Nanu landed the Indy at their usual berth and powered down. “Home,” he said with satisfaction. And even better, Jazen was on his home turf too. He refrained from looking at her, but every particle of his body hummed at her presence.

Camryn and Mogens unbuckled their harnesses and raced from the bridge. Shiloh had promised to have transport waiting to whisk them to Jannike, leaving the rest of them to make their way to the castle.

“How is the leg?” Ry asked.

“Stiff and it aches.” Nanu went for honesty even though every instinct screamed at him to say he was fit and healthy and preferred to seize Jazen instead of rest his leg. “And I’m antsy and unsettled.”

Ry leaned closer. “Because of the woman?”

“Yes. I must wait for my leg to heal to at least ninety-five percent, and I need to sort out my gattoc. I can’t do a thing until everything is settled, but my inner beast doesn’t care about such trifles.” A bead dropped off the end of one of his dreads and pinged against the metallic floor of the bridge. Only a few beads remained intact, which meant his body was changing faster than expected.

“Are you positive this is what you want?” Ry asked in an undertone.

“Yes. It’s too late now. There is no going back.” Nanu sought Jazen, and he found her eying him and Ry with suspicion. Her distrust cut to the bone, and a growl rumbled from him before he exerted control of the instinctive reaction.

“We’ll meet in my suite once we get back to the castle.” Ry spoke softly to avoid Jazen overhearing. “I have relayed instructions to Ellard and Gweneth. They have prepared a chamber for Jazen and armed it for us to keep an eye on her comings and goings.”

“Thank you.” Nanu powered down the ship and moved onto the final berthing procedures and electronic admin work for the spaceport authorities.

While he did this, Ry, Kaya and Jazen loaded the luggage into one of the utility vehicles the locals used around the city of Viros. After securing the Indy, Nanu limped into the chubby pewter-gray flymo along with Jazen and his two friends for the journey to the castle. His leg throbbed, and he was glad to drop into a seat and relax.

“Is this your first visit to Viros?” Kaya asked Jazen.

“No, I spent a cycle here before I traveled to Narenda. I didn’t explore the city. I’ve spent most of my time in the northern sector of the galaxy. This is my first visit to the south.”

“We are healthier specimens and don’t require nurses,” Kaya joked. “The men are bigger and sexier, a reason to enjoy the place.”

Nanu listened to the conversation but didn’t participate. Jazen didn’t give away much personal information, and he’d hate to interrupt the kernels she was delivering.

Jazen waved her hand in dismissal. “I’ve no idea. So far, I haven’t needed to search for work in other sectors. The agency I work through has enough to keep me busy.”

“Why did you make a change and travel south?” Kaya asked. “Don’t your family miss you?”

“There is my brother and his wife and son,” she said. “I don’t see him often, although we keep in contact via comm.”

Nanu soaked in the details. Excellent on the family connections. One brother to deal with. Anyone might transmit a message to her brother on her behalf and he’d be no wiser. Or, they could bug her comm and allow inward messages but delay the outward ones. Yes, that might work better and keep them informed of her brother’s movements. If they managed that, no one would raise the alarm when he abducted her.

After testing the plan in his mind, he decided it was a good one. He’d feel better, though, if he’d constructed his gattoc already. His inner beast grumbled, his displeasure an unpleasant frisson across Nanu’s skin.

Leeam, one of their Incorporeal friends, shimmered into the empty seat by Nanu. He bore a broad grin on his pale face, the rose blush on his cheeks, showing his excellent health. His bright red shirt and emerald-green trews clashed, but the effect worked for the Incorporeal. “You’re back! Sheera and I missed you.”

Jazen jolted, staring at Leeam with wide eyes. Her hand darted to her hip, and she pulled out a stunner.

“Whoa!” Kaya said. “Put that down.” She slammed her fist down on Jazen’s wrist but Jazen sprang to her feet, and backed up, pointing the weapon at them with an ease that hinted at her skill and her ability to defend herself.

“Stand down,” Ry snapped. “Leeam is our friend.”

Jazen didn’t move, instead pointing the stunner at Nanu.

“Are you going to stun me, darlin’?” Nanu asked, not taking his gaze off her face.

“You’re wanted on Indra for murder,” she said in a hard voice. “I intend to claim the bounty.”

Leeam blinked out and reappeared behind Jazen. He grabbed her from behind, his cold embrace seeming to shock her into immobility. In the split secs of inattention, Ry and Kaya sprang at her, knocking away the weapon and restraining her.

“Great job, Leeam,” Ry said. “You remembered your training.”

Jazen struggled but Ry and Kaya controlled her with difficulty. Finally, Jazen realized her fight was fruitless, and she stilled, her chest heaving with her exertion.

Nanu stared at Jazen, shock making his chest heavy. His inner beast released an audible growl of displeasure. “You’re a warrant-taker?”

“Yes,” she spat.

“But you didn’t ask me where I came from.” Nanu clenched the hard seat he sat on with both hands to stay his inner beast.

She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t realize my patient was a wanted man until I was looking through the outstanding warrants.” She glared at him, at Ry and Kaya. “You can’t hide forever. Others will come.”

“Why did you take the nursing job?” Ry demanded. “If Nanu wasn’t your intended target, who are you searching for?”

Jazen lifted her chin. “What will you do with me?”

“Detain you until you supply answers,” Kaya replied. “Leeam, can you conjure cuffs for us? Wrist and leg.”

Nanu snarled and gripped the edges of his seat harder. His mind stumbled and twisted and spun in shock and lust and disappointment. The woman his inner beast had decided would complete them was a liar and a cheat, and she’d demonstrated what he meant to her.

Nothing.

* * * * *

“How is Jannike?” Nanu asked when Ry opened his suite door to admit him.

Kaya had already arrived and had a goblet of cacjuice in hand. “Cussing Shiloh and Lynx and threatening their manhoods. I wanted to tape the scene but Camryn kicked me out of the medical suite. When I left, Jannike shouted that if they came near her with their dicks again, she’d chop them off.”

Nanu winced, and he noticed Ry didn’t appear too comfortable either. “Camryn didn’t threaten you.”

“No, she was too sick.” Ry shuddered.

Nanu kicked himself for bringing back the memories of the time when Camryn had almost died. “Where did you put Jazen?”

“Leeam and Sheera escape-proofed the chamber we’d allocated to her,” Kaya said. “Although she deserves it, we didn’t put her in the dungeon.”

A knock signaled another arrival. Ry disappeared and reappeared with their fellow crew mate Gweneth and her mate Ellard, who was head of castle security. Leeam and his mate Sheera trailed them.

Gweneth was pregnant, her belly rounded. Nanu blinked at the size of the bulge and figured she was also bearing twins. She’d arranged her black hair in a single fat plait that hung down her back while her green eyes shone with mischief. She and Ellard contrasted in appearance and moods, with Ellard having a plain face and a somber manner, yet they fit together and formed a perfect partnership.

Jazen flittered into Nanu’s thoughts, and he grimaced. He didn’t have the same knack of picking partners.

“Camryn and Mogens are staying with Jannike until she gives birth so everyone is here,” Ry informed them. He caught the new arrivals up on Jazen and the situation with Nanu.

“Oh, Nanu.” Gweneth offered him a swift hug. “Why didn’t you say something? None of us would have rejected you—not after all we’ve been through together.”

“Yep and I tried not to dwell on the past. Rosevear’s husband is a tyrant and there was no way to clear our name. We were young, and he had power. I knew we had a bounty on our heads, but we traveled as far from Indra as possible and met Ry in the bar on Ibrox. He needed crew and signed us on. We raised no alerts. We explained we could never revisit our home and figured it was best to keep the details to ourselves.”

“I’d intended to check on your story, but you and Yep fit in with the rest of the crew so seamlessly,” Ry said. “You were honest and never tried to cheat any of us, so I took you at face value. We all had things we wished to keep private. Me. Jannike. Mogens. Kaya. I figured that you and Yep deserved your privacy.”

As usual, mention of his younger brother caused his gut to knot and his breathing to hasten. He forced himself to inhale, fighting off the anxiety and sense of loss. Yep had been his best friend, and his passing had left a yawning hole in Nanu’s life.

“Do you still wish to abduct her and take her to your gattoc?” Kaya asked. “Now that we’ve learned the extent of her betrayal?”

“My inner beast has locked on her. I’m holding things together by a thread as it is,” he confessed, miserable at the horrid truth. He’d fallen for a woman who’d stab him in the back at the first opportunity. Numbness seeped through him as he acknowledged the truth. Once again, he’d erred, and this time felt worse than Rosevear’s rescue and subsequent murder. It was on par with Yep’s death—the darkest time of his life—and he found it difficult to get past Jazen’s behavior toward him and his friends. Pressure in his chest reminded him to breathe. Aware of his friends’ regard, he gulped a draft of air, yet devastation continued to batter him, making his stomach roil, his head throb.

How the phrull did he get past this?

“Is the warrant-hunter searching for Amme?” Gweneth asked. “Amme is the only one of us who might attract that attention after her defection.”

“It’s a possibility. Not that it matters,” Ry said. “Not a one of us will mention Amme’s whereabouts and Earth is far enough away that it’s a long journey to retrieve her. I doubt the bounty would be large enough to attract many warrant-takers. Don’t worry, Gweneth. I am certain Amme will stay safe with Marcus.” Ry eyed Nanu. “If you’re certain you wish to keep Jazen, it’s up to you to make sure she won’t betray us again. It’s your life and freedom at stake.”

Nanu dropped onto a gel-chair, the soft pad conforming to his body. His leg ached from the flight home and now his head throbbed in tandem. “My inner beast…it’s too late,” he said with a sense of helplessness.

Ry rubbed his chin. “I figured you’d say that. The only alternative is to allow the mating to continue. Somehow, you must gain her trust and secure her loyalty. If you don’t, I’ll terminate your contract because none of us need to live with the risk of her causing trouble.”

Nanu stared at Ry, the unexpectedness of the ultimatum stealing his breath. Ry’s decision left the main chamber of the suite ringing with shocked silence.

Nanu licked his lips. The crew of the Indy were his family. They were everything to him. All he had left and his reason for living. Without them…

Phrull it.

No matter which option he chose, he was royally screwed.

* * * * *

Jazen paced the confines of her luxurious prison, once again searching for a way to freedom. Gel-chairs in a rich burgundy sat in a semi-circle around an entertainment center. Cream pads and green ones were strewn everywhere for extra comfort. Float tables to hold comms and meals and cups of tay slotted in the storage slots in the arms of the gel-chairs. She’d sensed Ry and his crew were formidable. She’d ascertained that much from her research, but seeing them in action had impressed her more than she cared to admit. They worked together as a team, their talents too much for her to combat alone.

She’d made a big mistake, acting on impulse instead of waiting and planning her capture. A foolish beginner’s error. But whenever she stood near Nanu, every part of her screamed at her to touch, and even worse, she dreamed about kissing him, fucking him. A bad move when she intended to claim his bounty fee, and now, because of her scrambled brainbox processes, she was paying the price.

She came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the big suite, her bare feet sinking into the deep pile of the floor coverings. An entertainment center with holo capability slid from the wall, should she require a diversion. A gel-bed large enough to sleep four or five filled the adjoining room. It bore a soft cream cover and matching cream and contrasting burgundy gel-pads festooned the high end of the gel-bed. The facilities—she wasn’t certain what some things did and only knew they wouldn’t aid an escape.

Yes, they’d provided her with food and shelter, clean clothes and a place to wash. Yet there were no obvious weapons, and now that she’d acted hastily, she’d never get the drop on them again.

Stupid. So stupid.

The mocking words of her instructor resounded in her head. She hadn’t made a plan. Instead, she’d acted on impulse and showed her hand too early.

Now, she was in a state of limbo, not understanding what they might do with her or how they might punish her for trying to capture Nanu. They’d even taken her comm before handing it back to her later. She suspected they’d bugged it or restricted her use. It buzzed, and she opened it to a message from her brother.

Jazen, please send the currency. I withheld the truth because I hated you to think less of me. I visited the money-lenders and purchased the property. All went well until I defaulted on my payments, and now they’ve kidnapped Raffey. They’re threatening to send him to us piece by piece if they don’t receive a payment soon. Jazen, I’ve been stupid, but I implore you. Please send me currency.

Jazen reread her brother’s message, her stomach swirling in horror and her previous irritation falling away. Raffey was the sweetest child, although he didn’t resemble Chobe. Chobe told her he took after Sergy’s mother.

Grata, how could Chobe be so careless with his finances? And why hadn’t he told her the truth earlier?

She messaged Chobe back about sending the funds ASAP. She hit transmit on the message but it didn’t send. Tears filled her eyes. As soon as one of her captors came, she’d plead with them to let her send currency to Chobe. Surely they wouldn’t wish a child to befall harm?

She prayed not, but if they refused to listen she, Chobe and Raffey were doomed.

Perhaps she bore more of her mother’s genes than she’d realized. She’d made stupid decisions. Impulsive decisions. Decisions that had landed her in trouble. Grata! Bitter self-mockery escaped her in a curse. It sounded as if Chobe had made a bad decision too.

Jazen resumed her pacing. She’d promised herself she’d never replicate her mother’s actions. It hadn’t taken her long to screw up that pledge.

In the short time she’d been with the Indy crew, she’d come to admire them. Fragin’ grat, maybe she appreciated them because of the open respect and trust they held for each other. The strength of the friendship that bound them together into a team.

A family.

They had what she’d never had, never presumed to have, and a sad part of her sought to destroy their happiness.

She whirled to pace another circuit of her prison, lifting her head the instant she heard the locks disengaging. With two huge steps, she jumped behind the door, poised to dart out the opening or wallop the unsuspecting person attempting to enter.

“Are you trying to hide?” a feminine voice asked. “That trick won’t work.”

Jazen jumped, and a tiny eep of alarm escaped as she stared at the couple who had materialized in the middle of the chamber. One was the same young man who’d appeared on the transport and caused her focus to fracture enough for the Indy crew to disarm her. Their bright clothing popped against their pale skins, and she’d never faced such astonishing vibrancy before. The woman wore contrasting purple and pink streaks in her long white hair while the male now sported myriad black-and-purple plaits to match his tight black trews and flowing patchwork jacket. She recalled the Indy crew mentioning some of the Incorporeal race lived on Narenda, but she had met none during her time there.

Before she demanded answers, the door sprang open, striking her face and sending her two steps back. Ow! She gingerly touched the tip of her nose for signs of lifeforce. Her finger came away clean.

Ry and a stranger entered, both with weapons trained on her.

“Nanu wasn’t your initial target. Who were you searching for?” Ry asked in a hard voice.

There was no reason not to tell the truth now. “I was searching for the missing child-minding cyborg, Amme Vanak.” Jazen’s face throbbed. “I need to transfer currency to my brother. It’s an urgent matter.”

“Who did you say?” Ry asked, cocking his head.

“Amme Vanak.”

“I’ve never heard of him.”

“Amme is a female.” Jazen edged away, unnerved by the big silent man at Ry’s side. He wasn’t a looker, but he radiated menace.

“Jazen?” Ry prompted in a hard voice, drawing her attention back to him.

She’d seen him with Camryn and his friends and considered him amiable and tamed. Wrong. The man standing in front of her bore the demeanor of a warrior.

Jazen took half a step back. “I-I learned she left Ornum on board the Indefatigable.”

Ry snapped his fingers. “Oh. That cyborg. She was a disagreeable old tartar. At her request, we dumped her at the next refueling station.”

“The cyborg wasn’t old.”

“I believe her employer wanted a child-minder who didn’t attract the local men. Not many women on Ornum. It’s a rough planet, full of prisoners, ex-prisoners and miners. He had her appearance retooled.”

“So the cyborg I was searching for no longer exists.” Excellent. She’d never had a chance. It was time to give up this warrant-taker deal and do something else. If they ever let her leave this place. She’d inform them she had no intention of betraying Nanu. Not that they’d believe her when she’d tossed their trust back in their faces.

“That is correct. After we left her at the refueling station, she could have gone anywhere,” Ry replied.

“Please, it’s urgent that I send currency to my brother.”

“Why should we let you? You attempted to betray us,” Ry said in a hard voice.

“My brother went to money-lenders. They’d kidnapped his son and are threatening to harm him unless Chobe catches up on his payments. Please, Raffey is an innocent child.”

The two big men shared a telling glance, and disquiet shivered through her. They…they wouldn’t kill her. Would they? She retreated a little farther back into the chamber. Recalling the couple that had shimmered into her presence, she angled her steps until she backed into a wall. Now, she viewed all four. With nowhere left to go, she straightened her shoulders and pretended that fear hadn’t stalked into her mind and set up camp.

“Why should we believe what you say?” Ry asked, apparently unmoved by her plea. “You’ve lied to us from the start.”

She pulled her comm from her pocket. “I received a message before you arrived, but my communication wouldn’t send. You must’ve seen them earlier.”

“Give me your comm again,” Ry said. “I’ll check out your story.”

“Soon?” The idea of Raffey in the clutches of unscrupulous money-lenders had her stomach aching as if she’d eaten bad food. She’d witnessed cruelty toward youngsters and knew what might happen to her nephew.

“I promise to do it as soon as we leave.”

She inclined her head, agreeing since she could do nothing else. They held the advantage. “What will happen to me?”

“Ah, that is for us to know and you to find out.” The big, silent man standing beside Ry grinned and Jazen gulped.

Was that a threat?

A whimper built in her throat, and she struggled to maintain her composure. Her captives often pleaded with her, offered her currency for their freedom. Most of them lied, and she was uncomfortably aware of the irony. Ry didn’t believe her story even though she spoke the truth.

“We’re not doing anything with you,” Ry said. “Yet.”

Jazen tensed every muscle in her body, ready to spring for freedom should the opportunity arise. Not that she’d manage an escape, but she refused to cower against the wall and do nothing. It wasn’t in her nature to act passively.

Ry stuck his head around the corner and spoke to someone. “You can come in now.”

A float table sailed into the room and the scent of a meaty stew accompanied it. A servant, an older man with a hunched posture and a lined face, trailed the float table. He aimed a friendly smile in her direction. “Dinner is served. Where will you eat your meal?”

“You’re giving me food?”

“We’re not monsters,” Ry chided.

Jazen’s tight throat throttled her words. Instead, she stared at the two big men. The pale couple clasped hands and shimmered from view. Poof! She blinked at the unexpectedness, even though she’d already witnessed their powers.

The servant decided for her and directed the float table over by the windows that overlooked the gardens at the rear of the castle, if one peered through the bars. Once he set the table to hover, he retrieved a chair for her.

She looked up in time to see the waiter disappear. Ry and his friend exited, closing the door with a firm click. The lock slotted into place with a final thud.

They’d given her food, treated her with respect yet the uncertainty had every inch of her pulsing with fear. If only they kept their promise and contacted Chobe for her. Raffey didn’t deserve to suffer for his father’s stupidity in going to money-lenders. Although the idea of food nauseated her, she sat, lifted the dome covering one plate and picked up a spork. What had smelled so divine earlier now churned her stomach, but she managed a few mouthfuls before she pushed the plate away and stood, anxiety forcing her to motion.

Now she sympathized with the beings she’d captured for bounties. Trapped. Scared. Indecisive. No, scratch that. Terrified better described the emotions roiling through her, and she hated every moment of the uncertainty.