Synnr's Saint

by Kate Rudolph

  “I won’t,” he promised. “Never again.”

  He looked wrecked, but lightning flashed fiercely in his eyes. Emily wanted to give in then. This wasn’t her. She didn’t fight. But anger still surged inside of her and she couldn’t let it go. Oz had known and he hadn’t told her. He hadn’t trusted her with the truth about her own future. She couldn’t just let that go.

  There was probably some parting jab she could make, some words she could say to hurt him to the core, but Emily couldn’t find them. She shook her head one last time and walked away.

  She’d find somewhere else to sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  OZ STARED AT THE CLOSED door and his mind flashed back to hours before when he and Emily had been separated at the facility. How did this feel worse?

  It was all his fault. That was why.

  He’d been keeping the truth of her situation from her since they’d met, and he shouldn’t have done that, not beyond those first few hours. He’d known he was betraying her trust, but he’d hoped he could convince her that Osais was the place for her, that she belonged at his side.

  That she could love him as he loved her.

  He sank down onto his bed. He wanted to chase after her and make her see his point of view, but he feared that would only make things worse. Indecision like this would get him killed if he were out on a mission, but this was different than any battle he’d ever faced.

  Emily wasn’t an enemy. And he had to find a way to make her his... again.

  Brazon’s bowels, he’d punted this up.

  Before he could even begin to formulate a plan of attack, the intercom in his room went off. “We need you on the bridge.” Solan sounded exhausted.

  This mission couldn’t end soon enough.

  “I’ll be right there,” Oz promised. He hoped he kept most of the emotion out of his voice.

  Since Solan didn’t say anything, he must have succeeded.

  The ship was definitely crowded. It wasn’t built to house a dozen humans along with the regular crew, and the humans would be bunking together in three rooms, only two of which had actual bunks. They were lucky they were only traveling to Osais. If they had to go much further the life support systems would be overwhelmed by so many more people needing oxygen. Not to mention the waste systems and food.

  But they’d be on Osais by morning before those things could get worse.

  Solan, Jori, Ax, and Crowze were on the bridge when he made it, all of them looking somber. And when Solan spoke, Oz wasn’t surprised.

  “The captain didn’t make it. His body will need to be prepared for funeral rites. I’ve reported it to the Admiralty.” Solan showed no emotion.

  Would he have survived if they hadn’t rescued the humans? They would have been back on Osais by now if that was the case, but there was no guarantee that he would have made it even if they’d gotten him the best care available on Osais.

  There would be an investigation, and every decision would be examined. Of course, Solan knew that.

  Oz didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t liked Cru, but he hadn’t exactly hoped the man would die.

  “My condolences to his family,” Oz finally said. He didn’t want to think about how they would react to Cru’s death. There would be consequences. The only question was: who would have to pay them?

  “We land in four hours. I’ve reported that we have the humans on our ship and medics will be ready to meet them.”

  “Let’s hope they like their new home.”

  It was better than being stuck in a cage; he hoped they realized that.

  EMILY EXPECTED THE journey to last a lot longer, but she’d only just managed to find a little couch to sleep on when Solan announced that they would be docking at Osais Station. She found a place to secure herself safely, pleased that the harness wasn’t that different than the seat belts she was used to back home, though it made her think more of a race car than a regular vehicle.

  Her ears popped and her body felt strangely heavy. She’d been so preoccupied with everything else that she hadn’t thought much about why there was gravity on the ship. But now that they were on a planet, or, well, a moon, there was actual gravity.

  She’d cooled off a little since she’d yelled at Oz. She was still mad. She didn’t know if she’d ever be completely over his omission. But she was beginning to see that he’d been in an impossible position. He wasn’t the one who’d kidnapped her. And if he’d told her as soon as she’d escaped, she didn’t know that she would have believed him.

  It felt kind of wrong to be ready to forgive him so quickly. Was that how fights normally went? She’d thought she’d been figuring out this relationship stuff, but maybe not.

  Would Lena have the answers? She seemed to be more... worldly than Emily. Or maybe it was just that she was a bit older. Emily had never had a best friend or an older sister, but she could see Lena fitting in that role. The woman had taken her under her wing... well, metaphorically speaking, since Emily was the one with wings now. But Lena had looked out for her.

  It would be nice to have someone she could talk to.

  But right now she wanted Oz. And she wasn’t sure she cared if that made her weak. Things were all screwed up and she loved him.

  Emily’s eyes went wide, and for the moment she was glad she was alone so no one saw her reaction.

  Loved?

  Wasn’t that fast?

  Did it even matter?

  She loved Oz.

  Even when she was mad at him, she still wanted to be around him, and wasn’t that love? Yes, she still wanted an apology and a decent explanation for why he’d kept the truth from her. But she didn’t want them torn apart over it.

  And that meant she was going to have to find him once she got off the ship and make sure he knew that. She was pretty sure he’d try and give her time to settle down. He wasn’t the kind of guy to force anything. Yet another thing to love about him.

  Did she have to tell him so soon though? Maybe she’d keep that to herself for a bit, to get used to it.

  It was a half hour later than she and her fellow humans were exiting the ship. Ax was the one shepherding them off and she didn’t see Oz anywhere, but that was okay. She’d find him soon. Somehow.

  Aliens—Zulir—waited for them in a giant hangar that looked uncomfortably like the one Emily had been injured in the night before. But no one was shooting guns or pointing them at anyone’s head, so it was probably okay.

  The humans were in a single file line, and a Zulir at the head was taking their information and then sending them to a waiting area to the right. At least that’s what it seemed like he was doing. Luci, then Zac, then Julia, then Joel all went right. Then Lena gave her name and was sent to the left. The same happened for Grace and Emily, while everyone else went to the waiting area.

  Lena was trying to wait for the others, but another Zulir who was holding a fancy tablet looked frustrated. “I’m sorry, miss, but it will be some time before the humans are released. We need to do some tests.”

  “But why did you release me, then?” Lena demanded, arms crossed.

  “Your DNA was entered into the Matching system already,” the Zulir said calmly, like she’d explained it before.

  Emily joined them. “Excuse me?” She waved a hand to get the woman’s attention. “Did you say they’re supposed to undergo medical tests?”

  The woman smiled. “Yes, the captain, well, former captain put in an order for all humans on his ship to be tested for Match compatibility. As that order has not been countermanded, it must be done before we can release the humans.” She shot a pointed look at Lena before looking back to Emily. Apparently this wasn’t the beginning of the conversation.

  Oh it must? Wait. “Former captain?”

  The smile slipped off the woman’s face, and before she could speak there was a noise from behind her. Emily looked and saw a large crate being rolled off the ship. A crate. Or a coffin.

  “Who’s the captain now?” Emily as
ked.

  “Solan Zadra.” It wasn’t the woman who answered, but Lena. And maybe Emily should have known that since he’d led the mission on Kilrym, but she was no military expert.

  “Can you wait here for a minute?” Emily didn’t wait for an answer. She had to find Solan. She had a feeling this whole thing could quickly get out of hand. If the humans got taken to some other testing facility she didn’t believe they’d ever get out. Maybe she wasn’t giving the Synnrs enough credit, but the Apsyns had already broken any trust she had in aliens, and the memory of Oz’s betrayal was there as well, even if she was ready to forgive him. She had to stop this. Now. And while some people might have pulled a blaster or used their spark to get their way, Emily’s instinct would always be to use her words.

  She’d worked hard to be a lawyer and she wasn’t going to give it up just because she wasn’t on Earth anymore.

  Solan was leaving the ship when she found him, and Oz was right next to him. But she couldn’t talk to Oz. Not yet.

  “The people down there are trying to enter our DNA into some sort of Matching system. We do not consent to give you that data and request that you rescind the order of your predecessor.” She took a breath to continue. She didn’t know Synnr laws, but she knew how to argue, and she could speak for a long time if she needed to.

  But Solan held up a hand to cut her off. “They’re doing what?” he asked.

  “They’re refusing to release the humans until they are entered into some sort of Matching database.” She wished she knew the proper terms, but she could learn them later.

  Solan cursed under his breath and rushed past her. She and Oz followed. By the time she caught up, he was speaking swiftly to the person cataloging the humans and gesturing broadly. And a few minutes later the humans were lined up again. The Zulir waved a device in front of the humans, waited until it beeped once, and then let them go one by one.

  “It’s a health scanner,” Oz explained. “Simply checking for infectious diseases.”

  That was probably alright. “Do you know where they’re putting us?”

  They were both cautious in how they spoke, as if the fight from earlier could erupt again at any moment. Emily wanted to fling herself into Oz’s arms and say that it was all good, but that wasn’t true. And she could see how scared her fellow humans were. She didn’t want to abandon them on their first night in a strange place.

  “I can house them on my estate.”

  From the way Oz whipped around, and the shock written on his face, Emily knew he hadn’t expected that. She was pretty sure the warrior offering was Crowze, though she might be confusing him with Ax. No. It was Crowze.

  Probably.

  Since Emily was going to stick around now, she’d need to remember the names of Oz’s crew. But that was for later.

  Right now there were scared people who needed a place to stay, and apparently Crowze had rooms to offer. “Thank you,” she said. “I hope we won’t disturb you too much. And I’m certain this will be short term until we can figure something else out.”

  She heard Oz make a sound in the back of his throat, but she ignored it. She ignored him.

  She’d deal with him later.

  Crowze offered her a smile. It wasn’t exactly kind. Or natural. But nothing about this situation felt natural. “There is an outbuilding that we used to use for guests. I’ll call ahead to have my staff air it out and provide food. There are several items I’m told are very similar to vegetables back on your planet. And I’ve heard humans rave about our breads.”

  “Well, yeah, bread.” Like Emily needed anything else to attract her. “Do you live far away?”

  “I’ll arrange transport,” he promised. “Get me when you’re ready.” Then he walked away.

  Oz made another sound, and this time Emily couldn’t ignore it. She looked at him. “You’re not jealous, are you?” She couldn’t believe it.

  “No!” he protested. Loudly. Too much.

  “Right.” But for some reason that made her feel better. God, she’d become twisted. She got on her tip toes and kissed him. “I took his help because he offered. And he’s apparently rich? Unless outbuildings and staff are something everyone on this moon has?”

  The tic in Oz’s jaw was answer enough. No. Crowze was loaded.

  “But we’re going to need more help. And not just moneywise.” She kissed him again and stepped back. “I’m not leaving with them to punish you. I... well...” She had to clear her throat before the conversation went in a different direction. “They need help tonight, and I’m in a position to give it. Come find me tomorrow?”

  Oz pulled her close and kissed her soundly. “An Apsyn army couldn’t keep me away.”

  Emily hoped it didn’t come to that. But she was pretty sure the Apsyns weren’t going to be happy about losing all their test subjects. “Tomorrow,” she said again.

  “Tomorrow,” he promised. “As the sun rises.”

  She cringed. “I was thinking afternoon. Let a girl get her beauty sleep.”

  “You’ve no need.” He grinned. “But perhaps I can delay until lunch.”

  This time they parted with smiles.

  Emily went to find her humans. They had a long day ahead.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  OZ MANAGED TO WAIT until after breakfast the next day to head out from his apartment in Osais to the Aorsan countryside where Crowze’s family estate was located. It was a palatial building, but smaller than some aristocratic holdings that Oz knew were in the area. The temperature was perfect and the sun shone bright overhead. It was a beautiful Aorsan day, and he hoped the humans would agree. They knew they were stuck here, but at least they could see that it wasn’t all bad.

  He wanted to sneak in and find Emily, but he couldn’t risk upsetting Crowze’s clan, not when the family of Crubok Scofoyl was soon to be out for blood over his death. Having one set of aristocrats upset at him was more than enough. So instead of infiltrating, he drove his vehicle up the main drive and through the front gates, giving his name to the guard at the entrance and stating his purpose. The appearance of a dozen humans who’d been stolen from Earth was becoming news, and Crowze had upped his security to keep them safe from curious onlookers.

  Luckily, his crewmate didn’t seem eager to keep him waiting for long. After a quick greeting he pointed Oz in the direction of the outbuilding and let him go. The path was idyllic, grass and flowers and gravel making it possible to forget that the bustling city of Osais was less than an hour’s drive away. But when he made it to the outbuilding, peace dissolved into chaos. The humans had the place in disarray: decorations strewn everywhere, furniture rearranged, and he was pretty sure that the garden bed out front had been dug up.

  A servant walked out of the house scowling and only barely managed to recover his expression when he caught sight of Oz. He gave a slight bow and continued on the path back to the main house walking so fast Oz was afraid he’d trip.

  What was going on?

  When he tried to walk through the front door, a human blocked his path. It wasn’t one of the few he recognized. “May I come in?” he asked.

  The man glared at him, arms crossed. “We don’t have to let you in. This is our place now.”

  “I’m not trying to remove you from it,” Oz assured him. Had Crowze given them ownership of the house? Oz had assumed they were only staying temporarily. “I’d like to enter so that I can see Emily.”

  The man didn’t budge. “This house is for humans.”

  “For Christ’s sake, let him in, Kyle, that’s Emily’s boyfriend.” Lena came to his rescue and half-shoved the man out of the way.

  Boyfriend?

  They walked quickly through the front hall and Oz almost had to jog to keep up. “She’s claimed one of the rooms as her office. Please go rescue her before she goes crazy.”

  Before Oz could ask any questions about that, Lena was shoving him toward a room and through the door. She shut the door behind him.

  Emily was
in the middle of pushing a pile of boxes to one side of the room. Her hair was messy and falling out of the ribbon she’d used to tie it back. Her eyes looked a bit sunken, as if she hadn’t slept, and she moved with a sluggishness that he’d never seen in her before.

  “Did you sleep?” he asked. It had been a full day since he’d seen her and she should have been rested. Not this.

  She looked out the window and thought. “The sun didn’t go down.”

  “We’re not on Kilrym,” he reminded her. “Aorsan days are different.” He should have prepared her for what life on Aorsa was like. It was another regret to add to the pile, another thing to fix.

  “I was going to sleep before you got here.” She slumped against the boxes, but the one on top slid and she had to readjust. “Things got busy.”

  “I can see that.” There was a small couch pushed off to the side and covered in even more boxes. Oz moved the debris and took a seat, patting the cushion beside him. “Take a seat. You need to rest.”

  “If I sit, I’m going to fall asleep,” she warned him.

  “Then fall asleep. I’m not going anywhere.” Oz patted the cushion again and smiled as she slowly moved toward him. He’d rather take her to a bed where she could get hours more of sleep, but he wasn’t sure she could make it without being carried.

  “There’s a lot to tell you,” she muttered as she settled in next to him. And then she leaned against him, snuggling up to his side. It didn’t take long for her to readjust once more until her head was in his lap and her legs were hanging off the edge of the couch.

  Oz rested his hand on her head and ran his fingers through the silken strands of her hair. It didn’t take long for his Match’s breathing to even out as she surrendered to exhaustion. And as she slept he watched over her, content.

  EMILY’S BODY WAS TWISTED in knots, and not the fun kind. She vaguely remembered Oz showing up and enticing her to sleep, but now her head was propped up on a lumpy pillow and she didn’t see him. But before she could even wonder where he was, the door to her new office opened and he stepped inside, carrying a small tray.