by Kate Rudolph
“No.” It was more greenery than Doryan could ever remember seeing. He’d grown up in the Detyen Legion and at the time they’d lived on a frozen moon where the seasons never changed. He wondered if he would have liked a place like this settlement when he was younger.
And then he banished the thought. It wasn’t for him.
“Not much of a talker, are you?” Amy asked. She was still smiling and leaned in towards him just a hair, as if she, too, couldn’t make herself walk away.
No, he had to be reading that wrong. The soulless were terrible at reading emotions and intentions, it was why they were so dependent on orders. Whatever reason she was here had nothing to do with him.
“Are you part of the Detyen Legion?” she pressed on. “I saw you talking with the lieutenant earlier.”
How to answer that? “I was raised in the Legion,” he said after a moment. “But we’ve been separated for some time.”
“Interesting. You seem a bit older than the rest of them. That’s not rude, is it? I was shocked when I met the captain. Then again, you’re aliens, right. And, yeah, now I hear what I’m saying, this is definitely rude.” She snapped her lips shut. “Sorry, I don’t know why I can’t stop talking.
Explaining the denya price might shut her up, but Doryan saw no reason to. “Different cultures,” he murmured.
“What’s your name?” Amy asked. Though her cheeks were red from what even Doryan could tell was embarrassment, she wasn’t walking away.
“Doryan NaVayn.” He needed to move on. The riling in his stomach was getting worse and he didn’t know if he was about to vomit or explode. He’d never felt anything like this in his life, and certainly not in his years as a soulless warrior. What was going on?
And why couldn’t he make himself move?
Discipline drove the soulless, it was all they had left. And yet he couldn’t make himself do anything but stay and talk to Amy. It was like there was some greater need overriding what he knew was best.
He forced himself to move, but somehow ended up even closer to her and their hands brushed.
Fire raced up Doryan’s arm, scorching a path from his fingertips to his heart and circulating through his blood. He gasped and stumbled, clutching his chest and locking his legs to keep from falling over. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his vision went fuzzy around the edges for a moment.
Then he yanked his hand back and everything cleared.
Amy was right in front of him, close but not touching. “Are you alright? Do you need me to find a doctor? I think I heard there’s one on staff here.”
Doryan looked at her, and though the memory of the pain was enough to make part of him flinch, the sight of her worry just made his stomach clench again.
“I’m fine,” he lied. “No need to worry.”
Shock rocked through him. The soulless didn’t lie. It was forbidden from the very beginning of their training. And yet the placating words had sprung from him, not to protect himself, but to soothe the worry he saw in Amy’s eyes.
Who was she?
Was this fixation?
Maybe he understood why it took his brethren so suddenly and completely. But he could never hurt her. This had to be something else.
Unless he was lying to himself.
Doryan rocked back and then took two big steps, putting as much space between them as he could. “I need to go,” he said. And then, before she could do anything but look at him strangely, he was off, rushing back to his cabin.
When he got there he was alone, and as his stomach settled and the last remnants of pain faded he knew he should avoid Amy for as long as they were both still at the settlement.
He should. But there was no way in any galaxy that was going to happen. Something in her called to him, and he feared he couldn’t resist.
Chapter Four
THE ENCOUNTER WITH Doryan rang around Amy’s head for the rest of the day and bothered her so much that when it came time to sleep all she did was toss and turn. What was that about? They’d talked for maybe three minutes. She’d had longer conversations with a waiter in a restaurant, and yet none of those had left her shaken to the core.
There was something… strange about Doryan. He wasn’t like any of the other Detyens she’d managed to talk to, and she was just about willing to bet everything she owned that it was more than just a standoffish personality.
She tried to recall what whispers she’d heard about the Detyen Legion, but rumors had been running rampant since they’d appeared and it was pretty much impossible to sort fact from fiction. So maybe she’d need to have another conversation with the man.
Amy snorted. Yeah, that was a transparent reason to spend more time with him if she’d ever heard one. But who could blame her? He was as hot as sin with that golden skin, those black eyes, and black hair, and there was something about the way he carried himself that made her want. She’d felt lust before, she’d even been in love once or twice, but somehow it was all fading in comparison to one insignificant encounter with a stranger.
She glanced at the clock and saw that it was closing in on midnight. And she was wide awake.
Great.
Amy threw the covers off and switched out of her pajamas. If she couldn’t sleep, maybe a walk would settle her.
She’d just tied her shoelaces when a scream echoed through the camp.
Amy’s head snapped up. What the hell?
She took off running, letting the door to her cabin slam behind her as she headed for where she thought the sound had come from. Was someone hurt? In danger? She reached for her communicator to call the police but her pockets were empty and she remembered she’d left it to charge beside the bed.
A second scream ripped through the night and Amy picked up speed. She couldn’t delay. Either she’d find someone else with a comm or she’d run back for hers once she’d determined what was going on.
And when she arrived at the source of the screams, there was even more confusion. Amy took it all in as quickly as she could, a life she’d left behind long ago washing over her as things began to click into place.
Linda Marino was quivering, makeup running around her eyes and tears streaming down her face as she stared at Doryan.
Doryan’s face bore no expression. He was wearing the same clothes he’d been wearing that afternoon and they looked a little rumpled, but nothing a quick wash wouldn’t fix.
Lieutenant NaMasee’s face was a mask of rage and he had his blaster drawn, pointing straight at Doryan’s head. Blasters weren’t meant to be lethal, but at close range they could be, especially if they hit someone in the eye.
All three of them stood around the body of Captain NaPyrsee. Green blood had soaked his uniform and stained his skin, and the pallor of death clung to him.
“What’s going on?” Amy demanded, her cop voice coming out without any effort.
“I could say the same thing,” another voice added. She spared half a second’s glance to see two humans and two Detyens joining them. Penny. Krayter. Shayn. Naomi. Krayter was the one that spoke.
“This man murdered my captain. Take him into custody!” NaMasee demanded.
“He’s d-d-dead,” Linda stuttered out, and a new wave of tears started.
Doryan said nothing. But he didn’t do it.
What?
The thought brought Amy up short. She’d had one conversation with the man. There was no reason she should be convinced of his innocence, especially with him standing over a corpse. And yet she was absolutely certain that he hadn’t done it.
“Lieutenant, I’m going to need you to lower your weapon,” she said in the tone usually reserved for vicious animals. If she’d been armed, her blaster would be out, but seeing as she had no standing it was probably a good thing.
Unless it got someone shot. One body was more than enough.
“Take him into custody this minute or I will terminate him myself!” NaMasee yelled.
Terminate?
“No one is getting terminat
ed on my land,” Penny said, coming up to stand beside Amy.
Amy took another step forward and put herself between Doryan and NaMasee’s blaster. It was utterly stupid and went against all of her training, but NaMasee immediately lowered his weapon. “We need to call the police,” she said. She could smell the tang of blood in the night air and doubted the captain had been dead for long. “If we wait, we give his killer the chance to escape.”
Linda gasped and sobbed.
“His killer is right behind you,” NaMasee insisted, gesturing with his blaster.
“We don’t know that,” Naomi said from behind her, and Amy was glad she wasn’t the only one ready to come to Doryan’s defense.
“The human police have no jurisdiction here,” said NaMasee. “This is Detyen land, with a Detyen victim, and a Detyen perpetrator.” All assurances of Doryan’s innocence were staunchly ignored. “I want the captain’s body seen to, so that we can prepare him for death rites. NaVayn is to be remanded into custody and returned to the Legion.”
“I think we should call the sheriff,” Amy repeated. She didn’t like the way NaMasee was talking and knew if he got Doryan alone the golden Detyen wasn’t making it out of this mess alive.
Terminate? How did a man skip right to execution? She was missing something. A lot of things, actually, but they’d deal with that later.
“He’s right,” Penny said regretfully. “This is a Detyen settlement and it falls under Detyen jurisdiction.” Satisfaction flashed in NaMasee’s eyes, but it was dashed as Penny continued. “That doesn’t mean it’s under the jurisdiction of the Detyen Legion.”
“You need to see sense, he’s dangerous.” NaMasee grit it out, his jaw so tight it had to hurt.
“We don’t know that,” Penny shot back.
“Doryan wouldn’t do this,” Shayn added.
“He’s standing over the body!” Linda exploded, and all eyes turned to her. “I found him like that!”
“I will call in investigators from the Legion, but until that time I want NaVayn in custody, will that satisfy you?” he asked, though Amy wasn’t certain who he was addressing.
Penny seemed to waver.
“How long will that take?” asked Krayter, resting a hand on Penny’s shoulder.
NaMasee’s eyes narrowed. “A day, perhaps two.”
“The scene will be completely contaminated by then,” Amy burst in. “Even standing around like this is likely to corrupt our evidence.” NaMasee opened his mouth and she jabbed a finger his way. “And don’t go telling me that you already know who did it. You have no evidence.” She looked over at Doryan. His face was completely blank, but not the shocked blankness she’d seen from so many people back when she was on the police force. How was he so calm? Why? Maybe he was hiding something.
“What do you suggest, then?” NaMasee scowled. “Unless you can produce an investigator with no ties to the local authorities?” From the way his scowl turned into a smirk, he clearly thought he’d won.
“Would a retired police detective with nine years on the force and six years in private investigation satisfy your requirements?” This wasn’t how she’d planned to prove herself to the Legion, and given the way they were butting heads now she doubted that NaMasee would give her a glowing recommendation when this was all done. But a man was dead and she needed to find who’d done it.
NaMasee considered for a moment and then nodded. “Can you produce this person before dawn?”
Amy pointed at herself. “You’re looking at her. Amy Dalisay, private investigator. Now I want to hear what happened, and no one is shooting anyone.”
“I’ll allow it on one condition,” he began.
Penny made a sound but quickly quieted. NaMasee clearly believed he was in charge, but they could play along if they could get his cooperation.
“What?” Amy asked.
“NaVayn is under guard.” NaMasee crossed his arms and it was clear he wouldn’t budge. “You may believe him innocent, but he has a history. Besides, he’s due to return to the Legion shortly.”
What was Doryan’s story? Why was NaMasee so certain? Did Detyen politics come into play here? Was it a rank thing? Did Detyens have different races? Back on the force some of her co-workers had been assholes about her Filipino heritage, maybe there was some difference between blue and gold Detyens? She made a mental note to ask someone, but not now.
She turned to the owners of the settlement. “Do you have a place to hold Do—NaVayn?” She didn’t think he’d done it, but for some reason NaMasee was convinced he was the best suspect and until she had evidence to the contrary he should probably be under observation.
“There’s a place he can stay in the main house,” said Krayter. “We will guard him.”
NaMasee opened his mouth to object and Amy glared at him. He shut it and subsided.
“I need some supplies. Can you help me?” she asked Penny and listed off some tools that would help with the collection of evidence.
Penny nodded. “I’ll go get them.”
“Good.” She looked down at the body and decided he could wait for a few more minutes. Then she looked at her three witnesses. She needed their stories quickly, but she didn’t want them listening in. She could do in depth interviews later, but now they needed to talk.
It was time to get to work.
SHE HAD NAOMI WALK with Linda until they were far enough away from the body that they could pretend it wasn’t there. Shayn was with NaMasee and Kayleb had joined them and was standing next to Doryan. It wasn’t a perfect system, but she hoped it was good enough for the moment.
The adrenaline from the screams and discovering the body was starting to fade and exhaustion was creeping in. It was getting close to 1:00 AM and Amy doubted she’d sleep. It wouldn’t be her first all-nighter, but the terrible hours had been one of the main reasons she’d quit her cop work in the first place.
“Mrs. Marino, are you alright?” She slipped right back into her interviewer role as if she’d been doing it yesterday. Linda seemed fragile. Her face was streaked with tears and she was trembling. Of course, she’d just discovered a dead body, so that wasn’t exactly out of the ordinary.
“He’s dead,” she whispered. “How is he dead?”
She probably didn’t want an explanation of the cause of death, and that was a good thing since Amy hadn’t had a chance to examine the body. She glanced at Naomi and hoped she conveyed what she needed with a look.
Either the woman could read minds or it had worked. Naomi put an arm around Linda and held her close, giving her the comfort that Amy couldn’t.
“I’m sorry that you’re going through this, Mrs. Marino, but I need to ask you a few questions, alright?” If this was an act it was a good one. She’d seen plenty of people play the shaken witness role before and it wasn’t difficult to spot the fakers… usually.
Linda sucked in a shuddering breath and nodded.
She pulled out the recorder that Penny had provided. “Tell me what happened.” She’d have time for more detailed questions later; right now she needed to know what Linda thought was important.
“I was out… out for a walk. I know it’s late, but sometimes I can’t sleep. And the camp is so peaceful. I came by Wyrstin’s cabin since the path comes out this way. And I didn’t know what I was seeing at first. Wyr—the captain was on the ground and that Detyen was standing right over him! He had his hands on him and—When I realized he was—when I saw, I screamed. I don’t know when the Lieutenant showed up, but it wasn’t long before you did.” A sob racked her chest. “I’ve never seen a body like that before!” And the tears started again. She turned toward Naomi and Naomi hugged her close.
“Thank you, Mrs. Marino. I know this is hard. Why don’t you go and try and sleep and we’ll talk more tomorrow. Is your husband back in your cabin?”
Somehow that only made Linda cry more.
“I’ll take her back,” Naomi offered.
“Thanks.”
Amy wanted
to talk to Doryan next, but she made herself go back to NaMasee. The Lieutenant was full of nervous energy and seemed ready to burst out of his skin. “Thank you for waiting. Can you tell me what you saw tonight? And only what you saw, save your speculation.” She didn’t need to hear a rant about Doryan.
He gave her a dirty look, but complied. “I heard the woman scream. I am staying in the cabin right beside the captain’s, so I came out. I found her and NaVayn both standing over Cap—” he paused, and for the first time she saw a crack in his armor. His hands shook a little and he rubbed one over his face. “They were both standing over the captain. I approached to check his vitals, but I could tell from the amount of blood that he was dead or a near thing to it. You arrived a few minutes later, while I was attempting to detain NaVayn.”
“Would you say you had a close relationship with the captain?” she asked.
“We worked together for years, he was a good man. A good friend.” From the tremor in his voice, it was easy to believe.
“Thank you, Lieutenant. I’ll have more questions for you in the morning. For now, please return to your cabin.” If they’d truly been friends, perhaps some of NaMasee’s reaction made sense. Amy would burn the world down if anyone hurt Kyla.
“I’d like to observe further,” he said.
“No.” That wasn’t happening.
“Am I a suspect?” The lieutenant was incredulous.
“You were one of the three people standing over the body,” she replied. “I don’t have a suspect or suspects yet, but I’m not about to let you witness the evidence gathering either. Once you are cleared, I’ll be happy to share information.” Well, happy wasn’t the right word, but she knew he’d demand it and it was better to offer.
He looked ready to argue, but then he stalked off, leaving her and Shayn alone.
“Thanks for helping,” she told the Detyen.
“I know Doryan can be a bit cold,” Shayn said, “but I’ve known him for months. He wouldn’t murder anyone.”
