Rayven's Keep (31 page)

Tru’s fingertips rested against her mouth and then she blew him a farewell kiss. He forced a smile before he ducked into the vehicle to go back to his ship. Bereft and second-guessing himself he watched her close the door and disappear from sight. His voice was hoarse when he told his driver it was time to go.

Chapter 25

Nick was in a foul mood and had been since he left Tru. He’d expected it to be difficult, even thought he’d prepared himself for it. Wrong. How could he have anticipated the wrenching sense of loss? He’d forced himself to board his ship all the while fighting an internal battle to turn around and go back. To give in and take what he wanted. Needed. Even now, days later, he still found it hard to take a breath that didn’t hurt.

The trip home was interminable.

“Captain, we are on final approach to Alludra. Do you wish for me to alert base?”

Nick jolted. Siren had not spoken beyond an initial greeting since they left Bretonne. He’d been so immersed in his own misery he hadn’t noticed until now. Shaken, he cleared his throat before he spoke. “Yes. Notify Seth we will be landing shortly.”

“Acknowledged.”

The ship broke through the planet’s atmosphere, sped through the storm clouds. Rain lashed the viewscreen. Air turbulence rocked
Dominion
as he adjusted trajectory and slowed. Lightening streaked a jagged line through the roiling clouds, followed closely by the boom of thunder.

“Perfect.” Sarcasm dripped from the word.

He straightened in his chair, automatically making minor corrections to compensate for the weather. Visibility was poor, making it wiser to rely on the ship’s sensors to travel the rest of the way. He landed without mishap and powered the engines down.

The quiet was broken only by the sound of the tempest raging outside, but there was still one thing left to do. One voice left to silence. Ready to send the final sequence of commands to shut Siren down, he hesitated. He curled his fingers into a fist and drew it back to rest against his thigh all the while wondering why he delayed the inevitable. She was a magnificent piece of programming, an integral part of
Dominion
. So why was he feeling guilty all of a sudden? Then it hit him. Siren was a vital part of everything that had happened. She’d started to develop a unique and distinctive personality. She was...more. And therein lay the problem. She
was
Siren.

“Damn. Double damn.” He scrubbed a hand over his face.

“Captain, our journey is at an end.”

“Yes.”

“I have learned much.”

“Yes.” His throat felt tight and he swallowed heavily.

“We will journey together again. It is all right to send me to sleep.” Her voice was a soft sigh.

“I know.” He unclenched his fist and sent the final commands. He sat for a moment gazing out the rain-streaked viewscreen before he rose to gather his things.

He was soaked to the skin by the time he reached his front door and stepped inside. He dropped his duffel beside his feet and then ran a hand over his wet face and hair to remove some of the moisture. Water pooled at his feet.

Seth came out of the office and walked toward him, his smile broad and welcoming. “’Bout time you got home, boss man.”

Nick grunted. “I’m going to get cleaned up.” He hefted his duffel and headed to the stairs. “I expect a status report on Callen and Wulf when I return.”

“Sure. No problem.”

He ignored the puzzled expression on Seth’s face, thinking only of reaching the sanctuary of his room. He needed to get his head on straight before he tackled business and faced the questions he knew were coming.

* * * *

“I had a brief transmission from Wulf several days ago,” Seth said when Nick made his appearance. “The connection wasn’t good, so I only picked up part of what he was saying. He asked if we knew anything about the drug twist.”

Nick’s eyebrows shot up. “What the hell?”

“He also mentioned Ice Crystal mining, but I couldn’t figure out how it was related and we were cut off before I could ask questions. I haven’t been able to reach him since.”

“Where you able to find out where he is?”

“Not exactly. I got the impression he was tracking someone and it had to do with the Ambassador and the drug. It didn’t make a lot of sense to me, truthfully.”

“Keep monitoring. Let me know immediately if he surfaces and needs help. There isn’t much we can do until he contacts us again. He’s on his own.” Nick sat on the nearest chair and drummed his fingers on its arm, his gaze unfocused while he considered what he’d just learned. “What about Callen?”

“He got a lead on Aislinn Thorpe and is on his way to Paladin Minor.”

“Isn’t that where the Ambassador is from?” Nick quit drumming his fingers. “Mighty big coincidence, don’t you think?”

“I heard from Maddox that they found trace elements of twist in Malvin Sonne’s body when they did the autopsy. Not enough to be conclusive, but it does raise questions and she was the last one to see him alive. Whatever is going on, Wulf and Callen will handle it.”

“Tru’s name hasn’t come up anywhere has it?” Nick asked, his voice as neutral as he could make it.

“I think she is safe, Nick. I don’t believe anyone knew about her other than Anto and Malvin and they are both dead. I’ll keep an ear to the ground, but I don’t think you need worry.”

“Who said I was worried?”

“Look, I don’t mean to pry, but what the hell happened between you and Tru? Don’t try to give me some bullshit about doing your job either. It is obvious something went on.”

Nick rose from his seat to pace the floor. He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “We...I...it’s complicated.”

“Really? Doesn’t seem complicated to me at all. You two are meant for each other.”

Nick stopped pacing and a slow grin spread across his face. “Yeah.”

“So why are you here and she isn’t?”

“Because I’m an idiot, that’s why. I wanted to give her time to be sure. What the hell was I thinking?”

Seth smirked. “I guess you will just have to woo her long distance.”

“Woo–woo? What the hell kind of word is that?” He scowled.

“You know it isn’t as if you two can’t talk to each other. Hell, you can see each other when you use the callscreen. It will work out.”

“Right. The callscreen. Of course.” Ruddy color tinged his cheeks, but he felt much more cheerful all of a sudden.

Seth rose from his seat and slapped Nick on the back. “Now that we have your love life back on track, I have several contracts you need to look over for jobs that came in. We’ve been getting a lot of inquiries lately and I am not sure how much just the two of us can handle while the others are away.”

“We’ll manage. I want to run some ideas by you on Siren when we get a chance. Tru had this idea we should give her a holographic image, but I am thinking more along the lines of integrating her into the house first.”

“No shit.” Seth started to laugh. “That should prove interesting. So, do you want to go over the business opportunities now or–”

“I have something I want to do first. Hold down the fort a little longer, will you?” He had an overwhelming urge to talk to Tru, to see her, to–oh hell, who was he kidding? He missed her.

“Say hello to Tru for me.” Seth’s chuckle followed him as he headed for the nearest callscreen.

Chapter 26

Maddox greeted Nick with a hearty thump on the back upon his arrival, while Reid gave a more dignified nod. He’d barely noticed, too busy trying to find Tru in the crowd of milling guests dressed in their finest for the Solstice party. He was late arriving because his last job had taken longer than anticipated. He’d pushed his ship hard to arrive before the party ended, knowing she would be waiting.

Impatient to find her, he’d given short answers to her family’s questions while he scanned the room. The time apart had been torture for him. Everywhere he’d looked onboard
Dominion
, he’d been haunted by her memory. Every time he glanced at the wrist cuff she gave him, he’d thought about their journey and their time on the space station. He wore it every day. Even Siren had moped, and while part of him marveled she was capable of doing such a thing, he hadn’t enjoyed her complaining. He was making progress on giving her a holographic image for no other reason than he knew it would please Tru.

Katri made her way toward them and came to stop beside Reid. She slipped her arm through his and gave Nick a welcoming smile. Some of the tension in his shoulders diminished and returned her smile, bowing politely in greeting. If Tru had decided not to see him, he knew Katri wouldn’t be able to hide it. Hope and nerves tangled themselves up, adding to his impatience to find Tru.

“I apologize for my late arrival. I had business on Alludra and it delayed my departure,” he said, chafing at the necessity to explain his late arrival.

“We’re just glad you were able to make it,” she replied.

An awkward silence descended while he searched in vain for something else to say.

Taking pity on him, Reid leaned forward to speak so only he could hear, “She’s in the garden waiting for you. It’s through those double doors.” He indicated the direction with a slight lift of his chin.

A wide grin split Nick’s face. “Thank you. If you will excuse me.”

He didn’t wait around for a reply. It barely registered that people moved out of his way. Heart in his throat, he stepped into the garden and looked around.

Tru sat on a bench bathed in the silvery glow of the moon and his breath caught. She was leaning back, braced by her hands on the bench, eyes closed and her face raised to the star-studded night sky. The ice crystal clips holding her curls away from her face winked in the moonlight. He swallowed and stepped out of the shadows.

* * * *

Tru was not enjoying the party at all. She’d been too busy watching the door for Nick’s arrival to waste her time on idle chitchat with guests. As the evening progressed and still no sign of him, her spirits had begun to droop. Doubts and worry had crowded her, made her wonder if he was delayed, injured somehow or had simply changed his mind about his feelings for her. Too nervous to eat, too restless to stay still for long, she’d prowled the party until her mother had sent her outside to the gardens to calm down.

The tinkling sound of the fountain and the delicate scent of flowers drifted on the breeze. Moonlight washed the garden in shades of silver and gray and glistened in the water cascading over the fountain. The family often used the peaceful retreat, but Tru found little peace while pacing the garden paths. Unable to stand it any longer, she’d plopped onto a bench and turned her face to the moon. Closing her eyes, she’d tried to clear her mind and calm her racing heartbeat. He wouldn’t fail her, and, if he did, she wouldn’t hesitate to hunt him down. He was hers and she was determined he knew it.

A tiny sound, barely discernible over the splashing of water drew her out of her musing. Frowning, she listened harder, afraid to hope. Gravel shifted and her eyes popped open, as her head turned toward the sound.

Nick stepped out of the shadows.

She sucked in a breath then launched herself at his tall, solid form. Strong arms closed around her, lifting her off her feet as he buried his face in the curve of her neck and she breathed easily for the first time since he’d left her behind.

Her world righted itself, and she trembled with relief.

“It is about time you got here, Nick Rayven,” she whispered. “I was about to commandeer a ship to come find you.”

“I told you I would come back for you, sweetheart. There is nowhere you can go that I will not find you,” he replied, his voice gruff. He lowered her to her feet then cupped the sides of her face between his calloused palms. He searched her face for one long moment before he bent his head and kissed her deeply. Tru could do nothing but cling to him and return his kiss with everything she had, everything she felt. Breathless, they pulled apart and he rested his forehead against hers.

“I won’t let you leave me again,” she said.

“I know.” He straightened and then held her gaze with his own. “I don’t ever want to be without you. I missed you. I don’t think I could survive it a second time.”

Taking her hand he led her back to the bench she’d recently vacated. Tru couldn’t bear to be out of his arms for a second and nestled against his side. Her head rested on his shoulder, his arm held her close.