Nykyrian smirked. “Right now, we are. Follow me.”
Jinx wasn’t sure about that. Following another assassin into a private area usually ended up with one of them having a bad day . . .
And the other one dead.
But his curiosity was riding him with spurs.
So, he followed him . . . with one hand on his blaster and the other on his knife.
Just in case.
“You do know that I outrank you, Quiakides.”
The half-Andarion scoffed, which really didn’t improve his mood or alleviate his suspicions.
Damn, Sav was right. They were the same height. Even had matching white hair.
But Nykyrian had Andarion fangs and because he was so much younger, his build was much leaner.
And he showed no signs of stopping any time soon.
“Are you planning to walk me to the other side of the planet?”
Nykyrian sighed heavily. “I want us out of monitoring range.”
He understood that.
Yet when the kid tried to pull him into a storage room, he stood back. “What are you doing?”
Nykyrian held his hands out. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Believe me, kid. You’d have a hard time doing that.”
“I know, which is why I have no intention of starting any shit.”
Maybe, but Jinx was still suspicious as hell. “Why should I trust you?”
“Because I know what the PM is doing where you’re concerned and I figured you’d want to know, too.”
Okay, those were the magic words. “And what’s he doing?”
Nykyrian jerked his chin at the door. “Come in, seal that, and we’ll talk.”
Even though it was probably a bad idea, he obeyed.
Then watched as Nykyrian took out a jammer and turned it on.
“Someone as paranoid as me. I didn’t think they made such an animal.”
Nykyrian wasn’t amused. “Aren’t we all?”
Probably.
Jinx kept his hand on his knife and folded his arms. “So, what do you know?”
Given that the PM was Nykyrian’s father, he probably knew a lot.
Nykyrian handed him his link. “Huwin found out who your family is.”
“Not like it was a secret.”
“No, but usually when a prince is conscripted into our service, they all know it and it’s documented.”
Like Kyr Zemin. Not only did they know, they usually treated them a little better, too.
But given that his world was defeated and no one there had any use for him, he’d never bothered to mention it.
Unlike Kyr, no one would care if he died. That was why he’d been sold.
“What has that got to do with anything?”
“You’re the legal heir for Eufora.”
“I know who I am. So?”
“If you went home—”
“I’d be killed or imprisoned. I have no political power or swing there.”
Nykyrian gave him a droll stare.
He returned that with measure. “Look, I’m good, but I’m not stupid. I’m one man. My brother has an army.”
“And you could sway that army or more to the point, rise up high enough in The League that you take Tobin down and use our army to get your throne back . . . that’s what Huwin’s afraid of.”
“Awesome.” Jinx sighed. “For the record, I have no interest in taking my brother’s throne . . . I’m done with politics.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“So there’s no way to get the PM to stand down?”
“Possibly. But I’m not sure you’d be willing to do it.”
That made the hair at the nape of his neck rise. “How so?”
“It’d take an oath of loyalty and you’d have to sign documents giving The League control of all your territories.”
Jinx snorted. “So long as the PM agrees to keep my sister safe, he can have it.”
“Your people will hate you, if you do this.”
It wasn’t like they didn’t already hate his brother. Tobin had taken them from one of the wealthiest empires into absolute poverty. The only reason they hadn’t been invaded and overtaken were the bribes his brother paid . . . which further bankrupted them.
Not to mention the real reason he didn’t care. “What have they done for me?” They’d stood aside and allowed his parents to be slaughtered, him to be sold and his sister to be imprisoned.
Fuck them.
Besides, his father had asked him to watch over Dakari. Not their people.
Nykyrian inclined his head. “Then I’ll speak on your behalf and arrange it.”
While grateful for the assist, he still didn’t understand it. “Why are you helping me?”
“Why did you break Jayne Erixour out of jail?”
Jinx drew on him. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, kid.”
Without flinching or attacking back, Nykyrian held up his hands again. “Yeah, you do. But don’t worry. I’ll never tell a soul. I just want to know why.”
“What makes you think I even know who Jayne Erixour is?”
“Because her sister is looking for information about you so that she can thank you for it.”
Flabbergasted that Eve cared enough to bother, he couldn’t even think of a logical lie.
Eve was looking for him?
That thought brought the strangest sensation to his chest. Jinx couldn’t even begin to identify what emotion it should be attached to. And it took everything he had not to show emotion right now.
“C’mon, Shadowborne. I’m not stupid. No assassin with your rank and skills would just casually throw everything away for someone he doesn’t know.”
Holstering his blaster, he shrugged. “I’m a dead man. What difference does it make?”
“Because I’m the one person who can call off the dogs after you.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Tell me why you spared her, first.”
“It wasn’t right or fair.”
Nykyrian nodded. “That’s why I’m helping you.” He pushed his sunglasses up on top of his head to reveal those disturbingly human eyes. “I’m tired of killing on command, and watching others suffer for no reason. I knew I wasn’t alone in my thinking and I just wanted proof.”
“Then we’re in accord?”
Nykyrian held his arm out to him. “I’ll get Huwin to back off you. His greed always overrides his paranoia. Do as I told you, and he’ll stop this stupidity.”
As he shook his arm, Jinx realized something. “You hate your father.”
He didn’t say a word, but the sudden, subtle stiffness in his grip before he released him, said it all.
Nykyrian stepped back. “Next time you want to help a civ, let me know.”
“Why?”
“I have a friend who can help cover tracks.” He held a chip out to Jinx. “You left a trail a mile long with Jayne. That’s the only copy of the footage and we’ve fixed the paperwork so that no one can tell it was altered . . . Fury.”
“Still don’t understand why you’re doing this.”
Nykyrian folded his arms over his chest. “I don’t understand why you did what you did, either. Guess it makes us even.”