by Rachel Clark
* * * *
Devlin could barely believe that the royal family was talking in the standard traders’ language in deference to him. Ben and Trey had quickly explained why they were there, and then he, Kam, and G’baena had been welcomed with open arms.
The queen certainly didn’t act the way he’d expected. The little he knew of G’trobian society had given him reason to believe that women weren’t considered equals. Ben and Trey’s mother seemed to have missed that memo because she was clearly a woman with opinions. She’d even demanded the kings take immediate action in seeking justice for G’baena, and within minutes, G’baena’s entire family was being escorted to the palace with a single order from one of her husbands.
“The problem we have,” Ben said casually after his mother calmed a little, “is that we need to maintain our undercover identities if we have any hope of shutting down the slave trade in this area of space.”
“So we can’t execute them publicly?” one of the kings asked.
“I think it needs to be public,” G’baena said quietly. Devlin could read the private agony in her body language and wished that they weren’t talking about her fathers. He moved closer and curled his fingers around her cold hand. To hell with G’trobian protocols. His woman needed him, and he wouldn’t ignore it.
The queen raised her eyebrows questioningly, but when Devlin didn’t voice a defense, she seemed to let it go. She already knew that Ben and Trey had claimed a human woman—a fact she wasn’t exactly pleased about, especially since Tee-ani was not with them—so who G’baena held hands with was really none of the queen’s business.
G’baena twisted her fingers through Devlin’s and then explained her reasons in a clear and concise manner. By the time she was finished, it was obvious to everyone in the room that she’d given a great deal of thought to the matter.
Again, Devlin wished that they weren’t discussing G’baena’s fathers, but she was right. With Keytark trying to gain a foothold on the planet, it was necessary for the kings to deal swiftly and publicly with anyone found to be dealing with slave traders.
The trick would be to protect Ben’s and Trey’s undercover identities, and unfortunately, Devlin could see only one way. He suspected the queen saw it, too.
“Your cousins are returning to the palace later this evening. They have been able to conclude negotiations with the major supplier of weapon and shield technologies in this sector. Hopefully, we can improve this planet’s defensive capabilities,” one of the kings said.
“And,” the queen broke in, “maybe they can talk some sense into you two. I want my sons at home, not pretending to be slave traders.” Tears filmed her eyes, but she held her jaw aggressively, obviously daring Ben and Trey to deny their intentions. When they didn’t, she turned and left the room, head held high, her emotions contained. It was amazing how much she reminded Devlin of his own mother, so strong-willed, so in control. Devlin suspected that, like his mother, the queen would do her grieving in private.
* * * *
Kam was surprised at the warmth of the welcome he received. Apparently, within the royal family at least, being a walking dead man didn’t matter if you were protecting the royal offspring. Considering his status as a displaced son, he’d fully expected to be ignored. The fact that the royal triad listened not only to him and G’baena, but also to an outsider, gave him hope for the future of his people.
If royalty could see past outdated and unfair societal rules, surely the people could learn to change as well. A small seed of hope sprouted in his mind, but as he glanced at Devlin and G’baena, he realized that, even if G’trobia was on the verge of tremendous change, his own future lay elsewhere.
* * * *
“Who are your contacts?”
Devlin maintained his aggressive stance as he watched the conversation unfold. G’baena’s entire family had been escorted to the palace as if they were honored guests. Her mother and sisters were currently in the women’s quarters, hopefully catching up with G’baena and meeting Kam, and Ben, Trey, and Devlin had joined the kings for a formal dinner. G’baena’s fathers had been so busy trying to impress the kings that they hadn’t even noticed the probing questions until they’d dug themselves a nice big hole.
Now, they had no defense, having essentially bragged of their involvement in the slave trade, and they both knew it.
“I…I…We don’t know any n…names,” one of them stuttered.
G’baena’s fathers looked more frightened than he’d ever seen anyone, and Devlin had seen plenty of terrified people in his time. Ben and Trey had dropped the civilized mantle that they’d worn like a cloak since landing in G’trobia and now reverted to the personalities that made them both very dangerous pirates.
One of G’baena’s fathers looked on the verge of wetting himself. The other already had. Devlin huffed in disgust and crossed his arms aggressively. As the casual dinner conversation had progressed, it became more obvious that these men were greedy, ambitious, selfish bullies. Now, it was also obvious they were also very short on courage.
Devlin’s love for G’baena grew even stronger as he realized that these horrible men were the ones who’d controlled her young life, yet her spirit, her courage, her self-assurance had survived. Clearly, her fathers’ ironfisted control had not contributed to the woman she was now.
“Dev, escort this idiot to the holding cells. I want to speak to his brother alone.”
“Yes, Sire,” he said, trying to hide his smile. He knew what “escort” meant when requested in that tone of voice. He grabbed the little man by his collar, wrenching him out of the seat and holding him at arm’s length. He was lighter than Devlin anticipated, so he had to lower the fool closer to the ground so he could try to stand. The coward’s legs wobbled so much Devlin practically dragged him out the door.
He followed Trey to the holding cells, trying hard not to inhale the smell of fear and urine coming from the prisoner. Devlin had caught a quick glance of G’baena’s mother, concern for the woman flowing through him when he noticed her limp. God help this stupid man if he was the cause of G’baena’s mother’s injuries. Devlin wasn’t sure he’d be able to hold back the rage he felt for G’baena and her female relatives.
Trey nodded to a guard, who unlocked a thick glass-like door and indicated that Devlin should deposit their prisoner within. Devlin felt a great deal of satisfaction as he dropped the man on the floor and turned to leave the room.
“Last chance,” Trey said from the doorway. “Names?”
“I don’t know any,” the man said as he began to sob uncontrollably. A small amount of sympathy filtered through Devlin’s mind, but he quickly squashed it. Chances were this man had stood by impassively while his wife or daughters lay crying and injured by his hand. He and his brother had even boasted earlier of the ironfisted control they held over their family.
“Look, I’m a reasonable man,” Trey said, his conciliatory tone of voice taking Devlin by surprise. “If you weren’t involved directly, I’ll make sure that only your brother is executed for dealing with slave traders.”
Devlin couldn’t believe the amount of information that came out of the man’s mouth after that. Clearly, he also lacked loyalty to his brother.
* * * *
Kam watched the terrified look on the woman’s face melt into a confused smile. G’baena’s mother and sisters were battered and bruised, and it was very clear to Kam that their injuries were the result of years of abuse. Unable to watch G’baena’s mother limp another step, Kam lifted her into his arms, took several long strides, and carefully lowered her to the huge day lounge at the end of the room.
G’baena was quick to follow, her youngest sister’s hand clasped tightly in her own.
“They told me you were dead,” G’baena’s mother whispered, and then cast terrified eyes toward Kam before frantically lowering her gaze. “What will they do now?”
Kam wasn’t sure who the woman meant by “they,” but he guessed by her terr
ified emotions and jittery movements that she referred to G’baena’s fathers.
“They will explain to the kings why I was sold to slavers,” G’baena said through clenched teeth. Kam supposed that if she’d had any doubts about her course of action, they were thoroughly squashed by the evidence of her mother’s injuries. The woman moved as if she’d been in the process of being beaten when the kings’ invitation had arrived. Considering the new-looking bruise on one of the younger girl’s faces, Kam strongly suspected that to be true.
“Slavers?” her mother asked in a horrified voice.
“Will they take our fathers away?” the youngest girl asked. Her bottom lip quivered, and Kam felt the need to offer a lie in reassurance but bit back the words. Offering false hope seemed even crueler than what these children had already witnessed.
“Yes,” G’baena said, with satisfaction ringing in her tone. “They will be punished for what they did. You will never see them again.”
Goddess, the hope on that young face was heartbreaking. The child couldn’t have been more than twelve cycles old, yet she’d seen enough misery to never want to see either of her fathers again. Kam shook his head in amazement. G’baena’s fathers had obviously never given their daughters any reason to love them. Most abused children remained devoted to the abusive parent, but clearly, that wasn’t going to be a problem in this case.
G’baena’s mother moaned softly as she tried to sit up.
Kam made eye contact with one of the servants trying to blend into the scenery. There were at least four of them in every room just waiting for an order so they could respond immediately. Again he shook his head at the excesses of royalty and wondered how he’d never noticed it before Ky’s death. “Call for a doctor,” he said, trying to sound both official and polite.
The young woman nodded and left the room without lifting her head. Damn, he’d never noticed that before either. Did she comply out of respect or fear?
“Kam,” G’baena said as she reached to grab his hand and pull him closer. “I would like to introduce you to my mother, G’flynn.”
The woman cringed at the sound of her name, and Kam had to wonder how many times her full name had preceded a beating. Kam bent at the knees, squatting so that he could see eye to eye with the frightened woman. He touched her chin gently with a single finger, hoping that she would lift her head and look into his eyes.
He felt her panic as she complied with his unspoken wish. “What would you prefer I call you?”
She looked confused, but Kam noticed that G’baena squeezed her mother’s hand reassuringly and whispered, “It’s okay.”
“Flynn,” the woman said on barely a breath of sound.
“I am pleased to finally meet you, Flynn. G’baena is someone very special to me, and I would be honored if you would accept our assistance. Can you tell me about your injuries?”
The woman’s eyes almost rolled into the back of her head, and her fear spiked so high that both of the girls cried out in terror. G’baena moved quickly to reassure her younger siblings.
“Flynn, we already know who did this to you, and I promise on my life that you will never be required to face either of your husbands again, but I need to know about your injuries. It will make the doctor’s visit go more smoothly if I can explain beforehand.”
Flynn shook her head, her face coloring in embarrassment.
“Mother,” G’baena said quietly, “Kam loves me. He would never hurt any of us. Please just trust me this once.”
“He loves you?” she asked, sounding very confused. “What about G’Beydeatrey and G’Bende-anrali? You were promised to them long before you were born.” Flynn’s stress levels seemed to ratchet even higher as she wrung her hands in agitation.
“Mother, Ben and Trey are mated to someone else. But,” she continued forcefully as Flynn tried to talk again, “Kam and Devlin love me, and between the three of us, we will find a way to provide a safe home for you and G’deece and G’darlee.” Kam glanced at the girls, wondering which was which.
“Devlin?” Flynn asked as she moved awkwardly. The little amount of color she had in her face drained away as she gasped in pain.
“It’s a long story, Mother, one I will share later. Where is that damn doctor?”
Kam could see the surprise in Flynn’s eyes when he didn’t respond to G’baena’s language or disrespectful tone. Obviously her mother had a lot to learn about how true mates behaved toward each other. Even on G’trobia, most women enjoyed far more self-expression than Flynn seemed to understand.
“Where is the patient?” The doctor’s voice was arrogant and smug, and Kam widened his stance as he prepared to take the asshole down a peg or two. One insulting word from this self-important, pompous jerk and Kam wouldn’t hesitate.
* * * *
Devlin could barely believe his ears. Both brothers had confessed, providing detailed information about the slave trade that was going on under the noses of the authorities. Of course, each claimed to be an unwilling participant and blamed the other.
“What do you think?” Ben asked one of the kings.
“I think we need a public execution as soon as possible. Neither man deserves clemency.”
Devlin was nodding even before the king finished the sentence. They all knew that Kam had called for a doctor. Considering how badly G’baena’s mother had been limping, the medical assistance was most likely for her. Devlin shook off the urge to run and check on Kam and G’baena. If there was any problem with either of them he would’ve been contacted. He ground his teeth and tuned back in to the conversation going on around him.
“A public execution will push the others further underground, maybe even halt their trade until they think it’s safe to resume.”
“Agreed,” Trey spoke up, “but Ben and I could make that work to our advantage.”
“How so?” his cousin asked, but his twin jumped in before Trey or Ben could explain. “No. No. No. You are the crown princes. You are the kings’ sons. You are supposed to lead this planet when your fathers step down, not us.”
“But you have done so well,” Ben said with quiet authority. “You two were always better at negotiations and politics than me and Trey. It makes much more sense for you two to fill the kings’ shoes.”
“What are you saying, son?” one of the kings asked.
“Trey and I have already established our cover identities in the slave trade. If you make it public knowledge that we are wanted for slave trading, then it is possible that the contacts on the planet will come to us. We will need to stage a daring escape from the planet, of course, but I am sure we can come up with a plan that will work.”
“But I really do not want to be king,” his younger cousin said with a rueful smile on his face, but he sounded resigned to his fate.
“Thank you,” Trey said, nodding his approval. “We will work to shut down the slave trade in this galaxy while you try to eradicate the activity on the planet.”
“And we will try to protect you even as we call for your execution.”
Nothing drove the danger home more than that.
* * * *
Thankfully, the doctor had taken one look at the genuine pain on Flynn’s face and immediately changed his tone. Unfortunately, Kam still wanted to ram a fist in someone’s face, but now he was imagining G’baena’s fathers rather than the man offering genuine assistance.
Kam had carried Flynn into a small bedchamber where the doctor could check all of her injuries in private. G’baena had stayed with her mother, so now Kam and G’darlee and G’deece sat on a large recliner waiting for news.
“Who did this to you?” he asked as he brushed a gentle finger over the blossoming bruise on G’darlee’s cheek. She looked almost old enough to be mated, and a horrible suspicion had crept into his mind.
“My intended mates felt that I did not show the proper respect during their visit earlier today.”
Fuck, suspicion confirmed.
But G’darlee’s at
titude was the opposite of her mother’s. Despite what must have been a very suffocating and intimidating upbringing, the young woman held his gaze, almost daring him to defend the animal who’d hurt her.
“Give me a name, young one,” he said, trying not to grind his teeth to dust. “I will make certain that the coward will never do this to anyone again.”
She shook her head slowly, and his anger notched just a little higher. If she had half the empathic skills her sister possessed, she’d be sensing his rage easily now. She showed no fear, and he wondered if that was something she’d learned to cover at her fathers’ knees or if she realized Kam’s anger was not directed at her. He certainly hoped it was the latter.
“No,” she said, smiling slightly. “I do not believe they would have acted so if my fathers had not encouraged the behavior. Without that influence, I believe they would behave differently, especially if they are made aware of my fathers’ punishment.”
She said the last without emotion, a small smile the only indication that she approved of her fathers’ coming reckoning.
“Do you wish for the mating to proceed?” It almost killed him to voice the words, but if G’darlee was to be given the freedom to make her own choices, it was a question that needed to be asked.
“Goddess, no,” she said with an almost laugh. “I may be forgiving, but I’m not stupid.”
And just like that, Kam knew that they wouldn’t be leaving the planet without G’baena’s mother or sisters, even if they had to smuggle them past the border patrols to circumvent the law.
Chapter Twelve
G’baena wanted to cry. Her mother’s injuries were numerous and severe. Even the doctor was having trouble maintaining a professional persona. New bruises, old bruises, scars, and swelling all marred her pale skin.
The doctor had given Flynn a sedative the moment he’d found the massive bruise on her hip and the suspected broken ribs. She slept, snoring softly as G’baena and the doctor called Kam and G’darlee and G’deece into the room. With a single call through the communicator, the doctor arranged around-the-clock medical supervision.
