Still, Maris didn't react to her blow. "I'm extremely sorry. It was a thoughtless thing to do, but I was more worried about Darling than calling you with the news, especially since he wasn't killed. I didn't think about the media reporting it, never mind them getting it wrong, and you finding out about the attack that way. It won't ever happen again. I promise."
Lise finally pulled Maris against her and held him close. She buried her face in his neck. "I'm so sorry, Mari. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was so scared. I thought he was gone and that I'd be left alone. He's all I have, you know?"
"Yes, I do, baby. He's all I have, too."
Sniffing, Lise squeezed him tight. "I love you. You still love me?"
"Not at the moment. I'm rather in pain. But after it fades, I'll probably be dumb enough to forgive you for it. Just don't do it again."
She kissed his cheek that was red from her punch. Laying her hand over it, she smiled at him. "What are you bitching about, anyway? You're from a warrior culture. Phrixians live to fight and clobber each other."
He arched a regal brow that said she was insane and wrong. "Hello? Gay man, here. I don't like the brutality, hence why I surrendered my commission." He turned her to face Hauk. "Next time, slap him. I think he actually gets off on it."
Hauk smirked. "Thanks, Mar. I will remember that."
"Am I wrong?" Maris challenged.
"No, but you don't have to tell everyone. You make me sound like I'm sick or something."
Smiling at their teasing, Lise wiped the tears from her face before she went to Hauk and gave him a hug, too. "How are you, D?"
"Better than you. You going to make it, little sis?"
"Maybe. I don't like being scared like this. You could have called, too, you know?"
"I'm pleading the Maris defense. I didn't even think about it. Sorry."
"You suck." Lise went to Syn next to hug him. "How's my precious baby boy and Shay doing?"
"They're great. Sorry we scared you."
"It's okay. You, I forgive since I'm sure you're the only reason I still have Darling right now."
"Actually, the credit goes there." Syn pointed at Zarya.
It was so strange to watch the play of emotions skim Lise's features in the same order they normally did on Darling's. The two of them had a lot more in common than just their hair color.
Finally, Lise settled on a confused countenance. "You saved him?"
Zarya wouldn't go that far. All she did was open a door. "We all saved him."
Syn shook his head. "Hauk and I weren't here when it happened."
"I couldn't get the door open," Maris confessed. "Zarya did. He'd have died had she not got in when she did."
"You're the one who dragged him to safety," Zarya reminded Maris.
"And you're the one who resuscitated him."
With a cry of joy, Lise threw herself into Zarya's arms and squeezed her so tightly, she was amazed she didn't break a rib. "May the gods bless you for it. Thank you for saving my brother's life. You ever need anything, anything at all, call me. I won't ever forget what I owe you. I mean that."
Lise's zealous gratitude embarrassed her. Zarya wasn't used to people who showed so much emotion, especially so forcefully. "You're very welcome."
Lise gave her one more fierce squeeze. "I am so killing the beast when he wakes up." She flared from sorrow to gratitude to anger so fast that it was actually scary to watch. "He's determined that I'm never going to graduate. I swear. I was on my way to a chemistry test when I saw the news. Ugh!" She waved her hands around her face. "Whatever. I'll deal with it later."
Shaking her head, Lise fell right into the role of haughty princess, and yet there was something so adorable and at the same time vulnerable about her that Zarya couldn't help liking her. "I'm going to my room now to throw myself on the mercy of my instructors. Will someone please let me know the instant Darling wakes up?"
They all nodded.
Lise made a much more sedate exit.
"And people accuse me of melodrama," Maris mumbled as he rubbed his red cheek. "Sheez."
Nonplussed by what she'd witnessed, Zarya turned toward Maris. "Does she... um," she struggled to find words that wouldn't offend them or Lise, "Is she mentally stable?"
Syn laughed. "In theory, yes. But unfortunately, she inherited her uncle's explosive temper."
"Does everyone in Darling's family have it?" Zarya asked.
Maris snorted as he continued to rub his abused cheek and jaw. "Basically, yes. But Darling does a really good job riding herd on it most of the time. Though I've seen him go off and do some extreme things in the past."
Like kill his on duty guards...
Hauk laughed in agreement. "Yeah, he's normally really quiet and very slow to anger. To the point, I've had times I wanted to slip a mirror under his nose to make sure he's still breathing. But if you hit one of his trip wires, boom! He goes psycho on your ass. In fact, I once had to toss him over my shoulder to keep him from blowing up an entire bar."
That surprised Zarya. "Why?"
"They insulted Maris."
She scowled.
Maris patted her on the shoulder before he explained. "I was very rudely thrown out of the establishment, and I made the mistake of letting Darling know about it."
A bad feeling went through her. "What happened exactly?"
Syn answered in an angry tone. "They beat the absolute shit out of Maris, and gave him a concussion."
Maris looked sheepish now. "That's what I get for underestimating my opponents." He gestured toward Hauk. "And after Hauk stopped Darling from blowing up the bar, Darling stalked my attackers and returned the beating with good measure. He really doesn't cope well when his loved ones are hurt. Kind of loses all sense of reason and proportion."
"How so?" she asked.
Maris let out a gruff laugh. "Give me a bloody nose, Darling takes a limb."
Yeah, that was a bit extreme. Strangely though, it was one of the things she loved about him. "What will he do when he finds out his sister attacked you?"
"I don't intend to tell him that Lise bitch-slapped me. Even gay, I still don't want to admit a girl beat me up. Sheez!"
Hauk and Syn laughed.
But she didn't find it humorous. "It's not a fight if you don't strike back."
"True. Still, let's keep this unfortunate event between us," Maris whispered at her. "No need in upsetting Darling over it."
"Okay." Zarya didn't envy Darling having to deal with his volatile sister. But at least that emotional explosion had taught her one thing.
Lise loved her brother dearly. It was a shame that Darling didn't know how much.
The doors opened again to show Lise returning to the room. She pinned Zarya with a scowl. "You're Sorche's sister, aren't you?"
"I am."
Her frown deepened with confusion. "Why are you here?" Before anyone could answer, Lise threw her hands up and clenched her eyes and fists shut. "Never mind." She opened her eyes and dropped her hands. "I'm sure it's none of my business and Darling wouldn't answer me about it even if I asked. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy... About you, anyway. The rest is still open for debate... Now I'm really gone." She made a very quick exit.
Hauk laughed deep in his throat before he spoke to Zarya. "Don't ask. We just go with her moods. Once you get used to her, she's actually very sweet."
"Not to mention, we're all responsible for ruining her. We have spoiled her rotten," Maris added. "Darling more so than the rest of us. But like Hauk said, she is a doll when she's not mad. And she has the kindest heart you'll ever meet."
That she definitely believed. No matter how odd this meeting had been, Zarya hadn't forgotten how giving and sweet Lise had been to her sister.
All of a sudden, the door opened slowly as if the person on the other side was hesitant about entering.
That definitely wasn't Lise.
Not sure who to expect this time, Zarya waited until it opened to show an extremely handsome man with red hair a s
hade darker than Darling's. Tall and well muscled, he was wearing Tavali battle gear. Something that was an impressive show of flagrant disregard for the law. The Tavali were essentially rogue pirates who preyed on the cargo of rich merchant fleets and League ships. They weren't an official group with any one leader, nor did they have allegiance to any planet or empire. Rather, they were a motley group who swore an oath to help and protect any of their brethren flying under their communal flag.
Because of the Tavali's less than legal activities, the League executed any and all they found in possession of their flag or gear. The same held true of most governments. So for him to come into a royal palace dressed like that said a lot about his courage.
And his stupidity.
Curious as to why one of their breed would be here, dressed for battle, she glanced around nervously at the others who didn't react to his presence at all.
He stopped next to Syn and purposefully kept his gaze away from the bed where Darling lay. "Is he alive or dead?"
"Alive."
He closed his eyes and let out an elongated breath--a sign that he welcomed the news. "What happened to him?"
"Assassination attempt."
Zarya frowned at Syn's stiff abruptness with the newcomer. He'd always been so open with everyone else that it was peculiar to see him so reserved around someone.
The Tavali cast a droll stare at Syn. "I knew that, asshole... Is he going to live?"
"He will."
The relief on the Tavali's handsome face was tangible. "Don't tell him I was here. I'm sure it'll only piss him off. Just please keep me updated on his condition. I'd really appreciate it."
Syn's features softened at those words. "You got it."
Inclining his head in gratitude to Syn, he turned to leave. After one step though, he stopped dead in his tracks. His gaze locked on the door as his expression turned dark.
Deadly.
Curious about his reaction, Zarya directed her attention to what had him captivated.
Ah... now she fully understood.
Drake stood in the open doorway, glaring at the Tavali as if he could go through him. And little brother was not what she'd expected from the stories she'd heard from Maris and Darling.
For one thing, he didn't appear to be a spoiled rich aristo. He held himself like a trained assassin who was aware of everything around him. Like a warrior ready for battle.
And Drake's unexpected presence slammed into her hard. Not just because he was probably four inches taller than Darling and muscular the way Darling had been before his torture, but because his features were identical to his older brother's.
Seriously identical.
Every arch of the brow, the long aquiline nose, the sharp cheekbones, and the intelligent blue eyes. They couldn't look more alike had Darling been cloned. But for their hair color and height difference, no one would be able to tell them apart.
It would have to pain Darling to see a face so flawlessly handsome, knowing that he'd look the same exact way if he hadn't been scarred. No wonder he didn't have any pictures of Drake past childhood.
Drake curled his lip at the Tavali. "Running out on us as usual, I see. Huh, Ryn?"
Ryn raked him with a sneer. "Don't start on me, boy."
Drake went into the cocky role of a man who feared absolutely nothing and no one. One who knew he could stand his ground and give as good as he got. "Oh, I don't start shit, punk. I finish it. And there ain't no boy here. Just a man ready, willing, and able to kick your ass all the way back to the Garvon Sector."
Rolling his eyes, Maris let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh for goodness sake, would you two put it in your pants and stop measuring your overinflated members. Believe me, no one here doubts either of your manhoods." He moved to stand in between them. "Drake, apologize for being a twit, and Ryn, get your butt to your room, change clothes, and help your little brother out. Darling needs you."
They both looked at Maris as if he'd grown another head.
"Excuse me?" Ryn asked in a voice that said, "I know you did not just use that tone with me."
Drake was a little more verbose. "Are you high, Mari? I'm not apologizing for the truth."
Maris narrowed his gaze in anger. "Grow up, Drake. I have an Andarion here and I'm not afraid to use him. Trust me, he will kick your ass."
Zarya pretended to cough to cover her laughter. Hauk and Syn weren't so considerate. They laughed uproariously.
Drake glared at them.
But Maris gave him no reprieve. "You say you're a man? Prove it. Apologize like one."
"Why?" Drake gestured at Ryn. "He was the dick who--"
Exploding into action, Ryn stepped around Maris and grabbed his brother so fast that all Drake could do was gasp. He pinned Drake to the wall. "You better be glad Darling taught me not to strike out in anger. Otherwise, you'd be picking up teeth right now... boy."
His eyes sparking with fury, Ryn released Drake, then stepped back. "You're right, Mari. Darling doesn't have any other family he can depend on." He directed those words at Drake, then spoke over his shoulder to Maris. "I'll go deal with the media and gerents. Let me know if Darling needs anything." He rammed his shoulder into Drake's on his way out the door.
Fury bled from every pore of Drake's body. "I wish some tracer or assassin would put that bastard out of our misery."
Hauk hissed at him--something made even more ferocious by the flashing of his fangs. "That's your blood you're talking about, Drake."
"No blood of mine. He died to me the minute he walked out on us when we needed him. I'm not Darling." Drake said his name like it was an insult. "I don't forgive or forget a slight, especially not one done intentionally and with full selfish awareness."
But in spite of those words, Drake's anger melted into pain and grief as he looked to the bed where Darling lay. With a ragged breath, he crossed the room and knelt down so that he could place a hand on Darling's head. "Please tell me he's going to live, Syn."
"He will."
Tears swam in his eyes before he closed them and appeared to take a few minutes to whisper a silent prayer. When he finished, he opened them and glanced back at Hauk. "Where were his guards when he was attacked?"
"That's what we'd all like to know."
The unmitigated rage in his blue eyes scorched her, and it reminded her so much of Darling that it gave her a chill.
Drake laid his head down on the bed like a small child with a sleeping parent he didn't want to disturb. One he wanted to wake up and hold him, and make everything better.
Zarya felt her own tears gather at the way Drake stared at his brother. The love he had for Darling was so deep that it was almost tangible. This wasn't the image she'd had of Drake from what she'd been told about him. While there was no denying the fact that he was an adult, he held a deep vulnerability that made a mockery of his sister's.
Maris moved to put a comforting hand on Drake's shoulder. "He really will be fine. You don't have to worry about him. He's a fighter."
Drake nodded. "Believe me, I know."
"Did you bring your mother with you?" Syn asked.
Drake let out an aggravated sound deep in the back of his throat. "That's what took me so long to get here. I was trying to convince her to come with me. She adamantly refused. I know Darling's going to be pissed at me that I left her alone, but I don't care. After everything he's done for us, I couldn't stay there while he was hurt or dead... Damn the news. They had so many conflicting reports that I had to come and see for myself what had happened."
Then he did the most unexpected thing of all. He placed his head on Darling's shoulder and gave him what she could only describe as a little brother hug.
Her throat tightened at how sweet a gesture it was, especially coming from someone who was as fierce as Drake.
He stood and turned around, then realized there was a "stranger" in the room with them. A scowl creased his brow. "Who are you?"
"Zarya."
He went completely rigid. "St
arska?"
She nodded.
Hatred flared in his eyes before he took an angry step toward her.
Hauk caught him with one arm and held him back. "Don't."
"She's the reason he was attacked!" Drake snarled. "What--"
"She's the reason he's alive." Hauk's tone was steady and calming. "But for her, you'd be picking out your brother's casket right now."
Maris nodded, then added, "Not to mention, Darling will paint your backside red if you harm one hair on his lady's head."
Drake turned his scowl to Maris. "What do you mean?"
"I spoke your language, little man. Quite plainly. What part of 'she's his lady' did you not comprehend?"
"All of it." Drake looked to the others before he spoke again. "I'm so confused," he breathed.
Hauk laughed. "Yeah, us, too. It's been a strange day all the way around."
Syn stepped forward. "Lise came in not long before you and Ryn. Why don't you go say hi to her?"
Drake put his hands on his hips. "Subtle like an exploding mine there, Syn. You might as well have said, 'Boy, get your ass out.' " He glanced back at Darling. "If anything changes, let me know."
Syn inclined his head to him.
No one spoke again until after Drake had left. Then Hauk looked at her and grinned. "They put the fun in 'dysfunctional,' eh?"
Zarya wasn't exactly amused by that. "I'm not passing judgment on them. It's not my place. But having met the three of them... it certainly does explain a lot about Darling."
Syn gave her a light hug. "I feel your pain. I married into an extremely screwed up family dynamic myself. But I have to say, Darling's family makes mine look normal in comparison--which scares the hell out of me most days."
Hauk let out an evil snicker. "Can't wait to tell Kasen that the next time I see her."
"You do and I'll make sure you have a nasty accident the next time you fly your ship."
Syn's threat didn't bother Hauk in the least. "That's all right, Rit. You'll just have to put me back together again. Be your punishment for it."
With a light "heh," Syn ran his hand through his long hair. "And on that note, I need to go update the rest of our screwed up family on how he's doing."
Hauk nodded. "I'll help."
After Hauk and Syn left, she turned toward Maris.
"What's that expression mean?" he asked. "And for the record, I didn't do it."
Laughing at his defensiveness, Zarya tried to reconcile the people she'd just met with the erroneous preconceived notions she'd had of them. "Just trying to take it all in. Darling has had a most complicated life."