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“Spoilsport.”
She gave him a teasing smile as he went to fetch Raja and bring him over to the bed. The kedji protested sleepily, but promptly curled into a contented ball in the curve of Lottie’s neck.
“I find myself jealous of a rodent,” he muttered, then bent and kissed her one more time before forcing himself to leave.
Under other circumstances he would have enjoyed the walk to the main farm, following the shortcut Temel had shown him the day before. The air was still pleasantly cool, the scent of freshly cut hay filled the air, and avians chirped merrily in the woods next to the path
But his mind was still focused on the woman in his bed, and the realization that he’d fallen in love with his wife. He’d been on the verge of telling her last night, but his love wouldn’t change anything and he was afraid the knowledge would only cause her pain.
He was also supremely conscious of Marshall’s device, now strapped unobtrusively beneath his belt. He’d reluctantly turned it on before he left the house, tempted to wait a little longer, but a few more days wouldn’t change the inevitable result.
Not for the first time he wondered why Marshall wanted the property surveyed. He couldn’t imagine the wealthy businessman having any interest in country living, especially under such comparatively primitive conditions. Nor could he see the farm as being useful for any of his illegal activities - it was too far from the city, or indeed any town of a reasonable size, to serve as a meeting point, or even as storage. They weren’t even close to the coast if he really wanted to stretch his imagination as far as smuggling activities.
He was still wondering when he reached the farm buildings and turned up the hill towards the barn. A male was working outside the barn, a Catari he assumed, based on the pale purple skin, pointed ears, and dark purple hair. The male straightened as he approached, even though his footsteps were barely audible and Celenk nodded to himself. The Catari had obviously been well-trained.
“You must be -” The neutral voice turned ice cold as their eyes met. “You.”
Frek. This was the last thing he needed.
“Hello, Kalpar.”
“So you’re Celenk. I never knew your real name, you betraying bastard.”
“I didn’t betray you and you know it.”
Kalpar’s eyes blazed white.
“You lied to me, to the whole squad.”
“I didn’t have a choice. I was under orders.”
He’d been sent undercover in order to investigate Kalpar’s commanding officer. Justifiably as it turned out. The male was ruthlessly exploiting the war-torn locals. Unfortunately, he also had a knack of commanding loyalty and the males under his command, including Kalpar, had refused to believe he was capable of the crimes with which he’d been charged.
“Orders to plant false evidence.”
“It wasn’t false.” His voice turned ice cold, his face falling into its usual mask. “I spoke to those girls myself. I know what he did to them.”
Only a slight shift in Kalpar’s stance indicated that his words might have penetrated.
“I didn’t trust you then and I don’t trust you now. What are you doing here? Is Celenk even your real name?”
“No,” he said truthfully. He’d left his original name and title behind when he left his planet. “However it’s the one I’ve been using since I left Karthika. I’m not pretending to be anyone else. And I’m here with my wife, to give her a new life away from the city.”
Again the truth as far as it went, but before Kalpar could respond, another male joined them. A younger male with a golden mane, he gave Celenk a cheerful smile.
“You must be Celenk. I’m Naffon. Welcome to the farm.”
“I wouldn’t be too hasty about that,” Kalpar muttered. “I don’t trust him.”
“You don’t trust anyone. Now come on, both of you. Tomlin called a meeting.”
To Celenk’s surprise, Tomlin turned out to be human - a tall, lean male dressed in black with an inscrutable expression that matched his own. He studied Celenk thoughtfully, and he suddenly felt as if he were wearing a blinking red light around his waist pointing to the monitor. But Tomlin didn’t comment. Instead he placed a map of the farm on the large dining room table and started going over the required activities for the next few weeks. He wasn’t issuing orders, if anything he was quietly deferential, but he clearly expected his plans to be followed.
In addition to Kalpar and Naffon, Temel had been waiting with a huge Haldan warrior. He too gave Celenk an accessing glance, but nodded amiably enough.
“I’m S’kal. My mate and I live over by the orchard.”
That caught his attention.
