Why, even though Fain had been a bound slave kept by humans, Venik had dragged him off the ship--which was then called the Cerulean Escapades--by his hair, and shot out both kneecaps while he'd been chained and unable to protect himself.
Venik would have done more, but the fire and venom in Fain that refused to beg or be dominated by anyone or anything had given the Tavali pause.
Fain's only response to the assault had been to look Venik in the eye and laugh. "Pain I can take, old man. Do your fucking worst, and you better make sure I die. 'Cause if I get loose, I'm going to rip out your guts and strangle you with them. I promise you."
Those growled, hostile words had finally won the pirate over and made him respect the fact that Fain was every bit the warrior Venik was.
However, the expression on Brax's face today said something bad was brewing. And that the male was highly pissed off and out for blood.
Curious about what had him in such a foul mood, Fain left the ship first.
As soon as Fain was close enough, Brax hugged him like a brother before he narrowed his dark gaze at the twenty-two Andarions with them. "I heard you were shot on your arrival. Should we return the favor to them?"
"No!" Fain said quickly. "Two of them are my family."
Brax quirked a brow. "As I recall, your family disowned you. Left you for dead."
"Not these two. And it's complicated. I'd just rather they be treated with respect."
Brax nodded slowly. "I'll let the others know, then." He moved toward Galene. "Commander Batur?"
She hesitated at the flash of his fangs. "You're part Andarion?"
"My father. My mother was a Qill warrior, as is my wife." He frowned as he saw Talyn approaching them. A knowing glance at Fain let him know that Brax had already deduced who Fain was related to and why it was complicated. "Another Commander Batur in the mix." He took a moment to study Talyn. "You're not the Talyn Batur, are you?"
"I am."
He held his hand out in friendship. "Nice to meet you, Hammer."
"You, too, Captain Venik." There was an underlying crisp chill to Talyn's voice.
His friendliness vaporizing, Brax curled his lip the moment he saw Chayden disembark and head in their direction. Without a word of greeting, he spun and led his men away.
Chayden grinned widely as he joined them. "Look at me, making friends everywhere I go." Lifting his nose, he sniffed at the air. "You can just smell the happy welcome ... oh wait, someone needs a bath." He clapped Fain on the back. "Oh yeah, that's me, too!"
Galene passed a quizzical stare to Fain.
"Chayden has major brain trauma. I think his sister must have slapped him too hard in childhood."
Laughing good-naturedly, Chayden winked at her. "Venik hates my Tavali father, Gadgehe Hinto. It's an old blood feud between them. Which means I get to irritate the grand Porturnum leader with impunity. It's awesome." He glanced to Fain and grinned before he spoke to Galene. "And if you want me to rattle his cage, just holler at your boy and I'll do it. I live to make beautiful females happy."
Galene smiled. "Thank you, Chayden. I just might take you up on that."
Flashing his dimples, Chayden clicked his teeth. "By the way, we should probably let you know that Venik isn't a captain. His rank is technically high admiral and Tavali presidium."
Talyn gave him an emotionless stare. "I know. I did it to piss him off."
Chayden let out a low, insidious laugh as he clapped Talyn on the arm. "You and me, Hammer, we're going to be good friends. I can tell."
From across the bay, Brax motioned Fain away to speak to him while a small group of Tavali women came forward to show Galene, Talyn, and their soldiers where to bunk.
Talyn carried his mother's gear through their impressively clean and modern hallways toward their rooms.
After what seemed like miles of hiking, the Tavali women finally showed them the bunk corridor where their rooms were lined up like prison cells.
With a smirk, the shortest woman opened the closest door. "For you, Prime Commander."
Galene screwed her face up at the small, cramped quarters they'd reserved for her group. They really did look like prison cells. It wasn't just the hallway. They even held that peculiar antiseptic, institutional smell. "Is there nothing better than this?" she asked the female Tavali closest to her.
She shrugged. "It's where we always put our special guests. Sorry it's not up to Your Majesty's high standards."
Talyn caught Galene as she started for the woman. "It's fine, Commander. I'll take the smallest one." He cut a fierce glare at the woman who'd led them here. "Give our females the larger rooms. If there are any to be had."
The woman stepped back to let Talyn enter his "closet."
Galene wanted to weep at the paltry quarters. She knew The Tavali had better accommodations than this--there was no way they'd bunk their crew in something so horrible--but The Tavali and Andaria had a long and ugly history of war between them.
Obviously, this was their petty way of getting back at their former enemies, even though they were here to help them and be allies.
Something that proved to be more than apparent when she entered her hot, stifling room. Without another word, she set her duffle on the small cot. Sadly, it was better than what Talyn was dealing with. At least she could turn around without bumping into anything.
Disgusted, she picked up her link to call him. "Hey, mi tana. You want to exchange rooms? Mine's a little larger and you're a lot bigger than me."
"It's fine, Mum. I had a smaller bed in gen-barr. At least it has its own bathroom. I can manage."
I can manage. Her heart broke at his most common phrase to her after the word "fine." "Ever my brave soldier. Love you, Talyn."
"You, too."
Galene hung up and started to unpack, only to learn that there was nowhere to store her gear. Not even a closet or nightstand. Infuriated, she'd just set her duffel on the narrow desk when Fain texted over a map of the facilities and instructions on where their command center was located, as well as her office.
Disgusted with all of The Tavali in general and Fain in particular, she refused to text him back. Effing bastard. He was probably the reason they were being housed here.
Trying not to think about it, she went to the bathroom to freshen up.
*
Fain frowned as he waited and waited for a text from Galene. When she didn't respond, he traced her location.
No ... that had to be a mistake.
Someone's screwing with me.
Assuming they were being toured and not actually placed on that side of the base, he finished up his reports for Nyk and logs for Brax before heading to the room numbers assigned to Galene and her team.
The moment he opened the door and saw the cramped closet-sized hole that was her room, he wanted blood.
This was utter bullshit!
He stepped back to leave at the same time the bathroom door opened.
It wasn't Galene.
Dressed in only a towel while drying his hair with another, Talyn came out to glare at him. "Don't you fucking knock?"
"I thought this was your mother's room."
Lowering the towel in his hand, Talyn arched a brow at that and gave him a withering glower. "Are you trying to piss me off? Or is this a natural talent you possess?"
"Apparently, it's an innate skill where you're concerned."
That piss-poor attempt at humor didn't resolve any of the tension in the room. If anything, it made it worse.
Fain sighed at his other raw talent--making bad situations fatal. He'd never been good at diffusing things. Only blowing them up. "Since I have you alone for a minute, can I ask you something?"
"Yes. You're an asshole. I took a survey and everyone agrees." Talyn didn't lose a beat or crack the slightest trace of a smile. His delivery was totally deadpan.
Fain would have been more ticked off had it not been something he would have said to someone he hated, had he ever thought of it.
Talyn hung the towel around his neck and held it with both hands as he leaned against the bathroom door to watch him. "Are you going to ask it, or stand there staring at me like a perv?"
Damn, the kid had way too much of him in his DNA. Poor Galene that she had to put up with him. "That look you gave Venik earlier. What was behind it?"
"He was so cute and fluffy, I couldn't help noticing."
Fain rolled his eyes. Damn, that level of bad attitude must be hardwired into all Hauk DNA.
"You two have history. Since we're supposed to be working together and I'm the lucky moron assigned to this disaster, I don't want to get blindsided by bad blood. What's the deal between you two?"
Talyn let out a long, annoyed breath before he answered. "I merely found it amusing that the bastard didn't remember meeting me nine years ago when he held a blaster to my head and threatened to pull the trigger."
Nine years ago ...
Fain's eyes widened as he remembered the one and only time Andarions had infiltrated this station and infuriated Venik to the point of murder. The Tavali had been sheltering Eriadne eton Anatole during the Andarion civil war that had only ended when Cairistiona was crowned and her mother deposed. "You were part of the Andarion strike force that came here to retrieve the former tadara?"
"I was the commander of it." Talyn moved to the cot to pull out his clothes.
"Why didn't you tell your mother about that?"
He glared at Fain. "To what purpose? She needs her head clear to lead. It's my baggage to carry. Not hers. She has enough to deal with. She doesn't need to know Venik almost killed me. Especially since he can't even remember it."
As Fain watched him digging through his duffel, he noticed something else peculiar about his son.
Without a word, he took Talyn's hand into his and scowled at the tattoo Talyn had in a band around his unification finger. Written in Andarion were the words "Forever Felicia's."
Because Talyn couldn't legally marry or even buy or wear a wedding ring, or bear Felicia's family crest in any way, Talyn must have done that as a way of publicly honoring his female. Of showing the universe he was committed to her.
Laws be damned.
Ever defiant. That particular tattoo was a bold move on Andaria, where Talyn could be arrested for it if the wrong official happened to see it, and was in a particularly shitty mood.
Growling at him, Talyn jerked his hand out of Fain's grasp.
Fain stepped back, his gaze falling to the photo on the bed of a beautiful Andarion female, sitting at a white desk with her chin resting on her hand as she smiled sweetly at the photographer. "Felicia?"
"It's none of your business, old man." Talyn tucked the picture in the bag, but Fain didn't miss the care he took to protect it from harm.
Realizing anything he said or did would only piss his son off more, Fain opened the door to leave. But as he did so, he felt the twenty-degree difference between the hallway and the stifling temperature in Talyn's room. "Why's it so hot in here?"
"Air's broken."
"You report it?"
Talyn gave him a droll stare. "No. I live for sweltering heat. At home, I'd have to pay good credits for a sauna this extreme."
He ignored the dripping sarcasm. "What did they say?"
"I'm on the list. They'll get to it when they have time. Now, if you don't mind, I've already given you one free show. That's my limit and there's not enough room in here to dress with you standing on top of me."
No, there wasn't.
Furious with his Tavali comrades, Fain left and pulled out his link. He called the Station Support Center to ask about the lovely Andarion accommodations, and was greeted with proud laughter.
"Yeah, we put the bastards in the slag block quarters."
Fain's vision darkened. "I want them moved," he growled. "Immediately. They're here to help us, not be hazed."
"You're serious, Hauk?"
"More than serious. I want them out of here faster than you can tel-ass, and the Baturs are to be given family accommodations, with all working facilities. If not, I'm making a personal visit up there, shoving my foot up your collective asses, and none of you are going to be walking out of that room tonight. You understand me?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. You have twenty minutes. Run, assholes. Fast." Fain hung up and almost walked into Galene as she was headed for Talyn's room.
For the merest instant, he saw the way she used to look at him ... like he was her hero. "You didn't have to do that."
Fain's body reacted instantly to her presence. Dammit. All he wanted was to hold her again. To kiss those perfect lips ...
But she'd viciously attack him if he tried. He could feel her slap already.
Clearing his throat, he tried to ignore how much he still loved her. But it was even harder than his body was. "I didn't bring you here to be abused. And I'm not about to leave Talyn sweltering in a cell so small he doesn't have enough room to change his mind."
She inclined her head to him. "Thank you for taking care of my baby."
Fain choked on his grief at the fact that she refused him the honor of claiming Talyn as his. But then, what could he really expect?
Talyn was right. All he'd done was donate some DNA. He'd never once been there for either of them.
And that hurt most of all.
"If you want, I can show you to your new quarters. Help you carry your things?" He gestured toward Talyn's room. "He was dressing when I left him a second ago."
She pulled out her link and texted Talyn. After a brief pause, a blush stained her cheeks. "He's checking in with Felicia. They have so little time together that I try not to intrude on it." Biting her lip like she'd done as a girl, she put her link away and headed back toward her room with the sexiest military swagger any soldier had ever possessed.
Now that was the sweetest ass he'd ever laid eyes on or hands to. And it set fire to every part of him. But then Galene had always made him salivate. Always made him appreciate the cut of her body ...
Knowing better than to pursue any of those thoughts, Fain had to quicken his stride to catch up to her. His Stormy had always moved forward, at full speed. With purpose.
He searched his mind for something to distract himself from the hard-on that was killing him. "So ... do you approve of Talyn's female?"
She paused to open the door to her quarters. "Would it matter if I didn't?"
With Talyn's defiant attitude, not really.
Fain cursed as he glanced past her and saw the paltry cell she'd been assigned. While her room was slightly larger than Talyn's, it was still a dive-hole. This was ridiculous and it made him want to beat the shit out of everyone who'd had a hand in it. So much for Tavali hospitality, and it didn't help that it reminded him of his early days with their order when he'd been a slave, or what The Tavali snidely referred to as a slag--the lowest order of their society that was The Tavali equivalent of an Andarion lack-Vest.
Yeah, those were memories he'd rather not have. The Tavali could be as cruel and nasty as anyone else in the universe. Especially to Andarions.
"I'm really sorry about this." Fain reached for her duffle on the small desk. "Is this everything?"
"Yes."
He lifted her gear. "Then follow me."
Galene tried her best not to notice how incredibly sexy Fain moved as she reluctantly obeyed. Honestly, he was huge and devastating, and she hated how badly her body reacted to his presence. How much she still ached for him in spite of what he'd done to her.
I so want to hate you.
No, she needed to hate him. But he didn't make it easy on her, especially when he was being kind. Just like when they were kids. It was what had made her love him to begin with. Unlike his older brother, Fain had never bragged about his heritage or used it to belittle those around him.
Ever respectful of others, he'd even given his school jacket away to a fellow student who'd torn the only one his parents had been able to afford for him. Because he was a War Hauk and more was expected of him than others, Fain had been severely punished by school officials for not having his uniform jacket. He'd taken it in stride and never breathed a word to anyone what he'd done or why. He'd simply said he misplaced it and couldn't remember where he put it.
She only knew what he'd really done because she'd witnessed him doing it from a distance.
And he'd borne far worse than that from his father who'd expected him to be a fierce military officer in their proud family tradition. His mother who had constantly berated him for any act of kindness or charity.
You're a War Hauk, Fain! For the love of the gods, remember that. Only the tahrs himself stands above you in caste!
But Fain had never cared about that. His heart had been one of honor and decency. And while he'd been as fierce a fighter as any Andarion male she'd ever known, he was always respectful and sweet to her. He'd rip anyone else apart, but the moment he laid eyes to her, he'd calm down to a quiet peacefulness.
Like a tamed battle-lorina.
As they walked on and on, she slowed. "Should I be worried? Where exactly are you taking me?"
He cracked a charming grin. "To the side of the station where we put creatures we actually like. You and your guard were assigned slag quarters."
"By your father's orders?"
His smile fading, he opened a door and sighed. "I'd like to say no, but given what I know of Venik, it wouldn't surprise me. He's not exactly fond of Andarions. The last time any were here, they blew up half his station."
"Yet he adopted you?"
"What can I say? I'm irresistibly fluffy."
She snorted at that as she swept past him, then froze at the opulent suite of rooms. "Is this ... correct?"
He nodded as he set her bag on the floor near a leather sofa. "It is, indeed. If you don't like it--"
"No," she said quickly, afraid he'd return her to the crappy side they'd just come from. "It's very nice. Thank you."
He inclined his head to her. "I'll have Talyn put in the room that's adjacent to this one." He gestured toward a door on his right. "You can open the door between your quarters. That should keep him in line with his barracks restriction."
Sadness bit her hard at the reminder. "Thank you. The last thing I want is for him to lose his rank. Again. He's worked and suffered enough already."
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