Beyond Blue Frontiers

by Cecilia Randell

  “How do we do that?” How did the crystals work? How would a being form from excess energy? How did that make any sense?

  Then again, why not? Anything seemed possible these days.

  “I do not know.” Levi’s eyes fell closed. He needed to get more food in him. As soon as they were done, she’d make sure some was ordered.

  Forrest moaned. “So what you are saying is we are screwed.”

  Levi turned his head to the wall.

  She swayed, lightheaded. Yup, we’re screwed. So bad. Bending over, she put her head between her knees and worked on simply breathing.

  Mo'ata stood, crossed to the bed Levi lay in, and spat a string of Common at him. Levi didn't reply. Blue looked up as Felix stood next to Mo'ata, a hand on his shoulder.

  Blue leaned into Forrest. “Could you make out any of what that was about?”

  Forrest looked down at her, his face pale. “All I caught was ‘debt’ and ‘split,’ or maybe it was ‘break.’” His faint tones barely reached her.

  Blue looked down to where their hands were still linked.

  For a brief moment, she regretted coming back. Was it really better to know than to wonder? Yes, she'd met up with Mo'ata again. Yes, they’d found out what had happened to Phillip. More than I wanted to.

  She'd started something with Felix and Levi as well. Maybe it was just friendship, but it was something. She honestly couldn't imagine her life without them somewhere in it.

  The situation they were in, though, she couldn't see a way out of it. What was worse, the men she had come to rely on, the ones who had kept her safe, didn't know what to do. She'd relied on them for that, counted on them to know the answers. She'd felt safe because of that.

  It was a startling realization. She'd been thinking she was so brave to forge ahead and insist on exploring these worlds. To live her own adventures.

  What kind of arrogance was that?

  Someone spoke her name amidst a continued flurry of Common. Levi, Mo'ata, and Felix all spoke over each other, their voices climbing. The sounds blurred together.

  Garfield slowly crawled into her lap, emitting a low purr. She could feel his worry, and buried a hand in his fur, seeking to comfort him and gain some in return. Her thoughts swirled.

  “I can't think.” Her voice was quiet, but Mo'ata was right there in front of her.

  “Shopa.”

  Blue gazed past him. “I can't think. I thought I had a plan, but I can't think what to do.”

  He pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her, squishing the cub between them. Garfield let out a small, complaining cry but soon went back to purring.

  “I thought I could do this.” It hurt something in her to say the words.

  Mo'ata tensed. “What are you saying?”

  “I don't know.” What was she saying? That she wanted out? No, though she’d hit her limit. But, damn, there were a lot of undercurrents going on in this room. I need a fucking break from this.

  “Don't you dare, Blue.” Forrest's voice was hard. “Don't you dare do this.”

  Mo'ata's arms tightened around her, and she pressed into him. A hand fell on her shoulder and tugged, but she was wrapped firmly in the clansman's arms.

  “Blue.” Forrest still sounded pissed, but there was something else under it, something she couldn't quite pin down. “Octopus.”

  She twisted her head and met his eyes. He'd never cried octopus. Not once since they'd made up the code words. It was just enough to shock her out of her spiral of doubt.

  Maybe what I need is to woman up.

  “What do you need?” she whispered.

  “I need you back. I need my pixie back. And this?” He gestured at her huddled against Mo'ata's chest. “She isn’t my pixie.”

  Mo'ata spun them so Forrest was blocked from her sight, and a low rumbling filled the room. It took her a moment, but she realized it was a combination of Mo’ata and Garfield. She picked up on puzzlement, worry, and... protectiveness. All from the cub?

  Forrest was right, though. She tried to take a page from Phe and ignore the what-ifs.

  She wound an arm around Mo'ata and hugged him, taking just a few more moments to break down. Breathe in, breathe out. And done.

  She crooked a finger and gestured Forrest closer. Well, she hoped she did. Mo’ata’s chest blocked out the rest of the room. When Forrest peeked around Mo'ata's shoulder and met her eyes, she stuck her tongue out. “I reserve the right to cast myself into despair and self-loathing at a later date.”

  A corner of his mouth crooked up. “Deal.”

  She tried to step back, but Mo'ata's arms didn't budge. She patted his back and tried again with the same result. Eventually, she sighed. “You're going to have to let go of me eventually.”

  “No, I will not. We will make do like this.” His tone was grim, but could he really be serious?

  Felix laughed behind her. “She no like that. Need hugs from others too.” A few tugs on the arms around her, and she was able to put a couple of inches between Mo’ata and herself. Garfield, the wimp, used that to make his escape.

  Another arm wrapped around her waist, and she was lifted away from the clansman and set in front of Forrest, who now wore a small smile.

  “Octopus? Really? This was the word we came up with? It may be a little too appropriate.” She poked him in the chest.

  He batted her hand aside. “Actually, it was your word. I'm beginning to wonder if you're kinkier than I thought.” He glanced around. “Yep, I count eight arms in this room that are not yours.”

  She slapped his arm even as heat filled her cheeks. “Hush.”

  Their eyes met and held. “Okay now?” Forrest's voice was low and steady.

  Blue took a deep breath and nodded. “Better.”

  “So,” he took a step away from her and looked at the others, including them all in the question. “What's the plan?”

  Blue raised her hand, and three snorts reached her ears. She ignored them. “We stop Phillip. I know that's more of a goal, not really a plan, but you know, someplace to start.” She looked around the room. She needed something to help her think, plot this out. Maybe her earlier idea could still work, with a few tweaks. “I need my pack.”

  She ran out of the room before any of the others could stop her and darted across the hall. She had a notebook in there and a pen.

  It was time for a new list.

  Chapter 13

  BLUE

  After at least three more hours and a meal break—she made sure Levi got extra portions—Blue sat cross-legged on the floor next to Forrest. She looked down at the notebook balanced on her knee and the too short list they had started. It contained more questions than actions and wasn’t nearly long enough.

  Shardon Crystal List:

  Stop Phillip. Duh. – Drug him?

  Find a way to contain the crystal.

  Where is Phillip? Find him.

  Find Etu? Lead to Phillip.

  Use Blue as bait again? Probably…

  How to contain crystal? Block it?

  How does bond form? Need to know to break it.

  Use Fausts to flush out Phillip? Contact Brendan to see what he knows.

  Blue had just written this one down and said it out loud. The resounding silence this brought about had her looking at each of the men around her. What had she missed?

  “Ummm... Blue, you haven’t told anyone about today’s visit yet,” Forrest gently chided from where he sat next to her, polishing off a second bowl of stew.

  Mo’ata, seated next to Levi so he could once again translate, stood and moved in front of her. “No, she did not.” He frowned and crossed his arms.

  “So, yeah, Brendan Faust visited earlier today when you were out. Levi was still unconscious. I was actually talking to him when Levi woke up. He left us a way to find him; I guess I forgot all about it.” She hadn't, not really. It just wasn’t as important until now.

  “You forgot about your family?” The frown remained, but now there
was a raised brow.

  Oh good, skeptical disappointment. Way worse than anger. She set aside her notebook, her hand trembling slightly, shaking the pages. “Maybe I didn’t forget. But it wasn’t as important as Levi waking up.” She scooted to the side and stood.

  Mo’ata twisted, keeping her in sight. “It is important, though. It is your family and information we should have had for the investigation.”

  She shrugged. “Yes, you’re right. I’ll apologize for that. But I don’t know them, at all. Plus, I think there’s something… off there. He was definitely someone used to being obeyed. He didn’t like it when we told him to go away. Politely, of course. I also get the idea there's something people aren't saying about my family.”

  Mo'ata exchanged a glance with Felix.

  “What aren't you telling me?” She looked between them. “Never mind. Don't answer that. What aren't you telling me that I should know?”

  “The Fausts... We did some asking around.” Mo’ata grimaced. “Well, Felix did some asking. It turns out they own Sirisa Shipping. They are not the largest shipping company on Karran, but they do have some... connections.”

  The silence stretched out. So they had connections. Every business had… “My family does dealings with the mob?” Blue's voice rose till she was in manic squirrel mode.

  Forrest laughed, doubled over and red-faced. When he didn't stop, Blue slapped his shoulder. There may have been a tinge of hysteria in that outburst.

  She looked at the others. Forrest wiped away the tears from his outburst. Mo’ata stood with his face set in a stoic expression, but his eyes crinkled. Levi wore that blank but resigned expression he got when they started talking in English and he couldn’t understand. Felix frowned at her and tilted his head.

  “Mob?”

  The question set Forrest off again. Blue ignored him this time and sat next to her big mercenary. “Basically, mob is a word used when you are talking about a… crime family or a family that has dealings in criminal activities, even when they have legitimate business dealings as well. Actually, the real businesses often disguise the less legal activities.”

  Felix let out a low humming sound and sat back. “So, Earth has too? Yes, Faust mob. Not bad as Martika Families.” He grimaced, but the mention of Martika brought to mind Trevon. That hooligan owed them. He owed them big.

  Excitement gripped her and her heart pounded, sending her blood surging. “What if we used that? Also, that falls under ‘information to share,’ don’t you think?” She shot a pointed look at Mo’ata.

  Felix stiffened. “Use?”

  “Yes, and we should pull in Zeynar.” She deliberately left off the first name, but Mo’ata scowled and stiffened further.

  “He has connections we don’t. He also had the crystals in his possession for months. He may have an idea on how to keep them contained.” She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair.

  Felix placed his comm on the table, his movements controlled. “No want here. No good involve Families. He trouble.”

  “Why?” She probably sounded like a petulant five-year-old.

  “Families trouble.” A fist clenched, but other than that, he held himself in.

  “I’ll ask again, why?” Felix wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Is this more political stuff I don’t understand, or is this particular to Zeynar?”

  “Other than the fact that he was responsible for your kidnapping?” Mo’ata asked.

  Forrest jerked and then rose, pacing to the other side of the room and then back. Crap, Derrick. Vivi let out a little whine, but he ignored her. He didn’t say anything, but he did shoot a searching glance at Blue before his path forced him to turn or hit a wall.

  She almost let it go. Almost. Garfield jumped onto the bed beside Levi and butted his side. As the Prizzoli pet him, something new happened. An image came to her. Bodies—lifeless, eyes blank—lay in the streets. A trail of them led to a man with a faint aura of purple. Phillip.

  Was Zeynar really worse than that? Also, what the hell? She gestured at her notebook. “We’re stuck. Something needs to get us off-center. I really think Zeynar and my family could help.”

  “I am not arguing about involving the Fausts. It is a good idea. Zeynar, though. He will find some way to twist this in his favor.” Mo’ata’s tone was hard.

  Was he thinking of the kiss? She darted a look at Forrest. She hadn’t told him and now was not the time to bring it up. And how arrogant is that thought?

  She took in a deep breath. “I won’t pretend to understand. I don’t really know him. I don’t know his past or your pasts. Really, I don’t know anything, do I?” The words burst out of her.

  Forrest stopped pacing and eyed her warily. Felix shifted beside her, and Mo’ata opened his mouth, but she cut him off with a raised hand.

  She wasn’t done. “I owe you a penny, don’t I? It’s actually tucked away in my pack. You can cash it in on this one if you want. Hell, you can cash it in on anything. But dammit, I’m out of ideas.”

  “It’s not all on you, Blue. Actually, it’s not on you at all.” Forrest took a step toward her.

  That forced out a strained laugh. “Of course it is. It’s on us because we’re here. Well, it’s also on Zeynar. I don’t care if he paid his debt or whatever that message meant when he let me go. He owes us. Think about that. And. I. Don’t. Have. Another. Idea.” She stood. “Fuck, none of you do, or you would have said it.” She unclenched her fists and stretched out her fingers. Why am I so damn angry? “All I said was he might know something we don’t, and we should use it. Levi, who’s the expert, doesn’t have a clue how to contain the crystal.”

  No one said a damn thing. Felix remained stony-faced. Levi watched her wide-eyed, probably because she looked like a crazy woman. And Forrest and Mo’ata gazed at her with concerned expressions. Concern.

  “I need to get out of this room for a little while. I need some Beast time.” She grabbed her coat and shrugged it on. “It really says something when the thought of being around the demon-mount is more relaxing than dealing with you four.” She glared specifically at Mo’ata, the most upset with him for some reason.

  His concern smoothed away into his usual calm expression. “Don’t go alone.”

  Had she ever thought that coolness of his reassuring? It wasn’t. It was… patronizing. And that made her even angrier. She snorted. “I wasn’t planning to go alone. I have no interest in being kidnapped again. Not that you seem to believe that. If it were up to you, I’d stay here all bundled in cotton candy and never go anywhere ever again.”

  He stalked to her, muscles bunched and hands fisted. At least the calm was gone. Good. “Is that so bad? That I want you safe? Blue, this situation is so far beyond anything you, or Forrest, are equipped to handle. It’s beyond anything any of us are prepared to deal with. So tell me, is it that unreasonable for me to insist one of us accompany you?”

  She closed her eyes as the heat of her anger drained out of her. Now all she felt was tired. “No,” she whispered. “Please, one of you, just come down with me. I really do need to get out of here, just for a few minutes, just to… have a little bit of normal. Or as normal as I can have right now. I just need a break.”

  A large hand grazed over her shoulder and then cupped her neck. A gentle pressure pulled her in until her forehead rested against a hard chest. Herbs and pine surrounded her. “I will go with you so you may see your Beast.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You are welcome.” Mo’ata let her go and stepped back. “First, I ask that you put on your boots.”

  Blue looked down at her sock covered feet and let out a sharp laugh. “Yeah, boots would be good.”

  She caught sight of Forrest as she hurried to pull them on. He tilted his head and raised his brows slightly. Are you okay?

  She shrugged a shoulder and crooked up one side of her mouth in a half smile. I’m fine.

  But it felt like a lie. She wasn’t fine. She just didn’t know why. There was too much t
o choose from—which simply made it all worse.

  Mo’ata remained silent beside her as they made their way through the halls and rooms of the inn and out to the barn. Night was falling, the soft between-time of twilight giving even this dour city a slightly magical air. That, too, felt like a lie.

  She pushed open the door to the barn and silently grabbed a grooming brush before heading straight to Beast’s stall. He stuck his head over the door but didn’t give her any of his usual attitude. He lipped her hair then backed away, allowing her to open the door and enter. He stood patiently as she brushed him, letting her work down one side of his back, then the other. She lost herself in the work until everything, including Mo’ata, faded into the background.

  Beast’s rumbling purr started, low at first, then picked up in volume. She leaned into him and rested her cheek on his neck, wrapping one of her arms around his neck as far as it would go. She stayed that way until her arm cramped. Pulling back, she stared at Beast’s shining fur until a large hand took the brush from her and resumed the grooming. Beast swung his head around, narrowly avoiding her, and snorted, but he didn’t stop his purr.

  “I’m sorry,” she told Mo’ata. “I’m just…”

  “Frustrated,” he finished for her.

  “Yeah.” She watched him groom her demon-mount, the muscles in his arm bunching then relaxing, the rhythm of it lulling her. “It’s not just being cooped up. It’s… everything. It’s meeting some of my remaining family and then discovering my father comes from criminal ties. It’s taking care of two little piquet cubs who seem to have some sort of telepathic ability and that everyone seems to think will someday shred them open like one of those fancy knives on TV. It’s realizing, every day, that no matter how hard I tried, I am not prepared for these worlds. It’s dating two men when I’ve never had sex.” His hand jerked slightly on that, then continued with smooth strokes. “It’s having to deal with a potentially world-destroying crystal entity, and not even knowing how time is measured here.”