Blue solace complete ser.., p.100
Blue Solace: Complete Series Boxset, page 100
“What the hell is this?” Lucas asked, pulling up short at the tram.
The shuttle tram platform was full of Charybdis Station citizens, all wearing worried expressions. Enforcement kept them from entering the neighborhood, but Lucas could tell the visitors were frightened.
“Damn it,” Draif said, quietly. “I didn’t think about how the public would react.”
“I don’t think anyone did,” Lucas said. “If they had, the Council would have made an announcement right away. We don’t want our people panicking.”
Draif stepped up to the front of the crowd and held his hands up. “Can I have your attention for a moment?”
The sea of people quieted down.
Lucas smiled happily, tail swishing. His mate loved taking charge and looked damn good doing it.
“I know many of you, but not everyone. I’m Captain Draif Ando of the Blue Fleet. I’m a close friend of the Lord Admiral’s family. I know you’re all concerned for him and for the station. The Council will release a formal statement soon, but they are stepping up to ensure the station runs smoothly until our Lord Admiral is able to return to his position.”
“He will return, won’t he?” The Grell asking the question had a dish of food in his hands.
“Yes,” Draif said firmly.
“Are Renee and his grandkids alright?” The woman carried a dish of food too.
“They’re as well as can be expected,” Draif said. “I see many of you have food and other thoughtful gifts. Please leave them here, and I’ll have someone come get them. I know Renee and the kids will appreciate your generosity, but they need privacy right now. I, for one, plan on sharing that delicious-looking casserole with Rizzie. She loves potatoes.”
The man carrying the casserole grinned proudly. “It’s my family’s recipe.”
Draif smiled softly and nodded. “We’ll make sure to update everyone soon. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to message me. I’ll do my best to help.”
People started handing the enforcement officers their gifts and piling back onto the tram. Lucas messaged Alex, telling him to send someone to pick up what the crowd had left. He noted each person looked relieved.
Draif made his way back to Lucas.
Lucas tilted the shorter man’s face up and gently kissed him. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
Draif chuckled. “Yeah. This morning when I fed Wobble that carrot you didn’t want to eat.”
“Carrots are disgusting. As many wonderful things as the Human Diaspora gave us, the carrot isn’t one of them.”
Draif snorted. “Let’s go before we miss Abe.”
Lucas followed him. “What you did back there was exactly what was needed. That’s the thing about you, Draif. You always step up and do the job. I don’t just love you; I respect you. I’m proud to be your lieutenant.”
Draif cupped his face and stood on his tiptoes to give him a kiss. “The only reason I can do half of what I do is because you support me. I feel corny saying it, but you’re my rock. I know you’ll always be there. Even before I knew I loved you, I knew that.”
A man jostled them, then apologized before moving on.
“We have somewhere to be,” Lucas said, pleasure filling him at Draif’s words. That night, though, there would be a massive amount of cuddling.
They got on the shuttle tram and made it to the spaceport within minutes.
Lucas held Draif’s hand as they walked to the correct dock. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you somehow managed not to lie to anyone.”
Draif squeezed his hand. “I didn’t realize so many people would be upset by this, and I should have.”
“This wasn’t something you could control, Draif. Sometimes shit happens, and we just have to deal with it.”
Draif gave him a disgruntled look. “I like having control.”
Lucas grinned slowly. “I like it when you have control.”
“I bet you do.” Bendix’s voice came from the empty space behind them, startling Lucas.
“Why are you following us?” Draif asked.
“The Lord Admiral ordered me to. He said you were a target earlier too, so someone needed to keep a guard on you.”
“Why are you shielded then?” Draif asked.
“So I can hear all the good stuff. Now, Lucas, what does Draif use to tie you down before a scene?”
Lucas started laughing.
They reached Abe’s ship before he could reply, but Lucas knew by Draif’s glower, both Lucas and Bendix would get an earful when they got back home.
Dottie’s son was helping an elderly hybrid from the ship when they arrived. People stood among neatly stacked crates, some clearly family and others alone. All looked tired and emotionally drained.
Abe left the woman with a group and came to Draif, surprising Lucas’s mate with a hug. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Draif stiffly hugged the man back. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t save Dottie.”
Abe snorted. “Mom didn’t want saving, Draif. She wanted to help every last person she could before the monsters caught her.”
Draif opened his mouth to reply, but just sighed. “You’re right. She was so damn stubborn.”
Abe patted his shoulder. “She sent some things for you.”
“She told me she would,” Draif said, shuffling his feet.
Lucas stepped forward. “Hi. I’m Draif’s mate, Lucas. We’ll get a couple of shuttles and help you all get situated. The Lord Admiral set aside living space for Vextonar’s refugees.”
“I heard he was hurt,” Abe said, looking concerned. “HF sent assassins after him.”
Lucas struggled to find the right words. Subterfuge wasn’t his forte.
“Ask us for details next week,” Draif said simply.
Abe gave him a curious look, then shrugged. “Okay. You know, you kind of remind me of Mom. She would give you a hint of something, but nothing incriminating.”
Lucas had never seen Draif smile so brightly. “I’ll consider that a compliment,” Draif said.
Abe laughed. “Alright. Now, your packages.”
He handed Draif a small data cube from his pocket. “Mom said to give this to you. I have no idea what’s on it, but she wanted you to have it.”
“Thanks,” Draif said. “I’ll look at it as soon as I get home.”
“Mom said only you would know the security password. She said it was something she mentioned to you during one of your calls.”
Draif frowned. “I’ll have to think on it. I appreciate you giving this to me. We should get you all moved into your new homes.”
“That wasn’t all Mom sent you.” Abe looked nervous, then turned and waved at one of the people helping passengers from the ship. “I’m not sure how welcome your other packages will be, but Mom was insistent.”
The man at the ship ducked inside, and a moment later, he led five people and a dog from the ship. They were clearly a Wello-hybrid family. The father was close to fifty years old, and the mother was in her late forties. Their children looked to be around twenty, fifteen, and twelve years old.
The man froze when he saw Draif, his face draining of all color. “Oh gods, you look just like your mother.”
Draif frowned. “How do you know that?”
Lucas thought of Draif’s past and quickly did the math. “You’re Draif’s father?”
Lucas opened the front door of their home and set the bags he carried at the bottom of the staircase. The Depray family didn’t have much with them, but it was more than some.
He turned to Leander and his family. “Why don’t we sit in the living room and talk?”
Draif hadn’t said anything since he met his father. He seemed to be in shock. Lucas had decided the middle of a spaceport wasn’t the right place for a conversation like this and led them all back to Lucas and Draif’s home.
“Thank you,” Leander said and set down his own bags.
Draif’s eldest half-sibling, Tempest, shuffled her feet. “Do you want me, Innis, and Chay to bring the bags somewhere?”
Lucas smiled. “Good idea. There are three empty bedrooms upstairs if you would like to decide who goes where.”
Leander’s wife, Sybil, pushed Draif’s father toward the living room. “We’ll be right here if you need us, kids.”
Tempest nodded and grabbed as many bags as she could carry before leading her two younger brothers upstairs.
Bonbon, their fuzzy brown and white Vexal dog, followed them.
Lucas looked at Draif. His mate stood in the entryway, eyes glazed.
“Come on, love. Talk to me.”
Draif blinked. “That’s my father.”
Lucas cupped Draif’s face, thumbs caressing his cheeks. “You said he tried to buy you and your mom.”
Marmalade padded down the stairs, going straight to Draif. Lucas had noticed she always knew when his mate was upset.
Draif picked the chubby cat up and held her to his chest. “Mom’s master wouldn’t sell her, and Leander couldn’t afford me.”
“Do you want them here?” Lucas winced. “I kind of took over when I invited them.”
“Now Bendix will want to know what you tie me up with,” Draif said, eyes still unfocused.
“He’s not wrong.” Bendix’s voice came from the empty space beside them.
“Do you really need to be here?” Lucas asked.
“Guard duty, so yeah.”
“Draif?” Leander came to stand beside them. “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. Sybil and I can take the kids and go.”
Draif glared at Leander and stomped his foot. “No. You’re not leaving again.”
Leander’s eyes watered. “I didn’t want to leave the first time.”
“To the living room,” Lucas said and gently nudged the two men into the room.
“Oh, Draif,” Sybil said. “Your father truly didn’t want to leave you or your mother with that man. He saved his money for years, hoping to buy you.”
“That asshole wouldn’t even think of selling Gretchen, but he told me he’d sell you for two hundred and fifty thousand credits,” Leander said. “No one would loan me the money, but Sybil and I both saved every credit we could.”
“By the time we had the money, you had already been sold,” Sybil said, voice breaking. “We talked to Mr. Ando, but he increased the price.”
“I was with Leti then,” Draif said, voice soft. “I was okay. Leti’s my brother and my best friend.”
“Dottie told us about him,” Leander said. “She said she kept an eye on you too.”
Sybil looked around the room. “You and your mate have a nice home, and Abe said you were a Charybdis Station captain. You’ve done well.”
Leander’s sniffled. “I know it doesn’t matter to you, but I’m proud of you, Draif.”
Draif’s expression grew dark. “Why did you leave?”
Lucas wrapped an arm around Draif’s shoulder, pulling his mate close.
Leander closed his eyes, face pained. “Your owner didn’t want me near your mother. He made threats, so I left. I’ve regretted it every day.”
“You got married and had a family,” Draif said, voice hollow. “You moved on.”
“He did marry me and have a family, Draif,” Sybil said. “But he never moved on from losing you. Do you know how hard it was to save three hundred and sixty thousand credits on our salaries? Lord Ando demanded four hundred thousand, and we were almost there when you and your friend left Vextonar. Both of us worked as many jobs as we could, hoping to bring you home.”
“Tempest did too,” Leander said quietly. “When she turned eighteen, she got a housekeeping job with a Prime family. She put anything extra she made into the Draif fund. Even Innis and Chay added what credits they made doing odd jobs around the neighborhood.”
“The Draif fund,” Lucas repeated. He leaned over and kissed Draif’s head. “You have a fund, love.”
Draif’s wet eyes moved to Sybil. “I can understand why he would want me, but why did you help him?”
The woman raised her arms as if to hold Draif, then quickly lowered them. “Leander’s my life mate, but he cared a great deal for your mother, and he loves you. That means I love you. That’s how it works.”
“It never bothered you?” Lucas asked, a little skeptical.
Sybil snorted. “My life mate loved another woman before he met me. Of course that bothered me. Draif existing? That was a gift, not an annoyance.”
“I tried to hide the Draif fund from her at first,” Leander said. “I didn’t think she would want to spend so much on my son.”
“Stupid man,” Sybil said, rolling her eyes. “It was hard making a living on Vextonar since we were in the Lower caste, but we managed. We worked hard and saved every credit we could.”
“You should have stayed in contact with me,” Draif said, voice hoarse. “It would have made a difference.”
Leander’s face was full of pain. “I’m so sorry, Draif.”
Lucas felt a surge of pride when Draif straightened up and nodded. “You’re here now. You all will stay here until we find a place close by. If you will give me a third of your savings, I’ll invest it. That will get it to work making money for you while we find you work here on Charybdis.”
“My house is still empty, love,” Lucas said. “I think, by now, you know I’m not leaving.”
Draif laughed, voice cracking. “You better not.”
“Draify loo? Are you home?” Ma’s voice came from the front door.
“In the living room,” Lucas called out.
Ma carried a stack of pans and platters filled with food, and Lucas jumped up to help her with them.
She paused as she took in the sight of the remaining bags at the bottom of the stairs and the couple on the couch. “Who are your guests?”
“This is my father, Leander Depray, and his wife, Sybil.”
Lucas just barely caught the dishes as Ma released them and ran into the room.
Ma propped her hands on her hips. “Your father? Is this good or bad, Draify loo? They’re small. If you want them gone, I can take care of it.”
Draif hugged the large Grell, startling her. “I love you Ma. This is a good thing. It’s also a hard thing.”
She squeezed Draif tightly, picking him up off his feet. “I see. It’s an aching good.”
“They’ll be moving into my house,” Lucas said, smiling.
Ma set Draif on his feet. “It’ll need a good cleaning, I’m sure. Have you even seen the place?”
Lucas shrugged. “Never needed to.”
“How much are you willing to sell it for?” Leander asked. “We have the Draif fund, and since he’s no longer a slave, we could spend it on a house.”
Sybil eyes grew wide. “Imagine us owning a home, Leander. One right down the road from your Draif.”
“Oh, sweetie,” Ma said and pulled Sybil off the couch and into a hug. “We’re going to be friends. I just know it.”
Lucas grinned. “The house was a gift to me from our Lord Admiral. It only seems right I pass that gift along to my mate’s family. You won’t be paying for it.”
Leander shook his head. “That’s not right. I wronged Draif and shouldn’t be rewarded for it. Besides, you’ll be building your own family and need to think of the future.”
Lucas hid a smirk. He knew what Draif would say before he even opened his mouth.
“You didn’t wrong me, Leander. I’m not really angry with you, just the situation. There weren’t any good options. Yes, I wish you could have stayed in contact with me, but it would have put yourself and your family at risk.”
Leander’s eyes watered. “That doesn’t mean you should give me a free house.”
“My Draify loo has plenty of credits.” Ma finally put Sybil back on her feet. “He has a good eye for investing, and my boys know the importance of family. Poor Lucas’s parents died almost ten years ago. He could use more family nearby.”
Lucas choked on a laugh. Ma and the others had taken him in wholeheartedly. He couldn’t walk a hundred feet without coming into contact with his family.
Draif sighed sadly and rubbed Lucas’s arm. “Yes. Poor Lucas needs you both. Please say you’ll accept his gift?” He turned his dark, sad eyes on Leander and Sybil. “Please?”
Leander melted. “Of course. Anything you two need from me is yours.”
“Dad!” Chay ran into the room. The youngest Depray was a tiny thing. “Bonbon fell in love with a gray cat upstairs, and Draif has a dragon. She’s sitting on Bonbon’s head.”
Chapter 15
Lucas leaned against the cushioned headboard of their bed, and Draif sat between his legs, back to Lucas’s chest, trying different words and phrases to unlock Dottie’s data cube.
“How are you feeling about all this?” Lucas asked.
Draif paused for a second, before typing another word in. “I don’t know. I’ve always done my best to not think of my father. He couldn’t buy me, and he couldn’t stay. I knew that. I really did.”
“You wanted him to stay.”
“When I was a kid, I wanted him to sweep in and save me. By the time I was ten, I knew that couldn’t happen – there was no way. So, I left it behind and focused on my reality. That’s been my life ever since. Until I came here.”
“You didn’t have any hopes and dreams?” Lucas treasured every conversation Draif and he had, but now that he thought about it, the only thing Draif seemed to want from the future was financial security.
“No dreams or hopes that didn’t include protecting Leti. I wanted to learn how to fight to protect him. I wanted to learn diplomacy and strategy so I could talk our way out of problems. I wanted to learn business and investing so I could help him stand on his own.”
“What about now? You aren’t a slave and Leti has Hack.”
Draif leaned his head back and kissed Lucas’s chin. “Now, all I dream about is keeping everyone safe. Don’t get me wrong; I love you and all our friends, but having people to love means I have more to lose. It’s scary.”
“People die, Draif. That’s part of life.”
