Page 15 of Relyn (Warriors of Etlon #6)

Relyn

R elyn watched Nora pull on the clothes that he had replicated.

He was apparently a bad guess for size, because she seemed to be swimming in the top.

The trousers were a tight squeeze, but he could appreciate the way her bottom filled them out.

Nora gathered the ends of the shirt and tied them in a knot, pulling the fabric together so that it fit her form better. Not once did she complain.

As for shoes, there were limited options, so he opted for a pair of insulated slipper socks that would stretch and protect her feet from the cold floor. They would have to do until he could get back aboard Gale’s vessel and collect more of her belongings for her.

“Now, this was fun, but I really do have to get back to Terra,” Nora said as she pulled her hair back and ran her fingers through, trying to get some semblance of order to her dark locks.

The thought of her leaving him was untenable.

He knew Mahdfel warriors left their mates behind often when on a dangerous mission, or heading into a battle.

Usually they were given a few months to let their mate settle in and start making a baby.

Relyn wasn’t sure if and how this was possible, but if his existence was ruled by Mahdfel laws, and he had obviously found his mate, then it would follow that she could bear his children.

“Terra may have to wait,” Relyn said. “I have work to do here.” He pulled out a fresh set of clothes, and began to put them on.

Apparently, his body had dissolved the ones he was wearing yesterday, searching for new nutrients.

His knives and com were laying just under the edge of the bed.

He picked them up and replicated a new holster.

“I don’t,” Nora said. “I have a hundred and seventy-five students waiting for me to get back.”

Relyn didn’t even know where Terra was. He’d never heard of it before, so it could be on the other side of the galaxy or some far corner of the universe.

Either way, her students would have to wait.

Relyn was on the brink of successfully integrating into this crew, which had been notoriously difficult to do.

He could not jeopardize that for personal reasons.

It would not be fair to all those that needed his help.

“I have obligations here,” Relyn said.

“I get that, really I do, which is why I’m not suggesting that you pack up everything and leave. I’m suggesting that I leave.”

“We will not separate,” Relyn repeated. “However, when my responsibilities are over, I will take you to Terra.”

“And how soon will that be?”

“I cannot say.”

“In Earth terms, that means you don’t want to say, because I’m not going to be happy with the answer,” Nora said, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him a critical eye.

“Earth?”

“Earth, Terra, same thing. They both translate to the big ball of dirt that I call home. Either way, I need a ride home sooner rather than… indefinite.”

His mate saw directly through his deflection. “I will think on it.”

“That’s another Earth term that generally means no.”

“I’m not sure I like this Earth.”

“It’s got its bad spots, but there’s no place like home,” she said.

“I would not know. I do not have a home. Caldar has promised me a place on Sangrin, but I don’t know if that is where we will settle. Do many aliens settle on Terra?”

She actually laughed at him. He cocked his head and crossed his arms over his own chest.

“What is so funny about that suggestion?” Relyn asked.

“Humans are a little on the xenophobic side. Very few aliens choose to live on Earth. I mean there’s the odd Mahdfel filling an administrative duty, but most of them stick to Shackleton Moon Base,” Nora said.

“So it a newer addition to the Mahdfel collective? Are there any Terran Mahdfel?”

“About twenty years, and I think we managed to kick the Suhlik off before they got down to messing with their DNA.”

Relyn was created around about the same time.

Was it possible his base DNA was Terran?

It was an intriguing thought. It would also explain why he was so attracted to his mate.

It was something he’d have to explore later.

If he didn’t show his face soon, and see if there was any aftermath to the fight, Relyn would be endangering his mission.

“I wish for you to stay here, for now. I will go and survey the mood of the crew.”

“I’m starving,” Nora said. “And I have no idea how to work the thingy over there.”

Relyn cursed himself. He’d let his mate starve for his own incompetence. They’d been mated for a day and he was already proving to be a poor husband.

The food replicator was something he hadn’t used much, as it was expensive and it took time to program in meals to its limited menu, most of which were tailored to Georgun tastes.

Food cubes were much less costly and provided him with all the nutrients he needed.

Relyn opened the cabinet where he kept them and gave her one.

“Oh goody. Emergency rations,” she said, but she popped it into her mouth.

“I will find you more fitting food in the future. But for now, it will have to do. Are there any of your belongings that I may retrieve from the ship if I have the opportunity?” He made sure to qualify it, just in case Rutra had posted security or he was waylaid in some other form.

“I didn’t bring much. Just more clothes, and maybe the pad with something to read. What else am I supposed to do in here? Twiddle my thumbs?”

He saw no reason why she would want to circulate her finger digits, but he nodded anyway.

“Perhaps sleep?”

“The last time I did that…” she trailed off, but he smiled at her meaning. The last time she slept his instinct had pulled him to her. Even before consciousness, he had reached out for contact and touched her foot. And then he had reached for more.

“You will stay. I will be back soon, and then, perhaps…” He let a slow smile creep over his lips as he imagined all the things he had yet to do to her. And he knew how to do a lot of things to please a female. With a sigh, he unlocked the door and then shut it behind him.

Relyn’s first task was to find where they had put the other two females.

He also wished to avoid Ketle. Even though he had done some good damage on his face, a few hours in the med bay would repair any of it, and Ketle had the credits for all the repairs.

Which of course, Relyn would get blamed for, even if Ketle had started the fight.

That’s how his mind worked. Ketle would be in a bad mood, and Relyn wanted to skip that battle for the moment.

The poison that he’d used was still a mystery, but if it had caused him to shut down completely to heal, most likely a Sangrin would have died from such a dose.

Not doing so might also open him up for questions.

He had an excuse planned… about how he wasn’t pure Sangrin, or possibly that he’d built up an immunity to a lot of poisons when he was younger.

All these might satisfy once, but they wouldn’t pass too close an inspection.

Relyn headed toward Xeron and Thred’s favorite hangout spot.

If anyone knew what had gone down, it would be them.

He checked his com. Xeron had deposited 20,000 credits in his account.

Relyn was pretty sure the odds had been more than two to one, but he wasn’t going to complain.

Making Xeron some cash would put him in a good mood, one that would be more conducive to offering up free information.

Sure enough, the pair was sitting in the lounge closest to the crew quarters where they’d cornered Bilks into a card game. By the look on Bilks green spotted face, it was not going well for him.

“Ah, the man of the hour. You cannot believe how many people have been wanting that hulk to get his reward,” Thred said as he stood and pulled up a chair for Relyn.

As he sat, he declined a hand that Xeron tried to deal him. He wasn’t planning on a long game today.

“This one’s got balls of steel and fists to match,” Xeron said, pointing to Relyn. “You didn’t see the fight,” he began saying to Bilks. The moment Bilks drew his attention to Relyn, Xeron shuffled the cards skillfully. Xeron was definitely an opportunist.

“So, we’re all dying to know,” Thred asked. “Was it worth it?”

“Smashing Ketle in the face?” Relyn asked.

“No, no. The pussy. I mean we’ve all got stale balls here, and fucking our way through our paychecks every time we get leave, but to just, you know, take some on board and somehow the captain doesn’t say shit.”

Relyn said nothing, which just made him more interesting and mysterious to Thred.

“So was it worth it?” Thred repeated.

“I find the fastest way to lose a female’s respect and willingness to spread her legs is by bragging and acting the fool.”

“So you have her… respect. A lot of it, eh?” Xeron said.

“What did Rutra do with Gale?”

“You want a threesome or something? Maybe some of that younger pussy?”

Relyn leaned back in his chair and delivered the most scathing look he could manage. Xeron thankfully got the hint and settled back down to scamming Bilks.

“In the captain’s guest suite, I think,” he muttered.

Relyn stood and nodded, tempted to warn Bilks, but that wouldn’t be useful in the long run.

The fact that Rutra had put them in the captain’s guest room would complicate matters.

It was the room on the right side of Rutra’s quarters and the only way to get through to it was to enter the captain’s quarters.

One did not enter the captain’s quarters without an invitation.

Well, he’d recently been accused of having balls of steel.

Relyn could then at least get a sense of the captain’s mood, and see if he’d blown the fuck out of his operation.

If he had, then he'd go with the backup plan, which included activating the virus he’d planted in their navigational computer, and then making a swift exit on the Adrastian ship.