“They also gave humans spaceships?” Dakar pointed out. “How did that become part of the negotiations?”
“That’s a relatively new development. I’m not sure how it came about.” Alyssa only knew about any of this through reports she wasn’t supposed to have seen. It was hard to explain motivations and specifics when she hadn’t been directly involved. “Much of this is supposition on my part, but we humans had to be feeling mighty vulnerable by then. We’d been visited by two alien races in a matter of months. It only makes sense that we would want to acquire technology that would allow us to defend our planet. The next race to visit Earth could prove less reasonable than the previous two.”
“Makes sense,” he conceded. “Move this along. I’m losing interest in context.”
She nodded, trying to condense her thoughts into concise statements. “The cave was a feasibility study. The Evonti needed to know their technology would work on the moon before they finalized the alliance.”
“As I said, I’ve seen the cave, so the technology obviously worked.” Wariness still shadowed his expression, but she wasn’t sure what was making him uncomfortable. “If you’re nothing but a contractor, why do you know all of this?”
She tensed. This was it. Time to bare her soul and pray he’d understand. “My involvement with Solar Warden is intermittent. I am more or less a contractor. My father, however, is known as Shadow Leader. Solar Warden is one of three secret organizations under his command. All of them govern human interaction with aliens.”
Suddenly, he stood and raked his hair with both hands, pushing the long strands behind his shoulders. The unbound mass made him look wild, unpredictable. “We were warned not to trust the Evonti. Have you found them to be honorable?”
“I know little more than I’ve told you already. The alliance was negotiated before I was born. I don’t know why the project hasn’t progressed farther than the cave. Maybe the danger passed and the Evonti just stayed on their homeworld. I’ve never even seen an image of an Evonti. I only know they’re responsible for the spaceships and certain medical advancements that have occurred over the past decade.”
He paced in front of her, his agitation obvious in each movement. “There’s another group of humans working with the battle born. They found a surveillance device we were able to identify as Evonti tech. Do you know anything about that?”
“Are you talking about the Bunker?”
His head snapped toward her and his gaze narrowed. “You’re surprisingly well informed for a consultant.”
“My father has a quick temper and he tends to talk really loud when he’s angry. Combine that with my ability to navigate cyberspace and I can find out pretty much anything I want to know.”
“Was your father spying on the Bunker or were the Evonti?”
“My father has always felt threatened by Morgan Hoyt. She’s too smart and too ambitious for his peace of mind. Besides, in his opinion, no female should be given that much power.” Dakar said nothing, so she went on. “When she mated with an alien—sorry I don’t know her husband’s species—Dad was certain her loyalty to the U.S. had been compromised. I knew he was spying on her. I didn’t realize he was using Evonti tech to do so.”
“Then Shadow Leader isn’t Morgan’s supervisor?” He stopped pacing and faced her, clearly interested in her answer.
“He’d love to take control of her taskforce, but his backers refuse to carry all their eggs in one basket. They’ve given Morgan complete autonomy and it drives Dad crazy.”
He seemed to digest the implications for a moment before he said, “Back to your mission. When and why did your father decide to send you to Lunar Nine?”
He sounded curt and impatient, and she couldn’t blame him. Already she’d confessed to knowing all sorts of damning secrets and she’d barely begun to explain about her personal involvement. “The ‘why’ is simple. It became obvious that Royce Marsden’s ultimatum didn’t impress you guys at all, so Dad wanted to take a more direct approach. You used a technicality to avoid full-scale military aggression, but Dad wasn’t about to let it go without repercussions.”
“Hacking our system from Earth is impossible, so he sent you here disguised as a potential mate.” He sat back down, his expression distant yet tense. “How did he know you’d have genetic matches? There’s no way he’d risk exposure on a one-in-ten chance.”
“Only one in ten humans have Rodyte matches?” This was the first she’d heard of the statistic and she found it surprising.
He looked at her, gaze wary. “You knew before you left Earth, didn’t you? How is that possible?”
Her first impulse was to deny it, but she’d yet to lie to him during her confession and she didn’t want to start now. “One of my father’s operatives sold him an early copy of the database that matches human females with battle born males.”
“Wait. What? Your father has operatives here on Lunar Nine?”
She wasn’t sure why he was surprised. Humans had a right to defend their planet and no defense could be mounted without accurate intel. “That particular agent isn’t a threat anymore. He recently joined the Outcasts.”
A harsh scoff escaped his throat. “I’m not sure that’s better. The Outcasts pose a bigger threat than Solar Warden. That bastard Kage Razel has one of our best ships.” He paused and looked away, no doubt reeling from everything she’d told him. He released a heavy sigh and dragged his gaze back to her face. “We’re off track again. If you knew who your matches were, why didn’t you go after Sedrik? He commands the entire Earth-side fleet. A match with him would have been much more strategic.”
“Father knew who our matches were, but he refused to tell us. Said our reactions would be more natural if we didn’t know.”
He shook his head, clearly annoyed by the detail. “How were you able to run the matching program on human computers? And how did you learn our program language well enough to develop malware? These are the details Raylon and Sedrik will demand if you hope to escape punishment.”
“I’ll tell them everything I know, but I don’t know everything. My father only trusts me when it’s convenient and beneficial to him.”
He stilled and searched her gaze. “You sound bitter.”
“I am. Dad’s a son of a bitch, but I still can’t seem to tell him no. It’s unbelievably frustrating.”
A bit of the intensity in his expression eased. He extended his arm along the back of the sofa, close to her shoulders yet not touching her. “I think most fathers have the power to exasperate their children. We want to please them, yet we hate ourselves for needing their approval so badly.”
“You too?” She relaxed enough to smile though she knew the interview was far from over.
“My father doesn’t sound so different from yours. He too was career military and I drove him crazy with my unconventional ideas.” He took a deep breath then the intensity returned and the interrogation resumed. “How has your father learned so much about our technology?”
“With help from his spies, of course. The most important was a technical wizard who defected during Pern Keire’s reign, but my father has had teams of people backward engineering Rodyte tech ever since.”
His gaze hardened again and tension returned to his features. “How big a part have you played in that process?”
Again, her first instinct was denial, but she’d promised to tell him everything. “I’m more comfortable on the software side of things, but I’m not intimidated by a soldering iron. Like any good soldier, I do whatever Shadow Leader tells me to do.” Silence descended like smog, dense and cloying. She looked at him then lowered her gaze, unable to bear the hurt and accusation in his eyes. “I really was going to tell you all this tomorrow.”
“Why?” Challenge rang through the word and drew her gaze back to his. “What specifically made you abandon your mission?”
She looked up as she said, “It was a lot of little things, but the explosion made continuing unthinkable.”
&nb
sp; His features remained tense, gaze wary. “You think Solar Warden was behind the explosion?”
“I don’t want to believe Dad is responsible for the needless death of so many, but I can’t ignore the facts. He wanted to make a statement, to ensure you heard him loud and clear.” Conviction strengthened her voice and restored her resolve. “I can’t be a part of terrorism, not for any reason. I won’t.”
“And that’s the only reason you were going to confess?” Now he sounded annoyed.
“You know it’s not, or at least you should. Our attraction is… I don’t want to lose you over this.”
He laughed as he lunged to his feet, but the sound was dry and humorless. “I was your target, a means to an end. There’s nothing to lose.” Without explanation he walked around the sofa and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” She didn’t want to sound so pathetic, but the question just slipped out.
“To update Raylon.” His angry expression didn’t change and he didn’t look back as he stormed from the room.
A sick feeling dropped into the pit of her stomach. At least he hadn’t dragged her to the brig. She looked at the door and sighed. Dreading what she’d find, she walked to the door and tried to scan it open. As she feared the computer refused to open the barrier. She was no longer a guest on Lunar Nine. She was a prisoner.
* * * * *
“Do you believe her?” Raylon asked after Dakar finished his rambling explanation.
They sat in the living room of the suite Raylon shared with his mate, Chandar. The furniture had a different pattern, but the layout was identical to Dakar’s living room. “If she was lying, she’s the best damn actor I’ve ever seen. Her reactions were believable and her level of knowledge never changed. She has a basic idea of her father’s activities, but he clearly doesn’t trust her.”
“Even so, the things she told you are better clues than we’ve been able to uncover in the past few months.” Given Raylon’s anger earlier, his calm acceptance was surprising. “I need to tell Morgan what we’ve learned. She’ll be thrilled to know the identity of her rival.” The battle born’s interaction with the human task force was intermittent. Still, Morgan and her people were a welcome resource. It would have been a shame to see her shut down.
“It sounds like Shadow Leader is incredibly well connected,” Dakar stressed. “I’m not sure there’s a lot she’ll be able to do about his jealousy.”
“Forewarned is forearmed.” Raylon shrugged. “I’d want to know.”
“As would I.”
They lapsed into silence and Dakar reluctantly focused on the female locked in his suite. He’d been so close to finding the paradise Kaden shared with Lexie, so close to the sort of happiness his parents enjoyed. Now he had no idea how to proceed, or if he even wanted to try. Alyssa was a spy. She’d lied and manipulated him, using their attraction to further her cause. How was he supposed to forgive all that and find a way to trust her again?
“Sedrik will want to convene a tribunal despite who the females are to you and Jakkin. I’m not sure he has ever bent a rule in his life,” Raylon said after a lengthy pause.
“Let me worry about my brother.”
“What do you want done with Alyssa? Are you still planning to claim her?”
“I haven’t decided yet.” He sighed and stood. “I never dreamed that finding a mate was possible for someone like me. Now I have a potential mate and I’m not sure I want her. Gods, what a tangle.”
“Suite six is empty if you need some space. You’re welcome to use it until you make up your mind.”
Thankful for the compassion, Dakar nodded. As soon as he was in the same room with Alyssa the pull made it impossible for him to think rationally. Isolation was his only hope. “I appreciate it.”
“Are you going to update Sedrik or should I?” The warning in Raylon’s tone was unmistakable. Sedrik needed to be told and he wasn’t going to be pleased by the complications.
“I’ll com him first thing in the morning.”
Raylon chuckled. “That’s about forty-five minutes from now.”
“Damn. I didn’t realize it was so late, or so early.” Dakar sighed and glanced toward the door. “He’ll take it better if I don’t wake him up. Sedrik is not a morning person.”
“You have until noon, then I’ll tell him everything we’ve learned.”
Annoyed by his persistence, Dakar only nodded.
Chapter Eight
Royce Marsden watched the attractive blonde weave her way through the crowded diner. Tracking Chelsea down had been simple, but dealing with her paranoid conditions had been frustrating in the extreme. She insisted on meeting in a public place, which was a reasonable precaution for a female. He even understood her preference that he come alone. But refusing to divulge the exact location until fifteen minutes before they were to meet was a bit ridiculous. Of course, she’d learned the trick from the goddamn battle born.
She approached his booth, hips swaying and a flirtatious smile on her lips. He might have been flattered by the attention if he hadn’t spent several hours that morning looking at pictures on her website, graphic images of her screwing battle born soldiers. Despite her outward charm, Chelsea was an amoral whore.
“You must be Colonel Marsden. Did you come alone, as promised?”
“I did.” He motioned to the seat across from him. “I don’t have much time.”
Tossing her small purse in first, she scooted onto the seat and looked at him expectantly. “What can I do for you?”
“Are the pictures on your website real? Have you actually interacted with the Rodytes?”
“They are and I have.” Her chin came up and shrewd intelligence flashed in her baby-blue gaze. It amazed him that she felt no shame at her behavior. He must be getting old. “By this time tomorrow there will also be a selection of videos, downloadable for a competitive price, of course.”
“Of course.” Twenty-five years ago recordings of sex acts ruined careers and split up families. Now empires were built on such notoriety. “Why were you disqualified from the program?”
She shrugged, her disinterest not quite believable. “One of the instructors had it in for me, but I was actually relieved. I had what I needed by then and had no real interest in tying myself to one of those brutes for the rest of my life. That was never my intention. I know this is just my fifteen minutes of fame, but I’m going to ride the wave for as long as possible.”
“What if I could help with that?”
Her gaze swept over him with critical interest. “Do you own a movie studio? I’ve got the internet covered, so I’m not sure what the military has to offer me.”
“I’m no longer an official member of the military. I’m part of a project opposing the battle born. We feel like they’re taking advantage of our young women and we’re willing to do just about anything to see this program discontinued.”
She rested her elbows on the table and folded her hands in front of her face. Her head moved back and forth, rubbing her lips against her thumbs. “They didn’t take advantage of me. In fact, everything was disappointingly civilized.”
He nodded once then lowered his voice. “I’m aware, but that’s not the point. Public opinion is frequently swayed by information that’s not quite factual.”
Her gaze narrowed, then relaxed as understanding unfurled. “You want me to lie about my treatment, claim I was humiliated and abused before they tossed me out for no good reason?”
“That’s one approach. Another would be that orientation is a form of brainwashing. You realized what they were doing and refused to continue. You desperately tried to help the other volunteers see what the battle born were doing, but the others were too far gone.”
She laughed, clearly amused by the idea of payback. “What’s in it for me? And anything I agree to do can’t compromise the potential of my website. Those videos are going to be big. I know it.”
“Understood, and what would make this worth your while?”
“We’ll keep it simple. Transfer fifty K into an account in my name and I’ll say whatever you want me to say.”
“Agreed. I’ll contact you again when I’ve made the arrangements.” Without further conversation, he left the diner.
Royce ducked into an alley and headed for his SUV, which he’d parked a few blocks away. He could no longer contain his triumphant smile. He’d been authorized to offer her half a million. Finally, Shadow Leader would be pleased.
* * * * *
Alyssa spent the next five days locked in Dakar’s suite. He stopped by the first morning to make sure she knew how to operate the nutri-gen kiosk and to tell her he’d return when her fate had been decided. He was obviously still angry, so she did little more than nod. She asked about Kelsey, but all he’d say was she was being detained aboard the Fearless. If they were to be prosecuted for their crimes, Alyssa wished he’d take her to the brig. The luxury suite was confusing. It would be easier to prepare herself mentally if she were treated like a criminal instead of an estranged girlfriend.
Yet as the days wore on, isolation became its own punishment. A boy of no more than twelve delivered clean clothes each morning and Alyssa couldn’t help wondering about him. He wore a uniform like all the other soldiers, but he was much too young to be in the military. At least in the human military. She’d have to ask Dakar about it. If he ever decided to talk to her again.
Indigo stopped by on the fifth evening. Alyssa was thrilled to see her. “Thank God!” She hugged the other woman soundly then sighed. “I’m going crazy in here. Have they told you anything?”
“Not much, but I twisted Dakar’s arm until he agreed to let me take you to one of the restaurants for dinner.”
Alyssa tensed. Leaving the suite was undeniably appealing, but the last time she sat in a restaurant it exploded around her. “Can we go to the food court instead? I don’t think I’m ready for another restaurant.”
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