A Blue Star Rising

by Cecilia Randell

  “My mother ended up running away to Cularna to escape the man. It was there she met my father.”

  Blue thought over the tale. “Couldn’t she have gone to the Family head, the Istial family I mean? To petition or something?”

  Felix focused on Vivi, who’d begun to purr. “She would have had to have something to trade. And she did not. Plus, the man would have demanded the cattle back, even those eaten.”

  “Oh.” It didn’t sound like something Trev would demand, but… she didn’t really know much about him or the way he actually operated his Family. But this was also a story from one side. She didn’t doubt what Felix’s mother had been through, but surely there had been another solution. “And her father could not have gone to Istial in the first place?”

  Felix shrugged. “He did not.”

  “And then he used his daughter as trade goods.”

  “Yes.” The word was harsh.

  She honestly couldn’t see Trev doing those things. Any of those things. He’d demand his payment somehow, even if it was simply in favors or hours worked. But no matter where you lived, everything had to be paid for somehow. And, despite his jokes about kisses as exchange, he’d never pushed it. “Trevon is not your grandfather,” she finally said.

  Felix flinched. “I know this. But he comes from the same world, the same mindset. And I do not trust it.”

  “Has he done something, anything, to show he would do something to put me in danger? Truly?”

  “Other than kidnapping you in the first place and causing Derrick to be killed?”

  It was her turn to flinch. “Yes, other than that. I was in no real danger, and the matter of Derrick is for Forrest to decide.” To her, Trevon had made up for his part in Derrick’s death. He had not been the man to pull that trigger, had even ordered there be no deaths. And the rest was up to Forrest to forgive. Maybe he had, based on the easy way he handled Trev, or maybe he never would but had decided to bury the feeling deep for the sake of the prida.

  Felix held his silence.

  “Thank you for telling me,” Blue finally said. “I guess that leads pretty nicely into ‘us,’ huh?” She sent him a nervous smile, and his expression softened. “Levi and I, well, we decided to move from pretend to real dating. What you’d call a trial period.”

  “I know the word dating.”

  “Would you want to? Move from pretend to real, I mean? We would have our nights together, and we could cuddle or go out or whatever we wanted. And…” How was she still so bad at this almost-proposing thing?

  “Are you asking to court me?” His eyes went wide, and a matching grin spread across his face. “You are. The tiny pet is asking to court the mercenary.” Before she could hit him, he held up a hand and the grin fell into a real smile. “I accept. But we will take this slowly, as much as I… want more of you. There is much you don’t know of me or my family. And I…” Something that may have been fear lurked behind the smile.

  “And there is some girl that I may or may not need to kill who messed you up.”

  He blushed. It was cute.

  “We can do this slowly.” Her own cheeks heated. “I admit, Levi and I… Well, that kind of just happened as soon as we decided to move forward.”

  Felix wagged his brows. “Oh, yes? Tell me more.”

  “Hah. No. Now give me a kiss, and we’ll go watch a movie and see what else Trevon has for us. Movie night has also been his way of finding an excuse to come over and share information he doesn’t want to just send by comm.”

  “Movie night?”

  She nodded. “Earth movies. Didn’t we tell you about it?”

  “No.” There was a bit of a chill to his tone.

  “Well, now you know. And a kiss. It’s in the terms”

  Felix laughed, the moment of cold gone. “Is it now? Well then.” He leaned forward, braced on one arm, closed his eyes, and puckered his lips.

  Blue giggled. Oh, she wanted a picture of this. She paused for a half second to take in the moment, then pressed her lips to the mercenary’s. They softened beneath hers, and the kiss deepened. When he nipped her lower lip, she let out a sighing moan. Maybe they didn’t need to watch the movie…

  But he pulled away. “Thank you,” he said.

  Blue just stared at him. How in the hell did I get so farking lucky? “Tomorrow is a break-day. I’ve got to give Beast some love in the morning, but do you want to have a date later? Just the two of us to spend some time together?”

  “Doing what?”

  “I’ll let you pick.”

  “I accept.”

  He nearly bounced from the bed, sending the cubs flying up off the mattress. Then he held his hand out and pulled her from the bed. His hand enveloped hers, and they walked back into the living room like that.

  The guys had done their best to put the furniture to rights, but it looked like three of the penny jars were a lost cause, and one of the dining chairs was broken.

  Felix took it in and with a wry smile and said, “I owe you each a penny, it seems. And I will fix the chair.”

  Blue didn’t miss the emphasis he’d put on the word each and gave his arm a quick squeeze with her free hand.

  Trevon nodded, letting that be the end of it. Mo’ata searched Blue’s face, and she gave him a small smile. His answering one held a hint of relief. Had he been worried Felix would leave them?

  “I’m cashing in my penny now, then,” Forrest said. “You cook, Felix. It’s my night, and I don’t feel like it.” With that he plopped onto the couch, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes.

  Well then. That was simple.

  Felix gave her hand a squeeze and released her, moving into the kitchen without another word. Trevon took his normal place on the rug, Mo’ata took his chair, and Blue and Levi joined Forrest on the couch.

  We need more chairs. Or a larger sofa. She doubted Felix would want to sit with Trev on the floor.

  Trevon raised a hand and waved it. “Before we begin the movie and while Felix is making food—none for me, I already ate—I have more information. Prin?”

  The man stepped away from where he’d posted himself against the right wall, a data card in hand. He passed it to Blue, and she fingered it. Was she expected to dive in now? As a gesture to Mo’ata, she passed it over.

  “I’ll go ahead and sum up,” Trevon continued. “Based on Nya’s aborted attempt to tell me what was going on and Blue’s lovely sense of smell, I had the scent I bought for her analyzed by an aromachist in the central district. I also had a few additional people, people I trust, look into it. There is an element in the scent that none of them were familiar with. It bears a chemical resemblance to the plumar flower from Falass, but is not in any of the databases I have access to. It is also, barring a few slight alterations, identical to the mystery compound in the drug we’re tracking.”

  “What does that tell us?” Felix asked from where he chopped vegetables. He was back in investigator mode and playing nice. Or maybe he really was trying to see Trev in a new light. She didn’t think so, though. That would be too easy.

  “If we can manage to track the scent further, pinpoint where in Falass it is coming from, it gives us a better idea of where to look for the source of the drug and this Miyari.”

  “Any luck on that?” Forrest asked.

  “No.” Mo’ata, Levi, and Trevon spoke at once.

  “He was someone Nya knew well enough to welcome into her shop, or at least men of his were,” Felix said, “and whose symbol was close enough to hers that you mistook it for the same image.” He slid the vegetables into the wave-cooker and pulled the meat from the fridge.

  “Yes?” Felix wouldn’t be able to see it, but Trev had raised his brow.

  “So, he is probably family of hers. Cularna is not as… emphatic about family sticking together, but we do tend to join the same guilds as our parents or other close family.”

  Trev propped himself up on one elbow and stared at the mercenary. “I’d forgotten that. Very good poi
nt.”

  The air seemed to still and hold its breath, well, if air breathed. Then Felix shrugged and pulled out a tin of spices. He took pinches from four compartments, mixed them in a small white bowl, then sprinkled the mixture over the meat.

  “Is that all?” Blue asked.

  “From me,” Trev said.

  Felix paused in his preparations. “I had hoped to pick up more while I was guarding the merchant. All I have is a rumor I heard this morning that fairly minor clerks and workers were suddenly gaining in ability and being promoted, only to have difficulties a few months later and needing to take a leave. The man I heard it from, a cousin of the merchant’s, didn’t say more, and if I’d pushed, he’d have clammed up.”

  Mo’ata grunted. “You wrote it up?”

  Felix just looked at him.

  “We will review the data later tonight or tomorrow. I would like to have some of our own run tests on the scent,” Mo’ata said.

  Blue tensed. She had a whole bottle of it sitting in her room. They’d use that. It would be perfect. Except that was hers. It had traveled with her from Karran to Earth and back. It had survived a trip to Padilra, tucked into the bottom of her pack. She hadn’t even opened it yet, and now she never would.

  “I’ll send a sample to you,” Trevon said, his gaze on her.

  She relaxed, a strange reaction for something she wasn’t even sure she wanted. And now she had a feeling she was thinking about more than a bottle of scent. “What’s the movie tonight?”

  “I was thinking X-Men. We can start at the beginning and work our way through, though some of the sequels aren’t nearly as good.” He flipped onto his stomach and started rooting around in the box of movies.

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  Felix did a good job with dinner. The meat had a kick to it that wasn’t too overpowering, and the vegetables were done to the perfect degree of cooked but not mushy. He even managed some rolls from a pre-packaged dough.

  And the movie was perfect, with a little something for everyone.

  Chapter 27

  BLUE

  Blue gave Beast’s hindquarters one last swipe with the soft brush. “There. Now, you and I, and of course Duri because Duri is the constant shadow, are going to go on a ride. Just us. Even Garfield is staying behind to bother Mo’ata and the others.”

  Beast huffed and shifted, pressing his shoulder into her. A slight, pleased purr rumbled up from her mount’s chest, and she smiled. She really hadn’t been giving him enough attention, between school and getting settled and all the rest.

  Just as she grabbed the padding blanket from where Beast’s tack was kept, Felix appeared at the entrance to the stables, a reined and saddled pouma by his side. Beast shifted again, this time to crowd her back into the stall, and his purr morphed into a growl.

  “Hey.” She slapped his side. He swung his head around and bared his teeth. She held up her hands. Was he annoyed their time together was being interrupted, or was there something about the pouma he didn’t like? He didn’t have trouble with the ones in the stable, but they were also kept in the stalls farthest from him.

  Felix tied the pouma to one of the steel rings attached to the exterior of the building and strode down to Beast’s stall.

  Blue looked him over. He’d left his armor behind. His clothes were still dark, but they were obviously his… civvies? That was the word, right? He wore a thick coat over dark pants and boots. A belt rode low on his waist, and his usual assortment of blades was attached and plain to see. A dark green scarf, a twin to the blue one Mo’ata had bought her, was wrapped securely around his throat and head.

  Had she ever actually seen him out of armor? He looked good. Still like a giant mercenary, but good.

  He leaned against the stall door, one eye on Beast. “You said you needed to take Beast for a ride, and I thought we could do that together, turn it into our date. I know an area on the north side of the city that’s usually reserved for residents, but on rest days they open up for the rest of us. Charge a fee of course. It’s a lot nicer, and bigger, than the smaller green areas in the central or southern districts.”

  Beast eyed Felix in return through that whole little speech. It was more aggressive than Blue liked, so she tugged on the quorin’s mane until he twisted to look at her. “I think it would be good for you. A nice long run, work a little of the wild out…” She was aware her voice had taken on a pleading tone, somewhere between a toddler asking for a treat and a mother trying to calm a toddler down for not getting it. “I assume there are places to run there?” she asked Felix.

  “Yes. There are a few nice, long stretches, and they maintain a few pastures that the animals can be let loose in for a while. We can pack in a lunch. A treat for all of us.”

  “You really thought about this, didn’t you?”

  He shrugged. “You said whatever I wanted. Your Beast is not the only one feeling a little confined.”

  She almost teased him about being an animal on the edge, but a wry hint in his tone had her rethinking. “Me or you?” she asked, brows raised.

  He shrugged then spread his arms, giving her a wide grin. But he didn’t answer.

  “Fine. We’ll do it your way.”

  Beast stamped a hoof.

  “Hush,” she said. “You do need a good run, and we won’t get it on these streets.” She eyed the pouma at the stable’s entrance. “I assume we’re riding there?”

  “Yes. It will take a few hours. By the time we reach the park, it will be a little after lunch. We can get some food, let Beast and my mount have a bit of a stretch, and then, maybe, join in a few races. They spring up occasionally.”

  This time Beast’s foot stomp was accompanied by a head bob.

  “Looks like we agree with your plan. Can we pick up a couple of dakash for the ride? Elaina showed me a really good stand nearby.”

  “Elaina?”

  She really did have a lot to catch him up with. The occasional check-in message wasn’t enough. “A friend I made at school. Sana is her aunt.”

  He stiffened at the landlady’s name. They did have a lot to talk about, and not all of it just what had happened over the last ten-day.

  “Yes, we can stop for dakash,” he said. “Finish saddling Beast, and I will let Duri know he does not need to accompany us.” The last bit was said with a hint of steel.

  Blue almost laughed. Duri hated going with her on the short rides she was able to squeeze in. Oh, he kept the blank face of a bodyguard well enough, but even a blind lady could hear the reluctance every time he said the word “saddle.”

  Felix led her to a sheltered and enclosed pavilion. It was close enough to the paddocks she could keep an eye on Beast, but far enough away they didn’t have to watch anything poop if they didn’t want to. A few other couples were there as well, taking advantage of the bright sunlight that streamed through the glass roof and warmed the interior.

  They chose a table near the entrance, and Felix set down the basket of food he’d acquired when they entered the park.

  And what a park it was. It reminded her a bit of a cross between a state park and a country club. Felix had pointed out paths that led off into wilder areas, which were only given basic maintenance to clear out any hazards. Otherwise, it was the natural rock and vegetation of the area, before it became a metropolis. There were also spaces like this, done up with pretty paint and landscaping, cute areas to have a leisurely afternoon, even in winter.

  Most of the people they’d come across were dressed in fine leather coats and richly embroidered, thick wools and cottons—or whatever their equivalents were on Karran. They had seen a few people who looked as though they were visiting just for the rest-day, like her and Felix. It was nothing obvious, maybe a slightly more worn heel to the boots or a faded coat.

  She had actually expected there to be a lot more people around.

  The couples in the pavilion were of the former variety of park-goers. Felix and she were mostly ignored, except for one girl who c
urled her lip slightly and then turned back to her companion, whispering. The boy looked back, his eyes widened, and then he leaned in, shaking his head. Felix ignored them both, just as the other couples had done with them, and the girl soon settled.

  It was strange. And maybe a good opening. “What was that all about?” she asked as she dug into the basket and set out the little containers she found.

  “What?”

  “You know what.”

  He shrugged. “It’s not anything to do with us, really.”

  “Do they know you? The guys seemed to recognize you, at least.”

  He set out napkins and flatware, keeping his movements easy and light. “Possibly. I have visited this area before.”

  For a trip to nature inside a city, or for a more romantic outing? And was there a reason not to ask? “With the lady I might still need to kill?”

  He grinned. Seemed the joke wasn’t getting old. “No. Not with Portia.” He set a plate down with maybe a little more force than necessary. “With my family.” Another plate was set down with a clack. “My father had business in the area and used it as an excuse to bring the family for a vacation. Well, he called it that. It was more a networking opportunity for his heir.” There was more than a little heated anger there.

  At least he was talking. “You?”

  “No. I’m the youngest.” He pulled the largest container to himself, peeled back the lid, and forked a portion of the sliced fela onto his plate. Then he held the container out to her. Each movement was precise, controlled.

  She took the meat from him. “I sometimes wish I’d had siblings.” She grinned up at him as his shoulders eased down. “And then sometimes I don’t.” Keep it easy, keep it easy.

  “They’re not so bad. Especially the sisters. Well, especially when you get away with things with the sisters.” Then he grinned and proceeded to tell her of a time he’d hidden a whole herd of pilik, kind of a turkey-duck, in his sisters’ rooms. All three of them had run screaming to their father, but because they couldn’t actually prove it had been Felix, he’d gotten away with it. That time.