"If you again hint at a relationship between Fallon and myself, I will beat you."
Unlike other humans, Sean didn"t retreat. Reaching up to rub his neck, he kept his eyes fixed on Taber"s.
"Is there?"
"What?"
"A relationship between you? Because quite frankly, I"ve never seen you act like this before."
By the G.o.ddess he wanted nothing better than to steal Fallon back to Eurus and keep her locked in his quarters forever. But what kind of life could he offer her? She wanted to return to Earth, not live the rest of her life with an alien on a colony as far away from her planet as humans have managed to get. No, when they caught whoever killed Nate and Lukas, he"d leave Fallon to her life. Hopefully with some pleasant memories.
"She"s shared my bed. Nothing more."
"That isn"t nothing."
"Do not...continue this line of conversation."
Wisely, Sean didn"t pursue the matter further. The transport tube opened and the two stepped out as if nothing had happened. Taber turned and walked several steps away before Sean called out.
"Where are you going?"
"To release the crime scene. The captain was right about that. We need to let these people get back to their normal routines," Taber said, scanning the corridor before continuing. "We need Fallon to get back into her normal life as well. It will be the easiest way to draw the killer out."
"You still think this nut job is after her?"
Taber nodded. "We need to review all personnel files to see if there might be a recent event that could have triggered a psychotic break for someone."
"That will take time. Maybe I can send them to Eurus? Sara and Davin could get through them faster than we could."
"Agreed. Once I release the bar I"ll begin to review the security computer records around that sector."
"What about Fallon?"
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Taber felt his stomach clench at the thought of putting her in the path of danger.
While she wasn"t a coward and was more than capable of looking after herself, she wasn"t a Haylie either. He wasn"t even sure if she knew how to fire a laser pistol.
"I"ll let her know she is free to return to work as long as she has an escort approved by one of us. I don"t want our killer to get close to her without our knowledge."
There was something in Sean"s eyes that sparkled, but when he spoke, there was no hint of humor. "She better stay by one of us then. We"re the only ones we can be sure of.
At least for the time being. I"ll let you take the first watch."
Without another word, Sean left for the communication room.
The fact that he was right only served to further annoy Taber. They couldn"t trust anyone else on the ship. Not until they heard back from Sara and Davin on the records.
The idea of Sean spending even a little time with Fallon alone was enough to send his inner world into dark chaos.
Changing his destination mid-stride, Taber made his way to Fallon"s quarters. But once he was there, he rang the sensor several times and realized she wasn"t there. There were two possibilities-she either didn"t want to see him, or something was wrong.
Using the security clearance Tony had given him the day he"d arrived, Taber opened her doors and went inside her quarters. Everything was neat and tidy. Data pads were piled up on a table, stories she told him she liked to read. Everything was exactly where it should be-except for Fallon.
Leaving her quarters, he made his way to the only other place he could think she would be. The doors to the bar were wide open and he was only one of many who trickled through the door. He caught sight of her mixing a drink, smiling at the increasing crowd congregating the bar.
Zane must have contacted her and told her the good news. The old b.a.s.t.a.r.d moved quickly-so did Fallon apparently. She looked completely relaxed and totally in her element.
Anger, fear and a heady dose of relief made it hard for him to move away, but he forced himself. Rather than approach her, he made his way to the far corner of the bar and stood in the corner. He"d have to let Sean know that he wouldn"t be able to review those computer records until tomorrow. He had a feeling Fallon wasn"t going anywhere for quite a while.
For her part, Fallon seemed to ignore his presence. He knew she was aware of him by the way she let her gaze skip over that corner of the room while letting it drift everywhere else. That and the fact that Lance kept staring from Taber to Fallon every time he came out of the supply room. Not that he approached Taber either.
They were all doing an excellent job at ignoring the painfully obvious.
The bar began to fill to capacity as the night went on. Captain Zane had lifted the ban on crew members drinking for the night, giving everyone a chance to meet and mourn the loss of the crew members. Even the few guests who"d been trapped onboard 75 were partic.i.p.ating in the festivities. As he looked around the room, the whole situation seemed odd.
Someone pulled up a picture of Nate and Lukas on the vid screens. He"d heard people say the word "wake" several times, and he gathered this was becoming a funeral of sorts. He"d never seen humans mourn for their dead in the fashion before.
It was nearly twenty-four hundred hours before Fallon finally stepped out from behind the bar. He watched the sway of her ponytail as she walked through the crowd, speaking with the groups of crew members as she went. Every time she would lean forward, her round bottom would catch his attention, making him want to grab her by the hips and grind his c.o.c.k against it.
Taber forced himself to look away, focusing instead on a spot on the far wall. He watched Lance for a few minutes mix drinks, though not with as much flare as Fallon.
When she finally reached his side, he watched her press her back against the wall, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Enjoying the wake?" she said in a tone that betrayed nothing.
"A form of human burial rite I take it?"
"You don"t have wakes on Briel?"
"A party to celebrate death? No. But I find myself wondering if this isn"t a better way than ours."
He felt her eyes on his face but he resisted the urge to look. Instead he scanned the crowd for anyone who might be taking a particular interest in their conversation.
"It"s more of a celebration of life than death. Why, what do your people do?"
The faces before him blurred together until he was no longer seeing anyone. His mind flashed back to the day of Calantha"s larial ceremony. While they may not have had the closest of bonded relationships, a part of his soul had gone with her the day of her pa.s.sing. It had taken him a very long time to emerge from the black place he"d descended to after that.
"It depends on who has moved on to be with the G.o.ddess. If it is a friend, sibling or parent, the mourner helps carry the body to the sea. Their body is burned and the ash is carried away on the wind. It"s actually quite beautiful."
There was a long pause, the noise from the crowed bar filling the silence. Taber felt Fallon"s body sway closer to him, her shoulder brushing against his arm. She cleared her throat, the sound somehow penetrating through the noise.
"Taber?"
"Yes?"
"What do you do if the person who died is your mate?"
Somehow he knew she would ask. Knew she couldn"t let the matter drop until she found out all she could about him. Slowly, he turned his head to look into her beautiful blue-green eyes. They were almost the color the sky had been the day of Calantha"s larial. Almost.
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"Friends and family of the surviving mate gather around him or her to ensure they are well. Many have taken their own lives, thrown their bodies on top of the pyre to die with them."
Her eyes widened considerably, but she didn"t say anything. The noise in the room seemed to fade into the background as he spoke these words to her.
"If the mate doesn"t pursue such a drastic measure, then they are taken to a ti mara.
The closest thing in your language is monastery, though ours isn"t for the same purpose. It"s a place where the mate can be alone to deal with his or her grief. The island where the ti mara is located is quite beautiful."
"How long were you there?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Taber"s heart pounded in his chest, and his throat tightened. He had to look away, letting his eyes drift back over the crowd.
"Too long...and not long enough."
The spell they had been under was broken when a drunken couple tripped and stumbled into Fallon. She let out a small squeak as she fell forward, her arms pin-wheeling as she tried to catch her balance. Taber"s arms were around her waist, pulling her hard against his chest.
"s.h.i.t," she yelped. The couple continued on completely oblivious.
"Are you hurt?" Taber asked, his lips close to her ear.
She shivered in his arms before he set her gently back on her feet. Fallon stepped away quickly, her hands drifting to her sides, rubbing where his touch had been only moments ago.
"I"m fine. I better get back to the bar." Fallon paused, biting her bottom lip and looking up at him. "Are you going to be here all night?"
While he knew he shouldn"t, that anyone who knew his people would know the significance behind the act, Taber couldn"t resist. He turned to face her, giving her a deep bow. "Until you are done for the night. I will be escorting you back to your quarters."
She paused for a moment, a curious look on her face before she nodded and returned to work. He kept his eyes on her the entire time until he knew she was safe back behind the bar.
"Fallon okay?"
Taber turned to see Jenny, the female security officer from earlier standing beside him. She was no longer in uniform, instead wearing a loose-fitting green shirt and tight black pants. Her black hair rested loose on her shoulders, part of which fell forward to cover half her face. She tilted her head to the side, exposing her neck, looked up at him and smiled.
It was obvious the woman was trying to catch his attention. He"d seen other women perform similar displays in the past. But unlike Fallon, Jenny"s actions did little to stir his emotions.
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"Fallon is fine. She"s returned to work."
"And are you working? I"ve noticed you haven"t done much in the way of moving around."
Jenny brought a drink up to her lips and took a long sip out of a straw. The red coloring she"d put on her mouth was bright red and made her pale face seem even whiter. The fact that she"d been paying enough attention to him to notice he"d barely moved meant others would have noticed as well. Perhaps even the killer.
"While this wasn"t a planned event, I"m here to ensure this wake went forward without any disruptions. The crew of this ship deserves to mourn their losses."
"Yeah, Nate was a great guy. I"m going to miss him. And while Lukas was a pain in the a.s.s, he didn"t deserve that." Jenny frowned and stared into her drink for a moment before looked back up and smiling. "So when will you be getting off duty? I can"t imagine you Briel work twenty-four hours a day. I can show you around the ship. I know some great spots."
Jenny took a step forward, and reached out and picked off something invisible from his sleeve. Taber made sure to keep his body still, not reacting to her in any fashion. He did look from the spot on his arm where she"d touched him and back into her eyes, raising his eyebrow. To her benefit, Jenny blushed and took a step back.
"I thank you, but I have many duties to attend while I"m on ship. I"ll be returning back to the colony once the murderer has been caught."
"I"d love to visit Eurus someday. I hear it"s beautiful."
"Indeed."
Taber returned his attention to the crowd. When he looked up, he saw Fallon standing behind the bar, staring at him. For once, he couldn"t read her expression, so instead he simply stared at her.
"Well, I better get back to the party. I hope the captain doesn"t work you too hard."
"Thank you." He nodded as Jenny disappeared back into the crowd.
The rest of the night continued without incident. No one approached Fallon for anything more than a drink or quick conversation. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred, and the wake began to wind down as the computer announced the approaching the ship"s equivalent of dawn.
When only Fallon, Lance and himself were left, Taber left is post and began to pick up several chairs that had been knocked over, as well as empty gla.s.ses.
"Hey, thanks," Lance called out when he saw what Taber was doing. "If life in security ever gets boring, we could sure use another set of hands here."
Taber let out a sigh and shook his head. "I prefer the tedium of the security office to the hectic pace you two keep."
"Well no offense, you"d make a s.h.i.tty bartender." Lance stacked four gla.s.ses together as he wiped down a table. "You need to be able to make conversation with people that will keep them coming back for more."
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