And he didn't miss the fact that his son was every bit as solitary in nature as he was. Only where he'd chosen his path, Talyn hadn't.

Speaking of the beast, Talyn stuck his head through the door. "I'm heading to bed. Need anything before I go?"

Galene paused the photos. "Nah. I'm good. You're on first, right?"

"Yeah."

She got up and kissed his cheek. " 'Night, precious. Sleep well."

"You, too." He hugged her, then pulled back to pin Fain with a stern grimace. "Don't keep her up too late. I know all about how the two of you'd stay awake the entire night talking when you were kids. And she's got a long day tomorrow. Don't make me come back in here and separate you two. I mean it."

Fain snorted as Talyn returned to his room and shut the door. "Told him that, did you?"

"I told him lots of stories about his father."

"But never my name?"

"He knew. He just never asked." She smoothed the frown from his face as she returned to sit beside him. "Don't, Fain. I wasn't completely honest with you about the past. I was trying to hurt you."

"You succeeded."

"I know and I'm sorry." Her expression contrite, she sat back on her knees by his side and toyed with his hand.

Fain tried not to let it mean as much to him as it did. Just as he tried not to notice how warm and sweet she smelled. How inviting her skin was. "So why did you keep the Hauk Fight Night tradition?" he asked, trying to distract himself from the need he had to pick her up and carry her to the bedroom that was just a few feet away.

She bit her lip in the most adorable way. "I wanted Talyn to have something of yours. Something I knew you'd have shared with him had you known you had a son."

"Does he know?"

"He knows."

Galene traced the line of his eyebrows as she marveled at having him with her again. She brushed her hand through his braids that were laced with white strands where he'd bleached out sections. "What made you do this to your hair?"

He gave her a droll stare. "Got tired of being mistaken for Dancer."

She laughed, then sobered. "I've missed you so much."

Fain held his breath as she slowly leaned in to kiss him. His heart pounded at the sweet taste of her. At the scent of her perfume filling his head. He buried his hand in her braids and held her close as she slid fully into his lap.

He growled in satisfaction and cupped her shapely bottom.

Her hand was just about to hit gold when the lights came up and Talyn angrily cleared his throat.

Glowering, he stood over them like an irate parent. "Excuse me? No unification... no unification. You two need to back off and leave s.p.a.ce for the imagination."

Galene burst out laughing at the old Andarion sayings that parents used with their teenaged children. "Go to bed before I spank you."

"All right. But you two need to keep it down or take it to your room. You're kind of grossing me out. Really don't want or need a ringside view of my conception. If you're going to get any louder, please let me know so I can bunk with Vari or something. Sheez! You do know that I'm right on the other side of that wall, right?"

Galene gave him a dry stare. "We're going to bed."

Talyn arched a brow.

"Your father will be sleeping on the couch."

Talyn wagged his finger between them. "Okay, I'm trusting you two to behave."

Laughing, Galene laid her head on Fain's chest. As soon as Talyn had shut his door, she nipped Fain's chin. "Brings back old memories, eh?"

"Not really. Talyn's a lot larger than any of your brothers or father. Scarier, too."

"That's because he takes after his father." Kissing his lips, she rolled off him. "I'll get you a blanket and pillow."

Fain pouted, but didn't say anything as he admired the view of her shapely rear while she walked away from him. He should probably protest, but honestly, he'd dreamed of this too many times to complain about the fact that she left him with the worst hard-on of his life.

While it wasn't perfect, it was better than he deserved.

Fain came awake to the smell of warm coffee and something sweet. It took him a full minute to remember where he was.

In Galene's quarters, on her couch.

He heard her speaking to Talyn in the softest of whispers. Just the sound of that light whisper sent a chill over his body.

"Don't forget to play nice with The Tavali."

Talyn snorted. "I'm not three, Mum." He picked up a bag of what must be his lunch Galene had made for him and glanced inside it. Then in a very childish voice that was meant to be an obvious mockery of the words he'd just uttered, he asked, "Did you remember to pack some of those sweet cakes I like so much?"

She laughed. "Of course I did, and I put extra in there for Gavarian, too, so that he won't pout with you again."

"Thank you." Talyn finished his coffee and set his cup in the sink. He glanced over to the sofa.

Fain made sure to feign sleep.

"Does it bother you that I let him stay the night?"

Talyn hesitated before he answered her quiet question. "Do you know what I remember most about being a kid?"

"My nagging you to stay clean?"

He laughed, then sobered. "How many times you said 'I wish your father were here to see you do that.' You never once let me say a word against him. Not for anything. If I ever tried to blame him for being gone, you made sure that I understood you were the sole reason he wasn't around... that you'd made the decision to stay silent and that had he known about me, he'd have never left. Aside from Felicia, who tolerates my sorry, surly a.s.s, you are the strongest female I've ever known. I figure Hauk has to be an incredible male to win your loyalty and especially your heart. All I want is for you to be happy, Mum. So, no, it doesn't bother me to see him on the couch, if that's where you want him. Or anywhere else you want to put him. I'm a grown Andarion. You don't have to worry about my feelings, or tiptoe around them. You just worry about yours and know that if he hurts you, I will kill him for you and hurl his body into s.p.a.ce."

She laughed and kissed his cheek. "I love you."

"Love you, too." He gave her a gentle hug and left.

Galene turned everything off and headed back into the living room.

Curious about her intentions, Fain continued to feign sleep.

She came over to him and brushed the hair away from his face before she placed a quick kiss to his cheek and pulled the blanket up to his chin. Then she returned to her room and went back to bed.

For several minutes, Fain didn't move as something warm and sweet swept through him. He hadn't felt like this since the day she'd conceived Talyn. Since they'd lain in the shelter of the cave where he'd once played with Dancer and listened to the rain pelting down outside.

Warm. Wanted.

Loved.

Don't be stupid. You're the father of her son. That's all you are to her.

But it felt like more. Worse? He wanted it to be more with a desperation that left him so vulnerable it terrified him.

Pain choked him as he looked down at the tattoo on his bare arm. For years, it'd been his sole comfort. Memories of Galene and the hope that he'd done right by leaving her had been the only thing that had gotten him through utter h.e.l.l.

Now he knew the truth. He'd screwed her over badly.

As he started to get up and go to her, his link went off. He dropped it, then caught it before it hit the floor and alerted her that he was awake.

It had to be Dancer. His brother was the only one who ever called him, especially at this unG.o.dly hour.

He unlocked the screen to see a very short encrypted message.

ETA 9 hours.

Yeah, it was his brother, and that made him smile. He couldn't wait to meet this mysterious Felicia and see his son finally smile.

Plus he'd feel a lot more relaxed once Dancer was safe and he had one person on this station he could trust with Galene and Talyn's lives.

With Vega and War.

'Cause deep in his gut, he knew something bad was brewing and it was about to hit. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling. And while he'd been at war before, he'd never had this much to lose.

That was what made all this even more terrifying.

Chapter 9.

"F.

ain?"

Fain paused at the sound of Ven's voice. He turned and waited for the Tavali to catch up to him on the suspended walkway that connected their shopping area to the command and business sections of the station. "What'cha need?"

"We have a problem." Brax handed him a small chip. "That's a transmission we picked up. One of the Andarions is working with The League."

Fain put it in his ear and listened to it. It was the same transmission Talyn had intercepted earlier. "The Andarions claim it's a Tavalian."

"And you believe that?"

Why wouldn't he? "There are a lot more Tavali here than Andarions."

Ven shoved him back and grabbed him in one ma.s.sive fist. "You need to remember what uniform you wear, Slag-wart."

How could he forget? "I know exactly where to put my loyalty."

Ven tightened his fist before he released him. "You better."

Fain didn't move as Ven and his entourage moved off.

Disgusted, he headed into the commcen to find Galene and warn her about his encounter. But she wasn't there. Just two Tavali, one Sentella he didn't know that well, and Talyn and Gavarian.

"Commander Hauk on deck," Gavarian announced.

Fain gave him a droll stare. "You don't have to do that, kid."

"Does it annoy you?"

"Yeah, it does."

Gavarian grinned. "Then I have to do it. Consider it my duty and pleasure."

Talyn snorted, but said nothing as he continued to review reports from their allies.

Fain closed the distance between them. "Where's Galene?"

"Commander Batur's in conference with Tadara Cairistiona and Emperor Cruel." d.a.m.n, whenever Talyn went into his official military mode it was truly impressive. The kid was unflappable.

With nothing else to do while he waited for Galene to finish up, Fain listened to the newsfeeds with Talyn. Things were heating up everywhere. The League was out for their blood in the worst sort of way.

They'd attacked another Andarion outpost and hijacked a Caronese freighter that had been carrying medical supplies to aid those orphaned in the fighting. In better news, The Sentella had obliterated two of The League's primary weapons depots and freed a number of political prisoners who'd been wrongfully seized.

But things were going to get worse before they got better. Provided they all didn't get killed for treason.

Suddenly, the door behind him slid open to admit Dancer, Sumi, and a hooded female who was tiny for an Andarion adult, but that meant she was slightly taller than Sumi. And in keeping with n.o.ble Andarion fashion whenever the high-Caste traveled off-world, no part of her body showed at all.

For once, Gavarian didn't say a word to announce their presence. But the relief on his face was tangible. In fact, he looked like a pregnant woman who'd just given birth after a three-day labor.