Born of Legend

  Kelsei smiled pleasantly. "He's a War Hauk. Came in with a tour group and got lost. I'm showing him out."

  Tylie said something else, but Jullien wasn't paying attention to her. He was staring up at Nyk, who was holding one of his sons as he and an obviously pregnant Kiara walked by on the landing above them. With her arm wrapped through Nyk's, their mother laughed and joked with his brother and Kiara. Now, there was a kick to the stones Jullien could have seriously done without.

  What? Were the gods fucking bored today?

  In that moment, he felt every single rejection and slap his family had ever given him. All at once. They hit him with a massive hurricane force that left him breathless and dizzy.

  Weak and reeling.

  Damn you all to Tophet!

  And damn me.

  Needing to withdraw, he started to turn away when his gaze fell to a servant.

  No, not a servant. He was too attentive to everything around him. Too ripped. And he was wearing boots with sliding heels that were custom-made to conceal blades. The kind of boots used by assassins, seaxes, and Tavali. Having been on the run for the last five years, Jullien had learned well to spot bastards like him in a crowd.

  And while he wasn't the target today, he knew the assassin was most likely going for Nykyrian, who was distracted by his family.

  Without a second thought, Jullien ran for the beast and tackled him. The assassin came up with a blaster. And when he did, he revealed three of his friends in the room, who moved to cover him.

  Nykyrian rushed his mother and wife across the landing to safety while Jullien disarmed the first one. He twisted the blaster out of his hand, then knocked him unconscious. Guards fired on the other two while Jullien shot the last one.

  Then he quickly dropped his weapon and held his hands up so that no one misunderstood his intentions.

  "It's okay!" Kelsei shouted to the guards. "He's the one who saw the attack coming. Don't shoot him!"

  Jullien heard footsteps rushing down the stairs. His stomach shrank at the sound. Glancing up, he saw Nyk headed straight for his position.

  Unlike Tylie, his brother wasn't an idiot. Nyk would definitely ID him.

  Jullien bolted for the nearest door and didn't stop running for blocks. Not until his sides ached so much, he couldn't breathe, and he was sure no one was following him. Only then did he slow down and wheeze in an effort to catch his breath again.

  Grateful he'd made it out, he headed back for the fighter.

  *

  It was almost midnight before Jullien made it home. He opened the door, trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake Ushara or Vas.

  But once he shut and locked the door and turned around, he froze. Ushara was asleep on the couch underneath a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner that Vasili and Nadya and her sisters must have made for him. And speaking of, Vas and Nadya were curled up on the floor near an uneven cake that had Happy Birthday scribbled on it in writing that must have been Nadya's attempt with someone else's help. It also had a Nadya-sized bite taken out of it.

  His throat tight, he took a quick picture of them before he slowly crossed the room to brush the hair back from Ushara's face.

  She came awake with a start. "Hey, baby."

  He kissed her cheek. "Looks like someone was busy."

  Her face pinkened. "We wanted to surprise you. I can't believe we fell asleep."

  "Definitely surprised. It's beautiful."

  Rubbing at her eyes, she sat up. "Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?"

  He shrugged nonchalantly. "They've never meant much to me. Since my mother was ill while I was growing up, no one ever celebrated mine. They came and went without comment."

  She scowled at him. "You've never had a party?"

  He shook his head. "Just this one." He smiled at her. "It's my favorite by far."

  Her expression turned weepy as she cupped his face in her hands. She scratched playfully at his whiskers. "At least you came home unscathed this time."

  "I did. See, you can let me out of your sight."

  "I don't know if I'd go that far."

  As Jullien started to pick her up to carry her to the bedroom, something fell to the floor. He scooped it up and frowned. "What's this?"

  "Your present."

  He opened the tiny box to find a black wedding ring with the Samari family symbols engraved over it. Tears choked him at the sight. "It's incredible."

  "I tracked it down through an auction house. It actually belonged to your gre paran, Adron Samari. Look inside it."

  Jullien tilted it so that he could see the engraving. As he read the words, his throat tightened with a fierce rush of overwhelming love and gratitude for the female before him.

  KITRIEWE GEVYLHYT YVONA HAEFRE STRADA ROWGH FAUR LORINAS SALBATIC GEVAAR PRAEGU.

  It was an old Andarion saying--True love will always find its way through paths where even feral lorinas fear to prey.

  "I don't know what to say."

  She tugged gently at his hair. "Well ... you can always start by explaining to me why you were at the Andarion palace yesterday."

  His jaw went slack in shock. "What?"

  "I'm not an idiot, Jules. I saw the newsfeed about the mysterious Hauk hero who helped stop an assassination attempt. While the footage is blurry, I know my husband when I see him. Now, you can tell me the truth or I can pull the logs on everyone's ships. If that doesn't work, I'll interrogate my sister and she'll crack like an egg. Mary fears me."

  He sat back on his haunches. "Shara--"

  "I know something happened with your family while you were missing. Whatever it is, I can help. But you have to trust me. You're not alone, Jules. Not anymore. I am here for you."

  He looked away as fear and anger tore through him. "It's not that easy, Shara. You don't know what they're capable of."

  "And you've no idea what I'll do to protect my family, and that includes you." She took his hand and led it to her stomach. "I want you here to see your children born. More than that, I want you to help me raise them. But I can't help you or protect myself or Vas if I don't know what's coming for us. If you really love or respect me, then you have to trust me enough to be honest about what's going on."

  She was right, and he knew it. But it was so hard.

  Taking her hands into his, he held them and choked on the words. "I can't lose you, Shara. You are all I have in this life."

  A tear slid down her cheek as she took his ring and slid it on his finger. "And you are my heart."

  Nodding, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, then forced himself to do the one thing he'd never done before.

  He trusted her with the whole truth. "Nyran is the bastard son of Braxen Venik."

  Her jaw went slack. "What?"

  Jullien let out a tired sigh. "I had no idea they were related. He's the one who had the finger planted in Vasili's backpack. He has spies everywhere. Apparently, he went to hide with his father after his mother died, and Merrell and Chrisen were killed in the Ring by Talyn Batur. When I left Andaria, he was in jail with his two brothers Talyn later killed. His father or Tavali brothers must have helped him escape. Once I came here, he found me through them."

  "What does he want?"

  "Me to help him and his Tavali brothers unseat Trajen."

  Her jaw dropped again.

  "Relax. I have no intention of hurting Trajen for that piece of shit. I know better than to ever trust Nyran. But ... as Tavali, he is able to come and go here. As are any of his Porturnum brethren. We can't ban them from the station."

  "No. So why did you go to Andaria?"

  "I grabbed some files I had hidden as self-preservation. Recorded conversations. Some of them, I'd already turned over to WAR years ago to help overthrow my grandmother and save Talyn. But I didn't have copies until now. Others only I knew about. They're of Nyran and his brothers scheming against the Hauk family. I was thinking of leveraging them against him."

  "How so?"

  "I found out
Fain Hauk is also Porturnum Tavali. I'm thinking that if he finds out Nyran helped to hide his son from him, he'll kill him for me."

  "And where does that leave you in Hauk's affections?"

  "Probably in the grave next to Nyran."

  "Unacceptable."

  Jullien sighed as he rubbed her hands against his chin. He had to make her understand what they were dealing with. "Baby, listen. I know my cousin. If I don't do this, he will come after everything we love. He's insane on a level you can't even begin to comprehend."

  Ushara saw true fear for the first time in his eyes. There was something more to all of this than just the backpack. Something deep and dark in Jullien's past. "What did he do to you?"

  Tears filled his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. "I won't go there. They won't own another minute of my soul. I couldn't stop them in the past. There's no way I'm going to let them have your future. Or mine."

  "And before you go off half-cocked, let me give you info you don't have. Venik owns Fain Hauk. Even though he's a Rogue, Fain won't cross Venik. I don't know why or what for. But I'm telling you right now that there's something really weird about their relationship. If Nyran is Venik's son, Ven will protect him with everything he has, and Hauk will do whatever Ven says."

  "Then what do I do?"

  "We pull your cousin in. Set him up, and we cut his throat. Here. Away from his father. But we do it together."

  Laughing, Jullien rose up on his knees to cup her face in his hand. "I can't believe how lucky I am to have my bloodthirsty Pavakahira."

  She nipped his chin as she lifted his shirt to brush her hands over his stomach. "Blood's not the only thing I thirst for."

  He sucked his breath in sharply.

  "Basha Dagger?"

  Jullien spun away from Ushara as he heard Nadya's sleepy voice. "Hey, mia."

  She stumbled across the floor to fall against his chest. "Happy birthday."

  "Thank you." But she was already asleep again.

  Ushara laughed in his ear as she leaned over his shoulder to peek at the sleeping girl. "She loves you so much. She's already told the entire family that when she's old enough, she wants you to be her captain and train her for citizenship."

  "It would be my honor, provided I have mine by then. Though at the rate I'm going, I might still be training under her."

  Ushara laughed.

  Rising with Nadya in his arms, he carried her to the guest room and put her to bed while Ushara woke Vasili. Jullien came out just in time to take over putting Vas to bed.

  Like Nadya, Vas was still groggy. "You want me to carry you, luden?"

  Vas shook his head as he stumbled into his room and fell across his bed.

  Jullien tucked him under his covers and was about to turn the lights out when he noticed the troubled expression on Vasili's face. "What's wrong?"

  Rubbing at his eyes in a manner freakishly similar to Ushara whenever she was tired, he frowned at Jullien. "Mum and Oxana started ordering things for the nursery today."

  "Yeah?"

  "It just got me thinking."

  "About?"

  Vas dropped his gaze to his hand, which he wound in the blanket. "They were arguing if they should make it ready for boys or girls. I hadn't really thought about it before now, but then I did, and I..." He pursed his lips as tears swam in his eyes. "I know that when the babies get here that you won't love me the same way anymore."

  "Whoa!" Jullien snapped as he stepped back into the room. "What? Where did this come from?"

  Tears fell from his eyes. "It's what everyone says about stepkids. I know I'm not your blood son. And--"

  "Stop right there." Jullien braced his arms on each side of Vasili and stared down at him. "Mi tana, how could you ever think for even a nanosecond that I wouldn't love you as much? Boy, girl, mutant rabbit, I don't care. I will love whatever your mother gifts me with, but you will always be my firstborn child that she allowed me to love."

  Vas started to roll his eyes, but Jullien caught his chin and forced him to meet his gaze.

  "Listen to me, akam. Fathers normally give their sons life. You, Vasili, gave me mine. Do you understand that? Do you think a single day goes by that I don't look at you and feel an overwhelming love and gratitude for everything you've given me?"

  Tenderly, he brushed away Vas's tears. "I was dying in that bar, that day. I wouldn't have lived another hour. Now, because of you, I have a home and an unbelievable family." He chucked him on the chin. "And the most incredible son, who fills me with absolute fatherly pride every time I look at him. I love you, Vasili. I do."

  Jullien pulled his knife from his boot. "And if it's the blood that bothers you..." He laid the blade against his palm and cut it, then took Vasili's hand and made a smaller slice on his. Placing them together, he allowed their blood to mingle. "There now. You are blood of my blood. My true son."

  Vas sat up with a sob and hugged him. "I love you, Paka."

  "Love you, too. No matter how many other sons and daughters we have. I will always love you. And you will always be my firstborn." He kissed him on the head.

  When Vas pulled back, Jullien saw the dark shadow in his eyes.

  "What else is on your mind?"

  He glanced at the door before he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Can I tell you a secret?"

  "Of course."

  Vas swallowed hard before he spoke again. "On the night my father died, he almost killed me."

  Jullien went cold. "What?"

  He nodded. "I've never told anyone that. Please don't tell Matarra. It's why I didn't speak for the longest time. Why I've been withdrawn for so long. My paran held a blaster pointed at me and threatened to kill me. Those are my last memories of my own father. That's why I saved you in the bar. 'Cause you had no reason to stand up for me. But you did. You did what my own father refused to do."

  Jullien silently cursed that Vas still had the memory Trajen had meant to erase from the child. "I'll never let anyone hurt you, Vas."

  "I know. And I'm glad you're my paka."

  Jullien hugged him again before he tucked him back into bed and turned out the light.

  Honestly, he didn't know what disturbed him most. The fact that Vas remembered that night when he shouldn't, or that Trajen's powers weren't as well-honed as Trajen and everyone else thought they were.

  It meant that their fearless leader could be defeated. Not that he had any ambitions in that area. Far from it.

  And speaking of ...

  Trajen was waiting for him in the hallway.

  Jullien pulled up short as he caught sight of him. "Should I ask what brings you here?"

  "Sure. Heard you were planning to unseat me. So I'm here to kill you."

  CHAPTER 23

  Jullien stepped back, ready to fight.

  Trajen burst out laughing. "Wow ... you took me seriously. Damn, boy, you really do have some severe trust issues."

  "Titana tu, tu cocupun caxam--"

  "Hey now, simmer down. I cannot believe you kiss my vice admiral with that mouth. Why so hostile over a joke?"

  Jullien glared at him. "You're lucky I didn't shoot you just then."

  "Yeah. Glad the wife makes you disarm when you come in the door. Otherwise, she'd be cleaning stains off the wall and I'd be friendless again. Though I'm not sure what we have qualifies as friendship ... since it's been too long since I had one, and you have no experience whatsoever in that department to draw on."

  "Yeah, and I'm beginning to understand why I'm a solitary beast. Friends like you? I don't need them."

  "Ah now, that's just hurtful. Careful or your wife'll force us to kiss and make up."

  "What is going on out here?" Ushara arched a brow as she joined them. "You sound like two toddlers fighting. Do I need to separate you?"

  Trajen tucked his hands into his pockets. "I was trying to tease your mate, but he's in a foul little mood. You should have warned me to bring a rabies shot and muzzle."

  Jullien snorted irritably. "I'm alw
ays in a foul minsid mood. Haven't you noticed that the crews I deal with all leave sweets on my desk like frightened villagers making an offering to a vengeful god?"

  "You know, they make meds for Irritable Bitch Syndrome. Maybe you should consider seeing a doctor about that?" Trajen said with a hint of laughter in his tone, which caused Jullien to roll his eyes. "And now that you say that, Sheila has mentioned it to me. And the fact that she pays tribute to you with pastries and coffee herself, which given her charming personality says a lot about yours. Anyway--" Trajen cleared his throat as he glanced to Ushara. "--you summoned me from the bowels of my pit, mistress?"

  She gestured toward the living room. "Is what I suggested to you doable at all?"

  Trajen led the way. "No."

  "Why not?"

  "He's hybrid. There's not a doctor in the universe who would touch him. We've no idea how his genetics would react to it. Or what to do for him if there were any complications."

  Jullien glanced between them, curious about this new line of discussion about his body and well-being, that neither one had seen fit to include him in on. "What are you talking about?"

  "Ushara wanted to make you a Rogue. Which we can't do anyway unless you're a Canted citizen. Besides--" Trajen returned his attention to Ushara. "--you know the stats for survival on mentally stable, well-adjusted Rogues are slim. You really want to chance that with Captain Happy over there?"

  Jullien made an obscene gesture at him.

  "And thus my earlier point over the IBS was duly illustrated with juvenile glee."

  Ushara ignored the two of them as she struggled to keep them on point. Some days, her job as Trajen's VA was more like herding squirrels with ADD through busy intersections. And Trajen could be the king of squirrelly squirrels. "So what do we do?"

  "I have a suggestion, but you--" Trajen gave her a pointed stare. "--are not going to like it. Not sure our Jules will be any happier with it."

  "What?" they asked in unison.

  "Teterrimous."

  She scowled. "Bless you."

  Trajen snorted at her.

  But Jullien knew exactly what he meant. "I thought that was a myth."

  He shook his head. "No. We had the tech. Remember, the Tris are the ones who invented space travel, Verkehrs, AI, intergalactic communications, modern robotics, and time travel. We didn't just have the tech. We made the tech that made the tech possible."

  Ushara felt completely lost in their conversation. "What specific tech are you talking about, though? I've never heard of this."