Page 109 of Shielded in the Shadows

“We know something about it,” Calla said, sliding her arm around my waist and urging me toward the open gate. “It’s been a pretty nice day, but it’s about to really start raining.”

I gaped at her. “What do you mean, really start raining?”

She chuckled. “Just you wait. They don’t call this the rainy season for nothing.” She glanced over her shoulder. “And you better bring Zwee inside if you’re not sure she can swim.”

I was almost certain she was joking.

Inside the wall, we found a surprisingly large garden divided into sections. Given this was the rainy season, only one was in use at the moment. It was full of thick grasses covered in little shelled creatures.

Vos and Calla’s capsule home was snug and cozy, and clearly designed to withstand the weather conditions on Iosa. My sister and her mate had filled their space with little trinkets and decorations, and everywhere I looked, plants and even several small fruit trees seemed to be thriving under lights.

The main living area contained an oversized sofa and chair, a fireplace that provided both light and heat, and a large nest in one corner made of branches and moss that clearly belonged to Poe. The kitchen was part of the front room as well, with a rectangular dining table between the sitting area and food prep area as a kind of separation.

The rest of the home consisted of a single bedroom, some storage areas—one dedicated entirely to weapons and their security system—and a surprisingly enormous bathroom that appeared to have been added on to accommodate a gigantic tub. It was surrounded on three sides by glaz walls and a curved roof, offering a view of the rain and lush plants growing outside in the yard. No doubt the tub was a necessity for Vos, who clearly had cephalopod genes.

Nowhere did I see a computer interface or any other tech beyond what was absolutely necessary to operate the home and maintain its security. Neither Calla nor Vos wore wristcomms either, though they must have some way to communicate when they were apart. The lack of tech further emphasized their need for a simple, isolated life disconnected from the dangers that lurked beyond this moon.

When Calla and I returned to the front room after I’d cleaned up and dried myself off, Jarrix took a turn in the bathroom to do the same. My sister and I curled up at opposite ends of the sofa.

Vos, meanwhile, had left his plasma rifle by the door and busied himself in the kitchen making fragrant tea. Watching his tentacles move around the kitchen without seemingly needing his attention was both fascinating and a little unsettling.

Poe settled into her nest, leaving just enough room for Zwee to climb in next to her. They trilled quietly to each other, and then both closed their eyes. Calla and I exchanged a smile as we watched them rest.

“So you said there was more to the story of how you got here than buying those coordinates from a Kurutan,” my sister said. “I know we have a lot to talk about, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to start there.”

“Understandable.” I accepted a cup of tea from Vos’s outstretched tentacle as he handed another to Calla. He left one on a side table, presumably for Jarrix, and kept one for himself in one of his human hands.

In a move that seemed totally natural, Vos picked Calla up with his tentacles, took her place on the sofa, and settled her in his lap, wrapping two tentacles around her. The third tentacle waved slowly back and forth in the air behind him, and the fourth wrapped around her ankle.

I suddenly realized how else Vos probably used his tentacles to show affection for my sister. My face heated.

Calla caught me averting my gaze from the tentacle on her ankle and chuckled. “Vos likes touch. Does Jarrix not do that too?”

“He, uh, uses his tail,” I said, sipping my tea and avoiding her knowing gaze so I didn’t blush more or start laughing.

Jarrix returned to the main room, clean and dry. Without missing a beat, he echoed Vos’s earlier movement by settling me on his lap and wrapping his tail around my calf before claiming his cup of tea from the table where Vos had left it.

Calla caught my gaze, looked pointedly at Jarrix’s tail tip where it was lightly stroking my leg, and raised her eyebrows. I compressed my lips and tried to signal with my eyes that this was a conversation for later in private. She chuckled and drank her tea.

As the rain thrummed on the roof and ran in rivulets down the enormous window behind the sofa, I told Calla and Vos about the bounty and how it had led to crossing paths with Jarrix on Ghira Station.

Jarrix took over the story for a bit to explain why he’d been aboard the Fleeting Fancy, what he’d done aboard the station to get us to safety, and then our journey to Trakhan.

I then revealed what we’d learned from Byx and what had happened on Saistea—including killing Orqiel and how we’d dealt with Jonor. Finally, Jarrix explained how he’d lured the Fancy away to Saistea so we could get back to our ship and head for Iosa without being tailed.

Vos cooed quietly for Calla as I described my confrontation with Orqiel. I didn’t know him well yet, obviously, but my instincts told me they loved each other very much.

“But why go after you now?” Calla demanded once the initial shock of hearing about Orqiel wore off. “After all these years? There has to be more to it.”

“There’s more.” I cradled my mug of tea, thankful for its warmth and that of the fireplace. Their home wasn’t cold, but I felt a chill nonetheless. “When we got to Orqiel’s chambers, he had a hologram recording he played for me.” I swallowed hard. “It was from a man named Leomer Casso-Wren.”

Calla paled and nearly dropped her cup.

In a blink, Vos wrapped her hand and the cup with the end of one of his tentacles to steady her, and the rest of his tentacles caressed her as he cooed softly. He didn’t ask who Leomer was and simply focused on her.

“What did he have to say for himself?” Calla asked, her voice tight.

I recounted every detail of Leomer’s story. The more I talked, the paler she became, and the more fury blazed in Vos’s black eyes. Jarrix was angry too, but he’d had far longer to process the information. His arm around my middle stayed steady and encouraging.