“There are others who need him more.”
“No, there aren’t. You’ve been standing here for a long time, Dade. The doctors have taken care of everyone else.”
Dade clenched his teeth, and his hum was barely audible. “He tried to sell us as slaves. He killed members of your family and slaved out others. Who knows what else he’s done? There were humans here. Humans.”
“The Toleral has guards in that room. It’s windowless, with a bed, a toilet, and nothing else. He won’t get out. Buphet can’t hurt us anymore.”
“He had to have accomplices.”
Larede stepped into Dade’s line of sight. Yaseke sighed, relieved that he was finally there. “I brought the portable unit. I figured you wouldn’t come to me for treatment.” He snorted. “When have you ever?” he hummed snarkily.
Yaseke looked over his shoulder at the guards. “Can we get a chair?” The portable table was too low, and Dade would have to sit down in order for the bio net to engage properly over his arms and hands. The angry hum and tension in his shoulders showed just how little Dade liked the idea.
“There are guards in the room with Dr. Handiburge and the Toleral. Not to mention the two guards at the end of the hall and the fact that door requires the code to be keyed in by two separate guards to open.” Yaseke tried to keep the exasperation out of his tone, but he failed. “You can sit down and let us help you for once, damn it!”
Dade insisted on the chair being set against the wall in front of the door. No one said a thing when his knees wobbled as he stepped to the side and then dropped down in the chair a little abruptly. The guard who’d brought the chair avoided Dade’s eyes, keeping his head ducked away.
That was peculiar. Yaseke frowned. “Dade…?”
“They know, tziu.” The despondent tone and the way Dade avoided his gaze said more than his words.
Yaseke’s breath caught.
“Know what?” Larede looked up from the screen he was tapping on as he prepped the bio net. “Is there something I should know before I do this? Are you hurt somewhere else? You seem more exhausted than you should be.”
“No,” Dade said as he shook his head. “I wasn’t hurt. My… ability has changed. The doctors who experimented on me before I agreed to be part of the Caeorleian experiment wanted me to be able to project my emotions. I never could—all I could do was feel them. When the Vlrsessiums took us and threatened Yaseke, I killed them.” He looked up at Larede. “Without touching them. All it took was just one look.”
If Dade expected Larede to avoid his gaze, he’d misjudged the male. Yaseke knew Larede was braver than that. “Good. I’m glad you kept both of you safe. I’m guessing you did it again during the attack where you were injured?”
Dade nodded. “Rage and fear. I used them both against the soldiers.” He looked down at his hands. “I had plenty of those.”
Larede shrugged one shoulder. “Of course you did; the humans are shipzus. They’ve tried to ravage our world for cycles. Look what they did to you, Ryder, and Nicklaus. They deserved it. Okay, I need you to put your arms on here.” He patted Dade on the shoulder and then guided him to rest his hands on the table. Dade started when Larede touched him, then looked up at him with wide eyes.
“You’re really not afraid of me.” The tense muscles in his shoulders eased somewhat, as he took a deep breath before letting it out slowly.
“Why would I be? You are an honorable male, Dade, and would never hurt an innocent. I’m sorry I forgot about touching you, though.”
Putting one hand on Dade’s shoulder, Yaseke smiled. “No, I think you really helped this time.”
Dade rested his head sideways against Yaseke’s chest. His eyelids slowly slid down, and he yawned. Wishing his isit would relax, Yaseke began running his hand over the male’s soft hair. He thought he was finally getting somewhere with him. No one else had been able to convince Dade to move. Maybe he could get Dade to come back to their suite to guard him and the young, instead of standing in this humid hall exhausting himself further.
“Dade, how about we—”
The door opened, and Dade started to shoot to his feet. The bio net flared in shimmering colors, and he froze, unable to move any farther.
“Damn it!” he snarled. “Larede, get this off me.”
“I can’t.”
The Toleral stepped out of the room behind Seral. One guard must have stayed inside with Buphet and the doctor because only one followed. He planted his feet firmly as he stood an inch in front of the opening and faced outward with his weapon bare in his hands.
“Yaseke.” Seral shifted his gaze over to Dade. “You need to sit back down.”
Dade plopped back down into his seat. “Is he dead?”
“No.” He held up a hand when Dade opened his mouth again. “And this is not the place to discuss these matters.”
Dade glanced away, his jaw set. “My isit needs to rest,” Yaseke said.
Modoalm stepped from behind Seral. He didn’t look scared, just grim and tired. “I have called for the council to convene. The asheksi have to discuss Fieo’s reports on the team’s findings. More guards are still combing the human’s hidden compound. We will want to speak with Dade as well.”
Yaseke swallowed, then straightened. He would not allow Dade to be punished because he had an ability no one understood that was forced upon him, no matter what he said about being a volunteer. “Just speak?” Yaseke tightened his grip over Dade’s shoulder when he tensed.
“Yaseke…,” Dade said in a low hum. “Later.”
“No.” He refused to budge. “I will ask this now.” Dade couldn’t feel how scared Yaseke was, and he hoped he was hiding it physically, but he could not go any longer without at least some idea of what they’d walk into when he entered the council chamber. He would not let Dade face the asheksi alone.
Modoalm’s lips softened from their firm line, and he sighed. He looked around, at the guard who carefully avoided looking at Dade, then at Larede and Yaseke, who stood next to him. He nodded. “We appreciate Dade’s assistance in protecting the citizens of Caeorleia. I understand that what he did came at personal risk, and without him, we might never have found Buphet and the humans before it was too late.”
Yaseke almost sank to his knees. He’d been acting as strong as he knew how, but mentally, he was a mess. He’d had a nagging fear the Toleral wouldn’t be able to see past Dade’s ability, to understand the heart of Dade. His fear had nibbled away at his peace of mind since the Vlrsessiums had collapsed when Dade’s ability changed.
But everything would be fine. Yaseke held on to Dade, squeezing his shoulder. “Thank you, Toleral. As soon as Larede has finished with Dade, I intend to take him back to our suite.”
“We will wish to speak with both of you, but there is plenty of time for Dade to recover his strength.” Modoalm waved his guard forward. “Please excuse me.”
Seral didn’t leave with his father. Larede tapped at the panel in his hands, and the bio net stopped shimmering. “There, all done.” The broken, bleeding knuckles on Dade’s hands were clean and repaired, the swelling gone completely. Dade flexed his hands and grunted.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. I suppose you consider me as your personal appendage repairer, but I’d really rather not have to keep fixing you up. So, be more careful, huh?” Larede smirked as he leaned down to Yaseke and hummed quietly into his ear. “I didn’t alter his metabolic function. He needs true rest.”
Yaseke nodded. “I’ll make sure he gets it.”
Dade stood up.
“We are going to our suite, Dade.” Yaseke’s voice was firm.
Seral nodded toward the guards. “They will not let anyone in but Dr. Handiburge and his team, nor anyone out but them. Polsh will be overseeing the security personally.”
Dade waved Seral closer, away from the guards. “The other man, the human with the white eyes. Is he safe?”
“Fieo said you knew him and said he’s not
dangerous. He was unconscious when he was transported back and hasn’t woken.”
“He is likely in shock. He has… abilities.”
Seral stiffened. “Like yours?”
“No. He is not empathetic, or a weapon like me. At one time, Chip was one of my men, my communications officer. He was a friend,” Dade said softly. “His ability wasn’t created genetically. The military was experimenting with communications technology; they wished to be able to intercept alien communications and decipher them. He was a prototype, sent to the front lines. His eyes and ears were replaced with recording equipment, and they inserted a bio-organic processing center that linked with his brain.”
“So he could understand us?” Seral’s eyes widened. “And translate what we said to the humans?”
Dade shrugged. “I don’t know for sure. The other alien races the humans have come across have all been verbal. The farther we’ve spread from our home galaxy, the stranger things became. The planets, the aliens, the technology… we could’ve learned so much. But the Council wanted everything, on their terms.
“He was not an ambassador to communicate with the aliens; he was their secret weapon to figuring out how to destroy them with the least cost. His processor stopped working when we were blasted in an energy wave on MZV 4. He was collected for ‘repair or reassignment.’ I never saw him again.”
“You said his name is Chip?”
Dade nodded. “A nickname he was given by the squad. I think he liked it, but he wasn’t normal—not even then. His mind is more computer than organic. He cannot relate to others in a regular fashion, but he does feel things. Or he did.” Dade looked sad. Yaseke slid under his arm and hugged him.
“We shall have to hope he wakes up, then.”
Yaseke leaned close to Dade, trying to take some of his weight. Dade swayed on his feet. Yaseke frowned. “Home, now. It’s time for you to rest.”
Seral seconded Yaseke’s command. “Yes. You should go rest. We have the initial reports. The asheksi will consider all the evidence collected and discuss everything. Rest assured, Dade, your family is safe. I will also relay your information to Dr. Handiburge regarding Chip.”
Dade didn’t have much of a choice any longer. He was exhausted, pale, and his blinks were long and slow. He turned reluctantly but followed Yaseke out of the medical wing without any further arguments. Thankfully the walk back to their suite was short; Yaseke’s work as a counselor meant he needed to be close to the medical wing.
Pira and Maerit rushed to them when they entered the main area of the suite.
“Dade!” Pira wrapped her thin arms around one of his legs and clung tight. Maerit hugged his waist, burying his head against Dade’s bare stomach.
“You’re back,” Maerit said. His words were muffled.
Dade ran a hand down the young’s back. “I told you I would be.” He ruffled Pira’s soft hair. “C’mon now. No crying, honey.”
Yaseke squatted down next to them. “Dade needs to rest. You guys want to help me get him to go to bed?”
Maerit nodded. He stepped to the side and took Dade’s hand. “Pira?” Yaseke waited for the little female to look up at him, her wide, amber eyes watery with tears. “Do you want to snuggle with Dade in our bed? We can all keep him company, if you can keep still and let him rest.”
“Okay, Yaseke.”
The bed was a tight squeeze with all four of them in it, but Yaseke didn’t mind. He needed the closeness, and he suspected Dade did too.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The door buzzed, waking me up. I was sweating, and my arm ached. Pira had curled herself against me and was using it as a pillow, clutching at my hand with her little claws. Maerit had made his way to the bottom of the bed and was sleeping sideways over my legs.
Yaseke sat up, rubbing at his eyes. “What?” he croaked.
“It’s the door.”
I didn’t like the way he flinched and his mouth tightened, those soft lips flattening. “Hey.” I reached out to him with my free hand and stroked his hip. “It’s okay, remember? We’re safe, from Buphet and the asheksi won’t do anything to me. Modoalm said so.”
The trick was putting enough belief in my voice to convince Yaseke I meant it. Everything we’d been through, and yet we still had no answers. It was enough to drive a man insane. My tziu nodded reluctantly.
“Good, then stop worrying. Go answer the door.” I started working my way out from under the children as Yaseke got up. His sleek muscles moved, the blue isitziu standing out in vivid streaks against his pale, flawless skin. I’d fallen asleep with my palm on his chest, our marks pressed tight together.
I really shouldn’t be thinking the kinds of thoughts that flashed through my mind when there were kids in our bed. I looked away before the sight of his ass flexing could affect me physically. Finally managing to roll Pira off my arm, I sat up. Maerit was a hard sleeper. He hummed sleepily but didn’t wake up when I picked him up and snuggled him in next to his sister. I scrubbed my fingers through my hair.
“Dade?”
“I’m coming.”
They could wait, whoever they were, until I got my shorts on. When I got out into the lounge, I stopped. Yaseke stood by the chairs in the front room of our suite, his hand clenched into the back of a cushion. Three guards were standing outside in front of the door, shoulder to shoulder.
They looked really friendly.
I rolled my eyes. “What?” I walked over to Yaseke.
“The council has requested your presence.”
Yaseke’s entire body was tense. His shoulders were rigid under my hands, resisting my attempts to massage a little of the tension out. I sighed. We were going on some sort of vacation when this was over. “It took three of the guard to deliver that message?”
“Actually, only I was sent by the council,” the guard in the center said. “These other two are stationed outside your suite for the duration of the day.”
Yaseke choked.
“Shhh.” I bent down and kissed his neck. I felt an urge to bite down that surprised me. My teeth almost ached to be buried in him, and my cock began to stiffen. Yaseke sighed and leaned against me, pushing his bare body back against mine.
My shorts, and the flat stares of the guards, kept things from getting out of hand, but just barely. We’d had far too little time together since we joined.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Actually, the Toleral requested both of you to attend the summons from the asheksi.”
Yaseke glanced back through the open door into the bedroom where the kids were still sleeping. “I don’t like leaving them.”
“What about calling Witani?”
She’d been spending time with us since we got back, lavishing attention on the kids. I knew she was carrying, having overheard her talking to Ryker about some treatments she’d been given. They’d been successful, apparently, but just a few days before she’d had a scare. Polsh had been recalled from the field and was working only in the residence as Seral’s second-in-command along with Fieo. The doctors didn’t want her stressed, so Polsh told Ovrumi to keep Modoalm from including Witani in the council meetings as his heir.
Witani had been pissed, but Ovrumi had convinced her it was for the best. For now, Seral was taking over for her, and Ryker wasn’t exactly happy about it, either.
It was funny how much I was learning what a true family should be like—while living on an alien planet. The people who’d accepted us into their lives—Ryker, Nicklaus, and me—were far more humane than most humans I’d known. I had a harder time trusting them after all the attacks on my tziu and me, but Yaseke trusted Witani implicitly. And since she was on orders to rest, Witani wouldn’t be tempted to take the kids outside to play, like they always begged to do. They would be fine staying in the suite with her. The council could just wait until she got here before we acted on their “summons.” I wasn’t leaving those kids without someone here to reassure them they hadn’t been left alone again.
&n
bsp; “I’ll com her.” Yaseke moved off, and I straightened, deciding against grabbing a shirt. I stared back at the guards in a silent standoff until Yaseke came back. “She’ll be here soon. I’m going to grab a wrap.”
By the time Yaseke came out of our room, Witani was there, pushing through the guards. She gave Yaseke a short hug and smiled at me.
“Thank you for coming so quickly,” Yaseke said.
“It’s my pleasure.” She put her hand on her heart space. “I feel so bad for the poor young, losing their mother that way. You go, and we’ll be here when you get back.”
I slipped my hand into Yaseke’s and then gestured for the guards to go ahead of us. When the door slid shut behind me, I turned and said to the remaining two guards, “You do not move from this spot. No one goes in before we get back. Understand?”
They both nodded, avoiding my eyes. Respect was a better way to ensure obedience, but I wasn’t in the mood to care why they’d listen to me. If fear was the way to guarantee that they followed my orders, I’d take it.
“Let’s go.” I didn’t wait for the guard but turned and stalked toward the room where the asheksi met. Yaseke didn’t protest, though he had to hurry to keep up. I’d mapped the residence out in my head over the weeks, and I didn’t need a guide. I wouldn’t be led into the meeting like some sort of criminal, either. The guards outside the council chamber tapped in a request on the door, and it opened with my guard still coming down the corridor.
“Please come in and sit down,” Modoalm said when I hesitated inside the door. “We have seats for both of you.”
There was a conspicuous absence in one of the chairs beside Buphet’s. “Did you lose another council member?” Yaseke asked as we sat down.
Modoalm sighed. “Yes, though not for any reason connected to the recent business. Charzar’s daughter was to be joined, and we did not want to put their joyous occasion off. He is in the city but not available today.”
“Did you find out what Buphet was doing in the jungle with the humans? Why were they there? What was he doing?” I wanted answers, and I knew they had them.
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