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Dawn opening her eyes and refocusing on me snapped me out of my lustful musings—although it didn’t silence the throbbing between my thighs.
“Okay, consider me properly impressed,” Dawn said, observing me with genuine admiration. “Adran steaks can be tricky to cook, but this is the right level of medium, the fat is perfectly rendered, and the meat is tender and juicy. I admit I never expected that from you.”
I snorted. “We go hunting with our fathers as soon as we’re old enough to pull the string of a slingshot. If we want to eat, we have to clean and cook what we catch. Every Braxian boy is trained in the basics of survival and caring for themselves. Should we get stranded on a deserted planet, I could build us a shelter from scratch, grow the food we needed, and either repair our vessel or put together a com system to call for help.”
“Wow. You sound like a multi-talented man,” she said, this time with a hint of teasing.
I loved when she did that.
“As a Jakar, I have no choice. I must be ready for every eventuality.”
“I can see that,” she conceded, before taking another bite of her food.
“So why did you stay here? Why take over this shelter?” I asked, while cutting my large piece of meat.
“Mom—Shonda—and this place gave me a chance at a decent future. I wanted to do the same for those who hadn’t been asluckyas me to have support and an appearance that kept me safer,” she said, flicking a lock of hair over her shoulder. “I’d been getting increasingly involved helping the former administration run this place. When she decided to retire, I offered to take over. Frankly, I never thought they would have given me the role, considering how young and inexperienced I was at twenty-five. Plus Shonda was finally ready to leave Haven for a different mission. But this was my home, and I didn’t really want some stranger coming here and upending our way of life with their presumptions as to what we wanted.”
“And yet, you got it,” I said gently.
She made a disdainful sound full of self-derision. “I’d fooled myself into thinking that I’d impressed them so much in my interview that they couldn’t deny me. It didn’t take me long to realize no one particularly wanted the role because Braxian hybrids weren’t a glamorous assignment and funds would be limited.”
Although none of this surprised me, I clamped down on the anger wanting to surge within me. Our people had built a horrible reputation over the years, alienating most of our neighbors with extreme retaliation for the most stupid slight. Even with my father spending the past two decades trying to mend bridges and change our image abroad, it would take a long time to really turn things around.
“Is that why this place is so deserted now? Lack of funds and support?” I asked in a commiserating tone.
Dawn poked at her vegetables with her fork while reflecting on her answer, a frown marring her forehead. “Not really. Sure, more funds and support would have helped, but this place began its slow death once your father passed the new laws protecting hybrids.”
I recoiled, taken aback by that comment.
She gave me a resigned smile. “Don’t get me wrong, he did a good thing. At first, we got a massive influx of hybrids fleeing Braxia once their clans were obligated to set them free. Males and females of all ages, in various stages of abuse and trauma came flocking in. It was overwhelming at first. I’d only been in post for a year. But it was also exhilarating to make a difference for so many people.”
I nodded slowly. “Yes. After that edict, there was a mass exodus for a few months, but then it ended as abruptly as it began.”
“Yup. Those who wanted to leave Braxia did so as soon as the gates were open. The others decided to take a chance in a place they knew rather than to face the unknown. Apparently, your laws were enforced because the flow of newcomers dwindled to a trickle and then completely stopped more than ten years ago. All the refugees are now adults, moving on with their lives. I thought this place still had a couple of years left in it, but with the Guldan recruiters, I doubt we’ll make it to the end of the year.”
Although Dawn tried to sound nonchalant as she spoke those words, I didn’t miss the emotion seeping into her voice.
“What are you going to do once they all move on?” I asked gently.
She shrugged. “I may go to Earth or some other human colony. There are plenty of underfunded refugee colonies in desperate need of an administrator,” she said with self-derision.
“Have you considered coming back to Braxia?”
Dawn recoiled. “Hell no! No offense,” she added quickly upon seeing the offended look on my face. “I’m sure your father and you are doing a wonderful job of making it a better place, but I don’t belong there. Women’s rights still have a long way to go, even more so for a hybrid.”
“Which makes you the perfect candidate to tackle such a massive undertaking. You’ve lived off-world, know what women need to succeed in their own right. You could share your expertise as well as help us better support the hybrids who remained on Braxia. I admit that we haven’t done much for them. We don’t even know where to start.”
That took her aback. In truth, my own words even surprised me. I hadn’t planned on making such an offer. But now that I had stated it, it struck me as brilliant. We could indeed use her talent and knowledge.
“You make some compelling arguments but…”
“Is it your father?” I asked softly when her voice trailed off.
She shifted uneasily in her seat before taking a sip of wine. “I know what role my family played to prompt your father to set those laws to protect hybrids.”
I frowned at the shame poking its head in her expression. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You and your father’s clan are not responsible for the actions of your brother. Gerwin attempted to murder Anton in his own home, then compounded this egregious offense by kidnapping, raping, and maiming his wife. He paid the ultimate price for his crime. He was punished forhispoor choices. That burden isn’t anyone else’s to bear.”
“True, but where did he learn so much hatred? Who taught him that it was okay to exact so much violence on others simply because they were born different?” Dawn hissed.
