“What we did learn was disturbing,” Legian added, and she turned to him. “Risa told us that Hillas lives.”
The murmurs in the room turned into an uproar, and Sephians cussed and questioned Legian for more information.
Sienna patted the air down with her hands, trying to quiet the room. “She could have been lying, although she had no reason to lie at that point.”
Apolo pinched his nose with his fingers before standing. “This changes nothing. We have always suspected the Draeken tyrant survived the war. This news substantiates that suspicion. But in the past Hillas never allowed Roden the kind of authority he’s shown us lately. There is something afoot in the Draeken camp.”
“We will question the prisoner.” At Sienna’s words, the entire room turned to her.
Apolo began pacing the floor. He was like Legian in that way. “We’ll question Talla, sure enough. But I know that one. She won’t give us anything we need.” He turned on his heel when he came to the window, stopped, and faced the room. “Without my scout, we are blind to Draeken operations. We can only hope we repaid the favor in kind today.”
“Still no news yet from your scout?” Sienna asked with an optimistic raise of her eyebrows.
He shook his head. “I have to assume he is no longer viable.”
“Sorry to hear that.” Her words were barely above a whisper. Even though Apolo remained stoic, the news — or lack of — from his scout hit him hard. Legian mentioned the pair had worked together many years. Even though he was Draeken, the scout was one of Apolo’s closest, most trusted friends. But, because he was Draeken, Legian would never be able to admit that to anyone. It sucked and wasn’t fair and was too much like she’d seen happen time and again on her own planet. Instead of wings, it was religion or color or some other bullshit excuse.
She leaned back into the comfort of the couch while Apolo spoke about the new alliance. Both the Americans and Brits were on board, but she didn’t think for one instant that it would be easy. Nightmares of power struggles, red tape, and deception already filled her dreams.
• • •
The next morning, after spending the entire night talking with his trinity about the Draeken threat, Apolo returned to the base. Sienna was exhausted but happy. A lot had been discussed and even more had been accomplished. It had been a good night.
Jax stumbled out of the bedroom. Legian and she sat on the couch, watching him as they ate breakfast. He looked like hell had frozen over as he sifted through the cabinets. After going through several cabinets, he slammed one shut and turned to glare at her.
“Don’t you have anything to fucking drink in this place?”
I will not kill Jax. I will not kill Jax.
She repeated the mantra in her mind until she was relatively sure that she wouldn’t. She handed her plate to Legian and walked into the kitchen, using her cane for support. She opened the fridge, pulled out a soda, and tossed it to Jax.
Jax ignored the can that flew past his shoulder. His bloodshot eyes fired daggers. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know exactly what you meant, and that won’t fly here,” she replied. “Come with me.”
At first he looked like he wanted to shoot her, but then the soldier in him amped up and he followed her through the kitchen and down the stairs to the basement. The basement was small, used more as a wine cellar than anything. It cost a small fortune to build one in the rock-laden ground of Arkansas, and the construction company had balked at her request. But she had grown up in the Midwest and considered a basement a must-have anywhere with even a remote chance for a tornado. She never imagined it could double as a makeshift prison.
The Draeken prisoner sat on the floor with the black band-like material the Sephians used attached around her neck and wrists. The other end of the band was locked onto the steel I-beam. There was enough room in the cord for her to walk around without being choked, but no more than a few feet in any direction. Just far enough to reach the tiny bathroom. Something Sienna had specifically requested from the construction company. And she felt completely redeemed seeing its value now. The Sephians were going to give the prisoner a bucket, which was not only gross but against her morals, let alone the Geneva Convention. Thank God for indoor plumbing.
The Draeken prisoner’s name was all the information she’d share willingly, and the one thing they’d already known. Talla didn’t even look up when Sienna reached the bottom of the stairs. The Sephian guarding her, on the other hand, came to attention immediately. Sana, the consummate soldier. Way too rigid, that one.
“We won’t need any more guards down here right now.” At the sound of her voice, everyone in the room looked at her, including the prisoner. Sienna turned to Jax. “The prisoner is Lieutenant Jerrick’s responsibility now.”
Jax’s jaw dropped, and he clenched his fists. “I don’t think this is a good idea, Sienna,” he gritted out.
She stood her ground, at full height. She could feel every eye in that underground room on her. “It’s not an idea. It’s an order. I don’t care how you do it, this prisoner is now on your shoulders. Got it?”
His eyes narrowed at her, and they stayed in the standoff for what felt like minutes. Then, he abruptly came to attention. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Sana will keep an eye on the prisoner until you clean up. Get some greasy food and caffeine in you.”
It was his turn to stand his ground. “I’m good to go.”
“Fine. You can grab something when you assign other guards.”
Without a word, he walked to Sana, who handed him a com device. She headed upstairs with a look of relief. Jax fastened the device around his throat, grabbed a folding chair, and carried it over. He opened it and sat down, his forearms resting on the seat back, and faced Talla. She sat there, glaring at Jax, then at her.
“Who do you think you are? The queen or something?” she snapped, at the same time backing away from Jax. The soldier’s glare was obviously making her uncomfortable.
Sienna put her hands on her hips and grinned at the prisoner. “Yeah. I’m the queen of slapping the fuck out of Draeken. Co-ruling the Sephians is just my day job. Draeken slapping is my career. Your boss took my best friend. So I’m a little cranky about that. I’d watch my step if I were you.”
Talla continued to glare at Sienna, but her eyes kept jerking back to Jax.
Sienna held out a soda she’d grabbed before coming down. “Got this covered, Jax?”
“Covered,” he muttered from his chair and took the can from her hand.
She took one last look at Talla, who was now deep in a stare-down with Jax. Her wings ruffled in frustration. She looked royally pissed off … and a bit fearful?
Sienna turned to the stairs, pausing before taking the first step. “Oh, and one more thing.” She waited for his eyes to meet hers. “Don’t kill her. Yet.”
Sienna was amazed that even though she’d just had two of the best orgasms of her life, she wanted more. She’d never get enough of her
tahren.
Legian pulled her against him, and they spooned, snagging what precious little time they had together before it was back to work. He’d learned about spooning not long after they first met, and it had become a ritual ever since.
Oddly, moving back to the base felt a bit like moving home. For the first time in her life, everything felt in balance. The Sephian base was now operating around the clock, with Sienna in command of the Sephian force during the days, and Legian taking over Apolo’s role at night. After a week back on her original
human
sleep pattern, she’d been waking up more refreshed and energized. Several military units had moved to the base and now covered the day shift, while half of the Sephians —
her
half — remained and supported the base at night, but some Sephians were still needed during the day for operations. Too many changes and short tempers made much of her day job schoolyard patrol.
Legian’s arm lay loosely over her. She traced the mark that swirled around his forearm. “I wish we could stay like this forever.”
“Someday, my sweet.”
Unfortunately, this wasn’t
someday
. Her best friend was still missing, she had an army to lead, and the shadow of the Draeken threat smothered her nearly every thought.
Music blared from the nightstand. Startled, Sienna grabbed her new smart phone. “Sienna speaking.”
“Sienna! So good to hear your voice.”
Sienna pulled the phone away and stared at it a moment before it bringing it back to her ear. It had been months since she’d heard from her mother. “Kat? Where are you?”
“Of course it’s me, sweetie. I’m back in the States, and I got your messages. We must talk, Sienna. We’ve so much to talk about.”
“Things are a bit crazy right now, but — ”
“No buts, dear. It’s important we talk today. In fact, I’m already in Texarkana.”
Sienna ran a hand through her hair. Her mother’s timing seriously sucked, what with her first month on the job and all. But Kat was still her mother, so she’d make things work. Somehow. “Yeah, sure. I’ll send someone to pick you at Filly’s at noon. Sound good?”
“Perfect. See you soon, sweetie. Love you.”
“Love you too, Kat.”
Sienna sat there for a moment before setting the phone down. She nudged Legian’s arm. “Wake up, sleepyhead.”
He mumbled some kind of response.
“How would you like to meet my mother tonight?”
He brushed her hair to the side and kissed her shoulder. “The woman who created you must be an amazing woman. It would be an honor to meet my
tahren’s
mother.”
“Already with the schmoozing,” she murmured before climbing out of bed. “Sweet dreams. I’ll bring Kat with me to first meal tonight.”
“Is bringing her to the base wise?”
“I’ll check with Sommers, and, I’ll have her brought in blind-folded. Besides, she’ll be assigned restricted Press Access.” Over the past week, Sienna had been working with Major Sommers to establish access badges for the visitors who were bound to start checking out Earth’s latest additions. Inquisitive Kat would be a great way to test security.
Sienna turned, but Legian grabbed her wrist, pulling her down to him. “Until tonight then,” he whispered, his breath soft against her neck. Then he kissed her long and soft on the lips before finally releasing her and rolling over, taking much of the blankets with him.
She smiled at the way he showed his love. Pausing, she brushed her thumb down his cheek. “Legian?”
“Hmm?”
“What are your thoughts on marriage?”
He rolled back over to face her, cocking his head while he watched her. “I don’t understand. We are already married. The
soullare
proves it.”
“The
soullare
only proves that we’re mated, not married.”
He frowned. “I have read about the ritual and do not understand it. There’s no soul bonding with it. It’s just words and paper.”
“It’s more than words and paper. It has a magic to it, too.” Where the
soullare
forced mates together, marriage was a voluntary decision. Its magic came with a mutual promise of life-long commitment. She’d lost one husband, and she had sworn to herself that she would never love again. But that was her being afraid of her heart hurting so much again. Now she knew better. Everything she’d lived through was worth it. That was life.
“But we’re already bonded in all ways that matter.”
She stiffened, suddenly feeling a touch edgy. “I guess you’re right,” she said as she moved away and rummaged through her closet, randomly grabbing clothes. After throwing on a long-sleeved thermal, cargos, and hiking boots, Sienna grabbed her cane, left Legian, and hobbled straight to the Commons to grab breakfast. Fresh muffins sat cooling on the counter. She ate one and watched the sunrise on one of the digital screens brought in for the humans’ benefit. Warm blueberries burst in her mouth. After licking her fingers clean, she washed down the muffin with a glass of orange juice.
Sienna grabbed a couple muffins and a carton of juice and looked at her cane. Setting it back down, she grabbed a wicker basket full of fruit and dumped the contents. Adding back in a couple bananas along with the muffins and orange juice, she walked clumsily down the hallway to the holding cells, holding the basket in one hand while holding her cane in the other.
This time, when she reached the only inhabited cell, the Draeken named Talla looked at her. Sienna felt a spark of jealousy at how beautiful the Draeken was, even stuck in a windowless dungeon. Her wings, covered in Draeken tattoos, hung loosely out from her sides. Her long, silver hair tied loosely on top of her head. Not fair. At least the prisoner looked frazzled and exhausted — no doubt from the daily rounds of painful interrogation. A small part inside Sienna was glad to see the prisoner lived. With Jax’s sour mood after the Risa incident, Sienna wasn’t sure the Draeken would’ve survived a night, let alone weeks.
Even though Jax now had guards assigned to his prisoner, he still spent hours every day overseeing her “care.”
“Here.” She held out a muffin to Jax, the other guard, then Talla.
Jax didn’t move an inch. “Already ate.” He sat with the folding chair turned, back to front. He leaned forward on the back of his chair, keeping his prisoner under close scrutiny.
Talla snatched a muffin from Sienna’s hand and sat facing Jax, eating it slowly in front of him. He watched the prisoner while she ate, and she closed her eyes, making the action of eating it almost sensual. She almost smiled when Jax narrowed his eyes and gave her the classic Jax scowl.
Yeah, Jax was back.
“Can I get you anything else?” she asked, setting the basket on the floor next to Jax’s chair.
“We’re good,” Jax replied.
“Speak for yourself,” Talla muttered, licking her fingers.
Jax did nothing, just continued to glare at her.
“You know things would go easier if you were willing to meet us halfway,” Sienna said.
The Draeken gave her the look of death before turning it back on Jax.
“Have it your way, then. You and Jax have fun. Oh, and Talla …” Sienna waited for the Draeken to look up. “You better rest up. You’re scheduled for another round of interrogation today.” With that, Sienna left the holding cells, surprised to find Apolo waiting for her, peeling an orange.