He dropped his gaze to her as she set the tray next to him. "No. There's nothing about you or your home I want to change."
"Really? It's very pink in here."
"And the best memories of my life have taken place in this very pink room. It doesn't bother me at all." He reached for a piece of toast.
She gave him a suspicious tilt of her chin. "I thought the room made you want to do something masculine?"
He gave her a devilish grin. "I did do something very masculine with you. And I plan to do again very shortly, and much longer, and more thoroughly this time."
Laughing, she handed him a glass of juice. "You're incorrigible."
"I've been called worse." He took a sip and reached for the fruit. "But there is something I'd like to do to your house later, if you don't mind."
"As long as you don't launch it into space and set fire to it, it's your home, too. You can make any change you want."
"Really?"
Nodding, she got up and went to the closet. "Really." She opened the door.
Jullien gaped as he saw that she'd bought him an entire wardrobe and placed it there. "When did you do that?"
"After you left. It was meant to be a welcome home surprise. Vas helped me pick them all out. I also paid off your tithe with Zellen."
"Why?"
"You're my husband, Jules. I wasn't about to have anyone else own a piece of you. Call me selfish, but I plan to keep you all to myself. The only ones I don't mind sharing you with are Vas and Nadya ... maybe Trajen when he wants a drinking buddy. But only on occasion."
Suddenly, her link started buzzing.
He frowned at a tone he wasn't familiar with. "What's that?"
"Not a good sound." She went to the nightstand and answered it.
Jullien could tell by her expression and silence that it was extremely serious. After a few minutes of listening, she let out a tired sigh.
"Tell them that I'll be in shortly." She hung up.
"What is it?"
"My father and uncle are demanding I resign as vice admiral."
CHAPTER 16
Jullien stared at Ushara in disbelief. "They want you to resign? Because of me?"
"No. They want me to resign because I'm about to bust their Canting and they know it. This is over their actions. Not yours."
"Because of me," he repeated insistently.
But she was being just as stubborn with her position as he was. "They broke the Code. They're the ones who did wrong in this. Not you."
"I have a hard time faulting them for what they did when they were only trying to protect you."
"Be that as it may, I'm not that forgiving for what was done to you. I want blood over this, too."
He snorted. "Oh, don't let this," he gestured at his calm, relaxed pose, "fool you. I'm not a saint or a martyr. I'm not about to forgive them. I'm going to exact my revenge. On my own. But that's between us. After all, I am a contentious bastard--the son of all bastards, for that matter, and an eton Anatole. We don't let shit go. Ever. That ship was just the first round. But they're your family. I don't want them angry at you."
Laughing, she pressed her hand to her forehead as she finally understood why he was protesting her interference. He wasn't telling her to let it go because, like Chaz, he was trying to make peace. Rather, he wanted a piece of them himself. "That's so ... messed up. But sweet. In a psychologically damaged way."
"You knew I was broken when you took me in. This is on you, mu tara. I came into this marriage with a massive warning label. And a kill warrant. You knew, baby. You knew."
"Yes. Yes, I did." Sighing, she got up. "Let me go deal with this and I'll--"
"Oh, I'm coming with you."
"Jules--"
"I'm fine, Shara. I had my nervous breakdown. Licked my wounds. Now I'm back. The one thing you can thank my psychotic grandmother and aunt for--I learned to snap back fast from the brink of insanity. I had to. I take the hard hit. Withdraw inward, catch my breath, get fucking pissed and come back fighting twice as hard, with renewed vigor and determination. That's what I do. It's why I'm still here and alive while the rest of my family is in their graves. Bitches rang my bell--their mistake. They let me up off the ground. Now, I'm answering the door. They want a piece of me? They're going to earn it. I'm not about to send you in there to fight without me. You go. I go. I'm your husband. My place is standing at your back, supporting you, every step of the way to Tophet and back. And defending you with my dying breath. You will never stand alone, so long as I'm here."
He was so different from her first husband. So different from anyone she'd ever known. While she was used to strong males who would rise to fight and defend, they were much more overbearing with it. They were all too quick to shove her aside and take charge. Jullien knew when to lead and when to pull guard point. Unlike them, he wasn't threatened by the latter. He would defer to her as leader and remain in the background so long as she was given the respect he felt they owed her and only rise up to strike them down when they didn't.
Honestly? She adored that about him. He was like having a tamed battle-lorina on hand. Only he was much more charming and sweet.
Although, not better behaved when confronted, and a lot less predictable.
Definitely a lot more terrifying.
"All right," she relented. "Arm up. This isn't going to be pleasant."
"Did you miss the hole you just dragged me out of?"
She flinched at the memory. "I'm going to kill them."
"Oh baby, please..." He bit his lip seductively. "I want the full honor, and first shot." With an eagerness that actually terrified her, he scooted off the bed and went to shower.
Ushara let out a bitter laugh. He was a fighter. The high priestess hadn't been wrong about that. A true a son of Kadurr. She could definitely see the blood of the Samari in him. It made total sense. That unflagging spirit was what had saved her race and kept them going against overwhelming odds. In the face of it all, they had chosen to be dangerous.
Even so, this was going to get bad. Her father was very well respected and she was a young commander. Many here had never agreed with her appointment under Trajen's leadership.
Many had never appreciated the way Trajen had taken over, especially since he'd come in from a competing Nation.
That included certain members of her own family, such as Kirill's father who had never liked Trajen, or appreciated the fact that they were being led by a non-Andarion. They thought Trajen a normal human, and in their eyes that made him weak.
If they only knew ...
By the time they were dressed and headed for the meeting, Ushara was sick to her stomach with worry and dread. If Jullien was nervous or apprehensive, he did a remarkable job of hiding it. He appeared completely calm and confident. Smooth even.
"How do you do that?"
"Do what?" he asked.
"Remain perfectly calm and composed when you're walking into the den of your enemies. Vas asked me that when you went to temple with us the first time, and he's right. Nothing seems to rattle you. Is it an innate aristocratic trait or something else? How do you manage such raw confidence and regal grace at all times?"
"Simple. You and Vas walk in with the fear that you're going to say or do something wrong and they won't like you anymore. Or that you'll screw up and lose their respect. I know going in they hate my guts. There's absolutely nothing I could say or do, including set fire to a baby or kick a puppy, to make them hate me any worse. So I have no ground to lose where they're concerned. It's actually quite liberating to know there's no way to make them like me. An act of the gods themselves could not swing them to my favor. So I have no pressure or fear of any kind. There is nothing I can do to fuck up. Anything I say or do will be socially unacceptable, talked about in the worst way imaginable, and misinterpreted by all. Might as well have fun with it and embrace the whole King of All Bastards they're going to accuse me of, anyway."
She laughed and shook her head. "That is sad and yet t
erribly true, isn't it?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "It's a blessing, really."
Before they entered her office, she took a moment to straighten his coat. It was adorable to her how he always managed to have it slightly askew. He'd gone back to wearing his red glasses instead of the contacts, and in spite of his harsh, brave words, she saw the pain that haunted his stralen eyes. While he didn't comment on what had been done to him, she knew it hadn't just left new physical scars on his body. He had fresh ones on his soul, as well.
For that, she could murder her family. She saw the traces of it whenever he touched his bald head and winced in shame. The way he hunched his shoulders, then caught himself and straightened his spine as if determined to not show it to anyone.
Even himself.
He had an inner quiet strength and dignity that awed her.
With his full swagger in place, he opened the door and held it for her so that she could lead the way into her office.
And when they saw that he was with her, it set every pair of eyes on them, and a number of whispers began. Ushara didn't say a word to them as she swept into the room and headed for Zellen's desk.
"So much for my day off, eh?"
Zellen nodded. "Conference room?"
"Why not? Seems like a good place for a kangaroo court, doesn't it?"
Her father rose to his feet as she headed for the hallway that led to it. "Do you think it's a good idea to bring him here?"
"Better than provoking him to violence." She leaned forward as if imparting a secret. "Let me tell you the one thing I've learned about dealing with my husband. Think of him like the giant lorina in the wild, sleeping happily in his cave. He might stick his head up to watch you walk by, but so long as you don't get his full attention, he won't attack. Whatever you do, for the sake of the gods, don't throw a rock at him. Because once you do come under his full attention, he's going straight for your jugular. Just ask Kirill."
That got her uncle on his feet.
Which caused Jullien to turn and face him.
Kirill's father Klavdii took one step forward until he took in the exact size of Jullien's height and width, and saw the color of his eyes.
Then he retreated.
Ushara swept her gaze over the males gathered in the waiting area. "Shall we move this to the conference room, eh?"
"Who's overseeing it?" her father asked.
"I am." Trajen, who appeared from the shadows, swept past him.
Her father actually jumped in startled alarm.
Trajen paused at the conference room door to look back at them. "Unless one of you wants to challenge me for my position?"
One by one, they looked away.
Trajen passed an arch stare to Jullien.
"Tempting, but I'm too tired to bother with it."
With a snort, Trajen gave him a playful, brotherly slap. "Ironic. You're the only one who'd stand a chance of taking the seat from me and you're probably the last one who'd ever make the try for it."
"'Cause I'm not a fucking idiot.... I'm only partially brain-damaged."
Laughing, Trajen led the way into the conference room to take the seat at the head of the table. His smile died instantly as the rest filed in and took chairs.
Ushara sat to his right while Jullien stood behind her. She glanced up at him. "Aren't you sitting?"
He shook his head and stood with his legs braced. Arms crossed.
That certainly wasn't intimidating or scary at all. She passed an amused glance to Trajen who was smirking at Jullien's stance.
Trajen cleared his throat. "I'm thinking before we start.... Should we disarm your bodyguard, VA Altaan?"
"I already took the blasters from him. Thought it would be a bad idea to have them on his body for this."
"Good call. Knives?"
She glanced around again. "Just one. It's his security blankie. I hate to take it from him. He gets a little edgy without it."
"Well, we don't want that. Any other weaponry I should know about?"
"Just hands and fangs, but we can't really detach those."
Trajen stroked his chin speculatively for a second. "Yeah, guess not. Very well, then. Let's keep in mind that we should all be on our best behavior, shall we?"
Ushara had no idea why Trajen was trying to provoke her family, but she didn't say anything as her cousins, uncle, father, and brothers crowded in. Davel was one of the last to show. With a grimace, he elbowed his way past them to shove his way to stand next to Jullien.
"Morning. Sorry I was late." He kissed her cheek to let everyone in the room know whose side he was decidedly on. Then he moved to stand next to Jullien. He attempted the same stance, but for some reason it wasn't as badass when Davel did it. It was, however, adorable.
Trajen sat back in his chair. "All right. First bitch up."
Kirill rose. "He blew up my ship. The whole damn thing. There's nothing left!"
"I know," Trajen drawled. "Was there. Saw it. Laughed my ass off."
"And you let him?"
"Let is a strong word. Not sure I could have stopped him, given his state of mind at the time. At least not without losing a vital piece of my anatomy. Decided it wasn't worth it. Especially not for your sorry ass."
"I can corroborate that as I stood back myself and watched it go up." Davel laughed. "It was quite ... impressive."
"And I expect restitution!"
Ushara arched a brow at Kirill's indignant tone. "I suggest you take it from the money you made selling my husband into slavery. Or perhaps from the creds someone on your crew made from his gear that was taken and never returned to him, and I know the full value of it firsthand. I have the billing tithe on it. Would you like me to forward that to you?"
Kirill glared at her. "I didn't make any creds on him, for your information. I had to pay them to take him."
Too late, he realized what he'd said.
Ushara couldn't breathe as those words slapped her hard. Jullien didn't move.
Her gaze went to her father, then her uncle in turn. "Were the two of you in on this conspiracy?"
"Your father wanted him out of your life. We took care of it."
She cocked a brow at that.
Her father blustered. "You've not been the same since he came here. You're distracted and your loyalties fractured."
"My loyalties are exactly where they should be. Where they've always been. With my high admiral, this Nation and with my family. I've not broken an oath or wavered on any duty."
"You have risked us all by bringing a hunted darkheart into this Nation knowing we hate him. That he's not welcome here. That he'll never be welcomed here."
"Man, that's harsh." Davel winced. Then he spoke to Jullien in a low tone. "I, for one, welcome you, drey. Love you, too, in a purely platonic, brotherly way."
"'Preciate it."
"No problem. Just don't set my ship on fire, especially if I'm in it."
Jullien snorted.
Their father glared at Davel.
Trajen let out an irritable sigh. "Look, you're all wasting my time. I'm not picking another VA. Ushara has done nothing to shake my confidence. I'm only holding this little soiree to placate you. End of the day, get over it."
Klavdii shot to his feet. "This is an outrage!"
Ushara shook her head. "No. The outrage is yet to come. Check your standing. Every member of the Night Rain has lost rank, effective immediately. Those with Canting have lost it as well. And that includes you, Klavdii, and my father."
"What!"
She looked at her father without flinching. "Anyone who had a hand in what happened to my husband is busted. We do not betray Tavali. Even a cock. For any reason. I placed my husband in your hands. When you betrayed him, you betrayed me and this Nation. You all violated your most sacred oaths. In the eyes of Tavali, you have committed treason and I will not allow that to happen."
Her father glared at Trajen. "You're allowing this to stand?"
"Her husband. Her call. Unless by some
miracle, you can find someone to speak up on your behalf?"
"I will."
They turned in shock as Jullien spoke.
Ushara gaped at him. "Excuse me?"
"Just thinking that sadly these bastards have all spawned. While I couldn't give a shit about any of them, some of the spawn who aren't in this room are rather cute. The younger ones are still innocent. It's really not fair to punish them because these assholes couldn't wear a condom or behave like sentient beings with a conscience. I don't want to see their young on the street or starving."
Davel was seized with a sudden coughing fit that he finally gave up on and allowed to turn into hysterical laughter.
Ushara managed to hold her composure, but it wasn't easy, especially with her brother and his hyena fit. "Fine. You're all on probation for a year, and your voting rights regarding my husband's standing in the Nation are permanently suspended. Any other infraction and your Canting is gone, forever. You so much as frown in my husband's direction and I'll bust you to his personal slag. Furthermore, ten percent of your take for the next year will go to pay for Jullien's lost wages and tithe."
When they started to protest, she held her hand up. "Keep bitching and it'll be twenty percent. And Kirill, you're down two ranks, Captain Altaan."
"That's bullshit!"
"No, it's not. You're lucky, you're still even a bait at this point, given how mad I am at you. So don't even whine about it. Now you're all dismissed. Get out before I let my husband have at you!"
They left slowly, and very grudgingly.
Davel sighed. "It's going to be fun at our house during family holidays for the next few years."
"Ah, you love it." Ushara smirked.
Davel snickered. "Yeah, you're right. I do."
Her father glared at them as the room emptied.
She waited for him to speak. That expression on his face always meant a caustic lecture was brewing. Honestly, she wasn't in the mood for it. She was too old for his speeches, especially when she wasn't the one who'd done something so morally reprehensible.
But before he could start on her, the door opened.
Ushara frowned as her grandparents came in with the high priestess. She had no idea what this was about, but it terrified her, especially given the glower on her grandfather's face as he neared them.