by Kali Argent
“Sometime this morning,” he answered distractedly, trying to focus on the reports Nell had displayed for him.
“Well, it’s already after nine. Maybe you should come shower and change before she gets here.”
He loved his baby sister, and he was glad to have her home, even if only temporarily. Her constant need to mother him, however, was driving him crazy.
“I am not going to shower and change to meet your puppy!”
The piglet she’d brought back from Xenthian was bad enough. The thing was a damn menace, and for whatever unfathomable reason, Olive had decided he was her favorite human. He was just starting to get used to her, and now, he had to deal with a yapping, whining, shoe-eating fur ball that begged for food and couldn’t control its bladder.
“That’s just rude. What did Daisy ever do to you?”
Luke whipped back toward the camera. “Tell me you did not name that thing Daisy.”
“She is not a thing, and what’s wrong with Daisy? I think it’s cute.”
It was her puppy, so he supposed she could name it whatever the hell she wanted. There was just no way to sound angry when shouting about a freaking flower, and he had the sneaking suspicion he was going to be angry…a lot.
“When is the last time you showered?”
“I…uh…”
More nights than not, he ended up grabbing a couple of hours of sleep on the sofa in the lab’s corner office. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually slept in his own bed…or did more than splash water on his face.
Pinching his basic, white T-shirt between thumb and forefinger, he lifted it to his nose and sniffed. “Oh, that’s foul.”
He should probably apologize to Nell for that. He glanced up, intending to do just that, but kept his mouth shut when he found her jade eyes dancing with mirth. The women in his life were going to be the death of him.
“That’s what I thought.”
Scratching the course growth of hair along his jaw, he frowned. Okay, so maybe some hovering was needed after all. In his defense, every waking hour had been consumed with trying to synthesize a magical cure. With the Alliance breathing down his neck, and everything going wrong, it hadn’t left much time for things like personal hygiene.
“Fine,” he conceded, his gaze flickering to the projection screen again. “Let me go over these reports first.”
“Coffee?”
Luke smiled. She knew him so well. “That would be awesome, chipmunk.”
“No problem. Oh, and Luke?”
At the same moment, the lift doors in the far corner opened, and Cami’s mate, Tariq stepped into the lab. “Luke?”
From behind him, Nell cleared her throat. “Uh, Luke?”
Then, an altogether different voice boomed from the speakers. “Brighton.”
Irritated beyond rationality, Luke spun around with a sharp glare as he shouted, “What?”
From the projection screen, Jax arched a single eyebrow at him. Apparently, Luke had forgotten to disconnect it from his wrist unit. Just fucking great.
“Sorry,” he muttered as he combed his fingers through his messy hair. “What can I do for you, Regent Spartan?”
Jax’s lips twitched, a minute movement that might have gone unnoticed if his face hadn’t been taking up half the wall. “I talked to Ivy. They’re sending someone.”
It was the best—strike that—it was the only good news he’d received in weeks. “That was fast. Who are they sending? How soon will they be here?”
“No clue, and I don’t know. Ivy will contact you later.”
Then, the screen flashed, and he was gone, leaving only the data reports from Luke and Nell’s latest experiment.
“A Xenon is coming here?” Cami sounded more excited about the prospect than she did about her new flower puppy. “Who? When?”
Obviously, she’d been listening in, and she knew exactly the same amount of information he did.
“Tomorrow,” he answered sarcastically.
“But Regent Spartan said…oh. Right.” A brief pause, then, “Hey, did Tariq find you?”
He hadn’t realized he was lost and needed finding. “Yeah, he found me.”
He watched the Helios approach with no small amount of trepidation. Tariq never ventured into the lab, which meant that whatever he had to say, Luke wasn’t going to like it.
“Can you shut that off?” Tariq spoke quietly as he glanced heavenward, his amber eyes zeroing in on the speaker directly above them. “And the vid feed?”
“Sure, but she’s not going to like it.” The small fact probably gave him more pleasure than it should have as he used his wrist until to disable the comm systems in the entire lab. “Okay, all clear.”
“Cami’s birthday is coming up soon.”
Okay, not what he was expecting. “What about it?”
“I’d like to have a celebration for her. She told me soon after we met that she hasn’t had a birthday party since she was fourteen.” A low, menacing growl rolled up from his chest, and his upper lip curled on one side to reveal a long, sharp canine. “I think it’s time we change that.”
Guilt hit Luke in the gut like a wrecking ball. Guilt, because he was partly to blame for her lack of social engagements for the last decade. Guilt, because Tariq had thought to celebrate her upcoming birthday, while he’d barely remembered the day was so close. Guilt, because he should have done more to protect her…from both of their fathers.
“Nell, can you give us a minute?”
“Of course.” She flicked her finger over the screen in her hand, closing the projection on the wall. “I’ll just be in the office.”
Luke watched her walk away until he was sure she was out of earshot, then turned back to his sister’s mate. “I think that’s a great idea. She, uh, she doesn’t have a lot of friends in Light City.” His throat tightened with emotion, forcing him to clear it before he could continue. “I know some people who would love to meet her, though.”
“That’s a good start,” Tariq allowed. “I was thinking I’d ask Cyrin to make her a cake.”
He nodded his approval. The Krytos hybrid ran the best bakery in the city, maybe the entire quadrant. It might have been because all of her creations were made the old-fashioned way—by hand with real ingredients that probably cost her a small fortune. Whatever the secret, her cupcakes were simply divine.
“Tell me what you need me to do.” It wasn’t an offer he made to just anyone, but no one deserved to be celebrated more than his sister.
“Invite those people you mentioned. I’ll also need you to get her out of the house the day of the party.”
“Done.”
“And stop being a dick about the puppy.”
“Fine.” That didn’t mean he had to like it, but he could refrain from being openly averse to the idea of having the little beast in the house. “Just keep it out of my room.”
“That’s going to be kind of difficult.” Tariq laughed so hard his entire frame shook.
Luke really didn’t get the joke. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“That’s the other reason I came down here.” The shifter barely got the whole sentence out through his chuckles. “She didn’t want me to tell you, but I thought it was only fair to warn you.”
A heavy feeling started in Luke’s chest and quickly sank to his gut, making him a little queasy. “Warn me about what? What did she do?”
It took several seconds for Tariq to stop laughing long enough to speak again. “The puppy is for you.”
CHAPTER TWO
“I don’t like this.”
“Yes, I’m aware, brother.” Standing just beyond the sliding doors of the Visitors Center in Earth’s Capital city, Jaelasah Moonmist adjusted the satchel draped over her shoulder and sighed. “You’ve said so many, many times.”
Xi straightened the sleeves of his jade-green tunic, then smoothed his long, dark hair back from his face with a huff. Maybe he’d finally realized it wouldn’t do him any good to ar
gue, because he didn’t comment further.
When the king had first asked to meet with her, she’d been nearly sick with nerves. After all, it wasn’t every day that the ruler of the entire planet requested an audience with someone like her. Every terrible thing she’d ever done in her three thousand and twenty-four years of existence had skipped through her mind, right down to the smallest of infractions.
Logically, she’d known Vasili Blackthorn didn’t care that she’d picked flowers from her neighbor’s garden when she’d been seven. Anxiety and logic, however, made fairly poor bedfellows.
So, she’d stood before him—hands clenched, knees shaking, stomach threatening to expel her breakfast—and prayed to the ancestors that no matter what she’d done wrong, he would be lenient with her. Instead of leveling accusations or interrogating her, however, the king had asked for her assistance.
The freaking king had asked for her help. She still couldn’t believe it.
It had taken only hours to gather her things in preparation for the journey to Earth, but another two days to convince her siblings she wasn’t a child who needed their permission to go. She still wasn’t sure that she’d won that fight since her sister and brothers had only conceded once Vasere Lynx Snowden had suggested one of them accompany her.
Jael didn’t like it, but she recognized that it could have been worse. Syrie and Osian could have insisted on making the trip with them as well. She’d managed to survive for over three millennia without their constant supervision, but apparently, that didn’t matter. Knowing their pushiness came from a desire to keep her safe, she tried not to let it irritate her, but being the baby sister of three overprotective sentries definitely had its drawbacks.
After seemingly endless arguments between her siblings over who would make the trip with her, they’d concluded that, as the oldest, it should be Xi. She’d been surprised by their decision, but she hadn’t said anything.
She loved all of her siblings equally, but Xi wouldn’t have been her first choice. He was a good brother and a skilled sentry, but he was also the most rigid of the group, the most resistant to change. He didn’t even like leaving the Southern Isle, yet he was going to travel across the galaxies to an unknown planet with her.
It made very little sense.
One sleepless night, three lectures, and about a dozen deep breaths later, however, she had finally found herself aboard the Radiance—the royal ship of the Southern Isle—bound for Earth.
During the weeks it had taken to reach their destination, she’d tried in vain to find any information she could about the planet. Most of what she’d read in the Xenthian archives had been outdated, gathered before war had ravaged the humans and their home. Even when she had located something relevant, it was often laced with more opinions than facts.
Thankfully, Vasera Blackthorn had been granted permission to give her access to the Alliance’s public archives. For the last three days of their journey, Jael hadn’t slept. She’d barely eaten. Every waking moment had been spent pouring over the fascinating account of Earth’s history. There had even been data included about the other known races, many of whom called Earth home, and she’d absorbed every new detail with greedy enthusiasm.
Despite her hours and hours of research, she still hadn’t been prepared for her first glimpse of the planet.
The sky was blue instead of green. The grass was green instead of blue. The sun cast a golden hue on everything, and it was Earth’s moon that shone silver, but only during the nighttime hours. The sand had no color at all, and the vast sea was a terrible mixture of blue and brown. Worse, it seemed everything in the Capital was made of either metal or enormous slabs of smooth stone.
And, yet, she was absolutely enchanted.
Like all Xenon—apart from the ruling families—she’d never ventured away from her home world. The king could have sent her to a mining colony on an asteroid, and she’d have been just as excited for the opportunity to travel the stars.
“It’s very exciting to be here. Don’t you think so?”
“Indeed.” He didn’t sound as if he meant it, but he wasn’t scowling at her anymore, either. “Vasera Blackthorn insists that we try something called a taco,” he commented absently. “Where do you think we would find such a thing?”
Jael shrugged. Her research on Earth food had pertained mostly to agriculture, and she hadn’t come across anything called a “taco.” If the queen wanted them to try one, though, she’d do her best to find it.
“Perhaps Commander Brighton will know. We can ask when we meet him.”
She knew little about the male other than he was heading the project to cure human infertility. That, and well, the fact that he had the most intense blue eyes she’d ever seen. Even from his photograph, those sapphire irises had seemed to look right into her soul. He was handsome, startling so, with chiseled features and hair as dark as her own, only considerably shorter.
But…those eyes.
Jael sighed.
Immediately, the frown returned to Xi’s lips, and he sidestepped, moving closer to her. “Why are you making that expression?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” She adjusted the strap of her bag again, showing far more interest in the material than it warranted. “This is how my face always looks.”
“Are you ill?” His right hand landed heavily on her forehead. “You aren’t feverish.”
Batting his hand away, she huffed with impatience and stepped out of his reach. “I’m perfectly well, thank you.”
He tried to reach for her again but stopped when she glared at him. “Perhaps you should stay and rest.”
By the ancestors, he was making her crazy.
“Xi, stop it. There’s nothing wrong with me.” No way in the stars could she tell him what was really on her mind. He’d have them back on the Radiance and halfway home before she could even blink. “I’m just anxious to reach our destination and begin work.”
Xi stared at her for a long time, clearly unconvinced, but he finally relaxed his posture and sighed. “Where is that, anyway?”
Grateful to have avoided further interrogation, she offered him a bright smile. “A laboratory in the City of Light.”
“Light City,” Xi corrected. “They call it Light City.”
Just like that, her good mood dimmed once more, and she narrowed her eyes again. “If you knew that, then why did you even ask?”
Ignoring her inquiry, he made a big production of looking up and down the street before turning back to her with an arched brow. “How do you purpose we get there?”
As the first Xenon visitors to the planet, they had been greeted by several regents and commanders upon docking. The most notable, a charming female by the name of Regent Adira Singer.
Of course, Earth’s governing officials couldn’t be expected to escort them everywhere they went. Instead, they had been assigned a liaison officer who would guide them to the next city and answer any questions they might have.
“The liaison officer will be here soon.” Jael resisted the urge to stick her tongue out or kick her brother in the knee, but only just. He knew the details of the plan as well as she did, and he was being purposely obtuse.
“So, where is this officer?” he demanded, his tone, as well as his body language, filled with impatience.
“She’ll be here.”
His snort said it all, but that didn’t stop him from adding, “I guess it’s too much to ask for humans to be punctual.”
Closing her eyes, Jael inhaled deeply several times, waiting until she could speak without yelling before focusing on her brother again. “She. Will. Be. Here.” By the ancestors, he could be insufferable at times. “It’s not her fault that you insisted we awake with the sun.” With a heavy sigh and a shake of her head, she turned away. “I wish you would at least try to enjoy yourself.”
She really didn’t understand how he could be so miserable in such an incredible place. Other than Vasera Blackthorn, she had never actually met anyone
from another race before. Now, there she stood, surrounded by beings of every size, shape, color, and ability.
Obviously, humans comprised the majority of those who littered the walkways, but she also recognized a Tarin warrior and a Krytos trio. The Helios were a little harder to separate from the humans, at least from a distance, but she thought the two females in the courtyard of the Visitors Center were members of the shifter race.
A passing D’Aire couple smiled and nodded, and they were just as fair and majestic as she’d imagined. Although, she felt a small twinge of disappointment that both had their wings sheathed.
As mesmerized as she was by the other races, passersby appeared just as intrigued by her and Xi. She supposed it was to be expected, but it made her uncomfortable to be the focus of their attention, especially when the strange lizard people across the street kept shooting furtive glances their way.
“Those are the Roamers?” She didn’t point, but she did incline her head toward the group as she glanced up at her brother.
“Good morning,” a cheery voice called from behind them, interrupting anything Xi might have said.
Turning, Jael watched as a human female dressed in an Alliance uniform strolled forward from the doors of the Visitors Center to greet them. A mane of wild, ebony curls bounced around the officer’s face with every step, and her warm, tawny eyes crinkled at the corners when she smiled.
Blindingly white teeth showed through her parted lips, their brightness subtly enhanced by the officer’s flawless, brown skin. The golden undertones of her complexion practically glowed in the morning sunlight, and Jael felt a pang of envy when she glanced down at her own pale arm.
“Reema,” the officer stated once she reached them. Her gaze darted across the street, then back to Jael. “Those are Reema.”
“I don’t like them,” Xi answered, sparing the female only a brief glance.
“Not many do, but they’re essentially harmless. Liaison Officer Vada Carlisle.” With another bright smile, she extended her right arm, her hand outstretched toward Jael. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long. There was an issue with a group of visiting Helios that took longer than expected this morning.”
