Dancer and the tall, lithe blond woman who was still holding the little girl in her arms approached them slowly. The boy stayed back as if he was afraid she might harm him.
"I"m not Omira," the woman said slowly. "I know I look a lot like my sister, but I"m quite a few years younger."
She was also taller, now that Galene saw her with less fury in her heart. And much prettier.
Completely dumbfounded, she turned back toward Fain for more explanation.
The little girl frowned at Dancer. "Paka? Why"s the pretty lady so mad at everybody? What did we do to her?"
He took her from her mother. "No one"s mad, Lee-lee. Just a little misunderstanding."
Galene shook her head as she finally accepted a harsh truth. "This must be awkward at family reunions."
Sadness darkened the woman"s eyes. "Not really. My sister died a long time ago. The only family I have now is standing in front of you." She gestured at the boy with them. "This is our son, Darice."
Galene felt an instant kinship with the woman who had no other family. "Sorry..." She hesitated, trying to recall the woman"s name.
"Sumi."
"Sumi, I know what it"s like to be alone. I didn"t mean to overreact."
Fain let out a reserved sigh. "I should have warned you, Galene. But honestly, I don"t even think about them being sisters. It just doesn"t come to my mind at all."
That more than anything told her that he was being truthful about his feelings toward Omira. If he"d really loved her, he wouldn"t be able to stand being around Sumi. Seeing her pregnant with his brother"s children. The pain of it would be unbearable.
Instead, he really didn"t care.
She smiled at Sumi"s stomach. "When are you due?"
"Next year."
"Congratulations."
Rubbing her belly, she smiled warmly. "Thank you."
Fain took the little girl from his brother and brought her over. "Kalea, meet your aunt, Galene."
With her finger in her mouth, Kalea frowned at her. "Are you a girl aunt or a boy aunt?"
"Beg pardon?"
Sumi, Dancer, Darice, and Fain laughed.
Sobering, Fain explained it for her. "She knows Maris Sulle as Aunt Mari."
"Oh." Galene joined their laughter. Maris was the Andarion amba.s.sador for Caron. He was also flamboyantly gay. "I would be a girl aunt."
Kalea launched herself from Fain"s arms into Galene"s. "Nice to meet you, Aunt Galene."
Closing her eyes, Galene savored the sensation of holding a small child again. She hadn"t held one this age since Talyn had been a toddler. And Kalea weighed a lot less than he had at her age. She was so incredibly tiny and delicate. "It"s a pleasure to meet you, too, Kalea."
She dug a handful of hard candy out of her pocket and held it up to Galene"s face. "Would you like some? My brother kept most of it "cause he said I"d eat too much and get a stomachache, but I think he"s going to eat it "cause he always does. Darry"s mean that way."
Laughing again, Galene shook her head. "No, thank you. You can keep it."
"Okay." Kalea kicked her legs to signal she was ready to be set down.
Galene put her on her feet and watched as she ran to Dancer.
"Paka? Lee-lee needs a bathroom. Quick!"
He pa.s.sed an irritated smirk to Sumi. "Why does she always come to me with this?"
With an evil laugh, Sumi held her hand out to Kalea. "Come, sweetie. Mommy needs one, too."
Dancer sighed. "Now that I"m not afraid for Fain"s life, I"ll see them settled. You two... play nice." He chucked Darice on the shoulder and led him in the direction Sumi and Kalea had taken.
"Am I forgiven?" Fain asked as soon as they were alone again.
"Does it really not bother you that she favors Omira so much?"
He shook his head. "Like you, it shocked me the first time we met. But as soon as I realized it was Sumi grown up, I had no problem with it at all. She"s a perfect match for Dancer... and she"s now my real sister since Cairistiona adopted us both."
Galene gaped. "That"s Tizirah Sumi?"
"You didn"t know?"
"I a.s.sumed she was Andarion. Not human."
He let out a light, sarcastic laugh. "The tadara is an interesting and highly unconventional individual."
"Tell me about it. I spent years as her main protector."
"Really?"
Galene nodded. Then she narrowed a glare on him. "Any more surprises I need to prepare for?"
"That"s probably it. I hope. Like I said, I didn"t even think about it. Or I"d have said something."
She fell silent as she grappled with everything she"d learned about him. And speculated on what else he might have forgotten to mention. "You don"t have any other children I need to worry about meeting unexpectedly, do you?"
Pain darkened his eyes. "No. As I said, I had a vasectomy right after I left you, and you"ve met the sole two kids I take care of. You"re the only one who gave me one h.e.l.l of a son. Be nice if he could stand being in a room with me, but it"s better than nothing, I guess."
"Like his father, he"s not as hard-a.s.sed as he seems. Talyn"s extremely tenderhearted."
Fain burst out laughing. "Sure he is. Have you met your kid?"
Galene suppressed a smile as she pulled out her link and put Gavarian in charge of Fain"s shift. She glanced past Fain, toward the commcen. "Can I have you for a minute?"
He arched a brow at her word choice.
She rolled her eyes. "Put it in your pants, Pirate. I want you for something else."
Pouting, he stuck his head back in the center to tell them he was taking a break before he grabbed the paperwork Dancer had brought and rejoined her. "Is it too much to hope that you were fibbing and we"re going to have a little fun adult time, after all?"
"Yes. It is, but..." She took his hand and led him toward the mall area of the station.
When she neared a small bistro, she stopped to peek around the corner of a wall. "Look over there."
Fain did and his breath caught.
He"d been wrong. Talyn hadn"t taken Felicia straight to bed. Rather, he"d taken her straight to food. And his giant son sat next to Felicia, who fed him bits of her sandwich as they laughed and playfully cut up like two teenagers. Gone was any hint of the mighty Iron Hammer, or the staunch military commander who fiercely glared at everyone around him. Only the uniform remained the same.
For the first time, Talyn acted like a normal Andarion youth. He was even more relaxed with her than he"d been during fight night or while he"d played ball with Gavarian and the kids.
Stunned, Fain stepped back to face Galene, who gave him a satisfied smirk.
"Be nice to Felicia and there"s nothing Talyn won"t do for you. She is his heart and soul. He"s never been that way with anyone else."
Fain c.o.c.ked his head as he stared down at his own heart. "I understand, completely." He brushed the backs of his fingers along the line of her jaw. "I miss laughing with you like that."
Galene licked her lips as she felt her will weakening. But this wasn"t the same bashful boy who"d once held her, and she knew it. Fain was a fierce pirate now. Comfortable in his skin and his role in an extremely violent world. She saw that more and more as he dealt with his Tavali brethren.
Still, she wanted him. And when he dipped his head to kiss her, she buried her hands in his braids and held him close. His scent filled her head and made it spin. His tongue swept against her fangs and raised chills all over her. No male had touched her since the day she"d conceived Talyn. None had ever really appealed to her.
Only Fain.
He owned her heart. He always had.
And when he pulled back, it took everything she had not to drag him to her room and strip him naked.
He nipped her chin playfully before he left her and headed toward Talyn and Felicia.
Talyn sobered at his approach, but he wasn"t quite as hostile toward him as he"d been in the past. He wiped his lips and hands before he inclined his head to Fain. "Felicia, meet my father. Fain Hauk."
She arched a curious brow. "Which Hauk lineage?"
"My brother who brought you here is Dancer of the Warring Blood Clan of Hauk. Our biological mother is descended of the Sovereign Anoles."
"Wait..." She pa.s.sed a narrowed glare toward Talyn, who appeared suddenly sheepish. "As in the second cousin of the tadara?"
Fain nodded. "Our grandfather was. Our mother is a third or fourth cousin. I never could keep it straight, much to her chagrin and constant shrill degradations for my failings over it."
Her jaw still slack, she glowered at Talyn. "You"re descended from the royal house and your father is of the original thirteen War Hauks, and you never told me?" She cuffed his shoulder. "You beast! How could you not tell me something like that after all the times I"ve asked you?"
"I"m an a.s.shole. But I"m your a.s.shole," he teased her with a devilish, lopsided grin.
She laughed at him as he cupped her hand and kissed her knuckles. "I can"t believe you!"
Fain set the sealed folder in his hand down on the table near Talyn and pushed it toward him. "I also had Dancer pick that up for you on Andaria."
Scowling, Talyn opened it. Then he gasped as he pulled the paperwork out. "Is this for real?"
Fain nodded. "Everything"s been changed. All your military and personal records now show you as a fully Vested tiziran, with both your mother"s and my lineages."
His breathing ragged, Talyn placed Felicia"s palm against his cheek. He slid from his chair and went down on one knee by her side. The joy in his eyes brought tears to Fain"s. "Will you honor my lineage with yours, Felicia?"
"Of course I will!" Tears flowed down her cheeks as she nodded without hesitation. She threw herself into his arms and held him close. Sobbing, she reached out toward Fain. "Thank you!"
His throat too tight to speak, Fain took her hand into his as Galene wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against his back.
"Thank you, Fain."
He savored Galene"s touch much more than her grat.i.tude as he released Felicia"s hand. "It was the least I could do. I just wish I could have done it sooner."
She squeezed him tight before she stepped away to look at Talyn"s new IDs and papers. "I"ll call Marna as soon as it"s morning in Eris. We can start planning the unification ceremony for next year."
Felicia wiped at her eyes as she kissed Talyn and returned to her chair. "I"d rather we do it as soon as we can."
Galene frowned. "Why? You"ve waited this long..."
"I"d rather no one question our baby"s lineage."
Fain wasn"t sure who was more shocked by Felicia"s words. Him. Galene.
Or Talyn, who stared bug-eyed at her.
His hand shaking, Talyn placed it against her stomach. "You"re pregnant?"
She nodded. "I was going to tell you later tonight."
His features pale, Talyn"s breathing turned ragged. "How long have you known?"
Felicia cringed. "A little over a month. I was planning to stay with Jayne and Hadrian once I started showing so that no one would know."
Because Talyn, as a lack-Vest b.a.s.t.a.r.d, would have been imprisoned for impregnating her. Especially given her n.o.ble lineage. The Andarion high court would have most likely castrated him over it.
"You told Jayne before me?" Talyn asked in wounded disbelief.
She cupped his face in her hands and offered him a sad, teasing smile. "I was terrified when I ran the test, Talyn. I didn"t know who else to confide in. Had I told your mother, she would have told you immediately. My brother and father would have strangled us both. My mother would have screamed at me for being careless and endangering you, and you would have insisted I get medical care without waiting, and they would have arrested you as soon as they confirmed the pregnancy. I couldn"t let them do that to you." She fingered the prison brand on his neck. "Not after the last time. I wasn"t about to take a chance with your life or your career. Not when I know exactly how pig-headed you are."
Covering her hand with his, Talyn shook his head. "It"s okay, Licia. You saved me from my own stupidity. Not like you haven"t done that a few times before." He kissed her lips. "I don"t want anything to taint this for you, baby. You know how much I love you, and I couldn"t be happier. Jail or no jail. And I actually prefer the no-jail option." He looked up at his mother. "You"re going to be a yaya, after all."
Galene walked into his arms and held him close. "Congratulations, Talyn. I can"t wait!" she said breathlessly. "I know the baby will be an honor to us all."
Feeling like an outsider again, Fain started to leave, but Galene reached out and took his hand.
"Where are you going?"