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Surrounded by thefamiliar chaos of a packed bar, Justice surveyed the crowd of people in Exodus with a newfound appreciation. The last thing she had ever expected when she’d first walked through the doors of the sanctuary was to miss the place so damn much after being away for a few months.
It was their first night back on Earth, and the entire bar had been closed to the public in honor of Justice and Talon’s bonding celebration. The place was packed with all of their friends and his family, making it an interesting mix of people that had gathered together. Only Talon and Justice could successfully integrate a group of assassins with business moguls, bartenders, former slaves, and a handful of the most powerful magical beings in the universe, and not have it turn into an awkward mess.
Life was indeed strange sometimes.
It had been a little over two months since the conclusion of the mission on Beta Station 4. They had completely destroyed the slave network on the station, while the other two teams had successfully rescued the captives and eradicated the camps. A lot of the rescued captives had moved directly to the new refuge on Xenthian, while others had returned to their old lives.
It had taken some time to detain and question everyone connected to the group, but it had been well worth it to take their time and scan them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to find a secret third camp that had been set up by a group of elites who had intended to create their own business to challenge the Tarins’ network.
After recovering the client list and operative roster, they had reluctantly handed it over as part of the official report. Talon had made sure to keep a copy despite being told not to. He and Justice had wanted to make sure each and every name on that list ended up paying for their crimes. They’d also planned on rescuing all the captives who had been sold.
If the Alliance hadn’t followed through on their promise to take care of it, then Talon’s team would have personally handled the rescues…as well as the punishment of the guilty. Fortunately, the Council of Regents had taken Talon, High Commander Matt Malloy, and Commander Olivia Tavish’s reports seriously.
Upon receiving the reports, they had immediately sent out dozens of Strike Force Teams across the various planets and space stations. They’d given the urgent rescue missions the high priority level they’d deserved. They had also punished plenty of the guilty, even those with powerful connections.
They’d had no choice once information about the slave network had gone public.
That’s why it paid to have a smart-ass hacker on the team.
Beta Station 4 had been a mess after the explosion, but it would have been far worse if the shield had actually failed. Many of the businesses had to close while repairs had been made in the atrium. Alpha Station: X21 had willingly taken in anyone who had been displaced, though that had been a temporary measure.
There had been some talk about just decommissioning the old station, but that idea had been scrapped when Dragon Warriors Zarik, Kayn, and Rycor Vyper had shown up at their sister’s insistence. Since they had been traveling in the area, Jade had asked the trio to stop by the station to check on Justice and Yumi.
The Dragon Warriors had used their magic to repair the damage caused by the explosion, but they had also made an assortment of upgrades at the station that had left the residents stunned with awe. They had also been able to speed up Laken’s recovery. She’d been badly burned in the explosion, but after they had healed her, she’d been as good as new.
Instead of heading directly back to Earth, Talon, Justice, and the rest of the team had made a few stops along the way. Their first stop had been to the D’Aire home world. It had been years since Justice had been to that planet, and it had been nice to visit and pay her respects in honor of her family.
While the planet had been a beautiful place to visit, Justice hadn’t felt a real connection to it. That had relieved her…and also made her feel a little sad. It wasn’t her home. The truth was home wasn’t a place for her—it was a person.
Her home was wherever Talon was.
Their next stop had been to New Vega, where she had met Talon’s sister, Mya, and her three Krytos mates. Mya was a sweet, caring female, and it had been fascinating to hear about the details of her conversion. Becoming a Krytos sounded like a painful experience, but it had been necessary to save her life. Justice couldn’t imagine how difficult it was to handle three massively possessive mates when she had a hard time dealing with her one, but she figured it must work for them since they seemed blissfully happy together.
Justice had also met Kahla Adaro, who was the younger sister of Rogan and Lucian, the owners of Exodus. Justice and Kahla had immediately hit it off, and along with Laken and Yumi, the four females had become close. They had terrified most of the males around them, but Talon had simply been happy that Justice was making friends.
Justice had been nervous about meeting the rest of Talon’s family, but that part of things had gone better than she’d anticipated. Luckily, she hadn’t had to meet them privately. Instead, they had all attended the party so the Exodus crew could act as a buffer for her.
Talon’s mother was a lovely female who had been warm and welcoming, and his two fathers had been friendly and interesting. Even Talon’s youngest brother, Conner, had made it to the party. He and a few of his friends from the academy had attended, and it was clear to see that the younger elites were impressed as hell by the way they watched everyone in attendance with wide eyes.
Justice had even ended up liking Talon’s oldest brother, Jax, more than she’d expected. Jax, Serra, and Sullivan Archer were a good, balanced unit, and their daughter, Kiara, was an adorable little baby. However, she had liked the trio a whole lot more before they had shoved their baby into her arms and taken off.
Looking down at Kiara’s sunny smile, Justice tried not to move for fear she would damage the tiny human somehow. Jax and Archer had just pulled Talon aside for a private word, leaving her with Serra and the baby. Unexpectedly, Serra had shoved the baby at her before dashing off to the bathroom.
If someone didn’t come rescue her soon, someone was going to pay dearly.
And by someone…she meant her keeper.
Talon snorted out a laugh through their bond.“I might as well enjoy this while I can since I’m going to end up paying for it anyway.”
“Why in all the worlds would anyone leave me with their tiny human?”Justice growled.“I question your family’s sanity now.”
Before she could complain again, the baby was plucked out of her arms by Donna Spartan-Rollins. Justice let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Talon’s mother. Kiara cooed and clapped her tiny hands together as Donna playfully bounced her around.
“Grandma to the rescue! Go have fun, sweetie. It’s your party, after all.”
Justice didn’t need to be told twice.
She fled away from the crowd, needing a private moment to recover from the sheer terror she’d felt. She felt more comfortable holding an explosive device than she did that little baby, even if that tiny human was her niece.
