by Bex McLynn
“Fuck, cunt, cock, anthers. Got it, Kora?” he’d said firmly. “Dius fucked this up last time. I’m counting on you. It’s there. Right fucking there.”
When she’d asked them what they had been doing, Kora thrummed mild embarrassment through her technopathy while Therion had shrugged and said, “Code words.”
She’d sighed and smiled at them both. How utterly sweet. Therion and Kora had bonded, holding special little things between themselves.
Therion and Kora’s adorable antics were proof that the Teras world wasn’t filled with guns and spy games. Yet the delight that she’d felt that morning didn’t soothe her now.
“Maude.” Therion touched her shoulder.
No longer strapped in next to her, he knelt before her as he eyed her warily.
Movement down the aisle caught her attention. Seph stood, crossing her arms as she rolled her eyes, all while the thane hovered behind her, issuing orders. Maude knew her cousin well. Seph respected the thane, but she was driven by impatience. A fond ache touched Maude. This was the Seph she knew best, a girl ready and determined to knock shit on its ass.
Inspired by Seph’s attitude, Maude released the straps and stood.
The Teras towering around her had awareness tingling her skin. Goodness, she was tall, but next to them…
With a steadying exhale, she straightened her spine. This was her new normal. She could do this.
A portion of the guards disembarked the shuttle first, then Therion gestured for her. She stumbled at the threshold of the hatch. Her first glimpse of the station caught her in a hypnotizing snare. Prykimis was huge, but this place spanned upward and out like a football stadium. Hell, this was only the station’s hangar.
Therion, who’d already hopped down from the hatch, snagged her with his long arms and lowered her gently to the deck.
“Aye, Maude?” He’d pressed close to her, his hand on her hip as his chilled breath brushed her cheek, enabling her to hear his question over the thrum of the transport engine.
She listed toward him, wanting to fold herself into him and shelter there. Good lord, how his nearness tempted her.
She held his gaze and infused her words with her appreciation. “I’m good. Thank you.”
Therion canted his head toward the bustling hangar about them.
“None of these fucks will touch you,” Therion said, resting his hand on her hip. His extra finger joint felt so alien and fortifying at the same time. “Ain’t that right, Dius?”
“No fucking way,” rumbled a familiar Teras voice.
Startled, she glanced around Therion to see his massive cousin. Dius hadn’t been on the transport. No way she would have missed his brooding presence.
She smiled to greet him, but then gawked. “Dius! You’re wearing a uniform!”
Like Therion, he wore the familiar black military-style uniform with the House Borac crest on his shoulder. The material stretched a bit over his expansive chest, but otherwise, it fit him well.
His large hands, covered in clade tattoos, curled into fists as he frowned.
Her cheeks flamed at his reaction.
Therion waved a hand at Dius without looking at him. “Pay him no mind. He’s always surly in house dress. Thinks it tarnishes his marauder rep.”
Dius glared at Therion. “Like I could give a fuck.”
“Aye, you do give a fuck.”
“No. I don’t.”
“Aye. You do. Because I know about your secret fuck farm, where you hand-raise fucks from little fucklings, all so you’ll have flocks of tiny, precious fucks to give.”
Dius’s brow fell. “What the hell does that even mean?”
“Means three words prove me right.” Therion jabbed his thumb into his own chest. “I’m the Bane.”
“That’s four words.”
“Three. I used a contraction.” Therion jabbed his chest with each word. “I’m. The. Bane.”
Dius’s lip curled as he growled. “Fuck that. I’m the fucking Bane.”
“Ech.” Therion waved him off again. “They’ve been calling me Bane since before you could give yourself a good tug and tickle.”
Maude, who had been batting her attention between them, had a very good idea where this was headed. Jeremy and Seph used to argue the same way, going toe-to-toe, then trading blows over pointless bragging rights.
“Oh, Dius,” Maude inserted quickly. “You do look terrifying, even in your uniform. And you’re definitely insulting House Borac’s, um, reputation.”
Therion pointed at Maude and nodded. “What she said. You’re a blight on the house, and the cause of all your mother’s tears and your father’s impotence.”
“Therion!” Maude hissed as she elbowed him.
“What? He really needed to hear that, Maude.”
Dius’s snarled lips settled into a grim line, then twitched, tugging at one corner. He grunted, as if satisfied, and then turned his back on them.
“See!” Therion gestured to his cousin. “I coddled his fragile ego.”
Maude couldn’t argue. Therion knew exactly what to say to draw a smile from his cousin. Was that a smile?
Therion gave her a light shake, refocusing her attention. “Just stay in the pocket.”
“Pocket?” She almost laughed as her mind conjured images of Therion trying to tuck her underneath his chest flap.
“For the love of god, Therion!” Seph called out. “Are you coming or not?”
Seph and her security detail had almost reached the blast doors of the hangar. The thane shadowed her with his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings.
With his hand still on her hip, Therion positioned Maude between him and Dius. “Welcome to the pocket, Maude. You are fucking invincible here.” Leaning down, he whispered in a rush, “We should totally form a clade with Dius. It’d be so badass.”
He pecked her on the cheek, then shooed her onward.
Oh, how she wanted him—his tenderness, his jokes, his cussing. Just all of him.
“Just remember, I toss left. My left,” Dius said without looking over his shoulder at her. “Fucking Therion here gets confused.”
“Hey now!” Therion barked. “I dodge your lobs every time, Di. Every godsdamn time.”
“Tosses left?” Maude asked, looking from one to another for an explanation.
“When he brawls, Dius here likes to toss over his left shoulder. Got an old injury in the right one.”
“Fucking Jahat bullpulse blast,” Dius rumbled.
“I see.” Although she only had a vague sense of what he must mean. He didn’t move like he favored that shoulder in any way.
A few of Seph’s entourage guards fell into formation around her as Maude walked, sheltered by two towering Teras. As they left the hangar, people—other Teras—parted like the Red Sea. They scattered as Dius, walking slightly in front of their group, cut a path through the pedestrian traffic. People pushing loaded down hovering carts hustled to clear the way for him. Harshly whispered ‘Culler’ and ‘UU’ drifted over the general noise of vendors hawking their wares and footfalls striking the deck.
Dius kept them moving at a good pace until they reached Seph’s group, and the entourages merged. The armored men realigned seamlessly, keeping Maude and Seph in the center as they continued through the station.
Maude glanced over to find Seph studying her. “You look nervous, Maudie.”
Within the din of languages swirling around her, her cousin spoke in English. Maude saw a flash of Nicole’s smile, followed by a pang that caught her unawares. She blinked furiously, batting back the tears, as her throat closed.
With her voice momentarily compromised, she shook her head.
But she must have conveyed something, because Seph gave her a tender look. “You’ll get used to it, Maude. Just tell yourself it’s only for a little while. It’ll keep you steady.”
Oh, good lord. The thane hadn’t told Seph about home yet.
Seph reached out, squeezing her shoulder, and und
er her clothes, Kora receded.
“Thanks for moving, Kora,” Seph said with a small smile as she tugged Maude closer. “Maudie really needs this hug.”
Maude pressed close to her cousin, wrapping her arm about Seph’s waist. She silently thanked Kora for retracting from her arm as well, letting her make contact with Seph. Maude really did need to hug her. To hold Seph close and try to repress the impulse to blurt out that Earth was lost to them.
“It will be fine.” Seph gave her a squeeze. “We’ll meet with the Trine. Tell them ‘hell no.’ Be back at Prykimis within an hour. Super easy.”
Easy?
Seph’s words echoed in her mind. It’s only for a little while.
No. Things were about to get devastatingly hard.
“I should’ve worn my armor,” Seph whispered to Maude, drawing her attention away from the other women in the room. “So jealous that you’ve got Kora on right now.”
Maude scanned the women in the room as she silently reviewed Seph’s rundown of the Trine. According to her cousin, Lady Arana—the perfectly coiffed lady—proved to be an overbearing, backstabbing smotherer. Lady Hyva—still an Academe student—possessed startling intelligence underscored by an endearingly quirky personality. And Vedma, well, Seph had said if the Big Bad Wolf dressed in Vedma’s clothes, no one would know the difference.
Maude hadn’t agreed on that score. She found Gummy endearing.
As Maude nervously scanned the room a second time, Kora rippled against her skin and irritation flowed through her technopathy. It eased Maude some that Kora felt annoyed rather than hostile. That like Seph, Kora didn’t bother hiding her desire to be elsewhere.
“Oh!” The woman she assumed to be Arana gasped as she hastened over. “You’re just as adorable as our Seph!”
Arana, just a hair taller than Maude with startling gold-only eyes, pulled her into a floral-scented hug. Maude grunted softly, not expecting the exuberant greeting or strength in the woman’s arms.
Kora’s annoyance spiked and then settled. No rattling, which was good.
“Just look at you!” Arana beamed as she held Maude at arm’s length. “Such diversity amongst your species. Marvelous.”
Maude believe she understood the Teras woman’s amazement. All the Teras she’d encountered shared a homogeneous appearance. Thick black hair, green-gold eyes, and golden skin. The Teras were nothing like the stark differences of placing Maude, with her pale skin and blonde hair, next to Seph, with her warm tones and springy brown hair.
Although, amongst the Teras, the Athela looked distinct. Arana, with her hair twisted into a complicated coil studded with sparkling gems and a bluish foundation on her skin, reminded Maude of a celebrity on a red carpet. Primped, dressed, and styled to impress. Both Arana and Hyva wore gowns that fluttered about them with gauzy grace. The colors reminded Maude of a spring bouquet of mixed tulips. The Teras women Maude had seen on the station wore more muted colors, and she’d even seen several women in House Borac uniforms.
“Ech,” Gummy shuffled over to a couch in the room. “You’re smothering her, Arana.”
“Oh, that’s no way to make an introduction, Vedma,” Arana tsked, then she gave Maude a soft smile. “I’m Lady Arana Conari, from the Trine. You must be Maude.” She elegantly tipped her chin toward Gummy. “You already know our errant Elder, Lady Vedma.” Then, she gestured to the young woman. “This is Lady Hyva.”
Maude turned toward Hyva, who stood by the table, her hands folded before her. The woman, with the most delicate praal lines that Maude had seen—so unlike the bold lines on the men or the livid ones on Vedma—gave her a respectful nod. Her straight black hair, cut to chin length, shimmered in the light as she dipped her head.
Maude waited on Kora’s assessment, which felt like a shrug rolling through their connection. Maude interpreted that as harmless disinterest.
She smiled warmly at the young woman. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Hyva.”
Arana gave her a kind, coaxing smile. “Are you familiar with the duties of the Trine?”
“Of course she knows about the Trine,” Seph said with a huff. “I wasn’t going to leave my cousin in the dark. Not like I was. She knows it all, Arana.”
Arana’s smile thinned. “Seph, the thane did not deliberately mislead you. It’s the duty of the Trine to instruct Athela. We’ve been over this.”
Seph just rolled her eyes and grumbled something about asinine rules.
Arana sighed and turned back to Maude. “Since encountering Seph, we’ve revised our approach with our new found Athela that are human. First, we are very happy to conduct training here, on Sacana Turris, while you all wait for news of locating Earth.”
“You know that training is not happening, Arana,” Seph said. “You’re mentioning it just to mess with me.”
Arana ignored Seph’s interjection. “All we ask is that, during that time, you meet with other Teras representatives to keep the channels of communication open.”
Maude went to reply, but Seph cut her off. “And that’s definitely not—”
“Quit your snipping, girly.” Gummy jabbed a finger at Seph. “You keep this up, she’ll stay a damn caroa forever. Ain’t no use to us if she’s soft.” Gummy redirected her jabbing finger to Maude. “And you. Get your head outta your ass and say something.”
Maude’s gaze darted around the room to find that all eyes—including three pairs that were strangely alien—stared back at her.
“I’m not interested in clutching,” she blurted out.
Seph had assured her that she wouldn’t be forced—because the Athela always chooses—but she wanted that one matter settled. Yes, she was here to stay. But Therion was it for her.
That thought startled Maude. It was true. She didn’t want anyone else and admitting that flooded her with calming relief. He was her home.
Of course, she still had to tell him that.
Arana’s shoulders drooped as she looked skyward. “By Direis, not another one.” She took Maude’s hand and gave it a squeeze, as if to bolster her. “Clutch is a tool that gives you allies. You don’t have to take anyone to your brace.”
Brace. Maude knew that was used for sex. Basically, Arana was assuring her that she didn’t have to have sex with anyone else.
Gummy grumped. “But you should, ‘cause it’s kinky.”
“Vedma,” Arana snapped. “Not helping.”
“Not helping?” Gummy waved her off. “I just single-handedly brought down an entire Gwyretti compound and rescued an Athela.”
Arana sighed, then said with much forbearance. “Vedma.”
Gummy frowned as she slumped in her chair. “Shaved my damn eyebrows, Arana! This mug ain’t lookin’ any prettier, and I go and erase my best feature.” She glared at Maude. “You’d better make it all worth it, girly.”
An apology sprouted on Maude’s tongue, but she bit it back. Therion was right. She gave apologies too easily. She said nothing.
Gummy narrowed her eyes at her. “I wasn’t shittin’ about those grandlings. Rannik’s too big to cuddle.”
Seph scoffed. “Ran’s a first-year cadet and now you wanna hug him? How did you show him affection as a toddler, poke him with a stick?”
Gummy slumped in her seat. “Takes me a bit to warm up to people.”
Maude could see that what Gummy tossed out as a self-deprecating deflection was actually close to the truth. Gummy grumped and snipped at everyone, especially those closest to her. And Maude knew, as certainly as she knew her own name, that her baby would grow up calling Gummy, well, ‘Gummy.’
Suddenly Gummy sulking in her chair, with her arms crossed and her lower lip thrust out, tugged at Maude’s heart. This salty soul, who fiercely defended the ones she loved, was going to be family.
Maude turned to Gummy. “I’d love for you to hold my baby when she’s born.”
Gummy waved her off with an ‘ech,’ avoiding eye contact.
But Maude caught how Seph stiffened and pres
sed her lips into a thin line. If Gummy held the baby, that would be happening seven months from now. Seven more months with the Teras and not home with Xander, and she couldn’t blame Seph for closing off her expression.
Arana, with a strained smile on her face, shifted her attention between the three of them. “Maude’s with child?”
“Yes. I am.”
Arana blinked. “A human child?”
“Of course, a human child,” Seph snipped.
“That would imply that there is a human man.” Arana turned back to Maude, her voice gentle. “Is there?”
Maude wanted to sigh. Although Arana was Teras—an alien—her reaction was all too familiar. Arana ran her gaze over her, lingering on Maude’s midsection. The councilors at the fertility clinic had prepared her. As she began to show, people would be curious and ask a range of questions. Some would be innocent. Some would insult her. But none of those questions would change her reasons for becoming a surrogate—because she loved her sister.
She delivered the answer that she had rehearsed. “No. There is no man. I am carrying my sister’s baby.”
Arana looked startled, and when she went to speak, Gummy cut her off. “It ain’t what you’re thinking, Arana.”
Arana gaped before reining in her composure. “But… Do you plan to raise it?”
Maude spoke over Seph’s outburst. “Yes. I do.”
Seph jerked back with a wounded look on her face. “Maude?”
Being mindful of Seph, Maude tempered both her voice and answer. “That’s always been the plan, Seph. To be involved as her aunt. I’m not walking away from her. Ever.”
Gummy grumbled and shook her head. Fine, Maude might not have shouted the answer, but it didn’t make her any less committed and determined.
“Is that culturally driven?” Arana asked.
“Love, Arana,” Seph said, her voice no longer heated but resigned. “Maude’s doing it for love. She’d do anything for those she loves. That’s Maude.”
Arana brightened her smile. “That is very admirable of you. The Academe will gladly accommodate both you and the baby.”
