by Bex McLynn
"There is no plan with Thane Borac," Seph said, loud and clear, while keeping what she hoped to be a benign smile on her face. "It's just me and Kimis here, deciding where we want to go."
"Seriously, I'm in," Therion said.
Seph huffed. "There is no 'in.' You're a hostage, Ther, just like everyone else."
The Conari officer had his head tilted, receiving new instructions on his C-Cune. He drew his weapon, as did Wies.
"Stand down, Athela," the officer said firmly, darts scattered under his feet.
"You're not going to shoot her." Therion rolled his eyes. "She's powering the damn ship."
The officer didn't lower his weapon. "She doesn't have to be conscious to do that."
Therion just frowned and shook his head. "He won't do it. You're too important to shoot." Then he whispered rather loudly, "Just a tidbit to tuck away for the next time you storm a bridge. I recommend wearing your armor."
Well, dammit. That would have made some of this less harrowing.
She turned to Wies. "Stand down. This isn't House Borac's concern." Then she reconsidered and slowly started to move so that both Wies and the Conari officer could target her as a team. "Even better, you can offer assistance to Conari."
"Like hell I will," Wies said.
Therion remained where she left him, but he studied her with an overly keen gaze.
He spoke to Wies. "I think I know what she's doing, Wies. Go on." Therion used both hands to point at her. "Aim that way. It'll make an awesome picture. I'll send it to Zver so she can ransom us."
Seph heaved. "That's not the plan, Therion. Now, just hush." Then to Wies. "And, yes, please point your gun at me. It will be fine. I promise."
Grumbling, Wies did as she asked, and it meant the world to her that he did so reluctantly, without putting any real effort into it.
The Conari officer, however, bristled even more. He took cautious steps forward, removing one hand from his rifle so he could make a grab for her. "Athela, last warning."
Seph sighed. "Even if you take me to the brig, the ship is still not going to turn around and follow the Fleet flotilla to Lusin Ero." With a thought, she opened comms to both the fleet and Athela cruisers. "Did you all hear that? Unconscious or in the brig, doesn't matter what you do. Prykimis is not turning around."
"Then what are your demands?" Commander Sobeck asked.
"We're seizing stewardship."
"You need to stand down," Sobeck said tersely. "Do so now, let Officer Livvak take you into custody, and House Borac will be treated with leniency."
Seph adamantly shook her head. "House Borac's got nothing to do with this. It's just me and Prykimis. We're seizing stewardship."
There was a silence on the other end. Then a soft, feminine voice spoke. Arana.
"Did Borac put you up to this?" Arana asked, her voice warm with understanding. "He is using you, my dear. To get the ship."
"Only the Dominion Council authorizes stewardship," Sobeck said.
"Well, Prykimis has authorized her own damn stewardship," Seph said. "She and I, we're our own house."
"Seph, dear, have you been skimming the AthNet again?" Arana asked.
"Actually, yes." Although, Seph suspected that the information dump she just received came from another source. Vedma, perhaps. Maybe even Kimis herself. "Hundreds of years ago houses were formed by those who held stewardship of spirenoughts and turris moons. Based on those charters, we are now House—" Well, her last name, Schroeder, didn't have a menacing ring to it. "Pryphine. House Pryphine now has stewardship of Prykimis."
"Livvak," Sobeck said, a snarl in his voice. "Take the Athela into custody."
"Aye." The officer moved closer to her, crushing Prykimis's spent darts beneath his boots.
A solid, heavy metal click resounded through the bridge, like a gear notching into place.
"[I fire.]"
"Sir, the turret—" a House Conari fleetman shouted in warning as the turret fired.
A heavy round pierced Officer Livvak's armor at the shoulder, flinging him to the deck.
The turret swiftly swiveled between the remaining Conari fleetmen, sighting each one as a target but not firing. Even Seph recognized the threat. All of the Conari fleetmen would be shot faster than they could react.
Seph had her hand clamped over her mouth, a delayed reaction to stifle the scream that had already pealed from her throat.
The officer writhed on the deck.
"Gentlemen." Her voice shook, but she continued to address the remaining Conari fleetmen. She gestured to the downed officer. "I am assuming someone can administer medical aid."
There was a moment of hesitation amongst them, then one fleetman lowered his weapon as he moved forward. "Aye, m'lady."
"And I suggest you all make your way to the transport you arrived on." She pressed her hands into her stomach, which felt light and airy, like cresting the summit on a rollercoaster.
"Seph," Arana said with a sharp edge to her voice. "Let my men stay. They can help you. Ally with you."
"Much appreciated, Arana." Seph's legs felt shaky as the Conari fleetman lifted the officer to his feet and magenta blood remained on the deck. "But this is something we need to do alone."
"We can't give up the ship," Arana spoke, her words rushed and insistent. "House Conari has waited too long—"
"They'll be shot, Arana." Seph's voice was hard. "Even through the armor, they'll be shot. We're letting them off the ship. No tricks. We'll let them go."
One of Conari's fleetmen said, "You can take us to the brig. We'll not resist."
Therion was at her back.
"She's not taking you to the brig. You'll take yourselves to the brig." Therion pointed toward the ceiling. "You know this isn't the only turret. You'll never make it to the transport unless she wants you to."
"Report to the brig." Sobeck's voice boomed overhead. "That's an order."
"Leave your weapons here." Therion nudged her. "Tell them, Seph."
"Leave your weapons," she said, echoing him. "And if you want, you can drop him at sickbay."
The fleetman supporting Officer Livvak nodded. They dropped their rifles to the deck and left the bridge. Seph spotted the rest of Wies's men in the corridor, ready to escort the Conari fleetmen off the bridge.
"Railguns are online," one of Prykimis's original crew members said.
Sobeck grunted. "We're ceasing our pursuit, Athela. No need to fire on us."
"Thank you," Seph said. "We're taking down House Borac. Stay out of it."
With a thought, she cut the comms.
The entire bridge went silent, and Seph didn't have the heart to glance around and gauge their reaction to her declaration.
One man shot. Really shot. She hoped he'd be the last.
Therion threw a heavy arm around her shoulders, hauling her close.
"That was fucking brilliant, Seph," he said, beaming. "I can't wait to see the look on Zver's face. Can I stay on the bridge and watch?"
Seph leaned into him, very aware how much she needed his physical support. "You can't, Ther. You're a prisoner of war."
"But I've been brainwashed."
She turned to Wies. "Just so you know, I'm going to invade Bulan Ero."
"Aye, I gathered," Wies said, his expression unreadable.
Seph scrubbed at her face. "Um, are we good?"
Wies holstered his rifle to his shoulder. "Aye. We're good."
"Because it's not what it looks like."
Wies smirked. "Understood."
"It will be a friendly invasion."
"The best kind."
"The thane will just roll with it."
Therion snickered wickedly. "Zver. Surrendering."
Seph shivered as an icy chill spiked through her. "Please tell me Zver'll surrender. Please."
"Surrender," Therion said the word like it was a punch line to a joke. "What do you think he'll do?"
"Surrender?" she asked, infusing that one word with hope.
> Therion chuckled, gave her an affectionate squeeze. "He'll meet you head on, Seph. That's what he'll do."
Zver paced the bridge of Deleo. His men hunkered down at their consoles, giving him room to prowl the area like a caged majoris feline. He hadn't been this riled for combat since his first battle as a green recruit. He hungered for engagement. Bloodthirsted for it.
"Thane." Lekar stood before him, interrupting his thoughts and his incessant pacing.
"Medicmaster," he said stonily.
Lekar arched a brow at him. "I just want to verify, to satisfy my own curiosity, that things ended amicably between you and Lady Seph."
"Things didn't 'end.'"
"And she is aware of this?"
"Aye."
"Because I've seen this happen before, only in reverse."
Zver cocked his head questioningly at his medicmaster. "Reverse?"
"Where you've clearly ended things, but the lady clearly believed otherwise."
He scoffed. That had happened the one time, and Lekar brought it up every time.
"And if there is a risk that Lady Seph believes that you've ended things—"
"You're point, Lekar?"
"This will be the shortest space battle of your career."
Gods, he was counting on that being the case. He double-checked his data feed, pleased to note the transport he ordered prepped was indeed ready to receive him.
In fact, he could do everything from the transport. Save time.
"Very well, then," Lekar said with a sigh. "I can see my concerns have fallen on deaf ears."
Zver strode away from the Command Console. "You have the bridge, Lekar."
"Me?" his medicmaster squawked. "Are you joking, Zver? You never give the medic the bridge."
But he kept walking, intent on his new plan.
Yes. He'd be the only one on the transport. He'd fly out to meet Prykimis and remove Deleo from the battle arena. Why risk his destroyer and his men when he could just hand himself over to her? Efficient. Immediate.
Why the hell wasn't Prykimis in sensor range yet?
"You need to stay on the ship, Thane," Varlet said at his side.
Gods, how long had Varlet been trailing him? The entire time? He hadn't noticed.
"By Unholde I do."
"If you want TerTac and the Council to believe you were defeated in battle, then there needs to be a battle," Varlet said. "Charging a spirenought in a transport is ridiculous and suicidal. Not the opening salvo of a commander with your combat experience."
He crossed into the hangar. "Are you saying I need to 'sell it,' Varlet?"
"Precisely, Thane. Both ships will survive one volley."
"She won't fire on Deleo, not while Rannik's on board." He was certain of that. She would never harm Rannik.
Varlet heaved a troubled breath next to him. "You're risking more than just your own life, Thane."
He knew. If Seph didn't have control of the spirenought, if Fleet or House Conari wanted to end him, it would be over. Swiftly. Perhaps cleanly. After that, House Borac would be wounded. He wasn't arrogant, like Jahat, but he acknowledged that his death would be a blow to his house.
But, gods damn him, for Seph, he'd risk it.
He turned and grasped Varlet about the shoulders. He looked his aide right in the eyes. "Trust me, Varlet. All will be well."
He saw the man war with his duty to protect and his training to obey. Zver didn't envy his man, grateful that he himself already had an internal battle and succumbed to the inevitable. His lot was with Seph. He willed Varlet to do the same, but with haste. Prykimis just appeared on Deleo's sensors.
"I need to go to her," Zver said, squeezing the man's shoulders.
"Aye, Thane." Varlet grumbled miserably.
"Trust her." He'd ordered it if he could, he was that impatient.
"I do, Thane." Varlet swore, then gave him a hearty pound on his back. "Go get her, Thane."
Zver practically threw himself into the transport, barely giving the pilot time to scamper off. He exited Deleo and set a speedy intercept course with the spirenought barreling down on his position.
He commed his AthID, requesting permission to dock.
"Need you to say 'please.'" His brother's smug voice ordered over the channel. "My captor has asked me to stay on the bridge, so I won't be able to witness your unmanning."
"Please, Therion," he said without hesitation. "Get me to her."
"Aye, Thane." His brother chuckled as Prykimis's hangar doors parted to receive him.
It was the sloppiest landing of his career. One that would place another pilot back in remedial training for a solid year. He didn't care.
He launched himself from the transport, sprinted across the deck, coming in low and fast to sweep her up into his arms. Gods, she was so small and light. Her hair showered around her, bouncing with her laughter. A sound as pure and bright as starlight filled the hangar.
"Wait, dammit! I had a speech! My speech!" Her voice deepened. "You had me at cease—"
Like hell he'd cease.
He plunged a hand into her mass of coiled hair, angled her just so, and kissed the breath from her lungs.
When he relented, giving her a second to breathe, he growled and said, "I fucking surrender, Seph."
He crashed down on her mouth once more, so damn relieved he wanted to roar.
"I'm yours," he said, kissing her again. "Rannik is yours."
She twisted her face away, laughing. "Zver!"
No matter. He'd kiss the skin on her neck. "You can take or leave Therion, I honestly don't give a fuck about him."
She squealed. Ah, she was ticklish on this delicious spot right below her earlobe. "Zver, please! I—"
"As long as you're here, until you get home, I want to be with you. I choose you. Gods, do you still choose me?"
"Yes, Zver! Yes, I choose you. Hell, I just conquered you." She kissed him, then pulled back again. He saw her doubtful expression. "Please tell me this was the right thing to do. That I'm not bringing a world of hurt your way. I've made mistakes, with Rannik and clutch and the Trine. I just—god, Zver—I'd never forgive myself if I just hurt you and your house."
He set her on her feet and cupped her face in his hands. He basked in the warmth radiating from her skin.
"My house is strong, Seph," he said. "Gods, you've just made us stronger."
Besides, he earned the name Thanemonger. He'd remind all the Dominion of that fact.
Her small hands grasped him, and her eyes flooded with tears. "I'll stay with you. We'll get Prykimis to bond with you."
"Hush, Sefura." Gods, he'd been dying to call her that since he first saw her. "There's time for that."
"Months, Zver. It could take months," she said and her tears came faster. "And I need to get home. Zver, I never told you, but I have a son."
He froze. His blood roared in his ears. His heart crashed against his chest. He didn't know what to think, but then he looked at her. Saw her tears and fear.
"Oh, Seph." He tugged her close, enveloping her in his arms. "We'll get you home. Gods, I promise, we'll get you home."
He felt her break apart in his arms. All rigidity left her, and she melted into him.
"He's mine, Zver. He's young. Younger than Rannik. I need to get home. I need to."
"I'll get you back to him. I will."
"I know he's not alone. My parents will take care of him, but—" She sobbed into his shoulder. "But I miss him so much. My heart hurts, Zver."
"I'll get you home to him. I swear."
Gods, she had carried this burden all this time. When House Jahat had taken Rannik, he was enraged, but he had recourse. He had a fleet and loyal men, and one week later, he had Rannik back, safe in his house. Seph had struggled with this agony for weeks with no solutions. All she had was an overeager cadet, an idiot acting cachemaster, and a surly thane.
"Thank you. Me. My technopathy. Prykimis. We're yours. You have us, for as long as I am here, you have us."
/> "Just you, Seph." He smoothed her hair away from her face. "I just want you. For as long as I can have you. That's all I want."
He watched her settle. She wiped her tears on the sleeve of her jacket. He was so damn happy to see that she still wore his house uniform.
She sighed and gave him an apologetic smile. "Well, I think Prykimis can be yours. I probably shouldn't have promised her like that. She may have other plans."
He continued to smooth her hair, wanting to keep his hands on her in some fashion. "We'll work it out."
"So, at least two months."
"Two months for what, Sefura?"
"Prykimis is like an infant. To leave her now wouldn't be right." Seph shrugged. "Hyva estimates two months for Prykimis to form a new bond. I have faith in my family, Zver, that Xander is safe and cared for. You have my word, even if we find Earth tomorrow, I'll stay until Prykimis is bonded."
Gods, only two months. So little time, but he'd take it.
He growled. "For two months, you are mine?"
"For two months, I am yours."
His blood started to heat. Two months. He'd hoard it like stardust. Accessing his technopathy, he started firing off messages. He had a calendar to wipe clear and duties to reassign.
"Any other terms?" he asked, gliding his thumb over her bottom lip.
She nipped at him. "I want free-range of Bulan Ero. I did conquer it, after all."
He scoffed.
She sighed and rolled her eyes. "So you'll still have Wies and Company following me about?"
He grunted. He would not leave her unprotected. Never again.
"I want to spend time with Rannik."
"Granted."
"And time with you."
"Aye." He growled. "And you'll tell me about Xander."
She laughed, wiping at fresh tears. "Oh god, Xan's a mini version of Rannik. Oh! They rhyme. Xan and Ran."
He pulled her close again and kissed her temple. "Anything else I can do for you?"
"No." She paused and her lips curled into a sexy, wicked smile. "You've thaned enough for now."
"Now I can have you." He hadn't asked a question. In fact, he had already lifted her back into his arms and started walking.
