There are few things more frightening than a pack of kids running silently, with fear in their eyes. The smallest one, so young I couldn’t tell if the child was a she or a he, ran directly to Ral and clung to his leg. Ral knelt down and gave the child a hug. A small face turned and I saw huge frightened eyes. To my surprise, the kid spoke in heavily accented Standard, rather than Tigerese. “They’re here to take us back?”

Ral looked at me.

“Outer screens on,” I ordered the ship.

Windows flickered onto existence on the walls.

We were surrounded by what look liked an entire platoon of tigers.

I clenched my fists. “Holefuck me to eternity and back. How did they find us?”

Princess Seria exited her room at that moment. She saw what was on the screens. “Those colors. These aren’t the soldiers that imprisoned us in the Teeth. They’re the colors of Kai’s House.”

Ral looked at Seria. “You never told me that he was of House Stargazer.”

“I didn’t even know myself until recently. Why? Is it important?”

“It could be.”

The platoon surrounded our landing pad. No weapons were aimed, but the intent was clear on our little decrepit ship missing an outer hull, filled mostly with kids.

A single helmed solitary soldier stepped out of formation, heading toward our open bay doors. She removed her helm.

“It’s Kai’s sister,” said Seria in surprise.

“I’ll deal with this,” said Ral.

I hooked his arm. He looked at me in surprise. “I’m supposed to keep you all safe,” I said.

He gave me an adorably amused smile that made me want to kick him. “Of course, Captain. But I thought that the tigers aren’t supposed to know about the Coalition’s involvement."

I grabbed my exo-armor and let it unfold over me. I’d have to deal with blackbox tampering later. I tapped into the console on my forearm and removed all Coalition insignias from the outer armor. “I can’t let you go out there without protection. Red, I want all weapons hot.”

“Captain?”

I heard her unspoken question. Any discharge could potentially punch a hole in the airlock shell that protected us from space, potentially sucking everyone out. Those of us with exo-armor would survive, but those without…

“You heard me, Red. We’re all dead if the tigers really want a fight. Keep the kids inside the ship, Anduin.”

He nodded and as I marched out beside Ral I heard Anduin say, “Hey kids, look at what I can do!” I wondered who was in more trouble, the kids or the merc.

Ral stepped forward, offering his weaponless hand in First Earth fashion. “Prince Ral of House Nightclaw.”

The woman took Ral’s hand. “I know who you are, Your Royal Highness, Prince Ral Kshk Lan Nightclaw, Duke of Caarane, Earl of the Black Islands, Baron Searich, Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Aurora.”

Ral was unfazed. “You’ve done your homework, Your Grace, Duchess Kanona Ni Qian Stargazer, Countess of the Red Moon, Baroness of Jianguson, Royal Knight Commander of the Most Honorable Order of Starlight,”

The duchess only smiled in response. “I regret that we must meet under such circumstances. We recently received word that your sister was being held in the Teeth. Stargazer wants you to know that we regret any mistreatment by House Sharpsword, who had been previously charged with maintenance at the Teeth. They are in the process of being ‘removed,’ and we will deal with them appropriately."

“Removed?” said Ral with an arched eyebrow.

“Haven’t you heard?” said the duchess evenly. “The Tigrantine Empress has been deposed and we’re in the middle of a civil war, in part because of Your Highnesses’ capture and escape.”

The tigers were fighting amongst themselves. I didn’t pay attention to politics but I knew this had to be important.

Ral took the news coolly, folding his arms. “You didn’t bring an entire squadron of soldiers to apologize.”

Her eyes moved away from us. I turned and saw Seria walking out of the ship. “We came at Princess Seria’s request.” Red tried to hide a guilty look on her face, but I had already known what she had done. I couldn’t blame Seria. But for some reason I couldn’t find it in me to be angry with Red, even with the tiger commandos surrounding us.

“House Stargazer would let it be known to House Nightclaw that we had no knowledge of your capture. Had we been alerted to such a fact, you would have been set free.”

Seria stepped forward into the space between the Duchess and Ral. “It’s a little late, don’t you think?” said Seria in a cold voice.

I stationed myself by Seria’s side. Ral could take care of himself, but Seria was still recovering from her injuries.

The Duchess’s eyes assessed the woman her brother had sent her to retrieve. “Princess Seria Devi, of House Nightclaw, I presume. I bring greetings from House Stargazer and request the honor of your presence at one of our sanctuaries.” she said to Seria. “To reassure you that we have no ill intent, we have ordered that Prince Ral and his people are free to go, so long as you accept our invitation.”

Ral blocked Seria. “She’s not going anywhere.”

“Ral!” Her voice was almost a growl. “I can take care of myself.”

Ral turned to the Duchess. “Why is your brother not here?”

“Complications, which will be explained in good time. I am authorized to offer you this.” She held up a small rectangular chip. “It’s a one-use pass to all the gates of Teeth and a cloaking signature to get you past Altaian orbital defenses. Use this and you can free your men.”

“No,” said Ral.

“Yes,” said Seria at the same time.

“Seria!” Ral said, his eyes glowing.

Her eyes glowed back. I thought she wasn’t supposed to be able to shift, but maybe the file had her wrong. “This has nothing to do with you.”

They did that shifter-glare thing at each other for several moments. Any hotter and laser beams would start shooting from their eyes. Seria finally said with gritted teeth, “I’m not going back to Alpha."

Ral was so tense I could see a blue vein pop from the side of his neck. “You would rather go with them?”

“I need to see Kai.”

“Who isn’t even here.”

The duchess whistled sharply, grabbing everyone’s attention. “He’s been delayed.” She looked at Seria even as she talked to Ral. “I assure you that the Princess will see my brother as soon as it can be arranged.”

“Do you think you’re in love with him?” asked Ral.

The question appeared to stun Seria. “Absolutely not. But I have a promise to fulfill.”

“There’s a lot that rides on who and where you are,” said Ral.

“I know. But this is my life.”

The siblings glared at each other. I knew what this was. This was a fight for Seria’s freedom, for her right to live as she pleased.

I could relate to that.

I took a deep breath. There were worse things to get behind.

“Red can go with her,” I said to Ral.

I switched to the interior coms, and muted the exterior speakers. I knew Red was listening. “Red, are you hearing this? You’ve got duty. Take the cards with you. We’ll find you.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Seria walked towards the duchess. “Your Grace, I have orphans with me. Tiger-orphans. If I come, I want them with me and guarantees that they will be fed, cared for and educated with all the benefits of House Stargazer.”

The gangplank made a loud thump as I took a step towards Seria. How could she be sending the children back to the very people that abused them?

Seria looked at me as if she could sense my thoughts. “Trust me, Captain. I was an orphan once. I won’t let them come to any harm.”

I clenched my fists.

An explosion rocked the dock. I shoved Seria behind me. The Duchess snarled, a rumbling feline sound. “House Sharpsword ships. They’ve found us.”

“House wars are a bitch,” said Ral to the Duchess.

The Duchess grinned. “Yes. We have that in common. We have a squadron willing to engage, but you have to go now.” She looked behind us to our de-hulled ship. “Though I suppose if we are really acting civilized, I shouldn’t really let you leave with a naked ship. You didn’t actually fly in that thing, did you?”

“That would be most courteous. And yes, we did,” said Ral blandly.

If I left the ship behind, all the secret modhacking would be discovered by the tiger-shifters. Inside my exo-armor I sent a silent signal to the blackbox recorders to self-destruct. It was almost certainly useless since the tigers most likely had figured a way to jam the signal, but I had to try. I had to assume that the tigers would discover everything; all the dossiers, the mission files, the logs, everything.

Starshit, the commander was not going to be happy about this. I had really screwed myself and my career.

Another explosion shook the city.

I had beaten the odds flying a naked ship, but I knew better than to taunt the Lord of Odds again, especially with a squadron of tiger shifter ships prowling around our dust trails. “Give me a ship, any ship, and I’ll get us out of here.”

Ral’s voice boomed. “Anduin, bring the children out.”

The children came out slowly, Red holding hands with two of them. Seria walked over to group and picked up the smallest one. “You’re coming with me,” she said to them. “No one will hurt you.”

The duchess sniffed the air, looked at the children with a closed expression. “How did you acquire these children?”

“I will tell you later,” said Seria.

Ral gave the duchess a steady look. “I will convey House Stargazer’s hospitality to my Alpha.”

“You do that. And may we all benefit.” The Duchess turned and growled something in Tigerese. Two soldiers came running. “Follow them. They’ll take you to another ship. Our squadron will hold them off until you can jump.”

Ral strode over to Seria. He gave her a hug, even as she still held on to one of the children. She was clearly taken aback for a moment. He withdrew, she set the child down, and quickly gave him a tight hug.

Something made me look the other way. Ral was leaving her to choose her own fate. It could very well be the last time they ever saw each other.

“Stay safe, my sister,” I heard him say. “I’ll see you on the other side.”

* * *

The tiger-shifters’ ship was another Zhang-class ship, a small, deep space transport designed for speed and maneuverability. To me, it moved like a tired pachyderm dragging a load too heavy to carry, but then all ships did compared to a Starbolt.

Still, it got us away from Savoness. Now we were sort of on our way to finish the mutinous and highly illegal course of action that was somehow the right thing to do. Not only that, but the tigers now had the modjacked ship that had evidence of my betrayal. Furthermore, they would be able to figure out Sector Nine’s highly classified modifications and use them on their own ships. If it ever got back to Coalition authorities, I would not only be court-martialed but imprisoned for giving up state secrets to an enemy.

I hit the punching bag in front of me.

Worst of all, I had failed the people in my charge.

I hit the punching bag harder.

I had been attacking the damn thing for what felt like hours, but I still couldn’t get the tension out of my skin. Anduin took a shift in the cockpit and although I should have gotten some sleep, there was no way I could have, not after everything crashed down.

With every punch I thought of someone else I failed.

Seria.

The children.

Myself.

Ral.

What kind of goddamn soldier was I if I couldn’t protect the people under my charge?

Oh right, the kind who engineers a fake mutiny and risks her entire career to hide the fact that she was disobeying orders again.

All for nothing.

I punched and kicked the bag over and over again, welcoming the ache in my shoulders and legs.

The door to my quarters slid open, and Ral walked into the converted common area.

I could feel his gaze on me and my lack of exo-armor. I decided to ignore him, which was clearly not going to work in a cramped space with a man who seemed to fill two-thirds of it. But it felt too good to be wearing nothing but underskins, using my own muscles, my own efforts to punch.

“Good idea, Captain. I’ll join you.” He stripped off his shirt, the muscles rippling in his chest. My breath hitched.

Did he just hear me and try to hide a smile?

Fucking math.

I should’ve told him to go meditate or something. But I didn’t have the energy to talk to him, banter with him, or even look at him.

I failed him after all. I failed to protect his family.

I turned my back on him and tapped a console, setting up a dummy on the opposite end of the room for him. I went back to punching my bag.

I tried to avoid him, but I couldn’t help brushing shoulders with him, feeling the whisper of his hair next to me when he moved. Technically, I suppose we had enough room to move, but his presence limited what I could do.

Not to mention the sound of his heavy breathing, grunting, and groaning like when we fucked.

I attacked the dummy until sweat ran down my temple, pooling into my cleavage and down the crack of my ass.

I walked over to the sink and squirted some water into my mouth. It was cold like that of deep space, so cold you could feel it moving down your throat and pooling in your stomach. But it still did nothing to quench the anger.

When I looked up, I saw him watching me. He was as sweaty and filthy as I was. His hair was tied back and I could see the sweat glistening on his chest. Our eyes met.

I was hot all over.

It was ridiculous the effect he had on me, simply by looking at him.

His nostrils flared.

Holedark, I must stink.

Without a word he covered the distance between us.

Before I could even react, I was in his arms. It was a real hug, a body-smushing embrace.

I was surrounded by that earthy scent of his, now mixed with sweat. A knot of heat unraveled unwillingly in my abdomen. His lips brushed against my ear. “I know what it feels like, the failure to protect someone you were supposed to keep safe.”

I held myself . Then I sunk into him.

His hold tightened on me.

It felt so strange to be close like this, and yet so natural.

I took a deep breath, breathing him in. “After we get your people out of Altai, I’ll bring Seria home.”

“It’s not your fault.”

My forehead fell to his chest in frustration “That doesn’t make it feel any better.”

He stepped away but held on to my wrist. “Spar with me.”

“What?”

He pulled me to the center of the room, and hit a few buttons on the wall console which sunk the table and benches into the floor. A padded mat was uncovered. “Come on.”

“You know I’m no match for you without my exo-armor.”

“Take your aggression out on me. You attack. I’ll defend. I’ll go softly. First Earth style Aikido. Come on, don’t you want to punch me? This might be your only chance.”

I was sold when he said ‘punch me.’

I did the best I could. But I was a pilot, not a brawler. He exhausted me, easily deflecting and reflecting every attack I made.

Even though I knew it was going to happen, it was so frustrating.

And then, I saw an opening and took it. I kicked his chin with everything I had.

He fell backward with a dramatic groan.

I stood up over him. “Oh for cryin’ out loud. You saw that coming a light-year away. Why’d you let me hit you?”

He uncovered his unblemished face, smiling, even as he cradled his jaw. “Didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. I was hoping you’d start worrying over me.”

I rolled my eyes and turned away. “You’re not the first werewolf I’ve known.”

He knocked me down, and spun us somehow so that I was pinned underneath him, my wrists above my head.

“So you’ve known other werewolves?”

“Well enough to punch. Can you get off me now?”

“I like where you are.” His voice lowered. “I think you like it too.”

There were rumors that werewolves could smell if you were wet and ready to fuck. I was in so much trouble if that was true.

His eyes narrowed. “Did you sleep with him?”

“With who?”

“Aken Janor.”

The expression on my face must have said it all, because Ral burst out laughing.

He leaned closed to me, so close I could almost kiss him.

“Why do you care?” I asked. “I’m surprised you’re not asking about Anduin.”

Ral grinned. His breath was warm and smelled of toothpaste. “Because your body language says you’d shoot him with a blasthook if he tried to kiss you.”

What else was my body language saying? Panic raced through me as I tried to figure out some way of hiding my desire. “That sounds about right.”

He pulled back, his eyes searching mine. “I don’t understand you.”

“I don’t like being a temporary plaything to be fucked and forgotten.”

“Neither do I.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I’m not stupid. You know who you are and I know who I am. After all this is over, you’ll go back to your palace and I’ll be a pilot with a dishonorable discharge. Our paths won’t cross again."

“I don’t live in a palace. Does it trouble you, the possibility of not seeing each other again?”

“No,” I lied.

“That’s not the truth.” He smiled. “I can tell when you are lying. Your heart rate skips a beat.”

“Maybe I have an irregular heart rate.”

Then the idiot kissed me.