Blue solace complete ser.., p.112
Blue Solace: Complete Series Boxset, page 112
His mate was pretty good with his phasers. He quickly picked off any of the enemy soldiers that approached, firing shot after shot into their shields to deactivate them before finishing the soldiers off.
“Impressive, Finn,” he whispered.
“That was Rufus,” Finn whispered back, sounding amused. “I told you he’s good backup.”
Crow snorted and focused on the fighting. He chose targets far off and took as many as he could out. Unfortunately, the fighting reached a peak at the entrances of the main house and the Charybdis Station soldiers had to activate visibility to prevent being hit by friendly fire.
Finn’s shield shimmered, then Crow could see him completely. His mate leaned up and kissed him. “Be careful.” Finn turned to the fighting and crouched low.
“What are you doing?” Crow asked, firing his rifle towards his target near the window of the estate.
Finn didn’t answer. Instead, he leapt high into the air and landed on the back of a soldier trying to slice through Brisco. He slit the man’s throat and practically somersaulted through the air to cut down another of the estate soldiers.
Rufus trailed after him, firing into the bodies below the bot.
“What the fuck?” Parker’s words echoed Crow’s thoughts. Neither of them had time to figure out how Finn had done it.
Crow found a good perch and focused on taking out as many of the soldiers as he could. He was shit with a blade but was a damn good shot. He focused on a man inching toward Finn and fired into his shield until it was down, then took the headshot.
Crow’s neck and shoulders ached from tension by the time the fighting was over. Finn was good, really good, but Crow’s heart pounded each and every time someone attacked his mate.
He tapped his comm. “Headcount.”
Each of his team members checked in. There were injuries, but no deaths. Thank the gods.
Parker scrambled onto the roof and crouched next to him. “Finn’s good, boss. He moves like he’s dancing.”
Crow grunted. Good fighters die all the time.
“The fighting is over. Don’t you want to go check on him?”
Crow mumbled under his breath.
“Huh?”
“I said I can see him from here. He’s okay.” Finn was currently directing his soldiers in securing the estate survivors and the medics in helping the injured. Crow’s mate rubbed a small coin between his fingers, face pensive.
Parker sighed and bumped him with his shoulder. “Boss, what’s the problem?”
“He didn’t need me.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.
His friend’s laughter didn’t make Crow feel any better.
Crow shoved Parker. “Shut up.”
Parker’s eyes twinkled as he chuckled. “Finn isn’t just cute, is he?”
Crow couldn’t stop his smile. “No.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Parker watched him curiously.
“You see that soldier down there?” Crow pointed toward a tall and muscular Dedril in a Charybdis Station uniform. The man’s eyes followed Finn even as he cuffed and secured another of Malone’s soldiers.
Parker scowled. “He’s eye fucking your mate.” He raised his rifle. “I’ll shoot him.”
Crow laughed and pushed Parker’s rifle back down. “No killing the good guys.”
“I was just going to shoot him in the leg,” Parker grumbled. “He’d live.”
“He’s better with a blade than me. He watched Finn’s back while I stayed up here.” Crow sat back and moved his rifle to his lap. “Finn didn’t need me. He had that guy.”
Parker groaned and flopped onto his back. “You’re really going out of your way to convince yourself Finn would be better off without you.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“You’ve never been wrapped up in being a macho man before.” Parker glared at him. “Now you’re doubting yourself because your mate didn’t need you to rescue him?”
Crow made a face. “I’m doing that, aren’t I?”
“Yes.” Parker kicked him. “You’re afraid of your feelings, so you’re preparing to push him away. Don’t be a dick, boss. The way you look at him is special. Give it a try.”
Crow looked back down. Finn’s brow was furrowed, and he wore a scowl. “Maybe he does need me.”
“Maybe it doesn’t matter if he needs you or not.” Parker kicked him again. “He wants you. Stop acting like my teenage brother and go to him, dipshit.”
Crow kicked his friend back, then crawled down the wall of the building. I’m not a fucking teenager. I just had some legitimate concerns. We talked it out like adults because that’s what I am. An adult.
A shot fired into the ground right next to the Dedril and the man startled.
“Whoops, sorry about that!” Parker waved from the roof, looking convincingly apologetic. “Rifle misfired.”
Crow grinned. Maturity is overrated.
Finn saw him, and his face immediately brightened. “There you are. That was some nice shooting.”
Crow flushed. “Thanks. You’re good with a blade.”
Finn patted the hilt of his vibroblade. “You should see Selene and Draif go at it. It’s fun.” He snuggled against his side. “A team already secured the house from the back. Verulo is cuffed but I’m not sure what to do with him. We don’t typically take prisoners.”
“We can ask Jada.” Crow tightened his arm around Finn when the Dedril passed them. “Free his slaves and confiscate his estate and other belongings on Rueal. He doesn’t have any kids, but there are some cousins, I think. Maybe hand everything except the slaves over to them?”
Finn nodded, looking thoughtful. “Okay. I’ll talk to Jada about it. We’re about to go find the slaves. Do you want to come?”
Crow nodded and walked with him through the wreaked estate. “Have the other groups checked in yet?”
Finn nodded, looking pleased. “Most surrendered immediately, but those that didn’t have been taken out. We took the longest.”
Donna, Bertie, and the others were all huddled together in the slave quarters. Crow could almost feel the shiver of fear that filled most of them.
Finn stopped in front of the group and smiled. “Donna? Bertie?”
The two slaves stood slowly.
“You really did it.” Donna started to smile. “You really came.”
“Are we free?” Bertie asked.
Finn nodded. “As of right now, you belong to Charybdis Station, and we do not tolerate slavery. You will each be freed and offered a place somewhere. We’ll talk more once we leave. Right now, I need you all to gather any belongings you have. Also, is our missing Vextonian here?”
Donna stooped down and helped a small, battered woman stand. The Wello hybrid’s face was bruised, and her eyes were swollen from crying.
Finn gasped. “Berenna?”
The woman stared at him suspiciously. “Who are you?”
Crow stayed close to Finn when he moved through the slaves to stand in front of the woman. His mate looked like he was about to cry.
“I’ve been tasked with finding you and the others that were stolen away. I haven’t found Ezvin yet, but I will.” Finn hesitated for a moment, then took her hand in his. “Ival will be so happy to hear you’re alive. He searched for you and Ezvin after you were taken but couldn’t find you.”
Berenna eyes filled, and she fell into Finn’s arms. “Can I see him? Oh gods, he’ll never forgive me. They took Ezvin from me.”
Crow wanted to hit something, but all he could do was stand there. I can’t look away from this shit, can I, Dad?
“Come on, Berry girl. I’ll help you pack.” Donna wrapped an arm around the woman’s shoulders. “You can tell me all about Ival and Ezvin while we do. That son of a bitch can’t get mad about us talking now, can he?”
Berenna shook her head. “No, he can’t.”
Finn swallowed hard and watched them go. He leaned into Crow and looked up at him, eyes full of tears. “Ival sends me messages almost daily, Crow. I can finally tell him I found her.”
“Maybe Ezvin is with one of the other groups on Rueal.” Crow had a bad feeling. It wasn’t normal to separate slave children from their parents. It was much more profitable to pay a little more for the children and either use or sell them at a later date.
A few hours later, the last group of former slaves left on a transport for the spaceport and Finn’s ship.
Finn was practically vibrating with energy. “We have so much to do. We need to process everyone and start crosschecking our lists to see who we’ve found. The Lord Admiral will be happy we didn’t lose anyone and found so many. Then there are the newly freed slaves. I need to get them somewhere safe.”
Crow shuffled his feet. “I, uh, guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Finn narrowed his eyes. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Crow fought back a smile. “Home?”
Finn didn’t seem too pleased with that idea. “My quarters are really comfortable and it’s late. You probably shouldn’t drive a shuttle after all that fighting.”
Crow tapped his chin. “Hmm, you may be right. Would you mind if I stayed with you tonight?”
Finn smiled widely. “It’s the responsible thing to do.”
Chapter 7
A few hours later, Finn struggled to keep his eyes open. It had been a long day, and all he wanted to do was go back to his quarters and see what his mate was doing. Maybe I shouldn’t have left him alone to snoop.
“I can’t believe we did it.” Wyther’s smile was almost predatory. “We found all six-hundred and fifty-eight Vextonians on Rueal and freed a quarter million more.”
Moyra whooped. “Now, this is a good start, everyone.”
“Leti is going to be busy for a while.” Finn smiled. While some of the newly freed slaves had requested a shuttle to Tammol or Aruta, a good portion wanted to go to Charybdis Station.
Nora, the lead medical doctor in the med bay, paused as she walked past him. “Lieutenant, you look like you’re about to fall asleep on your feet. Our visitors have been sorted and are getting the help they need. Why don’t you go get some rest?”
“That’s a good idea, Nora,” Weber said, eyeing Finn. “From what I hear, you were in the thick of the fighting.”
Nora arched a brow. “As were you, Captain. Perhaps you, Captain Wyther, and Captain Moyra should get some rest too.”
Finn grinned when the other three groaned. “We all will, Nora. Thank you.” He waited until she was gone before turning back to the others. “This is the first step, but we have a lot more to do. Nora’s right though. We all need rest. I’ll have Ignali notify all the captains to meet with me first thing in the morning to plan our next step. Get to bed.”
Moyra arched a brow. “Not all of us have a handsome man waiting on us. Maybe we want to wind down first.”
Finn tried not to preen. “He is handsome, isn’t he?”
Weber rolled his eyes. “On that note, good night.”
Finn waved them away as he practically bolted to his room. Even though he was exhausted, he was also eager to spend some time with his mate. They had so much to learn about one another, and he wanted another kiss, damn it.
Crow relaxed in a chair, freshly showered and dressed in one of Finn’s larger silk robes. He was on Finn’s personal tablet.
“Hey, how did you get into my tablet? I left it locked.” Finn narrowed his eyes. “Are you snooping?”
Crow looked up and smirked. “Yes, I am. I called Gus, and he helped me unlock it.”
Finn huffed. “Why would he do that?”
Crow shrugged. “You’re my mate, and I need to know as much about you as I can. Plus, he said something about you telling a woman named Doris that he wanted to have her babies.”
Finn flushed. “I may have had too much to drink, but to be fair, he does want to have her babies.”
Crow shook his head but kept his eyes on Finn’s tablet. “You have a lot of pictures here from Charybdis Station. They go back for years. I don’t see any from Cardinal’s Hold.”
Finn groaned. “We’re back to that, huh?”
Crow looked up, smiling. “Yeah. Then we’ll discuss all the delicious lingerie you have.”
Heat filled Finn’s face. “You really did snoop, didn’t you?”
“Yep.” Crow nodded toward the aerial silks. “Those are particularly interesting.”
Finn could already see himself performing for Crow, and his dick started perking up. “We could go straight to those.”
Crow shook his head. “Take a little time to shower and relax. Then we’re talking.”
Finn made a face and stomped toward the bathroom. “I’m only showering because I want to, not because you told me to.”
Crow smiled. “Noted.”
Finn took his time in the shower, enjoying the heated water on his sore muscles. He’d never admit it to her, but Moyra’s training sessions had come in handy today. He’d gotten a little lax in his own training while Hack and Selene had been gone.
By the time he finished his shower and was dressed in his favorite pair of dark blue lace boy shorts, exhaustion was pushing him, and he fought to keep his eyes open.
“Wow.” Crow’s eyes widened when Finn left the bathroom. “I’m a lucky man, Finn.”
Finn smiled and spun in a circle. “Like what you see?”
“Very much.” Crow set the tablet down and patted his leg. “Come here, fluffball. Tell me about your family. I didn’t see any pictures of you as a kid here.”
Finn hissed, ears flattening. “Do we really have to do this?”
Crow’s dark eyes looked sad for a moment. “I told you about my dad, Finn. My mom doesn’t much like me right now, and my brother just wants to forget everything that happened on Rueal. Tell me about your family. Please?”
Finn’s shoulders slumped, but he gave in and climbed onto his mate’s lap. Crow was the most comfortable seat in the entire galaxy, and Finn really hoped he got to keep him.
“I don’t have a family. Never did.” Finn rubbed his face on Crow’s shoulder. “I lived with a lot of families but ran away when I was ten. I hated feeling like a burden to people, and that’s all I was to those people.”
Crow’s arms tightened around him. “Damn. I’m sorry, Finn. My family has its problems, but I had a good childhood.”
Finn nipped the underside of Crow’s chin. “I met Amelia when I was ten. She owned a brothel near one of the spaceports.”
Crow stiffened. “Please tell me she didn’t –”
“She didn’t sell me,” Finn interrupted him. “She took me in and gave me a job in the kitchens. When I got older and wanted to work with the clients, she refused to let me. Instead, she trained me on the silks and let me perform.”
Crow looked again at the silks, his expression sober. “How old were you?”
“She started training me when I was thirteen, but I didn’t perform until I was sixteen.”
“That’s too damn young.”
“Probably,” Finn agreed. “I kept pushing her to let me work. I wanted to be just like her and the kittens.”
“The kittens?”
“The people that worked for Amelia.” Finn settled his head on Crow’s shoulder. It may be his favorite place, now that he thought about it. “She wouldn’t let me get into sex work.”
Crow looked conflicted. “I know why I wouldn’t want you to sell yourself, but why didn’t she?”
Finn chewed on his lip. “I didn’t know then, and it took me a while to figure it out. I was Amelia’s kid.”
Crow’s eyes widened. “Biological?”
Finn snorted. “No. I don’t know who my bio parents are or were. Amelia basically adopted me. The thing is, she didn’t know anything about raising a kid, and I didn’t know anything about family. She wanted better for me because she loved me.”
“What happened?”
“When I was seventeen, a Charybdis Station recruiter came around. Amelia invited him in and made me talk to him. Before I knew it, I was leaving Cardinal’s Hold.” Finn’s eyes watered. “I missed Amelia and the kittens a lot more than I realized I would. Everything was so different on Charybdis Station.”
Crow stroked a hand down his back. “There’s a lot of pictures of happy people on your tablet.”
Finn smiled. “I met Dannol in basic training. He’s my best friend. Kind of like Parker is yours.”
Crow leaned back. “Whoa now. Parker isn’t my best friend. He’s my sidekick.”
Finn snorted. “I’m so telling him you said that.”
Crow chuckled. “Okay, so he might be my best friend.”
“Soon after I arrived, Dannol and I met Selene. She was a legend on Charybdis Station even then. We would sneak into her practice sessions and watch her. She knew we were there, of course. After a few sessions, she made us start training with her. When we were finished with basic training, Hack took us on as crew. The Blue Solace became my family.”
“What happened to Amelia and her kittens?”
Finn grabbed his tablet and scrolled through his pictures. “See this Cardinal here?”
The picture was of a middle-aged Cardinal woman with bright orange hair and ears. She stood behind a bar in what Crow had heard was one of the best clubs on Charybdis Station.
Crow’s eyes brightened, and he grinned. “Please tell me that’s her.”
“Yep.” Finn smiled softly. “She sold the brothel to one of her top kittens and retired to Charybdis Station. She tends bar at the best club in the galaxy.”
“Does she know she’s your mom?”
Finn laughed. “It took a while, but we figured our relationship out. We don’t spend buckets of time together or anything, but she’s mine and I’m hers.”
Crow kissed his forehead. “I’m glad you have someone.”
Finn leaned back and narrowed his eyes. “I have more than one someone, Aiden. You’re mine now too.”
Crow was quiet for a moment, brow furrowed in thought. “How can we, Finn? You have a life on Charybdis Station, and everything I am is on Rueal.”
Finn studied him carefully. Crow’s eyes were tired and tension pulled at his mouth. Finn’s mate looked ready to run. He smoothed his hands over Crow’s cheeks and pulled his face down for a kiss, letting his tongue dart between Crow’s lips. When that kiss ended, he took another, then another.
