True. He had no right to complain about his own physical limitations when his were hidden and unknown to his enemies. While a pain in the ass, his ruptured heart didn't stop him from doing many things.
Still, he hated whenever someone treated him like an invalid.
"You're such a bastard, Taryn."
He grinned. "I know, Reen. Thanks."
Devyn rolled his eyes as Taryn called him by his sister's name. "So how is Adron?" He thought about his old friend a lot. But Adron barely spoke to him anymore. He was isolated in a world of painful bitterness that caused him to shut out everyone who loved him.
Taryn set the box down and sighed. "Same as always. Angry at the world and wanting to kill Jayce."
Their brother Jayce had been the one to save Adron's life, and for that, Adron hated his brother with a passion. The code of the assassin was to die should they ever be crippled by their duties. If another assassin found one seriously comprised, he was supposed to kill him. But Jayce had been unable to kill his own brother.
And even though Adron wanted to die, he refused to hurt his family by killing himself. So he was trapped in a body that wouldn't work while he lived a life of utter misery in constant pain.
"Is Jayce any better?" Devyn asked.
"No. None of us are." His dark eyes flashed. "Which is why I don't want you straining yourself. I already have one hardheaded asshole bent on suicide. I don't need another one."
Devyn held his hands up in surrender. "By all means, get a hernia. Knock yourself out. Gods forbid I stop you. Not like I spent ten years in med school or anything to know when I need to sit down." Taryn made an obscene gesture before he hefted another box.
But in all seriousness, Devyn understood why Adron hated the world. There were times when he did, too. Nothing like being royally fucked over by someone you loved to suck the will to live right out of you. This was not the life he'd dreamed of when he was a kid.
He'd imagined a world of justice where he'd fight for The League to protect the innocent. A world that included a woman who would stand by his side.
Not one who would smile at his face while she drove a knife through his heart.
Literally.
And babies... He'd imagined a lot of kids. Omari would make one hell of an older brother to someone.
You have no right to complain.
True.
It's all good. He had a great son who did honor to both of them, and more than that--we're all fed and no one's dead. That had always been his uncle's philosophy. So long as those two things were taken care of, nothing else really mattered.
He saw an image of Alix in his mind and actually flinched. More than anything, she reminded him of those long-buried dreams he'd once shared with Clotilde. Damn her for looking so much like her.
And damn her for being so enticing as to make him want to forget about Clotilde and start over.
Don't...
He had a new future to focus on. One that didn't include anything except keeping his crew safe and helping the rebels who opposed The League. That was the only thing he needed to expend his energy on.
"I am not interested in Devyn."
You're such a liar.
But it was something Alix had to teach herself to believe.
Zarina made a very undignified sound of disagreement. "Honey, you look at that man like you can already taste him. I know that look. I've had it a time or two myself. Not at Devyn, 'cause... ew! That's like fantasizing over one of my brothers, but I know tasty when I see it and I know that man well enough to know that he's not immune to you, either. Devyn is very interested."
Yeah, right. Alix was anything but stupid, and she knew that while Devyn was kind to her in bed, he didn't have any deeper feelings for her than that. Dreams were for fools and men only used the women around them. Once done, they moved on.
Unless they owned the woman. Then they used her to their heart's content without any regard for her feelings. That was probably why the Hyshians had chosen to enslave and subjugate their men.
But that was neither here nor there. Devyn was the key to her freedom and that was all he could ever be.
Alix looked away as the waiter brought their dessert. She'd been trying for the last half hour to change the subject, but Zarina wouldn't be swayed. She was an obsessive personality who had a raw determination that only a three-year-old could envy.
"I'm not his type."
Zarina gave her a droll stare. "Do you even know what that is?"
Alix sighed. "No, but I'm rather sure it begins with gorgeous, which is a far cry from me."
"Do you even own a mirror?"
"Yeah. I do." And she'd used it enough to know that she was too curveless, too pale and too fragile. To quote her father, she looked like something a wolf had gobbled up and shit down the wrong side of a mountain.
Zarina rolled her eyes before she dug into her purse. After a few seconds, she pulled out a small photo MVM and scrolled through it. She handed it to Alix. "You were saying?"
Alix's breath caught as she looked down and saw a woman who bore an uncanny resemblance to her. The only difference was the other woman wore a lot of makeup and had short hair.
And her attitude was completely different. Unlike Alix, she stood confident.
No...
Defiant.
There was something about the woman in the picture that seemed cold and deadly. Even though she was leaning against a younger Devyn and smiling, there was something about her that wasn't right. She looked too calculating and icy. As if she were only interested in what she could take from the world.
Alix handed the photo back to Zarina. "Who is she?"
"Clotilde Renier."
"She's beautiful."
"And you're a dead ringer for her."
Alix shook her head in denial. "Not quite. I've never looked like that. For one thing, I'm pretty sure I was born in more clothes than she's wearing in that picture." She returned to eating her dessert. "Is she Devyn's girlfriend?"
"She was his fiancee."
She paused at the way Zarina had said that. "Was?"
"He killed her."
Alix felt the color fade from her face at the deadly note in Zarina's voice. She'd known Devyn was lethal, but to kill his own fiancee?
He's going to rip you to shreds...
"He did what?"
Zarina waved her fear away. "Relax. It was justified."
Only an assassin's daughter could think that. "How is killing your fiancee justified?"
Zarina returned the MVM player to her bag. "She tried to kill him first and almost succeeded. In the beginning of her attack, Devyn refused to fight her, but she gave him no choice. Had he not killed her, she would have killed him."
Alix couldn't breathe as that reality slammed into her. Had Merjack known that? What the hell had he been thinking by sending her in to frame Devyn when he'd killed the woman she resembled?
You are so screwed...
And Merjack was a first-rank troll to do something so cruel.
Zarina patted her hand. "Don't look so scared."
If the woman only knew why she was so terrified.
"It really is all right. I just wanted you to see what you could look like if you wanted to."
"Yeah, well, I think I'd rather look like me and not have Captain Kell go bended and slaughter me during some psychotic episode where he thinks I'm her."
Was Zarina nuts trying to put them together? It was a wonder Devyn had even let her near his ship, never mind his body.
She shook her head. "Alix, you are hopeless."
"Not hopeless. I just know the rules, and men like Captain Kell don't involve themselves with women like me." On many, many levels.
"And renowned dancers don't marry outlawed League assassins. Yet here I am, the daughter of the most unlikely couple in the universe. Second only to maybe Dev's parents." She gave her a hard stare. "I believe in the impossible. It happens every day."
"And I believe in reality."
"Reality is boring."
No, it wasn't. It was dangerous and scary. But Alix didn't try to contradict her as she finished up her ice cream. Honestly, she just wanted to get back and finish this so that she could see her mother and sister again.
Zarina gave her a reprieve while she waved at someone sitting at another table.
Alix frowned as she turned to see two big, burly men not far from them. "What are you doing?"
"Acknowledging my bodyguards."
Now she was completely confused. "I thought Sphinx was your bodyguard?"
"You mean Strife. And no... he was tailing me per my brother's orders to keep me out of trouble."
"Isn't that what bodyguards do?"
"No. My bodyguards don't interfere with what I want to do. They just make sure no one bothers me. The appropriately named Strife, on the other hand, is a major buzz kill since he's always terminating whatever fun I find. In turn, I abuse him for it."
"That's really messed up."
"Tell me about it." Zarina pushed her chair back. "I have to go to the ladies' room. I'll be right back."
Alix didn't move as she saw the two men fall in line to follow after Zarina.
Wow. How had she missed them? But then, she didn't normally pay attention to things like that.
Maybe she should.
"What do you think you're doing?"
She jumped at the deep, unfamiliar voice in her ear. "Excuse me?"
Even though the man was at least twenty years older than her, he was unbelievably handsome with sharp features and a lean build. His dark hair fell across a pair of icy hazel eyes. "Merjack put you on orders that didn't include lunching with a spoiled princess and living a life well above your putrid station."
Her blood ran cold at his angry words. How did he know about that? "Who are you?"
He flashed a Ritadarion investigator's shield at her. "Lieutenant Paden Whelms. And I'm your contact until you finish your mission."
She scowled at him as he tucked the badge away. "I don't understand."
He leaned down to snarl at her. "Merjack can't leave his post, nor can he be seen communicating with a slave. But as his agent, I'm able to keep my sights on you. Have you found anything we can use?"
She swallowed in fear at his intense, hostile glare. "N-not yet."
He cursed before he turned that maniacal gaze back on her. There was so much hatred reflected in those eyes that she couldn't fathom it. What had she done to him?
"Don't even think about double-crossing the CMQD, little girl. He eats trash like you for lunch."
"I-I would never. Kell's a very cautious man and I haven't been able to access anything... yet. But I will."
"Time's running out." He held a link in her face that showed a photo of her mother and sister. Tears bristled in their lashes as they held each other close. "I expect the files we need at your next stop, which will be at Charisis, day after tomorrow."
She shook her head at him. "We're not going there."
"Yes, you are. I've arranged for a little malfunction that you won't see until you're in space. The only place for the part is on Charisis. You will be there, and one way or another, this will end. Trust me."
Funny how those two words gave her chills.
He held the picture up for her one more time. "Their lives are in your hands. Do not fail."
Alix wanted to slap the arrogance off his face. She hated being at his mercy. Most of all, she hated being forced to hurt a man who'd been nothing but kind to her.
Devyn didn't deserve this...
With a disdainful curl to his lip, Whelms turned on his heel and left.
* * *
CHAPTER 6
"Do you ever get the feeling there's something odd about our new engineer?"
Devyn paused while he finished his current log. He looked up to find Sway joining him on the bridge. "I thought you and CIaria were..." He cleared his throat meaningfully. "Busy."
Sway scratched his chin in an irritated gesture. "She had to take a call that I'm not authorized to hear."
Devyn snorted at the typical government BS and paranoia. "Sorry they interrupted your fun."
"Yeah, me, too. So? What about it?"
He saved his work before he spoke again. "I think she's suspicious of us--not surprising for a woman her age in an all-male crew. I'd be nervous with our sorry asses, too." He glanced back at Sway. "Have you noticed something more?"
"I can't put my finger on it. There's just something about her that doesn't sit right with me."
"Other than the fact that she reminds you of Clotilde, who you always hated?"
"There is that, and I won't be an 'I told you so' where that bitch is concerned, so I won't go there. But no, this is something else. It's like she's hiding something... I can feel it."
Devyn shrugged his concern away. "We're all hiding something, aridos. My dubious lineage and health, your grandfather's reputation, Omari's abilities and Vik's special programming. If she didn't have something of a similar nature to keep from us, she definitely wouldn't fit in with this crew."
Sway gave him a hard stare. "You're making excuses again. I thought you said you'd never do that for another woman."
Devyn froze at the reminder. Sway was right. He'd made excuse after excuse for Clotilde. Even when every instinct in him had said something wasn't right, he'd dismissed it.
Had he only listened to himself.
Was he doing that again?
The thought sobered him. "I'll watch her closely."
Sway inclined his head.
"Here you are. I wondered where you'd gotten off to."
Devyn smiled as he saw Claria join them. Tall and lithe, she was exquisitely beautiful with long black hair she wore in braids that matched Sway's--another Hyshian custom. Damn, for a right to her, he'd have sold himself into slavery, too.
Sway was a lucky man.
She turned her attention to Devyn. "Sway says you've been taking really good care of him for me."
He laughed. "Well, his mom did a great job house breaking him, so he doesn't require too much work. Not to mention Vik doesn't mind walking him once a day. It's all good."
She rolled her eyes. "You're such a smartass."
"I come by it honestly. You've met my parents. You understand."
Shaking her head, she sobered as she looked at Sway. "By the way, you should know that your Alix is a ghost."
Devyn arched a brow at Sway. "You had Claire look into Alix?"
"No," Claria said quickly. "I took the initiative myself. I want to know who's on crew with my husband."
"And you found nothing?"
Claria shook her head. "She's completely off-grid."
Devyn let that knowledge sink in. "How is that possible?"
"You tell me. I found her birth certificate and nothing else." This really wasn't a good sign. "What about her parents?"
"Nothing on either one. Only their names on her birth registration."
Devyn felt as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room.
Ghosts were rare and it usually meant a spy of some sort.
Or one hell of a master criminal.
His father was the king of the untraceable ghosts, so he knew it could mean she wasn't up to anything more than protecting herself. But it could also mean she was here to do who knew what.
She could easily be a danger to all of them.
Claria gave him a hard stare. "I think you should fire her. For everyone's safety."
"I want to know more before I make that call." He picked up his link. She scowled at him. "What are you doing?"
"Calling my dad. If anyone can find her past, he can." No one escaped one of his father's probes.
Alix watched through the store window as Omari and Vik laughed over something Omari had said while they were looking at MVM players. Even though it was abnormal for a mecha and a human, their friendship made something inside her ache with longing.
She missed her sister so much...
<br /> Tempest was the only friend she'd ever had, and the two of them had always been a united front against their father and his hostile animosity toward them. If only she could hear Tempest's voice and know that she was all right.
"Are you okay?"
She blinked as Zarina rejoined her. She'd vanished inside a store that Alix had declined entering. An exclusive boutique that specialized in high-end designer wear, Alix had been afraid to browse just in case they charged her for looking at it.
And with her luck, they might.
"I'm fine."
Zarina scowled at her. "You look so sad. Are you homesick?"
No, she was sister-sick, but she couldn't admit that. "Just tired."
Zarina scoffed. "You know, people always say that when it's not true. We barely know each other and you don't want me to pry. I understand." She held a bag out to her. "Here."
Now it was her turn to frown. "What's this?"
"Something I think you'll like."
Alix shook her head. The bag alone probably cost more than she did. "Oh, no, I can't."
"You can and you will."
"Zarina--"
"Ah!" Zarina held her hand up imperiously. "Don't even. I won't hear it. Every woman deserves something to make her feel beautiful and I have a feeling your wardrobe consists mostly of the kind of serviceable clothes you're wearing--which while they're attractive on you, aren't really fun. We all need some fun. Embrace your youth while you have it."
Alix swallowed as her throat tightened. No one had ever been so kind to her. "Thank you."
Zarina hugged her. "You're very welcome. Now let's hit Tadaro's."
"What's Tadaro's?"
Her face a mock mask of pain, Zarina placed her hand over her heart. "Oh, hon, you have been so deprived." She took her hand and pulled her down the corridor into a makeup store.
Alix wasn't so sure about this, either. It all looked so ...
Girly.
"So what do you prefer?" Zarina stopped next to a perfume display.
She looked at all the various lotions and potions and had no idea. "I've never worn makeup."
Zarina gaped at her. "You're not serious."
She shook her head. Her father would have sooner cut off his arm than allow her to waste money on something so frivolous. Only he could waste money on anything not absolutely necessary.
"Not even lipstick?"
"Nothing."
Zarina put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You poor child. You've been so deprived." She motioned for a clerk to come help them. "I have a cosmetic emergency here and I need the best of everything to cure it."
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