Diarvet shook his head, dark blue hair catching the light from the chandeliers overhead. “No, but the human did sayhe had to get back to Earth because some treasure he’d been coveting had become available. The way he pronounced the wordtreasuremade it sound like something obscene.”
From the expressions carried by everyone in the room, it was obvious we all thought the same horrifying thing. Thattreasurewas code for another human being, another innocent soul to be bought and sold like livestock.
“The thing I found most strange,” Diarvet continued, his voice losing its dangerous edge, and holding a hint of confusion, “was that Qurbaga called this human Master.’”
The snort that erupted from Khaion’s throat was sharp and bitter, his golden eyes flashing with something that looked like disbelief.
Emmy leaned forward, her eyes sharpening as they swept across each of our faces in turn. “Master is an unusual title for a human, especially when you’re talking about alien royalty bowing to them.”
“Do you think the human male is involved in the slave trade?” Charick asked, his hands moving to rub his mate’s shoulders in slow, soothing circles.
“It would definitely explain some of the gaps in our intelligence gathering,” Binwee said thoughtfully, steepling her stubby fingers and resting her chin atop them. The pose made her look like a tiny blue villain plotting the downfall of empires. “Asad intelligence has been busting our collective asses trying to connect every known slaver to the Consortium, and so far, we’ve gotnothing concrete to show for it.”
“Are you really suggesting that a human could be the mastermind behind the kidnapping and enslaving of other humans?” I asked, my voice coming out smaller than I’d intended. The words felt strange and bitter on my tongue. I believed Diarvet completely. But the idea that a human was running around the galaxy acting as some kind of slavingmastermind, trafficking in his own species…. “Most people on Earth don’t even know aliens exist.”
Our four visitors and Binwee shared another one of those loaded, meaningful glances that made it clear I was not just wrong in my assumption, but naively so.
“Actually, quite a few of Earth’s governments are aware of the Alliance existence,” Emmy said carefully, her tone suggesting she wasn’t particularly thrilled about having to shatter my illusions.
“There are diplomatic channels and classified agreements that most Earth citizens don’t have the first clue about,” Khaion added, those stunning golden eyes shifting and swirling with shades that suggested there was a vast ocean of secrets beneath the surface. “Some governments have been in regular, ongoing communication with the Alliance for decades now, trading information, technology, and maintaining carefully negotiated relationships.”
“You really didn’t think humanity went from rotary phones to handheld computers in less than a hundred years all by ourselves, did you?” Willa said with a snort that carried equal parts of amusement and disdain.
I slumped back into my ridiculously overstuffed chair, feeling completely and utterly dumbfounded. Under the table, Diarvet’s hand settled on my thigh, his fingers giving a comforting squeeze. Whatever the hell was happening on Earth, I was here with my mate and daughter—exactly where I wanted to be.
“We can have Siemba’s people look into this human connection,” Khaion said with a heavy, bone-deep sigh, running a hand through his dark hair. A few strands pulled free of the braid and fell around his face as though styled that way. “We have other issues to deal with right now. Killing a royal—even a worthless piece of shit like Qurbaga—will be a political nightmare. The Kwado are going to be screaming for blood.”
“What?” The word exploded out of me before I could stop it, my voice cracking with both anger and panic. “Diarvet killed Qurbaga to protect me!”
“He absolutely did,” Binwee jumped in, her small blue fist connecting with the tabletop with a surprisingly impressive thud. “That bastard would have killed Jolie without a second thought if Diarvet hadn’t stepped in. I saw the whole damn thing, and I’ll testify to that to anyone who wants to hear it—Alliance tribunal, Kwado court, whoever.”
“Protecting one’s mate is considered a completely justified killing under Alliance law, as long as there’s at least one credible witness to back up the claim,” Emmy said, her eyebrows raising with obvious interest. “And lucky for you, I have the authority to officially rule the killing justified.”
“You can do that?” I asked, my voice coming out all breathless and stunned, barely above a whisper.
Khaion’s entire face lit up with a proud, smugly satisfied grin as his arm slid around Emmy’s shoulders, pulling her closer against his side. “My mate is an Alliance Conciliator, which means she is vested with the power to make rulings on matters of law and justice throughout Alliance space.”
At what must have been my completely shell-shocked expression, Emmy smiled warmly, her green eyes twinkling. “I was a practicing attorney back on Earth. It seemed like the next logical career step. Not only will I absolve Diarvet of any wrongdoing in Qurbaga’s death, but I can also formally recognize your mating and adoption of the youngling.”
“So that’s really it?” I turned to share a loaded, disbelieving glance with Diarvet, afraid that if I spoke too loudly or moved too quickly, the fragile hope might shatter like cracked glass. “Lilibet and I are free? Just like that?”
“That’s it,” Khaion confirmed with a broad grin that completely transformed his demeanor, replacing the careful political mask with something warm and sweet. Then his expression shifted back to business as he turned his attention to Binwee. “Agent Jazarazant, I’d like to officially task you with going through the communication logs on this ship. See if you can dig up anything that might give us a clue about the human male.” He let out another heavy sigh, his broad shoulders sagging slightly. “I know your loyalty is to Siemba, but until we can figure out exactly who this human is and ferret out the spies inside the Alliance, the fewer people who know about this, the better.”
“Completely agree,” Binwee said with a sharp nod, looking like a tiny blue general planning a complex military campaign. “I’ll get right on it.”
“I need to contact my mother,” Charick said, his voice holding a worried, rumbling quality. The concern etched across his features was impossible to miss. I watched Willa’s hand move to rest on his shoulder in what was clearly a calming gesture.
“Charick’s mother is the Alliance Prime,” Diarvet whispered to me before I could ask the obvious question, his warm breath tickling my ear.
“Of course,” Khaion agreed readily, and the glance he shot Charick spoke of years of friendship. “I know you’re worried about her safety, but Duke Ako and Duchess Helene have joined her on planet Calpa for additional security.”
“She’ll be fine,” Willa assured her mate, voice confident as her fingers massaged the tension from his shoulders.
“I’ll contact Captain Adtovar of theHistoria,” Khaion continued. “They’re still positioned in Earth’s galaxy. If the human is traveling back to Earth, perhaps Adtovar’s crew can intercept him.” His attention shifted to focus on Diarvet.“I assume you’re planning to return to Zarpazia with your females?”
Your females. Something about the way he said that made warmth spread through my chest like honey, sweet and golden and perfect.
“I am,” Diarvet nodded firmly. “It’s time we went home.” He squeezed my hand gently, his thumb tracing slow, soothing circles over my knuckles. “Lilibet needs some stability and normalcy after everything that’s happened.”
