Silver Tongued Devils

by Dawn Montgomery

  “Your hair fascinates me. From the moment I saw it, I wanted to run it over my skin.” He dug his fingers into the tresses and inhaled the scent of fruit wash Na’varr had bought for her.

  She moaned and pressed her body against his legs. How had this woman come to trust and love someone like him? She made him want to let go of the drive for vengeance that had powered him for so long.

  “I hated my hair for a long time. When I was young, other kids would yank on it and call me all sorts of terrible names.” She traced a finger along the seam of his pants. “I was in school and the teacher told me that my hair was beautiful. So a girl who sat behind me cut a huge chunk out of it.”

  Rage surged to the surface of his emotions and Brom stared down at the gorgeous strands covering his lap. Who could ever do such a thing?”

  “She was a nasty piece of work.”

  “Did your teacher do something about it?” Brom asked.

  “The girl got in trouble, but later her and her friends finished the job. It took a long time to grow it back out, but by then I’d started hiding my hair under caps or hoods.”

  Brom ran the brush through her hair once more. “Do you hate your hair now?”

  “No. You and Na’varr love it, so I’m getting used to showing it off a little.”

  She sounded so shy about it that he fought the instinct to hug her tight. Coddling her wouldn’t help, however. Instead, he was going to make her see her hair the same way he did: as a work of art. He had the urge to do something he never thought he’d do again. “Please allow me to braid it.”

  She looked up at him in wary curiosity. “Braid? You can do that?”

  A snort left him. “You have much to learn, hellcat.” He gently massaged the back of her neck. Leaning down, he touched his lips to her ear. “Let me do this. Please.”

  He didn’t know if it was the please or the joy of having her hair tended to, but Raesa nodded without saying a word.

  “Why don’t you bring her in here so you can show her what it looks like in the full length mirror? I’m sure she’d love to watch you braid her hair.” Na’varr stood in the doorway, fully dressed.

  Brom ducked his head, equally surprised, embarrassed, and irritated that Na’varr had caught him at such a raw moment.

  Raesa looked up at Brom with hope shining in her eyes. He could deny her nothing.

  ***

  Raesa stood in front of the full-length mirror. She stared at her reflection with a wide eyed silence Brom hoped translated to awe and not horror. He stood behind her, twitching in nervous anticipation.

  “I never learned how to do stuff like this with my hair. You are amazing.”

  The elegant dress she wore was low cut and stunning on the curvy redhead. He knew intimately how many weapons, tools, and other gadgets she’d hid on her body. Only a seasoned pro would catch three of them with a glance. The rest would be captured by her beauty.

  With a brief spurt of pride, he admired the spill of her hair he’d weaved into an intricate braid that accentuated her pixie face and highlighted the unique copper highlights of her tresses. For a brief moment he flashed back to another woman’s hair. Greasy. Black. Filled with chemicals so foul it made his senses reel.

  Pain darkened his thoughts and he forced himself to sweep it aside. Hiding his past from Raesa brought more problems. He’d promised to tell her a little more every day, though he feared the moment she would view him with disgust.

  “One of my former owners liked to have her hair styled by her slaves.” He narrowed his gaze on Raesa’s hair and worried she’d make him take it down after his revelation.

  Tension almost vibrated from her skin. He didn’t have to look in the mirror to know she was angry. Her scent changed, shifted from sweet to spicy—she was upset.

  Raesa touched his hand. He glanced away from her hair and with an iron will, forced his gaze to meet hers in the reflection. “I don’t want to make you relive painful memories. It truly is gorgeous. You made my hair look so beautiful.”

  He drew her arm up and placed a soft kiss on the inside of her wrist, flicking his tongue against her pulse in a tender caress. “You are helping me replace painful memories with good ones, Raesa. That is more than I could have ever hoped for.”

  She turned in his arms and his lips touched hers in a lingering kiss that soothed him. His little Raesa. In such a short time she’d dug her way deep into his soul and curled up in places he didn’t know he had.

  Her chest rose with her slow inhalation and she smiled up at him. From one breath to the next, her worry melted away as if it had never been. She squeezed his hand. “Let’s do this.”

  Unable to trust his voice to speak, he nodded. He ran fingers over his cheek. It was smooth from his shave, cooled by air. At Na’varr’s command, tonight Brom would walk around without a hood. Clean cut. Shaven. Exposed for all to see, his stripes would make them a target.

  “You’ll be fine,” Na’varr said as he strode in the room.

  He was decked out in dark finery with scarlet accents. He looked every inch the gentleman pirate from the top of his hair to the tips of his well-oiled black boots. Na’varr fiddled with his cuffs and Brom pushed Raesa forward with a kiss on her hand. She hesitated a moment and then helped the captain finish getting dressed.

  Na’varr smiled down at her. The true warmth in his expression was something Brom never expected to see. The innocence their little thief radiated softened the edges of his friend. Light to his dark, she complemented him in every aspect. They had an elegance his former masters and mistresses had tried and failed to attain. Their royal bloodline set them apart. And he was there to keep them safe.

  He owed Na’varr a blood debt, but it was more than that. He was given the choice to serve or live free. No other man he’d met would have given him that choice.

  “Renegade Falls is one of the few hybrid freedom platforms in the sector.” Na’varr’s gaze lifted to his. “You don’t have to lay low here.”

  Brom’s skin prickled at the thought of wandering around in plain sight. Maybe it was his past or the cat inside him, but instinctively, he wanted to stay in the shadows.

  Raesa glanced between both men. “This seems really important to you, Na’varr, but Brom is obviously uncomfortable.”

  Na’varr inclined his head toward Raesa, but his gaze was firmly locked on Brom. The hybrid wondered if he was missing something.

  “You were right, my friend. It’s time to make our move.”

  Brutal satisfaction brought a grin to Brom’s face. “You’re serious?”

  “Completely. We need to step out in public as an entourage.”

  They were going to take on the bastards who were systematically shutting down their operation.

  “We’re countering your uncle’s attacks.” Raesa was definitely sharp. She’d need to be for the future they were building.

  “Yes.” Na’varr set her hand in the crook of his arm. “We’re stuck here until morning. Why don’t we make the most of it by creating a stir? The Lost Andovian Prince and his princess have arrived.”

  He and Na’varr would work out their bullshit later. “What do we call you in public?”

  “The same thing you always call me. Captain or Na’varr.”

  “Good. I don’t think I could get used to calling you Naesha. That’s just a weird name.”

  Na’varr looked insulted. “I’m sure it was an important name from some ancient relative of mine who did great things.”

  “Yeah, great things like doubling taxes on orphanages to pay for a new manicure.”

  “Fuck you, Brom.”

  Raesa stifled a giggle.

  “You’re right. He probably spent the annual budget on building an unbeatable hedge maze.”

  “Keep it up,” Na’varr grumbled.

  Brom continued slinging insults, but his mind spun with all the complications coming out in the open would cause.

  “Hey, you ready?” Raesa touched his cheek.

  He re
alized he’d stopped talking and both of them were watching him with concern. He ignored his worries and savored, for the moment, that they would have the protection of the public eye. Political asylum would be next, making it more difficult for Na’varr’s people to attack from the dark. It wasn’t perfect, and the way they were going about it would probably cause more trouble than it helped, but it was enough for now.

  “Let’s go to the festival.” He abruptly turned on his heel, ignoring the stifled chuckles behind him.

  ***

  Brom prowl through the cherry blossom park, awe and joy so powerful on his face that it brought tears to Raesa’s eyes.

  She cleared her throat to dislodge the lump of emotion wedged there. “Did you know Sakura means cherry blossom? Our outpost had three of them many years before my father and I arrived there.”

  Glancing up at the pirate prince, she was amazed that he seemed more at ease in the public than ever before. Once the ground crew found out who Na’varr was, they had pulled out all the stops. The mayor of Renegade Falls wanted to throw them a party, but they’d declined due to travel fatigue.

  Brom received the biggest surprises. He was accepted as one of them, dragged into hugs and hand shakes that left the poor guy ready to climb a tree to get away from it all. He hadn’t relaxed until they’d reached the park.

  “It’s peaceful here.” Na’varr sounded disappointed.

  Raesa smirked at his lack of enthusiasm. His sense of adventure far outweighed any ideas of settling down.

  “We’re seeing the festival, right now, and the outward appearance everyone is willing to show. I’m sure there’s plenty of piracy, thievery, and other shadow games we could get caught up in if you’re bored.”

  Na’varr chuckled. “I’ve got you and Brom at my side, how could I ever be bored?”

  Lingering affection tinged his expression. With solemn grace he took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Thank you, Raesa Daw.”

  It was hard to find her voice at his tender touch, in public, no less. “For what?”

  “For that.” He nodded his head beyond her and she turned to watch Brom.

  A breeze sent the branches of the cherry trees swaying. Blue, violet, pink, and crimson petals fluttered on the wind, swirling around the hybrid like a dance.

  Sometimes he seemed more feline than man. She watched his hands tremble and wondered how hard it was for the cat inside not to pounce or chase them.

  The twitch moved to a quick strike and Brom captured two petals in his hand. She and Na’varr both bit back laughs.

  At home the trees at the Sakura Outpost only bloomed pink. Seeing so many different colors was a new level of heaven.

  Her head ached from the braids, but she’d never let a single complaint slip through her lips.

  Brom stood beneath a blue cherry tree one with his eyes partially closed and a blissful, raw expression on his face. For just a moment, he was all theirs.

  Na’varr took her hand and brought it to his mouth. The warm press of his lips unraveled some of the calm she’d managed to keep together. “I have never seen him so happy. You did this.”

  She stared at him with skepticism. “This was your idea.”

  “Before you came on board, Brom would never sleep through the night. He rarely strayed from my side.” Lines deepened around Na’varr’s mouth and he seemed trapped in his memories. One day she would ask what they’d gone through. Or maybe wait until they were ready to tell her.

  She let her gaze wander to Brom, surprised to find him watching them with an unreadable expression on his face. Curious, Raesa moved toward the hybrid, bringing Na’varr with her.

  “How important is this birthday thing to your people, Na’varr?” Brom stood with his arms crossed and his feet planted.

  Raesa covered her mouth with her sleeve to hide her grin. The big bad hybrid wasn’t quite so intimidating with pink cherry tree petals in his hair.

  “The birthday celebration is very important in our society. It’s how we honor the good and bad of life. To remember where you came from, acknowledge where you are, and reflect on where you wish to go.”

  Brom glanced at Raesa. “This birthday, then. I can choose any day I wish, right?”

  “Yes.” She couldn’t keep the laughter out of her voice.

  “I choose today.”

  Her smile faded and she held her breath. “Why today?” Raesa’s heart slammed in her chest and emotion knotted in her throat.

  “It is my best memory so far.” He held out his arms. “This is a beautiful day to celebrate.”

  Na’varr stared at Brom and the hybrid laughed, slapping him on the shoulder. Raesa could see Na’varr was just as shell-shocked as she was.

  Brom shifted his attention to her. “Come Raesa. I feel the need to dance with my woman.”

  Her soul soared with sheer joy. She put her arm through Brom’s, letting him drag her away from the trees and to the boisterous party that would soon be celebrating a hybrid’s first birthday in freedom.

  ***

  Renegade Falls

  Dusky Falcon

  The lumbering giant hobbled into the bar, pissed as hell at having to come all the way to Renegade Falls to report to this snot-nosed shit. Three months and he’d have enough ore to barter his way out from under those Andovian pricks. Then he’d hunt down Na’varr to the ends of the universe and sell him in pieces to a body part collectors. Maybe he’d keep the bastard’s head for shits and giggles.

  That grim thought brought a smile to his face. A grin that immediately caused his cracked lip to reopen. The room was barely lit and his contact would be in the rear booth, near an exit, like always.

  He reached the booth, unsurprised to find the dark haired Andovian already in place.

  “Hello, Yates. I heard you ran into a little trouble with a certain member of the royal house.

  Ignoring the irritating gibe, Shawn sat on a metal stool the man had provided.

  “Would you like something to drink?” The man known as Kellon raised his eyebrows. “Oh, that’s right, you had your insides recently redone, didn’t you? How long until you can digest anything other than pisswater?”

  “Let’s cut through the idle bullshit. You got the ore. The prince showed up like you said. Where’s my money?”

  “He got away, though, didn’t he?”

  Yates leaned forward and smiled. “Keeping him, alive or dead, had nothing to do with our agreement.”

  “Of course.” The slimy bastard smiled. Perfect even teeth, white as pearls and just as fake as the rest of him. He’d seen the fangs before they’d been filed down. Worthless hybrid.

  “Change your appearance again?”

  “Your fuck up at Deadgate made it necessary to remain discreet.”

  Red-hot fury boiled Yates’s blood. With this payment, he’d have three months more running that mining shithole before he could go freelance. “Blond, blue-eyed, purple skinned, or horns. I don’t give a shit. Where’s my money?”

  An envelope was tossed on the table. Yates opened it and made a point of counting the money in front of Kellon.

  It took only a moment for him to realize there was a problem. If it was any other guy, he’d keep his mouth shut. “This is too much.”

  “It’s exactly enough.” Kellon braced his elbows on the table and covered one fist with his palm. “You’ve been a loyal servant to the Andovian Republic and your donations to the war effort were a valiant necessity.”

  A strange tick began in Shawn’s left cheek, one of the only original human parts remaining in his face.

  “That being said, your illegal smuggling operations have become a liability to our mission. Your services have been terminated.” Kellon’s expression held no emotion.

  Fury clouded Yates’s gaze. He tried to punch the smirk off Kellon’s face, but his arms didn’t respond.

  Panic hit him. It took a moment to realize that it wasn’t anger making everything go dark. It was full system shut down.

&nb
sp; Shawn tried to blink, but his eyes remained lodged open.

  The bastard got up and walked around to his side of the table. Yates struggled, desperate to fight him, but his body refused to budge.

  “What. You can’t—” He forced the words through his lips. Breath came in short gasps.

  Kellon leaned close. “No one else will ever know you saw the pirate captain Anderson Na’varr aka the lost Andovian Blood Prince Naesha Varrian on your mining colony. Your men are already under our control.”

  “Why—”

  “Androgen Worth. Mikial Shorin. Brandon Callwell.”

  Yates swallowed down his panic. He’d killed the traitors for not slaying Na’varr when they’d had the chance. What did they—

  “The men you killed before you came here. Your men. They were important to my mission. You were just the errand boy.”

  System alarms went off in his mind as organ failure alerts flashed across his vision. The body that couldn’t die, was doing just that. “How?”

  “Remote shutdown of your system. Effective thirty six hours after the death of Callwell. It was your shift supervisor’s final revenge for the murder of his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson by your hands. Do you remember the ship, King’s Revenge? It would have been fifteen years ago. Crew of a dozen or so. Some women. A kid. That child was very important to Callwell. It was his grandson.”

  Shawn Yates wheezed out a laugh. Like he could remember one brat in the thousands he’d taken out. Kill ‘em before they did him in was his motto.

  “I didn’t think so. I’ll leave the money here to cover the cost of your funeral expenses.”

  His breath touched Yates’s ear. “Unless the scavengers get to you first. I wonder if they’ll wait for your death before pulling you apart.”

  Kellon raised his hood and backed off into the darkness where shadows began to move.

  “What have we ‘ere?” A wheedling voice asked.

  “The cyborg, just like he said, mate. I get the good eye. You take the arm.”

  Yates cursed fluently in his head. And then he screamed…for a very long time.