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And each time they linked, it brought them even closer.
He loved spending time with her and didn’t even mind when she fell asleep mid-sentence. In fact, he appreciated any excuse that allowed him to carry her back to her bed where he could tuck her in. He enjoyed having an opportunity to take care of her. From small things, like forcing her to take her medication, to feeding her and making sure she rested comfortably.
During those days, he’d remained by her side, only leaving when she was sleeping or to take care of a few critical things. Talon had also tried to learn how to use his ability from a distance. Every member of his team had volunteered to help after he’d shared what Secret had told him. His attempts to manipulate his team’s emotions from a few inches away had been successful, but he still hadn’t managed it from a greater distance.
It wasn’t easy when he couldn’t see his own aura.
Talon only seemed to be able to see it when he was around Secret. Their connection strengthened his ability, but it was still problematic. Stretching out his aura took a whole lot of effort and a great deal of energy.
The first few attempts had left him shaky and on the brink of passing out. Even being a foot away from someone took an enormous amount of effort. It was like using a muscle he hadn’t known he possessed. Until he strengthened it and learned how to use it properly, it was more of a detriment than an advantage. But if he could someday master the skill, it would add a whole new dimension to what he could do on a mission.
“So, now that you’re awake for more than five minutes, are you finally going to tell us why we’re going to Beta Station 4, and who we’re going to kill?” Cedric asked before shoving an entire piece of honey bread into his mouth.
They were sitting down to a fabulous meal the team had prepared as an informal bonding celebration for Secret and Talon. While they hadn’t officially completed their bond yet, there was no doubt that they would.
His team knew they were heading to Beta Station 4 to capture or kill a bunch of slavers, but Talon hadn’t mentioned Secret’s personal connection to their targets. That was her private business, and she would tell them herself if or when she was ready. That didn’t mean they hadn’t figured it out for themselves.
Talon shot Cedric a frown, which the hacker chose to completely ignore. “You know why we’re going.”
“Yes, but we need more details, boss,” Cedric complained.
Secret had been digging into the food with gusto. She’d only been able to handle light meals while she’d been sick, but now she could eat without restrictions. In between bites, she gave the team a brief background on the Tarin slavers’ operation back on Tartarus. Yumi added some details here and there, but both of them left out their personal experiences with the slavers.
“The Tarins who escaped Tartarus have scattered to various locations, so it’s been difficult to find them,” Winston said. “All Alliance officers have access to the wanted lists but going by descriptions with no images is almost impossible.”
Yumi let out a snort of derision. “That’s just stupid. You’ll never find them that way.”
Winston’s eyes narrowed. “We’re doing what we can.”
“Not good enough,” she accused. “Why haven’t you recruited people who have actually seen them to help with the search?”
“We have! And this team has personally taken down a few of those bastards!”
As their argument raged, Talon sampled a forkful of a new pasta dish Teale had made. He’d been watching Winston and Yumi bicker for days, so it wasn’t anything new. Personally, he thought they needed to either fight it out or fuck, but he wasn’t stupid enough to say that out loud.
“The slavers have set up a new operation that they are running out of Beta Station 4,” Secret said, cutting into Winston and Yumi’s argument. “They chose that location since it’s far away and none of the freed Tarin females have chosen to reside there.”
Teale waved his fork in the air. “You got all of this information from that Tarin back at Exodus?”
Secret nodded before drinking some of her wine. The light blueahavawine was made out of berries from the D'Aire home world and was a particular favorite of hers. Talon knew she barely remembered visiting there as a child, but he would take her for a visit as soon as they were able. Once she was free of her past, he wanted to help her reconnect with that part of her life.
“The restaurant they opened is a front. They might serve a variety of Tarin dishes, but their menu is really a coded way for clients to purchase slaves. If the group doesn’t have what they want on the menu, they can place a special order for an extra fee. The slavers then send out their scouts to find someone that fits that description.”
“That’s just sick,” Laken said, going pale.
“Who the fuck are these clients?” Cedric demanded. “I want a list of these motherfuckers so we can expose every detail of their fucked up lives.”
“Agreed,” Winston mumbled around a mouthful of pasta.
“We’ll need to find the client list. The slavers had a wide range of clients back when they worked for Korsek, which was the name Quilla Rego used as a cover to run her criminal network,” Talon reminded them. “Most people thought the network was destroyed when she was killed back in Light City, but the group on Beta Station 4 is just a continuation of that same organization. They’re bound to have a new list.”
“Do you know where they are holding the captives?” Fadi Farez asked. “We’ll need to rescue them before anyone can retaliate or move them.”
“Some are being held on a small planetoid, while others are being kept on the planet Vexar,” Secret told them, mentioning a hostile planet that was home to a variety of dinosaurs and carnivorous plants.
“Didn’t Quilla use Vexar as a base before she was killed?” Laken asked.
“She did, until it was cleared out,” Teale said. “I wonder why they went back there.”
