Chapter Fifteen
The ship was a relic of the past. Taryn hadn’t seen anything like it before. It was sturdy enough, he supposed, built to stand the test of time, but it wasn’t what he’d expected men who represented such a powerful section of Bylanthian society to travel in. It was run down, in need of refurbishment. As he made his way through the narrow corridors, he noticed several patches of rust in the metalwork. If this was an indication of the state of their fleet, then the rumors that the Bylanthians were in dire straits financially were probably true.
The technology on the ship was crude, almost as poor as that which the humans possessed. The weapons he’d seen so far were lightyears behind those developed by his own military. He’d known that, of course, from previous hostile encounters with the Bylanthians, but this was the first time he’d had a chance to study one of their larger vessels up close. What he saw did not impress him. The man in command of the ship was a different story. Jax Brant, the oldest son of Bylanthia’s recently deposed king, was clearly a skilled warrior. He would be a useful ally for Taar-Breck, once he had proved to Taryn that he could be trusted.
Dressed in his ceremonial uniform, Taryn entered the main hall where a feast was to be held in his honor. Immediately, his eyes located Jax. He was standing on the far side of the room with two men that Taryn hadn’t met before. Given the similarity in their coloring and facial features, he surmised these were his siblings. Jax had three brothers, but one of them was a medic rather than a warrior and Taryn didn’t expect him to be present tonight.
As one of the men shifted to the side, Taryn was surprised to see that there was a woman with them. Shorter and slightly curvier than a typical Bylanthian female, she had vivid red hair. The way it tumbled in loose curls down her back reminded him of Lucy’s beautiful golden tresses. He immediately suppressed that thought. He needed to keep his mind on the task at hand.
The woman was laughing with the men and leaning toward them in a manner that suggested some level of intimacy. He had heard that it was standard practice among the Bylanthians to share women since they had only a small female population. As Taryn got closer, he heard her speaking the language of Earth and realized that she was, in fact, human. That was surprising enough but, when she turned and looked at him, he could barely contain his shock. He recognized those piercing emerald eyes from surveillance images. This was Charlotte Calder, the woman Caroline Rossingham had wanted Bryn to take as his mate. What the hell was she doing on board a Bylanthian transport? And why was she acting in such an intimate manner with not one, but three of their fiercest warriors?
“Ah, Lieutenant, it’s good to see you.” Jax clasped Taryn’s hand in a gesture of friendship and then released it as he made the introductions. “These are my brothers Marc and Ren.”
“An honor,” Taryn said, his eyes firmly fixed on the woman who stood with them.
“And this is Charlotte.”
“Lottie,” the young woman corrected as Taryn bowed politely in greeting.
He studied her closely, looking for any signs that she was here under duress. There seemed to be nothing in her demeanor that suggested she was being held against her will. She certainly looked at ease with the Bylanthian warriors but, until he had a chance to speak to her alone and determine how she came to be here, he was going to reserve judgement.
“Charlotte, go and…” Jax began.
“Find a reason to be elsewhere?” Lottie finished for him.
Now, the young woman reminded Taryn of Victoria. They had a similar level of sass in their attitude. Jax rolled his eyes as though weary of being constantly tested by this woman but there was also a glint of humor in his expression. Taryn realized there was some tenderness between them. Strange.
“Say no more, your highness, I will make myself scarce.” She clicked her heels together as she gave a cheeky salute then turned and walked away.
“That one is begging for a spanking,” Marc said, shaking his head despairingly.
“She seems,” Taryn considered his words carefully, “lively.”
“She keeps us on our toes,” Jax confirmed, his words strengthening Taryn’s suspicion that Lottie was mate to at least one of these warriors. “Now, let us sit and discuss some pressing issues before the feast commences.”
Taryn nodded and took a seat on one of the low stools that Jax gestured toward. The three others also sat, and they huddled close as though the Bylanthians were afraid to speak openly.
“Best make it quick,” Ren said. “Lottie will not give us peace for long.”
“Very well,” Taryn agreed. He was not there to socialize, after all. “There is a matter I wish to discuss.”
“The shuttle attack?” Jax asked.
“It wasn’t us,” Marc said before Taryn could respond. “It was one of our ships, but we did not authorize the attack.”
“We have been training human pilots to help us in our fight to retake Bylanthia from the usurpers.” This time it was Jax who spoke. He was referring to the struggle that he and his followers were engaged in to overthrow the general who had seized power, the man who was responsible for torturing Allik when he was their hostage. “One of them betrayed us.”
“Was it a random attack?” Taryn asked.
Jax shook his head. “We do not believe so, but we have not determined whether the target was Gerald Barron, who was defecting to Taar-Breck with his wife and child, or you, Lieutenant Duff.”
Taryn nodded. He had received similar information from his own team of investigators. As he continued to discuss the matter with the three Bylanthian warriors, he began to feel that these were men he could trust. They had a common enemy in the governor of Antarrak who had seized power on their planet and had ordered his men to torture Allik when they took him prisoner.
Just as the men wrapped up their discussion, the communications device on Taryn’s lapel signaled that a transmission had been sent to him. Excusing himself from the group, he stepped out into the corridor. Checking that there was nobody else around, he pressed the device to receive the message.
“Go ahead,” he instructed.
“Your deal with Leonard Bainbridge is complete.”
The message was delivered in Allik’s usual concise manner, but there was no denying the enormity of what had happened. As Taryn expected, Lucy’s father had practically bitten his hand off when he offered him a large sum of cash to relinquish his claim on his daughter. Bainbridge’s apparent lack of concern for what would happen to her disgusted Taryn, but he wasn’t going to make a fuss about it. Now, the deal was completed, his goal had been accomplished and to all intents and purposes he now owned Lucy. A lesser man might use that to force her to return to him, but Taryn had more integrity. If she was going to come back to him, she needed to come to that decision for herself.
He pressed the button on his lapel once more.
“Message to Allik Loarn. Tell Lucy her destiny is in her own hands. She’s a free woman.”
As he ended the transmission, he felt a pang of regret, but he quickly shook it off. For better or worse, he had done the right thing. He just hoped that Lucy would see how big a sacrifice he was willing to make to ensure her happiness.
* * *
Lucy sat on a low stone wall and looked out over the vast gardens. In the few days that she’d been at the Citadel, this had already become her favorite place. Life at the royal residence was hectic. There were always people rushing around and there was barely any time to just sit and gather her thoughts. Out here in the gardens, she had the quiet she needed to hear what was going on in her own head. She was missing Taryn desperately. She’d heard that he reached the Bylanthian ship where the peace talks would be held safely, but nothing more.
Although she wanted to be with Taryn, she was glad she hadn’t had to go with him on his diplomatic mission. By all accounts, they were a fearsome race and demanded a level of obedience from their women that even Taryn didn’t require. In their presence, he would probably have felt compelled to show his dominance over her in ways that she doubted she’d have liked. That would only have added to her unhappiness and the last thing she wanted was for her misery to distract him from the important work he was doing.
Yet, she did feel sorry that she wasn’t there to help him relax when negotiations were proving stressful. She could only hope he wouldn’t find another woman to give him what he required, not while she thought there was still a chance for them to reconcile. She just had to cross her fingers that he felt the same.
“There you are!”
Lucy turned toward the familiar voice and found Caroline rushing toward her with Victoria by her side. A Taar-Breckian servant followed them, carrying a tray loaded with three glasses, a bottle of wine, and some snacks. The servant placed the tray down on the wall next to Lucy and looked to Caroline for instruction. Caroline spoke a few words that Lucy didn’t understand, and the servant left them.
“I don’t know how you’ve managed to pick up the language,” Lucy said. “It all sounds like guttural grunting noises to me.”
“The only word you really need to know is faak,” Victoria told her with a grin.
Lucy didn’t bother to ask her what the word meant. The similarity to the English equivalent was obvious. It was typical that the first word Victoria picked up was that one. She smiled as Caroline poured three large measures of wine and gratefully took the glass that was handed to her. Another thing she’d found incredibly relaxing since she arrived at the Citadel was the delicious Taar-Breckian wine. It was alcoholic, there was no doubt about that since it packed a punch, but there was also something special in it. The drink contained a mineral from the Taar-Breckian water that had a soothing effect. It was nothing like the liquor she’d tried back in New Cambridge. It was true she’d only had one experience with alcohol, but it had been deeply unpleasant. She’d tried a potent spirit distilled from grain. Elizabeth Chatterton had been passing it around at a secret gathering of the Hyde Ladies’ Circle. It had burned the back of her throat and left her with an aching head in the morning. This Taar-Breckian wine was different. There seemed to be no ill effects from it at all.
“I saw Taryn the other night,” Victoria said. Lucy saw Caroline give an almost imperceptible shake of the head but, typically, their friend ignored it. “In a drinking hall.”
“You were in a drinking hall?” Caroline asked in astonishment. “What was it like?”
Lucy wasn’t sure whether Caroline had asked the question because she genuinely wanted to know, or if she was trying to steer Victoria away from talking about Taryn.
“It was very manly,” Victoria replied, wrinkling up her nose. “It smelled horrible, like sweat, but it was fun. Allik let me have some Taar-Breckian ale. Well, a couple of sips, because that stuff is not for the faint of heart.”
“Andrew would never let me go anywhere like that,” Caroline lamented, “and he’d never let me drink ale.”
“Ah, but it’s not appropriate for you to carouse, because you’re a princess,” Victoria said, “whereas I am about to become one of the boys.”
Lucy could tell by the look on Victoria’s face that she was bursting to share something with them. Caroline was also studying her closely, waiting for her to speak. Victoria seemed intent on drawing out the suspense, though.
“What?” Lucy asked. “What is it?”
“Allik has agreed to let me join the Interplanetary Forces. Training starts in a few days.”
“Wow!” Caroline was first to throw her arms around Victoria and offer her congratulations.
“Yes, that’s amazing!” Lucy shrugged off her shock and jumped up to hug her friend. “I didn’t know women could join up.”
“Taar-Breckian women have been in the military for years, but I’ll be the first human female. I doubt they’ll let me pilot a ship anytime soon, but that’s fine because I really want to train as a medic.”
Lucy smiled at that. She might have known Victoria would develop an interest in tending to the sick and injured. The other woman’s actions in the medical bay in the wake of the shuttle attack Lucy and Taryn had been caught up in were impressive. She’d even managed to save the life of the baby girl who’d been hurt.
“You’re so lucky to have a man like Allik,” Lucy said wistfully as she took a sip of the wine.
“He’s rough around the edges, but I’m whipping him into shape.”
“Now, Vicky,” Caroline grinned, “don’t fib. We all know you’re not the one doing the whipping.”
Victoria’s face reddened and then the three women started laughing. Lucy wasn’t sure if it was her friends’ company or the Taar-Breckian wine, but she felt more carefree than she had in a long time.
“Ladies.” A gruff voice interrupted their revelry.
“Awh!” Victoria grumbled as Allik approached them. “I’m not ready to leave yet.”
“I am not here to take you home.” Allik shot a disapproving look at the bottle of wine sitting on the wall next to Lucy. “Although, perhaps I should.”
“You could always join us,” Caroline suggested.
“I would rather not, my lady.” Allik’s face twisted into an expression that suggested he would rather walk through fire than drink wine with them. “I am here to convey a message to Miss Bainbridge.”
At that, Lucy looked up in surprise. The only person who was likely to give Allik a message to pass on to her was Taryn and, after almost two days of silence from him, she’d started to think he had nothing to say. Her hands shook a little as she began to worry about what the message might be.
“We can give you some privacy,” Caroline offered.
“No, it’s alright, I’d like you to stay,” Lucy replied. She had a feeling she might need her friends once she’d heard what Allik had to tell her. “What’s the message?”
“Taryn wishes for you to know that your destiny is in your own hands. You are a free woman.”
Lucy’s heart stuttered. Did Taryn’s message mean he’d taken the decision of whether or not they had a future out of her hands? She hadn’t had time to sort out her feelings yet. Her brow furrowed.
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“Your father was demanding your return,” Allik explained, “so Taryn intervened and bought you from him.”
Lucy’s mouth fell open in shock. Was it actually possible to buy a person? She looked to her friends. Victoria looked totally stunned by what they were hearing as well, but Caroline was surprisingly unruffled. It was either down to her ability to mask her emotions or, perhaps, she already knew something about this.
“He bought her?” Victoria screeched.
“Yes,” Allik said calmly in the face of his mate’s obvious ire. “He paid her father and her father transferred his rights of guardianship over Lucy to Taryn. He has decided not to exercise those rights. He is setting Lucy free.”
Lucy closed her eyes, screwing them up tightly as she tried to process this information. It was probably because Allik’s manner was so appallingly blunt as he talked about her as though she was an object to be bought and sold, but she was struggling with what she was hearing.
“He bought me and is setting me free?” she checked just in case she’d somehow misunderstood.
“That is correct.” Allik actually rolled his eyes as though relieved that she’d finally grasped what he was saying.
“It’s a good thing,” Caroline told her. “He’s made sure your father can’t demand you go back to New Cambridge. He’s paid him off and now that the deal’s done, your father has no future claim over you. Taryn’s giving you freedom, so you can choose what you want from life.”
Lucy nodded. She suspected that even if he hadn’t bought her, Taryn could have ordered her to come back to him. She knew enough about Taar-Breckian society to know the power he’d held over her life since he claimed her as his. Taar-Breck was very much a patriarchy, a little less rigid than on Earth, but the word of the men was still final. Taryn allowing her the freedom to make her own choice confirmed what she’d known all along. He was a good man. As hideous as the thought that he’d bought her was, she could see that he’d done it to protect her. If she was reading the situation correctly, his actions meant that he loved her and that changed everything.