Blue leaned forward until she could see his face. “That’s right.”
“And he decided to desert his responsibilities to run off with your mother.”
Blue’s hand tightened on her fork. Breathe. Do not throw your plate at him. Breathe. “I suppose it could be interpreted that way.”
“How else could that possibly be interpreted? He had an assignment, duties to the Ministry and his people, and he threw them all aside for a woman.”
This man just knew how to push all her anger buttons. But one blow up—okay, two—was enough for the day. Besides, she was hungry. Ignoring the general, she turned back to Nicole. “He met her in Denver. It’s a city in Colorado, one of the states of my home country.” She kept her gaze on Nicole, but from the corner of her eye she caught Ekarill stiffen in his seat. “Oh, do you know the place, Mr. Ekarill?”
“That’s Lieutenant General.”
“I apologize, Lieutenant General Ekarill. So, have you been?”
“Of course not, why would I have been to this Denver?”
Blue shrugged and returned to her tale. “Yes, my father was on an assignment. I never learned the details. It was confidential, after all.” And despite your implications, general, my father was an honorable man. She kept the last to herself. “The way my mom tells it, she was working for this company that had hired her to streamline their waste processes, cut down on toxic byproducts. David, my dad, saved her from an out of control car. Love at first sight, or so they claimed.”
Nicole’s eyes were wide. “Did she know? Your mom?”
“That my dad came from another world? Yeah. I didn’t learn until I accidentally set off a portal myself. My dad had promised he would tell no one of his origins, and we had always been careful to move to places with no natural portals as part of his deal with the Ministry. We only moved to Austin after dad died.” Blue tilted her head. “I always thought mom would want to go back to Denver. It was the place they met, after all. But she keeps her promises too.”
“I got to go, once,” Forrest chimed in. “It’s a great city. This area kind of reminds me of it. The nearby mountains, the green. They’re also really conscious of preserving the environment there.”
“That’s right. Interesting, Austin is like that too, and it’s another portal city. I wonder if there’s a connection?” Blue mused. It was interesting. “My mom works in research, mostly chemical. Denver was a good place for her. There’s a lot of labs there, from what I’ve heard.” She turned to face Ekarill. “You work in research, right?”
“I’m in the Medical Division, not development.”
“Oh, sorry. I’m still learning the inner workings of the guild. I guess you all liaise with the Healers Guild? Or do you do your own research?”
Ekarill frowned, and his gaze darted to the general. Merrick straightened in his seat, his gaze now locked on Blue.
Interesting.
“It’s a bit of both,” Ekarill finally admitted.
Blue turned toward Trevon. He raised a brow, wicked mirth dancing in his eyes. She could practically see little devils doing the Macarena.
“I suppose it’s no secret I have dealings on Earth,” he said. He turned to Nicole. “I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have. I have offices in Denver as well, actually. It would be interesting to conduct a study on the cross culture references. I believe the natural portals between Karran and Denver are in the northern mountains. Here they are… in the Figgan Region, yes? Isn’t that where your family is originally from, Lieutenant General Ekarill?”
Sweat beaded on Ekarill’s flushed face. “Yes.” The man managed to keep with tone even, though it was obvious he was in some kind of discomfort. “Though we haven’t lived there for a while now. We moved to Swalden after my promotion.”
“That was about twenty years ago now, right John?” General Audal asked, joining the discussion.
Ekarill nodded and swallowed, his gaze darting around the room, for all the world like a man under interrogation rather than engaged in friendly conversation.
Hot damn, pot officially stirred. And how did this man last so long as a conspirator? Probably why whoever the backer is gave him up.
“What happened next, with your parents?” Nicole asked.
Blue turned her attention to the young woman and finished the tale.
Chapter 21
EKARILL
Culan’s bones, he needed to get out of here.
Ekarill slipped into a receiving room off the front entrance and closed the door behind him. Leaning against it, he drew in deep breaths to calm his heart.
They know nothing. Not really. The girl was speaking about her parent’s past, nothing more. General Audal meant nothing by his comments. Felix is here simply for a family visit, to try to insert his current affair into his family. The fact it’s the girl involved in Miyari’s downfall means nothing. Nothing.
It was all lies, those reassurances he chanted to himself, and he knew it.
A knock sounded on the door. “John, are you in there?”
General Audal. Why, why was he looking for him?
Pushing away from the door, he shook out his hands and straightened his spine. He pulled open the door. “Yes, sorry. I just needed a moment to compose myself.” Stupid, stupid, why call attention to yourself like that?
General Audal nodded. “Understandable. The girl’s behavior is… troubling to say the least.”
Ekarill’s heart rate slowed. “How can you stand to let her in your home? And those animals?” He gave a mock-shudder.
General Audal’s lips quirked. “The animals I don’t mind, actually. No worse than a gimou. I’ve heard remarkable things about those felines. Their intelligence is rumored to be equal to that of a toddler.”
“Yes, well. I do wish you had informed me of your son’s joining.” He poked at what was surely a sore point, hoping to distract his friend. “I would have left Nicole at home, or rescheduled our visit.”
The general’s eyes tightened. “I will admit, I had hoped the relationship had not progressed as far as it seems to have. Though, on her own she may have been borderline acceptable. She certainly seems to have an interesting view on the worlds, and her defense of Felix was worthy of a Cularnian female, even if she is no bigger than a girl just out of childhood.”
“But that Zeynar…” Ekarill probed.
A grimace. “Yes, and all that blatant talk of his business on other worlds.” A pause. “It was almost as though they were probing for something.” The general let the words hang there, then shrugged. “If I thought them clever enough for that.”
Ekarill’s heart, nearly to its normal pace, pounded once more.
General Audal clapped his back. “Take your time in here. I just wanted to let you know Mira is getting them settled into rooms. You and Nicole are welcome to stay, your girl seems to have hit it off with the Earthling, but I understand if you feel you need to go.”
Ekarill nodded. “I think it best we do. We will return for the celebration.”
“That’s fine, then.” The general waved a dismissive hand. “I’ll let you see yourselves out. I have some paperwork to go over before I’m forced to… socialize once more.” With that, he left Ekarill to an empty room and his own growing panic.
Jackson Audal knew something. Ekarill needed to make his move, and soon. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing Trevon Zeynar was here. The Families of Martika were capable of many things, after all.
A plan formed. He’d need someone able to infiltrate a general’s home. Who to call, who to—
There was a rumor. One he’d heard a few times, about a certain woman and her vices. Could he use her?
Ekarill went in search of Portia.
Chapter 22
BLUE
At the light knock, Blue rolled from her too-soft bed. Garfield raised his head but soon tucked it back under one paw. Whoever this was, was not someone he needed to be concerned with.
Opening the door, Blue found a gri
nning Trevon. “I thought we should finish our discussion from the waiting room.”
Blue swallowed. Yes, she’d made her decision, but dealing with the hooligan was never easy.
“Can I come in?”
She stepped back and waved her hand. Words, Blue. Find your words. They go from your brain to your tongue then come out of your mouth.
Trevon nudged the door closed when she failed to do so. Then he bent down and captured her mouth in another kiss, the move reminiscent of the first one he’d given her, what now seemed years ago.
“Like I said, you can’t take it back now.”
“No, I don’t suppose I can.” Not that she wanted to. She led him to the bed where Garfield was curled up. He grumbled a bit as they sat, then rolled, exposing his belly. “He wants scratches,” she told Trev.
He reached out and worked his fingers over the soft fur of the piquet’s vulnerable belly.
“I suppose we do have things to discuss,” she started. “Though I’m not really sure where to begin.”
“Maybe I should start, then. I’ve been arranging things for a while now, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“Yeah, about that. A bit high handed, don’t you think?” She stretched out on the mattress, her gaze on Trev’s fingers running over Garfield.
He flashed a grin at her. “Let’s call it confidence.” He tilted his head. After a moment he shifted and crawled over the mattress to stretch out his lean frame beside her. “All banter aside, I made my decision a long time ago, and I think you did too, you just didn’t admit it.”
“All banter aside, you’re right,” she admitted. “Even back before Forrest and I returned, I couldn’t forget you.” She held up a hand. “And if you say something smart right now, I am kicking you out. This is real talk time.”
“Real talk. I can do that, believe it or not.” He held out an arm. “But first, come here.”
Blue scooted into him. It was strange. The only time she’d laid beside him, he’d just been poisoned. This level of intimacy wasn’t actually something she’d imagined with him. Kisses, yes. Other things, sexy times things, also yes. Cuddles, no, even if they were in the terms she’d written out for the prida.
“I may have to adjust some of your terms,” he began. “If I remember correctly, it was ‘cuddles three times a week or more.’”
“We already had to adjust that one.”
“I may need a special clause, just for myself, little star. As you’ve probably figured out, I can’t always be there. Living with you, rotating with the other men…” He turned his head and nuzzled her temple. “I won’t be able to do that. I was thinking… maybe an arranged few days each month, at the very least. If I can come to you every week I will. If I can’t manage that, then I will definitely be able to carve out a few days where it will be just you and me. If the guys want to visit then as well, I would like that. You’re a package deal, after all.”
She thought over his proposal. He was right, his position didn’t allow for the day-to-day routine she’d established with the other men. “Movie nights?” she asked. “The guys love the tradition. Even Felix.”
“When I am on Karran, I will of course attend. And if I can’t I’ll continue to send the movies.”
“And when it’s your night, you cook.”
“Or bring the meal in,” he countered.
“Deal.” She hummed, enjoying the heat of him next to her. “All other terms apply.”
“When have I ever wrapped you in a fluffy-cloud blanket of protection?”
“You remember all of them?”
“Little star, some things are worth remembering.”
She bit her lip. As much as she wanted to sink into him and revel in the fact that somehow, with a decision that took an instant, she was now with this man. Or, not quite, but that was a matter of logistics and maybe a few more care-packages. “There’s one more thing.”
“Oh?”
“The Boss.”
“You think he’s using me.”
Damn, way too sharp. She pulled away and propped herself on an elbow. “He is.”
He shifted to match her posture. “I know. And I’m using him.” He cupped her cheek. “I thank you for your concern, little star, but this is my life. I play this game of give and take very well. I don’t mean to dismiss your concerns, but this is who I am.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
It was a good question. Did she know him? On the surface, she would have said no. She knew almost nothing about his life outside his visits to her, and the one time she’d visited his home on Karran had been because he’d just been poisoned. She’d never met any of his men, outside Duri and Prin. He’d dropped hints of his business, randomly shown up with useful information just when it was needed… and helped save Forrest. Her. Levi. Worked to capture Phillip. Shut down his father’s kidnapping ring. Garfield let him rub his belly.
What had Mo’ata told her? He knew the big things, and he’d learn the little ones in time. Well, sometimes the big things could be figured out through the little things.
“Yeah,” she finally said. “I know.” She never dropped her gaze.
“Oh, my little star.” He leaned in and kissed her. This time it was tender. “We move forward with this, and there really is no taking it back.”
“I don’t want to.” She frowned as one more thing occurred to her. It wasn’t anything she’d had to worry about with the others, at least not yet. “What about kids? Aren’t the Families passed down, kind of like little kingdoms?”
“I have an heir.”
Her heart skipped and her breath froze.
“A cousin,” he finished after a beat.
“Ass,” she hissed out.
That grin slipped out. “Couldn’t resist, little star.” Another peck of his lips. “If you ever decide you will give me a child, I will not say no. But I do not want you to think it’s a requirement of our connection.” He reached for her and pulled her in close to him. “Now, any other concerns before we return to what you started in that waiting room?”
“Why little star? You promised to tell me someday.”
“The star is the Zeynar family symbol.”
It took her a moment. “You called me that the first time we met.”
“And even then you shone rather bright.” He rocked on the mattress then tucked his head close to hers. “I really think you don’t know how others see you, Blue.”
“You may be right. If I stop to think about it, I don’t understand how five such amaz—“
“Six,” he cut in. “Jason is confused, and has deluded himself into believing he has no future with you, but he cares. Much, much more than he is ready to admit.”
Well, she would reserve judgement on that. Because, even if she sometimes thought the same thing, Jason was going to have to learn to make a move. She’d done all she could with what he gave her. “Fine. Six. If I stop to think about it, I don’t understand how six quite remarkable men have come to love me.”
“Truth?”
“It’s usually preferable.”
“For me, it was a bit of a whim.”
Blue wasn’t sure if she was insulted or not. She pulled away and peered up at him. “Whim?”
“You were this variable, this thing that couldn’t be predicted. You didn’t make the moves I expected you to, but at the same time, you were altogether uncalculating. You didn’t even try to play the game.” His blue, blue eyes searched hers. “So, yes, I acquired a bottle of scent and stole a kiss, a moment of fun, on a whim. Only I found myself constantly searching for a slight girl with blue hair and shining eyes. And when she appeared once more in my life, I made a decision.”
“And what was that decision?” She ran her hand over his back. Because she could do that now.
“Do you know how rare it is to find someone to trust?”
“I tend to trust people.”
His shoulders shook. “I know. For me it’s not that easy. Strangely,
I trust you. And by extension, I trust your men. Well, as much as I trust anyone not me.”
Warmth filled her. Not just warmth, it was like being wrapped in a fluffy cloud-blanket, but not of protection. This was… “I don’t even know how to describe how that makes me feel.”
“Good, though, right?”
“Oh, very good.”
“Does that mean I get some nookie now?”
She buried her face in his chest and tightened her arm around him. She shook with not very well suppressed laughter. When she calmed, she pushed away. “Maybe a few more kisses, but I made some promises of my own. We need to do this right.” She ran her thumb over his stubble, then flicked his lip piercing. “Your next step is to speak to Mo’ata.”
“I can do that.”
A new thought occurred to her. “So, you’re the one I go see for a few days every month or so, get away from my every day life, and get some—hopefully—good nookie from.”
“Oh, it will be much better than good, little star. Much, much better.” He pressed his groin to hers. He was definitely ready to prove his words.
She pressed back before she recalled herself. “We have to do this right,” she whispered.
He groaned and pulled back.
“You’re like the mistress,” she said, finishing her earlier thought.
He stiffened against her. Then he rolled to his back and roared with laughter. Garfield pulled his head up, flattened his ears, grumbled and jumped off the bed.
“The m-mistress,” Trevon forced out. “Oh, that’s a good one. Oh, I have to tell Prin you said that. His f-face w-will…” He broke down again.
Blue pushed away and Trevon rolled to catch her around the waist.
“W-wait. I’m almost…”
Blue slapped his chest then nestled into him to wait out the laughter.
Mistress Trevon. She snorted. Then gasped. And then she fell into laughter with her hooligan. Her hooligan mistress.
Chapter 23
FELIX
He paused outside Blue’s door. The criminal was in there. The man had actually come to find Felix before he headed off to Blue’s room. He’d asked for Felix’s “blessing,” saying it was some kind of tradition on Earth. Usually you went to the woman’s father, but since David was dead, and Felix had given Blue away for the secret wedding, Zeynar decided Felix was the one to go to for that blessing.
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