3013

by Kali Argent

  “You look beautiful, sister mine. I’ll have to beat the males back.”

  She smiled, girlishly pleased by his response. “Should you leave your blades on the ship?”

  Garrik actually laughed at her. “Definitely not.”

  “You’ve been spending too much time with Sion.” Straightening her spine, she nodded for him to open the doors.

  Everything after that happened just as Ivy had said. Commander Olivia Tavish met them in the docking bay, along with three males the commander introduced as elite officers. The medic, a male with light hair and dark eyes greeted them with his hands at his sides and a slight bow, as was customary on Xenthian. He’d then gone into great detail about the language converter, its purpose, the procedure, and he’d assured them repeatedly that it was completely safe.

  “You can say no,” Commander Tavish interrupted. “If you don’t want it, I’ll have some accompany you as an interpreter.”

  Rya found it difficult to determine human ages, especially the light-haired ones, but she estimated the commander to be about the same age as Ivy. She spoke with authority, but also an undernote of compassion, and her blue eyes gleamed with a controlled intensity. Rya recognized it at once—the subtle shift in the commander’s weight, the way she watched Rya while staying aware of her surroundings—Commander Tavish bore the weight of worlds, and she took her responsibilities seriously. She was a leader and a warrior first, a friend and ally second.

  Rya could respect that.

  After a short discussion with Garrik, she and the captain both agreed to the language converter implants. Garrik did so because he felt he couldn’t adequately protect her if he couldn’t understand half the races on board the station. Rya did so because she valued efficiency and simplicity.

  As promised, the injection had pinched only briefly, and the procedure had been over just a quickly. She felt no different, but reluctantly, she removed the linguistic translator from her home world and tucked it into the pocket of her tunic for safekeeping. Idly, she mused that since she and Sion now had the same form of translation device, maybe she’d be able to make sense of the strange things he said.

  “Are we meeting Isla Blevins now, Commander?” Rya asked as she and Garrik were led up a metal lift to a sterile, curving hallway.

  “Yep. Just up here on the right.” She pointed to a glowing, crimson sign over an expanded doorway. “Zade and Axton Tavish will meet us at the entrance.”

  “Tavish? Your mates?”

  For the first time, the commander let her air of authority slip, and a very feminine smile graced her full lips. “Yeah, they’re mine. Have you ever met a Krytos, Vasera?”

  “No, but I’m greatly anticipating it.”

  “You know, you’re not at all what I expected.”

  Rya laughed. “What did you expect?”

  “I don’t know, to tell you the truth, but you’re so...normal.” The smile slid from her face, and Commander Tavish shook her head. “At least you haven’t blown up anyone.”

  Startled, Rya stumbled a couple of steps before regaining her balance and falling back into step beside the female. “Does that happen often?”

  “Just once.” She didn’t elaborate. “Here we are.” She waved a hand at two enormous males with long, raven hair and eyes just as dark. “Axton, Zade, this is Vasera Rya Clearwater from Xenthian, and her brother Captain Garrik Clearwater. Vasera, Captain, these are my mates and owners of Asylum.”

  The bigger of the two males nodded silently. The one called Zade, however, smiled brightly, showing off fangs similar to Sion’s, and took her hand to bring it to his lips.

  “It’s an honor to meet you Vasera. Welcome to Asylum.”

  Dozens of people, males and females from all different races, had packed into the dimly lit room. They sipped colorful drinks and talked loudly. A tall, slender female with short, dark hair flitted between tables, talking briefly to those sitting there and nodding as if recording something to memory. At the back of the room, a long, thin table stretched on for several feet, and behind it, a glass case illuminated in crimson housed all manner of glasses and bottles.

  Rya had never seen anything like it before. “This is a sanctuary?”

  “Actually, this is a bar,” Axton answered, and he spoke softly, perhaps so as not to frighten her. “The sanctuary is on the lower level.”

  “A bar?” Garrik was so close, his chest pressed against Rya’s back so that he could peer over her shoulder into the room.

  Commander Tavish laughed. “Don’t you have bars on Xenthian?”

  Rya shook her head. “We don’t have anything like this on any of the islands. What is its purpose?”

  “Well,” Zade answered, “we serve alcohol.” He paused and snapped his fingers a few times. “You might know it as ale.”

  Rya shook her head again. “I’m sorry. I’m afraid I’ve never heard of alcohol or ale.”

  “Beer, brandy, whiskey, wine,” Axton ticked off on his fingers.

  Recognizing one of the terms, Rya brightened. “Oh, yes, we have wine on Xenthian.”

  “Great.” Zade motioned her and Garrik inside. “Let’s get you a glass of wine then, and I’ll explain what a bar really is.”

  When Garrik didn’t move, Commander Tavish met his gaze, her expression serious. “This is the safest place on the station, maybe in the star system. I swear to you that nothing will happen to your sister while she’s here.”

  It had been exactly the right thing to say, and Rya gave the commander a smile of gratitude. “I want to try the wine, but I should meet with the female, Isla Blevins.”

  “Sure thing. Grab a booth in the corner, and I’ll go find her.”

  The female disappeared into the crowd with Axton while Zade led her and Garrik to a curved bench with a circular table. Her bottom had barely touched the cushion when the same female she’d noticed before appeared in front of the table with a bright smile.

  “What are we drinking?”

  Rya looked down at the tabletop, over to Garrik, then finally back to the female. “We don’t have drinks.”

  Zade grinned. “Hello, Shay. We’ll have three glasses of the ahava wine the Adaros sent, and bring us a sample tray.”

  “Little of everything? You got it.” The female, Shay, bobbed her head a couple of times, winked, and wound her way toward the glass shelves at the back of the room.

  They made polite conversation while they waited, and Zade answered all of her questions with a patience she hadn’t experienced from most males. He was also nothing like she’d expected a Krytos to be, but she found him fascinating all the same.

  “Do your eyes really turn red?” she blurted.

  “They do, but only in battle form.” Seeing her confusion, he elaborated, “Only when I’m really pissed off, so that’s probably not something you want to see.”

  “Probably not,” Rya agreed.

  The Krytos female returned carrying a tray laden with drinks at the same time Commander Tavish slid into the seat beside her mate. Another female, this one not much taller than Rya, with fiery hair and strange dots across her nose and cheeks, sat quietly on the commander’s other side and clasped her hands together in her lap.

  “Vasera Clearwater, this is Isla Blevins. Isla, the Vasera is here to escort you to Xenthian.” Commander Tavish touched the female’s shoulder with sisterly affection. “You’ll be safe there.”

  “I know.” Isla turned her head, revealing an intricate scroll marking near the corner of her right eye. “I’m just nervous.”

  Sitting up a little straighter, Rya bobbed her head several times. “Understandable. I was very nervous to leave my planet and come here, but I’m glad I did. It’s lovely to meet you, Isla Blevins, and I hope that we’ll be friends.”

  The tension eased from her shoulders, and the anxiety faded from her eyes. “I’d like that.”

  For the next half hour, Rya sipped her wine, enjoying the sweetness, and listened to the female’s story. Like Sion, Isla
had more than one father, but they’d both tragically died when she’d been a youngling. A few weeks ago, she’d found her mother unbreathing in their home, and while she’d suspected her step-fathers, no one had believed her. The males were prominent in Jade City where she’d lived, both highly respected commanders, and without any proof, it had been her word against theirs.

  “I would never hurt my mother,” Isla concluded. “Never.”

  “We’ve also had an empath read her,” Commander Tavish added. “We know she’s telling the truth.”

  “I believe you, Isla.” Some Xenon possessed abilities akin to the empath the commander spoke of, so Rya felt comfortable with the assessment. More so, however, she could hear the sincerity in Isla’s tone, could see the barely disguised grief in her icy blue eyes. “If you still want to come with us, we can depart first thing in the morning.”

  Relief swept around the table, and Isla nodded. “Yes, please. The sooner, the better.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  The female stiffened. “I guess.”

  Rya tapped the corner of her own eye. “What does that marking mean?” She turned her attention to the commander. “Ivy has a star like yours, but not so detailed.” Commander Tavish’s star was accompanied by twisting lines, smaller stars, and writing Rya couldn’t read. “I’ve always wondered, but there hasn’t been an opportunity to ask.”

  “It’s a scroll,” Isla answered. “Simply put, it means I’m fertile.”

  “Mine was just a plain star like Ivy’s.” Turning, the commander reached up and caressed Zade’s smooth cheek. “My guys incorporated it into their claiming mark when we mated.” She dropped her hand back to her lap and sighed. “The star means a female is infertile. We can’t bear children.”

  “But Ivy is with child.”

  “True. Which is partly why the Alliance is so eager to begin negotiations with the Xenon.” Leaning forward, Commander Tavish rested her elbows on the table top and pinned Rya with her intense gaze. “We’ve been looking for a cure for the Zyphir virus for a long damn time, and Xenthian might finally have the answer.” She dropped back suddenly in her seat and laughed. “Mind you, I don’t have the temperament or patience to be a mother, but I know a lot of women who would do anything for a baby.”

  Xenthian currently had enough of its own problems without throwing an entire race’s infertility into the equation. Still, it made her heart ache, and if she could, she wanted to help. She saw nothing wrong with not wanting younglings, but if a female longed for a baby, she should have that option.

  “Tell me what I can...what I...” The room suddenly started to spin, coming in and out of focus, and she felt strange, like her head had detached from her body.

  “Rya?” Garrik touched her face, her hair, and finally wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Rya, talk to me.” His head snapped up, and he glared at the Krytos male. “What did you do to her? What was in that drink?”

  “You drank the same wine,” Zade pointed out, but at least he didn’t sound angry.

  “Garrik, stop.” She hadn’t finished even half her wine, and she didn’t believe anyone had the table had poisoned her. “I’m okay. Just dizzy.” Her stomach flopped over, and her heart started racing. “I think I need to eat.”

  “I’ll get some water.” Isla jumped up and hurried out of sight.

  “I’ll get her some food,” Zade added.

  Commander Tavish slid out of the curved bench to let him pass while she began jabbing at the glowing screen attached to her wrist. “I need a medic at Asylum,” she said clearly, then rolled her eyes and sighed. “No, Axton and Zade didn’t rip anyone’s limbs off. The day is still young, though. Give it time.”

  Rya hated everyone fussing over her, but the more she struggled to keep her eyes open, the heavier her lids felt. The spinning increased, her vision dimmed, and her head felt heavy, too heavy.

  “Garrik.” It was the only warning she managed before she fainted right there at the table.

  * * * *

  Night had fallen over Sommervail, but Sion couldn’t have slept if he’d wanted.

  The headaches had cleared almost immediately after Rya’s departure, and his erratic mood swings had tapered down in the following hours. Feeling more like himself, he’d been left with nothing to do but miss Rya and worry about her. He’d needed a distraction, and he’d needed to be productive. So, he’d sent for a shuttle to take him to Sommervail in the center island, much to Fawkes’ dismay.

  Apparently, he’d been appointed to keep an eye on Sion while Rya was off-planet. In reality, Fawkes had more than his share of responsibilities around the manor, and he didn’t need to add Sion’s mood swings to his plate.

  He’d felt a small measure of relief when he’d learned that Ivy had spoken with Rya, and his mate had appeared healthy and happy, even a little excited by the experience. It didn’t stop him from worrying, though, until thankfully, Tira put him to work.

  Spread out in the library, he gathered with the captain, Kai, Ivy, and Elder Torren Blue, pouring over data and files. On the only open wall, Tira had brought up the holographic projection screen, which currently displayed pictures of five females and Sentry Allbright, complete with all the information available about them. In a second row beneath the first, she’d lined seven photos of the escaped sentries. Alone in the top right hand corner, a photo of Wyn Nightstar, the crazed guard who’d attacked Ivy, then mysteriously died in his cell, rotated from side to side.

  “Medic Brambles completed his examination of both Glenda and Sanya Rivers.” Tira pointed to the photos of the two females. “The bites and scratches on Glenda’s body happened after she died, but the medic can find no definitive cause of death.”

  “So, magic,” Sion deduced. “Fucking great.”

  “There’s something else.” The captain hesitated for a moment, and her gaze slid sideways to Ivy. “Glenda was with child when she died.”

  Everyone in the room held their breath, waiting for Ivy’s reaction.

  “I’m okay,” she assured them. Seated in her favorite chair, she stroked Hamlet’s head and scratched behind his fuzzy ears. “It’s sad and disgusting, and I want to gut the person who did this to her, but I’m not going to fall apart.” The piglet squeaked as if to confirm his owner’s words. “Continue.”

  Tira nodded. “The sister, Sanya, had an abrasion on her cheek, and shallow cuts on her arms and legs. Cause of death is also unknown.”

  The information didn’t surprise Sion, but he was starting to detect a patter. “Have you found Sentry Allbright yet?”

  “A farmer discovered his body about an hour ago in a grove outside of Cairbora.”

  “Let me guess, unknown cause of death.”

  Tira glared at him. “His skull was fractured.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Sion didn’t know the sentry, and he hated that the male had died pointlessly, but a small part of him was comforted to learn that Rya’s own guards hadn’t betrayed her.

  “Sentry Allbright’s report states that Glenda wasn’t with a male.” Seated in Sion’s usual place on the sofa between the bookshelves, Elder Blue scrolled through the comm glass in his lap. “How did she become pregnant?”

  “Clearly, she had a male.” Not everyone wanted to advertise their private life, something Sion could appreciate. “Maybe her sister didn’t approve of him, so she hid it.”

  “Perhaps.”

  Elder Blue had left his silver hair loose so that the strands fell over his shoulders and down to the center of his back. Sometime since Sion had last seen him, he’d added streaks of purple and teal to the locks. Whether with dye or magic, Sion couldn’t tell.

  “What about the other females?” There hadn’t been reports of more bodies being found, not that Sion had heard.

  “Missing.” Tira listed the females’ names and the location they’d last been seen. “One each from the Northern, Western, and Southern Isles.”

  “Any connection?”

&n
bsp; “None that I can find.”

  Elder Blue spoke again. “The female from the Western Isle, she was reported missing by her soulmate. The file says she was also carrying a child.”

  Sion sat up and moved to the edge of his seat. “What about the other two?”

  Everyone began scrolling through reports, medical files, and any other documents related to the missing females.

  “Here.” Looking down at her comm glass, Tira’s eyes scanned from left to right. “The female from the Southern Isle visited a medic three weeks ago for exhaustion and dizziness. The medic suspected pregnancy, but the female refused testing.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense.” If Sion had a whole person growing inside of him, he’d damn sure want to know about it. “Why would she refuse?”

  “Is she mated?” Ivy asked, and she appeared unsurprised when Tira nodded. “The baby isn’t his. She didn’t want the pregnancy on record, because she didn’t want him to find out yet.”

  The elder chuckled as he nodded toward Ivy’s stomach. “She wouldn’t have been able to hide that secret for long.”

  Sion would have liked to say the news surprised him, but he’d seen it too often on Helix. When matches were made for political gain instead of love, fidelity didn’t always fit into the union. That line of thought brought him to his next question.

  “Was an it an arrangement? Her and her mate, I mean.”

  Thin lines marred Tira’s brow, and she cocked her head to the side when she answered. “I don’t know. Why does it matter?”

  “It doesn’t really, but it would explain why she was unfaithful.”

  “Her mate is from a wealthy family,” Elder blue confirmed. “The female’s family owns farmland that stretches miles along the riverbank. I’d venture to guess their union wasn’t one of love.”

  “Why does this even matter?”

  Sion arched an eyebrow at the captain. “It all matters. Every seemingly unimportant detail matters at this point, because frankly, we have jack. Is the female missing? Or did she run away with her lover? Maybe she wasn’t willing, and the kid’s father took her anyway. Maybe her mate found out and planted her in the ground.”