by Kate Rudolph
Toran’s gaze was an inferno; even if his eyes hadn’t shifted to red, he looked at her like he wanted to devour her. And the longer he looked, the more willing she found herself to let him. This had been a bad idea since the moment she suggested it, and there was no way she was going to get out of it without making potentially terrible decisions. Her job was already on the line, and if people looked too closely at the paperwork she’d filed, she might be risking more than her employment. But when it came to Toran, that didn’t seem to matter. Helping him was more important, and that terrified her. He was just supposed to be a guy, one that meant nothing but a job. And instead she was risking it all for a man she hadn’t even kissed.
“Why do you want to know?” he asked, stalling as if he believed he could put her off.
“Are we really going to do this? Play this game?” Maybe she should just lean in and close the distance between them, let the taste of his lips answer in a way he couldn’t deny or withhold. But the heat between them wasn’t in question. What she needed to know now was if it ran deeper.
“My race is peculiar,” Toran began, his voice quiet and somber. “All species have quirks, of course, but ours is deadly. We are cursed to die at the age of thirty if we do not find our mates and bond with them. The Detyen word is denya.” He was staring at her warily, as if he expected her to force open the door and flip out of the moving car.
But Iris was rooted in place and barely surprised even as her blood rushed in her ears and sweat coated her palms. “I’m not Detyen, I can’t be a mate.” Though if she were, that might explain the pull between them, might explain why she couldn’t stop thinking about him no matter how many times she resolved to do so. “How do you even know?”
“I just do, the recognition is instinctual. You felt it too.” He was holding himself so still that he practically vibrated with it, and if Iris reached out she feared that he would snap.
Her mind raced as she tried to recall every detail that she’d learned about the Detyen men since being given her assignment. “Your initial paperwork listed all of your ages,” she remembered. “Only you and Dryce are under thirty.” Kayde was the oldest among them at thirty-three, and Raze was thirty-two. “Did you lie about that? Why?” She couldn’t see a reason, but she didn’t for one second think that Toran was lying to her now.
He flinched back as she asked the question, and his eyes flashed red as he grimaced. “Please don’t asked me about that,” he said, on the edge of begging. “It’s not my secret to share.”
“Secret?” She found herself leaning closer, closing the distance between them, and she didn’t realize that she’d reached for him until her fingers met the soft material of his pants over his thigh.
“Yes, Raze and Kayde are older than thirty. And yes, Raze did not meet his mate until a few weeks ago. But I cannot explain why that is. In fact, until Raze and Sierra met, we thought it impossible. Please don’t add this to your report, I’ll tell you everything when we have a bit more privacy, but I need your word.” He placed his hand over hers and laced their fingers together. Though the taxi was self-driving, they couldn’t guarantee that nothing was recording them, and Iris understood the concern.
It hadn’t occurred to Iris to put the information in his file. “I don’t think I can use anything I learn against you.” She tried to remind herself of the things that Dan had said and did, of the ways that he’d hurt her and the promises he’d extracted to benefit himself at her expense. But right now Dan was barely a distant memory, an unpleasant time in her life that had no bearing on the present. “What do you want from me?”
His thigh clenched and his hand twitched, holding her even tighter. “I would never take from you anything that you do not want to give,” he vowed. He looked at her with the intensity of a burning star, and under the weight of his regard, her doubts dissolved before they could fully form.
She looked forward, and saw that they were coming up on the port. She had a million questions, but it was impossible to grab hold of just one and spit it out before the taxi ride was over. The car dropped them off and in a matter of minutes they’d collected their bags and entered the squat building outside of the port. The place wasn’t designed to hold anyone for long, and it was controlled by the same company that owned the moon base. They found themselves herded towards the terminal and seated on the next shuttle scheduled to depart.
And during the entire time, except for the brief security scans, Iris didn’t let go of Toran’s hand. She had no idea where this was going, and feared that it would end in heartbreak for the both of them. But she couldn’t make herself step away, not now that she knew it was more than just chemistry. She didn’t know if she could trust fate, but maybe it was time to try.
Chapter Seven
MOON BASE GAMMA HAD a much more complicated name, but no one used it. Instead, pleasure seekers and vacationers throughout the system knew that Gamma was the place to go for an escape from responsibilities. It had been built when Iris was a child and she could remember all the ads extolling its virtues. Real life was even better than the promise of the media shots she’d seen for decades.
The shuttle taxied on a specially built runway and entered the base through an airlock. They were dropped off in a glass encased room, where tropical plants grew from floor to ceiling and Iris couldn’t tell if the bird calls she was hearing were real or fake. She couldn’t imagine how much it cost to maintain the humid environment and the flora all around them, but as they were led down another immaculate hall she saw that there was no place on Gamma where expense had been spared.
No wonder this was a playground for the wealthy and well-connected.
The shuttle had ferried about a hundred passengers in luxurious comfort on the several-hour flight from Earth to the moon. Those passengers were now gathered onto platforms that levitated slightly off the ground. Android attendants monitored each platform, and once they were full they took off towards the heart of Gamma.
Iris and Toran scanned their tickets at one of the stations, but instead of being directed to a platform, an android almost realistic enough to look human greeted them with a false smile on its face. Perhaps it was unfair to criticize the emotions of a robot, but they’d always made Iris uncomfortable. They were just off in a way that she couldn’t quite explain, and they put her on edge.
“Welcome to Gamma Base,” said the android. “We are so glad that you could join us. Please follow me as I direct you to your quarters while you begin your stay with us.” Whatever strings the general had pulled, the favor must have been great. It made Iris a little nervous to think that he might have put himself at risk or indebted himself for a mission he knew very little about.
She and Toran followed the android to a private platform that was much smaller than what the other passengers were directed to. Once they were secured, they took off, and her hair whipped back from the wind their speed generated. They were moving too fast for Iris to get a good look at everything, but she was overwhelmed by the size of the place. The moon could not sustain human life, but you would never know it from looking at Gamma. The ceiling soared high in the air as if daring space debris to hit them. There must have been a force field of some kind, but it wasn’t visible to her eye.
Several minutes later, the android deposited Iris and Toran in front of a room with a red metallic door. It keyed the lock to their palms and left them alone when they indicated that they did not need any more help. Iris walked inside and couldn’t help but gape. A large window took up most of one wall, and it perfectly framed Earth, that blue dot that had always been her home.
“It looks so small.” She tried to set her hand on the window but when her fingers got too close, energy sparked and the invisible force field kept her back. “I’ve seen photos and vids, but nothing compares to seeing it in person.” Her cheeks flamed as she realized what that must sound like to Toran. He had traveled the galaxy, had seen dozens, perhaps hundreds, of planets. And here she was gaping at the one she’d been
born on.
But he didn’t seem to realize her embarrassment. Toran stepped close and placed his palm on the small of her back. Iris leaned into him unconsciously. “Is this your first time off planet?” he asked with no judgment.
“Yes.” She meant to leave it at that, but words tumbled out. “Our honeymoon was supposed to be on Mars, that’s what we always talked about. That, or a cruise around the system. But we never quite got to the engagement, and—” Iris stopped talking. Toran didn’t need to know all about her heartbreak, about all the dumb shit that she’d believed and the dreams that had been crushed.
He stiffened. “Honeymoon? As in marriage?” He looked down at her, and for a moment she was afraid he would push her away, despite what he’d revealed in the taxi. Was he one of those guys who thought it was wrong or dirty for woman to have a life before she met the man she was supposed to spend forever with?
Not that she was ready to say she was going to spend forever with Toran. Her mind was still reeling with the whole mate thing.
But she had brought the topic up, and she supposed that meant he was owed some sort of explanation. “I had this ex.” She grimaced as she thought of him. “I thought it was serious, he said it was serious, but he was a cheater and a thief and I’m better off without him.”
“Of course you are, you have me.” He said it with such confidence that the laugh burst out of Iris before she could think better of it.
“I was better off without him even before I met you.” She rubbed her head once against his shoulder before pulling away to grab her bag and find a place to unpack. The room was large, and the embellishments in red and pink and gold made it obvious it was meant for romance. There was only one bed, but it looked like he could easily fit six people as big as Toran with room to spare. Still, she was relieved when she saw the small couch opposite the media station. She didn’t know if she trusted herself to sleep in the same bed with Toran without anything happening between them.
Opposite the wall with the window, there was a kitchen station with a fully stocked food processor ready for their use. The meals were basic, she noted as she scanned through the menu, but there were plenty of restaurants on the base that would offer finer fare.
Toran didn’t seem as intimidated by the bed. He lifted his bag and placed it on one side, opening it to reveal carefully packed luggage. He dug through his clothes and left them on a pile to one side of his case and picked up a thick foam package that looked like it should be used to transport precious gems.
“Is that what Sierra gave you?” Iris stepped closer, apprehension tempered by curiosity.
Toran nodded and removed the top half of the foam case to reveal a series of discs packed tightly together. They looked like nothing special, but Iris knew that whatever they were they had to be top-of-the-line. “We will need to drop them at intervals around the station, but I’ve keyed one to the ambassador. Once it locks onto him it will keep him in its sights until it runs out of power or I disengage it remotely.”
“When will it run out a power?” Iris was out of her depth. She was a researcher, not a spy.
“Probably around the time that Sierra and Raze are welcoming their first grandchild into the world.”
Of course he was joking, though she understood that he meant that they wouldn’t need to worry about the battery on the surveillance devices dying. But speaking of the future like that made her think about what he’d told her in the taxi. Dead by thirty without a mate? That had to give a guy issues. She was already coming up on that birthday and there was enough mental crap associated with it to give her a complex. But if she knew she was going to die? She sure as hell wouldn’t be on this mission. Then again, maybe Toran didn’t have to die. Maybe he would become like Kayde, with some essential piece ripped from him until he was barely a person anymore. She didn’t need the finer details explained—it was clear the Detyen was broken in some way.
She kept waiting for something to change between them. He’d said that she was his mate, the woman who could save his life, but now he was all business. She wasn’t quite sure how to take that. Was it respect? Or had he decided that whatever fate awaited him was better than a life with her? No, that was her own issues talking. Iris knew she wasn’t perfect, but she was pretty sure that if the choice was between mating with her, whatever that meant, or death, a guy would choose to live. Not that she was about to lay back on that bed and invite Toran to go for a ride.
They had work to do.
She vaguely paid attention as Toran went over the instructions for the surveillance devices. It was pretty simple: press a button, put the thing on the ground, and let it be. The devices could move by themselves, but they would be more effective if she and Toran placed them deliberately around the base.
Iris couldn’t help but stare as Toran set the devices into two separate piles with those long fingers of his. She wanted him to touch her, wanted to know what it would feel like between them. All she had to do was step close and lay her hands on him. But she couldn’t make herself do it. Fear of rejection mixed with all the dangerous memories left by Dan, and she was unable to move forward.
“Iris.” The sound of her name on his lips snapped her out of her funk. She liked the way he said it, like it was a little secret she’d shared with him.
Her lips stuck together and she darted her tongue out to moisten them. “What?” She didn’t normally space out like that, but it had been an eventful few days.
Toran stared at her, and she could see the shift on his face when he decided not to say whatever he’d been thinking. He handed a stack of the trackers to her, their fingers brushing as she took them. “You can take the north and east, I’ll take the south and west,” he said, referring to the wings of the station. “I’ll meet you back here in two hours. We have a dinner reservation.”
“This isn’t a vacation.” Gamma Base may have been designed for entertainment, but they had a job to do.
“We still need to eat.”
He was right. Obviously, already her stomach was starting to growl. “Okay, I’ll see you then.” They looked at each other for a long moment, each leaning in by centimeters before pulling back and turning away. Did they kiss? Should they? Iris was on uneven footing, unsure of where partnership ended and mateship began. But they would be on base for a while, and that would give them time to figure it out.
She left the room quickly and tried to convince herself she wasn’t fleeing something that terrified her.
The base was huge, and she and Toran’s room was centrally located, so she needed to take one of those floating platforms to find the north wing of the station. She tried not to gape at all the bright colors and interesting people she saw. And she had to turn away quickly when she spied one of her favorite actors from a popular media show. The platform made stops in front of dozens of shops and at stations that led to other residential wings. By the time she got to the end of the north wing, Iris was the last person on the platform, and it felt like she was in a completely different station than the one they landed at an hour ago.
Though there were no signs forbidding guests from entering, it looked like this part of the station was mainly used for storage. Pipes ran along the walls, and when her hand got too close, she felt just how hot they were. It probably had something to do with the heating and cooling system, if she had to guess. It felt like a waste to drop one of the trackers here when it looked like no one would bother coming to this corner, but, she reasoned, that would make it a great place for a secret meeting. She bent down and placed a tracker on the floor and had to blink when the dark disk seemed to dissolve on the gray tile. She knelt down and placed her fingers over where she knew the tracker was sitting, and though she could feel it, she couldn’t see it. That was convenient, and a little scary. These things would make her job so much easier back on Earth, but she shuddered to think what would happen if they fell into the wrong hands.
She worked her way back to the central part of the station slowly, pausing
every so often to drop a tracker. As she was heading back from her trip out to the east wing, she heard a familiar voice and caught a flash of that neon yellow skin. Ambassador Yormas.
What would a spy do? She and Toran hadn’t discussed what to do if they ran into the ambassador. She was pretty sure they didn’t want him to know that they were on the base, though she doubted he’d recognize her. Toran, on the other hand, stood out and was acquainted with the man.
Yormas walked into a small shop that sold mementos and snacks and Iris followed him and pretended to look at a shelf full of statuettes while he shopped. He didn’t seem to be doing anything suspicious, certainly nothing that a hundred other guests weren’t already doing. A few minutes later he walked out empty-handed and Iris trailed behind, trying to keep a buffer of distance between them.
That buffer was nearly her undoing, as she barely caught sight of him turning down a side hallway. She walked quickly to catch up and was grateful that the path he’d chosen was densely packed with other tourists. A babbling river ran through the center of the hallway, with floating bridges at intervals allowing passage over the gentle stream. Yormas paused in an area of fake greenery. Grass and a few small trees had been set up to look like a small meadow in the middle of the hallway, and benches encouraged guests to use the area to rest and congregate. Yormas took a seat, and Iris stood near a group of giggling youths standing on one of the bridges and stayed there to study him.
Her patience paid off, and a few minutes later a tall man with the distinctive purple coloring of an Oscavian took a seat on the bench next to him. She was too far away to hear what they were saying so she dropped one of the trackers to the ground and hoped that it could crawl close enough to them to pick up the scant details of their conversation. She doubted that two men would be discussing planetary destruction out in the open, and she had no reason to believe that the Oscavian had done anything wrong other than speak with Ambassador Yormas. But something about them nipped at her senses and she couldn’t help but want to hear more.
