by Tasha Black
Despair threatened to set in. Her small form and dark hair would always make her stand out here. And her lavender eyes would give her away every time. There was no hope.
Unless…
“I understand,” she said slowly. “Do you think Kypha would be willing to reschedule that makeover one more time? I’m thinking it would make sense for me to look my best, if I’m going to be on camera.”
“I think she would love that,” Orion growled. “And she’ll need some consolation after I tear into her for leaking this meeting to the press.”
14
Hailey
Hailey floated in a pond of warm, fragrant water. The raft beneath her massaged her back while a muscular man with a long black tail painted shimmering polish on her toes.
Beside her, Kypha moaned in relief as another big male massaged her head-tentacles.
“This is amazing,” Hailey admitted.
“You’ve never been to a spa?” Kypha asked without opening her eyes.
“They’re not really a thing in Lower Arkadia,” Hailey said.
“Good business idea,” Kypha murmured. “Someone should open one.”
“Not really,” Hailey told her. “No one has time or money for luxuries like this. I feel kind of guilty about it, actually.”
“It’s my treat,” Kypha told her. “And your fiancé is trying to make things better in Lower Arkadia. Maybe one day there really will be time for spas down there, too.”
“Maybe,” Hailey said dubiously.
“He’s one in a million,” Kypha sighed. “That’s why I came to work for him, even though he’s also difficult.”
Hailey felt a pang of unexpected jealousy.
“Did you know he was planning to do that whole brunch with the old folks today with no press at all?” Kypha said, opening her eyes. “What the hell good is that? Why do a good deed if no one even knows about it?”
“It wasn’t a good deed,” Hailey said immediately. “He likes them, and they were helping him out with ideas for the accessibility initiative.”
“That’s exactly what he said,” Kypha snorted, shaking her head and sending her newly-relaxed tentacles wagging. “I swear, it’s like he’s not even in politics sometimes.”
The man massaging her made a scolding noise and she settled down.
“Anyway,” she said, “there’s no reason a meeting can’t be productive and an opportunity to let the press in, especially now.”
“Mm,” Hailey said noncommittally, wondering exactly what that comment meant.
She actually agreed with Orion that it was better to have a genuine interaction. But Kypha was in charge of getting Orion elected to higher office. Hailey hated to argue with her.
“He’s going to love your new look,” Kypha said softly. “Of course, you’ll need a touch up before the wedding in few days.”
A few days…
Hailey knew that they were set to be married before the week was out. That was kind of the whole point of her deal with Orion. He’d taken her from the agency because he wanted to have a wife immediately.
But she’d done her best not to think about the actual wedding. With all of the other stuff going on, it seemed like too much to even consider.
“Oh,” Hailey said, feeling a little overwhelmed.
“How was last night?” Kypha asked softly, taking her mind off any other thoughts.
“Oh, it was… I fell asleep,” Hailey said, deciding it was best to lie by omission.
“He didn’t wake you up?” Kypha asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.
“I woke up later,” Hailey admitted. “And I came into his room.”
Kypha’s eyes flashed with excitement.
“But he said he didn’t want to take advantage of me,” Hailey admitted. “He just held me.”
“He just held you?” Kypha echoed, her tentacles waving so hard that the masseuse made another scolding sound. “You know what, I’m good with the massage, get out of here.”
The masseuse put up his hands and waded out of the pond.
“It’s none of his business anyway,” Kypha grumbled. “We can’t have this in the tabloids.”
Hailey glanced at her own attendant, but he had music playing through his veil and was half-dancing.
“Do you not want him?” Kypha asked plainly. “He’s super hot up here, but maybe you have different beauty standards in Lower Arkadia?”
“I want him so much,” Hailey heard herself admit.
“Good girl,” Kypha said. “Just tell him that plainly. Tell him you need him. I don’t think you’ll have to do anything more.”
“Really?” Hailey asked.
“Really,” Kypha said with a wink. “You’re just helping him get out of his own way. He needs that sometimes.”
“Plus, now I’ll look more like what he’s used to,” Hailey said, touching her hands to her new pale hair.
“I don’t think that was the issue,” Kypha said with a smile. “You should have seen the way he was looking at you this morning.”
“He seemed freaked out about our age difference last night,” Hailey remembered.
“He’ll forget all about that if you tell him what you want,” Kypha predicted. “He’s only a man. And you’re definitely a hell of a woman.”
Hailey grinned. “Thank you,” she said.
“My pleasure,” Kypha said. “I told you I love this place.”
“Well, for this, but mostly for the talk,” Hailey said.
“Gods, you two sentimental fools were meant for each other,” Kypha said, rolling her eyes.
But she was also smiling.
Hailey closed her eyes and let the warm water and massage-float relax her body as her brain bounced back and forth between gratitude for her new friend, and anticipation about seeing Orion tonight.
15
Tyvarr
Synn Tyvarr watched out the transport window as the industrial area around his warehouses melted into the dull, gray-green of farmland.
Everything down here seemed washed out. He had taken his family to Upper Arkadia for the winter for the past several years, and though it was beautiful, it seemed only to serve to make him dissatisfied with his life below during the rest of the year.
Another decade or so of profitability, and he could have bought a place up there and settled down, selling his territory here to one of the petty warlords that was always trying to make a little noise. The Tyvarrs could have gone straight. Maybe even gotten into just a little bit of real estate flipping up there, found a title clerk who was open cleaning up a dirty title for certain considerations, and grown the empire even further. Who knows?
But with one mistake, the Jenkins family had ruined all that.
“Here we are, boss,” Loouh said quietly. “Why don’t you wait in the craft?”
“Absolutely not,” Synn replied.
“I don’t like you getting your hands dirty,” his henchman practically moaned. “Let me handle it. That’s why I get paid so good.”
“You’re a loyal man, Loouh,” Synn said kindly. “But my son is in prison because of these people. So, this is personal. We always take care of family business in person.”
Loouh frowned, but didn’t argue.
And that was actually why he was paid well. The man was loyal, honest and obedient to a fault. If Synn had ten Loouhs, he wouldn’t have been in a spot where he needed a local farmer to make deliveries.
He stepped out of the car and onto the dusty path that led back to the concrete farmhouse. The house was low to the ground and small, but he could see the little herb garden by the front door. It had obviously been tended to lovingly for years, based on the size of the plants. Then it had been suddenly abandoned, based on how dried out and dead they were.
He walked over to it, bent and snapped off a fragrant dried petal of gywnseed, putting it to his nose for a moment.
It reminded him of his grandmother’s kitchen. When he was a boy, he had spent plenty of time in there, with none o
f the responsibilities he now held.
He let the petal drift to the ground, and straightened up.
The state of the herb garden did not bode well for Synn in regard to the location of the Jenkins family.
Synn had been in so much grief over his son getting caught up in the warehouse bust that he had let his best opportunity for easy vengeance cool. Now it might have to happen the hard way.
“Hello there, I’m Brother Zeff,” a friendly voice boomed out. “How can I help you?”
Synn turned to see a muscular young man in orphanage robes, striding down the dusty path with two skinny children in tow.
“We’re working the farm while Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins are away,” Brother Zeff explained.
“I didn’t know they were away,” Synn said smoothly. “They asked me to come see them to talk about their farm equipment.”
“Oh dear,” Brother Zeff said, looking awkward.
“Do you have a transmission locale for them?” Synn asked. “I’ll just give them a buzz and see if I can help out before they return. I’m sure if we can get the rest of the equipment up and running, you’ll have a much easier time keeping the place going until they get back.”
“I’m so sorry,” the man said, shaking his head. “We don’t actually have any way of reaching them. One of the neighbors delivered the access codes up to us on the mountain along with a note that just said they wanted us to run the farm and help ourselves to whatever we need until they get back.”
“Which is when?” Synn asked.
“They didn’t say,” Brother Zeff shrugged.
“That’s a real pretty craft,” a little girl holding one of the brother’s hands yelled, looking at Synn’s cruiser.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Synn told her.
“Go run and play, kids,” Loouh said suddenly in his rusty voice. “We’ve gotta talk to the brother privately.”
Brother Zeff’s eyes went wide, and the kids seemed to cling to him harder than before.
“That won’t be necessary, Loouh,” Synn said with a smile. “The orphanage volunteers are people of the gods. They would never be dishonest with us.”
Brother Zeff gulped and nodded.
“If they hear anything about where the Jenkins might be, no matter how insignificant or unlikely, we know they will be in touch with us immediately,” Synn went on smoothly. “Right, Brother Zeff?”
“Of course, sir,” Zeff tripped over himself to say.
“Of course, Loouh, you see?” Synn said. “People of the gods - this is why we forgive them even when they do silly things like call the police over a box of fruit, and cause good people a world of trouble.”
Brother Zeff clearly knew who they were now. His big face had gone ghostly, and he clung to the children as if he was afraid they would all be sucked off the face of the planet.
“Give me your hand, son,” Synn said.
He waited while Zeff extracted his hand from the boy’s and held it out, trembling.
Synn touched his bracelet to Zeff’s.
“That’s the way you’ll reach me,” he told him. “Day or night. I suggest you spend some quality time searching the farmhouse for clues. My men will be by tomorrow to do the same. It’s better if I get any helpful information from you, no?”
“No,” Zeff echoed stupidly. “I mean… y-yes, yes, that’s better.”
“That’s right, son,” Synn said, nodding. “See you soon.”
He turned on his heel, leaving the volunteer gaping like a fish out of water.
Loouh followed at his heels, dashing ahead at the last minute to open the car door for him.
As soon as his ass hit the buttery leather, Synn allowed the anger to flow back through him. It had been a long time since he’d needed to control his emotions for a confrontation. The fury and pain he felt over his son crashed back into him, like a dry riverbed filling up to overflow its banks during a sudden deluge.
I will find this family, he reassured himself sternly. And they will pay.
16
Hailey
Hailey stepped out of the shower and headed for the wardrobe printer.
Unlike last night, she immediately chose the warm flannel pajamas on the scroll and groaned with pleasure as she pulled them on a few minutes later.
Whatever Orion had been planning to do about climate control in her room, it hadn’t happened yet. And although she planned to take Kypha’s advice and tell Orion what she wanted, she was going to do it on her own terms, which included comfy pajamas that wouldn’t leave her shivering so badly that he felt sorry for her.
If he pulled her into his bed tonight, it would be because he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
A soft, faraway sound stopped her in her tracks.
She got an odd feeling and stilled herself to silence. She’d sworn she heard something.
Yes, there it was again. It was faint but real. Somewhere in the house, Opal was crying.
It didn’t feel right to Hailey to leave the baby in someone else’s care so often, but she respected that things must be done differently here. And she hated for any of those nannies to feel like she was threatening their employment or overstepping her bounds.
But the sound of the baby crying pushed all those thoughts aside.
She slipped out of her room and headed for the stairs to investigate. The crying seemed to be coming from the family room.
Stopping on the landing, she surveyed the scene below.
Opal was in her floating cradle, her little face pink from crying, cheeks wet with tears.
Phyrissa, the night nanny, was draped elegantly over the sofa, completely ignoring the baby as she scrolled through her media feed.
Rigid with fury, Hailey marched down the stairs and scooped Opal out of her cradle, nestling her against her chest.
The baby closed her chubby fists around Hailey’s hair and rooted her wet face into her neck, as if she was afraid Hailey would put her down again.
“What the hell?” Phyrissa asked, one eyebrow raised.
“Why were you just letting her cry?” Hailey demanded quietly. The baby in her arms dictated that she couldn’t scream, no matter how much she wanted to at the moment.
“She’s been fussy all night,” Phyrissa shrugged. “She probably just has a cold or something. She’ll cry herself to sleep.”
“Shouldn’t you let Councilman VynFleet know if you think she’s ill?” Hailey asked, horrified.
“Believe me, he doesn’t care,” Phyrissa said. “She’s not dying. And I’ve worked for these politicians before. The baby is a prop. As long as we have her looking nice to be rolled out for photo shoots—”
“—No,” Hailey said vehemently. “She needed her father and you ignored her. From now on, if this baby shows any sign of not feeling well, or even if she’s just having a tough night, you are to come find the councilman or myself immediately. Do I make myself clear?”
Phyrissa finally stopped scrolling and fixed Hailey with her silvery eyes.
“You’re just hired help too,” she said in a bell clear voice. “And if you think you’re anything more than that, you’re kidding yourself.”
“That’s not true,” Hailey spat back, pain searing her chest.
“Why do you think he’s marrying you three days after you met?” Phyrissa asked lightly. “It’s because the election is the day after the wedding. You’re not the love of his life. You’re not even here to care for the baby. You’re his last-ditch effort to win over the other yokels like you down on Lower Arkadia.”
“That’s quite enough,” a deep, familiar voice said from the landing. “Phyrissa, you are dismissed.”
“C-councilman VynFleet,” Phyrissa stammered, leaping off the sofa and looking far less elegant.
Orion didn’t respond, but the red glow in his eyes spoke volumes.
“Sure,” she replied as she gathered herself. “I can start early tomorrow night to make up the hours if you want.”
“I think you misunder
stood me,” Orion said coolly. “You are dismissed.”
Her face dropped as the realization dawned on her.
“You can have ten minutes to pack your things,” he told her, tapping something on his bracelet. “Security will be waiting in your rooms to escort you out. They’ll drive you wherever you want to go.”
Phyrissa rolled her eyes and marched away.
But Hailey felt a warm wave of gratitude wash over her as she turned to Orion with baby Opal in her arms.
At the sight of her, the red glow in his eyes faded back to the usual dark brown.
17
Orion
Orion’s blood was still boiling with fury as he walked up the stairs with Hailey and Opal.
They were so new to being a family, and everything felt so precarious. How dare that snobby nanny threaten to break them apart?
He forced himself to concentrate on his breathing. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten his girls.
He could hear Opal making a tiny hiccupping sob against Hailey’s neck every few steps, but she was calming down.
“Does she feel feverish to you?” he asked Hailey quietly, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.
“No, she’s just upset,” Hailey said. “At least that’s what it seems like to me. Babies shouldn’t be ignored.”
“Of course not,” Orion agreed, relieved.
“Let’s see if she’ll go back down in her bed,” Hailey suggested. “I don’t know why she had her downstairs in the first place.”
Orion had his own opinions about that. He figured that cold-hearted nanny hadn’t wanted to pick up the baby but didn’t want the family waking up, so she’d brought her downstairs where no one would hear her fussing.
They stepped into the nursery, and he felt a sense of peace sink in almost immediately. The soothing colors he had chosen himself, and the scent of Opal’s baby powder, centered him. Nothing else seemed important when he was in this space.
