by Susan Hayes
“Indeed.” Tyr was growing impatient.
“Will you vouch for your ah, translator?”
“Of course.”
The Pheran nodded sharply. “Excellent. Then I’ll need to have each of you record your palm print.”
“That will be fine,” Tyr said, pleased to have the matter resolved.
“No, it won’t be.” Phae’s refusal surprised him and flustered the Astek employee.
“Uh, but it’s protocol.”
“I don’t care what it is, I’m not doing it.”
The Pheran’s silver eyes widened. “Then you will need to return to the lobby. Only registered guests are permitted on this floor.”
“She comes with us.”
“Then she needs to register her palm print.”
He glanced back at Phaedra. “We need you with us. Just do it, mahaya.”
“But Tyr –“
“There can be no negotiations without us, and we cannot do this without you.”
“Please, Phae?” Braxon added.
“Fine.” She stalked over to the desk and slapped her hand down on the scanner, while he tried to understand. The word she used indicated agreement, but her body language and tone were far from agreeable.
When she was done, she moved aside so that the two of them could register as well. Then, the Pheran directed them to the left, down a short hallway with several Corp-Sec officers standing guard.
One of them greeted them. “Good morning. Please hand over any firearms and they will be returned to you when they leave.”
“If I was armed, I’d have shot someone already,” Phae informed the young male, who blinked in shock, then waved her through.
“Our mate is not pleased with you.” Braxon murmured as they approached the open doors to the meeting area.
“I’m aware. Any idea why?”
Braxon grunted. “You don’t know?”
“No.”
“I’ll explain later. But the next time she doesn’t wish to do something, perhaps you should consider asking her why before demanding her obedience.”
“But we need her.”
Braxon sighed. “Later.”
By the time they broke for lunch, Phaedra was ready to scream with frustration. Everyone at the table had an agenda, and if she hadn’t figured out how to interface with the translation program, she would have been hard-pressed to help Tyr and Braxon navigate the nuances of language some of the members were using to gain an advantage. While many of the representatives chose to eat together, Phaedra had already requested a private room for the three of them so that they could discuss anything that came up.
Upon entering the room, Braxon checked it for listening devices. Surprisingly, there weren’t any.
A generous buffet had been set out for them, and they helped themselves before seating themselves around a table and digging in. While no one had bothered to inform them about the palm print scan requirement, at least they had checked to see what kinds of food were appropriate to serve to their alien guests. There was a mix of delicacies from all over the galaxy. Well, her part of it, anyway. The room was restful, done in dark colors and old-fashioned style furniture. The wood was real, too, and she kept running her hand along the well-polished surface of the table. This far out, natural materials were rare. Why ship a heavy tree when you could have a replica made for far less hassle?
They ate in relative silence, all of them clearly enjoying the chance to relax. She went back for seconds, even though her pounding head made it difficult to enjoy the meal. While she was still making her selections, a knock sounded on the door.
Braxon rose to get it, and by the time she turned around their temporary sanctuary had been invaded by two representatives, Tadeus Grasi from Astek, and Raymond Gunns from Torex. Tadeus was the unpleasant ass with the ring fetish she’d had to deal with during their first meeting. She was convinced he’d been the one who had her excluded from the list of authorized guests, and tonight she was going to do a deep dive into his life and see if she couldn’t dig up something to make him back off. While she was jacked-in, she also planned to delete her palm print from Astek’s database.
Archer had been as unhappy about the requirement as she had been, and he’d made it clear to Tadeus that Astek had overstepped their authority. He had then gone on to remind the entire room that Astek had been offered the role of host as a courtesy, since it was their station, but if there were any more changes to security, the venue would be changed to the Interstellar Armed Forces temporary headquarters. She’d managed to resist the urge to clap when he was done laying down the law, but it hadn’t been easy. She worked hard to ensure no one had access to her biometric data. No fingerprints, no retinal scans, not even DNA. She had spiders programmed to search for any trace of her personal information, and every time they found it, they sent her an alert so that she could nuke it from existence. It was the only way to stay ahead of the enemies she’d made.
When they were back on the Santar, she would explain it to Tyran. He’d sworn to protect her, then pushed her to do something that could allow her enemies to find her. It couldn’t happen again. He had to start learning to respect her choices, even if he didn’t understand them. She was trying to make this work, but he was making it harder than it had to be.
She set her food down on the table but didn’t take a seat. It was a less than subtle message to their visitors, but they didn’t take the hint. Instead, they were chatting away with Tyran and Braxon, though after a few minutes, Braxon returned to the table and sat down.
“What do they want?” she asked using her newly implanted throat mic.
“They want us to be their guests at a dinner tonight.” Braxon replied.
She sat beside Braxon and started eating. “That’ll be fun,” she said in hushed tones before raising her voice to normal volume. “You should have something more to eat, we won’t have long before we’re due back for another round of talks.”
Braxon nodded. “We still have matters to discuss, and time is passing. I’m sure our visitors will understand if we cut this short.”
Tyr glanced over at them in surprise, then turned back to the two men and finished their conversation before accompanying them back to the door. Once they were alone again, Tyran filled another plate and rejoined them at the table. “Why did you encourage them to leave, Braxon? They had some interesting views on how things were proceeding.”
“I’m sure they did, but they were also deliberately intruding on what had been agreed would be our private time.” Braxon turned to Phae. “How’s your headache?”
“Bearable, but I’m going to need more of those pain-blockers before we start round two.”
“I’m sorry, Phaedra. I forgot the toll this must be taking on you. You’ve been translating for us for hours.” He reached for her hand. “Forgive me.”
“I get it. This is what you came here for. I know how important this is to you, Tyr.”
“For us,” he corrected her. “But now I’m glad I chose to attend tonight’s dinner alone. You will have more time to rest, and Braxon can stay to guard you.”
“What?” both she and Braxon reacted at the same time.
“You’re not going alone!” Braxon was out of his chair before he finished speaking, arms folded, wings outstretched, his golden skin suddenly gleaming.
“If you are with me, then who will watch over Phaedra? She’s been attacked once, already.”
“I can take care of myself,” she retorted. “But I wouldn’t have to if you hadn’t agreed to go to this meeting alone.” She hadn’t been looking forward to it, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be excluded, either. Not to mention the fact she had planned on talking to them about her hopes for River and her brethren tonight, and then explain about the palm prints. Tyran had already agreed to talk with her, but he’d gone and made other plans, anyway.
“I don’t like it. Who will watch your back if I am not there?” Braxon said.
“I requested Colonel
Archer be included. Neither of them seemed overly pleased by my suggestion, which makes me believe he is the perfect choice. Nothing will happen to me if he’s present.”
She couldn’t disagree with Tyr’s logic. Archer was a pain in the ass, but he was also honorable and deeply invested in brokering this alliance.
Braxon gave a grudging nod of agreement. “If you insist on doing this, then he’s a good male to have at your side.” He looked like he was about to say more, but he lapsed into silence instead.
“Is there a reason that you’re excluding us?” she demanded. Braxon might not be willing to push for answers, but she wanted to know why Tyr was shutting them out.
“I wasn’t excluding you. I was protecting you from that unpleasant male, Tadeus.”
She took a slow breath before speaking again. “I know you meant well, but I’ve dealt with men like him my entire life. I can handle him, but only if you let me deal with him my way. Leaving me out of things will only make him think his little games are working.”
“I do not like the way he speaks to you.” Tyr’s silver skin started to shimmer as he grew more agitated.
“Neither do I, but he won’t stop unless I give him a reason.”
“I’ll give him a fraxxing reason,” Braxon muttered.
It was the first time she’d heard either of them curse in any language but their own and it triggered a fit of giggles. She was still angry, but it was impossible to hold onto the feeling as the giggles turned into a bout of full-blown laughter. By the time she was done, she felt better.
“Did I say it wrong?” Braxon asked, and she lapsed into another round of giggles while trying to talk.
“No. You said it fine.” She managed to get the words out eventually.
“Then why are you laughing?” Tyran looked so perplexed it almost set her off again.
“I’m not sure. Probably stress relief. It’s been a weird week. I went to a wedding and wound up with two mates and a job I didn’t apply for.”
“Having regrets?” Braxon asked, his voice softer than she’d ever heard it.
She almost gave him a flippant answer, but something in his expression made her reconsider. Instead, she tried to be honest. “It’s too early to for regrets. We’re all still figuring this out, right?”
Her answer was met with silence. Well, shit. Now I’m having regrets. I shouldn’t have said that.
The rest of the lunch break was a mix of awkward silences and brief conversations about what the morning had revealed, and what to expect next. Whatever progress they had made as a trio was gone, at least for the moment. It reminded her of another one of her mother’s beloved expressions. “Beginnings are tricky things.”
She could use some of her mom’s wisdom right now. One of her strange truths that always came with a smile and scoop of ice cream. That couldn’t happen though. Her mom had been gone for almost ten years, killed when a badly maintained bulkhead had given way. An entire sector of the station Phaedra grew up on had been exposed to the cold vacuum of space. There were no survivors, and no one left to give her advice. She was on her own.
Chapter Ten
For the first time in two days, Tyr was alone in his bedroom. He didn’t like it. The space seemed too big and far too quiet. Without Phaedra’s presence, everything went back to the way it was before, as if the last few days had never happened. His last contact with Neha wasn’t helping with his mood, either. He’d hoped that putting distance between himself and his sister would force her to make her own choices. It wasn’t working.
He sighed in frustration and got a lungful of Phaedra’s scent. It was still everywhere, haunting him and arousing him every time her pheromones hit his senses. Leaving the ship would take care of that problem. It would also be a trial, because leaving Phaedra was not what he wanted to do. The idea of putting more distance between them didn’t feel right, but he’d committed himself to this meeting and he intended to follow through. He had to, to prove that he was a being who could be trusted to keep his word.
At least she’d be safe here with Braxon. There wasn’t another male in the galaxy he would trust to safeguard Phaedra. She was too important to both of them, which was the other reason he’d chosen to go to tonight’s dinner alone. Since she’d taken them as her lovers, they had always been together. It was time for them to spend some time with Phaedra alone. She needed to get to know them both as individuals, too.
Tyr had known Braxon most of his life. He knew his anrik faced constant judgment and jealousy from members of the court who deemed him unworthy of his position because of his parentage. Braxon needed Phaedra’s acceptance, and to come to believe that she saw him as a worthy mate.
For him, it was different. What he wanted went against everything he’d been trained for. He didn’t even know how to put it into words, yet, but he would have to at some point. Braxon wasn’t the only one looking for acceptance.
He rolled his shoulders and flexed his wings, trying to rid himself of some of the tension that had built up over the course of the day. He briefly considered going to find Braxon and Phaedra to say goodbye, but it didn’t feel right to intrude on their time together, not when he’d been the one to orchestrate it. Instead, he activated his throat mic and sent them both a brief message.
“On my way out. I’ll see you both later. Have a good night.”
“Watch your back, since I won’t be there to watch it for you.”
“Be careful,” was all Phae said. Given how unhappy she was with him, it was more than he had expected. It wasn’t until the day was done that he remembered his promise to speak with her tonight about bringing others to the colony. In the press of the day’s events, he had forgotten. He’d apologized, but the damage had been done. He had always assumed that once they found their mahaya, everything would fall into place – but so far, it hadn’t.
He was still musing over the many ways he’d messed up today when he reached the door that led to the station. It opened to reveal Colonel Archer and four IAF soldiers, all of them looking grim-faced and ready to go to war. “Good evening, Colonel. Do I want to know why you’ve double the size of our escort for tonight?”
“There’s been another incident.”
“Who and how?” Tyran fell in beside the colonel and they started walking, surrounded by their security detail.
“Dennis Davidson. He was the representative from Dazzle Enterprises.”
“I remember him. He was interested in broadcasting rights and access to our entertainment programs, but he would not slow his speech enough for Phaedra to translate. It was difficult to understand him. What happened? Is he dead?”
“Corp-Sec received a distress call from Davidson’s comm unit shortly after he left Astek headquarters. It was an automatic call initiated when his heart stopped beating.”
“Cause?”
Archer’s lips thinned for a moment before he answered. “All of this is unofficial for now. The investigation has barely started, but it appears that someone entered his quarters and reprogrammed his uh, well, his personal pleasure bot, would be the best way to describe it.”
Tyr winced. That was no way for anyone to die.
“And it wasn’t merely a malfunction? An electrical surge, perhaps?”
“It wasn’t electrical.” Archer’s voice lowered to a pained murmur. “He bled to death from the violent removal of his genitals.”
“Qarf.”
“Yeah,” Archer muttered before continuing in his usual brisk tone. “Security is going to be increased everywhere. I’ve got two more soldiers on their way to the Santar. They’ll brief Braxon and Kari, and then they’ll be closing off that entire section of the docking ring. Oh, and ships will be patrolling the area around the Santar, just in case someone decides to get clever.”
“I appreciate the efforts you and your people are making to keep us safe. When we came here, we didn’t know what kind of reception we’d have, but a string of assassinations wasn’t on the list.”
Ar
cher gave him an assessing look. “Your language skills have improved a great deal since the meeting today,” he commented.
“Phaedra has been very helpful. As you may have noticed, she found a way to access our systems and is now quite fluent in our language. As she teaches the translation program, it teaches us.”
Archer cracked a rare smile. “I noticed. She impressed a few people today.”
“She is a most impressive female.”
“She’s also stubborn, defiant, and has more enemies than I do, which is saying quite a bit.” He paused before asking, “I assume that once we join the others for dinner, your language skills will be less impressive than they are now?”
Tyr nodded. There was no point denying what they both already knew.
“I thought so. And after the games they played with the palm scanners, you don’t trust them to be honest and straightforward with you.”
“Would you?” Tyr asked.
“I’ve arrested far too many corporate representatives in the past few months to trust any of them any further than I could throw them.”
“An interesting analogy, but I agree with it.”
They walked on in silence for another minute before Tyr asked a question he doubted he was going to like the answer to. “These deaths and attacks, they’re not going to stop, are they?”
Archer shook his head and sighed. “I don’t think so, no. Whoever it is, and whatever message they’re trying to send, I think they’re just getting started.”
Tyran held the same opinion, but unlike the man next to him, he didn’t have to worry about protecting an entire station. The only one he needed to keep safe was Phaedra.
Braxon saw the two IAF officers off the Santar and then looked over at Phaedra. “This station is getting more dangerous by the day. First the ship exploding on its way here, then the attack on you, and now this.”
“The ship exploding wasn’t the first corporate death.”
“Explain.”
