by Susan Hayes
“Princess, this is Shadow. Could you tell the prince we’re going to need a security force to sweep the ship? He’s got to be here somewhere.”
Shadow grabbed another throat mic and earpiece from a pouch on her belt and handed them to him with a smile. “If you want to join the hunt, you’ll need these. Or do you need the med-bay?”
He took the equipment from her. “No med-bay for me. You okay? Denz?”
“I’m good,” Denz replied. “And I’m betting our Shadow doesn’t have so much as a scratch on her?”
He slipped the earpiece into place and then held up his hands. “My betting days are over. In fact, I haven’t placed a bet since this mess with Nesht started. I’m sorry I put everyone here at risk.”
“We’ll talk about that later,” Shadow said. “I’m just glad you’re okay. For a while there I thought…” Tears shimmered in her eyes and the sight of her distress hit him like an asteroid strike.
“I’m sorry about that, too.” Regret threatened to choke him. Instead of speaking, he just gripped her hand and held it to his chest. “I swear on my heart and all I hold dear I’ll do better from here on out.”
She nodded, already blinking away her tears. “You’d better. I thought my killing days were over. But I had to. It was the only way to get you back.”
“I…” He stopped as words failed him and then started again because he knew silence wasn’t what she needed right now. “I’m sorry you had to make that choice because of me. It wasn’t really a choice at all. That’s something else I need to make up for. But I’m grateful you came. My life is yours. My heart, too. Seeing you today… By all the winds that blow, you were magnificent. I knew I was a lucky male, but what you did? That was breathtaking.”
Shadow’s mouth twitched into a smile, and nothing but relief shone in her eyes. “Yeah? That’s not a part of my life I’m proud of.” She straightened a little. “But Denz reminded me today those abilities are still part of who I am.”
“You are incredible. I thought I was protecting you…” He shook his head. “You don’t need my protection, though.”
“Maybe not, but it’s nice to know I have someone looking out for me.” She glanced over to Denz and then back to him. “Two someones.”
“You do.” He stepped back and took another look at her—blood-streaked skin and black body armor. His harani hugged her bicep and his dagger was tucked into her belt.
“This is probably the wrong time to mention it, but by all the winds that blow, you look incredible.”
“You too, huh?”
Denz chuckled. “Told you so. Bad-ass is sexy.”
“You three need serious therapy,” someone grumbled in his ear.
“Not another word out of you, Edge. I’m loving every minute of this. It reminds me of when my mahoyen were adoring and attentive.” He recognized the princess’s voice.
“We’re still adoring and attentive. Pay her no mind,” Tyran protested.
“Sorry. Didn’t realize my mic was active,” Kade said. He hadn’t meant to broadcast their moment to the others.
“Clearly,” another male drawled. “Word of warning. You three might want to hold on to something in three, two…”
All three of them lunged toward the nearest handhold. Denz got there first. Shadow latched on to him, and Kade wrapped his arms around Shadow.
A second later, a small shock wave hit the ship.
“What the fraxx was that?” Shadow demanded. “What did you do?”
“I found your missing Jeskyran.”
“Dammit, Raze. The plan was to take prisoners,” Tyran barked.
“My finger slipped. And that asshole tried to threaten my planet.”
“Our planet,” Tyran retorted.
“Nope. Mine. I found it. I colonized it. Mine. You all should really be paying me rent,” Raze said.
Denz muted his mic. “I swear this is the happiest I’ve ever heard him.”
Kade asked, “Raze. Can you confirm Nesht is dead?”
“Very. His shuttle went boom in a most satisfactory way.”
“Then I owe you a drink. Thank you,” Kade said.
There was a pause before Raze answered. “I’ll take you up on that, Vardarian. And while we’re drinking, you can give me your word that you will never put my home or my family in harm’s way again.”
“Two drinks and my word. Any time you like,” Kade answered and then slid an arm around Shadow. “After all, my family lives here too.”
“Done.”
It didn’t take long for Vardarian security to move in and take over the newly confiscated ship. A handful of arrests were made, mostly of the ship’s working crew, and they all claimed to know nothing about anything that might have been going on.
The moment they could, the three of them re-boarded the Chism’ah to head back to Haven.
There wasn’t room for all three of them in the cockpit, so Shadow and Denz made use of the showers while he decoupled the two ships and then set a course for Haven.
Once that was done, he grabbed a quick shower as well and then met the others in the galley.
Kade was famished, so he had the AI whip up several meals for them all before joining them at the table.
“How’s the arm?” Shadow asked, nodding to the hole in his sleeve.
“Almost healed.” He shrugged out of his jacket and looked mournfully at the damage. “But I’m going to have to buy a new coat, and with Nesht dead, I don’t even know where to send the bill.”
“Hold on to the receipt. I can’t prove it yet, but I have a feeling Torex is involved in this somehow.”
Shadow cocked her head. “The mining corporation that owned this planet before us? Why would they want it back? I mean, didn’t they get mineral rights to a dozen new systems in exchange?”
“Tantalum. Apparently this planet has several large deposits of it.”
Shadow nodded. “Oh, wow. That explains it.”
“What’s tantalum?”
“In your language it’s called tarchozin.” Denz went on to explain why humans still valued the ore so much while they ate. Then he told them about the fly-overs as well as Torex’s offers and threats. By the time the tale was told, Kade was in agreement. Torex, or at least some of their executives, had to be paying Nesht. It wouldn’t be easy to prove, though, with Nesht dead.
“Your corporations are as convoluted and underhanded as anything going on at the Imperial court,” Kade said. Which was one of the things he enjoyed about being away from his home planet for most of his days. Home… it took his tired mind longer than it should have to remember what was so important about that word.
“Qarf! Shadow, did you contact my parents? Do they think I’m dead?”
“No. I didn’t want to reach out until I knew what had happened to you.” She took his hand and squeezed it. “I wasn’t ready to believe you might really be gone.”
“Then I can put that off until later.”
“Actually, I don’t think you should. Ship, route the message you received from Kade’s family to the galley. Load but pause playback until Kade tells you to play it.”
“Yes, Captain Shadow.”
Shadow grinned at him. “I’m going to miss being called Captain once I hand over ownership to you again. Do you want us to leave while you play the message? It came in while we were on our way to get you.”
“It’s from my family?”
“It is. There’s just a last name, so I don’t know who.”
Denz got up from the table. “I’ll go.”
“You can stay, Denz. You’re family, too. You both are.”
Denz sank back into his seat. “You sure?”
The words came straight from his heart, surprising him as much as anyone else.
“I’m sure. You risked your ass for me back there. You protected our mahaya. We might not have held the ceremony, but you are my anrik in every way that matters.”
He held out his hand to Denz, who reached out to cross wrists
with him.
“Family,” Denz said.
“My family,” Shadow repeated, her words full of joy.
Something deep inside him clicked, and a weight he didn’t know he was carrying fell away. “Alright then. Let’s see what my other family has to say. Ship, play message.”
His father appeared on the wall monitor. Standing beside him was Marik, his father’s anrik. Both of them were grim-faced, and his father looked weary and sad too. “Greetings, my son,” he said in Vardarian.
Marik elbowed him. “Enough with the formality, Zakk. Kade, congratulations. We are both so happy to hear you’ve found your mahaya!”
“So, your father is the gold one. Is the silver male his anrik?” Shadow asked.
“That’s Marik, yes. He was never much for manners or traditions. It’s a constant source of annoyance to my mother.”
His father’s face softened into a smile. “Yes, yes. You’re right. This isn’t a formal occasion. This is a time for celebration. Congratulations to you and to your mahaya. You deserve every happiness, my son. I’m glad you’ve found it.”
His father paused, his smile fading. “I am sorry we didn’t receive this news sooner. There was…”
“It was your mother,” Marik said, stepping in when his father couldn’t continue. “When we confronted her, she admitted to erasing your message without viewing it. It turns out she’s done that for years. All this time, we believed her when she said she never heard from you.”
“Well, it’s not like I messaged home very often,” Kade said, even knowing they couldn’t hear him.
“We didn’t know, Kade. But we should have guessed. I am so sorry. You and your sister deserved better fathers,” his father said.
“I didn’t want better. I just wanted the ones I had to spend more time at home.” Kade wanted to be angry with them, but he couldn’t muster the energy. Those were old wounds, long since scarred over.
“Son, we want you to know that since we got your message, we’ve done a lot of talking.” To Kade’s surprise, Zakk took Marik’s hand, linking their fingers. “Some things are going to change, Kade. For all our sakes, they have to.”
Marik chimed in. “We’re hoping that an improved relationship between the three of us will be one of those changes. With your permission, we’d like to come see you and talk about everything in person. And we want to meet your mahaya, Shadow, and welcome her into the family.”
Shadow didn’t say a word. She just leaned into him in silent support.
Zakk continued. “Your mother will not be joining us for this visit. She has some thinking of her own to do. But no matter what you may believe, she is happy for you. I know she’ll want to visit you too, in time.”
Kade wasn’t convinced that would ever happen, but he’d been wrong about a lot of things lately.
“So, when you’re ready, reply to this message. It will come directly to us. No one else. It will be good to see you again.”
Marik nodded. “Congratulations, Kade. May your lives be lifted up by the fairest of winds. Please send our best to your mahaya, too.”
The message ended, and for a moment the three of them were silent.
He was still trying to process the fact the two of them had actually apologized, not to mention they’d acknowledged something he’d suspected but never dared to speak aloud. His father and Marik shared a bond that went deeper than just being anrik. It was why they spent so much time away from home—not just for work but because that was the only time they could be together. He knew his mother’s feelings on such relationships. Her entire life was based on the need to be accepted in the elite circles she preferred, and those beings had a narrow, rigid view of what was acceptable. Anyone who failed to meet those standards was excluded, even her own family.
“Your mother seems like an unpleasant sort of female,” Denz said. “If you want, you’re welcome to borrow one of mine. I’ve got three.”
“Three?”
“And three fathers at last count. Though biologically, I’m only related to Javren, Torgan, and my mother, Sasha. But I love them all, and they love me.”
Shadow made a stunned little noise. “I’m going to have five fathers and four mothers-in-law?”
“All of mine are going to love you, sweetheart,” Denz said and then looked to Kade. “And you, too.”
“Family,” Kade said again. He didn’t just have his mate. He had a family. And that changed everything. He had some thinking to do.
18
It was almost morning before they finished debriefing everyone. Shadow’s nanotech could keep her on her feet for days if necessary, but by the time they left the council chambers, she wanted nothing more than to fall into bed and sleep. The only question was whose bed would it be? Hers, Kade’s, or Denz’s?
The first light of dawn painted the sky in subtle hints of red and gold as they stepped outside, but the beauty of the new day was overshadowed by the choice she needed to make. She didn’t want to choose one over the other, and she didn’t want to go to bed alone either.
The three of them stopped and then looked at each other.
“I could…” Kade said.
“I don’t…” she started to say.
Denz pointed down the street toward his residence. “My place is closest, and my bed’s big enough. I’ve seen those habi-pods. There’s no way the three of us will fit in your room, never mind your bed.”
She gave an undignified squeal of delight and threw her arms around him. “You’re right. My bed’s much too small.”
“And mine still needs a new mattress,” Kade added without hesitation.
“So, my place. And once we’ve had some sleep, we’ll have to talk about moving to someplace big enough for three.” He looked to Kade. “For when you’re in town, that is.”
Kade scrubbed a hand over his unshaven jaw. “I’m not going anywhere. My home and my family are right here. I haven’t figured out the details yet, but if I sell my ship, I can clear my debts and have enough to start over. Assuming there’s anyone still looking to collect. Either way, I don’t need the Chism’ah, anymore.” He held out his hand to her. “Think you can put up with me full time, my mahaya?”
Denz winked at her and gave her a light push toward Kade. Not that she needed it.
“I’d like nothing better.” She bounded into Kade’s arms and let him sweep her into a hug. When Denz moved in behind her to sandwich her between them, it was the best feeling in the galaxy. For the first time in her life, she felt safe. No, it was more than that. She basked in the warmth and comfort of her mates. This…was love.
It wasn’t a long walk home, but by the time they got there, Shadow didn’t feel the slightest bit tired anymore. Not when all she could think about was the fact the three of them were going to be in bed together soon.
Denz unlocked the front door and ushered the others inside. The servo-droids had cleaned up the remains of their meal though the air still held a lingering trace of the sauce he’d cooked for her. It didn’t seem possible that the evening they’d shared had only been the night before.
Denz walked straight through the main areas and into his bedroom, pointing out other rooms as he went. “Spare room is through that door. Sanitation room is over there. The refrigeration unit and food dispenser are fully stocked, though there aren’t a lot of Vardarian options.”
“I’ll manage,” Kade said, barely sparing the place a glance.
The servo-droids had been busy in here too. The bed had been remade with fresh linens, and the air was lightly scented with something that reminded her of citrus fruit.
Denz wrinkled his nose. “Tab, discontinue wake-up protocols. In case you hadn’t noticed, I haven’t been to bed yet.”
“My apologies. Would you like another protocol initiated instead?”
Kade looked to her, eyebrows raised as he mouthed the word “Tab?”
“AI,” she whispered back.
“You humans love to give names to inanimate things.”
Denz scowled and continued talking to the AI. “Activate the protocol I programmed yesterday.”
“Seduction protocol now initiated.”
Denz sighed. “I really need to tweak your code so you’re a little more circumspect. Thank you, Tab. Now, engage privacy mode.”
“Seduction protocol?” Shadow asked.
Denz squeezed the back of his neck and looked a little sheepish. “You’ll see.”
The lighting shifted into the red spectrum, and the citrus scent was replaced by something subtler—a mix of musk and spices with a sultry note.
“Of all the uses for an AI…this was one I never considered,” Kade said approvingly.
He shrugged out of his jacket and placed it on the nearest chair before turning toward her. “As hot as you look in that body armor. I think it’s time we got you out of it.”
“Best idea I’ve heard all day,” Denz agreed.
“The day started about five minutes ago,” she pointed out as they closed in on her from both sides.
“That doesn’t change anything,” Kade informed her.
“Are you two teaming up on me, now?” the words had so many layers of meaning she didn’t even try to count them, but she meant every single one.
Her two males locked gazes for a moment and then both of them looked down at her with almost identical, predatory smiles.
“And now that is the best idea of the day.” Denz’s voice was little more than a low rumble, like the growl of a distant landslide.
“Don’t move,” Kade instructed.
“Not a muscle,” Denz added.
They disarmed her first, every blade and blaster set aside with care. Once that task was complete, they moved faster, zips and fasteners undone as quickly as their fingers could move. Occasionally they got in each other’s way, and more than once one of them grunted in frustration or slapped the other’s hand away.
It was intoxicating to be the center of both their focuses like this. Every touch increased her arousal and her awareness not only of herself, but of them. They moved differently from each other. Kade had the grace of a predator while Denz’s movements were steady and careful. They were different in so many ways, but they were the same in the only way that mattered. They were both hers.