Morningstar (8 page)

Chapter Six

Jace
. It was a good name, easy to remember. He was pretty, as promised—he had fine features, with high cheekbones that looked extremely nibble-worthy. All of him looked nibble-worthy, in fact. Jace had a long, lean body, and with his gray skin it looked as though he were carved from stone. Sabine would thank Bryn later for her good taste. For a moment her heart sank because Bryn had left, but she knew with absolute certainty that she would return. Bryn would always come back to her.

“Sabine.” He swallowed hard, his hands shaking as he drew her close. “I—”

She shushed him, nuzzled his throat and breathed in his scent. Like Bryn he smelled of blood, sweat and sex, but there was something intoxicating beneath that, a musky spice that she could only identify as male.
Her male
—her new mate and master. Jace was the prettiest master she’d ever had. Hopefully he would also be the kindest. If not, Bryn might very well kill him.

Jace exhaled a shuddering breath. “I need you to know—” he began, and she cut him off again.
Need
. Dear gods, she burned with need. What was the point of talking about it when something could finally be done about it?

“Please, Jace.” Sabine didn’t want sweet words—or any words. She tugged him toward the bed, lay back and drew him down to her, then bit him to prevent further conversation. There would be time for words later, when she could think clearly.

Jace thrust into her with a lustful growl, and she cried out in pure ecstasy. He pounded her sex as though determined to drive her into the mattress, and she wrapped her legs around him and held on tight. Sabine came quickly—orgasms were easy thanks to the phase, but the pleasure was never enough.

Until now. Her body had been craving a male Cy’ren so badly that her mind had begun to crack under the demand, and for the first time in over a year, release also held the promise of relief. When Jace shuddered and cried out in climax, Sabine breathed a thankful sigh.

Finally.

Jace slept like the dead. They had both collapsed after Sabine exhausted him, and as he woke he’d never felt so hung-over in his life. He’d overindulged, but on sex instead of wine. If he was affected this strongly by only one night’s worth of the phase, he worried how he would survive the rest of it. It might kill him…but at least he’d die happy, and the captain could finally space his body out the airlock as promised.

He dragged his eyes open. It was quiet now, his sleeping mate still wrapped around him, but Jace frowned as he realized that Sabine’s skin burned with fever. Jace stroked her hair and she whimpered.

“Sabine? What’s wrong?” he asked.

“It hurts,” she murmured with a hiss of pain.

“What hurts?” Jace gently rolled her onto her back and looked her over, worried that he might have bruised her by accident, but he didn’t see any marks.

“It hurts!” Sabine broke into sobs, and Jace’s eyes widened with alarm. It couldn’t be the phase, could it? Was she having a bad reaction?

He tried to comfort her, but she curled into ball and shivered as though freezing. Jace bolted from the bed and paged Dr. Morgan on the comm. at his desk, ordering her to report to his quarters at once. After pulling on a pair of pants, he paced at the end of the bed.

“The doctor is on her way,” he assured Sabine.

She shook her head. “I want Bryn.”

“I don’t know if that’s wise.” Jace winced. If Brynnaren saw her mate in this state she’d likely kill him outright for it. He might even deserve it, though he hoped that he hadn’t caused Sabine’s change in condition. Had he been too rough with her? Damn it all, he should have asked more questions. Sabine hadn’t hesitated in issuing demands and seemed to enjoy the experience, so it hadn’t occurred to him that he might be doing something harmful.

“I
need
Bryn.”

“I…” Jace’s throat tightened and the words caught in his throat. Sabine was suffering. How could he deny her the comfort of Bryn’s presence? “I’ll send for her. It will be all right, I promise.”

The sound of her name being barked over the ship’s intercom woke Bryn.

“Are you in trouble?” Malcolm asked.

“Hope not.” She mussed his hair affectionately. They’d ended up spooned together on his narrow bunk, sleeping fitfully, each struggling with the personal demons that haunted their nightmares.

Bryn punched the comm. panel next to the door. “Viera here.”

“Where have you been?”

Jace. Figured. “Did she wear you out already, Lieutenant Commander Harrow?” she asked. He looked like he should have enough stamina to have lasted longer than a few scant hours.

“Sabine needs you.”

“I’ll be right there.” Fear spiked through Bryn as she turned to Malcolm. “Gotta go. If you need anything, call me.”

“Thanks, Bryn. I hope she’s okay.”

Bryn shivered as she hurried through the ship. Had something gone wrong? Had Jace hurt Sabine? No—he wouldn’t have paged Bryn if he had. She keyed the door to Jace’s quarters open, surprised to find it still unlocked, and was greeted by the plaintive sound of Sabine crying. Jace murmured soothingly to her, stroking her hair as he cradled her close, his brow creased with worry.

Bryn knelt next to them and gently touched Sabine’s shoulder. “What’s wrong,
a’gra
?”

“It hurts.” Sabine’s voice was small, muffled against Jace’s chest.

“What hurts?” Bryn asked.

“Everything.”

“Dr. Morgan said these are withdrawal symptoms. He said your master gave her uppers.” Jace’s tone was divided between concern, disgust and accusation.

“He did. I didn’t know. She’d been acting strange lately, but I thought her behavior was a side effect of being in phase for so long.” Bryn growled softly, and then shook her head. “The bastard deserved a slow death. Has she eaten?”

“No.”

“I’ll sit with her. You can fetch something from the mess.” Bryn pulled Sabine into her arms and held her mate as she shook and sobbed. Bryn expected an argument from Jace, but he merely walked away in search of more clothing.

“You’re still wearing my jacket.” Jace grabbed a white shirt from his locker and pulled it on, tucking the hem into his uniform pants.

“Because someone broke the zipper on my coveralls,” Bryn replied.

He nodded after buttoning the garment. “I’ll replace it. I’ll be right back.” Though he started for the door, he froze and studied them. “What does she like to eat? Is she allergic to anything?”

“No. She never wants to eat anything, so it won’t matter what you bring.”

Sabine murmured something that sounded suspiciously like “not hungry”, and Bryn sighed. It was going to be a very long day.

“I’ll be quick,” Jace promised.

“Did he hurt you,
a’mhain
?” she asked after he had left.

“No,” Sabine said. “He did as I asked, no arguments. Where were you?”

Filled with guilt, Bryn swallowed hard. “I was with Malcolm. He’s sick over losing Alexi.”

“Poor Malcolm. I liked Alexi.” Sabine sniffled, but Bryn thought she felt her lover’s shaking begin to subside.

“I know you did. I liked him too.”

“You won’t leave again, will you?”

“I won’t leave again,” she promised. “I was afraid you two would knock me off the bed in your phase frenzy, but you’re both stuck with me now.”

Sabine managed a giggle, and the pressure in Bryn’s chest eased. It was amazing to hear her mate’s laughter again.

Jace returned with a tray laden with enough food for a half-dozen people and set it on his desk. Between the two of them they got Sabine up and over to the desk chair. She sat on Bryn’s lap, and Bryn helped her sip some water, because Sabine’s hands shook too badly to hold the cup herself.

“Better now?” Bryn asked.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Try some food,” Bryn suggested, but Sabine shook her head.

“I’m not hungry.”

“You need to eat something,” Jace said. With the chair taken, he held his plate as he leaned against the other side of the desk. Sabine licked her lips as she eyed him with interest.

Bryn laughed. “You can have him for dessert,
a’mhain.
Here, try this. It’s good.”

She held out a forkful of food to Sabine, who obediently took a bite. It was an old game—Bryn had been feeding Sabine extra food even before her phase by offering her lover bites from her plate.

Sabine wrinkled her nose. “It’s…brown.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll have only the finest food when we reach Cyprena,” Bryn teased.

“I miss real food,” Sabine said wistfully. “We always had fresh produce at the agro colony. Is House Morningstar nice?”

He smiled dryly. “I like to think so. We’re one of the largest ruling houses.”

“Size isn’t everything, Second Son.” Bryn had never been there either, though she had visited the enclaves of a few of the other ruling houses during her time with the resistance.

“A lord’s son. Are we wealthy now?” Sabine asked with a teasing smile.

Bryn chuckled. “I suppose.”

“Yes,” Jace said. Both females looked to him, startled. “I may not be the heir, but I can easily provide for you.”

“Well I hope you can also afford children, at the rate that you’re going,” Bryn replied. Sabine splayed a hand over her stomach, her brow furrowed at the idea, and Bryn kissed her cheek. “You’ll be a great mother. If not now, then one day.”

“I don’t have much to compare to. I never knew my mother. I had a few females who took care of me, but never for long. They always had their own children to look after.” Sabine peered up at Jace. “When will we meet your family?”

“When we reach Cyprena. The trip shouldn’t take long once we get the VFF drive back online.”

“What is your family like?” Sabine reached for her glass of water, and Bryn was relieved to note that her hands were no longer shaking. It was also encouraging that she’d been able to sit still and hold a conversation for this long—usually Sabine could only manage a few sentences before demanding to be fucked. This was only a pause of clarity before the storm of the phase picked up again, but for now her lover was lucid, and it was a wonderful thing. If Dr. Morgan was correct, the storm would only last a few more days. Bryn prayed that the doctor was right.

“They’re…complicated,” Jace said. “I have an older brother, and three sisters. My father has three mates. My brother has two mates, and three daughters. My sisters aren’t mated yet, though one of them will marry Lord Degalen of House Sunsinger when he decides which one he wants.”

“Please tell me you’ll give us some sort of study guide to learn who’s who before we meet them,” Bryn said, and Sabine giggled.

“I will.” Jace looked to Bryn. “You’ll stay from now on?”

“Yes.”

“Good, I need your help,” Jace said. “Sabine needs you. I can’t trust that I can recognize her withdrawal symptoms when I’m affected by the phase. Plus I could use your help in keeping her sated.”

Bryn smiled slightly. “So she did wear you out.”

“And then some. I’m not ashamed to admit that,” he replied dryly. “Any male would have difficulty keeping up with her in her heightened condition.”

She was grudgingly impressed by that. Most males would never admit such a thing—especially not shadow swords, who were trained never to show weakness. He was being honest, just as he had been about his virginity. It was encouraging that he was so open with them.

Jace set his empty plate down. “How do you feel?” he asked Sabine.

“A little better. Lightheaded.”

“Lightheaded?” Bryn repeated with concern. It wasn’t a phase symptom.

“And dizzy,” Sabine admitted. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

Luckily Jace’s quarters came with a head to himself because he was the ship’s first officer, and Bryn helped her to it before Sabine vomited up everything she’d just eaten. As she held Sabine’s hair, Bryn glanced back at Jace and they exchanged a worried look.

“Should I page Dr. Morgan?” he asked.

“No. There’s nothing she can do. Better now?” Bryn asked when Sabine quieted.

“For now,” she muttered.

“It’s all right,
a’stera
. We’ll stick to water.”

“I knew,” Sabine blurted.

Bryn frowned. “Knew what?”

“That the master was giving me something.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Shock numbed her, replaced by a quick burn of anger at their former master.

Sabine smiled weakly. “Because I couldn’t stop him, and I didn’t want to worry you. I knew you’d attack him, and he’d punish you again. You’ve always protected me.”

“Now Bryn and I will protect you together,” Jace vowed from the doorway. Bryn met his gaze and they shared a quick nod. “What else can I do?”

“Nothing at the moment, but you can give her an hour or two to rest. It’ll give you a chance to check in with the captain.”

Jace nodded. “You’re still wearing my jacket.”

“Yes. It’s very comfortable.”

“I expect my jacket back when I return.” Jace crossed to them, bent and kissed her and Sabine on the tops of their heads. On the surface it seemed like an affectionate gesture, but Bryn recognized the dominance in it—Jace was claiming both females as his. She was grudgingly impressed by that as well, because he didn’t need her as he needed Sabine. Then again he could just be getting off on owning her after she’d thrashed him in their duel.

Bryn snorted and shook her head. “By the time you return, clothing will be the last thing on your mind.”

Chapter Seven

Jace scowled as he made his way through the corridors of the
Talon II
. What sort of monster dosed his slaves with uppers? Of course the answer was the same sort of monster that kept a female in phase for over a year so that he could profit from it. His stomach twisted—Jace was benefitting from Sabine’s phase, just as her former master had. Would she resent him for it once her head cleared? He seemed to have come to a compromise with Brynnaren, but was that solely for Sabine’s benefit?

With those unpleasant ideas lodged in his thoughts, Jace entered the captain’s ready room, expecting to find Captain Hawke, but instead he discovered Malcolm de la Cruz bent over the data terminal at the desk.

“I just got here. I don’t have answers for you yet,” he said.

“I wasn’t aware you were supposed to have any for me,” Jace replied.

The indexer looked up and blinked. “Oh. It’s you. I wanted to thank you for getting me out of the station, but the captain said you were indisposed.”

“I was. I still am, I suppose.”

Malcolm cocked his head to the side and studied Jace. “Is Sabine okay? Bryn was worried when she left.”

“Left?”

“My quarters. You paged her.”

Jace blinked. “Bryn was in your quarters,” he repeated, incredulous.

“Yes, she—oh. She didn’t mention that to you.” The man blushed so deeply that his ears turned red.

“No. She didn’t.” Jace’s temper boiled at the idea that Bryn had left his quarters in favor of this scrawny human’s bed, and his hands clenched into fists. How dare she? She was his mate, and he had no intention of sharing her with anyone other than Sabine.

The indexer flinched and cowered. “I’m sorry. Please don’t hit me.”

Jace took a deep breath, shoved his hands behind his back and took two purposeful steps away. The phase was making him over-possessive. He would discuss what he expected of his mates to Bryn and Sabine later—calmly and rationally, but leaving no doubt that he expected to be the only male allowed in their bed. This arrangement was new to all of them, so while his instinct was to beat de la Cruz senseless, he had enough self-control not to. This time.

“What are you working on?” Jace asked, changing to a safer subject.

“The captain asked me to take a look at the ship’s systems. They’re very outdated. Well, first she wanted me to help with the engines, but that’s outside my area of expertise. Data networks and communications arrays, those I can deal with. It’d be faster if I had a direct uplink, but I need a handler for that.”

“I see,” Jace said slowly, though he wasn’t certain he understood. “Do you need anything in the meantime?”

Malcolm shook his head and ran a hand through his dark hair. “No, thank you. If you’re looking for the captain, I believe she wanted to speak with the ship’s doctor.”

“Thank you. I will leave you to your work then.”

“Wait, please.” Malcolm held up a hand, and Jace paused at the door. The indexer’s brow furrowed, as though he was searching for the right words. “I didn’t sleep with Bryn. Well, no, I
slept
with Bryn, but that’s all we did last night. Fully clothed. No sex. We were both too upset to be alone.”

“I see. But you were a…
client
of hers?” Jace asked.

“Yes. That’s not why she stayed with me last night. She needed someone to look after. Alexi always said I needed a lot of looking after.” Malcolm smiled weakly, then cleared his throat and squared his narrow shoulders. “She’s been through a lot.”

Jace’s anger cooled. “I have no doubt of that.”

“But you don’t understand. Not completely. You’re as high on phase pheromones as Sabine is, and I’ve lived among Cy’ren long enough to know that the phase turns males into stubborn jerks. Bryn shouldn’t be punished for helping me.”

Jace frowned as his temper flared. He certainly did not need a lecture on how to treat his females from a human, but the indexer stood his ground.

“If nothing else, remember that your house may be known for patience, but kindness…” Malcolm trailed off, and Jace gave a grudging nod.

“Point taken. Good luck with your task.”

Jace left the indexer in peace and went in search of the captain. As an officer with the resistance, Jace fought slavers on a regular basis, and had liberated countless slaves from terrible conditions, but seeing slavery and experiencing it were different matters. The phase drove him to possess Sabine, but after the effects wore off, she might not want him. Sabine and Bryn wanted each other, and their freedom. Jace doubted that either had aspired to become involved in Cy’ren politics, but now they would inevitably be drawn into that web.

He resolved to tell them more about his family, and to ask them what they wanted to do once Sabine was healthy again. But first, he needed to speak with the captain, who was not in the med bay as Malcolm had thought. Instead, Jace found her in the armory, practicing her swordplay. He paused to watch her. Mordackai had been teaching her swordsmanship, and his tutelage was obvious in her form. Dack, like Soth, was built for strength and stamina over speed.

Captain Hawke turned and spotted him. “Going to critique my form, Harrow?”

“Your technique is improving,” he replied. “You still lead too strongly from your right.”

The captain sheathed her practice blade and sat on a bench. She eyed him as she mopped sweat from her brow with a towel. “I didn’t expect to see you this soon.”

“Sabine is ill. The doctor tended to her, and now she is resting. I thought I would take the opportunity to check in.”

“I see. Sam’s still fussing over the VFF drive, but he almost has it repaired. Other than that, it’s been quiet. What’s wrong with Sabine?”

“Apparently her former master had been drugging her, and she is experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Dr. Morgan feels they will pass in a few days.”

“Bastard,” she growled. “Have you read Lieutenant Viera’s file?”

Jace winced. “No. My apologies. I should have done that when you reinstated her.”

“Well, she’s not officially reinstated yet. Dr. Morgan needs to clear her. Brynnaren had several commendations for actions above and beyond the call of duty. It sounds like she was a good soldier. I hope she will be again. Are you taking her as your mate too?”

“I am, yes.”

“Good. You should make her your
shathlinn
.”

The corners of his mouth twitched. “I hardly need a full-time bodyguard. Unless you’re planning to shoot me, Captain?”

Captain Hawke chuckled. “It’s an urge I fight on a daily basis. It’s not a bad idea, considering how cutthroat Cy’ren politics are, and getting worse by the minute. No one would expect that one of your mates is also your bodyguard.”

“That does defeat the purpose of naming a
shathlinn
. They are meant to be visible. A show of strength to deter your enemies.”

She shrugged. “But it would keep her on the ship, if that was something you both wanted. You can’t serve with your mate, but you can’t be without your
shathlinn
. Dr. Morgan is going to do a physical and psychological workup on Bryn before we reach Cyprena. If she’s cleared, I’ll put her on the duty roster.”

Jace nodded, pondering the idea. It had merit, though having Bryn at his side wouldn’t help his plan for Bryn keeping Sabine safe from his brother’s machinations.

“I’ll speak to Bryn about it. I would advise against active duty for Brynnaren until Sabine’s phase is over.”

Captain Hawke nodded, and then fidgeted with the towel in her hands. “Jace…off the record, I’m worried about you.”

“Me?” he asked, startled.

“You and I clash on a regular basis because you’re arrogant. You’re a good pilot, a good fighter, and you’re wealthy and powerful and you know it. I was hoping the hit you’d taken on Nepheros would give you some perspective, but I haven’t seen much change in you. And if you don’t get it together, there will come a day when you fuck up and someone dies, and you’ll have to live with that.”

“People have died under my command. It is the nature of battle.”

“No, people have died on your team. You’ve never given an order and sent someone to their death. It changes you. Right now you’re all pride and no humility.”

Jace straightened. “I don’t agree with your assessment.”

She snorted and shook her head. “Of course you don’t.”

He was guilty of being overconfident and having a tendency to speak aloud witty comments that would be better left unsaid, but arrogant seemed a bit harsh. Of course, a great deal of that was due to the image he chose to present. It was safer—for Jace and for the people around him—if he appeared to be a shallow, conceited ass.

“What would you have me do?” he asked.

“Don’t be yourself.”

He shifted, uncomfortable under the captain’s regard. No matter how hard he fought it, Jace was his father’s son. A Morningstar—not the one that mattered to the future of the house, but that didn’t stop the longing to rule that was part of his blood, no matter how much he distanced himself from his family. Wylarric’s desire for power had poisoned him, turned him into a paranoid jackass who saw conspiracies in every shadow. He was certain to see one in Jace’s new mates.

“Is that all, Captain?” Jace asked.

“Just be careful, Jace. Bryn and Sabine are already damaged. Don’t break them because you’re too stubborn to change. Dismissed.”