Hero's End (The Black Wing Chronicles Book 2)

by JC Cassels

  Tentatively, she reached out to touch it.

  “I’m not familiar with this metal,” Blade said. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Are the colors natural?”

  Bo nodded. “It’s native to the Gallis Highlands.” She ran her fingertip along the intricately woven, narrow braid of multicolored precious metals that encircled the ring. “The pattern is a love knot. It represents lives coming together, separating and returning again.” Sudden emotion threatened to choke her. “It’s a warrior’s promise,” she said. “The tradition goes back thousands of years.”

  Taking her hand in his, Blade waited for her to look up at him before he slipped the ring on her finger. The narrow band felt heavy on her finger.

  Her eyes filled with tears.

  “There’s another one,” he said.

  He held out another, thicker band that matched the one he’d just slipped on her finger.

  Blinking away her tears, she took it from him. He held out his hand expectantly. With a deep, trembling breath, Bo slipped the ring on his finger. She stared at it a long moment before lifting her gaze to his. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as he leaned closer and kissed her gently on the lips.

  ***

  The pace of the publicity tour had Bo’s head spinning within days. Live, early morning holovid appearances melded with late-night parties, leaving little time for rest. She couldn’t remember pushing herself this hard since Basic Training. Blade seemed inexhaustible. She watched through a large, sound-proof window in the observation gallery as he did yet another interview. Stifling a yawn behind her hand, she checked her chrono.

  “Here.” She glanced up at Chase who pressed a cup of stim-tea into her hand. “You look like you could use this.”

  She gratefully cupped the drink in both hands and savored the wispy tendrils that rose from the mug. “Is it always like this?” she asked.

  Chase nodded. “He’s a machine,” he said. “Dev just goes and goes. I don’t know how he does it.” He braced his shoulder against the window frame and sipped his own stim-tea. “He wasn’t like this when we were kids. He was the one who had to get a good fifteen hours of sleep followed by a couple of substantial naps. I was the one who was out of bed early and in it late.”

  Bo smiled patiently, waiting.

  “Not buying it, huh?” Chase said with a shrug. He sipped his tea again and grinned. “Right, well, maybe that was me who needed all the sleep. It was a long time ago. Who remembers that kind of stuff?”

  “Indeed,” she said, not bothering to hide her amusement.

  Chase glanced back at his brother. “Dev’s never been a slacker. The only time I’ve ever seen him when he wasn’t going full out was when he left the IC.” He rolled his eyes. “Well, when I thought he’d left.”

  Interest piqued, Bo studied him. “What happened?”

  “He never told you?”

  Bo shook her head. “Not really. I gather it had something to do with losing his team in a Ditoxicin attack. He was the only survivor.”

  “He never talks about it,” Chase said softly. “He never told me either. He just showed up at my door one day, way too thin and pale, with this haunted look in his eyes. It broke my heart, you know? He didn’t say anything about what had happened or how he’d left the IC. I just assumed he’d been discharged, or deserted or whatever. He said, ‘I don’t have anywhere else to go. Can I stay with you?’ I mean, what was I supposed to do?” Chase looked at her. “He was so pathetic. He’s my little brother. What am I going to do – tell him no?”

  Bo smiled gently.

  “I was living in a little studio apartment at the time, so it was kind of cramped. Day after day he just sat there, staring into space all day long, wasting away. Some days it was all I could do to get him to eat. Until I finally figured he was spending too much time alone with himself, thinking about whatever hell he’d been through. So I gave him an ultimatum. I told him that if he wanted to stay with me, he was going to have to earn his keep. We weren’t kids anymore and I couldn’t support him.”

  “But you would have.”

  Chase nodded. “I would have,” he admitted. “I was the stunt coordinator on the feature I was working on. We were short a driver for a big scene and I was trying to figure out how to make it work – it was this big elaborate choreography and to have one element missing threw everything off. I knew Dev could do it, so I talked him into taking the job. The first couple of run-throughs I thought it would be the end of my career, he was that out of it. But then it clicked and he nailed it. It was like a switch inside him reset itself. When he climbed out of that cruiser, it was the first smile I’d seen on his face since the day Niall was killed.” Chase shook his head and grinned at the memory. “You know the first thing he said to me?” He waited for Bo to shake her head. “He said, ‘Let’s get something to eat, I’m starving.’ I could have kissed him. I think I did, come to think…” He turned back to the window. “He’s been fine ever since. He’s not like he was before he went into the Consular Guard, but he’s fine. That’s all that matters to me. I don’t think I could handle it if anything happened to him. He’s all the family I’ve got.”

  They watched in comfortable silence for a long moment before Chase turned to her once more. “What about you, Marissa?” he asked. “What’s your story? How does someone as together as you end up a Joy Babe?”

  She’d been dreading the inevitable interrogation. No sidestepping it now, she supposed. “Family business,” she said. “My mother was a long-term Companion to a Second Sector Noble. That’s all well and good until his mother decided it was time he married. When a Noble marries, the new wife usually doesn’t like having his Companion and their children around. My mother returned to the D’or Choh.”

  “So your father’s family just kicked you out?” Chase asked. “One minute you were living like a princess and the next, you were exiled?”

  Bo sipped her stim-tea. “Something like that,” she said. “That’s not exactly how it happened, but close enough.”

  She hated misleading him, but she wouldn’t lie if she could help it. She genuinely liked Chase.

  Chase shook his head in disbelief. “What about your family?”

  Bo watched Blade laugh and charm the interviewer. She couldn’t help but smile. When he chose, he wielded his charisma like a weapon, and she had yet to meet anyone with a defense against it.

  “My mother died a long time ago. I have an uncle, my father’s brother, who oversaw my education. I have aunts and cousins, many at the D’or Choh. My brother looks out for me. I have a large family,” she laughed. “A very large family.”

  “What about your father? Do you ever hear from him?”

  Bo reluctantly tore her attention away from Blade’s interview. She searched Chase’s face, looking for some hidden reason behind his sudden curiosity about her family. Finding only warmth and affection in his demeanor, she relaxed and leaned against the transparisteel.

  “Until recently, I hadn’t seen or spoken with my father in a decade.”

  “Ten years? That’s a long time. What happened? Did you two stumble into each other at some fancy restaurant or at one of those exclusive resorts you and my brother toured?”

  Bo studied her stim-tea for a long moment before coming to a decision. “We didn’t…there weren’t any resorts,” she said softly. “Dev arranged for me to spend some time with my father. It was very quiet and out of the way to avoid publicity”

  Chase’s slow smile revealed a pair of dimples so very like his brother’s. He leaned closer to Bo. “Leave it to Dev to come up with the perfect grand gesture to impress his girl. You were impressed, weren’t you?”

  Bo nodded. “I was very impressed.”

  “Of course you were.” He glanced up, looking past her at Blade in the studio. “Family is important to my brother, you know.”

  “I’ve noticed.”

  “Did Dev tell you our story?” he asked.

  Bo shook her head. “Only bit
s and pieces.”

  “We were orphaned in the Trade Wars,” Chase said, lowering his voice to keep from being overheard, “us and another boy, Niall. We were little more than babies when we landed in the orphans’ home. We three stuck together. They used to tell us that from the start we’d cry if we were separated. We got into all kinds of trouble together. We grew up as brothers.”

  “As brothers? You mean you’re not…?”

  “Biologically related?”

  At her nod, he shook his head.

  “No,” he said. “We came from different planets of origin.”

  “It’s strange,” Bo said. “I never would have guessed. You two are very much alike…your looks, your mannerisms. I’d be willing to bet someone made a mistake with your records.”

  Chase shrugged. His eyes crinkled with pleasure at the thought. “Maybe they did. Wouldn’t that be a nice surprise?”

  Bo canted her head at him. “Oh, I don’t know,” she said with a teasing smile. “Then you’d be stuck with him.”

  He grinned back at her. His gaze dropped briefly to her lips before he met her eyes once more.

  “I’m pretty sure I’m stuck with him regardless. Family is important to me, too.”

  “So tell me, what was the Great Blade Devon like as a boy?”

  “He was afraid of closet monsters.”

  “Closet monsters?”

  Chase shrugged. “He couldn’t get to sleep if any closets or cupboards were standing open or the tiniest bit ajar. Before he’d let anyone turn out a light, he and I would have to check open closets to see if monsters were hiding inside.”

  “He still can’t go to sleep if they’re open.” Bo laughed. “He’s never been able to explain why.”

  Chuckling, Chase shook his head. “Maker, take pity on the closet monster that tries to attack my brother.”

  “What about you and Niall? What was the dynamic between the three of you like?”

  “I’m the oldest, the reliable one, Niall was the youngest, the idea man, and Dev’s the silver-tongued daredevil. When we’d get into trouble, we’d let Dev do the talking and he always got us out of it. ‘The Fossey boys’ was a synonym for mischief. When we were about sixteen, in our last year at the home, Niall was killed in a hovercycle accident. We were racing on some cycles that Dev managed to appropriate from somewhere. There were some great ruins around the home. And something, I still don’t know what, happened. Niall lost control and… Well, we took it hard. Dev took it personally. Some Consular Guard recruiters showed up shortly afterward and Dev jumped at the chance to enlist. That started a whole new set of problems for him.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Well, when he was around ten or so, he got his hands on his first knife. He became obsessed with knives, how to fight with them, throwing them, all that kind of thing. I don’t know why it was so important to him.”

  “Probably needed a defense against the closet monsters.”

  “Probably so,” Chase said. “I hadn’t considered that. Anyway, he took that knife everywhere with him. Niall called him ‘Dev and a blade.’ So when he enlisted he was, um…impaired…,”

  Bo arched an eyebrow. “Impaired?”

  Chase nodded. “If you could drink it, smoke it, pop it, or shoot it, he did. My brother’s got a self-destructive bent, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

  She smiled. “I noticed it’s become less pronounced over the past couple of years.”

  “It has,” he smiled. “It has indeed.” He peered through the window into the studio. “Anyway, Dev was close to wasted when he enlisted. He told them his name was Dev and a blade. They heard Blade Devon and now there he sits, big as life. He’s gone by that stupid joke of a name ever since.”

  Bo laughed.

  “I’m not sure that’s a good thing, mind you,” Chase said. “That was the start of his aliases. You remember Darien Roarke, of course?” He waited for her nod before continuing. “He’s got a closet full of boxes, every one of them has a different persona…ID and everything. Dev just puts them on and loses himself in whichever one he’s wearing. It’s not normal. It’s like names are meaningless to him and Blade Devon is just another persona with a fake ID. You know, I’m not even sure he has a legal ID with his real name on it.” He shrugged. “I guess to him, Dev Fossey isn’t even his real name. I don’t know anymore.”

  “It’s a good thing they don’t interview you,” she said. “You’re the keeper of all of his secrets, aren’t you?”

  Chase grinned. “I used to think so,” he said, “but Dev’s always kept things close to the vest. He’s got secrets he won’t even share with me. I was kind of hoping he’d shared them with you.”

  Bo shook her head. “Secrets come with the Inner Circle,” she said. “When you operate at that level, you keep secrets from the people you care about, and it’s as much for their own protection as it is for yours.”

  Chase’s lips twisted in a wry smile. “Sometimes, Marissa, I think you understand him better than I do,” he said. “Are you in love with him?”

  At her look of surprise he held up his hand. “I’m not trying to pry,” he said. “It’s just that you’ve been under exclusive contract to him for more than a couple of years now, but only lately you’ve been showing up for these publicity things. I was under the impression that one of the main reasons to have a Joy Babe on retainer was to have a gorgeous escort on hand for public appearances. As it is, you two seldom see each other. This is the first time I can remember you ever coming to Cormoran. Before he met you, he was really earning his bad boy reputation. I couldn’t keep track of the women, but now…”

  “It’s complicated,” she said.

  “That’s my brother talking right there. That’s his favorite evasive line.”

  Bo sighed. “In this case, I’m afraid it’s true.”

  “If you love someone, it shouldn’t be that complicated.”

  She looked up at him. His steady blue gaze held hers.

  Maker, help her. Sweet, earnest Chase. It hurt to keep lying to him. She wasn’t Blade. Lies did not sit well with her. She looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

  “Sometimes, when someone isn’t what they seem, it can’t help but be complicated,” she said.

  “Do Joy Babes ever marry and settle down?” Chase asked.

  “It happens.” Bo smiled and peered coquettishly up at him. “Why? Are you proposing?”

  Taken aback, Chase stammered. “Um, I didn’t…not for me, but for Dev… I mean, not for Dev, but…not like I can speak for Dev. I just wanted to know if you could get married if you wanted to…if my brother asked you to…not that he’s said anything to me, because he hasn’t…but if he did…if he wanted to…and you wanted to, of course…you may not want to…”

  Blade’s hand closed over his brother’s shoulder. “Put your foot in it again, did you?”

  Chase gave him a pained smile. “Yes,” he said. “How much of that did you hear?”

  Blade patted his shoulder reassuringly. “Enough to understand why you and Jes can’t figure out whether or not you’re affianced,” he said with a grin. “You get things squared away with Jes and let me worry about my own love life.”

  He took Bo’s cup from her and downed the remainder of her stim-tea, then kissed her. “Have I told you how beautiful you are when you’re exhausted?”

  Bo smiled. “When this is over, I plan on sleeping for a week.”

  He grinned at her. “That’s what you think.”

  Glancing at his chrono, Blade set the mug aside. “If we move out now, we can get a few hours rest before the next interviews.”

  He nodded to the IC agent beside the door. Blade dropped his arm around Bo’s shoulders and led her down the corridor to the main entrance. Chase fell into step behind them, stifling a yawn. As soon as they drew closer to the transparisteel wall, Bo pulled on her sunshades and fastened her veil. She scanned the nearby rooftops, balconies and windows for any sign of threat.

 
Blade pulled his sunshades from his pocket and slipped them on against the glare.

  The IC agent nearest the door spoke into the com set hooked over his ear. He waved them ahead. The door slid open and they stepped out into a courtyard. A vague sense of threat tingled along Bo’s spine. Blade felt it too. His arm tightened around her. The door to their cruiser stood open at the curb, waiting for them. On either side of the walk leading from the courtyard to the street, fans lined the way, held back by temporary barriers and security personnel. At the first sight of Blade, they began shouting and calling his name.

  Blade lifted his arm to wave to the crowd.

  A woman screamed.

  “Gun!”

  Something hit them hard from behind just as the report from an energy weapon split the air. Bo and Blade landed on the pavement, the breath knocked from them. He looked to Bo, who nodded.

  “Chase?” Blade gasped.

  “I think I’m hit,” he said.

  Blade rolled out from under his brother, drawing his weapon. The crowd gave in to panic, screaming and charging the barriers. The two IC agents nearest them pulled weapons. One hoisted Chase to his feet, the other draped himself protectively around Blade.

  “Come on, sir, we need to get you into the cruiser.”

  Bo climbed to her feet and pulled Chase’s other arm around her shoulder. Hanging between her and the IC agent, they bundled him into the waiting cruiser.

  “We’ll meet you at the medical facility,” Blade said, shoving Bo into the cruiser after his brother. He ducked in after her and pulled the door shut before the IC agents could climb in. He turned to the driver. “Man down! Get us out of here.”

  Once the cruiser pulled away from the curb, Blade holstered his sidearm and turned his attention to his brother. “Let me see,” he said.

  “I think I’m gonna be sick,” Chase muttered.

  Unusually pale, he did look as if he were going to either faint or vomit. Blade’s brow gathered as he looked his brother over, checking him for injury.

  “Do you hurt anywhere?”

  “Hell yes, I hurt!” Chase retorted. “My right arm feels like it’s on fire and my stomach is killing me!”