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eyes glazed with pain, he yanked from her touch, staggered toward his room. “I have to… go.”

The truth lies somewhere between Earth, Pendragon, and Honor.
    —A NONYMOUS
5

    W ith the sting of a million wasps, fiery pain burned through Rion. His tormented muscles jerked. The pain-induced blindness
     had him certain he was about to pass out, but he staggered into his room and closed the door before he collapsed.
    Agonizing jolts of energy ripped through his system. Blinding blasts of purple fired his optic nerves. He jerked on the floor,
     his limbs spasming. Sweat broke out under his arms and across his chest, then streamed down his neck.
    Sweet Goddess. He gritted his teeth.
    “Are you okay?” Marisa’s voice trembled with concern from the other side of the door. When he didn’t answer, she pounded on
     the wood, tested the knob. “Let me in.”
    “I’m… fine.” He spoke between gritted teeth. “Go back to the babies.”
    “Lucan and Cael just returned. And if you don’t open this door right now, I’m going to get Lucan.”
    He winced. “Hold on.”
    Shoving to his knees, he gasped as more needle-like pains stabbed his optic nerve. He dragged himself to his feet and yanked
     open the door. “Told you. I’m fine.”
    And with that emphatic statement, he fell backward and cracked his head on the floor. Tiny red stars exploded behind his eyes,
     and bolts of pressure made his head feel like his skull would explode.
    Marisa leaned over him, her cool palm pressed to his forehead. “You’re burning up.” Her clothing rustled, and he blinked hard
     to see that she’d shoved back to her feet and hovered over him, her tone worried yet calm. “I’m calling for help.”
    “No.” He grabbed her ankle and groaned as pain shot up his neck and into his brain. “Give me… a… minute.”
    “You need a doctor.” She yanked her foot to get away.
    “No.” He gripped her ankle, refusing to release her, his anchor in a world of pain. “Don’t…”
    Her tone softened. “At least let me bring you some water.”
    He watched her hurry to his kitchen, grab a bottle of water from the fridge. As promised, she returned and twisted off the
     cap.
    Sitting beside him, she scooted under him, until his head rested in her lap. “Drink.”
    Cool fluid trickled down his parched throat. He’d never tasted anything so delicious. “Thanks.”
    Worry radiating from her every pore, she demanded, “Tell me what else to do for you.” Her voice was hard, but her hands smoothed
     across his forehead in tender circles.
    Ignoring the pain, he focused on her gentle touch. Enjoyed the softness of her thighs cradling his head, her sweet female
     scent. Her concern for him.
    Slowly, finally, the searing pain faded.
    “I’m recovering.” He paused. “Pain’s fading fast.”
    “Good.” Questions burning in her eyes, she ran her hands through his hair.
    He used the silence to gather his strength. To regroup. Guilt stabbed him, and he quashed it. Now more than ever, he had to
     stay on plan.
    She offered him more water. Lifting his own head this time, he sipped, then lay back in her lap, letting her thighs pillow
     his head.
    Biting her lip with worry, she peered into his face. “So was that one of your flashes? Because if so, you forgot to tell me
     about the part where you look like you’re frying from the inside out.”
    “It wasn’t a flash.” Thank the Goddess.
    “Then what happened?”
    “The Unari invasion took us by surprise.”
    She tensed in concern, and the furrows between her eyes deepened. “Rion, you aren’t making sense. You aren’t on Honor. This
     is Earth.”
    “I know.” He had to get a grip. “You need a bit of history to understand what just happened.” He continued, “During the first
     days of conquest, the Unari destroyed Honor’s communications and closed down our transporter, preventing Honor from asking
     our allies for help. With the transporter down, I had to try and escape the