Born of Fire (40 page)

Syn made a sound of irritation. “Traitor.”

“Lunatic,” Vik shot back.

Shahara laughed as she put Vik in her lap in preparation of their landing. “It’s all right, sweetie. I’ve got you.”

He manifested two arms to give her a hug.

She had no idea why, but his actions touched her. “Thank you, Vik. I needed that.”

He walked himself up to sit in the chair beside her before he laid his head on her thigh.

A few minutes later, they docked in the main city on Ritadaria in broad daylight. Syn cursed their luck as he locked down the ship’s systems.

She scanned the security that was milling around the bay. “Do you think Merjack’s trackers are here?”

Syn shook his head. “Probably not. The prison’s on another continent. But considering how well known my father was and how many people still remember him, it’d be easy for someone to ID me based on looks alone—which was how that fucking reporter found me. Her father was being treated in my hospital when she saw me in the hallway. She put two and two together and then came at me. I’d
hate
for that to happen again.”

Her, too.

Looking at their
borrowed
uniforms that didn’t really fit, she smirked. “And we’re not really dressed to blend in here.”

He gave a short laugh. “No, we’re not. People will definitely notice us.”

Nero crossed his arms over his chest. “I can shield you to a safe zone. No one would see you at all.”

Syn hesitated at Nero’s offer. “How much drain will it cost you?”

“If you don’t go far, it won’t be bad.”

Shahara glanced out the windows at the milling bay
attendants and passersby. As a large port, it was incredibly busy. Aliens and humans bustled about, trying to either board a ship or disembark for the city. There were a large number of customs officials and security guards, baggage handlers and hawkers.

She didn’t like the sight of this at all.

“Should we stay on board until dark?”

Syn shook his head. “Too suspicious. We’ll have to leave and find a nice cubbyhole until dark.”

Not
another
cubbyhole.
She’d had just about enough of his questionable
safe
places. “Can I put in a suggestion?”

The men turned to face her with raised brows.

Shahara lifted her hands and started counting off her demands. “Let’s find someplace where there aren’t
any
dead people, insects, or rodents. For that matter, someplace that’s big enough to accommodate both of us without crimping any internal organs.”

Syn scoffed. “Picky, picky, picky. If you think it’s so easy, why don’t you come up with a place to hide?”

“Fine with me.”

He grinned. “All right, then, you lead the way.”

Nero stood up. “You want cover?”

Syn looked at her before he answered. “Yeah, if you don’t mind. Let’s play it safe. I’m not in the mood to run right now and I know fighting is suicide. Last thing I want to do is make my enemies happy by dying.”

She lifted her pack from the floor. “Are you staying with us?” she asked Nero.

“Just till I get you two parked, then I’m out.”

She was a bit surprised by that, but Syn seemed to expect it.

“We’ve got to get out of here soon or the locals will want to know what the holdup is.” Syn took Vik out of
the pack. “All right, buddy. I need you on the street to scout. You see the grays coming at us, let me know.”

“Yeah, that’s nice. Put the poor bot out in the cold to look for local enforcers. You suck, boss.” Vik turned into a bird.

Laughing at his surliness, Shahara led the way to the door. Nero and Syn followed after her. She looked back over her shoulder and had a chill go down her spine at their collective intensity. It wasn’t often a woman saw one, never mind two men so gorgeous, but their combined auras of raw masculine power was truly impressive.

“So how does this shield thing work?” she asked Nero.

“They’ll see you, but no one will pay attention to you. It’s like a reflection or an inhibitor. Their focus will be on anything other than the two of you. You’ll blend right into the background.”

“That’s a nice power to have.”

“Yes, it is.”

She pressed the controls to lower the ramp. “All right, Syn. One cubbyhole coming up. Just remember you have to bear my choice with the same grace and even-tempered temerity I’ve shown with yours.”

He snorted. “Good. I get to whine and bitch. Can’t wait.”

Shaking her head at him, she left the ship first. Vik took flight and quickly left them behind.

Once they were outside the landing bay and standing on the street, she realized what Syn had meant about daylight. Though it was around noon, it looked more like dusk. She started to suggest they go ahead to the office building until she realized how many people lived and worked here. It literally looked like a sea of bodies.

No doubt the building would be crammed full of
people as well. “How long do we have to wait before we can go after it?”

Syn shrugged. “I don’t know how much things have changed, but people used to vacate the prime district after working hours.”

Nero nodded in agreement. “You’ll have to hold up another six, seven hours to be safe. The streets get completely vacant about two hours after that.”

“Then that’s our plan.” Syn looked at her. “So where do we go?”

Looking up and down the street, she tried to find some place they could stay for that amount of time and not evoke anyone’s suspicions. Hundreds of people and aliens walked around them, while busy shuttles, rovers, and transports skidded along the road.

Tons of stores, hotels, and restaurants lined the street. Well, they couldn’t very well shop for that amount of time, nor eat.

As for a hotel . . .

Those places always demanded identification, which would prove impossible to provide since they were both wanted dead by the local government.

Maybe the sewer wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

“What’s the name of this city?” she finally asked Syn.

“Shasra. Why?”

“Just curious.” Again she scanned the spindly buildings that spiraled up and sideways all around them in search of a promising destination.

Finally, Syn huffed irritably and moved around her. “You stink at this, you know that? I’d hate to
ever
go shopping with you if it takes you this long to make a decision.” He jerked his chin toward Nero. “Don’t forget, Scalera can’t hold his shield forever.”

“Not unless I want a nosebleed and headache. No offense, I’d rather pass on that oh-so-joyful misery.”

She glared at them and their combined sarcasm. “Fine, then. What’s your brilliant suggestion?”

Without answering her, Syn led her across the street to a hotel. Shahara lifted her brows in surprise. What was he thinking? How could
that
offer them any shelter?

Syn paused at the door and looked at Nero. “I’ll take it from here. Thanks for the assist, bro.”

Nero held his arm out to him. “You never cease to surprise me.”

“How so?”

“You’re the only one who knows how to bring me low and yet you never do.” He shook Syn’s arm and gave him a look of supreme respect. “Stand strong and stay free.”

“You, too.”

Pulling him in for a quick man hug, Nero stepped back. “And you take care, too, Shahara. Remember the lies we tell ourselves to survive seldom bring peace to our souls.”

She scowled as he walked away. “What did he mean by that?”

Syn shrugged. “You must have something guilty on your mind. He can read thoughts and see futures at times, so there’s no telling what he knows that you don’t.”

“And what did he mean about you?”

“I know what weakens him and I’ve never tried to enslave him with it. I wouldn’t do that to him, but he still has a hard time accepting the fact that I know who and what he is and I don’t use it against him.”

It was a rare thing and Syn was remarkable that way. “So are we really going to stay here?”

“No better place.” He opened the door and entered first, then held it open for her as she followed.

Inside the elegant lobby, she became instantly aware of her dirty clothes and lack of sophistication. Wealthy people and aristocrats milled all around, some of them just plain rude as they eyed her dusty uniform with distaste. They were all so impeccably dressed in clothes that would pay her bills for at least six months . . .

Or more.

Gah, Nero, come back and shield me from these people
. She hated how, with nothing more than a disdainful look and curled lip, they could make her feel less than nothing and beneath them. Awkwardly, she brushed at her disheveled hair, trying to smooth the frizz.

Syn caught her hand and pulled it down. The fierce look on his face chilled her. “Don’t pay any attention to them. They’re the ones in the wrong here and you’re worth more than all of them put together. Value isn’t calculated by a person’s net worth or income. It’s calculated by integrity and decency. The only people in this room worth a damn are the ones who don’t care how we’re dressed. If you look, you will see the ones who matter. The rest of them can all go to hell.”

She offered him a trembling smile at his wisdom and kindness. That was why she loved him. And he was right. There were wealthy people in the room who didn’t pay any attention to them whatsoever and a couple who even offered a friendly smile.

Still, it didn’t take away the sting of disdain from the others. The pain they needlessly inflicted on her battered soul as they reminded her that she wasn’t good
enough to be among them. Even the hotel staff looked at her as if they feared she’d spit on the floor.

Or do something worse.

Tucking her hand into the crook of his arm, Syn strode up to the counter as if he owned the place. His head high and spine straight, he looked at them with a defiance she wished to the gods she possessed.

Then again, he was probably used to such places. Unlike her, he made enough money to be able to pay for such luxuries. For that matter, he probably out-earned most of the snobs they passed and had enough money to buy the hotel outright.

That helped her to forget the others.

And as he moved, she noticed he drew way too many other females’ notice. White-hot heat stabbed at her breast and she had the strangest desire to start knocking some wealthy heads together.

Syn didn’t acknowledge them in the least as he stopped in front of the main desk.

Lifting a haughty brow, the clerk looked him up and down and appeared extremely put out that she had to wait on them. “May I help you?”

Syn returned her look with an even snottier one. “I’d like a room for the night.”

She gave a short laugh as if doubting his ability to pay. “And you are?”

He handed over an ID.

The clerk looked at it, then her demeanor instantly changed. “Lord Cruel, please forgive my rudeness . . . I-I should have recognized you instantly.”

Shahara started at the name and had to force herself not to show a single emotion.

He was pretending to be one of the Cruels? Was he nuts? Impersonating royalty was . . .

Shahara, the man
is
a wanted criminal.
Not like one more warrant for his arrest would matter one way or another.

The clerk held out a scanner. “I’ll just need your imprint, my lord.”

Syn placed his hand over the white screen. Shahara held her breath, waiting for the alarm to blare and security to come running for them.

Instead, the white beam scanned his palm, then a small green light beeped.

The clerk’s face brightened even more. “We have our king’s suite available, my lord. Would that suit your needs?”

He let out an irritated sigh. “I hate to slum so, but if that’s the best you have . . . I suppose we can make do for one night.” He lifted Shahara’s hand and kissed her fingers. “Forgive me, my lady, for not doing better by you, but you know how these plebeian establishments are. Dreadful, really. But tomorrow night I’ll have you at my palace and shall make amends for tonight’s misery.”

Shahara pressed her lips together to keep from laughing at his perfect regal drawl. His acting abilities were impressive. “Well,” she said in a bored tone as she joined his mimicry, “I suppose they have beds here, surely. We shall make do and be rewarded by the gods for our suffering.”

His dimple flashed as he winked at her.

“We’ll make sure and comp your dinner, my lord. Believe me, it’s an honor to have you here and we want you to have nothing but the best experience.” The clerk looked past them and motioned for a VIP valet. “Please, show Lord Cruel and his guest to his suite.”

Syn handed the valet their packs.

He took them without flinching. “Please follow me, my lord.”

“It’s all right,” Syn whispered in her ear as he drew alongside her. “Trust me.”

He took her hand. Squeezing it tightly, she let out a shaky breath as they passed by a security guard. There was a part of her terrified that they’d be recognized and stopped at any moment.

What they were doing was extremely dangerous. But Syn seemed oblivious to it as he kept pace with the valet and ignored the rest.

While they waited for the lift, she swept her gaze around the lobby. There were several stores located just beside the lift bay and she watched as people came and went.

Glancing at the various boutiques, her gaze fell to a gorgeous greenish-blue dress displayed in a nearby window. She’d never seen a color so pretty, nor material more delicate. It looked even softer than silk. Maybe a foreign material . . . What was so unusual was that the finely woven strands interlocked around the neck and sleeves to form a spider-web effect. The dress itself was a plain sheath that hugged the mannequin’s body.

What she wouldn’t give for a single moment of peace to try it on just to see what it’d be like to wear something that wasn’t secondhand.

It would be incredible, surely.

But then, what would be the use? She probably couldn’t afford the thread used to hem it.

Still, it’s beautiful
. . .

Syn watched Shahara’s face as she stared longingly
at the dress in the window not far from them. She would be breathtaking in it. Come to think of it, he’d never seen her in anything other than work clothes.