by Lili Zander
A wicked idea strikes me. I know just the thing to get a rise out of my friend. “Hang out with Nero,” I tell Raven. “No one will suspect anything. He’s always got a girl about.”
9
Nero
“What the hell?” My mouth falls open, and I swivel to Raven. “I don’t always have a girl about.”
Zeke smirks. Saber bites back a smile. Raven bursts into peals of laughter. “You should see the look on your face.”
The ship lurches before I can respond. The landing thrusters flare. “We’re here.”
Predictably, the moment we lower the ramp of the Valiant, we’re met with a battalion of silver-clad Jowth soldiers. Two dozen guns point at us. I move my body in front of Raven’s and give Zeke an exasperated glance. “Where’s the welcoming committee? Or is it this?”
“Stand down, for fuck’s sake,” an irritated voice says. A Jowth man pushes his way through the soldiers. He’s short even by Jowth standards, his plump body covered with dark blue fur. “They’re honored guests. If Lady Miontee finds out about our lack of hospitality, she’ll string all of us by the toes.”
This must be Lin Perscule. He’s the eighth son of an unimportant branch of the House of Perscule, but I’ve seen the intel. Lin’s clawed his way up the ranks through sheer talent. He’s young, but already, he’s positioning the House of Perscule to become a major player in the Constellation of Jowth.
The soldiers lower their weapons. The one in charge lifts up her visor. “They’re Shayde, and they’re towing one of Hiram Gratvar’s cargo ships.” Her claws extend and retract. “This is who we’re welcoming?”
Lin Perscule ignores her complaint. “Sorry about this,” he says to Zeke. “Everyone’s on edge after Astrid’s announcement.”
“What announcement?” Saber asks. “Our long-range comms are out. We haven’t heard anything.”
“Ah. Rogue pirates attacked Boarus 13. They killed everyone on the colony, wrecked the mines and stole almost a year’s supply of boarium. It was a bloodbath.”
I exchange a glance with Saber. Did pirates attack the planet, or was it Harek Levitan again?
“Astrid is furious. She’s vowed a response.”
Lin Perscule produces a tablet. The Empress’s face looks out from it. “For too long,” she says, “We’ve ignored the ugliness in our midst. Pirates, slavers, and worse lurk in the Uncharted Reaches. They attack our worlds, and in response, we murmur platitudes. We send them our thoughts and prayers. But we don’t act. That ends today.” Her jaw tightens. “I have given orders to the Imperial Army. If you are a pirate who hides like a coward in the Uncharted Reaches, this is your warning. The might of the Shayde Empire is coming for you.”
“Wow,” Raven says faintly.
Lin Perscule glances curiously at her. “Exactly. Astrid also called upon the Constellation of Jowth to join her. The Houses are still debating whether to aid the Shayde, but in the meanwhile, the Celestial One has closed the Jowth borders. We won’t be known as a haven for criminals.”
Most of the victims on Boarus 13 would have been powerless human miners. The Ruling Council has never cared about them. Astrid’s making her move. Testing the Council and sending them a pointed message. Stay on her side or get out of the way.
If she succeeds in clearing out the Uncharted Reaches, Astrid will be wildly popular among the citizens of the Empire. She’ll become too powerful…
Levitan won’t let it happen. He’ll make a move soon to counter the Empress. He’ll have to.
A sense of urgency fills me. Matters are coming to a head. We have ten hours max to fix the comms and to send a message to Ragnar about the children that Gratvar abducted, and then we have to leave. We have to get Raven’s blood into the hands of scientists who can come up with a cure for the disease Levitan created. We can’t afford any further delays.
“Mechs are on their way to fix your communications array,” Lin Perscule says. “I’m assuming you ran into Gratvar in the Uncharted Reaches and impounded his cargo?” His eyes narrow. “The House of Perscule is happy to help you return Gratvar’s victims to their homes.”
Of course, he’s happy to do it. For a price.
“Thank you, Lin.” Zeke’s voice contains a soft warning. “We’ll handle it ourselves.”
“As you wish.” The Jowth man doesn’t look surprised by Zeke’s answer. No doubt he was instructed to ask us the question, and no doubt, he expected us to decline. “The slaves are in stasis?” Zeke nods, and Lin Perscule addresses the soldier who spoke earlier. “Nira, guards on the Ruby Rose. No one enters or leaves.” He turns back to Zeke. “They’ll be safe. You have my word.” His eyes rake over all of us and rest on Raven. He recognizes Saber and me, but he has no idea who Raven is, and I can tell he’s dying to find out. “Shall we go have a drink?”
“Not me.” Saber gestures to his chest, a pained expression on his face. “The painkillers are wearing off. I’m going to stay behind and get some rest.”
Nicely done, Colonel.
Lin’s lips twist wryly. “Of course,” he concedes.
It’s my turn. Now, more than ever, we have to keep Raven safe and protected. “I’m going to pass too,” I tell Lin Perscule cheerfully, putting my arm around Raven and drawing her close. “The two of us are going to check out the Falls of Kamut.” I kiss Raven. “You’ll love it, kära. The water drops over a thousand feet into a gorge. It’s Antaras Seven’s most famous landmark.”
“It is beautiful,” Lin agrees. “It’s an hour away. I will arrange for a skimmer and a guide to be placed at your disposal.”
“No thanks,” I decline. “We’re going to need our privacy, if you know what I mean. It is safe here, isn’t it?”
The Jowth stiffens. “You are protected by a Perscule life debt. Nobody on Antaras Seven will attack you. The night market is also quite well-known. Enjoy yourselves. Zeke, shall we? Slenti awaits.”
Zeke grins, showing no sign of the tension he must be feeling. “Lead the way.”
Like most of the planets in the Empire, Antaras Seven has a strict no-firearms rule. Since we’re traveling under hastily created fake identities, and not as soldiers of the Imperial Army, I leave my guns on the Valiant, and Raven and I exit the spaceport onto a wide paved boulevard. It’s night. Lanterns hover in mid-air on both sides of the road, throwing light on the goods displayed in the many roadside stalls. Throngs of people wander from stop to shop, haggling over the wares.
It’s Raven’s first time on a new planet, and she gapes at everything, her eyes wide. “It’s so warm,” she marvels. “I can’t believe it.” Her gaze swivels from left to right, taking in everything. “And look at all the shops…”
I’ve lost track of how many planets I’ve traveled to, but Raven’s enthusiasm is infectious. I look around too, trying to see the scene through her eyes. Antaras Seven is like Merin. A border planet, it is densely populated and diverse. Humans jockey shoulder to shoulder with Jowth. There are a dozen purple-hued, masked Zaddyth gliding through the crowd, and I can even see a couple of the portable tanks that the water-dwelling Oensi use to get around on land. Not too many vampires though, and judging from the way everyone’s gaping at me, they’re a rare sight here.
We pass a stall with brightly colored clothing, and I remember something. I nudge Raven. “Here,” I say, passing her a currency-card.
“I can’t take your money,” she protests at once. “That’s not right.”
“It’s not my money. It’s yours. Your winnings from the Night of the Shayde, deposited into an anonymous account. The card is untraceable.” She’s wearing one of Ragnar’s shirts. The garment comes up to her knees. Underneath, her legs are bare. “You need clothes. Buy them.”
She looks at the currency card, and then at the stalls in front of her. “You won’t be bored?”
I grin wickedly. “Not if you model everything for me.”
She goes pink and then laughs. “Deal.”
Two hours later, we finally arrive at
the Falls, our arms laden with packages. “I got carried away,” Raven says ruefully, surveying the dozen bags around her. “I can’t believe I bought all this stuff.”
She’s changed into one of her new dresses. It’s green in color. The fabric is silky, draping around her body in a soft caress. The neck is cut high, and her shoulders are bare. She looks beautiful, fragile, and infinitely precious.
“You deserve to be spoiled.” I hand her a box. “Here.”
Her eyes go round. “What is it? When did you buy it? I’ve been with you the entire time.”
I laugh at her volley of questions. “I have many talents.” Raven had stopped at a food stall to buy some stuffed buns—we’ve bought enough food for an army—and the glass pendant at the neighboring shop had caught my eye. A dark shade of blue, it had reminded me of the color of Raven’s eyes. “Open it.”
She does, inhaling sharply as she catches sight of the sparkling piece of jewelry. “Oh, Nero. This is beautiful.”
Small drones fly through the air, patrolling the Falls. They buzz around, emitting a low-pitched hum that is probably out of range of Jowth and human hearing but is audible to vampire ears. The handful of people in the park don’t pay any attention to them, so I assume they’re a regular feature here. They’re also a great way for Lin Perscule to eavesdrop on our conversation. “Put it on.”
She moves closer to me. “You do it.”
She lifts her braids out of the way, and I fasten the light silver chain around her neck. “See the drones?” I whisper into her ear. “They’re probably recording our conversation.”
She catches on at once. “Got it,” she whispers. “How does it look?”
The pendant nestles in the hollow of her throat. “The pendant is a trinket.” I press a kiss on her bared shoulder. “You, on the other hand, are beautiful.”
Her eyes soften. “Thank you, Nero.”
We find a secluded spot and sit down, and I start to pull out the many food packages. Raven runs her fingers over the blue grass. “I know what grass is.” Her voice is filled with wonder. “But this is the first time I’m touching it.” She shrugs in a self-deprecating way. “You’ve traveled through the galaxy. I probably sound really dumb to you.”
“What does it feel like?”
She gives me a wicked grin. “Ticklish.”
My lips twitch. I open a container of noodles swimming in a green broth and hand it to her. “Eat.”
“Taking bossy lessons from Saber?” she quips. She takes it from me and spoons some of the soup into her mouth, and her eyes widen. “Forget I said anything. This is amazing.” Once she’s done with the noodles, she moves onto a meat pasty, and then to a bean and nut pie. “It’s all so good,” she marvels. “I could eat this pie for the rest of my life.”
I lean back on the grass and watch her. Though it’s night, it’s still hot and humid, the air thick with moisture. The falls roar in front of us and the drones buzz around like insects. I hand Raven a bottle of berry wine. “You wanted to open a restaurant, didn’t you?”
Her expression turns forlorn. “I thought I did. Now, I’m not so sure. Everything’s moving so fast.”
“I know what you want to do,” I tell her teasingly.
“You do?”
“You want to jump me.” I wink at her. “I saw the way you looked at me when Gratvar’s ship attacked. Admit it. You were turned on.”
She blushes. “I was not turned on.”
“Liar.” I kiss her palm. “When your life is in danger, you get aroused. There’s no shame in it.” My smile widens. “I’m a soldier. I’m in danger all the time. Don’t worry, Raven. You’ll have no problem getting pleasured. I’ll keep you very satisfied.”
She splutters indignantly. She’s certainly not forlorn anymore. “How did you get through the Valiant’s doors with an ego your size?”
I laugh. “My ego is not the only thing that’s too large.” I lean toward her. “Remember?”
She bites her lower lip. I can smell her arousal. It calls to me, seductive and tempting. It whispers my name and sends a lick of heat through my veins. “Remember?” I repeat, softer this time. I think of her every moment of the day. She’s permeated my thoughts. “I’ve missed you these last few days.”
She sways toward me. “I’ve missed you too,” she murmurs. “Zeke thought the three of you took advantage of me on Boarus 4.”
“Did we?”
“No.”
“That’s settled then.” My fingers trail up her arm, and I press a kiss on her bare shoulder. “You’re a grown woman. You know your mind.”
“So what are you saying?” she whispers. “If I asked you to share my bed tonight…”
My cock jumps. “Are you asking?” My voice comes out low, strained.
“Yes,” she whispers. “I’m asking. I don’t want to sleep alone tonight. I want to lose myself in pleasure.” She looks at me, her blue eyes luminous. “Will you pleasure me, Nero?”
“You only have to ask.” I cup her jaw with my fingers and lean in. Her breathing hitches at my nearness. The low hum of the drones fade, and I can only hear the roaring of my blood in my ears.
My lips find hers. Our kiss is soft at first, and then she tugs me closer, deepening the contact, wordlessly asking for more. I run my tongue over the seam of her lips, and she parts her mouth and lets me in.
Heat floods me. I fight the urge to lay her down on the grass and tear off her pretty new dress. I want her so badly that my hands are shaking. Her nipples are pebbled with need, and I want to suck those blood-engorged tips into my mouth.
There’s a bedroom back on the Valiant. We won’t be interrupted there by other tourists, or by Lin Perscule’s drones, or by…
Danger prickles at the back of my neck. “Something’s wrong.” The instant I realize what it is, I pull Raven to her feet. The drones are gone. There’s not a single one of them in sight.
Fool. Fool. I should have been paying attention, but I’d lowered my guard, and Raven’s life hangs in the balance. “Come on. We need to get back.”
“What’s wrong?”
“The drones. Someone’s reprogrammed their routes. There’s no surveillance here. They’ve created a blind spot. We’re in danger.”
“Is it Marya?”
Before I can answer, five humans materialize out of nowhere. They’re dressed in black from head to toe, and, despite Antaras Seven’s no-firearms rule, they’re all carrying weapons.
If we get out of here alive, I’m going to find Lin Perscule and tell him exactly what I think about the Jowth’s guarantee of safety. With my fists.
Even as I imagine beating Perscule, I’m assessing the situation. Five humans, and judging from the way they’re holding themselves, they’re professional soldiers. I’m unarmed. I can bring down two of them. Maybe three. “I’ll hold them off,” I murmur to Raven. “You run. Got it?”
Her eyes flash. “I’m not leaving you.”
One of the human soldiers speaks up. “There’s no need for any displays of violence. Give us the girl, and you leave here alive.”
“Not happening,” I say flatly. “You get the girl over my dead body.”
He lifts his weapon up and fires. I grab Raven and fall to the ground, but his aim is true. Electricity jolts through my body, and numbness spreads in its wake.
Fuck. If I’m guessing correctly, they’ve just pumped me with anthurium. I’m paralyzed. I can see and hear everything. I just can’t move.
“What the hell have you done?” Raven screams. “You shot him.”
How the hell did a group of humans on Antaras Seven get a hold of one of the Imperial Army’s most experimental weapons? These aren’t common criminals. Marya Revit always works alone, but maybe Levitan sent the five of them along as backup?
We should have never left the safety of the ship. I wanted Raven to experience the magic of setting foot on a different planet, but instead, I’ve put her life in danger.
“He’s alive,” the soldier
replies. “Just temporarily paralyzed. Perscule will find him soon enough.” He lifts his weapon up again. “I don’t want to shoot you, but I will if I have to. Please come with us.”
Raven snarls something in reply and rushes him. He shocks her, and she crumples. Helpless, unable to move, I see the soldier in the lead hoist an unconscious Raven up on his shoulder and take her away.
And there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.
10
Raven
My head pounds like somebody’s been repeatedly swinging a pickaxe at it. My eyes feel like they’re glued shut. There’s a dull buzzing my ears.
Where am I? What’s happening? The last thing I remember, I was sitting at the edge of the Falls of Kamut. Nero was being blasé about the incredible sight of millions of gallons of water thundering over the translucent rocks. He’d spread a feast out on the bright blue grass, and the sheer abundance of it had taken my breath away. “What do you want to eat first?” he’d asked, waving at the dozens of containers in front of me.
Food was scarce in the re-education camps. Choices were non-existent. We ate what we were given, and we were happy for it.
Footsteps yank me out of my reverie. I force my eyes open. A blurry figure moves in front of me. “Sorry about that,” he says. His voice sounds both familiar and dangerous. I should know who this is, and I should run. “Gregory got a little carried away.” He’s holding a glass in his hand, filled to the brim with a pale pink beverage. “Narzis is a potent drug. The effects of it can linger in your bloodstream for days unless you take a neutralizer.” He extends the drink to me. “The neutralizer. Drink.”
“Who are you?” My throat feels raw and scraped, and the words come out in a shaky whisper.
He chuckles, the sound rich and amused. “You’ll recognize me soon enough. Take the neutralizer, please. I need you awake and alert.”
