Page 35 of Needed in the Night (The Fortusian Mates, #2)
MIKAS
Once we finished bathing and cleaning, we opened the door of our suite to find travel cases in the hallway packed with clothing and toiletries for each of us.
Everything in my case smelled of Madame Ycari, while Isla’s new clothes carried Pioni’s delicate scent.
All the clothing was quite practical yet stylish and could be combined to create a number of different outfits.
I happily discarded my clothing from the day before in favor of a comfortable shirt and trousers that flattered my build and accommodated my spines.
Rather than discard her own dress, Isla packed it into the case and selected a very plain and practical jumpsuit to wear instead. As she slipped her daggers into their sheaths on her arm and in her boots, I had to suppress the urge to shed my clothing and make love to her again.
Even after bathing, she smelled strongly of me, of us .
I doubted she was aware of it or of how profoundly her scent affected me.
My hearts radiated warmth as they had never done before.
And though I was uneasy about the dangers we faced, Isla had chosen to be with me.
I could face anything with Isla at my side.
I carried our cases and followed Isla from the third level to the ground floor. With every step, my mate’s contentment evaporated, replaced by the metallic scent of apprehension. This more than my own unease caused my spines to bristle.
We had stolen half a day of sanctuary, but now we must face the grim reality of finding a way safely off Fortusia.
“Any word from Brae?” I asked as we reached the bottom of the staircase, my voice pitched low.
“Yes. He doesn’t have anything to report yet.” She swallowed audibly. “He’s in the bar, waiting for an opportunity to slip into Nubo’s office, or for him to come out.”
I kissed her temple. I had to bend far less to do so when she wore boots rather than being barefoot. “Have faith,” I stated. “He will be all right. Shadowbats are masters of disguise.”
“It’s not just Brae.” She touched my hand.
“I feel all prickly, like someone’s breathing down my neck.
I get that feeling sometimes, and usually it means something is about to go very, very wrong.
” She bit her lip. “The day my mission on Ngara blew up in my face, I had this same feeling from the moment I woke up.”
“I too have sensed rising danger for the past several days.” I set my case down and squeezed her hand.
“I cannot say which threat is the most immediate—or whether there is something lurking we do not yet know about. We must trust our instincts in all things, now more than ever.” I pressed my lips to her ear and murmured, “That includes apparent allies as well as known adversaries.”
“I know we can depend on Ycari and Pioni,” Isla countered, her voice firm. “And if they trust Atlath, so do I. My gut tells me the danger is outside this building.” Her expression turned wry. “Unfortunately, so are all the spaceports.”
She waved her hand over the scanner next to the doors to the shop. They slid aside, revealing the dimly lit shop floor and the terrarium in its center. The doors to the market were indeed closed.
As we entered, Atlath emerged from the terrarium and waddled toward us. “Isla,” he croaked, and then dipped his head in my direction. “Mikas.”
“Good afternoon, Atlath,” Isla said, smiling.
Months after our first meeting, it amazed me how her smile made my skin tingle—even in the midst of so much uncertainty.
“Thank you so much for letting us stay in your beautiful Star Bird room,” my mate added. “We’re so grateful.”
“I must reimburse you for damage to your furniture, however,” I added, with an apologetic bow. “Please let me know the cost of replacing the bed and bedding.”
Atlath’s burbly chuckle made Isla’s smile grow. “I am not concerned,” he said.
“We certainly have to pay someone back for all this.” Isla gestured at our travel cases. “Everyone has been so kind to us.”
“These are gifts.” Atlath burbled again. “A traditional Prylothian blessing on your mating.”
Isla’s blush melted my hearts and forced me to smother a chuckle.
“Isla and I want to immigrate to Jakora,” I informed our host. “We will need passage on transports to at least one or two major transit hubs to make it difficult for anyone who attempts to track us. I have made arrangements for new identities for us, which will be ready soon. With those, we should be able to travel incognito.”
Isla blinked up at me. “Just since last night?” she asked, frowning. “I didn’t know you did that. When did you have time?”
Unlike my beautiful mate, I could not blush, but my face suddenly became warmer than usual. “I am sorry I forgot to tell you. I began making arrangements a few days ago.”
I worried she would be troubled by this news or find my actions presumptuous, but she slipped her hand into mine and squeezed.
“I can help with travel.” Atlath waddled to a counter near the rear of the shop and patted a small case—the kind often used by couriers. “I contacted my homeworld and arranged diplomatic credentials for both of you.”
My breath caught. Isla gasped.
Atlath opened a second case and showed us a pair of hexagonal medallions bearing an official seal. “These identify you as my emissaries. You will travel protected by Prylothian and interplanetary law.”
“Atlath, this is too much,” Isla protested.
“It is not.” He grunted and shut the lid of the second case. “You are now my employees. Your task is to deliver this case to the Prylothian embassy on whatever planet you choose as your new home.”
“What is in the case?” I asked.
“Nothing dangerous, or even top-secret.” Atlath burbled in the way I had learned was the equivalent of a laugh. “It contains sand from a Fortusian beach. A traditional gesture of mutual respect between ambassadors living on different worlds.”
“All this because you liked my singing and Mikas’s bartending?” Isla asked, her eyes shimmering. “We’re so grateful for everything you’ve done, but?—”
“I have been lonely since my mate died,” Atlath croaked. “Mikas’s hospitality at Zaa’ga gave me solace. And when you sang, I rediscovered happiness.”
My mate’s tears spilled over. I squeezed her hand and stroked it with my thumb to comfort her with my strength and love.
“I grieve because you are leaving,” Atlath continued, “but your love reminds me of my early days with my mate. You should live happily, away from Nubo Wex.” He burbled. “I will find another bar. ”
For three years I had served Atlath and cleaned the pool in which he sat and had no inkling of his heartache or what drew him to Zaa’ga several nights a week.
I certainly had not realized fulfilling the duties of my job had provided comfort.
He had never tipped me for my service, but leapt at the opportunity to repay us with a gift with value far beyond any amount of money he might have put in my tip jar.
Evil acts caused great pain. Like ripples in a pond, that pain affected more than the victims of those acts. Isla and I knew that harsh truth very well.
But it was also true that acts of selflessness and kindness created ripples too, even when we were not aware of it.
Those ripples were at least as strong as those made by evil acts and had just as much to do with the facts Isla’s hand was now in mine and we had the means to travel in what I hoped would be relative safety—especially if we had new identities and took sensible precautions.
My wristcomm signaled I had a message from my friend from the Corps.
“Our identification kits are nearly complete,” I told Isla after I read the short transmission. “We must choose our pseudonyms from this list or allow my contact to select for us.”
“Let me look.” She scrolled through the names my friend had offered as options.
With every moment, the sour note of her unhappiness grew. Given our earlier conversation about her past, I suspected the reason for her gloom.
I rested my free hand on her lower back. “You are always Isla,” I reminded her. “I am always your Mikas. Whatever our official identification states, we know each other’s hearts.”
She rested her head against my chest. “Efre Vorda,” she said softly, looking up from the screen of my wristcomm. “I like how that sounds. ”
“Would you like to choose my name?” I kissed her hair. “I have no preference.”
My request elicited a smile. She scanned the list, tapping her lower lip with her fingertip and murmuring the names to herself.
“Pelles Vertak,” she said finally. “Efre and Pelles. Those sound nice together, don’t you think?”
“A perfect choice.” I sent those names back to my friend and received confirmation that within the hour the identifications would be ready for use.
Atlath, meanwhile, had selected a pipe of wine from a shelf and brought it to the counter. He reached under the counter and brought out five glasses: two large, two medium-sized, and one very small.
“While we wait for word from your contact, will you join me for a drink?” Atlath asked, opening the pipe with a flourish.
“Of course,” I said. “Is someone joining us?”
“Yes.” Atlath filled the smaller glasses first and then the large ones. “Pioni and Madame Ycari will be here soon. Ycari wishes to see you off and Pioni plans to accompany you to the port.”
“Oh, good.” Isla’s mood improved instantly. “I really wanted to thank them and say goodbye. I was afraid I wouldn’t get a chance.”
I recalled her story of how she had left the palace on Agicord without being able to speak to her lover, who had helped her find a way to escape.
I started to tuck her against my side just as her eyes widened. “The perfume,” she gasped. “I haven’t put it on yet.”
She opened her case and searched until she found the wooden box from Ycari’s shop. “When Ycari comes, I want to be able to tell her how much I love the scent,” she said, looking up at me as she opened the box. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not,” I assured her. “Please, go ahead. ”