today, we go to war.” Grai said handing items to his brothers before hiding certain ones into his own pockets.

  “Koda, you know what to do. Get there now and wait for the right moment. Good luck my brother, until next we meet.” Grai put his hand on his brother’s shoulder and gave him an affectionate squeeze then allowed his emotions to take over, and he pulled Koda into a quick bear hug before letting him go.

  “I won’t let you down Grai. May the Gods guide your journey.” Koda replied, blinking away the sudden swarm of tears in his eyes.

  Koda turned to look at his youngest brother, Traze. He couldn’t help but hope that he and Grai had trained him well enough, the thought of losing him too much to consider.

  “And you, stay out of trouble and listen to Grai. This isn’t one of those games you play on the computer, Traze. This is our lives. Our future. Treat it that way.” Koda said warningly to him before he gave him a quick hug. Without another word, he left his brother’s office to begin his part of Grai’s plan. When he left, Grai turned his attention to Traze.

  “We’ve been over this a dozen times. You know what to do. Do not deviate from the plan. No matter what Traze. Promise me.” Grai was terrified that Traze would end up doing something reckless that would endanger all of them and destroy any chance they had at success.

  Grai knew his baby brother would never do anything to harm them on purpose, but his youth and his inexperience could certainly lead him to make an error in judgment that could cost them all their lives.

  “Grai, I promise I will do exactly what you told me to do, then I will meet up with you later. Just make sure you stay alive to meet me.” Traze promised, hoping this would not be the last time he saw his oldest brother. Ignoring the serious look on Grai’s face, Traze walked up to him and gave him a big hug. He smiled to himself as he felt his brother squeeze him back harder than normal.

  Pulling back, Traze gave his brother a smile before gesturing for Grai to precede him out of the door. Grai just grinned and ruffled the boy’s hair on the way out of the door.

  “Let’s go. I’ll set everything in motion on the way.” Grai pulled out a device that looked similar to a Valendran comm and began issuing his commands to his men at each of their locations.

  Once he’d sent the last message, he slid behind the wheel of his car, Traze taking the passenger seat and headed to the warehouse district in Knoxville, TN. It was long past time for this to begin, he thought as he maneuvered the vehicle easily through the morning traffic.

  *****

  Dread and Viper stood with their hands still in the air as the female hung up the phone in her hand and placed it on the counter behind herby.

  “I just need to keep you here for a little while. I promise I don’t want to hurt you. Please don’t make me.” Dr. Maggie said, her voice shaking as much as the hand holding the gun she pointed at the Tezarian brothers.

  “We heard what he said.” Viper told her with a tinge of anger lacing his voice.

  “Why are you doing this?” Dread asked curiously, thinking maybe he could talk to the woman, make her see the mistake she was making.

  “I’m a doctor. My job is to heal the sick. He is sick, and I’m protecting my patient.” Maggie replied as if it was that simple. Even though she knew there was nothing close to ordinary about any of this. And it was about to get much more complicated.

  “None of them know about him do they?” Dread asked in shock, already knowing the answer. He knew there was no way anyone here knew who the male was.

  “No. There was nothing they could do for him anyway. I tried using the technology they brought, but he doesn’t respond to any of it. It’s killing him. His brain can’t take anymore.” Maggie turned away for a moment to wipe the tears from her eyes. She hated that she was powerless to stop his pain, the agony he went through as his body twisted and contorted from the seizures destroying his mind and body.

  Dread watched the emotions play across the woman’s face even though he could sense them. He could see where she took her job to help the afflicted and injured seriously and could sense that even with the weapon, she was no true danger to, he or Viper.

  Testing his theory, he lowered his arms and kneeled back down beside the male laying prone and unconscious on the bed.

  “Don’t hurt him!” Maggie warned, the gun shaking even harder in her hand.

  “Careful brother, she is scared and may use the weapon accidentally before I can reach her.” Viper told his brother using their telepathic connection through a universal energy path they called the Shengari’.

  Viper didn’t want either of them to do anything that might startle the nervous
woman into shooting one of them.

  “I have never harmed anyone who was unable to defend themselves. I would not begin now. I seek only to see if there is a way I can ease his pain.” Dread looked directly at Maggie as he spoke. He paused as he watched the indecision cross her face before she finally gave him a sharp nod.

  Dread looked down at the helpless male on the bed. Great care had been taken to make him as comfortable as possible, but nothing could stop the waves of pain that racked his body and mind. Dread had felt it before they had even reached the room, but he had never expected this.

  Taking a deep breath to steady his own energy, Dread placed his hands on the male’s head and sent his energy through his body. Immediately, he was swamped with waves of agony and fear so great that he pulled back quickly. He panted heavily as he tried to erase the pain from his head that had transferred to him when he tried to seek the beast.

  “What is it?” Viper asked, curious what caused such a reaction from his brother.

  “What the hell happened to him? What monstrous experiment have you been a part of?” Dread demanded angrily of Maggie when he was able to clear his energy from that of the male. The woman looked horrified at the accusation.

  “I didn’t do anything! I swear! I didn’t know anything about him until after I’d been seeing him for a little while! By then… I’d fallen in love with him. Look at him, really look at him. Can’t you help? Please.” Maggie knew she was begging; she didn’t care. She was probably going to die for what she’d done already, but if she could find a way to save him, it would be worth it. His life was worth it; she thought as the tears ran down her face unchecked.

  “This was natural? That’s impossible. You’re lying.” Dread accused, even though he felt no lies in her words. It just wasn’t possible though, he thought, trying to think of another explanation.

  “No, I swear. She brought him in to me a few years ago when we first met. I thought it was just a simple human condition. Unfixable by our medicine, but easily controlled. Then he started getting worse, every year he declined further, and the seizures went from yearly to monthly… to daily.” Dread studied the human doctor as she spoke. He noted the tender way she looked at the unconscious male, the lengths she had gone to in order to protect him and hide him from the Valendrans and the gifted women.

  Sighing heavily, Dread glanced at his brother Viper. “I say we get Ivint. We can get Balduen through the Shengari’ and warn him about this. He can bring the others.” Viper suggested telepathically.

  “Something is not right here, brother. Nothing here is as it seems. We need to know what it is before we put Balduen and Dare through this. Let me try to look again.” Dread responded out loud and immediately touched the male again, sending his energy into his body before his brother could protest.

  *****

  “I want everyone on high alert and constant communication with our other safe houses.” Banatar ordered, watching as Risk and the others brought up the large screens around the conference room and logged into the cameras at each of the occupied safe house locations.

  “Scaden, we need images as soon as you can get them to us!” Ivint ordered his son over the comm, watching as the locations hiding the hybrid and gifted women began to come up on the screens around the room along with the images of their own perimeter at the warehouse.

  “Father, we have a problem.” Scaden replied, his voice gruff.

  Ivint was getting ready to ask him what the problem was, when an image came on one of the screens showing the Adaria, the MedShip and the Draconia, all the Valendran ships, in orbit around the planet Mars.

  Ivint cursed loudly, although no one noticed, as they saw the Valendran fleet surrounded by a large Relian battle cruiser and ten sleek warships.

  “Scaden, get the shields up!” Ivint ordered, although he was sure, his well-trained son had already done so.

  “Already done! We’re at battle stations and ready! Just waiting on them.” Scaden said confidently.

  “Sirs, we have more problems than that.” Risk said nervously as he pointed to the screens they were bringing up around the room.

  “How the hell did they get everywhere so damn fast?” Jax asked in surprise.

  “Not only that, where did they all come from?” Banatar wondered aloud as they watched each safe house location become surrounded by heavily armed Relian’s, every location but theirs.

  “Ivint, they won’t stand a chance. Any of them. She knew where every location was, how many were there… she’s been our lawyer for years.” Banatar warned as he watched every safe location swarming with Relian’s outside.

  “Why aren’t they doing anything?” Balduen asked the room in general.

  “It’s like they are waiting for something.” Reven agreed; his eyes glued to the screen showing their own perimeter. He had no doubt they would be seeing the enemy at their door very soon as well. He was right.

  They watched in disbelief as an expensive black sports car drove right up to their loading dock. A single man stepped out of the vehicle, and it was then that they recognized their visitor. So intent on the screen, no one noticed when Balduen slipped quietly out of the room.

  “I know you are in there, High Councilor Ivint Torenson of Valendra. You have something that belongs to me that I would like returned. I’m sure by now you realize the tenuous situation that your ships, and your females are in.”

  “I would like to offer you a trade… a truce… of sorts. What I want, for what you want. It’s a win for all of us…” The Valendrans and hybrids watched as a dark blur flew across the screen knocking Grai T’Alq to the ground before he could finish what he was saying.

  “Go, go, go!” Reven ordered his team while Jax was already tearing down the hallway towards the dock.

  Barreling through the door everyone stopped and stared in shock at the scene before them.

  The Relian leader’s son, Grai T’Alq, was on the ground flat on his back. Balduen was on top of him, pounding his fist into Grai’s face repeatedly.

  The increasing crowd on the dock watched as the heavy, powerful blows turned Grai’s face into a swollen mess, the blood coating Balduen’s fist.

  Still he continued to pummel the Relian with punches until he realized that the man wasn’t fighting back. He wasn’t resisting at all. He didn’t even raise his hands to try to protect his face from the heavy blows.

  “Damn it, fight me!” Balduen screamed in fury, shaking Grai’s unresisting body like a rag doll.

  “No.” Grai breathed out on a groan when Balduen’s fist hit his stomach.

  “Why? Why? Why?” Balduen punctuated every word by slamming Grai’s body back and forth on the ground, his head cracking sharply a few times on the black pavement. And still he didn’t fight or defend himself.

  “Because I deserve it.” Grai huffed out, still trying to catch his breath as Balduen panted heavily above him.

  “What kind of game is this? Do you think I’m going to believe for a moment that you’ve suddenly had a change of heart? That you give a damn what you put my mate through?” Balduen growled through his gritted teeth, his rage taking hold, he lashed out one last time.

  The cracking sound that followed his fist connecting with Grai’s face silenced everyone who had been watching. They stood nervously looking to Ivint to see if he wanted them to intervene before Balduen killed the Relian.

  Balduen looked down at the unconscious man and shook him gently one last time to see if he was truly passed out. When he still didn’t move Balduen stood angrily and walked back into the warehouse. All eyes followed his progress to the door until he disappeared inside.

  “Damn, I’m glad we didn’t have to try to stop him.” Jax said, breathing out a shaky sigh of relief.

  “I’m not sure I would have.” Reven admitted. He nodded to Niklosi and Tarvok and watched while each grabbed one of Grai’s arms and dragged him into the warehouse.

  “I know I wouldn’t have.” Banatar added, shaking his head at Baldu
en.

  “He showed honor, even with the beast bonding.” One of their men pointed out.

  “Yes, it seems that his bonding has certainly had no negative impact on him.” Ivint said wonderingly as he followed the others back into the warehouse.

  They hadn’t gotten far inside when the door slammed open behind them.

  “Hey! Hey man, it’s not necessary to be rough like that! I told you I’d come willingly. Damn…” Ivint, Reven, Banatar and Jax stared in surprise at the young man being dragged inside the door by Lt. David Jacobs. Gibly trailed behind the two men with a confident swish to his sleek, black tail.

  “Gibly saw him. We caught him half a block away. He was on the roof with this…” David handed what looked like a comm to Reven.

  “Man, you’re High Councilor Ivint Torenson aren’t you? It’s so nice to meet you! Glad you were able to survive that assassination attempt. Bad business that… so where did you take my brother?” David yanked the kid back from Ivint when he tried to move forward with his hand held out as if to shake the High Councilor’s. The boy just turned around and glared at him.

  “Who the hell are you?” Reven demanded, stepping aggressively towards the boy.

  “Oh man! I’m sorry; you'd think I was raised by wolves with manners like that huh! Grai would smack me for that.” Traze laughed, until he realized no one was laughing with him.

  “Yeah, you guys are a real tough crowd you know that? Anyway, I’m Traze T’Alq. I’m Grai’s baby brother.” Traze said with a beaming smile, again trying to hold his hand out before David slapped him in the back of the head.

  “Keep your hands to yourself.” David grunted at him, looking to Ivint as to what to do with the boy.

  Ivint stared in surprise at the young man in front of him. Almost as tall as David, Ivint judged him to be around six-foot four. His dark-brown eyes, swirled with a black color that made them appear mostly black. A sure sign that he was fully beast bonded. His dark-brown hair was cropped in a fashion that allowed the waves to fall haphazardly around his boyish face.