Hauk helped him out and slung one arm over his shoulder to help him walk. No one in the hangar paid any attention to them at all. It was as if they weren't there. "You've cloaked us?"
Nero nodded.
Damn, that had to be killing Nero. Hauk tightened his grip on his friend. "Just remember, if you have to hurl, Darling's right there."
Offended, Darling twisted his face up in distaste. "Screw you, Hauk."
"Back at you, human. Besides, you handle it better than I do."
With an evil laugh, Darling nodded. "Okay, that's true, but still. I get tired of everybody doing that to me." He glared meaningfully at Maris.
Maris scoffed. "What's with that look? I only did it the one time. And at least it wasn't during your wedding vows... while being videoed and broadcast."
They hurried as fast as they could across the bay and headed to their ship.
"I can't hold it much longer," Nero breathed. "I think I'm about to pass out."
Hauk walked faster. "I've got you, drey. I won't let you fall."
His nose bleeding harder, Nero stumbled.
They were halfway to the ship when a voice rang out. "Halt!"
Nykyrian clapped him twice on the shoulder. A silent motion that said to run. Hauk swept Nero into his arms and ran while the others laid down cover fire for them. One blast landed in his thigh and almost sent him to the ground.
Catching his balance, he cursed and kept going. Like Sumi had said, if he went down, he was a lot harder to move than the others. And the last thing they needed was to carry both him and Nero out on their backs.
He ran on board first and placed Nero in the closest seat. Grinding his teeth against the pain in his leg, Hauk winced at the sight of the wound.
"Daddy!"
That one word and the excitement in that precious high-pitched voice brought tears to his eyes as a wealth of emotion coursed through him. Before he could stand back up, a tiny form slammed into him and threw her arms around his neck.
"Daddy! I was getting so worried! But Aunt Shahara and Aunt Jaynie and... and Uncle Ryn and Uncle Caillen told me not to. You know, you gots a lot of brothers and sisters, Daddy."
He held her close to his chest. "That I do." He set her down in a seat and harnessed her in as Nykyrian, Fain, Maris, and Darling pulled up the rear while Shahara started tending to Nero.
"Burn it!" Darling pounded on the flight deck door to signal to Ryn and Jayne that everyone was on board and the ramp secured.
"Everyone hold your ass," Jayne said over the intercom. "We're having to blast our way out. They're sealing the doors, so everybody pray."
The ship lurched forward as she dropped anchor and hit full throttle.
Kalea's eyes widened.
Hauk buckled himself in beside her. "It's all right, baby. Daddy's right here. We're going to see Mommy."
He tried to hold her hand, but she was so tiny that she had to wrap her entire hand around his index finger. And as the ship shook, she buried her face against his arm and held tight. He rubbed her back, proud of the fact that she didn't cry like most children would. But she did squeal a lot. Something that was piercing to his Andarion hearing.
They should have named you Baby Harpie.
Hauk cringed as he heard the sound of metal on metal as they scraped through the hangar doors. Visions of being crushed in a blast shield went through his head. That would be bad enough, but Jayne and Ryn appeared to be in the middle of an argument while they escaped.
"Get your hands off that, woman!" Ryn snapped.
"Where'd you learn to fucking fly? At a shoe store?"
"Don't touch that!"
"You get your hands off!"
Gaping, Hauk met Nykyrian's stunned expression. "Oh my God, who let the two-year-olds fly us?"
They all pointed to Darling.
With an innocent expression, he held his hands out. "Ryn's a Tavali captain. He should know what he's doing. And Jayne's Jayne. She's never failed us before."
Suddenly, something hit the ship. Hard. The power drained instantly.
Ryn hissed over the intercom as Jayne went silent. "Oh... shit."
CHAPTER 32
"A
ttention all passengers," Ryn said over the intercom. "We seem to be experiencing some turbulence. Please, do not release your harnesses, and remember that if you kick the ass of the pilot right now, he won't be able to fly you out of this lovely mess."
"Passengers to pilot," Darling said drily. "Please note, every one of us here, except our new junior member, is licensed to fly, so we don't really need you and if you don't get us back into motion, there will be lots of Ryn ass-kicking to go round. Your two little brothers are back here and we don't like you much, anyway."
"Yeah!" Drake weighed in. "And one of your brothers is not only a pilot, but a licensed assassin and you're a Tavali. I get bonus pay if I deliver your head in a jar."
"Our father weeps at your merciless ways. A pox to both your nether regions." Ryn paused. "Oh hey, look! We got engines."
"Say, thank you, Jayne," Jayne said sarcastically.
"Thank you, Jayne," Ryn mumbled over the intercom. Then louder, "Nyk, open the back panel and cross the dampner crystal with shields for me."
Nykyrian's eyes widened. "That's a real bad idea, Ryn."
Hauk put Kalea's hand into Fain's. "Daddy will be right back, sweetie."
He unbuckled himself and went to the panel to access it. Curling his lip, he fought the urge to curse Ryn and Jayne for the damage that had been done during their escape.
"What are you doing, big guy?" Darling asked him.
"What I always do. Saving all our asses." Hauk hissed as he was shocked rewiring their power modules. Worse, life support was quickly bleeding out. Unless he restored it, they only had minutes before it was gone. He plugged it as best he could and then used an override code to fool the overheated generators back on. He tapped his link to Jayne. "One pulse on my mark. Three. Two. One."
She hit it and they went into hyperdrive.
"Go, Hauk, go!" Jayne shouted.
"Yeah. Don't cheer yet," he said under his breath as he kept working on everything that had shorted out. He cursed again at another shock.
His fingers turning black from it, he wanted to tell Jayne and Ryn where to shove this mess. Then he glanced to Kalea.
Snuggled up against Fain, she had her hands over her eyes and her fingers spread wide so that she could watch him through them. Damn, she was the cutest thing he'd ever seen.
She lifted one hand and waved at him.
Strange how in all the missions he'd run - in all the times he'd come through unbelievable odds and all the people he'd pulled to safety - he'd never felt as tall or as heroic as he did right then from that innocent sweet look on her tiny face.
That's my girl.
His throat tight, he returned to working on the ship until he had most of it going again. They were still lower on shields than he'd like, but...
"Jayne? I've given you guys the best I can without pulling over for parts. Can you radio for an escort?"
"We already have one. Saf and three of his brothers fell in about two minutes ago."
He breathed easier knowing that. "Good. We don't need to take a hit. Shields are minimum, but I had to put that power to the hyperdrive, dampners, and life support. Let me know when we come out and I can redirect it."
"You got it, Hauk."
He put the panel back in place and returned to his seat.
Kalea bit her lip. "Are you a superman, Daddy?"
"Yes, he is," Fain said. "He's saved the life of everyone in this ship at least once, and many of us, a lot more than that."
"Really?" she asked, eyes wide.
Fain nodded.
Hauk blushed as Kalea wrapped her arms around his biceps and hugged him tight.
After a few seconds, she tugged at his arm and made a face at him. "Daddy... I gots to go the bathroom now."
Horrified, he gaped at the mere prospect of something he'd never don
e before.
"Now, you can panic, Hauk," Nyk said with a rare laugh. "This one might not be housebroken."
"Does she have nappies?" Hauk looked at Kalea. "Do you have nappies?"
"No, Daddy! Kalea a big girl. But I gots to go bad." She twisted her legs together. "I can't wait!"
He looked at Shahara.
"Don't cut your eyes at me, big boy. I have a son. I know nothing about daughters."
Darling laughed. "You're crap out of luck, Andarion. We all got sons."
Maris nodded in agreement. "And I'm from an all-male family, too. I'm worthless with this aspect of child-rearing."
The flight deck door opened to show Jayne, who gave them all a withering stare. "Oh for goodness' sakes, you big bunch of nancies. I can't believe you're all cowed by a little baby girl's bladder." She paused on Nykyrian and Caillen. "And you need to learn, since your daughters will be potty training soon enough." She unfastened Kalea. "C'mon, sweetie. Aunt Jaynie will take you."
Kalea clapped before she scooted down to hold Jayne's hand and follow her to the head.
While they were gone, Hauk glared absolute murder at Nykyrian, who had the audacity to blink innocently at him.
"What is with that look?"
Hauk snarled at him. "I hate you, you minsid bastard."
"For what?"
"For cursing me. Damn you to hell, Nyk. I have a beautiful daughter and I hate you for it."
They all laughed at him.
"It's not funny. I hate all of you!"
Nyk shook his head. "Look on the bright side, Hauk. I have four boys who will gladly help you protect Kalea."
"Yeah, and my nightmare begins with those four little... things that they better keep away from my girl!"
Shahara laughed. "I'm so glad I have a son. I only have to worry about one penis. You guys have to worry about all the others."
Hauk glared at her and then to Caillen. "By the way, why didn't you volunteer? You have a daughter almost the same exact age."
"Yeah, but her mom does it. I tried once and dropped her in and got banned from potty duty for life. Desideria never got over it and neither did Lil. I set her back a full year in potty training. She still cries every time she sees a full-sized toilet."
Shahara covered her face and groaned. "You are so worthless. I swear I should have let Kasen drown you when you were little."
"You see!" Kasen said. "I told you you'd regret saving him one day."
Kalea came running out to jump into Hauk's lap. She gave him a giant comical grin. Then laid her head down on his chest and hugged him.
Hauk was still floored by how easily she accepted him as her father. Most children were absolutely terrified and ran screaming from his presence. "Kalea? Why aren't you afraid of me?"
She sat back on his thigh and held her hand up. "Um... see, I told them all the time. I said my daddy would come. And he would take me home. I said that... I had the biggest daddy of any daddy. Of all daddies." She played with her ear. "And they said. They said I didn't have no daddy. That you would never come for me 'cause you don't exist." She held her arm up to show him a bruise where someone had pinched her. "They said I was lying. But I didn't lie. I said you would come. And you did! And my daddy's the biggest of all!" She looked over at Fain then back at Hauk several times. "Okay, almost biggest."
He cradled her against his chest. "I can't wait to put you in your mother's arms. But be warned. She might never let you go."
"That okay. Kalea don't mind. I'm just glad my daddy finally came like I knew you would."
Fain reached out and placed his hand on Hauk's forearm. "You have a beautiful daughter, Dancer."
Kalea gasped. "You a dancer, Daddy?"
Laughing, Hauk shook his head. "Afraid not. But..." He turned her around in his lap to see Nykyrian and pointed to him. "Uncle Nyk is married to your Aunt Kiara. And she is a very, very famous dancer."
"Really? Could she show me how?"
"Absolutely," Nykyrian said. "She loves to teach little girls how to dance. She has her own dance school."
Wide-eyed, she tilted her head back to look up at Hauk. "I can go dance school?"
"Lee-lee, you can have anything you want."
"Anything?" she repeated in disbelief.
"Anything."
"Can I touch your hair, Daddy?"
"Of course."
Biting her lip, she stood up. Hauk expected her to touch his braids. Instead, she raked her fingers through his goatee and mustache. Then she placed her hand against her own face. "Can I have one those?"
He laughed. "I can't do that, Lee-lee. They don't grow on girls."
"Oh." She pulled his lip up so that she could see his fangs. "Why are your teeth long? Do they hurt?"
"No. They're just like yours, only bigger. I'm an Andarion and we have longer teeth than humans."
"Will my teeth grow long?"
"No."
"Oh... Will my eyes glow red?"
"No, sweetie. You have beautiful eyes just like your mother's. They're human."
She pressed her hand against his. "Will I grow big like you, Daddy?"
"Probably not. But I don't know for sure."
When she opened her mouth to ask more, he looked over to Nykyrian. "How long do they do this?"
"Do what? Ask questions?"
"Yeah."
They all burst into laughter. Shahara patted him on the shoulder. "Sweetie, your days of having an uninterrupted conversation are over."
"What's 'conversation' mean, Daddy?"
Sighing, he pressed his head against hers and laughed, too.
Hauk paused as soon as he entered his house. His grandmother was there, waiting for their return.
"Ahh," she breathed with a smile as she saw the bundle in his arms. "Is this your Kalea?"
He nodded. "She fell asleep on the way home."
She brushed her hand through Kalea's soft, dark hair so that she could see her chubby cheeks and pert lips. "She's beautiful, Dancer."
"Thank you, Yaya. Is Sumi..."
"She's resting. Your doctor friend knocked her out and she hasn't awakened yet. He's still in the room with her." His grandmother rose up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Go and take the baby to her mother."
He'd only taken three steps before he was surrounded by Desideria, Kiara, Zarya, and Ture, who all wanted a look at his daughter. Since it was late, their kids were all put to bed.
His heart swelled with pride as they oohed and ahhed over her.
Desideria stroked her cheek tenderly. "Let me get her one of Lil's nightgowns. I'll be right back with it."
"Thank you."
"She's an angel," Kiara said, patting his back. "I know you're thrilled."
"I am. Thank you. She also wants dance lessons from you."
"Already?"
Nykyrian chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Kiara's waist. "She heard his name was Dancer and wants to be one, too. She also wants a goatee like her father."
Kiara laughed. "They're so much fun at this age. I hate how fast they outgrow it."
Ture brushed his hand over Kalea's head. "She's precious, Hauk. What a beauty!"
Desideria returned with a small handful of clothes. "I brought her underwear and a dress for tomorrow. I'm sure you don't want her in that League uniform."
He kissed her cheek. "Thank you so much."
"No problem." Desideria inclined her head to Kalea. "You need help dressing her for bed?"
He looked down at the tiny buttons on her clothes that seemed impossible for him to undo. "Yes. I have no idea how to dress a baby."
Desideria took her from his arms. She held her hand out for the clothes, which he returned to her.
Hauk said his goodnights and then took them to his bedroom upstairs. While they'd been gone, the others had cleaned his room so that there was no sign of the brutal fight that had taken place.
Until he looked at Sumi. Rage flooded him as he again wanted to hunt Kyr down and rip out his throat.
&nb
sp; "Hauk," Syn said in warning as he stopped him from approaching her. "It's not as bad as it looks. I mean... it is, but I gave her some Prinum to speed the healing and numb her pain."
Tears choked him. "How could I let her get hurt? In my own home?"
"It's not your fault." Syn glanced over to Kalea. "And you will have made her life when she wakes up and sees what you brought her."
His throat tight, he nodded, knowing Syn was right. He couldn't wait to see her face when she held her daughter for the first time.
"You okay?" Desideria asked him.
Hauk swallowed. "Yeah."
"All right. I'll be back in just a second." She took Kalea into the bathroom to dress her.