Case in point, he could easily call Aros an a.s.s for the way he treated Jullien. And he'd certainly witnessed some stellar acts of parental neglect and abuse when it came to Aros's interactions with his son. But since Bastien wasn't around during their private conversations, he wouldn't hold Aros's hostility against him. After all, Aros had always been nice to him. A perfect, loving uncle.

In fact, he had a hard time reconciling those two sides of the man. Because the funny and loving uncle he knew was a far cry from the suspicious and cold man Jullien called Father. Just as Jullien wasn't the cruel, vicious b.a.s.t.a.r.d they all labeled him. While he'd gotten into a few noteworthy brawls with Quin over his older brother's mouthy insults, Jullien had never once taken a swing at either Lil or Bastien-not that Bastien had ever given him a reason to. But Lil had certainly let fly some personal barbs that even Bastien would have been hard-pressed as a boy to let slide without some physical contact between them.

Yet Jullien had never once struck out at her. Because he was so much larger physically than either Lil or Bastien, Jullien always kept his temper leashed around them. The rest of the family ...

Well, Bastien understood why some of them might not have a favorable opinion of his cousin.

And Bastien definitely wasn't the heartless b.a.s.t.a.r.d everyone at this reception thought he was for betraying Ember. Last thing he'd ever wanted was to cause her a single tear.

The road to h.e.l.l is paved with good intentions....

And he'd certainly paved his route with a certain misery named Alura.

G.o.d have mercy on my soul.

'Cause n.o.body in this room was ever going to spare him a single drop.

Ember turned her shoulder so that she wouldn't accidentally glimpse Bastien while she talked to her sisters. Every time he came into her line of sight, it was like a vicious kick to her gut.

She still couldn't believe he'd slept with Alura. Not after she'd confided in him how angry she'd been after her last boyfriend had cheated on her with her sister.

What had he been thinking?

That he wanted to hurt you.

Yeah, that'd be about right. And she'd give him credit for knowing exactly where and how to strike the lowest blow. Why else had he called before he'd done it?

Even now, she could hear his voice in her ear on that fateful day.

"Hey ... your sister just asked me out. Since you've been dodging my calls-"

"I haven't dodged your anything!" To this day, she didn't know why she'd snapped at him in anger. Something about his accusation had fired her temper. But she'd known at the time that it was the worst reaction she could have had with Bastien. He never reacted well to direct confrontation. It invariably caused him to dig his heels in.

And do something rash and stupid.

There was one absolute truth about the captain-he never backed down. He'd set himself on fire first. For that, she had his mother to thank. That infamous Triosan stubborn streak that was apparently genetic.

"Oh, okay, Major. If you say so." Bastien's droll sarcasm had only fueled her fury more.

Wanting to lash out and hurt him as much as he'd stung her, she'd growled low in her throat. "Look, I don't care what or who you do. I'm not your keeper anymore."

"Where did that come from?"

"I'm disconnecting now." She'd dropped the signal and forced herself not to throw her link.

Or stomp it.

Instead, she'd called Alura immediately. "You asked out Bastien?" she'd snapped at her sister without preamble. "How could you be such a b.i.t.c.h?"

Alura hadn't shown the least bit of remorse over her actions. And why should she? As the youngest of their family, Alura had always thought herself special and immune from the rules of common courtesy. Of common decency. "You threw him away. Remember? I felt bad for the guy. He's been moping for weeks. Someone needs to have some pity on him. Besides, it's just dinner. Relax."

"Relax? Really?"

"What's your problem, Em?" Alura had dared to use that snotty tone that made Ember want to slap her. "Anyone else would have been on their knees in grat.i.tude to marry a visir, especially one who was so in love with them. Only you would turn him down flat, for no good reason."

"Yeah, but you don't have to deal with his dara looking down her regal nose at you because you're not good enough for her precious little baby. Or worse, his zusa. I swear, every time I get near them, I feel the need to check my shoes."

"Check your shoes?"

"Yeah. Their lips curl like they're both smelling dog s.h.i.t."

Alura had snorted. "You're ridiculous. No one can make you feel bad unless you allow it."

"Easy for you to say. I don't have your galactic-sized ego."

"And that's why I asked him out. I don't mind dealing with his family. Besides, he looks terrible. You've just about killed him with your callousness."

Like it'd been any easier on her? Truth was, she did want to marry him. Bastien was everything she'd ever wanted in a man.

And more.

But d.a.m.n his family. They were so irritating and intrusive. Every time she turned around, one of them had been in her face. And since they were royalty, with life- and death-sentencing capabilities over everyone in their empire, she hadn't been able to tell them off.

Worse? His married brother had made several inappropriate advances toward her. Then threatened her, her parents, and sisters if she breathed a word about it to Bastien.

The thought of being tied to that for eternity ...

As much as she loved Bastien, it'd been too terrifying to contemplate.

Now her own sister was being a dirtbag.

Again.

Furious and hurt, Ember growled at Alura. "I'm your zusa! You should be thinking about me."

"I am thinking about you. I'm tying him up until you come to your senses. Then I'll hand him back. Simple. When you're ready, I'll hand-deliver him to your door, myself."

Something had told Ember even then that Alura was lying. But like a fool, she hadn't listened. She'd wanted to believe that her own blood wouldn't screw her over again. Not with another man. And not with one she loved as much as she loved Bastien.

She should have known better.

"You okay?"

Blinking at the question that snapped her out of her memories and brought her back to Alura's wedding reception, she nodded at her sister Cinder.

Next to the oldest, Cinder was the tallest of her siblings and almost a full head taller than Ember whenever they were barefoot. She'd always envied her sister for that statuesque beauty. As well as her gorgeous reddish-brown hair that cascaded over her shoulders in lush waves and amber eyes Ember would have killed for.

But the best part about Cin was her kind heart and the compa.s.sion she'd always held for everyone around her. No matter what, they could count on her for sympathy and hugs.

"I'm good."

Brand laughed in Ember's ear as she joined them. "No, she's not. She's been sick all day. And right now, she's thinking of marching over there and s.n.a.t.c.hing out every last bit of Alura's hair. Want me to help?"

And that was why Ember loved her younger sister. Brandiwyn, or Brand as they often called her, always spoke her mind without a filter. Better yet, she usually spoke the minds of whoever was around her without a filter. And if you needed help hiding a body, she would always be there to lend an eager hand, and would die before she ratted you out.

Nothing could break Brand. Not even their mother's glower. Or their father's threats.

Steadfast and loyal, Brand was ever above reproach. It was her temper, daring, and mouth that got her into trouble. She gave as good as she got and refused to back down from anything, or anyone. In that regard, she was an awful lot like Bastien.

"It's okay, Brand, but thank you for the offer."

"Fine, but if you change your mind, you know where I live."

Kindel laughed at her. "And now you know why I had to pat her down before I let her leave the house this morning. I was terrified what she might do to Bastien-or Alura-on your behalf."

Brand reached for another gla.s.s of champagne. "Yeah, well, it's time Alura learned to keep her hands off our men."

Ember didn't comment on Brand's bitter words. Like her, she'd lost her last boyfriend to Alura's machinations. "How am I supposed to have another happy family holiday after this?"

Kindel hugged her. "Don't think about it. We're always here for you."

"And if it helps, remember that Bastien asked you to marry him. His honor forced him to marry Alura."

Brand was right. But Ember couldn't quite give her the whole victory. "Yeah, but it was his wandering p.r.i.c.k that got him into this."

Cinder draped herself against Ember's back so that she could laugh and whisper in her ear. "That we can fix, blyta zusa. Give me a knife and five seconds."

Leaning back into her arms, Ember smiled up at her. "Love you."

"You, too." Cinder kissed her cheek.

"So what mischief are my girls plotting? And don't say nothing. I know that evil twinkle in those devious eyes."

Ember wrinkled her nose at her mother. Though she had dark curly hair like Kindel's, her mother's features were closer to Cinder's and Ashley's. "They were thinking up ways to ensure that Alura's child was an only."

Their mother tsked at them, but then that was what Charlotte Wyldestarrin did best. As a decorated colonel for the Kirovarian Gyron Force-their elite fighter corps-she often said she could wrangle a platoon of soldiers easier than her six unruly daughters. "Well, if you do decide to make a move, don't get any blood on those dresses. Your aunt Tish wants you to wear them for her daughter's wedding next year."

"Yes, ma'am," Kindel said with a sharp salute. "I shall keep our troops in line."

"See that you do, Major." With an adorable wink, their mother headed back to where their father waited.

Then Ember made the mistake of catching Bastien's gaze.

And the hunger in those hazel eyes scorched her. A hunger he quickly squelched and blinked away as if he realized how obvious and inappropriate it was.

Her stomach hit the floor. And she hated how much she wanted to be the bride beside him. d.a.m.n, he looked edible in those elegant clothes that fit his lean, ripped body in a way that should be outlawed. There was no sign of the incredibly powerful and capable soldier she knew him to be. He was all regal visir tonight.

Except he lacked his brother's overt haughty sn.o.bbery. With Bastien, his patrician bearing was casual and innate. Good-natured and inviting.

While his siblings refused standard military housing, citing a special need for privacy, Bastien insisted on it. If it was good enough for his people, then he deemed it more than appropriate for himself. He never tried to wiggle past curfew. Never used his regal standing to eat in the better mess halls or to leave base for his food.

She'd only seen him pull rank when someone was abusing their own authority over someone else. Then it was on, and he was quick to slap them down and defend the underdog.

He was wonderful that way.

And the bitter longing in those hazel eyes as he tried not to watch her burned her to the core of her soul. Like Cinder had said, he wasn't getting married tonight out of choice.

But that didn't take the sting out of his betrayal.

You'll get through this, old girl.

She didn't know how. But she would.

Bastien scowled as he saw his uncle leaving the balcony where Alura had gone a few minutes ago for some fresh air. He didn't know why, but something about that bothered him.

Curious, he went to check on his "wife."

No sooner had that t.i.tle gone through his head than his stomach heaved involuntarily, threatening to undignify him. G.o.d, would his body ever stop doing that? What kind of marriage were they going to have if every time he thought about her as his spouse he had a spontaneous need to vomit?

Not wanting to think about it, he stepped outside to find Alura in the moonlight. She was beautiful, he'd give her that much. h.e.l.l, physically she might even be the most attractive of the Wyldestarrin brood, but she wasn't the one who made his heart race.

The one who made him feel alive. It wasn't her smile that hardened him to the point of madness. For all her beauty, she left him strangely numb.

"You okay?"

She smiled up at him as she stepped closer and placed her hand to his chest. "Of course. Why do you ask?"

He gestured over his shoulder toward the direction where his uncle had gone. "Barnabas is an acquired taste. I'm told my sa once left him tied to a tree out in the woods to die when they were kids because he couldn't keep his mouth shut and kept aggravating him. b.a.s.t.a.r.d unfortunately survived."

She laughed. "You don't mean that."

Bastien rubbed at his jaw as he considered it. "I don't know. Even my dara tried to kill him once."

"No! Did she really?"

He smiled at the memory. "Oh yeah. It was a summer when I was six or seven. My dad had sent me and my siblings and cousin Jullien out to train with him for camp. Poor Julie couldn't keep up."

"Julie?"

"The Andarion who was here earlier."

"Oh. I wondered who'd invited that big fat thing to my wedding."

Bastien stiffened at her disdain. "He takes enough s.h.i.t from people over his heritage. He doesn't need it from family, too."