3013_ALLEGIANCE

by Laurie Roma

  The last pint glass was filled with a black liquid that faded to a creamy foam on top. More foam instantly made Roman more cautious. He took a sip, hesitated, then had another sip and sighed with relief. “Damn, that’s pretty good. Too bad this looks like sludge from hell, but you may have redeemed yourself with this one. Maybe.”

  “I do like this one. I was a little skeptical at first. Mya traded some clothing to this mercenary for this metal box filled with recipes. We’ve been trying some of them out, and so far, most of them have been good.”

  “This one seems worth it.” Roman waved a hand toward the other glasses. “Those are shit. Is this why Kahla is mad at you? Did you make her drink all of that?”

  “I don’t know what her problem is,” Maddox growled. “She’s been different the last few weeks. Maybe she’s just not happy here anymore. Or maybe it’s related to what she went through in Light City. We shouldn’t have let her go. She almost got herself killed. By the gods, I still get furious just thinking about what could have happened.”

  The conversation paused, and Roman glanced over as one of the servers came up to the table. The young Krytos female shot both males a bright smile as she loaded the empty glasses on a tray already full of used plates and glasses. They thanked her and declined her offer to get them anything else from the bar for the moment, then she whisked the overloaded tray away as if it weighed nothing.

  Roman was relieved when Kahla remained out of sight. Since he wanted to keep breathing, it would be best for everyone if she didn’t catch them having this particular conversation.

  “You need to stop being an asshole.”

  “What? Fuck that.” Maddox scowled. “This is not my fault.”

  “Sure, it is,” Roman said almost cheerfully. “Here is a reality check...you didn’t let her go to Light City. She would have gone with or without your permission, just as you would have if you didn’t have a mate and a vessel to protect. And the people in Light City didn’t ask to die when Quilla attacked. It wasn’t their fault.”

  “Of course not. That’s—”

  “It’d be pretty fucking cold to think otherwise, but you claim that Kahla almost got herself killed like it was her fault. And I have to ask—why the hell were you sneaking into your cousin’s quarters after she told you not to? Are you trying to drive her crazy? It’s fucking creepy you don’t see anything wrong with invading her privacy like that. What if she was with a male when you let yourself in?”

  “Son of a—don’t even mention that! We have every right to check on her.” He glanced around, then lowered his voice. “We put in another entrance specifically—”

  “For her,” Roman insisted, cutting him off. “A secret entrance for the owner of the sanctuary, right? You’re their alpha, and you keep saying “we,” but Kahla owns this place with her sister. You’re undermining their authority.”

  “Hey! Sanctum is theirs, but we—” Maddox scrubbed his hands over his face before glaring again. “Why the fuck did I think it was a good idea to talk to you about this?”

  “Because I’ve known your family a long time, and the only other people you talk to about this kind of thing are having the same problem.”

  “Fuck.” The word was said on an aggravated sigh. “She won’t talk to us about what’s bothering her. She freezes us out, so we push. Damn it, she knows this is what we do.” Maddox hesitated before finally admitting, “Mya and Zorah have also been worried that Kahla might be upset with our new family dynamics.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “My mate said it was a female thing. Zorah has been mated for years, and Kahla is used to being around Faust and Nyle all the time—” he said, mentioning Kahla’s older sister and her mates, “—but Daimon, Tavius, and I have never had a female in our lives who mattered before Mya.”

  Confused, Roman said, “I still don’t get it.”

  Maddox huffed out a breath. “I don’t either. It has something to do with Kahla being the last single Adaro on New Vega. We just don’t want her to feel left out—”

  Roman laughed. “You’re being extra annoying and intrusive to show that you care?”

  “Fuck off.” The words lacked heat. “She wants to visit her brothers soon. We might be overreacting, but she might not come back. Hell, we’d miss the brat,” he muttered.

  Rogan and Lucian Adaro ran their own sanctuary in Zion, which was like their own village inside the city limits. They’d asked Zorah and Kahla to join them when they’d left New Vega, but the sisters had decided to stay on the only home they’d ever known.

  “Face it. She’s a strong, capable female who doesn’t need your permission to live her life. I don’t think she wants to move, but you could push her to do something drastic.”

  “She’s stubborn enough. I’m fucking tired of fighting with her all the time.”

  “Well, a lot has happened recently. Someone attacked your home and your pack, and your new mate almost died. Converting her was traumatic enough, then, your cousin joins the team chasing after the person responsible for all of your pain and walks straight into a massacre. Even though Kahla returned safely and the repairs have made sure there are no physical signs of what happened here, you still haven’t recovered. Not yet. All of this has to have your protective instincts going haywire.”

  “You develop an ability to read minds that I don’t know about?”

  Roman shrugged, then confessed, “I feel the same way. We’re all still dealing with the aftermath of the attacks.”

  That said, the Krytos could be slightly crazy when it came to the safety of his pack, going as far as using the security monitors to routinely check on those closest to him. Some might have found the act invasive or even disturbing, but if it eased his worry, Maddox’s friends and family didn’t complain about his little habit...much.

  “If you have to make concessions to keep your family close and safe, then do what you have to do. And if Kahla needs you to give her space, you have to ease off.”

  Maddox blew out an audible breath as he leaned back in the booth. “Yeah, we can back off.” He paused to take a sip of his drink. “I still can’t believe all of this happened in the first place. If we’d known what was happening on Tartarus—I mean, how the hell did that crazy bitch run a criminal empire involving all of those people without someone catching on before this shit went down? We hear everything here on New Vega, and we didn’t have any information about Quilla before she ran from her home world.”

  “I’d love an answer to that one, too. This is why the upcoming meeting will be useful. We need to ensure something like this never happens again.” Roman believed open communication between the races was vital for all of their survival, however, it would take some people longer to trust in the process.

  “Sucks you got stuck as mediator, but better you than I.”

  Roman laughed. “As long as you don’t have to attend the meeting, right? Though, even if you were supposed to attend, you just wouldn’t show up.”

  “Not unless the meeting was being held here. Even then, Tavius is a better choice as chancellor for the Krytos. I meant to ask, why didn’t you fly directly to the station? I’m happy you’re here, but—”

  “Ian wanted to meet here before we left for the station, and...it was time,” Roman said simply. “I’m really glad I got to see the memorial. Sorry we can’t stay longer. If we leave tonight after the feast, we should be able to catch some sleep before we meet up with the Delta Station sometime tomorrow.”

  Maddox’s brows rose. “Well, that’s earlier than expected. I thought it was supposed to take you a few days to get there. Not that I know the location since everything about the Delta Station is classified.”

  “Like I believe that for a second,” Roman scoffed. Before he could say anything else, a voice boomed out.

  “Ah, there you are, Newgate. I’ve been looking for you.”

  High Commander Jax Spartan and Daimon strode back to their table. Jax grabbed a chair from an empty
table nearby, then sat down facing the booth. He cocked his head to the side and studied them. “Why are you both looking at me like that?”

  “Like I’m wishing you were off my vessel already?” Maddox asked with a smirk. “I guess I nailed it.”

  He moved over so Daimon could sit next to him on the booth. It was easy to see the familial resemblance between Maddox and Daimon, while Jax was all human. Though, some of the officers under his command would have argued that point.

  “You’ve been saying that for weeks,” Jax said dryly. “Trust me, I would rather be on my ship, and I will be...soon.”

  “Not soon enough,” Daimon muttered.

  Jax answered him in kind. “It’s a shame I can’t get rid of you now we’re related.”

  “That is something we can both regret.”

  Roman shook his head. It seemed like he was going to have to play mediator sooner than expected.

  Fantastic.

  “How about we call a truce until we leave, for the sake of all the people that will be here tonight? Good. Glad we’re all in agreement,” he rushed to say before anyone else spoke. “And I still can’t believe they gave you my vessel...and my Strike Force Team.”

  Jax grinned. “Since you’re on the council, that is partly your fault.”

  “I guess it is,” Roman agreed with a wry grin.

  Across the large room, the doors to the kitchen opened, and Kahla stalked out. She stood near the bar, hands on hips and tapping her foot impatiently. As if she’d known they were coming, a dozen people entered the sanctuary laughing and talking loudly, until she said something to them that had them all silently nodding.

  The staff scattered.

  Some of the crew started to hurry those still occupying the tables along while others began pushing tables together. The rest of the staff hurried to the kitchen, and the doors were propped open as males and females rushed plates, cutlery, glasses, and covered pans and trays of food out, stacking most of it on the clean and empty bar top.

  “They sure cleared this place out fast, and just in time. I’m starving,” Jax announced glancing down at his wrist unit. “Now, we just have to get the others down here, so we can eat. I wonder if Serra is awake yet...” He started to key some information into the unit, but Roman stopped him by tapping his arm.

  “If she’s still sleeping, you don’t want to wake her. She needs her rest.”

  “I know, you’re right. Even though Archer is with her, I was just checking the notification I have set up.”

  That made Roman smile. “You’re spying on your chosen?”

  “I choose to think of it as monitoring her out of concern.”

  When Maddox snorted in derision, Roman shot him an amused glance. “Oh, really? You’re one to talk about spying on people.”

  “I didn’t say anything!”

  Across the table, Daimon shook his head in disgust as he continued watching the staff. “Hell, now she’s even scaring the crew. Bain and Rafi look like they’re going to piss themselves if she snaps at them again. I’ll go—”

  “No.” Maddox put a restraining hand on his shoulder. “Those two deserve an ass kicking from her. I’ll tell you later. Let’s just let her do her thing. You really don’t want to get in the line of fire right now.”

  Jax glanced at each brother. “Did you guys piss Kahla off again?”

  “Shut up,” both Krytos growled at the same time.

  Some of the cheer returned when Kahla led a few of the Tarin females who lived in the sanctuary into the room. It was easy to see that the staff cared for the former slaves as they helped put the plates, glasses, and cutlery on the empty tables. One of the females was even flirting with a Krytos male who worked security, and it was good to see the signs of healing.

  Kahla came back to the table, pointedly ignoring her cousins. Her dark gaze settled on Roman, and her lips curved into a warm smile. “Roman, I was hoping I could borrow you for a moment.”

  “Why?” Daimon asked before anyone could stop him.

  Ignoring him, Kahla kept smiling, though, it was more fierce than friendly now. “Some of the Tarin females were asking about your uniform. When I told them who you are and that you’re a friend to us, they expressed an interest in meeting you.”

  “I’d be pleased to meet them.” Roman slid out of the booth and stood.

  “Wait, we still have stuff to discuss—” Jax protested.

  Roman glanced down with one brow raised, shutting Jax up in an instant. “We’ll discuss whatever we need to while we’re on our way to the Delta Station.” He slapped Jax on the back, almost jolting the younger man out of his chair. “Tonight is for celebrating, so relax a little.”

  He took Kahla’s hand, wrapping it around his arm, then he picked up his drink, deciding to take it with him. It really was quite tasty. As they walked away, he whispered something to her that made her giggle. Behind them, the sound made Maddox and Daimon smile...until Roman called over his shoulder.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll send some drinks back to the table. There’s some shots you need to try.”

  Maddox’s laughter trailed behind them.

  Still at the table, Daimon frowned at his brother. “What is wrong with you?”

  “Oh...ah...nothing.”

  Daimon eyed him suspiciously, then shrugged it off. “He seems to be doing well. Can’t say he’s happy, but he seems fine being here.”

  Maddox sobered and reached across the table. He punched Jax’s shoulder. “You are the jektza.”

  “Hey! What the—what does that mean?” Jax glared while he rubbed his shoulder where Maddox’s fist had connected. “And why the hell does everyone keep hitting me?”

  Continuing to glare at him, Maddox growled softly, “You may run your mouth to us. We are family now, and we can’t kill you. Our mate wouldn’t like it. But you and your father could have had a little fucking compassion today instead of making Roman come here because it was more convenient for you.”

  “I have no fucking clue what you’re talking about,” Jax said hotly. “Listen up, asshole. Roman may be a regent, but he’s also a friend. We agreed to meet here because my father and I were already here with my team, and we’re close to the Delta Station’s location, so it made sense. Why is that suddenly a crime?”

  Maddox’s eyes narrowed. “Because we didn’t know you had arranged it until today. You do know about his family, right?”

  Jax’s expression went from angry to confused. “Yeah, okay, I know he had a family, but what does that have to do with you hitting me?”

  Daimon sighed. “Because it happened here, when they were coming to meet Roman for the beginning of the Baxxtora Tournament. He lost them all when their shuttle exploded.”

  Jax’s face went pale. “Oh, shit...”

  “And you and your father just made him come to New Vega on New Year’s Day for the first time since it happened,” Maddox explained. “Congratulations, that officially means you win the biggest asshole award today.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Time meant little when wine flowed freely.

  Sanctum had been closed down, and only family and friends were allowed inside the doors. Those who were on duty stopped by in shifts to get their food and took their meals to go. The rest of those in attendance got food from the massive buffet on the long bar, then they took seats at any of the available tables.

  The celebration lasted for hours. Staying on New Vega all night meant they would arrive at the Delta Station later than anticipated, but they were already ahead of schedule. The party had been well worth delaying their journey, and it had given Roman further insight that he thought would be very useful in the days to come.

  The meal was delicious, the conversation interesting, and the atmosphere had been welcoming and cheerful. He had spent most of the meal talking to the Tarin females with Kahla and former Alliance officers, Ryland, Mikal, and Pia Colter. The trio had been in charge of Mya’s safety before she had mated the Adaro brothers, and after, they had
chosen to stay with her on New Vega as her personal security.

  It was rare for Mya to be without one of her three mates, so Pia, Ryland, and Mikal had also been working with the Tarin females in the sanctuary. With their help, along with the Krytos who protected them, the former Tarin slaves were coming into their own and learning how to live their lives on their own terms.

  Most of the females were shy and distrustful of males, but they all had good reason to be guarded. They had been subjugated by a group of Tarin males who had used harems to show their power and status. Some of the females had been with their captors for years, and it would take time for them to feel safe, while others might not ever recover from what they had been through.

  Roman was pleased he’d gotten to spend some time with the females to get a better understanding of their situation now that they were free, though, freedom was relative. Still, it gave him a sense of what could be done to help them, besides keeping them isolated in sanctuaries or on Avox, the home world of a sea-dwelling species that attacked males and protected females.

  He wished that the Alliance could have—or would have—involved themselves in the war on Tartarus before so many had been hurt. However, the Alliance had a strict policy never to interfere in the domestic matters of a planet that wasn’t an ally, unless their help was specifically asked for or the problem ventured into Alliance-controlled territory.

  No matter how powerful the Alliance was, they wouldn’t enforce their will on other planets. Even if they wanted to wipe out the Tarin males who’d been enslaving the females, they definitely couldn’t massacre half a race without causing war with the rest of the planet. The Tarins hated outsiders, and for years, they hadn’t wanted any interaction with the Alliance besides allowing a single outpost on Rego land, so they could trade the mineral ore from their mountains for credits, gems, and technology.

  The civil war on Tartarus had ravaged the planet, but they didn’t want aid from any other race. Until a Dragon Warrior mated a Tarin lord...then everything changed.