by Kate Rudolph
Toran knew that he should be listening closely to everything that Sierra laid out; instead, his eyes were focused on a file on his private tablet. It contained a more in-depth background of Iris Mason and could tell him everything he needed to know to win her affections. He’d read through her basic biographical data, but this was the good stuff. Family, lovers, enemies, and anything else that might be gathered about a person.
Sierra hadn’t mentioned the contents to him, instead opting to send it directly to his tablet without a conversation. He didn’t know what that meant, and he was a little apprehensive of asking. But he was even more apprehensive of opening the file. Iris wouldn’t like it—whatever secrets she held close, she would want to be free to tell them to him in her own time. And perhaps that was for the best. He couldn’t imagine that there was anything in the record that would make him want her less, but that did not mean that he had the right to steal her secrets from her.
“Jesus, are you even listening?” Quinn snapped at him, waving her dark fingers in front of his face. He noticed that she’d applied some type of bright pink paint to her nails and the color practically blinded him. No one else in the room would have put the question quite like that, but Quinn didn’t have a soldier’s discipline to fall back on.
Toran leveled his gaze at her. “Yormas has been ambassador here for two years. Before that, he was in the Oscavian Empire for some time, though not the capital. Wreet is a planet rich in iron and some other exports, but it is not a wealthy place. They’ve engaged in warfare, but aren’t particularly bloodthirsty, and when Detya existed there was trade between the two systems. Anything else?” Most of his attention might have been on the moral quandary that Iris’s data presented, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t paying attention.
Quinn gave him a nod and a shrug, mollified. Out of the corner of his eye, Toran saw Kayde staring at the human, but he looked away after a moment. He needed to talk to Kayde; the soulless Detyen seemed to be functioning normally despite the unpredictable situation. But between Toran’s discovery of Iris, and the investigation into Yormas, Toran was worried that he’d been neglectful in his duties to Kayde. A unstable soulless Detyen was one of the most dangerous beings in the universe. While on their mission to Fenryr 1, Toran had been concerned that Kayde was getting close to the edge, but all of the excitement with the change in Raze had diverted his attention. Not again, he decided. He would keep his eyes on Kayde and make sure that everything remained within acceptable parameters.
“There’s nothing questionable in his records, but that doesn’t mean much,” Sierra said. “He’s—” A knock at the door interrupted her.
Awareness lit through Toran, and he was certain of who was standing in the hallway even before Kayde crossed the room and opened it. Iris stood there, one hand clenched on the strap of her bag and her shoulders set in determination. She gave Kayde a passing glance before taking in the rest of the room and noting Sierra and Quinn. Her eyes found his and the nascent bond between them snapped even tighter. She had to feel it; her questions from the party the night before suggested that she did. But if she didn’t know any Detyens, she couldn’t know what it was. He’d wanted to kiss her then, and everything in her expression and the way that her taut body had leaned into him had told him that she would take his kiss. But there had also been fear there, and he was not ready to make his next move until he was certain that she wouldn’t run away from him.
“Is this a bad time?” She glanced back over his shoulder and Toran followed her gaze to see Sierra casually storing the portable holo player that they’d been using to view their information about Yormas. When she looked back at Toran, there was a knowing expression in her gaze, and lust punched him in the gut. She knew something was going on, and her easy competence was fuel to the fire already raging within him.
“Not for you,” he replied.
Her eyebrows quirked up and she shot him a questioning look, like she didn’t know what he meant, or she was afraid to know. He needed to find some way to bridge this gap between them, to show her that they were on the same side and that nothing would make him a threat to her.
The excitement in the air behind him was palpable, and he could practically feel Sierra vibrating in her chair as she realized exactly who was standing in the door, but by some miracle she kept quiet.
Iris ignored the people behind him. “I had a few more questions.”
Toran nodded. “Of course.”
“Is this something we can do now? What are you—” she cut herself off.
And just like that, Toran knew what he had to do, knew how to show her that he could be trusted, and that he could protect her. He took a deep breath, and didn’t look at the people behind him. If they knew what he was about to say, they’d tackle him to the floor and cover his mouth until he was safely silent. “We’re investigating Ambassador Yormas of Wreet. We think he’s partially responsible for destroying our planet a hundred years ago, and we’re concerned that he’s going to do the same thing here on Earth.”
Iris blinked several times before narrowing her eyes and leaning in close, as if she hadn’t heard him over the small distance that separated them. “...What?”
Chapter Six
HER PLAN TO QUESTION Toran again had really just been an excuse to see him, but now Iris definitely had some questions. What the hell? And seriously?—being at the top of her list. And judging by the noises being made by the two women on the couch, Iris wasn’t the only person bowled over in surprise. Was that why he’d gone to the party? She hadn’t suspected him of anything, not for a moment.
She stepped further into the room and let the door close behind her, the click as the automatic lock engaged loud enough to echo in her ears. She wasn’t questioning Toran’s motive; she believed that if he told her someone was bad news that he was probably right. And that told her just how far gone she was.
“I’m going to need you to back up,” she said, holding up a hand. “Detya, it was destroyed?” Had that been in her file? Her mind still reeled, and she was going to have to yell at someone back at the SDA about the adequacy of their records.
Toran nodded. “Yes, one hundred and three years ago. Someone used an unknown weapon to destroy it with a single shot.” He said it with the detached dispassion of someone reciting a history text, with no hint that he was recalling the greatest harm ever done to his people. He nodded back towards the couch and led her further into the room, where she took a seat in one of the chairs. He sat on the arm, keeping close, as if his nearness was a shield.
“That sounds...” It sounded impossible, but she didn’t want to accuse them of lying. She didn’t think they were. But she’d never heard of a weapon that could destroy an entire planet like that.
“It’s true,” the robotic Kayde confirmed. There was something off about him, something not right. He didn’t act like the other Detyens, but she couldn’t get to the bottom of his mystery while she was trying to make sense of what she was being told.
“Okay.” She put the questions of logistics aside for the moment. Detya was gone, and the exact how of the matter wasn’t important immediately. “What makes you think it’s this Yormas guy?” She’d never even heard of the ambassador before the party, neither for good nor ill. And if she had ever been called upon to find someone on the planet capable of destroying it, she knew that he wouldn’t have made her list.
They laid it out for her. The evidence they had wasn’t much, but it wasn’t nothing. A recording of his voice, potentially ordering the destruction of Detya. An identical photo from more than a hundred years ago that showed a man who looked just like Yormas. And they went through all of the boring information about his day-to-day life, who he met, who he seemed to like, and what he was trying to do to improve the relations between his planet and Earth.
Iris couldn’t help but look at Toran and be impressed. He had almost as much information on Yormas as she had on him, and he had nowhere near her resources. She wasn’t sure how he�
�d managed to pull that altogether, but she spared another glance for the other people in the room. Sierra Alvarez was the key. Though most paperwork listed her as some sort of analyst for the Sol Intelligence Agency, Iris suspected that she was actually an operative, a spy. And since she was currently suspended from her normal role, she had plenty of time to gather this data.
The door burst open and all eyes turned to the two Detyens who walked through and slammed it behind them. Raze and Dryce NaFeen, the brothers. Dryce’s expression was gleeful, and he was bouncing on his heels. “We finally got a lucky break—” He realized that Iris was in the room and cut himself off before trying to recover. “On that... thing that I was... What is she doing here?” He gave up his recovery and stared at her.
“I told her,” Toran said simply.
Raze’s eyes widened as he looked from Toran to Iris, and there was something in his expression that told her this went deeper than the investigation into Yormas.
Dryce still couldn’t keep quiet. His shoulders sagged and he stared at Toran like he was looking at a stranger. “Do you have to tell your denya everything? Even when she’s—”
“Dryce.” Toran cut him off with a single word.
There was that word again. Denya. After the party, Iris had managed to convince herself that it meant nothing, that it was perhaps a casual endearment. She had a translator, but the word must’ve been in a language that it wasn’t programed to handle, or there wasn’t a simple translation of what it meant. Why was some strange alien using that word to refer to her? And why was he specifically using it in reference to Toran?
“I should be reporting this immediately,” she said, trying to regain some control over this uncontrollable situation. “You’re stalking a political official and might have the intent to harm.” This was exactly what she was supposed to be on the lookout for, exactly what could see Toran and his men detained indefinitely.
Sierra grinned at her. “But you aren’t going to,” she said with surprising confidence. She leaned in and her grin turned conspiratorial. “These guys can make you crazy, believe me I understand. Welcome to the club.”
Club? What club? This whole thing was screwed up, and she didn’t like how easily Sierra had read her. But, she supposed, that was the spy’s job.
“I...”
Toran placed a hand on her arm and she stopped talking, as the warm weight of his fingers grounded her with the comfort she couldn’t understand. Confusion roiled around inside her.
He looked back to the two new arrivals, but didn’t lift his hand. “What did you find?” he asked them.
Dryce gave her another look, but didn’t argue about keeping information from her. “Seems the ambassador is taking a vacation,” he said with a grin. He was always grinning, always ready to have fun. “He’s spending the next week on that pleasure base on the moon that we keep seeing ads for. I was thinking you could send me up there to keep an eye on him.” He kept his tone casual, but his excitement was evident.
Toran stared at him for several silent seconds.
“What?” Dryce asked, all innocence.
Sierra was the one to finally let out a laugh. “I’m sure your eyes would be open wide to the vacationing humans who want a taste of the exotic.”
Dryce placed a hand on his chest and staggered back playfully. “I’m wounded, sister mine.”
Sister? Records indicated, along with Toran’s testimony, that Raze and Sierra were dating. But was it more than that? Or was this another Detyen thing? If she were still investigating these guys seriously, it was something she would have to look into.
And with that, she realized where she stood. Whatever club this was, it looked like she was a member. She placed her other hand on top of Toran’s, and squeezed. “If any of you leave the planet alone, you’ll be flagged and detained immediately,” she informed them. Sierra seemed on the verge of saying something, but Iris kept talking, since she was clearly possessed by something insane. “So that means I should go with Toran. To the moon.”
THERE WASN’T ENOUGH time to argue after Iris dropped that bomb. Not that Toran would have. A week with his denya in a compound created for relaxation and pleasure? There was no better place in the galaxy to convince her to bond with him. And he was more hopeful now than ever, given her reaction to what they were doing to Yormas of Wreet. Maybe she didn’t understand it all, but she was with them, with him, and it was more than he could have hoped for.
While he and Iris were off planet, Sierra and Raze planned to lead the charge to find more information about Yormas. With the man gone, now it was worth it to take a look at his office and his quarters, and see if he was hiding anything there. Toran and Iris would be doing their best to keep tabs on the man while he enjoyed his vacation, and they would be paying attention to see if his only reason for being on the moon was a holiday. After all, Sierra had pointed out, the moon would be a great place to meet someone without word getting back to Earth.
Toran met Iris outside when she came to pick him up in a self-driving taxi. He placed his bag in the trunk of the car and slid into the seat beside her. Once his door closed they were off, heading towards the port that would send them hurtling off planet.
For several moments, silence swirled around them, a living being that seemed to sense every doubt and question and hope that lived inside them. The taxi was too small, though it was built to accommodate at least four people. Still, Toran could smell the scent of Iris’s soap and if he barely stretched his arm he’d be able to touch her. But he kept his arms close and kept his distance as best he could.
Iris was the one to break the silence, falling back on business to keep them on track. “Everything is settled on my end. Did you make the arrangements?”
“Yes, our quarters are booked.” He could still remember Sierra’s grimace as she did that dirty work.
Something like amazement tinged Iris’s face. “How did you manage that at the last minute?”
“Sierra’s father called in a few favors.” It was good to know someone as well-connected as General Alvarez, even if they risked exposure with every new request they made of him.
“The general is involved too?” Iris crossed her arms and stared at him, disbelieving.
“No, not exactly.” The details of his involvement weren’t Toran’s secret to tell, and the story that had been fed to him to get him to agree might send Iris running once more.
But she could tell he was holding back. “What aren’t you saying?” she asked.
Even if he could have come up with a convincing lie, he wouldn’t say it to his denya. He took a moment to figure out the most diplomatic way to explain the situation. “She may have implied this was meant to be a... romantic gift.” He was strung as tight as a wire waiting for her response.
Iris’s arms dropped and she looked at him for a long moment. “Are you involved with them? Romantically?”
There was something in her tone that he couldn’t decipher, but his denial was immediate and emphatic. “No!”
Iris held up a calming hand, but she didn’t reach out to touch him. “It was just a question,” she said, and this time he was certain that he heard relief.
Toran met her eyes, and held her stare. “My interests do not lie with the two of them.” She didn’t respond, but the heat between them was there as it always was, ready to roar to life with the tiniest spark of flame.
After several seconds, Iris tore her gaze away and stared out the window beside her. “This is a big job for two people,” she said, again reverting to the assignment.
If she was going to keep doing this, Toran was glad that they were now on the same side and working together. At least they had this reason to talk to each other when she was too skittish to contemplate anything else. “Sierra gave me some tools that will help. I’ll show you them once we’ve settled in.” Even if they weren’t in his bag in the trunk, Toran would not want to risk disturbing them before they left the planet.
Iris nodded, and kept looki
ng out the window. “You seem close to her.”
The observation caught him by surprise, and Toran almost asked her to repeat herself. He huffed out a laugh as he recalled the clashes of the last several weeks. “When we met, neither of us liked the other, but we have settled our differences. She is my friend’s den—lover. It’s easier for all of us if I get used to her.” And everything she represented, but he did not say that part out loud. It was too early for Iris to understand everything that Sierra represented to the Detyen Legion. She was a hope that they hadn’t known to wish for.
Iris finally looked at him and she seemed sad. “Well the relationship still seems really new. Maybe they’ll break up and things will go back to normal.”
Toran shook his head. “Everything has changed, I cannot remember what normal is anymore.” It certainly wasn’t riding in a taxi with a human woman who didn’t know that she was his mate. It wasn’t being stranded on a planet light years from home, uncertain if he would ever be allowed to return. Uncertain if he even wanted to return anymore.
He thought that Iris would be silent for the rest of the short trip, but she kept sneaking glances at him and when her shoulders drew back like she was ready to strike, he was ready for some kind of question. But not the one she asked.
“What’s a denya?”
IRIS KNEW THAT TORAN wasn’t telling her everything. She could respect that; they’d known each other for a week and had only been allies for a matter of hours. But she couldn’t continue like this without knowing what that damn word meant. It kept coming up. And when he’d used it to refer to Sierra, she knew that it was more than a casual endearment. She’d known that for a while, but the evidence kept stacking up, and she couldn’t keep ignoring it.