Page 63 of Starborn Husbands

CHAPTERFIFTEEN

Treyu

Ilove my family, but I’m happy to leave them after a few short hours. No one drives you crazier than family and lovesick husbands-to-be.

Zhang and I walk—hand in hand, I might add—a convoluted route through the densely-packed forest. “Where are we going?”

“I’m going to introduce you to my associate.”

“I’m gonna be one of the cool kids? Thank you, Sir.” My cheeks heat at the “Sir”. I’ve been calling him that all morning, and I got used to it. I guess it doesn’t matter. That’s what I’ll be referring to him as most of the time, for the next few days at least.

He stands a little taller and I don’t regret it. After hours of walking, we get to the little cottage. It appears abandoned from the outside even though it’s retained its sturdy structure.

When we’re inside, there are telltale sounds of someone, no two someones, doing it.

“Fuck, Lanta. Right there. Right there.” That’s Gemini’s voice. I wish I didn’t know what his sex voice sounded like.

“Is your associate my brother?”

“I should have known they’d be fucking. They never stop. Never. C’mon.” As we leave, he pounds on the ceiling with a broom. “That should scare them.”

Yeah. Right. Nothing scares Atlanta, except maybe Gemini tears.

Once we’re outside and away from the sounds of sex, I see things I didn’t before, like Atlanta’s guardian jacket drying in the sun. I look around for his rifle though I don’t know why. He never parts from that thing. He’s probably kept it right by the bed.

I level Zhang with an expression that says, “Explain”.

“We … brought Atlanta with us. He drank from the cup. He healed quickly since he’s not inhibited, apparently.”

“Know what? Don’t even care what went on. I’m just glad he’s here.”

Gemini beckons us from the door wrapped in a blanket. Atlanta’s inside in nothing but a pair of blue jeans and I guess since he’s illegal in the first place, it doesn’t matter that he’s smuggled jeans into the Nebuli. Yep, there it is now. His other sweetheart, rested within reach. My brother’s an odd mix of paranoid and not. Calculated recklessness he calls it. He wouldn’t leave this house without checking for goons, but if you’ve got it coming to you from him, you’ll know it. He’d probably send you a cake with “you are so fucked, sincerely, Atlanta Orion” written on it.

He looks too happy to be my brother. Drinking from a glass jar filled with juice, he pulls Gemini to him as he hops his ass onto the counter. Gem sinks into him.

Gem’s unabashedly in love with him. My brother is besotted. It doesn’t seem real.

“Good news, bro. That child? She was real, but the body was too dead to have been there when you were. She looked like she died of … I dunno. A disease, maybe? Definitely not collateral after an explosion.”

My heart lifts.

Zhang glares. “You should have waited. You could have been caught. Why are Orions so damn reckless?”

“Calculated recklessness,” I say in defense of my brother. This is awesome. “Atlanta knows what he’s doing.”

Atlanta exchanges a look with Gem, and it alerts my radar. Atlanta will hide shit, but it’s hard to catch him.

“Spill, Atlanta,” I say.

He rubs the back of his bald head. “It was nothing. Just some guy with weird fucking eyes. They creeped me out.”

“Some guy that’s gonna rat you out?”

“Nah. Just a lab tech. He thought I was Phoenix. He helped me. Look, you’re going to be cleared and that’s what matters. Wedding’ll be off in a heartbeat if we can get someone who’s not the Guild to look into it.”

I swallow. “Yeah. Wow. Dodged a fucking bullet.” I squeeze Zhang’s hand and refuse to let it go.

Zhang nods. “I’ll do my part. We’ll have it cleared up by tomorrow. I’ll request to see the body, and have Father take a look.”