by Anna Hackett
Another sigh. “Did you have to pick an emotionless alien cyborg?”
Ever snorted. “Says the woman shacked up with the alien desert caravan master.”
They smiled at each other.
“Happy you’re in love and he loves you back, big sister.”
“Me too.” Neve’s fingers squeezed Ever’s. “I want the same for you, baby sister. So Magnus Rone is it?”
“He’s keeping his distance, but at the same time, he’s taking care of me.”
Neve’s lips quirked. “You were always stubborn when you wanted something. My suggestion, you bash some sense into that cyborg and have him worshipping you.”
Laughter bubbled out of Ever.
A knock at the door had them both sitting up. Ever glanced inside her room and watched as Jax entered.
Magnus’ right-hand man sauntered out, a smile on his handsome face. He showed his emotions far more readily than Magnus even though she could see the cyborg enhancements on him. A dash of silver skin along his cheekbone and metal peeking out of the back of the neckline of his tight-fitting, black shirt. Today his long, brown hair was pulled back in a stubby ponytail.
“Good morning, ladies,” he drawled.
Neve sniffed and sipped her drink. Ever heard her mutter something about cyborgs.
“Hi, Jax,” Ever said.
“How’s your lab?”
“Awesome.” She grinned at Neve. “Wait until you see the work I’ve started. I’ve begun replicating my camouflage project.”
Neve’s eyebrows rose. “The cyborg gave you a lab?”
She straightened. “Yes.”
“He’s authorized anything you want,” Jax added.
“I have a few other things I’ll need. And I was hoping I could talk with some of your weapons makers. See if they have suggestions for projects I could help with.”
Jax winced. “Our head weapons maker is…”
“A grumpy, ill-tempered asshole,” Neve said.
Ever gasped. “How do you know?”
“Everyone in Kor Magna’s heard of Maxon. Genius with weapons, not so great with social skills.”
Jax looked like he was fighting a smile. “Sounds about right.”
“I’d still like to meet him,” Ever said.
“I’ll see what I can arrange. And ensure Magnus doesn’t rip the man’s head off for being rude to you.”
There was another knock on the door. This time, it was one of the healers from the medical team—the lead healer, Avarn—who stepped inside. He wore a fitted outfit in House of Rone blue.
The man inclined his head. “Mistress Ever. It’s time.”
Nerves fluttered in her belly. Ever nodded and set the rest of her meal down. What she’d eaten curdled in her stomach.
Jax gave a small bow. “Good luck. I’ll have the additional things you requested in your lab by this afternoon.”
When she stood, her sister stepped closer and grabbed her hand. No matter what they’d been through, Neve had always been there for her. When their parents had died, Neve had been her sole lifeline. Ever squeezed her sister’s fingers. The Haynes sisters against the world. Or, actually, the galaxy—which was probably more appropriate now.
“I’ll be right outside Medical waiting for you, E.”
“Thanks.” Cupping one hand over her belly, Ever moved to follow Avarn. They made their way through the corridors of the House of Rone, nodding at a few gladiators that they passed.
When they reached Medical, Corsair and Magnus were waiting for them. Ever let herself drink in his cool face.
Magnus moved to her side, trading a glare with Neve. “Are you ready?”
“No.” Ever took a deep breath. “But let’s get this done.”
Neve hugged her hard, and then Ever let Magnus lead her through the doors.
Following directions from the healers, she pulled herself onto a bunk and lay back. Now, panic swelled inside her. The bright lights speared into her eyes. For a second, she felt like she was back on the Thraxian slave ship. They’d loved to poke and prod their new abductees.
A hard hand gripped hers. She didn’t dare look at him, or she might throw herself into his arms and cling. Instead, she absorbed Magnus’ quiet strength and support, squeezing his fingers tightly.
“We just need a few minutes to prepare,” Avarn said. “Please relax.”
She nodded abruptly. Relax. Sure thing. “You didn’t let me finish last night.” She turned her head to look at Magnus, keeping her voice low.
Magnus was staring at the wall. “You didn’t have to.”
“Yes, I did. I do. You misunderstood me.” She cleared her throat. “I didn’t want someone touching me who doesn’t feel the same way as me. I didn’t want you to…treat it like a chore to get out of the way. A problem to solve.”
Magnus’ head whipped around to face her. “Ever—”
Avarn reappeared and patted her shoulder. “We’re almost ready.”
Magnus stayed silent as the healers continued their preparations. Ever sighed.
“I felt…the same.” His voice was low, deep and raspy.
Her mouth dropped open. “What?”
The sting of a pressure injector on her neck startled her. She tried to stay focused on Magnus, but her eyelids suddenly felt heavy.
“Magnus.” The panic returned in a bright flare. The Thraxians had drugged her plenty of times, and she hated the loss of control, the helplessness.
“I’m here, me-calla.” A warm hand stroked her arm. “Stay calm.”
Me-calla. It sounded familiar. She wondered what it meant. “Don’t leave me!”
“I won’t leave you.”
But he’d said those same words to her in the desert. He’d promised that once his people came, he’d take her with him.
The next day, she’d woken alone in her cell.
Unconsciousness engulfed her.
“Imperator, you’re in our way,” one of the healers said.
Magnus looked up at his head healer. “I’m not leaving.”
Avarn let out a long-suffering sigh. “Work around our esteemed imperator.”
The healers got to work, circling Magnus when needed. He kept his gaze on Ever’s peaceful face. Drak, she was lovely. Her skin was a shade darker than his own bronze tint, and her eyelashes were thick and dark. He let his systems monitor her vitals. He knew his medical team was monitoring her, and they were among the best on the planet, but a part of him still needed the reassurance. He needed proof that her heart was beating, her chest was still filling with air, and that his child was safe and blissfully unaware of what was happening.
He watched as Avarn delicately lifted the implant from Ever’s temple. The healers removed several more deeply embedded components, and then they set to work healing her damaged skin.
“The child?” he asked.
“Resting peacefully,” Avarn said. “It’s going to be a healthy-sized baby.”
Magnus frowned. Ever was tall for an Earth woman, but small by Carthagoan standards. His frown deepened. And he was a big man. Perhaps she was too delicate to birth an alien baby.
A hand touched his shoulder. “She’ll be fine.”
He nodded at Avarn. Soon, the procedure was finished and the skin around Ever’s eye was fresh, smooth, and pink.
“The scar will fade with regular use of med gel,” Avarn said. “She’ll wake up shortly. I can call you when she stirs—”
“I’m not leaving.”
“Of course you’re not.”
Magnus stayed where he was, watching as Ever rested. He counted each rise and fall of her chest.
Finally, she started to stir. Her eyelids fluttered and opened. Her unfocused eyes found him, and she blinked. It was followed by a sleepy smile. “You’re here.”
“Yes. How do you feel?”
“God, I feel great.” She sat up, touching her eye. “How do I look?”
“Satisfactory.”
She grinned at him. “Ooh, don’t gu
sh with the compliments, it might go to my head.”
“Your health is the most important thing.”
Her face turned serious. “How’s the baby?”
“You’re both fine.”
She smiled at him and their gazes locked. He felt the air change around them, like it was charged. He knew that couldn’t be possible, as his sensors didn’t detect anything.
Ever licked her lips and he followed the move, staring at her full mouth.
“You stared at me like this in the desert.” Her voice was husky. “You were hurt when they brought you in, and I checked your injuries.” She reached out, shifting closer on the bunk, her hands running along his shoulders.
Her fingers brushed his neck and a brilliant memory hit him. Of her touching him in that desert cell.
“You were cursing someone called Kuto, and the Thraxians.”
“Because Kuto double-crossed me and sold me out to the Thraxian scum.”
“You told me that your systems were malfunctioning, including your emotional dampeners.”
His breathing increased. “My dampeners help me suppress my emotions. They appear to…malfunction around you.”
“You were so strong.” Her voice lowered. “Even hurt, I sensed your strength and the heat that was radiating off you. You could see I was exhausted and you ordered me to sleep.”
Another hint of memory. “You said it was hard to sleep when you didn’t feel safe.”
“You remember?”
“Just those whispered words.”
“I slept deeply that night, for the first time in months.” Her voice was quiet.
“What happened next?” He cursed his faulty memory. He wanted to remember.
She leaned closer and he moved his hands to grip her hips.
“I kissed you.” Heedless of the healers still in the room, she leaned forward and stopped, her mouth hovering near his. “Can I kiss you, Magnus?”
She had some sort of magnetic control over him. “Ever.”
“You have to say yes.” Her warm breath mingled with his.
“Yes.”
She brushed his mouth with hers.
Sensation stormed through Magnus. There was no thinking, only feeling. He made a strangled sound and opened his mouth, deepening the kiss. She kissed him back, her hands slipping into his hair, making a hungry noise in her throat.
Closer. He needed her closer. In one smooth, strong move, he pulled her off the bunk and into his lap. She straddled his hips, moaning as she kissed him hard.
Her lips left his, moving to his neck. Teeth nipped at his skin. “We went wild like this then, too.”
Magnus’ cock was throbbing. He’d had sex in the past, but it had always been a pleasant pastime when he had the time for it. A nice activity he could easily turn on and off. This felt like a torrent he had no chance of controlling.
Suddenly, the sound of a throat clearing broke through the haze of desire.
“Sir?” A healer’s hesitant voice. “Mistress Ever’s sister is demanding to see her.”
Magnus pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. He let out a growl, and Ever responded with a small laugh.
“Later.” She nipped his bottom lip and stood.
Magnus rose, watching as she smoothed her mussed hair. He followed her out of Medical.
Corsair was leaning against the wall, like he didn’t have a care in the world. Neve was pacing in front of the doorway. Jax stood guard at a polite distance. Magnus’ second would never let guests wander the House of Rone unattended.
When Neve saw her sister, relief flashed on her face. “You’re okay?”
“Perfect.” Ever hugged her.
“Good.”
Magnus pressed a palm to Ever’s lower back. “She needs to rest.”
“I’m fine,” Ever insisted.
Neve’s suspicious gaze fell on his hand, but she nodded. “Corsair and I have work to do.”
Ever stilled, her gaze narrowing on her sister. “You know something? You have a lead?”
Neve smiled. “I was a perfect corporate spy, but I could never keep a secret from you.”
“I know you too well.”
“What is it?” Magnus demanded.
“One lead panned out,” Corsair said. “I’ve heard whispers that someone at the Kor Magna Weapons Market has intel on Zaabha.”
Magnus’ focus sharpened.
“Let’s go.” Ever spun to face Magnus. “This could be our way to Sam.”
“No.” He shook his head. “You stay here.” He looked at Corsair and Neve. “It’s best if you stay here, too. The House of Rone is well known at the Weapons Market. Strangers make people nervous.”
Neve set her hands on her hips. “You’re trying to steal our lead.”
“Magnus, I’m coming.” Ever also propped her hands on her hips, in an exact copy of her sister.
Corsair cleared his throat. “Actually, I was hoping you’d go and talk to this weapons dealer, Magnus.”
Neve spun. “What?”
“If the informant was in the desert, of course, we’d go. But the Weapons Market isn’t my place, Neve.”
The woman’s nose wrinkled. “I hate when you make sense.”
One sister convinced, one to go. Magnus zeroed in on Ever. “You’ve just had a medical procedure—”
“And I feel fine! Whatever they did, I feel amazing. I’m coming.”
He was conscious of Corsair and Neve watching their interaction. He tried to find the right words to tell her no. He wouldn’t risk her and he wanted her protected. “No.”
“Yes,” she countered. “I need to be a part of this. I can’t…” Her voice cracked. “I can’t sit here safe and sound, when I know Sam isn’t.”
Drak. As she stared up at him, determination and a quiet plea on her face, Magnus couldn’t find the words to order her to stay.
Double drak. He turned to Jax. “Double the size of the team we’ll take to the market.”
Jax looked like he was fighting a smile, but he nodded. Ever beamed, and Neve looked at him with an unreadable look on her face.
Suddenly, he was getting an idea of how Galen felt with a house full of human females.
Magnus straightened. “Let’s get to the market.”
Chapter Five
This was her kind of place. Ever looked around the Kor Magna Weapons Market with keen interest.
It packed a punch, that was for sure. It was a huge, cavernous building, with scarred stone floors and walls, and a sweeping roof made of opaque glass.
Noise echoed through the space. Conversations, laughter, and the din of weapons being tested. She studied the space, her gaze landing on several testing areas, where people were firing weapons and swinging swords at battered dummies.
Her group moved forward, and most of her view was blocked by muscled backs and broad shoulders. Ever rolled her eyes. She was surrounded by muscle-bound gladiators and cyborgs. The imperator himself was walking one step ahead of her, on full alert, his gaze scanning ahead. Jax caught her gaze and shot her a smile.
Smiling back, she craned her neck to peer past two of her guards and look at the nearby stalls. Vendors had dozens of swords, staffs, axes, and lots of projectile weapons, as well. There were plenty of other things she couldn’t identify, and a part of her itched to know what they did, and how they functioned. It was fascinating. Her military research had been in biological cloaking. While she specialized in armor, she’d often assisted with weapons projects. A pang hit her. Damn, she missed her work. She’d been so close to some major breakthroughs before the Thraxian attack, and she hoped she could get back to where she’d been with it.
“So, who are we meeting?” she asked.
“A woman called Halla,” Magnus answered over his shoulder. “A mid-level weapons merchant. Corsair’s intel suggested she has knowledge of Zaabha.”
“How come the House of Rone doesn’t have a stall here in the market?”
He glanced back at her. “Because
we don’t need to hawk our wares. Our customers come to us.”
Her lips twitched. Of course. She spotted several projectile weapons lined up on the next stall. Some were palm-sized, and others were so huge she doubted she’d be able to lift them. “There are no projectile weapons in the arena, right?”
“Correct. The fights in the arena are about skill and athleticism. It is about battling your opponent face-to-face with no tech involved. But the weapons market doesn’t just supply weapons for the arena. They are for protecting convoys and camps in the desert, and for work in the city.”
Ever spied another table of interesting-looking armor. She was definitely coming back here one day to take a long look around.
The baby chose that moment to kick, and suddenly a wave of nausea washed over her. No, not now. Ever breathed slowly through her nose. She tried to stay calm. If Magnus detected a whiff of her not feeling well, she’d be whisked back to the House of Rone faster than she could blink. The most important thing right now was finding whatever information they could in order to find Zaabha and Sam. Slowly, the nausea passed, and Ever sent up a quick thanks to the universe. She was going to be okay.
Finally, Magnus stopped the group in front of a long stall filled with quality-looking laser pistols and swords.
A gorgeous woman wearing a bright-red shirt and slick, leather trousers stepped forward. She had a tall, willowy body, and short, blonde hair streaked with red. Twin pistols were holstered at her slim hips.
“Well, Imperator Rone, it is an honor.” The woman’s dark eyes moved up and down Magnus’ form. “And a pleasure.”
A sharp, visceral sensation snapped through Ever’s belly. She did not like this woman eyeing Magnus like he was some icy, delicious treat she’d like to lick.
Magnus was as cool as always. “Merchant Halla.”
“I am eager to show you my wares.” The woman swept a hand over her table. “Perhaps not Rone quality, but I have some pieces that might interest you.” Her dark eyes flashed.
“No, we’re here about Zaabha.”
Ever watched the woman freeze. Not so happy and flirty now, are you? Halla took a step back, just as Jax and some of the Rone gladiators stepped around the table and blocked the woman in.