Trajen clapped him on the shoulder. "No problem, drey. I'm here if you need me." He hesitated. "I do feel that I should warn you about one thing before I let Ushara back in."
"And that is?"
"End of next week, the UTC has its annual meeting. This year we're hosting it here at the station."
"Yeah, okay...?" He let his voice trail off, unsure as to why this concerned him or why Trajen was bringing the matter up at this particular inconvenient time.
Like he gave a shit, right now.
"You familiar with Ryn Cruel?"
Since Ryn was Darling Cruel's older half brother, and had lived in the royal palace at Caron while their father had been alive, Jullien had attended a large number of functions with him. But given that Jullien was Andarion and a few years older, they'd never been friendly with each other. Ryn had his crew of humans he ran with, and their only interest in Jullien had been as a punchline.
"We've crossed paths a few times over the years."
"Enough that he would know you on sight?"
Jullien grimaced. That was hard to say. Ryn's royal cronies had picked on him enough when he'd been overweight that they might, yet Ryn had never really participated in their cruelty. A time or two, he'd even tried to get them to stop. But that being said, Ryn had mostly avoided all contact with Jullien and the Andarion royal family.
Ryn's little brother, Darling, however, was another story. Jullien and Darling were well acquainted and had run up against each other several times over the years.
So ...
"Maybe."
"Then you need to be wary. As his mother's VA and virulent protector, he always runs scout for her. More than that, they sometimes have Darling with them. Although it's been a few years since Darling's attended with him--he and Ryn had a bit of a falling out a few years back, but it's not unheard of for Darling to come, especially if he's had a fight with his uncle."
"Noted."
"And..." Trajen paused for effect. "The one you have to be on guard against most is Venik."
"Because of Malys."
Trajen shook his head, then dropped the last name Jullien had ever expected to hear. "Because of Hauk."
"Hauk?"
"Yeah. Fain Hauk is his right-hand pilot. Even though Hauk flies under a Rogue's Canting, Braxen Venik is his Tavali father, and he's fiercely loyal to Ven. Hauk functions as his field admiral and he's always with him for these. I know you two have bad blood between you. So I wanted you to know to keep a low profile while they're here. And take special note that because Hauk, as a Rogue, isn't supposed to be aligned to any one Nation, he hangs back away from Ven, and in particular the Danes and Hintos to keep them from getting suspicious about his loyalties. So he'll be ghosting the area and not officially with us. You'll find him in the bays or the bars, trying to be inconspicuous."
"But not in the meetings."
"Exactly. Same for Ryn. They have no idea that I know anything about them. Especially since they're not allowed to attend the closed sessions. Ryn usually hangs around or in his ship. Same for Fain. In fact, the Danes don't even know he exists. Not sure the Hintos do either. That's how low a profile Hauk keeps. But if he sees you--"
"He'll know me instantly and bust my ass ... as will Darling." And while Jullien could take Darling without much effort, Fain could go either way. He was a former titled Andarion Ring champion.
Because Jullien was a hybrid, he'd been banned from Ring matches--even in the Open league--but he'd seen Fain fight enough to know he would be a handful in battle. Jullien wasn't afraid of him. Just respectful of the fact that if it came down to it, Fain wouldn't be an easy victory, and could possibly be the end of one former Andarion tiziran.
Fain would definitely be motivated to tear his throat out.
"They'll be here two days. Watch your back." With that, Trajen quit the room.
A frown drew Jullien's brows together as he considered an interesting tidbit Nyran had left out during their "meeting." Fain was also a member of the Porturnum Nation ...
With Nyran.
How the hell did that work? That had to be fun at family get-togethers.
Hauk served as the right hand of Nyran's father? And while Fain would kill to have Jullien's testicles on a platter, it was nothing compared to what he'd do for Nyran's.
Especially if ...
The door opened, breaking his thoughts off as Ushara ran into the room with a worried scowl. "Jules?"
He caught her against him as she literally threw herself onto the bed by his side. "Hey, baby." He kissed her while she sobbed. "Shh, what's this?"
She popped him on the stomach. "Don't you ever die on me again! You scared me to death."
"Ow!"
She was instantly contrite. "Did I hurt you?"
"It didn't feel good." He rubbed his offended area.
"I'm sorry."
Instantly, the room filled with her sisters, mother, Vasili, Davel, and Axl as they came in to assure themselves that he was alive and breathing.
Jullien could barely follow all their rapid-fire questions.
"Please," Ushara said, holding her hands up. "You're giving the poor baby a headache. He's fine."
Mary scooted to sit next to him on the bed. "You love all the attention, big drey. Admit it."
He laughed at Mary as she forced Ushara off the bed so that she could check his forehead for a fever. "How is Ushara doing? Really?"
She grimaced in her sister's direction. "She's supposed to be off her feet most of the day. Doctor's orders. Watch her."
"Mary!" Ushara gasped.
"Well, you are," Oxana chimed in. "He needs to know."
Jay pushed her toward the bed while Ryna pulled Mary off. "Ushara's the one who should be sitting. Not you."
Axl groaned at his sisters. "Gah, I'm so glad they don't barge into my house all the time. How do you stand it, m'drey?"
That comment sparked a playful slapping match between him and Mary that their mother had to break apart. Jullien bit back a smile. As the youngest of the Altaan brood, Axl seldom spoke a word. He claimed it wasn't worth the effort and that he had nothing all that important to say that it was worth the fight, anyway.
Putting more distance between his brother and sister, Davel scratched at his forehead. "All right, I'll wrangle everyone out for the sake of peace. Jules, rest up. I'm not taking all the heat on this. I plan to share it with you as soon as you're back on your feet."
"Thanks, Dav. You got a serial for that knife you just planted in between my shoulder blades?"
"Nah, but ... I do have another legal run to make in three weeks. And I need my best cock back on my crew for it."
Ushara pulled her blaster out and aimed it at her brother. "Don't even."
Axl disarmed her. "Hey, when did this escalate to violence?"
"Look at my husband. I'd say a few days ago when your brother dragged him out of here against my protests. And it will instantly return if your brother tries to take him out of here again."
"Yeah, right. As I recall, Dagger was the one protesting and you were making him go." Axl handed the blaster to Jullien. "Drey, I do not envy you her temper."
"It's okay. I don't envy her mine."
"He ain't kidding on that." Davel herded the group out.
Snickering, Vas came over and offered Jullien one of his cookies. "I'm glad you're home, Paka. I missed you."
"Missed you, too." He hugged him.
"All right, Veevee. We've got homework. Let's give them a rest for a little bit and we'll check on them after we get done." Kitari led him out of the room and shut the door.
Ushara frowned. "Is that your link I hear?"
"Yeah." He pulled it off the nightstand and turned it on to see a photo of Nyran with Eriadne at a restaurant. His vision darkened at the implied threat that came in a disguised news article.
"What is it?"
Refusing to react to it, Jullien deleted it immediately. "Just a news report. Nothing important." He pulled her into his a
You better lay off me, you little prick. You're playing with a Fyreblood now. And Jullien was about to unleash a wealth of Samari vengeance on him. Nyran had no idea how much Jullien had changed these last few years, but he was about to learn.
Up until now, Jullien had left them alone and been on the run. He'd given them plenty of time to let bygones be bygones.
Vengeance is a cruel mother who inevitably eats her spawn. The Trisani were right about that, especially when you didn't know when to let it go.
Closing his eyes, he sucked his breath in sharply as Ushara gently raked her fingernails through the hairs on his chest and abdomen. For some reason, that hair fascinated her and she would always spend untold hours toying with it until he was hard and insane from her caresses. Especially whenever she nibbled and teased it with her lips and tongue.
He bit his lip as she drew circles around his navel. "You keep doing that and your mother and Vas are going to get an earful."
She nipped his chin playfully. "Sorry. I've missed you so much."
"I was only gone four days."
"Five. And it seemed like an eternity."
Smiling, he kissed her. "One minute away from you seems like forever."
Ushara returned his smile, but even so, she knew he was keeping something from her. There was a shadow behind his eyes that hadn't been there before. Jullien had come back to her with a ghost haunting him. Something horrible had happened while he was gone.
And it wasn't just his beating.
She didn't know what. But she was going to find it. One way or another, she was going to make him feel safe again.
And if his family was trying to harm him as she suspected, she would finish off every last one of them.
In the bloodiest way imaginable.
*
Jullien frowned as the Porturnum ships landed in their bay. Malys was nowhere to be seen. And neither was Nyran. But Fain was there--just as Trajen had predicted. He'd landed in a fighter first, as a scout for Venik.
Careful to stay hidden, Jullien watched him from the shelter of Sheila's office. Fain looked a lot different from the boy he'd gone to school with. He still wore the Andarion warrior braids, only now half of them had been bleached white. Instead of the Hauk war paint on his face, he had Tavali markings.
But the most curious mark was the Batur tattoo that ran the entire length of Fain Hauk's left arm. Strange because Merrell and Chrisen had forced Fain to break his pledge with Galene Batur before Fain had been disinherited from his Hauk family. Why Fain would have her Batur family lineage put on his arm to pay eternal homage to her was beyond Jullien's best comprehension.
Then again, Fain had always loved Galene. And given her beauty and grace, Jullien could well understand his devotion. While Galene had never been particularly kind to him, she'd been very caring toward Nyk, Dancer, and Fain.
It must have killed Hauk to give her up to save his brother's life. And if Fain ever found out that Galene had given birth to his son after Merrell had forced Fain to leave home ...
There would be Tophet to pay for all of them.
Of course, his head would be the first Fain would mount on a pike over that event. Still ...
Jullien went to Sheila's desk and began to do some research as he considered the best way to use this new information to his advantage. Yes, he was in a precarious position where Fain was concerned.
But Nyran's wasn't any better.
Beware the sword of vengeance, for its blade is just as sharp on the back as it is the front. Lacking all sight, it doesn't see what it hits, nor feel the pain that it causes. It tastes every bit of the blood it draws, and it cries more, more, more. For once started, its appetite becomes insatiable. So think you twice before you grasp that hilt, and find your hand locked to a fate that is as likely to strike the one who wields it as the one it's meant to lay low.
He shook his head as the Trisani warning went through his head.
Fuck it. End of the day, he was an Andarion and they didn't carry a sword of peace.
They carried insatiable Warswords.
And he planned to shove his straight down Nyran's throat. As the old Andarion saying went, blood vengeance spilled hot burns to the bone, but blood vengeance served cold soothes even the most battered of souls.
There was a reason why the Trisani national flag was a blue peaceful bird rising in flight against a field of solid white with a single "Darling" star over its head, and the Andarion flag was a black-and-white Warsword standing on a field of bloodred as a promise of strength and unity should their empire ever be attacked. While it did have two black stripes and one red that represented the three original races--winged, darkheart, and fyreblood--they were united against the vertical red stripe that signified their warring blood-ties.
Of course, in theory, Andaria did have a "peace" flag that was white and black. But it was only used by their ambassadors, royal family, and diplomats on specific missions, and seldom seen on actual Andarion soil. The first time Jullien had seen one, he'd thought it was a joke--something his father's people had done to mock his mother's race. He'd been stunned silent when he realized that it was authentic.
Which brought him back to his original question ...
How was Nyran living among the Porturnum with Fain and keeping his presence there a secret? If Fain ever laid eyes on an Anatole in his domain, he'd kill him without hesitation or care of consequences.
Sometimes the most obvious things hide in plain sight.
Think, dumbass.
Why would Parisa have crawled into bed with a Tavali? He knew his cousin. What could she have been hoping to gain? Parisa didn't do anything without a game plan.
He was missing something ...
Frustrated, Jullien got up as more ships were landing. One was the Cruel Victory, which would be Ryn's.
"Are you reconsidering working for me now?" Sheila asked as she returned to her office and eyed his battered face.
Jullien laughed as he lightly touched his bruised lips. "I don't know. I got knocked around pretty good working for you, too, as I recall."
"Yes, but I bring you pastries." She handed him the sack in her hand. "And coffee."
Grinning roguishly, he took the cup from her. "That you do, mia mura. Thanks."
She squeezed his arm as she moved past him, toward her desk. "We get anything interesting in yet?"
"Nah. Same old shit." He pulled out a pastry to eat while he watched Ryn's crew come down the ramp. They were a peculiar bunch. The Wasturnum crew reminded him more of a group of the princes he went to school with than Tavali pirates.
"Are all the Wasturnums snotty bitches?"
Sheila laughed. "Noticed that, did you? Yeah, they are. And that's just the males. In fact, you won't even see His High Highness Precious Cargo while they're in port. He'll be holed up on his ship the whole time they're here 'cause he's too good to mingle with us commoners."
"High Highness Precious Cargo?"
"Ryn Dane? That's his code name."
Jullien laughed. "Seriously?"
"Well, not the High Highness. I added that. But yeah. Precious Cargo."
"Should I ask why?"
"The way his mother treats him. In fact, I think he's still breast-fed. I know I've seen her burp the little shit after his meals."
Still laughing, Jullien drank his coffee. "I think I shall reserve judgment on that."
"Feel free. I judge him an ass enough for both of us."
"And while you do that, I'm going to work on my ship. If you need me for anything, you know where to find me lurking."
"Fine. Abandon me to those assholes."
Jullien didn't comment as he slipped outside and made sure to keep an eye out for both Fain and Ryn. Ushara had told him that they would arrive an hour or two before their leaders to make sure everything was ready for the high admirals. Once they were satisfied with accommodations and security, they would signal the HAPs for a landing. But interestingly enough, the VAs never interacted with each other or with the HAPs of other Nations. They avoided each other so as not to raise suspicions or to cause anyone to gossip about them.
There was never any cross-pollinization.
Ushara and Jupiter were a rare exception, and only because Jupiter had been forced to land here once for repairs and had intentionally made friends with as many as he could. Because ... well, he was Jupiter. And apparently, friendliness was the way he rolled and flew.
And since Trajen could read minds, he wasn't worried about it.
As Jullien headed for his ship, he caught sight of a slight hooded figure on his left. Immediately suspicious, he moved his hand to his blaster, expecting it to be an assassin after him.
But the figure made no moves in his direction and didn't seem the least bit interested in what he was doing.
She or he was oblivious to everything except what lay before them.
Keeping to the shadows, it skimmed the wall until it came to the small cargo door for the Cruel Victory. There, it pulled out a link and typed something.
An instant later, the hatch opened to show a nervous Ryn Cruel, who glanced about to make sure no one was watching them.
With a happy shriek, the figure jumped into his arms. Her hood fell back to expose a wealth of bright red hair as she gave him a kiss so hot it left Jullien gaping.
Laughing, Ryn pulled her into his ship and quickly sealed his hatch shut, locked it down tightly, and armed it.
Well then ...
Jullien now knew why Ryn wouldn't be coming up for air while they were here. Unless he missed his guess, that little red head was Mack Hinto.
Jupiter's sister.
Well, I won't have to worry about running into him for the next two days.
Ryn was going to be too busy dodging Jupiter and Gadgehe who would have his balls for that trespass.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over him.
Jullien turned and pulled his blaster only to meet the shit-eating grin of Jupiter as he held his hands up.
"Didn't mean to startle you, me large Andarion friend. Fasten your heart down, cade. Sorry I interrupted your daydreaming."
Holstering his blaster, Jullien laughed. "Yeah, right. I was just plotting devastating revenge on my enemies. You know ... the usual." He pulled Jupiter in for a hug. "I didn't realize you'd be here already."
"Came in a few ago, and I saw your brother-in-law in the bay. He told me where to find you. Thought I'd stop in and say hi to you. See what trouble we could get into here in your backyard."
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