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“Ask it,” I said after a moment.

“Does he make you happy?” he asked.

The tiny bit of concern in his voice spread warmth through me. My little brother cared about me, so much that he would show me even a little emotion. It had always been this way between us, even after so many years apart.

I looked up into his worried eyes and smiled.

“He does. Happier than I ever thought I could be.”

Kier’s shoulders relaxed just a little and he gave me a short nod.

“Then I am pleased for you, sister. A good mate is a wonderful thing.”

“It is brother, thank you.”

The captain walked in from his private rooms dressed in a casual pair of pants and a long sleeved shirt.

His short horns curled on either side of his head and his salt and pepper hair was cut regulation short, instead of long like most Zorestrans.

His Human parentage showed in his shorter stature and the brown eye color but the rest of him, including his bright blue skin, was Zorestran.

“Agent Vaughn, your message was intriguing,” he said, shaking my hand and then introducing himself to Sherrod.

We all gathered around the kitchen island, the captain insisting we all have some wine and small plates of food before talking.

“Now,” he said, wiping his mouth, “what’s going on and why couldn’t you tell me over coms?”

I glanced at Sherrod, who had remained uncharacteristically quiet during this little snack time and he nodded at me.

I relayed what we’d been through as succinctly as possible, stopping to answer a question here or there. When I got to Norris’ dying words, I turned it over to Sherrod. He followed my lead and didn’t embellish, simply giving them the facts we’d discovered.

“It turns out,” he said, “that the original patient had been King Sylthor’s fiancé.

His father disapproved, and so he had Norris use her as a guinea pig for the bio weapon.

The King marooned her and a dozen others on the desert planet Serahn.

From what little King Zireth knew, when the previous king sent K’Tavi to investigate, all of the ones sent with this woman were dead from the virus, but she was missing. ”

“Do we know what happened to her?” Chloe asked.

“We were able to track her movements to a mining colony one system over from the planet. She was an unusual woman due to the fact that she kept her face covered with an air filtered face mask at all times. The miners assumed she was sick or deformed. No one came near her because of it. That’s the last time we have information about her, that was six months ago.

No one has seen her since the last shift, the woman simply disappeared. ”

“And you say the GUP is looking for her?” the captain asked.

“That’s what we’ve learned,” I answered. “She is the carrier of a bio weapon of immense power. And now that Norris is dead, she is the only way to recreate it.”

“What about his research?” Chloe asked.

“He encrypted it,” Sherrod answered. “I know some of the best hackers in the universe, and not only could they not crack it, the damn thing self-destructed after three tries. Everything he knew is gone.”

“So, she’s it then,” Captain Drake mused, swirling his wine in his glass. “What do you want me to do?”

I glanced at Sherrod and he gave me an encouraging nod.

“Sir, I’m out of the GIB, a wanted criminal in their eyes, I can’t go near this anymore than I already have. I need someone inside the Gex-Corp to make sure the GUP don’t get their hands on this woman.”

“But what makes you think I can find her?” Captain Drake asked. “Furthermore, what makes you think I won’t hand her over once I do?”

“Because my brother respects you, sir. And he doesn’t give that to anyone who would condone using such a weapon. You’re the best male I’ve ever met.” Sherrod cleared his throat and I glanced over with a playful smirk, “Present company excluded, of course.”

“Thanks, sweetheart.”

“I believe you are the only one that can be trusted with this,” I continued.

“And I’d rather you find her before the K’Tavi, because they were after Norris and if King Sylthor finds out not only that his fiance is alive, but also carrying a weapon like this, he’ll be after her too.

I don’t believe anyone should have this weapon, but especially not the K’Tavi. ”

Captain Drake frowned into his wine, took a thoughtful sip and set it down.

My heart jackhammered in my chest waiting for his answer.

This had been a risk coming to him. His honor could easily make him turn both me and Sherrod in, or he could do nothing about the woman because he was loyal to the GUP.

He could say that the war effort required keeping this woman within the GUP, having the weapon on standby; all answers I might have once thought and orders I might have once executed.

But I wasn’t the GIB’s dirty little secret weapon anymore. I was done fighting their wars, doing their wet work. However, the captain didn’t get this far in his career by flouting the rules and going his own way. What if…?

“I’ll find her,” he finally said. “And I’ll figure out a way to keep the weapon out of everyone’s hands.”

I let out a long breath, my entire body unclenching. Sherrod’s hand rubbed circles on my back as I closed my eyes.

“I can examine the virus,” Chloe said, “try to find a way to neutralize the nanites. If Norris was able to do it with you, there has to be a way. If we can neutralize it and get it out of her, then we can destroy it.”

“Thank you,” my voice shook. “I…I know I’m asking a lot.”

“No more than anyone with an ounce of decency would,” Captain Drake replied fiercely. “Thank you for trusting me with this.”

I gave him a jerky nod because I didn’t trust my voice.

A weight that had been hanging around my neck for weeks was finally gone and I could truly revel in the freedom that Sherrod had been feeling since we defeated Cypher.

This was the last duty I had to discharge; whatever happened after this wasn’t my responsibility.

Now, it was just me and Sherrod and a galaxy to explore.

“You are both very welcome to stay aboard for as long as you’d like,” the captain said with a welcoming smile.

“Thanks, but it will only be this one night. We have a vacation to take.”

“And a well-earned one at that.”

We chatted a bit more with the captain but he excused himself to begin preparations to find the woman we spoke of. Kier and Chloe asked us to their quarters for dinner and drinks, though Chloe was sticking with fruit juice.

“I crave this guava-like fruit since I became pregnant, the one that grows in the moon groves on Atavar,” she said as she waddled around her quarters.

“I remember it. I used to beg Gav to bring me some when he’d go to that region.”

“Father is preparing for the birth at the Ahn temple on Atavar,” Kier said, a hint of pride in his voice.

“I’m surprised you’re going to do that,” I said.

“Well,” Chloe took Kier’s hand, “things are slowly changing. And the elders of House Ahn are taking a great amount of pride in the work I’ve done on anti-virals at the Science Institute. They are…intrigued at the idea of welcoming our child.”

“And Father has assured me that security will be of the utmost importance,” Kier added with a small growl in his voice.

The dinner was wonderful, but whether it was the relief of finally passing on this task to Captain Drake or the fact that I was still healing, or both, I was exhausted earlier than expected.

Kier assured me he would keep us up to date on their progress finding the woman, and gave me a tight hug before we left.

“The captain is correct,” he whispered to me, “you have earned rest. Please take it.”

“I will, and you take care of my niece or nephew, let me know when I can come meet them.”

Kier’s dark eyes twinkled and he leaned in.

“I have not told Chloe because she has forbidden anyone from revealing the sex of our child, but it appears to be a female.”

The thought of Kier with a daughter made me unexpectedly tear up and I turned away from him, sure that he would be uncomfortable with such a display of emotion.

“Do not worry, sister, I too expressed joy at learning of it.”

That made me laugh out loud and I had to give Chloe one last hug before following Sherrod to our room.

Once we were inside, he gathered me to him, holding me tight in silence until we crawled into bed where he whispered lusty promises across my naked body.

Ever since he’d come back from the dead, I had become anxious when he was away from me for too long.

I hated being the clingy type, but Sherrod was practically the same so I didn’t feel too bad.

We were barely out of one another’s sight, and when we were, there was always a ping at intervals to assure the other that we were safe.

I ran my hands over his chest, fingers tangling in the chest hair he was letting grow a bit longer than he usually did, just because I liked it.

My cyber hand traced the scars from where I had stabbed him, and he held me tighter.

The memory of that would never leave me, even though I knew Sherrod had forgiven me.

So many things would haunt us both, but instead of suffering alone with the ghosts of our past, we could survive them together.

Maybe someday, we’d even be able to escape them.

“What’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours?” he whispered.

“I’m thinking of how my life has changed so fast. How having you in my life,” I caressed his chest and up to his shoulder, “being loved like this was something I had given up on after I’d lost you all those years ago. And now…”

“Now we have it and you’re afraid it will be taken away again.”

I nodded.

“It was almost,” my voice caught.

“We can’t control tomorrow,” Sherrod brushed his fingers against my cheek, “all we can do is appreciate the time we have. And I intend to appreciate the hell out of you.”

I chuckled at that and indulged in a long, slow kiss that left my head spinning.

“Any chance you’d start that now?” I asked, reaching between us for his quickly hardening cock.

“I think something can be arranged.”