by Auryn Hadley
Raj's mouth snapped closed, and his face turned stony.
"Yeah," Sal went on. "Sheathed weapons. Pretty smart really. Makes it look like you just got walloped in practice. How long did that go on?"
"This ain't about that, Sal. I can hold my own."
She took a step into his face. "Yeah, Raj, it kinda is. If he's doing that to you, what's he doing to the rest of them? Tell Sturmgren, or I will. He needs reasons to remove him. That's all I'm saying."
Raj shifted back. "K. So you know I have to go on this, right? I mean, you understand?"
"Yeah. You can only go so long without sleep, and you don't have someone to watch your back. I get it."
Relaxing, Raj looked at the ground and scuffed the sole of his boot through the grass. "Does that mean you won't kill me?"
"I'll make you a deal, ok?"
"Yeah?"
"Walk heavy. Don't pound, don't scuff your feet, just walk. You do that, and you'll live through it."
He looked at her, confused, and Sal smiled. She tugged one of the small ears set high on her head. "They work really well. You walk as heavy as you did coming to talk to me just now and I'll hear you before you make it up the stairs. More than two men don't move around at that time of night. I make no promises for the others. I also won't be alone."
"Thanks, Sal. I'm not a wuss. I'm just sick of this shit. I'll get busted back to blues, and I'm ok with that, but damn. Ain't worth being an elite if this is all we do, ya know?"
Sal nodded. "Just walk heavy. You get the jump on us, and I can't promise you'll live."
Chapter 23
Oddly, knowing Azure was going to try something let Sal finally relax. With Zep helping, she could handle anything they threw at her. Alone? Well, she had to sleep sometime. And before she tried that, she wanted to soak away any aches that might slow her down. As soon as she got back to the barracks, Sal hit the baths. Just as she got her hair into a nice lather, Rayna climbed in the tub next to her.
"I'm asking him to spend the night in my room tonight, Sal," she said as a greeting.
"Don't." Sal lifted her hand, asking Rayna to wait while she dunked her head under the water to rinse away the suds. "He won't go."
The human shifted in her tub to see Sal better. "You fucking him?" Oddly, there was no jealousy in her voice.
"It's not that. Look, I already told him Azure's going to try to jack me - most likely tonight. He won't go." Sal poured oil in her hands and smoothed it across her hair while Rayna stared at her.
"Serious?"
"Yeah. Raj gave me a head's up. Trax has him by the balls. He jacks me or he gets court-martialed. Trying to save the unit, Raj has gotten enough reprimands in his file to justify a hanging. Zep won't leave my side tonight."
"But you're fucking him," Rayna said, making a production of her false disappointment. "Only decent man I meet, and he's already spoken for by my friend."
"It doesn't work like that," Sal told her, oddly pleased to be called a friend by someone outside her pack. "If I amuse myself with him or not, that has no bearing on what you do with him."
"Sal," Rayna said, "I'm not stupid. We saw you playing with Ryek last night, and you were just playing. Zep's a Black Blade. He might be wearing grey, but he'll always be a Blade. I'm not looking to get gutted because I'm messing on your turf. K? Plenty of men in the military. None quite so nice, but still. I mean, I'd gladly go there, but not if it's going to be awkward."
Sal giggled. "No, no. Nothing like that. Zep is not, and has no intention of being one of my mates. He's a good guy. He's built, he's beautiful, and he's as sweet as can be. You try laying next to him all night and not do anything."
Rayna looked at Sal with her mouth open for a minute before she remembered to close it. "Yeah, that's what I've been saying. I thought you all did things different, though? I mean... That sounded like something I'd say!"
Behind them a pair of nuvani women giggled, overhearing the conversation. Sal looked over at the pale women, and spoke to them in Iliran, "Either of you know how to explain it to a human?"
"No. You don't mean Reko?" Her Iliran was heavily accented.
"No, different man. Reko's available," Sal assured her.
The girls looked at each other and giggled. "What about Reko?" Rayna asked, picking his name out of the conversation.
"He's got a fan club." Sal gestured to the girls. "And a wild night ahead of him, if I'm not mistaken."
Rayna groaned in mock frustration, making a production of it. "Well, sounds like everyone is getting lucky but me. Is it being iliri or something?"
Sal flashed her a smile. "I've never been human, so couldn't say. You know you'll have to try harder with Zep because of it."
"You're not helping me any, Sal," Rayna teased.
"I'll put in a good word, but he hasn't touched a human in at least three years. I just thought you should know."
"Yeah, Pig told me." She waved that away, proving her supposed infatuation with Zep wasn't something serious. "You know they're taking bets to see if he's sleeping with you, right?"
Sal kept her tone casual. "He said something about that this morning."
"It's all in good fun, I promise. So you want me to tell the men to sleep light?"
Rayna changed subjects almost as fast as an iliri. She also didn't take things too seriously. The thought of a fight coming didn't send her into a panic. She just made plans and enjoyed things as they came. It sounded like she had the same opinion about men as she did a potential threat. On top of that, she'd called Sal a friend, and Sal found herself liking the human woman. She reminded her of the people she'd met in Anglia. Considering how many times Blaec had said Pig was one of the good ones, Sal decided to trust her.
"Would you? I keep forgetting that I can rely on someone besides us."
"Nah, we're behind ya. They split up the Blades, so who knows what's next. You seriously didn't screw him last night?" Rayna asked.
Sal sighed and sank into the tub. "Truthfully? It wasn't for lack of trying. I can't push him, it doesn't work like that, and things are a bit awkward, ya know?"
Rayna laughed. "No, I don't."
"Ok, it's like this, I have two lovers, Blaec and Jase, right?"
"I think I hate you right now, Sal," Rayna said. "Blaec Doll? Please tell me he's at least as good as he looks?"
Sal looked at Rayna and laughed. "Yeah. He's..." She let it trail off.
"No. Uh uh. Finish that!"
"Blaec is a very gentle lover. He's a beast in battle, but he's so gentle in bed."
Rayna was leaned across her tub intently. "Wow, wouldn't have expected that. What about Cyno? He's a little fuck, but he's ripped."
"Yeah." Sal laughed. "He's all iliri, too."
"Ohh, I see. They really bite?"
Sal nodded vehemently, a foolish smile on her lips. "We do. Most times we got assigned together, we took more damage from each other than the job."
"Shit," Rayna gasped, giggling. "I can't touch him, though, right?"
"He's at the nuvani camp right now, so you're probably outclassed. I'll be shocked if he does anything, though."
Rayna dunked her own head and began to lather it. "That's not fair. You're planning to screw Zep, and he's not allowed to?"
"It's not exactly like that. It's Jase. It's cessivi. I don't know if I can explain it to you."
The nuvani woman looked over and asked Sal, "The Ahnor is your cessivi?"
"Ya," Sal answered.
The girls sighed, but the first persisted, "But Reko is not?"
"No. We think Reko may be my brother. He smells wrong. You're welcome to him."
They squealed their delight, laughing among themselves.
"I will tell them he is cessivi," the first said to Sal, giggling.
"Reko again?"
Sal nodded. "We're pure iliri, and evidently it's tempting to them. Jase is close. He's about as Iliran as they are, but it looks like nuvani are rafrezzi, and Jase is aufrio."
"What the h
ell does that even mean?"
Sal laughed. "Think of the grauori. Pure white is nacione, grey is aufrio, and gold is rafrezzi. Reko and I are both nacione and about as pure as it gets."
"So why aren't you after him?" Rayna asked.
"Pretty sure we're related."
"How can you even tell?"
"The smell," Sal admitted.
"Yeah, Pig's right, it gets complicated."
"No, not really," Sal tried to explain. "It's different, but not complicated. Sex is not love. I love my mates. I love Zep, but it's different. That's why I've always called him my big brother. Doesn't mean I'm blind." Sal chuckled.
"Oh, you had a completely perverse thought," Rayna squealed.
"He's so different, you know?" Sal said leaning forward. "His skin is as dark as my coffee, and it's crazy how soft it is, and he has hair on his chest."
Rayna laughed loud enough to make the women across the room look. "Go lower, Sal. There's a line," and she arched her back, lifting her belly from the water as she pointed, "that leads to the good stuff. Run your fingers through that. Trust me."
"I was told that I'm not allowed to talk about the hair on his body," Sal said, giggling.
"With who?"
"Jase."
"You'd? Really? I mean?" Rayna stuttered.
"They check every morning, Blaec and Jase, to see if anything happened. They talk among themselves, too. It's cute."
"Wait, your two lovers talk about your love life, and it's cute? Damn, I wish I was iliri. And they're ok with you and Zep?"
Sal shrugged. "Nothing between Zep and I yet. They caught a whiff of it when I was drugged, so they're rooting for him."
"Ok. Note to self, stay out of the Blades shit, it's a mess," Rayna said, writing with her wet finger in the air.
Her antics made Sal laugh. "That, or learn to really like variety I guess? You know we don't really date like humans, right?"
"Yeah, but how does that work?"
"Iliri men tend to fall for dominant women, and they don't get jealous easy. Considering there are about five men to every female? I guess it makes sense. And they don't hold to commitment the same way but celebrate the choice - each time. They value loyalty over faithfulness." Sal shrugged too innocently. "Just saying. There's two floors full of very lonely men upstairs."
"Yeah, but there's a language barrier," Rayna pointed out.
Sal looked over at the girls, "Any of your men available upstairs?"
They looked at her strangely until Sal pointed at Rayna. The second one grinned, "Ya, but not all are free."
"Any way for the humans to tell them apart? They find them lovely."
The girls looked at each other and giggled again before falling silent. Then the second turned back to Sal. "They will have a braid, like here," she said, pulling a strand of hair from the back of her neck. "It means he is available. Stay away from the ones with short hair. They do not care for women."
Sal nodded at her to show she understood. "Thanks. Is the Kaeen ok with dalliances between them and humans?"
The nuvani glanced away, and the silence stretched on for a moment before she answered. "There could be children with humans."
"The ones I'm talking about are soldiers. They have medications to prevent that."
She glanced away again, obviously talking to someone in her mind. "The Kaeen said that so long as no children, then no problem. If there are children, you should handle it like nuvani."
"And how do nuvani handle it?"
The girl's face twisted as she searched for what to say. "Women raise children from who they want. The men may ask, but she does not need to tell. He has no responsibilities that she doesn't give him. The Kaeen does not want her citizens beholden to a human woman."
"I understand," Sal assured her. "I will be sure they know." She turned back to Rayna. "Braid at the base of the neck means available. Short hair means they prefer other men. You can pass that around, and the only stipulation is no one gets pregnant. If she does, the nuvani have no responsibilities for it."
Rayna reclined back in her tub with a grin. "Then if you're claiming Zep, I want to see just how hard they bite. I'm just hoping how short they are don't say much for well, how tall they are!"
"Trust me," Sal giggled. "There's no correlation. Humans got a very bad deal in that area."
"Ohh!" Rayna gasped, and Sal pulled herself from the tub, wrapping a towel around herself.
"I'm heading up. Have a good one Rayna. Just remember to be as dominant as you want. Not sure they'll take you up on it, but never hurts to try."
"Thanks, Sal," Rayna called at her. "Gonna have to wait till tomorrow, though. Have a friend who needs some eyes on her back."
That promise shouldn't feel so nice, but it did. Sure, part of it was Rayna’s commanding officer's ties to Blaec and the Black Blades, but that wasn't all. Rayna seemed like she honestly enjoyed Sal's company - what little of it they'd shared. As Sal left the bathing chamber, she decided she'd make an effort to get to know the human better.
She was trotting up the stairs, holding her towel around her when a nuvani man walked down the opposite side and paused, staring. Sal made a point of looking at him, and he dropped his eyes, but a smile teased his lips. Maybe the nuvani weren't used to soldiers treating the barracks like their home, but she didn't care. No, she liked it. Feeling attractive wasn't something Sal was used to, and she needed a little encouragement with Zep's reticence. When she reached the top, the Dogs crowded the hallway, laughing among themselves, Zep included.
"Zep told me a story," Ryekir said, heading in the other direction. "Sounds like we're sleeping light, tonight?"
Sal nodded. "That's the same story I heard then. I owe you guys."
A man down the aisle chuckled. "Drop the towel, we'll call it even. Damn Valcor, rough life you lead, man."
Sal laughed at them and walked toward Zep's room. When she reached the door, she called out, "Which one are you?"
"Aristel, Tyr Aristel."
Sal nodded and tossed him her towel. "Don't they have towels in the Dogs?" she asked before stepping through the door.
The man's mouth gaped open, and he leaned forward for a better view of her snowy skin before she vanished into the room. "Valcor? I fucking hate you, man! Why aren't you hitting that shit?"
Zep snapped his fingers to pull Tyr's eyes to him and away from the door. "Doesn't work like that. Step out of line and she'll geld you before she thinks about it."
Tyr sighed dramatically. "Yeah, well she isn't armed now. Trust me, I got an eyeful."
Zep just laughed. "She's always armed, man. You ever seen her teeth? She'll use 'em, too."
"Kinky, man. Just like I like it." Zep shook his head, so Tyr kept going. "What, you don't think I could take it?"
"Nah, man, I don't. Not unless you're just that shit in bed."
Tyr made a dismissive noise. "You'd all hear her screaming if I had my way with her."
Zep just shook his head.
"You ever seen his scar?" another man asked.
That got Tyr's attention. "What scar?"
"From her biting him," Deron Sevas said.
"Nah. Show and tell time, Valcor," Tyr teased.
Zep stood up and pulled off his shirt. On his right pectoral, a large puckered scar stood out against his dark skin. He lowered himself back to the floor without saying a word.
"Holy fuck," Tyr gasped, sitting up. "Thought you said you were friends!"
Zep waved the guy down. "Iliri get emphatic at times. On top of all that, she's a berserker. That's how I got bit."
Deron claimed the floor space next to Tyr's chair. "Don't tell me you didn't like it, bro."
"Fuck no. I wouldn't lie about it. You ever hear those stories about the girls that sing to men in the ocean, drowning them?"
"Sirens?" a man named Tritain asked.
"Yeah, those. Iliri are like that," Zep said.
Tyr couldn't let it go. "What do you mean?"
Zep shrugge
d. "When they berserk, it's called maast. It's like nothing I've seen before. Shit, or felt."
"And?"
"Potent shit, man. Damned near took a blade from Cyno for it."
"Cyno? No shit? How'd you get out of that?"
Zep chuckled, wadding the shirt between his hands. "I let go of Sal."
The men roared with laughter. "Don't tell me you haven't hit that then," Tyr persisted. "You have the scars to prove it."
"Nah, man. I didn't get that far. Ya don't fuck with Cyno's girl. Not when he's in maast."
Deron shook his head. "Tyr's right, though, it'd be worth it. I've heard stories about what iliri can do. Making a man fall in love is the least of them."
"Tell me you're gonna hit that, man," Tyr insisted. "I'm living vicariously through you right now."
Zep leaned back and looked at the group clustering on the floor outside their rooms. His eyes hit all of them, one by one. "Not really my call. You don't just hit that. Same with the Viraenovans. They make the move, you just have to be smart enough not to say no."
"Fuck." Tyr pointed to his own chest. "No way that girl could resist me. I'm just, you know, staying out of your way, bro."
"You know she can hear you, right?" Zep asked.
The men fell silent, and all of them looked at the door.
"I'm just talkin' shit, Sal," Tyr said softly.
Chapter 24
Sal opened the door, a loose white dress clinging against her body, and walked to Tyr. Pushing him into his chair, one hand pinned each of his shoulders. She straddled him - and smiled.
"Oh fuck," Tyr whispered.
Leaning over, she ignored his words and very gently rested her sharp teeth against his ear. She didn't even toy with his mind. Tyr's hands went to her waist of their own volition, and he tilted his head back, sighing at the feel of Sal's breath on his neck.
"Didn't you say you'd make me scream?" she purred softly.
Tyr pulled her waist against him and chuckled. "You're about to fuck up my world, aren't ya?"
Sal just nipped his ear gently. "Nah. Not this time." She patted his hands, and Tyr blushed. "Just remember that. It's as close as you're going to get." Grinning, she climbed off his lap. The men around them laughed, and Tyr shot an embarrassed glance at his crotch. He shrugged, then made an adjustment - making them laugh more. Even Sal was amused, but not enough to keep toying with the man. She moved over to Zep, who lifted a hand. Taking it, she let him lower her to his side on the floor, where she tucked herself against his chest. Zep casually wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head without thinking about it.
