by Lili Zander
I sift through what I know about Prince Ragnar. The holos are fascinated with him. They love speculating about who he’s involved with. Apart from that, we didn’t hear a lot about the prince back on Boarus 4.
A memory comes to the forefront. At the start of the Night of the Shayde, Overlord Zimmer had tried to bait Saber in front of Ragnar. He’d mocked Saber’s attention to the safety of the contestants.
Saber hadn’t backed down. I will not stand by and watch people die for sport, he’d said.
Ragnar’s reply has stayed with me. His green-gray eyes had turned haunted for an instant. Neither will I, he’d replied. There is too much death in the universe already.
“Is Ragnar your friend?”
“He used to be. I don’t know if he still is.”
“That’s pretty cryptic.”
He smiles down at me. “Sorry.” He pauses to collect his thoughts. “Ragnar survived his first assassination attempt when he was thirteen. The person trying to kill him was his childhood tutor. Since then, he’s been targeted at least another thirty times, and these are the ones that come to light. They’ve gone after Astrid a dozen times as well. Every single attempt has failed.”
His tutor tried to kill him when he was just thirteen. I feel a reluctant stab of empathy for the prince.
“Ragnar’s not concerned about himself. His goal is to keep Astrid safe, and he’s ruthless about it. He goes after threats with overwhelming force. He has to. Astrid doesn’t have an heir. If something were to happen to her, there would be a succession crisis. The Empire would be thrown into chaos.”
I frown in confusion. “I thought Ragnar was second-in-line to the throne?”
“No. It’s complicated. Ragnar and Astrid have the same father, but it was Astrid’s mother who was Empress. Gerra Clay would argue that she has a better claim to the throne than Ragnar. She might prevail.”
I can’t keep the snarl out of my voice. “Gerra Clay, the bitch that feeds on human children?”
“Half the Empire would revolt if Gerra were to ascend the throne. Billions would die. Nobody wants that to happen. Even Harek Levitan, reckless and power-hungry as he is, won’t attack Astrid directly. What’s the point of being Emperor if there’s no Empire left to rule?”
His jaw is tightly clenched. The stress can’t be good for his injuries. I reach out and put my hand on his. “We don’t have to talk about this now.”
“I promised I’d answer your questions, Raven.” He lifts my fingers to his lips and kisses my knuckles. “I keep my promises.”
Heat surges through me. During the battle with the slavers, I couldn’t stop ogling Nero. Then I almost kissed Zeke. And now, I wish Saber would stretch out next to me, and pull me into his arms.
I shift restlessly. Saber doesn’t notice. “Harek Levitan is after you,” he says. “If he already has the virus in his possession, he will kill you. If he does not, he will extract the virus from your blood, and keep you in a cage as long as he needs you alive. He does this because he is single-minded in his pursuit of power, and you are either a tool to him or an obstacle.”
His voice turns bleak. “The Ragnar I knew would have helped you, but after thirty assassination attempts, I don’t think that man exists. If he were to get a hold of you, he’d do exactly the same thing as Levitan. Your blood can cause a pandemic. You are a threat, and Ragnar is ruthless about eliminating threats.”
He’s probably right in his assessment. I just don’t see that we have another choice. There are two hundred children in the cargo hold of the Ruby Rose. The galaxy is a very large place. It could take us months to send them home, and we don’t have the time to see to it personally. Any minute now, Levitan could unleash a plague on the Empire. A cure needs to be our highest priority.
On one side, there’s Ragnar and the possibility of capture. On the other, there’s the Jowth and treachery, and I can’t do that to Saber. Not after everything he’s done for me. “How do we decide what to do?”
“We vote.”
That’s an unexpected answer. “Really? You, Saber Hafsson, control-freak extraordinaire, are actually going to let us have a say in this decision?” He looks so serious. It’s been a long, miserable day for all of us. “I don’t know what to say.”
“And yet, somehow, you’re still talking,” he teases. “This is an important decision that affects all of us. We should all have a say in it.”
Well, what do you know? I wouldn’t have thought he was capable of it. On Boarus 4, he barked out orders and expected to be obeyed. He really is trying. “Me too?”
Surprise flashes in his eyes. “More than any of us, this impacts you. Of course, you get a vote. Why wouldn’t you?”
Because I’m not a vampire? But that’s not fair to Saber. He might have kept secrets from me, but he did it because he thought he was protecting me. Most of the vampires on Boarus 4 act as if humans are lesser than them. Even at his most high-handed, Saber has never once treated me that way. Neither have Zeke nor Nero.
Saber’s in a question-answering mood, and I have a million of them. “Why did you go to work for Harek Levitan?”
“That’s a long story. I guess it all starts with my ancestor, Jomar Hafsson.”
I sit up with a jolt. Every human recognizes Jomar Hafsson’s name. When the inhabitants of Old Earth were fleeing their dying world, Jomar Hafsson let them settle on his planet in exchange for blood. The Treaty of Blood turned out to be a pivotal moment in humanity’s history. Even Ma Kaila, my history teacher back on Boarus 4, who hates all vampires with a burning passion, agrees that without the Treaty of Blood, the human race, as we know it, would have ceased to exist. “Jomar Hafsson was your ancestor?” I squeak.
He gives me an amused grin. “You look a little star-struck, Raven.”
Can you blame me? Great Spirit, Saber is related to one of the most important figures in human history. “Only a little,” I murmur. With difficulty, I close my mouth.
He laughs. “Like I said, you’re a terrible liar. Getting back to Jomar Hafsson. It’s not a piece of our history that we like to remember, but when humans made contact with us in the twenty-fifth century, we were a dying race of people. There were only a handful of animals that could nourish us with their blood, and those animals were slowly going extinct. When they did, so would we. We lived with the realization that starvation was imminent.”
I didn’t know that. “Really?”
“Yes. Jomar signed the Treaty of Blood and was hailed a savior, and was rewarded with vast estates. Every successive generation of Hafssons built on that. In time, Family Hafsson became powerful enough that they had a permanent council seat.”
They don’t have a council seat now. “What happened?”
He clenches his jaw. “Empress Chela happened. She wanted my grandfather, Erik, to attack an unarmed colony and kill everyone there. He was the commander of the Imperial Army. He refused, and he went to the Ruling Council with proof of what she ordered him to do. They made Chela abdicate. Chela’s sister, Raria, was placed on the throne, but she was a figurehead. She was bonded with Asmund Thorsson, and on her death, the throne passed to Family Thorsson. However, even though Erik Hafsson did the right thing, the council couldn’t overlook the fact that he’d disobeyed a direct order from the Empress. They spared his life, but stripped him of his rank and ordered him into exile.”
That’s why Saber hasn’t done anything about Banrilia and Gerra Clay’s pleasure houses. Family Hafsson has gone up against the Clays before and lost. He’s trying not to repeat the past. “That sucks.”
“People on Starra are obsessed with power. It blinds us to everything else. From the day I was born, it was made clear to me that it was my responsibility to help restore our family to its former glory. So I joined the Imperial Army, and rose through its ranks.”
“Until me.” Guilt sloshes through me. “You threw it all away for me.”
He wraps his arm around my waist. “I will do anything for you,” he says, his voic
e matter-of-fact. “But you weren’t the reason I disobeyed Harek Levitan’s orders. Year after year, I saw the Empire do the wrong thing. Everyone on the Ruling Council pretends Banrilia doesn’t exist. They sat by while Klaus Zimmer treated his people as if they were slaves. Every year, I grew more disillusioned. Then I was ordered to bring you back to Starra.” He tightens his grip on me. “I don't kill innocent people, and I don't send them to be caged. There are some lines that I will not cross. If I crave power above anything else, I am no different than Harek Levitan.”
Harek Levitan. Not Ragnar Thorsson.
The Ragnar I knew would have helped you. He won’t bet my life on it, but I think that on some level, Saber trusts the prince.
I reach my decision. We have to ask Ragnar for help. If there are consequences to that—and I’m sure there will be—I’ll deal with them. I was separated from my parents when I was ten; the children in the Ruby Rose are even younger. I will do everything in my power to save them.
Saber stretches. He’s naked to the waist. His muscles ripple, and a hot wave of arousal surges through me.
It’s not just arousal. Today, the vampires allowed me to see, not just their strengths, but also their vulnerabilities. Today, they shared important pieces of themselves with me.
I feel closer to Saber than I’ve ever felt before. And I want him. So very much.
I put my hand on his thigh. He notices and goes still. “My history teacher on Boarus 4 said that Old Earth humans wrote about vampires.”
“The Stroker manuscript.” Is it my imagination, or does he sound hoarse? “Some historians speculate that the earliest contact between our races predates the Treaty of Blood.”
“Mm-hmm.” As fascinating as I find that idea, I don’t want to talk about history right now. “She said that vampires were erotic figures in Old Earth literature. Until I met the three of you, I thought she was joking.” I inch my fingers up his leg. I can see the swell of his erection underneath his trousers, and I need to touch him. I want to feel him throb in my hand, to see him close his eyes, his face clenched with need. I want to hear him growl my name, and then I want him to take me.
Zeke rejected me earlier. I understand why he did what he did, but that doesn’t mean that his rejection doesn’t, on some primal level, sting. I don’t want Saber to push me away.
“And now?”
“Now, I want you to kiss me.”
He searches my face. Those blue eyes rest on me, and he seems to make a decision. He traces my cheek with his fingertips. “You do, do you?” His own desire comes through, loud and clear, and it sends pinpricks of excitement through my body.
“You said it yourself.” I put my hand on his bicep. So much muscle. He’s a powerful, dangerous vampire. I’ve seen him fight. I’ve seen the way he moves. He’s big and broad, and he could snap me like a twig if he wanted. “I’m a terrible liar.”
He tilts my chin up. “You’re a demanding little thing.” He sounds amused, but his eyes are dark with need.
“What if I said ‘please?’”
“If you said please…” He lowers his head toward me, slow and deliberate, and desire twists in my gut. His tongue slicks across the seam of my lips, and I open for him, readily, willingly.
I’ve missed this. I’ve missed this so much.
His mouth claims mine. He’s not sweet or gentle. His need has built to a fever pitch, and his tongue takes everything I offer and more. He plunders my mouth, over and over, his hand cupping the back of my neck to bring me closer to him.
“Yes,” I hiss. Great Spirit, this is so good. “More.”
He just chuckles.
Narrowing my eyes, I cup his erection through his pants. I’m not gentle either; my need as every bit as raw as his. I run my hand over his chest, avoiding the bandages. I trace the outline of his muscles and smirk when he clenches his eyes shut. “More,” I repeat.
His tongue thrusts into my mouth in response. “Stop talking, Raven.”
I nip his lower lip. He doesn’t reciprocate—my blood is lethal to him, after all. Instead, he squeezes my breast through the shirt I’m wearing.
Blood is pounding in my head. My nipples are hard. My pussy, slick. Every nerve ending in my body screams for him. I want Saber to take me, right here, right now. I want Zeke and Nero to walk through the door and fall on me. I’m greedy in my search for pleasure. I’m like an addict craving her next hit.
He pulls me onto his lap. A sharp pain punches my side, and I can’t keep it from my face.
Damn it.
An expression of contrition immediately fills Saber’s face. “I’m so sorry. I forgot about your injuries.”
“You weren’t the only one.” I rub my palm over his erection hopefully, but he shakes his head and gently eases my hand away. “I’m fine,” I try again. “Really. Don’t stop.”
He brushes one final kiss across my lips. “I promise, we’ll pick up where we left off, once you rest and give your body a chance to heal.”
Stupid injuries.
“Okay.” I can hear the pout in my voice. “You better. Or I’ll kick your ass. Zeke’s giving me fighting lessons.”
He laughs out loud. I fall asleep to the sound of his warm chuckle ringing in my ears. It’s not until I’m almost under that I realize I forgot to ask him the most important question of all.
Is Saber still in love with Marya Revit?
8
Zeke
Six hours later, we enter Antaras Seven’s atmosphere, and tow beams clamp on the Valiant and the Ruby Rose.
“This is ground control,” a soft voice purrs into the ship’s comm. “Identify yourselves, and state the purpose of your visit.”
She’s speaking Universal. I activate the short-range comms and switch to Jowrish. Tonal in nature, it’s a difficult language for vampires to master, and very few make the effort. I’m fluent.
“Blessings to the Constellation and to the Celestial One,” I say, beginning with the ritual Jowrish greeting. “I am a friend of Lady Miontee. Our long-range communication array is damaged. We need to replace it.”
Nero bends his head toward Raven. “There are seven Ruling Houses in the Constellation of Jowth,” he says. “Lady Miontee is from the House of Perscule. They won the contract to police the Jowth borders two years ago. Zeke has useful friends.”
“I thought the Jowth hate vampires,” she whispers back. “Are you sure they’re not going to shoot you on sight?”
Raven’s right; there’s no love lost between the Constellation of Jowth and the Shayde Empire. But Lady Miontee owes me, and the Jowth always pay their debts.
Right now, behind the scenes, the Perscule infosec people are at work, alerted by the fact that a vampire is speaking Jowrish. The Valiant’s real ID will be uncovered, despite my best attempts to disguise it. As soon as we are identified, we’ll be cleared to land.
But first, we have to deal with a hostile border guard.
“A Shayde ship enters our territory with a Gratvar cargo ship in tow, and you claim to be a friend of Lady Miontee.” She sounds very young and very inexperienced. “Nice story. What’s the truth? The Shayde Empress’ announcement has you running for cover.”
Saber frowns. “What announcement?”
Before she can answer, a familiar voice cuts in, speaking in Universal. “Ulrich, I beseech you. Stop inflicting your vile pronunciation on my ears. My toddler speaks better Jowrish than you.”
A grin breaks out on my face. Lin Perscule has intercepted my message. “You’re cleared to land,” Lin continues. “I’ll guide your ship to a private docking station. Our mechs have been notified that you’ll need a replacement communications array.” His voice turns amused. “Anything else we can do for you, Zeke?”
The tension drains away from my shoulders. We’ve been on edge ever since Marya Revit attacked Gratvar’s ship, bracing for an attack that hasn’t come. It’s good to hear a friendly voice. “That’ll hold us for now. Thanks, Lin.”
Saber raises
an eyebrow. “Lin Perscule, the Perscule head of infosec? You two are on a first-name basis?” He shakes his head. “First, Adam Masev, and now, Lin Perscule. It’s a good thing Levitan already wants us dead, Zeke. Because if he finds out that you’re friends with one of the best hackers in the Constellation of Jowth, he’s going to flay us alive.”
“Sorry.”
He laughs. “No need to apologize; I’m not your superior officer any longer. Satisfy my curiosity—why does Lady Miontee owe you a life debt?”
I turn off the short-range comms so there’s no chance of anyone overhearing our conversation. Raven leans forward, her eyes curious. “It was a long time ago. Lady Miontee’s daughter, Niquila ran away from home in search of adventure and ended up stranded in the Caxii sector. I returned her to her mother.”
Raven tilts her head to the side. “She was the daughter of your enemy. You could have ransomed her in exchange for concessions from the Jowth.” She gives me a knowing look. “I bet that didn’t even occur to you.”
I shrug away the implied praise. “I’m not stupid. It occurred to me. But a Jowth life debt is a valuable strategic advantage.”
She rolls her eyes, seeing through my bullshit. So does Saber, who scoffs in disbelief. “That’s where you met Lin Perscule?”
“Yes. When we land, Lin’s going to want to have a drink with me. Or several. One of us should stay back on the ship.”
“You don’t trust him?”
“I do,” I reply. “To a point. But the Jowth concept of honor isn’t the same as ours. Lady Miontee owes me a life debt, but it just means I won’t be harmed. Lin will think nothing of spying on me, and if he learns something useful, he will use it against the Empire.”
Raven tenses. “Should I stay out of sight?”
“No need. That’ll draw attention to you.”
Nero’s fallen silent. He’s withdrawn into himself ever since we ran into Gratvar. I thought that the effort of tracking down the children’s records would pull him out of his brooding, but we didn’t get anywhere with Gratvar’s infosec, and he’s falling into darkness again.
