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Revakka sighed. “I don’t think that is accurate.”
He smiled. “I know it is. She was an active agent on a coastline patrol. She only had a day off once or twice a month. She used it for stress relief just as I did. Also, her energy signature is not compatible with most actives. She and I match.”
Revakka frowned. “So, if I ask her about it?”
“She will be embarrassed, but she will probably give you the code to the head of the BDC for confirmation.”
“Oh.”
“Yes. So, after I ask her to marry me, you can discretely ask her for details. I will warn her that the question is coming.”
“She doesn’t have family to represent her.”
“I have already sent a message for that.”
“What?”
“I have sent a message to her sister and her sister’s partner. They will provide us with a family crest. Xeva will have it placed, and then she will be all legal according to our traditions.”
“But she doesn’t have island blood, doesn’t know our traditions.”
Jeron saw the tilt to Xeva’s head and knew she was listening. “She will learn. She’s bright, physically capable, and she cares intensely about those around her. The island could have no better secondary guardian than she.”
“We don’t need a secondary guardian; we have you.”
Jeron sighed. “And if something happens that I can’t handle, I want to know that Kasuul will not have to spring into action like I did. Xeva is a trained agent. She knows how to take care of a population.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because she and I have had a relationship which did not strictly cover sex. There were other moments of conversation, and I learned who she was and how she thought. I trust her. She thought I was a terrorist, and she still tried to rescue me before the bomb exploded. She took the damage that would have washed over me, knowing that I was the one who brought the charge.”
His mother stared. “That is how you got the mineral?”
“Yes. She was the agent sent to investigate the activity. She got me down, cuffed me, and then tossed the bomb into the crevasse. When it blew, it pulverized enough stone for our purposes, but it nearly killed her. She doesn’t hold a grudge now that she knows what it was for.”
He felt a hand on his arm, and Xeva said, “Enough. She can believe I am trustworthy or not. If I can stay here, great, but if Aksalla tries to get me back, let me go.”
He put his hand over hers. “No.”
She sighed. “Yes.” She met his gaze. “I don’t have a family mark. I don’t belong here. I can’t swim, surf, and kids are great, but I don’t know how to act around them. If your mom knows someone who would suit you better, the transition to liking her would probably be easier than retraining me.”
He was about to speak when his mother said, “Was Jeron your first?”
“First person inside me? No.”
Jeron frowned.
“But first person that didn’t force me? Yes. The lab was a dangerous place, and two years before I escaped, the abuse began. It was a strong reason for my escape.”
His mother covered her mouth.
Xeva looked up at him and gave a slight smile. “But Jeron was the first person invited to touch me.”
He hugged her. She had hinted at the past, but stating it this baldly made him want to go and destroy those who had hurt her.
His mother looked confused, as if she was having to change her mind.
He got a ping on his com and checked it as he held her. He smiled. “Speak of the devil. Dmitri and Nelith have had a family mark made for you. We will take it to the tattoo shop tomorrow.”
