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“Too late?” Baird frowned. “I don’t understand—how could it be too late?” His voice dropped to a hushed whisper. “She didn’t…die did she?”
“No, thank the Goddess for small favors.” Slade sighed. “She didn’t die, she just…found out about my past. In fact, she somehow saw a memory of mine through our link. And now she thinks I’m a crazy murdering felon on the run from the law and ready to kill anyone who looks at me the wrong way.”
“Well, is she wrong?” Baird asked reasonably.
Slade glared at him. “If I wasn’t so drunk I’d pound you for that—head of the Fleet or not.”
“I’m just asking because I know Sylvan looked into your history before allowing you to stay aboard,” Baird said evenly. “He weighed your past deeds carefully and decided you weren’t a risk or a threat. Was he wrong?”
“No, he wasn’t Goddess-damned wrong!” Slade slammed his empty glass on the bar counter, knowing he wasn’t making the best impression but not really caring anymore.
“Tell me then,” Baird urged. “The whole story. Go on—get it out.”
Slade wanted to punch the other male…but somehow he found himself talking instead.
“I was a fighter on the Blood Circuit for years—a slave but happy nonetheless. Happy because I had a female I loved—another slave called Cinda. We were never able to bond which didn’t surprise me. I’m a hybrid—we usually can’t.” He shook his head. “Don’t know what the fuck happened at the Puppet House and how I formed a bond with Brandi but whatever…Anyway, I was happy with Cinda—until our master sold her and her new master raped and killed her.”
Baird sucked in a breath. “I’m sorry, Brother. That’s fucking horrible.”
“I went a little crazy,” Slade admitted. “I killed my master and burned down his house. Then I took the same revenge on Cinda’s master. After that, I was caught and slated to be killed myself, but I was bought—bought by a mistress who liked the idea of fucking a dangerous slave.”
“Sounds like one of those crazy females on Yonnie Six,” Baird remarked.
“She was from Yonnie Six—she’d just moved to my home planet for business,” Slade explained. “Anyway, she wanted me to fuck her but I’d made a vow after Cinda died that I’d never be with a female again. My mistress didn’t like that very much. After injecting me with a lust-enhancer, she shipped me off to prison because I still wouldn’t give her what she wanted.”
“Yup, sounds like a female from Yonnie Six, all right.” Baird nodded. “Then what?”
“I spent about five years in CellStone prison—not as bad as BleakHall but almost,” Slade told him. “That was where I got my nickname—The Beast.”
Baird raised his eyebrows. “Do I wanna know how you got that name?”
Slade shrugged. “I twisted a male’s head off in a fight. Unfortunately, that was the memory that Brandi somehow picked out of my brain.” He shook his head. “Of all the things she could have seen. I mean, I had some bloody battles in the arena too. But for sheer rage and aggression…”
“So she was actually able to see your memory?” Baird looked surprised. “I’ve never heard of a bond-link that strong before. I mean, sometimes I can send my mate, Olivia, images and we can feel each other’s emotions or catch stray thoughts from time to time but—”
“I know—it’s fucking bizarre,” Slade growled. “I’m a hybrid—I’m not supposed to be able to bond at all. But now I have the strongest bond I’ve ever heard of with this little human female who wants nothing to do with me. And I know, because I can hear her thinking exactly that half the time. The other half she’s just feeling bad and upset she let me into her life at all.”
“What, all the way from Earth? She is still on Earth, right?” Baird asked.
Slade nodded. “And that’s where she’s going to stay. She sure as hell doesn’t want to come up to the Mother Ship and be anywhere near me.”
“You need to get her to give you a second chance,” Baird said, frowning. “If she was able to see one memory, she should be able to see others. Don’t you have any good ones to show her?”
The idea caught Slade off-guard.
“Hey…” He frowned and nodded. “You know, that’s not a bad idea, Brother.”
“I’ve been known to have a few decent ideas from time to time—according to my mate.” Baird grinned.
“The problem is, getting Brandi to see me and look into my memories in the first place.” Slade ran both hands through his hair. “She fucking hates me now. Well, not hates exactly—it’s more like she’s afraid of me and she fears for her young one too.”
“Oh, she’s a mother, is she?” Baird shook his head sympathetically. “That does complicate things.”
“You’re telling me,” Slade growled. “Her little girl adores me but her mother is sure I’ll hurt her.” He took another drink and squeezed his hands into fists on the bar. “I would never hurt a female—especially not a child. That little one is the sweetest little thing—she calls me ‘Daddy-man.’” He sighed. “Wish I could live up to the name but Brandi isn’t having it.”
