Page 99 of Shielded in the Shadows

I didn’t bother with the captain’s chair and simply curled up in Jarrix’s lap with my cup of coffee. Jarrix had opted for a mug of tea that smelled very pleasant—though not nearly as good as my coffee.

A few hours earlier, as Jarrix and I were once again knotted together in bed, the ship had dropped out of hyperspace and slipped back into the shipping lane between Mborsi and Trakhan. We’d opened the small viewport in the crew cabin to reveal a sliver of the now-familiar sight of the Nalin Nebula.

From the cockpit, though, the view was truly breathtaking. We’d have to come back to visit Trakhan regularly, both to see Byx and Felina and for the view.

As electrifying as his desire and need for me had felt blazing through our bond, Jarrix’s quiet contentment was a warm, steady sensation in the middle of my chest. I could tell it was his feeling, not mine, but it still settled and anchored me in a way I liked far more than I’d anticipated. I hoped my own contentment warmed him too.

He dropped a kiss on the top of my head and drew me a little closer as we watched the colors of the nebula.

“Captain,” Lumos said, jolting me out of my reverie. “We have received an encrypted transmission from Deckmaster Byx. He states that First Mate Nadal’s mother has taken ill and been transported to a first-rate medical facility to undergo treatment. Should he wish to reach her, he can make contact through his father.”

Through the bond, I expected to sense worry, alarm, or perhaps panic from Jarrix. Instead, I felt surprise, followed by a distinct satisfaction.

Frowning, I moved so I could see his face. He was grinning.

“You want to explain this, First Mate?” I said, giving his chest a poke with my index finger. “I take it your mother isn’t ill?”

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me again. “I had no singular mother, Captain. Like many Fortusians, I was raised in a crèche by a host of doting caregivers.” He rested his chin on top of my head. “That was a message Byx is relaying from Bruska at the GAIS. Gitto’s been dealt with.”

“Ah.” Now the coded message made more sense. “So that ‘first-rate medical facility’ is…?”

“Likely a GAIS black site.” Jarrix let go of me with one arm to grab his mug and finish the last of his tea. “I’ll get more details later, but I’m sure the fact she tipped off Sjer’s crew where to find us didn’t sit very well with Bruska or his superiors. And combined with her unsanctioned incursion onto Trakhan, where she attempted to take me by force…” He nuzzled my hair. “I doubt she’ll be a concern for a while.”

I exhaled and settled against his chest, my coffee cup cradled between my hands. “So with the bounty on my head gone, the Fancy headed for Saistea, and Gitto warming a cell somewhere…”

He stroked my hair, which I planned to braid before we reached Trakhan but had left loose for now. “We’re free,” he said.

Free.

Shared elation surged through our bond, warm and almost effervescent. I let out a breath.

“Once we’re back aboard the Nivilus, we can go wherever we please,” Jarrix continued. “We can return to smuggling, or transition to a lucrative career as bonded couriers. We could visit a remote paradise planet where I can keep you full of my knot day and night.”

The prospect of both those suggestions gave me a delicious shiver.

He squeezed me gently. “Or we can go wherever else you might need to visit.”

I thought about those coordinates still sitting deep in Siber’s files. Coordinates bought not just with nearly every credit in my account, but with blood—mine and N’vera’s.

I thought about what I might or might not find at the end of a journey to Iosa, and what I’d learned on Saistea and the orb Jarrix had hidden away in one of the cabinets in the medbay. If Calla was on Iosa and she allowed me to speak to her, I’d need to choose whether to share the information about Leomer.

And I thought about the bio-locked datachip that we hadn’t dared try to access until we could do so safely and securely. What the hells was on that chip?

“There is a place I need to go before we get back to work or run away to a paradise planet,” I said quietly, since he’d already figured that much out. “But we’ll wait to talk about until we’re aboard the Nivilus.”

“Of course.” He dimmed the cockpit lights and leaned back in his seat, settling me in against his chest. “Comfortable, Captain?”

I rested my head against his shoulder. “Very comfortable, First Mate.”

I gazed out the front window at the beauty of the nebula. And for the first time in a very long time, I let myself hope.

Byx and Felina were waiting for us when the Vespira landed smoothly in docking bay 1910. I was wholly unprepared for how happy I was to see them, and how much it warmed my insides to have friends who wanted to celebrate our return.

Lumos was monitoring transmissions on Saistea for sightings of the Fancy or any news of explosions near the Aiphelevia. He’d also extracted a promise that we’d stop by for a visit the next time we were on Trakhan. I’d never known an AI to get attached, but apparently we’d made a favorable impression. I’d actually grown fond of him myself, and I’d overheard Jarrix having a chat about optimal medbay organization before we docked.

As Jarrix and I came down the cargo ramp followed by an antigrav sled carrying our things, Byx and Felina met us on the deck.

“Friends!” the Wundi grandmale boomed, his many eyes scouring us as Felina swept me up in a fierce four-armed hug that I returned just as enthusiastically.