Bound Hearts [Breed Assassins 2] (Siren Publishing: The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection)

by Lynn Hagen

  He had to have heard the guy wrong. Eaton wasn’t worldly. He’d spent his entire life in Crossover, never once having traveled anywhere. But even he knew that men having children was impossible.

  Wasn’t it?

  * * * *

  All his life Thoran had wished for a family. He had thought he was destined to be mateless and childless. He had accepted his fate.

  But he’d mated Eaton last night.

  And now Eaton was carrying Thoran’s child.

  It was apparent that Eaton was more sheltered than Thoran had suspected. The cat shifter honestly thought men couldn’t have children. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Eaton sitting there, slightly shaking. Thoran grabbed Eaton, pulling the small man onto his lap. He held Eaton as he tried to sort through everything.

  “You’re telling the truth, aren’t you?” Eaton asked.

  “I am.”

  “No men in my village ever got pregnant.” Eaton curled deeper into Thoran’s arms. “My father never told me that this could happen.”

  Thoran would like to see Eaton’s father so he could thank the man personally for what the rotten bastard had done. He was pretty sure there were a lot of things the man hadn’t taught Eaton. It was rare for a male shifter to become pregnant, but it did happen. Humans were the species more widely known for male pregnancies.

  With so many different species around the galaxy, anything was possible. Thoran had seen so many things in his life as an Assassin that he didn’t question the bizarre that took place. And with the different types of beings intermingling and coupling together, there were bound to be new species cropping up.

  Eaton becoming pregnant was on the spectrum of normal possibilities.

  “We have a freighter on our bow, ladies,” Kayden announced over the ship’s intercom. “Their call sign designates them as junk haulers, but my gut tells me that’s a front. Get your asses on the bridge.”

  Thoran stood, pulling his suit on the rest of the way. “I want you to stay here,” he said to Eaton. “At least until I can find out what’s going on.”

  “But—”

  Thoran glanced down at Eaton, down at the man who was carrying his child. “That wasn’t a request, kitten. I expect you to follow my order. Stay put.”

  The last thing Thoran needed was for Eaton to get hurt. This wasn’t the family Thoran had dreamt of having as a child. It was much better. But he still had to find his sister and he had to protect what was now his to protect. Having Eaton on the bridge with unknown men at their bow was not something he wanted. Just the thought of Eaton getting hurt made Thoran’s chest ache and his teeth grind.

  “Why don’t you go take a long shower?” he suggested as he shoved his feet into his boots and strapped them. “Or relax in the tub.” After two sessions of sex, Eaton had to be sore. Thoran walked into the bathroom and drew his mate some water. He made sure the temperature was perfect before he called Eaton in. When his mate stepped into the bathroom, Thoran lifted Eaton from his feet and lowered him into the tub.

  “I’m not crippled,” Eaton complained. “I know how to get into a tub.”

  Thoran kissed his mate on the temple. “I’m sure you do. Now relax and I’ll be back.”

  After putting a few towels on the warming tray, Thoran made his way to the bridge. As he walked, he let out the long breath he’d been holding since seeing the marking on Eaton’s stomach. It still didn’t seem real, and Thoran could admit to himself how fucking scared he was. He had been trained to be an Assassin, not a father. His parenting skills amounted to zilch. A part of him wanted to run, afraid he would only screw the kid’s life up. What could he offer the child?

  But no matter how terrifying this was, Thoran would never abandon his mate or child. He had a hell of a lot more honor than that.

  Besides, he was curious to see not only what the child would look like, but his personality as well. Would he or she be tough like Thoran or soft like Eaton? A mixture? Green eyes or pale blue? Would the babe have black hair or brown? Cat shifter or wolf? A blend of both? One thing was for sure. Thoran wasn’t raising his child in the palace. He wasn’t comfortable there. It wasn’t Thoran’s home. He and Eaton would buy a place of their own and start fresh.

  Where?

  Thoran wasn’t sure which planet would be the best and safest place to raise a child. He didn’t want to leave his brethren, but he also didn’t want his babe raised with royalty. Thoran wanted his child to be down to earth, to appreciate the simpler things in life, not be fed by a silver spoon.

  Would the others consider buying land on some remote planet? Thoran knew Kayden wouldn’t. He would want his mate surrounded by tons of guards. Not only were the Breed Assassins wanted men, but so was Jade. Kayden would do whatever it took to protect his mate, even suffer through living in a kingdom.

  Hadn’t Kayden’s mother stated that Kayden was to take the throne when King Matino stepped down?

  Thoran walked onto the bridge to see a Klackian on the viewscreen. He would have thought the creature just another simpleminded troll, but there was sharp intelligence in this one’s eyes. He looked like a soldier, dressed in traditional battle clothing. His armor was a deep purple, spanning across his wide body. The Klackian was also wearing the metal arm cuffs of one who had seen many battles. The three gold stripes on each band indicated that he’d killed his enemies in combat. Above the three stripes was an emblem of the House he was affiliated with.

  This one had to be watched. He was clever and resourceful and couldn’t be trusted.

  “So,” the man on the viewscreen was saying as Thoran entered, “you are not here on Assassin business, dog shifter?”

  Thoran could see the muscle working in Kayden’s jaw. He could tell that Kayden was fighting not to give the reply he truly wanted to. None of the Breed Assassins took insults lightly and if this were any other circumstance, the troll would be bleeding by now.

  “The Empire has no idea, Captain Korvex,” Kayden said, though he put a slightly belligerent emphasis on the title.

  “Interesting.” The Klackian nodded. “So, if I blew your ship apart, there would be no repercussions?”

  “Try it,” Logan growled from the weapons console.

  Kayden held up his hand, silencing Logan. That was a feat considering Logan pretty much answered to no one. The Breed Assassins were their own men except for the orders they took from Admiral Shuziano. But that was before the bounty was put on their heads. Now they were nomads trying to stay one step ahead of the Feds while tracking down Thoran’s missing sister.

  The Klackian gave an evil laugh as he tucked his hands behind his back. “Do not tempt me. Now, why are you in this sector, Assassins? There is nothing here for you except misfortune.”

  “We are searching for my sister.” Thoran spoke as he stepped forward. He knew this man would tolerate nothing but respect. It galled Thoran to give it, but he would do whatever it took to find Nyda. “She was taken from Sator ten years ago.”

  “Ah,” Captain Korvex said. “The Vyklion were paid a fortune to invade different planets and kidnap young, ripe woman. I remember the contract hitting the feed.”

  Thoran’s stomach dropped as his throat grew dry. Finding Nyda safe from harm was looking less and less possible. A small part of him had been holding out hope that fate had spared her from the slave trade. “Do you know if she was taken?”

  The Klackian shrugged. “Many women were taken. Why would I know her name?”

  “She is of the Royal House of Sator,” Kayden supplied. “She is King Matino’s niece.”

  Captain Korvex’s hands slowly moved to his side as his eyes became calculating. “Which would make you his nephew,” the man said to Thoran and then his eyes turned to Kayden. “You are the lost heir.” It was a statement.

  “Did you hear of her kidnapping?” Kayden ignored the accusation. Thoran could tell the Klackian was trying to figure out how to exploit this situation. He could turn them over for the bounty. But his mind was
working overtime to come up with a way to become even richer than that.

  “What is this information worth to you?” he finally asked.

  “Sator will pay you a hefty price if it leads to her recovery,” Kayden said. “I will put that promise into writing if need be.”

  “Send me the contract and then we will talk.” The transmission died.

  “He may not know a damn thing,” Logan argued. “What if he’s stalling while he waits for the Feds to arrive.”

  “For one,” Kayden said, “the man is too damn greedy. For two, the Feds wouldn’t come into Sector Nine. They’d be eaten alive before they crossed the border.”

  And if Sator paid the price for Nyda, Thoran would be in the king’s debt. There would be no way he and Eaton could start a new life on a distant planet. Thoran didn’t have that kind of money to pay the king back. He was well to do, but not filthy rich. He would forever remain in King Matino’s pocket.

  “It’s up to you,” Kayden said, as if reading Thoran’s mind. They all knew the score. When a debt was owed, it was paid. Thoran would basically become his uncle’s bitch, doing whatever the man wanted, no matter how menial. If King Matino told Thoran he wanted someone killed, Thoran had no choice but to carry it out. If the Klackian asked for an exorbitant amount, not only would Thoran be in debt, but so would his future descendents until things were settled.

  It was an overly pessimistic estimation of his newly discovered uncle. But Thoran had to consider the worst case scenario of what might happen if he became indebted to King Matino.

  Family didn’t mean shit to some people when it came to wealth and favors owed. Eaton’s father had proven that. Thoran didn’t know King Matino. He had barely said hello to the man. For all he knew, his uncle was a cold and callous bastard when it came to favors.

  He had to keep Eaton’s pregnancy a secret. There was no way in hell he would allow his child to become a servant of Sator just to repay Thoran’s debt. Thoran had to find a way to stash Eaton some place where King Matino would never find him.

  What if he agreed to this and Nyda wanted no part of him, or she was dead? He would have enslaved himself for nothing. It was a huge risk and one he was being pressured into taking now. All the men on the bridge were staring at him, waiting on an answer.

  “Look,” Nyk said. “No one would blame you if you said no. Why put yourself in that position for someone who might not even want to be rescued?”

  Nyk parroted Thoran’s thoughts.

  “No one will think badly of you,” Dax affirmed. “It is what it is.”

  “The decision is up to you,” Kayden added. “I would give all I had if I thought that would help. But even as heir to the throne, I can’t get you out of debt once you sign that contract. You know the laws that govern our universe.”

  “Those laws are bullshit,” Logan said, his upper lip curled back. “We’ll find another way, Thoran. You don’t have to enslave yourself.”

  Was there another way? Sure, they could search until they were old and grey, but that didn’t mean they would find her. The universe was vast and contained far too many planets to search. They needed a lead or they might be out here forever. His brethren were faithful to a fault, but none of them would give up their lives to search for Nyda if it took decades.

  Thoran was at a crossroad and didn’t know which path to take. Nyda might be on Japori and she might not. If she wasn’t, where would he go from there and was he willing to risk everyone’s freedom? That was what it would amount to if they kept searching for her.

  Dax and Nyk wanted to start their own freighting company. That was a risk as well, but a risk the two men were willing to take by their choice. Thoran couldn’t ask them to give everything up for him.

  “Draw up the contract.”

  Logan growled. Dax and Nyk looked at Thoran sympathetically. Kayden’s face was a mask of stone, revealing nothing.

  Nyk paced back and forth by the tactic station. “There has to be another way.”

  “I’m all ears,” Thoran said. “If you can come up with a solution that won’t keep us searching for the next decade, I would really love to know. I’m not keen on being enslaved for the rest of my life, but what choice do I have?”

  “I would say that you had time to think about this,” Kayden said to Thoran, “but I have a feeling the deal with the Klackian is a one-shot thing.”

  “Not if we get the information and then blow his ass out of the sky,” Dax said with no hesitation or remorse. The man even had a gallows smirk on his face. “It won’t be easy, but it’s doable.”

  “And then we’d have an all-out war with the outlaws,” Thoran answered. “We already have enough trouble hanging over our heads. I’m not going to add to that.”

  The signal for transmission sounded. The Klackian wanted his contract.

  “Are you sure about this?” Kayden asked.

  Chapter Eight

  Eaton had sat in the tub long enough. He was turning into a prune. Besides, Thoran was taking too long. He might have lived a sheltered life, but even Eaton knew a freighter in Sector Nine wasn’t a good thing.

  He dressed and then left his mate’s quarters. Thoran was going to be pissed, but Eaton was too worried to sit around and wait for his mate’s return. He would deal with the fallout later.

  He approached the bridge, but wasn’t sure if he should enter. What if nothing was wrong? Thoran was going to be seven kinds of pissed that Eaton had disobeyed the man. He didn’t like the idea of his mate being mad at him, but Eaton had to find out why Thoran hadn’t returned—it had been over an hour since the man had left their room.

  Eaton spotted an intercom on the wall. He supposed it was for asking permission to enter the bridge. He pressed the button, but then realized he’d pressed the wrong one. Instead of talking, he listened to what was going on.

  “I’m all ears.” It was Thoran who was talking. “If you can come up with a solution that won’t keep us searching for the next decade, I would really love to know. I’m not keen on being enslaved for the rest of my life, but what choice do I have?”

  Enslaved? What in the hell was Thoran talking about? Who was he searching for? He stood there listening to the conversation as he chewed on his thumbnail, his heart sinking with every word spoken. They were talking about war. This was not good.

  Bolstering his bravery, Eaton walked onto the bridge.

  All eyes turned to him, but it was Thoran’s enraged expression that had Eaton taking a step back.

  “I thought I told you to stay in my quarters,” his mate barked at him.

  “Easy on the little guy,” Logan said, his expression dark.

  “Stay out of this,” Thoran snapped at Logan. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Enlighten me then,” Logan snarled.

  “Who are you searching for?” Eaton asked, trying his best to ignore Thoran’s wrath. If his mate was about to enslave himself, Eaton had a right to know.

  “Thoran’s sister,” Nyk answered. “She disappeared ten years ago.”

  Eaton ducked behind the captain’s chair when Thoran headed for him. The man’s expression wasn’t encouraging. “Maybe I can help.”

  “Leave him alone,” Logan warned. “I don’t give a rat’s ass what’s going on between you two, but I won’t stand here and watch you abuse him, Thoran.”

  Thoran froze in his tracks, a pained expression crossing his face before it darkened. “You think I would hurt him?”

  “You do look pretty damn evil right now,” Dax stated before he glanced at Eaton. “I’ll cut him off while you run and hide.”

  “He’s not running anywhere,” Nyk stated. “If Thoran lays one hand on Eaton, I’ll gut the prick.”

  Eaton was shocked that Thoran’s friends were sticking up for him. Shouldn’t they be on Thoran’s side? He eased closer to Nyk and Dax, hoping he didn’t pay for this later. “Tell me what happened.”

  He stood there listening to Nyk tell him about Nyda a
nd the circumstances behind her disappearance, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on Thoran.

  “But Klackians can’t be trusted,” Eaton stated.

  “No shit,” Thoran answered. “We all know this, but I have no choice.”

  “Yes,” Eaton answered, “you do.”

  “How?” Kayden finally spoke. “What would you know about Nyda’s whereabouts?”

  Eaton licked his lips, his gaze never leaving his mate’s. “Around that time, when I was twelve, I saw a shuttle land in the meadows just outside the village. Both boys and girls were escorted off and taken to the brothel. My father had sent me to the Crossover Tavern for bread and cheeses and I overheard the men talking. One of the runners who’d gotten off the shuttle was bragging about having a member of the royal family among them. But he wasn’t saying it in a nice way,” Eaton added, remembering the snide way the guy had spoken.

  “Are you sure?” Thoran asked. “Did they give a name?”

  Eaton shook his head. “But they did say she was from Sator.”

  “Do you know what happened to her?” Kayden asked.

  Eaton thought long and hard. It had been ten years ago. A lot of the details were sketchy to him. The runner from the shuttle had been drinking heavily and running his mouth. Eaton had been standing by the back of the tavern, waiting for his father’s order. No one had paid the runner any attention. As with a lot of outlaws who had come through Crossover, the guy was treated as someone who drank too much and boasted nothing but lies.

  “Well?” Thoran asked and Eaton could hear hope in the man’s voice. The last thing he wanted to do was let his mate down, but the memory just wasn’t coming to—“The runner said he was keeping her for himself.” Eaton was happy that the memory returned. “The guy bragging said he was going to enslave her for his own pleasure and put the old guy she was with to work for his family.”

  Kayden let go of a string of curses. “But the bartender told us he had no clue where she was.”