She inclined her head to him. "Thank you for taking care of my baby."

Fain choked on his grief at the fact that she refused him the honor of claiming Talyn as his. But then, what could he really expect?

Talyn was right. All he'd done was donate some DNA. He'd never once been there for either of them.

And that hurt most of all.

"If you want, I can show you to your new quarters. Help you carry your things?" He gestured toward Talyn's room. "He was dressing when I left him a second ago."

She pulled out her link and texted Talyn. After a brief pause, a blush stained her cheeks. "He's checking in with Felicia. They have so little time together that I try not to intrude on it." Biting her lip like she'd done as a girl, she put her link away and headed back toward her room with the s.e.xiest military swagger any soldier had ever possessed.

Now that was the sweetest a.s.s he'd ever laid eyes on or hands to. And it set fire to every part of him. But then Galene had always made him salivate. Always made him appreciate the cut of her body...

Knowing better than to pursue any of those thoughts, Fain had to quicken his stride to catch up to her. His Stormy had always moved forward, at full speed. With purpose.

He searched his mind for something to distract himself from the hard-on that was killing him. "So... do you approve of Talyn's female?"

She paused to open the door to her quarters. "Would it matter if I didn't?"

With Talyn's defiant att.i.tude, not really.

Fain cursed as he glanced past her and saw the paltry cell she'd been a.s.signed. While her room was slightly larger than Talyn's, it was still a dive-hole. This was ridiculous and it made him want to beat the s.h.i.t out of everyone who'd had a hand in it. So much for Tavali hospitality, and it didn't help that it reminded him of his early days with their order when he'd been a slave, or what The Tavali snidely referred to as a slag the lowest order of their society that was The Tavali equivalent of an Andarion lack-Vest.

Yeah, those were memories he'd rather not have. The Tavali could be as cruel and nasty as anyone else in the universe. Especially to Andarions.

"I'm really sorry about this." Fain reached for her duffle on the small desk. "Is this everything?"

"Yes."

He lifted her gear. "Then follow me."

Galene tried her best not to notice how incredibly s.e.xy Fain moved as she reluctantly obeyed. Honestly, he was huge and devastating, and she hated how badly her body reacted to his presence. How much she still ached for him in spite of what he'd done to her.

I so want to hate you.

No, she needed to hate him. But he didn't make it easy on her, especially when he was being kind. Just like when they were kids. It was what had made her love him to begin with. Unlike his older brother, Fain had never bragged about his heritage or used it to belittle those around him.

Ever respectful of others, he'd even given his school jacket away to a fellow student who'd torn the only one his parents had been able to afford for him. Because he was a War Hauk and more was expected of him than others, Fain had been severely punished by school officials for not having his uniform jacket. He'd taken it in stride and never breathed a word to anyone what he'd done or why. He'd simply said he misplaced it and couldn't remember where he put it.

She only knew what he'd really done because she'd witnessed him doing it from a distance.

And he'd borne far worse than that from his father who'd expected him to be a fierce military officer in their proud family tradition. His mother who had constantly berated him for any act of kindness or charity.

You're a War Hauk, Fain! For the love of the G.o.ds, remember that. Only the tahrs himself stands above you in caste!

But Fain had never cared about that. His heart had been one of honor and decency. And while he'd been as fierce a fighter as any Andarion male she'd ever known, he was always respectful and sweet to her. He'd rip anyone else apart, but the moment he laid eyes to her, he'd calm down to a quiet peacefulness.

Like a tamed battle-lorina.

As they walked on and on, she slowed. "Should I be worried? Where exactly are you taking me?"

He cracked a charming grin. "To the side of the station where we put creatures we actually like. You and your guard were a.s.signed slag quarters."

"By your father's orders?"

His smile fading, he opened a door and sighed. "I'd like to say no, but given what I know of Venik, it wouldn't surprise me. He's not exactly fond of Andarions. The last time any were here, they blew up half his station."

"Yet he adopted you?"

"What can I say? I'm irresistibly fluffy."

She snorted at that as she swept past him, then froze at the opulent suite of rooms. "Is this... correct?"

He nodded as he set her bag on the floor near a leather sofa. "It is, indeed. If you don't like it-"

"No," she said quickly, afraid he'd return her to the c.r.a.ppy side they'd just come from. "It's very nice. Thank you."

He inclined his head to her. "I'll have Talyn put in the room that's adjacent to this one." He gestured toward a door on his right. "You can open the door between your quarters. That should keep him in line with his barracks restriction."

Sadness bit her hard at the reminder. "Thank you. The last thing I want is for him to lose his rank. Again. He's worked and suffered enough already."

Fain opened his mouth to speak an instant before a blaring alarm sounded.

Galene scowled at the highly unpleasant shrieking noise. "What's that?"

"We're under attack."

All the color faded from her face. For a moment, Fain thought she might pa.s.s out as she placed her hand against the wall to catch her balance.

Worried about her, he closed the distance between them. "Stormy?"

She didn't even react to his old nickname for her. Instead, she grabbed the front of his battlesuit in two desperate fists. Tears swam in her pale eyes as she stared up at him. "Don't let my Talyn fly. Ground him!"

He scowled at her uncharacteristic behavior. "I'll try."

"No," she choked, shaking her head as she tightened her grip on him. Her breathing was labored and panicked in a way he couldn't fathom. He'd never seen her like this before. "You can't... I-I-I can't... Talyn has to stay here! On the ground. Do you understand? In the station. You hear me!" She was absolutely hysterical. "He can't fly into battle. Not again! Never... Never!"

"Shh, Galene. It's all right." Fain pulled her against him and held her close. She was literally shaking like a child. "I'm not going to let your son be harmed. I swear."

And still she sobbed hysterically.

What the h.e.l.l had happened to Talyn?

Her armband buzzed with the warning, summoning her to take command of the battle. Her breathing ragged, she stepped back to silence it. "I've got to go." When she met his gaze, he saw the terror that ran soul deep. "He's all I have in this universe, Fain. Please, don't let him fly into an attack again! Please! Keep him on the ground. Whatever it takes."

What did she want him to do? Shoot the kid? He had a feeling that was the only way to stop Talyn from doing what he wanted, and given the size and rage-factor of their son, that would probably only p.i.s.s him off more. "You're his commander. Order him to stand down."

She snorted at that. "He's too much like his father." She glared hatefully at him.

Wiping at her eyes, she pulled herself together to rush to the command center for her post.

Torn between his duty to protect the station, and a need to make sure she was all right, he ran to the hangar bay where his fighter was docked.

Hoping to make it out before he got into trouble with his child, he was halfway to his fighter when Talyn and ten of the Andarion guardsmen met up with him.

s.h.i.t. Fain closed his eyes and ground his teeth at the bad timing.

Of course, Talyn headed straight for him. Because, yeah, that was the kind of luck he had. "If you have ships, we can a.s.sist."

Effing awesome. Either he angered his son or the woman who held his heart in a merciless grip.

You're so screwed, Hauk.

Talyn sneered at his hesitation, misreading its cause. "We're not going for your throats, old man. We came to defend this station. We're allies who understand that a threat to one is a threat to all. We are Andarion. It's not in us to sit out during a fight. None of my soldiers will shoot down a Tavali fighter."

"That's not what I was thinking. I was merely considering the sheer number of body parts I'm going to have to fortify with blast armor should your mother catch you in a Tavali c.o.c.kpit."

The slightest bit of amus.e.m.e.nt quirked Talyn's lips. "She won't hurt you for this. I'm the one she'll beat."

Yeah, right. Not after what he'd just witnessed. It was his b.a.l.l.s she'd want on a t.i.tanium platter. "What about the doctor's orders?" That seemed like the safest excuse Talyn might buy.

"We're not lifting off from a planet. The G-force in a launch tube won't hurt me. It's nothing like escape velocity."

True, but...

Fain glanced around the Andarions with Talyn, who waited for orders. If he held Talyn back and let them go, it would impugn his authority with his soldiers. Make him look weak and ineffective. On Andaria, that was the worst sort of an insult to a commander.

She's going to geld me.

But he couldn't bring himself to harm Talyn or his reputation.

Knowing he was screwed, Fain jerked his chin toward his personal fighter that was faster and more maneuverable than most. "She's fueled and ready to launch. I'll a.s.sign ships to the others. What's your call sign?"

"Pit Viper."

Horrified, Fain went stock-still at the last name he'd expected to hear. The main reason being he'd thought Viper was long dead.

That familiar sick feeling returned to his gut. "Viper-Ichi?"

A snide smile toyed at the edges of Talyn's mouth before he answered. "Yeah... nice to finally meet you, Blister."

Minsid h.e.l.l. His son was the archenemy he'd once put a fierce bounty on with The Tavali. They'd faced off many, many times in battle.

Until about seven years ago when the Porturnum, at Fain's direction and under his direct command, had ambushed Viper and brought him down in one of the worst firefights Fain had ever been in.

Now, he understood why Galene had broken down the way she had. They'd blasted Talyn's ship apart with a weapon Darling had specifically designed for the trap they'd laid. How the h.e.l.l Talyn had survived it, only the G.o.ds knew. Nothing but genetic fragments should have been left of him.

That alone said it all about his son's superior skills as a pilot.

Talyn leaned forward to whisper, "Don't worry, old man. I never told her who shot me down. I'm Andarion. I don't hold grudges in war. We're soldiers. We know when we don the uniform what we're risking." Talyn stepped back and turned toward the young major who'd approached him on the Storm Dancer. "Reaper, you're with me. No heroics."

Reaper. The other pilot Fain had been h.e.l.l-bent to send to his maker.

And he was just a kid now. He must have been an infant in that firefight.

Pain racked him hard while he watched Talyn's uneven gait as his son headed for the fighter Fain had been flying when he'd brutally a.s.saulted Talyn and no doubt given him that limp.

Worse? He'd meant to kill him that day.

In that moment, Fain wished Galene had shot him in the head on his arrival. Anything to save him from this pain and knowledge.

How could I have harmed my own child?

Disgusted with himself, he was headed toward Dancer's fighter when he heard someone let out a shrill catcall whistle.

"Own that walk, s.e.xy Baby T!"

Talyn stopped midstride.

For the first time, Fain saw the boy really smile, at the sound of Morrtalah Deathblade's voice. "Morra!"

As soon as she reached him, Talyn gave the extremely tiny female a fierce hug.

The green-skinned Phrixian was so small, she looked like a toy doll in Talyn's ma.s.sive arms. She buried her hand in his braids and kissed his cheek before she finally released him.

Frowning, Talyn glanced around the bay. "Where's Qory?"

"Still en route to base. He won't arrive for a few more days." She tugged at Talyn's Andarion flightsuit. "Don't worry, precious. I'll make sure and keep that cute bottom of yours intact for Lish and your mom."

Fain watched the easy way the Phrixian interacted with his son as they crossed the bay to their fighters. She even held on to Talyn's pinkie and swung his arm as they walked. He envied her that casual friendship. The ability to make Talyn's stern features soften ever so slightly as they bantered. It was obvious Talyn liked her a great deal.

Sighing with regret, he showed the other Andarions to ships before he climbed into Dancer's fighter that had been delivered a few days ago when his brother had agreed to stay here and help him get settled back in.

When Fain called for clearance, he realized Galene had taken control of the battle. The sound of her voice in the background did the strangest things to his breathing. Her voice was deeper than most females'. And she'd always liked to issue orders to everyone. It had driven her siblings crazy. Made his older brother furious to be around her. Keris couldn't stand it and had b.i.t.c.hed anytime Galene visited.

Strangely, Fain had never minded. He'd always liked the fact that she was open and quite verbal with her needs and wants. There was no guessing with her. No games.

And as was evidenced by the hole in his chest, she didn't pull punches. With her, he'd always known exactly where he stood. I have to be a sick b.a.s.t.a.r.d to find that charming. Yet he did. It was one of the best things about her.

Not wanting to think about that, he launched with his squadron and did a quick search for Talyn's position. His heart raced as he realized his son was already in the thickest part of the fighting.

Sheez, no wonder Galene had been so insistent Talyn stay out of the battle. Had he intentionally gone for the worst of it? There was no other explanation for how much heat the boy was already taking.

Without thinking, Fain headed straight to Talyn's side to try and protect him as best he could. At this point, League fighters were everywhere. Of course, some of that was probably due to the a.s.sault Venik had made the day before on one of their outposts. The Tavali leader was using this war for his own profiteering. Until now, Fain hadn't minded. But as he saw his son narrowly escaping a blast that would have killed him had it made contact with his ship, he was resenting the h.e.l.l out of it. Especially when it dawned on him that none of Ven's children were in this fight. Two of them were tucked in the command center with Galene, and Ven's daughters and their crew were safely across the galaxy. Not even Ven was out here for the battle.

That was bulls.h.i.t. Fain had never put anyone into a fight he wasn't willing to partic.i.p.ate in himself. That was the move of a politician, and War Hauks were anything but.

Something proven more than true as he watched Talyn's brazen skills. He was both proud and horrified by how fast his boy maneuvered in battle.