handed the link to Vasili. âLooks like you won, champ.â
âOnly âcause you fell asleep in the middle of your level.â
âYeah, sorry about that. Next rematch, I promise Iâll bring my best game.â
âYouâre on.â Vasili held his hand out.
After shaking it, Jullien rose to his feet and took a minute to pull a ragged scarf from his pocket. He wrapped it around his neck to disguise his identifiable scars, then covered his eyes with a pair of opaque sunglasses so that no one could tell they were human. Raking his hands through his hair, he smoothed it down and caught her looking at him. âYou think I donât know about my eyes? Theyâve been causing me grief since the moment I opened them at birth.â
âI think theyâre a beautiful shade of green.â
âFor a human. Maybe. Sucks if you happen to have a set of Andarion fangs and height. And they seriously blow if youâre trying to blend on Andaria.â He pulled his jacket back and secured it so that he could reach his weapons should he need them. âWhen I first started this fun vacation, I had contacts to disguise them for awhile, but I couldnât afford to keep getting new ones. And couldnât find an optometrist willing to work with me off record. They always want to pull and post medical files. For that matter, Iâd kill for the creds to buy a new pair of prescription glasses. I really miss being able to see clearly.â
Ushara had the hardest time believing that. His mother and father were two of the richest beings alive, who controlled two of the wealthiest empires in the Nine Worlds. âYour parents really cut you off?â
âDonât know, honestly. Last time I tried to access my accounts, I was told they were frozen by the authoritiesâwhich would be my parentsâ governments, and before I could clear the building where I was staying, five assassins were on me. I barely got out alive. Decided it wasnât worth another try.â
âIâm sorry.â
âDonât be. We all have problems. As my father said, I made my bed and since my favorite pastime was wallowing in my sheets, he hoped I enjoyed the ones Iâd picked out.⦠For the record? They really chafe. Especially my tender places. And donât even ask about the super wedgie they give me when I walk.â
She let out a short laugh. âHow can you make light of it?â
He shrugged. âWhat good is crying? I tried it once. Made my throat sore and gave me a head cold. Pissed off my grandmother to no end who decided there was never any real reason to cry unless she personally gave me one. After that precious, life-altering ass-beating, I decided it was easier to hold it in.â
Someone knocked on the door before they slid it open. âAdmiral? Are you leaving?â
Ushara nodded at Letia. âWeâre right behind you.â She turned back toward Jullien. Shabby elegance. Sheâd heard that term her entire life, but sheâd never fully understood it.
Until now.
He was the epitome of the term. A luscious, evocative, walking contradiction. Ruggedly masculine and yet at the same time refined and educated. His smooth, lilting accent and perfectly chiseled features didnât mesh with his worn-out clothing.
Human eyes with Andarion features. Gallows, facetious humor, and charming mannerisms â¦
âYou ready?â
âLead me to the flaying, mu tara .â
Gods, she hoped he was still joking and not psychic. Taking Vasiliâs hand, she led them from the ship and into the landing bay. Luckily, it was the middle of night here so there werenât many about.
Of course, being pirates, activity would pick up in about another hour. Most of them tended to work in the wee hours of the morning. But it was still a bit early before her brethren did their best work.
She headed for the main office. There were only a handful of workers there.
Geoff Dyer
M. Lauryl Lewis
Rob Blackwell
Justine Davis
Brian Freeman
Cindy K. Green
Paula Quinn
Marita A. Hansen
Pierre Boulle
Sarah Mayberry