Cam leaned in, his words pitched low so no one, not even the tech in the room, could hear him. His jacket was slung over the back of his chair and he’d recently showered, the sandalwood and citrus scent of the shower gel he preferred swirling around her. He’d used the same brand since they were kids and old enough to buy things for themselves—a cheap dime-store brand that had seemed the height of luxury at the time. Cam wasn’t one to change things unless it was for work.
“Is it wise to play two alien powers against each other?” she asked, reaching for one of the glasses of water on the table in front of them.
Her stomach rumbled loudly as she drank, needing something to fill it. She hadn’t had a chance to grab so much as a coffee in her mad dash from Cade’s room to hers and then here. “I should warn you as well, the B’Kaar probably have access to all our systems.”
He nodded. “I assumed as much, which is why I made the call from the bunker.”
Putting her glass back on the table, she leaned back. Why she had doubted him, she didn’t know. The bunker was one of the most secure locations on this continent, buried deep below the slums in the southeast section of the city. It was ironic. Cam’s seat of power was under the very streets they’d escaped to as kids. But, as always, he knew what he was doing.
The screen in front of them cleared and a woman appeared. In a racer-back tank top with the logo of a popular TV series and yoga pants, she sat cross-legged in a large gamer’s chair. It was the kind designed for pro-users who spent days playing for profit. It was an older model, though, the kind Elise remembered seeing through the windows in the game lounges when she’d dreamed of being a data-jockey, and obviously well-used. One of the arms had a silver tape mend.
The woman ignored them for a moment and then glanced up and sighed in irritation. “No, Buchanan. Just no.”
Cam chuckled. “You haven’t even heard what I want, Raven.”
“Don’t need to. It’s obvious.” Raven waved her hand in dismissal.
The movement revealed the delicate skin on the inside of her wrist and the dataport embedded there. It was the twin of the one in the other wrist resting lightly on the arm of the chair, a tangled nest of cables trailing from it.
Elise hid her surprise. Those ports were viper-tech, the best on the market, and the absence of scars around them said that she’d had the best medical care to install them, which told a tale all itself. No one got viper ports for their first time. Usually they upgraded, more than a couple of times before hitting vipers, which always meant residual scarring from each installation… unless you had a shit ton of money.
It also meant this woman wasn’t anything as mundane as a data-jockey. She was a full-on cyber-hunter, a digital bounty hunter who could and would infiltrate any system to find what they were looking for be that industrial secrets for a hostile takeover or tracking down the culprits in a sex trafficking ring.
No one was safe from a cyber-hunter. If you had secrets, they would find them. They were among the most feared beings in the Terran systems, capable of either bringing down armed authorities on a criminal or activating and turning their own internal security weapons systems on them.
“Do enlighten us…” Cameron offered, his voice mild and pleasant.
Raven hissed and one of the cables in her wrist went dark. She’d obviously killed one of the processes she’d had going to give them her more of her attention.
“You have aliens there. You want me to spy on the aliens, perhaps infiltrate their systems. Ask Duncan. I’m busy.”
Cam tilted his head to the side. “What could be more important than infiltrating an alien cyber-system?”
Her dark eyes bored into him. That was when Elise realized what was pulling at the back of her brain. They, Raven and Cam, had exactly the same expressions… the one she mentally called Cam’s "please hold" face… the one he used when he was waiting for the other to make a move, without giving anything away.
She’d only ever seen that in a select group of people—the Nomads.
“I’ve almost cracked Anselm.”
Raven’s words dropped like a lead weight into the sudden silence and Elise felt the internal battle waging in her brother. They’d been trying to bring down the Anselm Corporation for years.
She slid a sideways glance at him. What would he do? He was the president… would he favor a personal crusade over the wellbeing of the entire human race. Was it fair to ask him to make that decision?
His expression didn’t alter. “I’m reassigning you. Get yourself online and crack the B’Kaar systems. Get me everything you can on what they’re really up to.”
Cade left his rooms after Elise had left and headed to the gymnasium for his daily diraanesh. He’d completed his training quickly, and seeing that no one wanted to spar with him, he’d still made it to the dining hall before the staff had finished serving breakfast.
He hadn’t bothered to shower, half because he had still had to train and half because he hadn’t wanted to clean Elise’s scent off his skin. He didn’t know what the range of genetic alterations was among the party of Lathar on the surface. None of them would have the same olfactory range as he had, but some might be able to tell he had claimed his female, which was good. He wanted to shout it to the skies and announce to the ancient gods of his people that his female had accepted him.
A smile crossed his lips as he took his tray of food to an empty table. He was a mated male now. He should start making plans… gathering supplies and gifts for his mate. Things that would make their lives together easier.
The morning meal here was abundant with different types of meat and fruits, so he’d piled his plate, making sure to eat while there was plenty. No doubt there would be lean months ahead when such food was not available, so he had to make sure to take advantage while he could. The knife and fork were tiny, designed for humans, but he made them work.
Back home, secure among his own kin, he would have used his claws rather than fancy cutlery that would need to be washed, but here he needed to be careful. It was a good job Seren and Covak had relentlessly drilled proper manners into him. The thought of his cousin made him smile, wondering how he’d have dealt with all this. Marked in the manner of their people, he’d eschewed the idea of becoming an imperial warrior and become a mercenary instead. He ran with the Reapers, one of the most famous mercenary crews. Cade missed him.
A frown creased his brow as he chewed. He hadn’t thought much beyond finding his mate. The very existence of so many females still filled him with awe and wonder, and the fact that one of them carried the mate-scent astounded him. There were religious ceremonies to be performed to seek the blessings of the ancient ones on their union and ensure it would be fruitful… the protection ceremonies to protect Elise should she fall pregnant with his child. She wasn’t Vorr, so she would need the protection of the gods to carry a child to term.
He would need to contact his brother.
Seren had a human mate of his own. No doubt these concerns had already occurred to him, and if Cade knew their clan leader, he would already have answers. Any idiot could see that Gracie was his life. No way would he allow her to come to harm.
Perhaps they could settle together? Their village and planet had been destroyed by the cabal’s infernal machine, so they would all need to resettle somewhere. Plus, he’d like to introduce Elise to his kin. She would like Vaix, with his quiet ways and knowledge of plants, and Tarveth, with his qeraasa.