Undaunted (Battle Born Book 6) (16 page)

“I need a daughter, not another son.” Harton looked older now, thinner, his features sharper. “Garin is my heir. I have no use for a battle born son.”

The woman licked her lips, clearly terrified of her captor. “Promise me you won’t harm him. Please, he’s just a baby.”

The scene paused and Garin’s voice sounded in her mind.
Father called her Aliria. It means treasure or prize. She was with him for almost three years and she never told him her real name.

Berlynn turned her face into the warmth of his chest. He’d barely begun the transfer and already her heart was breaking.
This was Bandar’s mother?

Yes. Father told her he would return her to Bilarri and allow her to keep her son if she gave him the daughter he wanted in the first place. She pretended to accept the offer and for many months she stopped trying to escape. But she didn’t conceive again, and she grew more and more desperate for freedom.

Berlynn hesitated. Each question he answered made the story more unbearable. But these were his formative years, the events that shaped his basic personality. “What happened to her?”

The memory stream had paused, so he continued aloud. “Father never spoke of the events, but my caregiver was a horrible gossip. I heard her tell the story often enough to believe it was mostly true. Aliria knew she couldn’t escape if she took Bandar with her. One cry from a frightened child and they were both caught. So she left her son behind and made a frantic bid for freedom. Unfortunately, there are wicked people who take advantage of the desperation of others. She’d booked passage with a notorious smuggler. The smuggler found out she belonged to Harton Nox and tried to ransom her back to my father.”

When she looked up again, he was looking at her and the pain in his eyes made it hard to breathe, much less speak. “‘Tried to ransom her back?’ Does that mean he didn’t succeed?”

He nodded. “By the time my father arrived to claim his runaway war bride, she had ended her own life. She’d warned him many times that death was preferable to captivity, but Father hadn’t believed her.”

She shuddered, horrified by the outcome, yet dreading what was still to come. “How could he do it again after enduring all that?”

Garin shrugged, but his gaze reflected pain and desolation. Decades of stringent discipline had taught him how to hide his emotions, but Garin obviously felt these losses deeply. “Events flowed around my father without affecting him. He was cold and unfeeling by then, a shell of the man he had once been.”

“When did he capture Zilor’s mother?” She was almost afraid to ask.

“Approximately two years later. Her name was Jinnel. Father was semi-retired by then and no longer commanded his own ship, so he brought Jinnel home shortly after he captured her.” He closed his eyes and the memory stream began flowing again.

Berlynn saw Jinnel playing in a sun-drenched yard with two dark-haired boys.
Is this you and Bandar or Bandar and Zilor?

Me and Bandar.
Garin paused before he admitted,
Jinnel was the closest thing to a mother that I ever knew. She was kind and patient, loving in a way my father had stopped being many years before.

Bandar crawled onto her lap and she smiled at him, then kissed his rosy cheek.
She seems genuinely affectionate toward you. Did your father encourage the affection or was he cruel to her?

I was too young to understand the exact nature of their relationship, but I was old enough to feel the tension. They never argued in front of us, Father wouldn’t allow that, but I heard shouts and objects crashing behind their bedroom door. He didn’t wait for her to ask another question this time. She gave birth to Zilor and Father was conflicted about how to feel. Zilor was born with silver phitons, so Father thought he might develop harbinger abilities.

She raised her head and looked at him. “But harbingers have silver hair and blue eyes. Both Zilor’s hair and eyes are dark.”

Garin rested his head against the wall and didn’t bother opening his eyes. “Father was grasping at straws and everyone knew it. Or everyone but him.” Garin sighed, but his eyes still didn’t open. “I think Father was tired of the conflict by then. War was his vocation. It’s not hard to understand why he would want a peaceful home.”

“His home might have been more peaceful if he hadn’t kidnapped his wives,” she grumbled.

His eyes finally opened and one corner of his mouth lifted with the shadow of a smile. “I’m not defending my father’s choices. I’m explaining what my childhood was like.” She placed her hand against the side of his face. He turned and pressed a kiss into her palm.

“Please finish the story. I need to know how it ends.”

With a nod, he resumed the tale. “I’m not sure how Jinnel’s family found out where she was, but her father and three brothers arrived at our front door when Zilor was six or seven months old. They demanded that Jinnel be released and had enough firepower to back up the demand.”

“Did she go with them?”

Rather than explaining, he brushed his fingertips over her lids, lightly closing her eyes. The final scene took shape inside her mind and emotions tightened Berlynn’s chest, once again making it hard to breathe. Along with the images came understanding provided by Garin’s memory. She suddenly knew who all the people were and where the events took place. The two families faced off in the lavish foyer of the Nox country manor house. Harton was flanked by his two older sons, while the enraged Bilarrians threatened him with a variety of weapons. Jinnel stood off to one side, Zilor pressed against her breasts. She trembled and silent tears trailed down her pale cheeks. How could any loving mother choose between freedom and her son?

“She comes with us or you die,” Jinnel’s father shouted. “Do you really want your sons to see your brains splattered across that wall?”

Without shifting his focus from the enemy, Harton motioned his sons toward an adjacent room.

Garin grabbed Bandar’s arm and dragged him into the library. They swung the door shut, but left a small crack open, so they could peer out into the foyer.

“Jinnel, come here.” Her father motioned her over with a similar gesture to the one Harton had just used on his sons.

“No!” Harton stepped in front of his war bride. “You’re welcome to the female, but the child is mine.”

Even before Berlynn heard his hateful words, she knew what he’d say. It had been written in the misery on Jinnel’s face. The poor woman had anticipated the choice, had known her captor would make the cruel stipulation.

“Please don’t do this,” Jinnel sobbed. “You have no use for a battle born son. You’ve said so yourself.”

One of her brothers slipped around behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist. Understanding the offer, Harton moved forward and wrestled the baby from her arms. Zilor started bawling, his cries loud and shrill. Jinnel’s sobbing grew louder as she fought against her brother’s restraining hold.

Jinnel’s family dragged her twisting and screaming from the house. Harton stood back and watched them leave. Then he crossed the foyer and locked the door.

Zilor still wept pathetically, his little arms and legs thrashing. Harton walked into the library and thrust the screaming bundle into Garin’s arms. “Do something with that.” Without a backward glance he turned and left the room.

Garin looked down at his terrified brother and pulled him close against his chest. “You’re all right, little guy. We’re all going to be okay.”

Zilor’s tear-bright eyes stared up at him and his distressed cries gradually turned to whimpers.

Garin rocked him back and forth, then carefully up and down, doing his best to imitate the motions he’d seen Jinnel use while trying to calm her son.

“Mamma come back?” Bandar, who was not quite three, tugged on Garin’s shirt.

Garin looked at Bandar and fought back his own tears. The “little ones” needed him now. He had to be strong. “She had to go, Bandar. She didn’t want to leave us, but she had to go.”

Bandar threw his arms around Garin’s waist. “Mamma…don’t want…” He was crying too hard to finish the thought.

Garin shifted Zilor to his shoulder and pulled Bandar against his side. “I don’t want her to leave either, but we should have known she would. Father always drives them away.”

The image faded and Berlynn pressed a hand over her mouth. She didn’t want Garin to know she was crying, didn’t want to add to his pain. “How old were you?” She waited until her voice didn’t shake before she spoke, but her tone was still thick with emotion.

“I was eleven, but my childhood ended that day.” He scrubbed his head with both hands and purged his mind with a shuddering breath.

The link between their minds remained, but the transfer stopped. “Thank you for showing me. I know it was hard for you.”

His thumb brushed across her wet cheek. “I’m not the one who’s crying. It was a long time ago.”

“I never realized… I never imagined you had been through so much.”

He chuckled. “Despite what I just showed you, the majority of my childhood was privileged and comfortable. Most of my men can’t say the same. If you want to feel sorry for someone, I’ll introduce you to a man who was sold to the military when he was four. Or several who were abandoned by their families when they were still infants. Caring for two younger brothers, with the help of a competent staff, was really no sacrifice.”

“Well, when you put it that way.” She playfully punched him in the chest. “I officially withdraw my pity.”

“I don’t want your pity.” He rolled her beneath him then scooted down until their faces aligned. “I want your passion and your affection. I want you to trust that I’ll take care of you, just like I took care of my brothers.”

“I know that’s what you intend, but there is so much in life you don’t control.”

“I’m not a god.” For just a second frustration flashed in his gaze. Then he stilled and sincerity shaped his expression. “Nothing in this life is guaranteed. But I will do everything in my power to make sure you’re provided for, protected, and happy. I seem to have done all right by Bandar and Zilor.”

She finally relaxed enough to smile. “It’s hard to argue with that.”

“Then don’t.” He bent down and kissed her, the exchange slow and tender. “Now go to sleep or I’ll take it as an invitation to continue courting you.”

She rolled to her side and he settled in behind her, contouring his body to the back of hers as he wrapped one of his arms around her waist. “Can I ask one more question without inviting your misbehavior?”

He reached down and pinched her lightly on the butt. “I think you like my misbehavior. But I’ll allow one more question.”

“Ulrik told me most of you are older than you look, some of you significantly older.”

He laughed and his hand crept up toward her breasts. “Are you worried that I’m too old for you?”

“No.” She pushed his arm back down to her waist. “Any age difference is the least of my concerns. If you’ve lived as long as I suspect, I was wondering if you’ve ever had a serious relationship before?”

He stilled, all playfulness gone. “You’re thinking in human terms again.”

She twisted around and looked back at him. “No I’m not. You’re evading the question. Have you been mated before?”

“No.”

“But you had—or have—a lover that means a great deal to you?” Her heart fluttered wildly as she waited for his answer. He was rich and successful. Why hadn’t she wondered about this before? Did he have someone waiting in the wings, a mistress with whom he expected her to share his affections?

“Her name is Dezrin, and she belongs to my past. We helped each other through some dark times, but we both knew the affair wasn’t meant to last.”

“Why were you so sure it couldn’t last?”

His arm tensed against her middle, but he didn’t move away. “We were not genetically compatible and I wanted a mate not a mistress.”

She knew exactly how that felt. Those few hours when she’d thought a mating bond wasn’t possible had been utter misery. “Do you have any contact with her now?”

“Occasionally. She joined with an Ontarian trader who already had three small children. They seem genuinely happy and I wish them well.”

“I’m glad she found someone.”

“As am I.”

But she was even happier that Dezrin was no longer part of Garin’s life. Berlynn wasn’t sure when it had happened, but she’d started thinking of Garin as hers. She wanted him to find true happiness, and now she was willing to admit that she wanted him to find it with her.

Unwilling to complicate the night by unleashing their passion, she closed her eyes and inhaled his scent. For this one night, she would be content to simply sleep within the security of his arms.

The following morning, Garin awoke with Berlynn in his arms. Her scent surrounded him and her softness pressed against his side. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so well. They showered separately to continue the non-sexual nature of this visit. He’d selfishly left the transfer conduit open so echoes of her emotions occasionally rolled through his mind. Doubtlessly, she was receiving similar input, so he didn’t feel like he was spying on her.

Coming here last night had been an impulse, but he was so glad he’d followed his heart. The memory meld had brought them closer than they’d ever been before. She frequently touched him and affection warmed her gaze whenever she looked at him. It was only a matter of time before she’d allow him to claim her. He was certain of it now.

She took a bit longer to dress than he did, so he used the time to confirm that Ulrik had departed as promised. For the most part Ulrik’s outbursts had been harmless, but anything that upset Berlynn upset Garin.

Each apartment in the residential villages had two kiosks. The “nutria-gen” provided food and beverages, while the “miscellaneous” kiosk created everything else. Garin had used the miscellaneous kiosk to print a clean uniform for himself. The catalogue of patterns had been downloaded from one of the ships so there were very few female garments available. Luckily, Berlynn knew Rodyte males were offended by females who dressed in masculine garments, so she’d brought an assortment of dresses and skirts with her from Earth.

She emerged from the bathroom in a sleeveless dress of forest green. The top buttoned in front and the skirt flared from a fitted waistband. A delicate floral border framed the buttons and accented the hem. The color brought out the gold in her amber eyes and made her skin look especially creamy. Still, all he really wanted to do was unbutton the front and ease the dress off her shoulders so he could claim his mate. But he was too close to success to watch it all slip away in a rush of uncontrolled passion.

After a leisurely breakfast in which he’d supplemented her bites with food from his fork to ensure she finally ate enough, they walked from the residential area hand in hand.

“Haven’s been staying in the Pavilion with Danvier and Ulrik is headed home.” She glanced back at the large apartment building then looked at him. “Am I the only one left in Village One? That’s sort of creepy.”

“I have a surprise for you that will offer other housing choices.”

“Really?” She smiled and squeezed his hand. “I love surprises.”

He escorted her through the commerce tiers and out onto the departure concourse. “We need to go for a short ride. The surprise is so big it won’t fit in the cave.”

“Seriously?” She looked up at him, clearly unsure if he was joking or not.

“Would you like me just to explain?”

“No, no. That would ruin the surprise.”

Kaden Lux, both of Garin’s brothers, and Raylon were waiting beside the
Phantom
, hatch open, obviously ready to depart.

“I thought this was my surprise,” Berlynn whispered. “What’s with the welcoming party?”

“I’m multitasking.” He squeezed her hand reassuringly. “After you’ve received your surprise, I’ve scheduled a planning session with them.”

“We need to hurry,” Kaden warned as they approached. “If we don’t get moving, we’re going to miss the arrival and that’s half the fun.”

“Arrival?” Berlynn looked from Garin to Kaden and back.

“She doesn’t know what this is about,” Garin told the others. “Let’s keep it that way.”

“Understood.” Zilor’s grin was mirrored by Bandar and Kaden. Raylon, as usual, looked grim and on guard. Zilor held out his hand toward Berlynn with characteristic charm. “May I welcome you aboard the
Phantom
?”

“Thank you, kind sir.” She took his hand and climbed the steps leading into the ship’s interior.

Zilor flirted with every female he encountered, so Garin didn’t worry about the exchange. Being mated had softened Zilor’s approach somewhat, but he would always be a flirt. Bandar was more serious than Zilor, yet less intense than Raylon. Still, it generally took people longer to warm up to Bandar, largely because he didn’t try as hard to engage them as Zilor.

Garin wanted Berlynn to experience the full impact of his ship’s arrival, so he had her sit in the navigator’s seat. Kaden started to sit down in the pilot’s seat but Garin pushed him toward the center-facing seats with a playful, “I outrank you, soldier.”

“Yes, sir,” Kaden grumbled, but laughter made his dark eyes shine.

Kaden and Raylon sat on one side of the shuttle, Bandar and Zilor on the other. Garin settled in behind the ship’s main control panel. He secured his safety restraints, then disengaged the docking clamps and slowly maneuvered away from the departure concourse. With seventeen ships of various shapes and sizes currently docked, the outpost was nearly at capacity. He barely tapped auxiliary thrusters until the
Phantom
cleared the energy net covering the mouth of the cave, then he took off with a burst of acceleration that made Berlynn gasp.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Her breathless question was echoed by laughter from the men behind them.

“You’ve been behind a desk for several weeks now,” Kaden teased.

“You could be getting rusty,” Zilor joined in.

“Even rusty, I can out fly you.” Garin executed a tight spiral that had Berlynn screaming.

“Do that again and I’ll throw up in your lap.” She pressed one hand against her throat and the other over her stomach.

Kaden and Zilor found it all hysterical, which only made Garin more determined to show off. But they were almost in position, so he decided to wait for the ultimate brag, which was about to arrive right in front of them. He checked navigation one last time to make sure they wouldn’t be crushed like a bug then relaxed back in his seat.

“Kaden, update me on Milanni. Is she still in lockdown and have you tagged her yet?”

“Yes and yes,” Kaden informed with a smirk.

“Why does Milanni need to be tagged?” Raylon wanted to know. “I thought Berlynn’s testimony exonerated her.”

“Berlynn’s video deposition will go a long way toward exonerating Milanni—as soon as I receive it.” He softened the reminder with a smile.

“You’ll have it by the end of the day,” Berlynn promised.

“Thank you.” Then Kaden returned to Raylon’s question. “Vinton’s death might not have been Milanni’s fault, but she’s up to something. She targeted the
Intrepid
and we need to know why. So I had the medic who’s been treating her slip a micro-tracker into one of her injections. I’m going to turn her loose in a day or two and we’ll see where she goes.”

“Good idea.” Raylon nodded his approval.

“Can’t take credit for it,” Kaden admitted. “It was Garin’s idea.”

“How is the human female?” Garin asked.

“Still unconscious,” Kaden told him. “Her medical team isn’t sure why. Her physical wounds have been regenerated. They’re afraid this is some sort of coping mechanism.”

Garin nodded. They were doing everything they could for the young woman. “Indigo or Vox might be able to offer other options. They both have experience with psychosomatic conditions.”

“Indigo had a short visit with Milanni but it didn’t go well. Milanni is still too hostile right now.” Frustration showed in Kaden’s expression and he unfastened his safety restraints. “I asked Vox to take a look at the human, but he hasn’t made it over to the
Intrepid
yet. He has his hands full with his trainees and everything else that keeps getting thrown his way.”

“Speaking of which,” Raylon interjected. “I gave the bug to Vox so he could analyze the symbol. He didn’t need the Wisdom of the Ages. The symbol is ancient Bilarrian. It’s part of a company logo and it means omniscient. The company name is Omni-tech and they make all sorts of surveillance and security equipment.”

“Why would the Bilarrians spy on the Bunker?” Bandar asked the question but it was echoed in the eyes of every person on the
Phantom
.

“We don’t know that it was the Bilarrians,” Garin pointed out. “Only that whoever is doing the spying used Bilarrian equipment.” His instruments registered a faint disruption, drawing Garin’s mind back to the present. He looked at Berlynn and smiled. “Ready?”

“I’m not sure what I’m ready for, but bring it on.”

A distant vibration rumbled through the ship. Berlynn’s eyes widened and she looked around. “That sounded like thunder.”

“Not exactly.” Garin motioned to the blackness slightly to their right. “Watch.”

The rumble grew louder. Berlynn grasped her armrests and leaned slightly forward, tilting her head to the right. A bright light announced the arrival of her surprise and then space itself seemed to split and birth an object so large it easily filled the viewscreen and continued on into the darkness.

“What is… Is that a… What the hell is that thing?” She leaned all the way forward and turned nearly upside down in an effort to see the entire ship.

“That, my love, is the
Undaunted
.”

“General Nox’s pride and joy,” Raylon added with a chuckle.

“That’s a spaceship?” She shook her head and shifted the other direction, still unable to see either the top or bottom of the ship.

“She’s frequently referred to as a mobile base,” Garin told her. “I guess the closest thing humans have to one is an aircraft carrier.”

“Are we going aboard?”

The hopefulness in her tone and expression filled Garin with pride. “Of course. I’m as anxious to return home as you are to visit my ship.”

She looked at him, finally understanding the significance. “The
Undaunted
is your ship. You command her?”

He couldn’t fight back his pleased smile and luckily Kaden provided the clarification, which kept Garin from sounding like a braggart.

“Technically General Nox commands every ship you’ve seen, or at least he commands the commanders. The
Undaunted
is his base of operations.”

Her eyes were comically round as she turned back to the viewscreen. “I didn’t realize. Can they see this on Earth? They’ve got to be freaking out.”

“If Sedrik calculated the jump as planned, and Sedrik never misses, the moon should be blocking Earth’s view of the
Undaunted
. They likely picked up vibrations they can’t explain and maybe even a flash of light. But they shouldn’t be able to see her.”

“Until we’re ready to show her off,” Bandar added.

“Who is Sedrik?”

“Sedrik Lux,” Kaden told her. “He’s one of my brothers and he’s been keeping Garin’s seat warm for him.”

“Sedrik’s a little more than a seat warmer,” Garin corrected. “He’s the first and only battle born officer to be named general.”

“They get along so well because they’re so much alike,” Zilor explained in a stage whisper.

“I look forward to meeting him,” she responded.

Garin glanced at her, but saw only polite interest in her eyes. “It shouldn’t be long now. I just received clearance to come aboard.”

Garin had lived aboard the
Undaunted
for almost a year. Still, seeing it all through Berlynn’s eyes made everything feel new again. He flew the
Phantom
into one of the aft hangar bays then quickly secured the ship. He was anxious to return to his ship and be surrounded by the crewmembers he knew better than any other.

Sedrik was waiting for them as they exited the
Phantom
. Not surprisingly, Kaden flew past them and embraced his brother. It had been a year and a half since the two had been in the same room together, so Garin didn’t rush their reunion.

Still reeling from the external view of the
Undaunted
, Berlynn slowly looked around. There was nothing special about the hangar bay, except that it had been one of perhaps a hundred inset in the aft of the massive ship. “How large is your crew?” She had so many questions, but it seemed like a good place to start.

“Six thousand, give or take. You’ll have to ask Sedrik for an exact number. I’ve been somewhat out of the loop for the past few weeks.”

“How many decks?”

“Nineteen.”

She nodded. Even having seen it for herself, it felt surreal. “You said this is like an aircraft carrier. How many smaller ships are aboard?”

“There are eight flight decks, each with several hundred fighters, as well as various other spacecraft. Why? Are you plotting a war?”

She smiled, but tension knotted her belly. “I think you better keep this sucker hidden. There’s no way Earth won’t feel threatened by something like this.”

“It’s our intention to keep the
Undaunted
hidden, for now. But she’s now one of many and not all of the ships have covert shields. Soon secrecy won’t be an option. With twenty-plus ships moving about in the space surrounding Earth, someone is bound to see something that can’t be explained away.”