Born of Betrayal (40 page)

Hermione's scowl deepened. “Ryn?”

He wiped angrily at his tears. “I married Mack Hinto, Mom. Five years ago in a quiet ceremony on Paraf Run. We didn't tell anyone 'cause we knew what it'd do to the UTC, and how you and her father would react to it.” He pulled his link out and pressed a message on it.

Fain winced as soon as he heard the familiar lilting accent of High Admiral Hinto's only daughter. Much like with Ryn, there weren't many Tavali who didn't know Mack Hinto's fierce reputation. But where Ryn was known for his levelheaded decorum and smooth charisma, Mack was a spitfire hellion more likely to bomb her way out of a situation than to ever try to diffuse it. While few wanted to deal with her, even fewer wanted to take her on in battle.

That
never ended well for her adversaries.

But the one thing everyone agreed on—she was the best pilot and strategist the Tavali had ever trained.

“Hey, me precious, Wassy baby boy, I'm sorry I missed you. And I don't want you upset when you hear this. I know you told me to stay safe and out of the fray, but you know that's not our way. Especially not after what them bastards done to your brother and his family. And Chayden's. You're a Dane. I'm a Hinto. You've got to respect that we will not let this go unanswered. Besides, you need me, love. I know how much Darling means to you. I'm not about to leave you alone while you're grieving for him. I know how strong you are, but even the strongest sword needs a steady hand in battle. I swore to stand by your side, through all life's challenges, and I meant it. I don't care what me father, or anyone else, thinks. I will always be there for you when you need me. I love you, Trevelyan. For everything you're worth and even what you're not. See you soon, me love. I'm counting the seconds till I lay me eyes and hands upon you again.” She finished the message with a kissing sound.

Ryn curled his link to his chest and sobbed.

Hermione wrapped her arms around him and rocked him while he cried. Fain ached at the pain he saw in her eyes. At the agony of Ryn's loss. He knew that misery personally and it sucked on a level unimaginable.

There was no way to console it.

Venik motioned him away from the Danes. Rising to his feet, Fain stepped over to him.

“You were right. Stain came in. He's been trying to find the traitor himself.”

“That what he said?”

Venik arched an angry brow. “You doubt my son?”

Fain glanced over to Ryn. Honestly? At this point, he doubted everyone, except a tiny handful. But he wasn't stupid enough to say that to the boy's father. “What else did he say?”

“They found the third explosive device. It was planted in my quarters. Stanis and Kareem have a team there now, deactivating it.”

“Good.” Fain hesitated as he finally saw a crack in Ven's iron façade. “What is it?”

“Reality hitting me. You know how I feel about Hinto.”

“You hate him with the burning fire of a million stars.”

“Yeah, but no one deserves to lose a child. Not like that. It could have been my Circe or Berra or Maryl or Lyss.” His breathing turned ragged. “My girls fly as a united crew, Hauk. One battle, I could lose them all. And Payne. He flies with them.”

“Call them home.”

“I already did. And my boys.” His gaze burned into Fain. “Can I really trust you, Hauk?”

“Only you can answer that. I've never betrayed your trust. Even when I should have. There's nothing else I can do to prove it.”

“Yeah, and it's why I don't trust you. I don't understand you, boy. I never have. Everyone wants
something
. But not you. You took whatever I did to you and you just kept going. No complaint. No slander. You just endured. And I don't know why.”

Fain laughed bitterly as he glanced to where Galene sat with Ryn and Hermione, offering them her comfort. “I had nowhere else to go, Ven. No one wanted me. I had no papers. No country or allegiance. My only family was my brother. All I'm trained to do is make war and battle. To fight in a Ring and take as many lives as I can. Keris said it best years ago—I'm nothing but a trained guard dog. Taking care of others is all I've ever known to do. End of the day, dogs don't want nothing but a bed and a meal.”

Sadness darkened Ven's eyes. “And that's how I've treated you all these years. I'm sorry for that, Hauk.” He jerked his chin toward the bruise on Fain's cheek. “And I'm sorry about sending you down to slag. I was angry and lashing out. I wanted someone to blame and you were an easy target and in range.”

“It's all right. I found the traitor there.”

“And saved my ass yet again.” Venik let out a tired sigh. “What are we fighting for, Hauk? Really?”

“You always battle for profit.”

Ven laughed at that. “True, but what good is it if you bury your children?”

“It's not. Our children and their futures are the only thing worth warring for. That is the Andarion way. We don't look to the past, nor at ourselves. It is not our way of life that we preserve. It's
their
future, their rights, their freedom that we secure with our blood. We battle and lay down our lives so that they won't have to.”

“Yet they are the ones who fight our wars and die in them.” Ven swallowed hard. “We have to end this with The League. Sooner rather than later.”

“That's what we're trying to do. But we can't negotiate with tyrants who don't respect us, or value the lives they are charged with securing.”

“One life lights a thousand.”

Fain nodded at the old Andarion saying that meant one being, no matter how insignificant he or she might appear, touched thousands of others, and that all of them were united together as an undivided whole. Take no one for granted.

Hermione and Galene helped Ryn to his feet.

When Galene started toward them, Venik waved her back. He faced Fain so that no one else could see or overhear him. “You have been a friend to me when I didn't deserve it. Loyal when you should have struck out. I want to know why.”

“What do you want me to say, Ven? You're an asshole. We both know it. I'm no joy either. But … you saved me from Tyrth when you didn't have to. And, you didn't kill me when you could have.”

“I shot out both your knees.”

“You didn't kill me,” Fain repeated. “You're certainly not the first to shoot me. Hell, my older brother did that twice, growing up. Dancer plugged me once in the side.”

“By accident.”

“Still, a shot's a shot.” Fain smirked as he glanced over to Galene. “And my wife got me a few days ago, quite intentionally. At point-blank range. When I bitched about it to Command, Nyk was the first to point out that everyone wants to shoot me at some point. You and Storm just got the fun of it.”

Ven snorted. “That may be, but you still haven't answered my question.”

Fain fell silent as he sorted through his complicated emotions where Venik was concerned. There was a part of him that hated the bastard for things he'd done. But beneath that hatred and resentment was the truth he couldn't deny. It was what always brought him back and what stayed his hand from lashing out at the Tavali no matter how much he might want to. “When I was nothing and had been left abandoned and forgotten by friend and blood alike, you gave me a chance to regain my dignity. Yes, you made me earn it, in blood and sweat, but in the end, you allowed me to have a ship of my own and to fly unfettered.”

Ven lowered his voice to a barely audible whisper. “I brutally wired you to that ship without your consent. To the very hell where they abused you every minute they kept you caged there like an animal.”

“Are you trying to make me hit you?”

“No. I want to understand why you have saved my life, especially after what I did to you earlier. I humiliated you in front of your family.”

Fain shrugged. “I've had worse. Trust me. Your little hissy fit doesn't even register on my scale of degradations. Like I said, I owe you more good than bad.”

“You still feel that way, even after I made you trade your freedom for the Jaswinders'?”

Fain snorted bitterly at the reminder. “Yeah, okay. That one sticks in the craw a bit. Especially over the last few days of you peacocking around here and lording it over me. I have to say the urge to slam your head into something hard has crossed my mind … a few thousand times an hour.”

Ven laughed. “Ever brutally honest. It's what I value most about you.” He pulled out his link and scrolled through it. “I think I owe it to you to show you this.”

Fain frowned at the encrypted message that had Galene's command badging on it. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he didn't care for the idea of his female conversing with another male.

Until he read it.

My Lord Porturnum,

I know this is a bit forward of me, and for that I beg your extreme indulgence. I've been doing some research into Tavalian customs and contracts while I've been here, and there is one matter that I should like to inquire about. While a lot of information isn't readily available, it is my understanding that each high admiral holds a tithe or contract with the pilots who fly under them that binds that pilot to their Nation. The tithe is usually for the value of the ship, and in the case of a slave, for the value of the individual as well, and any special training or other undue expense they've incurred. I know that Commander Fain Hauk owes a tithe to you and I should like to pay it off on his behalf and buy his freedom or tithe from you. Would this be possible?

Thank you for your time. I look forward to your prompt response on this matter.

Galene of the Winged Blood Clan of Batur

LT Commander, Alliance Command

Fain stared in stunned awe of those words. Galene had tried to buy his freedom? He couldn't believe it.

Venik took the link from his hand. “I was a bit rude to your Ger Tarra in response to her request, and I apologize to you both. You're right. I'm an asshole. I'm selfish. Reactionary. I do what I have to, to get the job done. As a rule, I don't care who or what I have to step on to get my way. But, you have been a good friend to me. A loyal servant even when I didn't deserve it.”

Fain wasn't quite sure where Brax intended to go with this line of conversation.

“I know I'm going to regret this.…” Ven motioned for Galene to join them. “Enough families have been destroyed today. It's time we start building them. As a unification present for the two of you, I'm releasing Fain's tithe. Blessed union to you both. May the gods shine on you always.” He kissed Galene's cheek, then Fain's. “Now I'm off to secure my family and sanity as best I can.”

Galene gaped as Ven left them. “Was that for real? Did he honestly just set you free?
For
free?”

His head reeling, Fain sputtered. “Ven's always been capricious and bipolar.… You really asked him about buying my tithe?”

The most beautiful blush stained her cheeks. “He told you that?”

“He showed it to me.”

She visibly cringed. “Are you mad that I did that without asking you?”

“Mad?” Fain cupped her face in both of his hands. “How could I be angry over the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me?” Then he kissed her until she was breathless and he was so hard that he could barely think straight. All he wanted was to be inside her. To hold her and never again let anything or anyone come between them.

Stepping back, he rubbed his cheek against hers and took a deep breath in her hair so that the precious scent of her skin set his blood on fire even more. “C'mon, I'm taking you back and making love to you until we're both limping.”

She snorted. “Gee, Fain. That's just the kind of romantic offer that makes a female's heart race with anticipation.”

He cracked what he hoped was a charming grin. “Yeah, well, I was never fully housebroken. You knew that when you unified with me.”

Galene would have protested more, but then he took her hand and kissed her ring with a gesture so tender that it made her forget how unrefined a beast he could be. Especially since he led her toward Hermione's chambers to check on Ryn—a thoughtful gesture that was very much a part of his character and why she'd always loved him. No matter how unruly or rough he could be, he was ever considerate of others.

“How's he doing?” he asked Hermione as she answered the door.

Hermione stepped back to show Ryn on the couch with his arms propped on his knees and his head resting in his hands. Misery was etched on his face and he appeared lost and bewildered. Completely bereft and devastated. “I've never seen him like this. How could he have loved her so much and me be so clueless about it?”

Fain shook his head. “None of us knew. I've even been on missions with them and had no idea. They hid it well. I actually thought they hated each other, the way they went at it whenever they were together.”

“He told me … it was a ruse to keep anyone from growing suspicious.” Hermione choked on her tears. “I can't stand seeing my baby in so much pain.”

Galene took her hand and squeezed it in sympathy. “I know,” she breathed. “It's so much easier to take it ourselves than watch them suffer. I am so sorry.”

“Thank you. The remainder of the fleet is limping toward us and should be here in a few hours, with Jupiter Hinto leading them. They have to make extensive repairs from the battle. Gadghe's headed back for their main base. My understanding is that his son has taken command from his father, since he's too upset to handle things right now.”

Fain lowered his voice so that Ryn wouldn't hear him. “Was Mack's body recovered?”

“No one knows. They sent over that last transmission to say her ship went down, and nothing since.”

“Then I'll find out discreetly when Jupiter lands and make sure to relay it to you.”