“You’re a rotten egg!” she called, already immersed to the chest in the steamy waters.
Nanu stepped into the warmth and waded toward her, letting her see his sensual intent.
“Oh, no!” Jazen backed away. “We came here to wash, not fuck.”
Nanu blinked at the harsh word. “I came to wash and to make love with you.”
“Oh,” she said again, seconds before he pounced.
* * * * *
Chobe spent two cycles watching the comings and goings at the main castle gate, and another watching the rear one. Visitors and the castle occupants used the main gate while servants and staff used the other. Some of the castle occupants also used the rear gate when they wished to enter or exit the castle unobtrusively.
He rendezvoused with Hanoid at the tavern they’d made their base.
“Has she moved?” Hanoid asked.
“No. I have to get in there. If she’s dead, it won’t matter. I’ll take her hand and an eye, so we can access her vault.”
“You’d do that to your sister?” Hanoid sounded shocked.
“If she’s dead, she can’t use her savings. She’d want me to have it.”
“And if she’s not in the castle but her comm is?”
“That isn’t what her tracker says, but we’ll face that problem when we come to it. I’ve come up with a plan. I’ve noticed the castle staff drink at the tavern on Fourth Street. We’ll capture one and I’ll duplicate him. That way I can sneak inside the castle. From there, I’ll alter my appearance as necessary. Hopefully, I’ll locate my sister quickly.”
“How will you get back out?”
“I’m not sure about that. It depends if she’s willing to leave with me. I’ll have to make my plan on the fly.”
Hanoid tapped his fingers on the grubby tabletop, then picked up his tankard and drank. He set his tankard back down and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. “How can I help?”
“The repairs on the ship are complete. Hire one of those flymo ships they use for transport and wait for me.”
“They’re forbidden to fly over the castle or the square,” Hanoid said. “The pilot let me off on Second Street last blacklight. Told me it wasn’t worth his license to break the rules.”
“What if we hijacked one? You wait on Second Street and once I have Jazen, you can zip over the castle to the grounds out the back to pick us up. With luck, we’ll be quick and they won’t act against us until we’re clear.”
Hanoid scratched his chin, pondering, and wrinkled his nose. “The soldiers are trained to high standards. Not much gets past them. Even when they’re in a tavern after their shift, they don’t drink to excess or carouse. They’re disciplined and loyal.”
“I have observed their close-eyed scrutiny, and that’s the worrying part of my plan.”
“Would they suspect one of their own? What if you duplicated a soldier?”
“I considered it, but they’d have no reason to wander the castle interior, not unless they’re the royal bodyguards. That’s what made me decide to become a male or female servant. All I need to do is knock them out and steal their clothes.”
Hanoid barked out a chortle of amusement. “I bet you’re a sight in female garb.”
“I’m lucky the local race is taller and I’ll blend.” Chobe grimaced. “You might joke but it’s no fun dressing as a woman.”
Hanoid sobered. “If you succeed, I’ll have a drink waiting for you on the other side.”
Chobe smiled grimly. “I’m aware of the consequences of failure, and I don’t intend to watch the Hsilgne gang lord it over us for much longer. They’re goin’ down.”
Hanoid lifted his tankard. “I’ll drink to that.”
Chobe clicked his mug to Hanoid’s and drank to complete the toast.
Failure was not on his agenda.
* * * * *
“Are you ready to leave?” Nanu asked.
In truth, she wasn’t, but Jazen shifted away from the forest view and the tiny red bird flitting from branch to branch. She’d enjoyed this relaxing time with Nanu where she had nothing more taxing to do than decide what to eat or when to explore the forest. She and Nanu had talked about their pasts, their dreams, their daily lives, their likes and dislikes. Nanu had seemed happy to talk instead of fucking…making love all the time.
A flush of heat spread into her cheeks. They’d done a lot of that too.
“I’ll need to blindfold you,” he said with a hint of regret. “I’m sorry but this secret place is a personal one for me.”
Disappointment speared into her. “You don’t trust me.”
“I do, but I—” He straightened his shoulders as if he’d come to a decision. “I trust you. What I’m worried about is you learning I’ve lied to you.”
“You don’t want me?” The thought struck her even harder than disappointment at him not trusting her.
“Of course I want you,” he replied, cupping her face in his hands and staring deep into her eyes.
But he kept secrets from her.
A part of her understood. A handful of cycles ago, she’d intended to betray him, his bounty the incentive. But she’d come to know him and his friends, then he’d abducted her and let her see the real man beneath the humor and swagger. She didn’t believe this man standing in front of her and touching her with such tenderness was a murderer.
“I don’t want you to think less of me.”
Jazen licked her lips, aware this was a tipping point between them. Did she take the risk that whatever he’d done was inconsequential or did she walk away? She ached to trust him, she realized. She yearned for someone to stand in her corner. For once, she wanted to lean on someone for help and support instead of being the one expected to give and give and receive nothing back.
Her younger brother expected her support and financial aid whenever he clicked his fingers. She’d helped him because of the familial ties, because she loved him, and they were a team.
They used to be a team.
Now Chobe had a wife and child. He didn’t need her in the same way, yet he still expected her to help him with finances. Yes, her decision to withhold her funds was the right one. It was time to consider herself and to follow her dreams.
“Hey.” Nanu tapped the tip of her nose. “Where did you go?”
“Family stuff. My brother expects me to give him currency and support him when he is never there for me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Chobe needs to stand alone, and it’s time for me to cut ties and concentrate on my own interests. If your offer of a loan is still there, I’d be happy to accept.”
He smiled, and she placed a finger over his mouth to halt his words.
“We will draw up a contract and I will pay you interest. It will be a business document.” She lifted her finger.
“I agree,” Nanu said. “We will get the king and queen to witness the document, so you understand the sincerity of my offer.”
“And if I break my word, they’ll throw me in the dungeon,” she said drily.
“No doubt,” Nanu said. “Jannike is protective of her friends, which brings me to the truth that I didn’t tell you about earlier.”
Jazen tensed, her eyes widening as she studied his face. Apprehension crept back into her. She swallowed and nodded. “Tell me.”
“We’re not in the forest. We’re still in my chamber at the castle.”
Jazen’s mouth fell open. She stared at him, then focused on the trees, the bright red butterfly flitting from wildflower to wildflower. She scanned the gattoc with its filmy sides, the basket where Nanu kept the food and cold drinks. The food… The supply had been constant and fresh.
“No,” she said. “We’re in the middle of the forest. The breeze is cool on my cheeks. It’s colder today.”
“Making love with me seems to make you sleepy,” Nanu said. “Once every cycle, I left my chamber to get more food.”
“No, I would’ve noticed you leaving me
alone. We’ve been together every cycle.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ll prove it to you in a mark, but there is one other thing. Your brother has arrived in Viros. He told spaceport control his ship required repairs. When they questioned him further, he admitted he’d come to meet with you.”
“Phrull,” she said. “You said Ry let my transfer go through? I sent what I could. Chobe told me he was in trouble and needed funds. What if he was telling the truth?”
“Ry did. Your funds were sent to your brother. We’ve seen no evidence of him being in trouble. He is here with a woman and a man named Hanoid.”
“No children?”
“No.”
“That’s odd. If Sergy is with him, I’d expect his son to be there too.” She gasped. “Unless something happened to Raffey. No, he would’ve sent me another message, pleading for more. I’ll speak with them. Chobe will leave once I tell him I have no spare savings to give him, and that I intend to stay here on Viros.”
“With me.”
She grinned at his possessiveness and satisfaction. “With you, although I disapprove of the way you abducted me. And why did you trick me about our whereabouts? Why are we in your gattoc, yet still in the castle?”
“A gattoc is a traditional mating place for my people. Ignoring this ritual would’ve made our relationship less in my mind.” He shot her a worried glance. “That sounds bad, but my yearning to build a gattoc proves my intentions toward you are serious. And as for the castle gattoc, it was a matter of safety. For both of us.”
“Huh! You have yet to prove we are actually in the castle.” She studied his sincere expression, the hint of anxiety and melted inside. “I can understand following the customs of your people. You’re lucky to have the rites and beliefs in your family. We have both made mistakes, and it is time to step past them.”
“All right then,” Nanu said and clasped their hands together. “Let’s go.”
He seemed to enjoy touching her, holding her and more. How could she not return his affection when he offered it so freely to her?
Nanu led her deeper into the forest, until the gattoc was no longer in sight.
“We’re still in the forest. There are birds and I can hear the waterfall. Oh! Look, an animal.”
“A deer.” Nanu kept sauntering onward until they passed the waterfall and the hot pool. Once there, he guided her across the small stream. His steps slowed, and he reached out his free hand. Part of his limb disappeared.
She could see his upper arm, but in the space where his hand should be, there was nothing. A faint click sounded, and a doorway formed. Nanu tugged her through and into the corridor beyond. She stared in disbelief, yet her eyes weren’t deceiving her. Nanu hadn’t been lying either. She’d spent cycles with him, alone in his castle chamber.
“How? Why?”
“I’ll explain later. Right now we need to find Ry or Kaya and learn what is happening with your brother.”
Plan B Swings In To Action
From the little information he’d gathered on Chobe Lav and his experience of the type of man or woman who took up as a warrant-taker—present company excepted—Nanu wasn’t as confident of her brother’s departure. Certainly not as quietly as Jazen wished.
Ry had told Nanu the brother was keeping his head down. That meant nothing. His hair tendrils stirred at his uneasiness.
“What would you like to do first?”
“Can we go outside to the square? Where the stalls are set up?”
“Of course. During the day, the square is quieter. There are cafes and smaller estaminets, a few elegant apparel stores and a large tavern. It’s at night when the square comes alive with stalls and entertainment.”
“I’d still like to see. Please. How do I apply for a stall? What equipment do they provide? What is the best way to do this?” Excited questions poured from her, and her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
“Of course we can wander the square. I’ll take you for a walk, and we’ll take refreshments at one of the estaminets. Let me check in with Ry and Kaya first. I need to learn what contracts we have coming up.”
“Will you need to leave soon?”
“I’m not sure. It depends. We have an ongoing contract with the dragons on Narenda. It’s almost time to travel there to fulfill the next phase.”
Nanu escorted Jazen down the corridor to the suite of common rooms where they hung out together and ate as a family. Sometimes, the couples sought privacy and ate in their chambers but Nanu hoped to find at least some of his friends relaxing in readiness for the midcycle meal.
He’d been right. Almost everyone sat around a large float table, ready for the servants to serve their meal.
“Nanu.” Camryn saw him first. “I understood you’d stay in your chamber for several more cycles.”
Nanu pushed aside the surge of disappointment that struck him. The length of isolation should be several cycles longer, but since the mating hadn’t taken, there was no point lingering. He’d garnered Jazen’s interest in starting a stall, and he’d build on that and the beginnings of their friendship.
“Change of plans.” He ushered Jazen to an empty seat and took the one beside her.
“Oh, I thought we were going to the square.” Jazen’s eagerness fell away.
“We will. I promise.” Nanu placed his hand over hers and squeezed.
“Aw, that’s so sweet,” Kaya cooed. “You’re gonna promenade.”
Ry made a choking noise, and Camryn clapped her mate over the back.
Nanu glared at Kaya. “There is no need—”
“Nanu is showing me the square since I wish to apply for a stall. I am going to sell my pies,” Jazen said.
Kaya’s brows shot upward. “You make pies? A warrant-taker?”
“I am retiring as a warrant-taker,” Jazen said.
“I don’t believe you can make a pie,” Kaya scoffed.
Nanu stiffened, not liking the way this first meeting with his friends was going. “Kaya.”
His warning went unheeded.
Jazen lifted her chin, her focus on Kaya. “I do not lie.”
“Not true,” Kaya intoned. “You lied to us about who you were and your purpose. You tried to capture Nanu.”
“I did lie to you, and I’m sorry about that. My brother required quick currency, and I wanted to help him.”
“And now?” Ry asked, an edge to his voice.
“I’ve decided my brother needs to become more independent and he should stop relying on me when he is capable of providing for his family. It’s time for me to follow my dreams. I want to open a pie shop.”
Several servants arrived with platters of food.
“What are we having?” Kaya asked.
“Toasted sandwiches and soup, miss,” the thin woman with red skin said.
“Toasted sandwiches?” Jazen asked. “I helped you make sandwiches during the voyage to Viros. What is different about these?”
Kaya cocked her head and studied Jazen as if she were a bug.
Nanu got the urge to slap his friend.
“Maybe you are a cook. You’re showing the same fascination as a foodie.” Kaya sniffed. “And you and Nanu are intending to wander in the square later on.”
“What is a foodie?”
“A person who enjoys food, both eating and learning about it,” Camryn said hastily. “Let’s eat.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll enjoy these,” Nanu added. “If we discover a tasty food during our travels, we learn how to make it. I forget which planet sandwiches come from, but they are a firm favorite.” No need to mention Earth, Camryn’s planet of origin. Their friend Amme Vanak must be kept safe, especially since she’d made Earth her home with her new family.
* * * * *
Dressed in his maid’s costume, his disguise stolen from a hapless kitchen employee, Chobe set his platter on the long float table. Frustration knotted his guts even as part of him applauded Jazen’s latest scheme.
The fools. The sim
pletons were accepting his sister as one of their own, welcoming her—or at least some of them were. The blue-haired woman with the pointy ears didn’t like Jazen much. He could use her animosity. Perhaps seduce the woman to use for his own pleasure. Sergy was becoming tiresome, and now that she was aging, she wasn’t attracting as many customers.
On the up side, if Jazen and the man with the weird hair intended to wander in the square later, it would make his task of grabbing his sister easier.
The thin red woman nudged him in the ribs. “Hurry, Easter. We need to collect more platters from the kitchen. This lot eat much food.”
Chobe started, having forgotten he’d replicated the female servant. He barely restrained his growl of displeasure, forcing it into a cough at the last sec. With his head down, he trudged after the red woman, concentrating on maintaining his stolen character. He should make an escape now that he knew Jazen intended to leave the castle, but the chance of learning more about the people here and how Jazen had wriggled her way into this sweet gig made him decide to stay in character.
Information was power.
Back in the steamy kitchen, he picked up another heavy platter and trudged with the rest of the servants back to the big space where the privileged ate.
He didn’t learn any additional intelligence, but he scanned the different people, memorizing them and attempting to match the names he heard with the faces. He listened to their conversation.
“Can I speak with you before Jazen and I leave for our walk?” the man with the weird hair asked the male sitting opposite him.
Chobe perused the man’s broad features after he set the platter on the table. Something about him tugged at Chobe yet the memory refused to settle into fact. The knowledge would come to him eventually. The man had a thing for his sister, and even stranger Jazen seemed to return his regard. He’d never seen his sister interact in this manner before. Normally, she remained standoffish and acted as if she was too good for any man. What made this one different?
Even odder, Jazen and this man had disappeared for several cycles, and now they’d reappeared. The puzzle itched his brain until his temples ached.
“Easter, what is wrong with you this cycle?” The red woman tugged sharply on the hem of Chobe’s tunic. “Cook will have our heads if we dawdle. We have to peel the vegetables and help prepare the capons for roasting.”
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