Since he was turning blue from the grip Fain had on his throat, all he could do was nod weakly.
Satisfied he'd made his point, he released him and stepped back to see the others in similar choke holds from the females.
Fain grinned. "I should have added that our females are extremely capable warriors in their own right, and I intend to rescind their orders on no offensive contact with Tavali. If they're verbally or physically accosted again, they're allowed to defend themselves by whatever means they deem necessary."
They released the men.
Galene approached him slowly as the humans scampered away. "Commander Hauk, and Tiziran Fain of the Sovereign eton Anatole, may I present Colonels eton Xu and ezul Yetur."
"Thank you for your assistance, Commander," Colonel eton Xu said with a respectful bow to Fain. "We weren't quite sure how to handle it."
"No problem. Please pass along to the other females in your squad what I said. If anyone else causes you problems, do what you have to and I'll deal with the fallout from it. I promised Tahrs Nykyrian that I'd personally guarantee everyone's safety, and I stand by that."
Yetur saluted him. "Thank you, Highness."
As they walked off, he caught a strange adoring smile on Galene's face that made him uneasy. "What's that for?"
She reached up to brush one of the braids back from his cheek. "You just remind me of a noble boy I knew a long time ago."
And she reminded him of long-forgotten dreams. For a full minute, he couldn't move as he stared into those pale eyes that held him captive in a way nothing else ever had.
Galene reached up to finger the place on his sleeve where the other Tavali wore tribal markings and allegiance. His biceps tingled from her gentle touch. "Why are you Rogue?"
Fain's throat tightened instantly as grief and pain overwhelmed him. Memories surged with a vengeance that left him dizzy. It was why he didn't want to think about the past. Why he did his best to have no one around him. Sentient beings asked too many questions. They wanted to know things like what he'd done and where he'd been.
Why he didn't run his own crew.
Stuff he didn't want to remember. Dust-covered memories that were best left undisturbed.
"We should head on out." He stepped around her and led the way to his ship.
Galene frowned at the curt way he'd ignored her question. At the deep anguish she'd seen in his eyes when she asked about it.
But then Fain had always been that way. He'd never spoken much about his family or his feelings. Even as a boy. It just hadn't been his nature.
Of course, when Keris had been alive, he'd viciously mocked and criticized every word out of Fain's mouth. To the point that Fain had literally responded with grunts in his brother's presence. And his parents hadn't been much better. Demanding and impatient, they'd expected only the best from their sons.
Utter decorum. Perfect grades. Stellar athleticism.
As a girl, Galene had been terrified of Endine Hauk and her shrewish tongue. And Ferral Hauk had held a glower that could freeze the core of a sun. It'd taken her years before she'd felt even remotely comfortable around either of them.
To this day, she stung from Endine's cruelty the one and only time she'd made the mistake of asking her to adopt Talyn back into the Hauk bloodline after he'd been born.
"Why would I adopt the hideous bastard seed of a whore who publicly humiliated me after I slashed the bloodline of my own son I suckled at my breast? You made your bed, bitch, lie in it! Now take your disgusting bastard and crawl back to the gutter where you both belong."
Her only solace from that horror was that Talyn had been too young to understand the insults his own grandmother had given him.
If only she'd been so lucky.
But that was then, and thankfully Fain had been born with his grandmother's heart and not the black lump of soulless coal that functioned as his mother's.
As Fain led her onboard his ship, she paused. "Where are the showers?"
He took her to the crew deck and a small shower stall. "You won't have water until after I launch. It'll take about five minutes for it to flow." He jerked his chin to the small room across the hall. "You can wait in my quarters until then. There's a launch seat in the wall."
"Okay. Thanks."
He opened the door, then left her alone. As soon as he was gone, she felt strangely awkward to be in his intimate quarters without him. She didn't even know why, really. Other than this was his home whenever he wasn't docked on a planet or base.
With nothing else to do, she glanced around the small room that held a medium-sized bunk, monitor, fridge, sink, and small personal cooking unit. Very basic, serviceable, and clean. Sterile even.
It was so ...
Cold.
Try as she might, she couldn't see Fain here. It would have to be cramped for an Andarion of his size.
What did he do here? Other than sleep or lose his mind from absolute boredom?
How could he not run a crew? It was rare for anyone to not have at least a copilot. For safety reasons, if nothing else. Space travel was a harsh and lonely mistress, fraught with unseen dangers that came up fast, furious, and unforgiving. Did his personal survival mean so little to him?
"Buckle in. We'll be launching in three."
Startled by his deep voice over the intercom, she folded the emergency anchor seat down from the wall and harnessed herself to it.
The monitor turned on to show Fain's face.
Galene quirked an amused smile. "Checking up on me?"
Color stained his cheeks. "Wanted to make sure the chair worked. It's never been used before. At least not since I've owned the lady-ship."
She pulled playfully against the straps. "I'm all secured, Paka. You can launch."
Snorting at her use of the Andarion word for dad, he obeyed. To his credit, the ship slid smoothly into space under his masterful skill. And when the screen went dark and he told her she was free to use the shower, she actually missed seeing his handsome face. She barely caught herself before an invitation for him to join her slipped out.
I am so messed up.
But she couldn't help it. She still loved him more than she ever wanted to admit to. And she hadn't been with anyone else. No other male had ever touched her. Not even for a kiss.
Only Fain.
While she could have easily registered for a sanctioned relationship with a male years ago, especially with her military rank, she'd refrained. She'd told herself that she hadn't wanted to hurt Talyn with it or risk how an Andarion male might treat her son, given Talyn's low caste. But the real truth was, she'd never wanted to risk anyone else hurting her the way Fain had. Never wanted to feel the pain of having her heart ripped out and callously fed to her.
Damn you, you bastard! She could still feel the raw anguish that day in the locker room when he'd stood there, staring at her, denying nothing about Omira. Still feel the deep betrayal of learning he'd married that bitch, and that they were living together in wedded bliss while she was struggling on the streets, alone and pregnant with his child. She hadn't even been eligible for her obligatory military service or their barracks housing because of the pregnancy. She'd been forced to wait until Talyn was six months old before they'd allow her into armada training, and her son into the military nursery program.
Even then, they'd refused to allow Talyn to be kept with the other children lest he taint them with his father's Outcast status. Her meager pay had been docked substantially for his segregation fees, and they'd been given the worst in base housing because of Fain's crime in defaming his prestigious bloodline. For years, she'd endured humiliation and shame. Had watched the way others scorned and mistreated her beautiful son.
Gah! It was so frustrating. This endless cycle of wanting to kiss Fain and beat him senseless for everything she needed to hate him over.
Trying not to think about it, she showered quickly. But it wasn't until she finished that she realized she couldn't open the door.
; "You've got to be kidding me." Horrified, she tried every way she could think.
Nothing worked. Embarrassed and humiliated, she hit the intercom.
"May I help you?"
She froze at the unexpected, sexy Andarion female voice. "Who is this?"
"Storm. And you are?"
Pissed off, in short. "Galene."
"How may I help you, Galene?"
"You can start by telling me who you are."
"I already told you. I am Storm."
Was she intentionally trying to start a war? "And what's your position on Commander Hauk's ship?"
"I am Commander Hauk's ship."
I'm such an idiot. Storm. Storm Dancer. This was the AI autopilot. Duh ... But in her defense, most ship systems didn't have a voice that could double as a porn actress. Nor were they usually so sentient sounding. This one appeared to have a sultry, sardonic personality, something that was highly advanced for a ship's system. "Oh. I'm trapped. Can you open the shower door for me?"
"Of course, Galene." The hydraulics hissed. Still the door remained closed.
"Is there a problem?"
"One moment, please. I am running diagnostics." Yeah, that was a bit snotty in tone.
Awkward and exposed, Galene tried to remain patient, but it wasn't easy. No one wanted to be trapped naked on a ship. In a small cube.
After a few extremely long minutes, Storm returned to the intercom. "Fain? Forgive me for disturbing you. But I fear we have a matter with the shower door that requires a manual override. Do you wish me to automate my body for it?"
Galene's jaw dropped at that stunning disclosure. "And what does this body look like?"
"I'm on my way," Fain said hurriedly. In fact, he made record time getting to her, which really made her wonder what he feared so much.
Crossing her arms over her bare chest, she listened irritably as he struggled with the controls in the hallway. "Having trouble?"
"Did you hit the release on your side?"
How stupid did he think she was? Struggling for patience, she clenched her teeth. "I did. It's not opening."
"The lever on the right?"
"The yellow one?"
"Yes."
"Not working." She glared as a bad feeling went through her. "Did you do this on purpose?"
"Hell no!" He dared sound exasperated with her? Really? "Why would I intentionally do something that I know would piss you off?"
He had a point. "You swear it?"
"I swear." When he finally opened the door, he had his gaze locked to hers. But she saw the battle inside him not to lower it. His breathing ragged, he held a towel out to her like a bashful teen.
"You okay?" she teased.
"Not really."
"Am I torturing you?"
"Yes."
"Good."
That brought a smile to his gorgeous lips as he swept a heated gaze over her body that she had yet to cover with the towel. "You are a cruel, cruel female, Galene Batur. You sure you didn't do this on purpose to lure me down here?"
His charm stole the anger and irritation from her. She actually felt bad for accusing him of it. "I don't mean to be cruel, Fain. I just don't want to be hurt anymore."
"And that's why I'm standing here, harder than hell, not touching you when all I want to do is make love to you until neither of us can walk straight." With those words, he turned and started toward the flight deck.
Galene caught his arm. The moment his gaze returned to hers and she saw the raw hunger and need inside him, she froze in place. There was so much she wanted to say. But she didn't know where to start. Nothing made sense to her. None of her feelings felt right. The hatred and pain, the love and need. They tripped over each other and left her so confused.
His gaze softened as he dropped his hand to gently finger the old stretch marks left by her pregnancy. While Talyn had been born prematurely, the surgery from it had still left her scarred. In more ways than one. The physical marks had never bothered her. The close call with Talyn's life was never far from her thoughts. Three times since then she'd had a doctor tell her to pick out funeral clothes for her son and to prepare herself mentally for his loss. That had been the first time.
She prayed to the gods that her son continued to defy them all.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, Stormy. When was he born?"
"The first day of the year. A little after midnight."
"Did you have a hard labor?"
She shook her head. "He came nine weeks early. It was less than ten minutes from when I entered the hospital ER to when they had him in an incubation bed."
His hand trembled against her waist. "Were your parents there?"
"Only your yaya Hauk. Corinne had me hidden in her guesthouse during the last few weeks of my pregnancy. She's the only reason Talyn survived at all. I don't know what I would have done without her kindness."
He frowned at that. "Why didn't she adopt him, then?"
"Your grasparan refused. Once he found out we were staying there, he demanded we leave immediately."
Fain cursed under his breath. "How old was Talyn?"
"Six months. But it was fine. By then, he was old enough for me to take my turn in the military. Since I was no longer under the official protection of my family, I lost my waiver. Corinne kept us going long enough to get me off the street until I could enter military housing."
He winced. "So that's why you didn't go to medical school."
"Actually, I did go. It took a while, but I finished. Third in my class."
"Then why didn't you leave the military?"
"By the time I was done, Talyn was beginning his service and I didn't want to abandon him to it. He never complained. Still, I knew how they treated lack-Vests. Had I left, he'd have had no one to do anything for him at all."
Fain pulled her into his arms and held her like he used to when they were kids. He cupped her head with his hand and wrapped his arm around her waist. It was a hold of utter protection. The kind she'd missed most. Even though she felt his erection against her hip, he kept his word and made no moves on her.
A perfectly behaved Andarion male. Just as he'd always been. An honor to his lineage and family.
Leaning her head back, she stared up at his searing eyes and the torment that melted away all the hatred she'd nursed for him through the years. "What about you?"
Fain brushed his hand through her wet braids as he refused to remember the bitter years he'd spent away from his Storm Dancer. They didn't matter and he didn't want to think about them right now. All he wanted was to savor this precious moment with her. He wouldn't let anything taint it. "I survived."
She arched a brow. "That's it?"
"What do you want me to say? That I went through hell? Yeah, I did. But the War Hauk family motto is ... Indurari. Through blood pain we conquer and endure. Out of the bad, comes the good. By our challenges, we are strengthened. Ever strong. Forever onward." He quirked a lopsided grin. "Fuck you, fate."
She pulled at his braids and rolled her eyes. "You are so aggravating."
"So Dancer tells me." And yet she beguiled him in a way no one ever had. Before he could stop himself, he lowered his head slowly, giving her time to deny him. When she didn't, he gently kissed her.
Every part of his body erupted as he breathed her in and tasted her lips. Growling, he deepened his kiss and pressed himself closer to her body, dreaming he was already inside her. Dizzy and breathless, he ran his hands over her velvety-soft skin, wishing he could turn back time and redo his entire life.
If only it were that simple.
But dreams were for fools. And wishes were for better males than him. Males who didn't owe their souls to someone else ...
Pulling back, he smiled down at her and rubbed his nose against hers. "Will you have dinner with me?"
"Of course."
"Will you have sex with me?"
She snorted at him. "Now you're pushing it."
"You're the one standing naked in my
arms."
"That's to punish you."
"It's working." He pressed her hand against his cock. "At this rate, I'm going to die of testosterone poisoning." Which could actually happen to Andarions. It was a real concern for the males of their species.
"Is that why you have a porn actress voicing the AI of your ship?"
That should probably embarrass him, but instead he was amused. "A male has to have some vices. She was the lesser evil. Besides, I modeled her voicetrack after you."
"I do not sound like that."
"Yeah, you do. You were ever the sexiest female born. None could touch you in that regard. The sultry strains of your voice saying my name alone were oft enough to tilt me right over the edge, love."
She opened her mouth to ask him if he was seriously trying to tell her that he'd walled himself up on this ship with her memory when the AI rudely interrupted them.
"Fain? I have Ambassador Dane queued for you. Do you wish to proceed with your communication? Or should I take a message for you?"
She saw the bitter regret that flashed across his features. "Hold the line. Tell him I'll be right there. That it's imperative I speak with him. Don't let him close the channel."
"Sure thing."
"Go." She nudged him toward the flight deck.
Inclining his head, he took off at a dead run. But as he reached the ladder, he paused to glance back at her. The raw, ragged heat in those precious Andarion eyes singed her and left her breathless.
Not sure what to feel about it all, Galene returned to his room and dressed.
By the time she rejoined him, he was speaking to Ryn Dane, the Tavali ambassador for the UTC. Like his younger brother, who was the Caronese emperor, Ryn had dark red hair and steel blue eyes that betrayed a razor-sharp intelligence. Even though he and Darling Cruel were only half siblings, related through their father, their features were strikingly similar.
"You're certain about this, Hauk?"
"Very."
"Well, that's utterly disappointing and highly disturbing. But the saddest part is, it's not unexpected or even surprising. Just pisses me off that a Tavali broke Code. Love to lay hands on that bastard and personally strip their Canting and life blood." Ryn paused as he saw Galene over Fain's shoulder. "Commander Batur ... it's an honor to formally meet you. I can see where Talyn gets his fierceness."