Page 76 of Shielded in the Shadows

“Gitto,” Jarrix murmured. “This is when we find out if the Vespira’s false bioscanner readings are as good as Byx claimed.”

“I assure you that to all scans, this ship contains two Dakarans and a gorga,” Lumos said with a mildly offended tone that made me bite the inside of my cheek to hold in a chuckle. “There was no need to mask your guardian’s biosignature. In fact, I believe it adds verisimilitude to your cover, as you would seem unlikely to have gained a gorga during your short visit to the outpost.”

“Thank you, Lumos,” Jarrix said, his tone very serious though his lips twitched. He held out his hand to me. “That chair doesn’t look very comfortable. May I be your captain’s seat?”

I huffed in exasperation but rose and allowed him to settle me on his lap. “There’s nothing wrong with that chair.”

He tucked me against his rumbling chest, wrapped his tail around my right calf, and rested his chin lightly on top of my head. “But it is not as comfortable as this one, correct?”

“About the same,” I lied.

He chuckled and kissed my hair.

“The merchant vessel that scanned us appears to be returning to Trakhan Outpost,” Lumos said with an unmistakable hint of smugness. “It would appear our deception has succeeded.”

“Well done, Lumos,” I said, trailing my nails up and down Jarrix’s trouser-covered thigh. His rumble doubled in both volume and intensity. “Remain on high alert, though. We have more than one enemy looking for us.”

“Of course, Captain Farai.”

The ship couldn’t go into hyperspace until we were farther from Trakhan, so we had a while yet to enjoy the view of the nebula and the variety of vessels traveling nearby.

“When I was young and living in the dirt, I couldn’t imagine a life among the stars,” I mused. “Now I can’t imagine living any other way.”

“It is addictive,” Jarrix agreed. “I have always had itchy wings. Some feel unfettered in space, but I look at that—” he indicated the cockpit’s window “—and I see freedom. And endless wonders.”

“I do as well.” I entwined our fingers. “Maybe your physiology got it right after all.”

He squeezed my hand. “Maybe.” But there was no maybe about the way he said it. “I must tell you something.”

Despite his mild tone, I tensed. “Yes?”

“Our mate bond has begun to form. I don’t know how it will manifest for you, but for me, that means I can sense and share some of your emotions.” His thumb stroked my hand. “When you saw the information about Orqiel, I felt your shock and anger. And fear.”

Stunned, I moved so I could see his face. His expression was tender, his eyes soft and understanding. “I will learn to control the flow of emotions so your feelings remain private,” he promised, “but it will take some time to master it.”

I expected to feel angry and threatened. And maybe there was a little of that, but surprisingly I didn’t react at all like I would have in the early days of knowing Jarrix and put my dagger to his throat. Maybe it was the compassion in his gaze and how important my privacy was to him that soothed me. Even in this, he continued to prioritize my feelings.

Jarrix exhaled. “You’re all right.” It was a statement, not a question. He’d sensed my reaction and was relieved that I wasn’t angry or feeling betrayed. That he could know these things without me having to explain was…surprisingly nice.

“I’m all right,” I confirmed.

I closed my eyes and attempted to sense something from Jarrix, but try as I might, I felt nothing but what my normal senses could tell me. Maybe sharing emotions only went one direction. After all, I had none of his genetic advantages. Nary a drop of bat or eel or any other kind of DNA in my body but plain old human.

To hide my disappointment, I gave his thigh a little tweak and settled in against his chest with the datapad full of intel Byx had given us.

Before I started reading, though, I recalled something I’d meant to ask. “What’s Catugo Prime? Byx threw that at Gitto, but I’ve never heard of it.”

“You wouldn’t have.” He rested his chin on top of my head again. “I know few details myself, but it’s supposedly the location of a GAIS black site designed to house very high-value and very dangerous prisoners. Gitto used to work there as an interrogator, but not anymore. Whatever conclusions you draw from that are probably accurate.”

I grimaced. “That is…somewhat alarming. When did you find out?”

“I thought it was a rumor until Byx mentioned it today.” The tip of his tail was slowly stroking my leg and it might be my new favorite thing. “What new intel do we have on Orqiel?” he asked, his lips pressed to my hair as he peered down at the datapad in my hands. “It looks like our friend has managed to collect quite a lot of information.”

“It is a lot.” I was already skimming the first file. My gaze landed on a familiar word almost immediately and I jerked in recognition. “According to this, Orqiel was heavily involved in the Rendex project that failed on Forval IX. He was to have managed one of the arenas, and was advising on its design.” I swallowed hard. “Is that the connection to the rendezvous your captain mentioned?”

“Could be.” His chest rumbled in the gentle way that relaxed me. “If he lives and works on Saistea and has for many years, I don’t understand why he would want to meet Sjer for a hand-off on Forval IX. Why not just have you brought to him directly?”

“I don’t know.” Irritated at yet another mystery, I tucked loose hair behind my ear. “We’re still missing something. Maybe he doesn’t want me on Saistea. Or maybe he doesn’t want anyone to know that’s where I’m going to end up. As far as Sjer or whoever handed me over would know, my trail would go cold on Forval IX. Anyone looking for me would have no idea where I went from there.”