Blue solace complete ser.., p.118
Blue Solace: Complete Series Boxset, page 118
Finn balanced on his silks, doing his best to focus his mind on holding the right position. Right now, he was hanging upside down between the two silks. Roxy perched on the bottom of his feet, adding her considerable weight to his own.
His door slid open, and Crow and Weber came in. The two men were talking and didn’t notice Finn at first.
“Your friends have come in handy.” Weber patted Crow’s back. “We’re moving the Vextonians far quicker than expected.”
Finn smiled. Crow had given them the idea to use a relay system to move the Vextonians and the other freed slaves to their destinations. It had increased transportation times by fifty percent, and several friends of Crow’s had offered to join in the relay.
“They were happy to help.” Crow yawned, then looked around, eyes widening when they landed on Finn. “We interrupting your meditation, fluffball?”
Weber’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. You’re just lucky I’m wearing leggings, Web.
“Nope. I was about done.”
Finn lifted one foot, and Roxy pushed off him. She flew around the room a couple of times, then landed on the bed. The glimmer curled up in the middle of the bed and closed her eyes.
Finn flipped and swung to one silk, then slid down to land on the floor. “Anything new to report?”
Weber closed his mouth and cleared his throat. “Uh, yes. Wyther’s father arrived today, and Ignali received a message from the Blue Sparrow. Dru says she’s bringing in a package for you and should arrive in the next hour.”
“Dru?” Finn grinned. “I talked to Dannol last night, and he didn’t say anything about Dru coming out. She must have left right after we talked to the Lord Admiral about Dramacus.” He moved to cuddle into Crow’s side. “I apologize in advance for anything Dru says. She’s known me for a long time.”
Weber snorted. “Plus, she has no filter.”
Finn looked down at his workout clothes. “I’ll shower and change before they get here. I wonder what this is all about. Maybe the Lord Admiral found something to offer Dramacus.”
“We could use some progress.” Weber rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck. “I’ll see you all at the dock in an hour.”
As soon as his friend was out the door, Finn pulled Crow down for a kiss. “Are you staying again tonight?”
Crow smiled against his lips. “Yes. Mom says I just get in the way at the villa.”
Finn’s head fell back as he laughed. “I really do love Diana.”
Ignali’s voice came from his comm. “Sir, there’s a call for you from Charybdis Station.”
“Thanks.” Finn tugged Crow to the vid-screen and they sat down.
Fire appeared on the screen, Jellybean perched on his shoulder. The Element’s cheek was puffed out, likely from cinnamon candies. “Hey, Finn. Is this your mate?”
Finn flushed. He hadn’t managed to introduce Crow to any of his friends. “Yes. Fire, this is Aiden Crow.”
Fire grinned. “Hey. I like your name. Leti gave me a book of Old Earth animals and it says crows are really smart.”
Now it was Crow’s turn to blush. “I’ve heard that.”
Finn grinned and shoved another piece of cinnamon candy in his mouth. “Jellybean and I called to talk to Roxy. We have a story to tell her and some of the other pets want to meet her too.”
Crow turned and gave him a baffled look.
Finn just smiled and nodded. Like I understand the inner workings of Fire. “Okay.”
He didn’t have to call Roxy. One moment she was sleeping and the next she clumsily flew across the room to land on the table in front of the vid-screen. “Meow.”
“Hey, Roxy.” Fire waved. “You remember Jellybean, right?”
Finn arched a brow. “Have you been calling my glimmer and talking to her, Fire? How would you even do that?”
Roxy gave him a lofty look. “Meow.”
“He can’t help it, Roxy.” Fire made a face. “Ignore him. Now, here is Fluffle. She runs the neighborhood. You’ll like her because she’s tough, but fair.”
Selene’s cat stood up, paws braced on the vid-screen. “Meow.”
“This is so strange,” Crow whispered to Finn.
“This is Princess Buttercup,” Fire said. Princess’s scaly red head appeared over Fire’s shoulder. “He has a lot of babies to take care of, just like Leti. Oh, Leti is his person. Sorry, I know this can get confusing.”
Crow’s eyes were wide. “Is that a Fire Veil dragon?”
Finn stood up. “We’ll let you all talk. Nice to see you again, Fire.”
Fire waved at him, smiling. “You too.” He turned back to Roxy when Gravy appeared at Fire’s side. “This is Gravy. He lives with Princess because his person is Hack, and Hack is mated to Leti.”
Finn shook his head and tugged Crow away. “Let me shower and we’ll go wait at the docks.”
Crow snickered. “How often does he call to talk to Roxy?”
“I don’t know.” Finn sighed. “It’s a good thing I love Fire.”
An hour later, Finn and Crow stood with Weber and the other captains on the docks as Dru’s ship landed. Finn wasn’t sure what Dru had brought, but he was looking forward to showing Crow off to his friend.
The docking clamps locked onto the Blue Sparrow, and Finn tried not to bounce in place as he waited for the ramp to lower.
An excruciating number of minutes passed before the ramp finally lowered. Finn yelled and ran toward it when he saw a familiar face. “Amelia!”
The red-haired Cardinal raced down the ramp to meet him, hugging him tightly to her chest. “Oh, my Finn. Look at you! Where’s your mate? I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you found him. I had to hear it from Ma Brackenstone. How do you think that makes me look?”
“Ma’am.” Crow’s deep voice came from behind them.
Amelia’s eyes widened, and she smiled slyly. “Oh, Finn. You did well.”
“Quit eyeing my man.” Finn pinched her hip. “All that gorgeous perfection is mine.”
Amelia arched a brow. “I saw how you practically swooned when you met. Maybe he needs a more mature woman.”
Finn wrinkled his nose. “Who showed you?”
“It’s all over the station.” Amelia rolled her eyes. “You are ridiculous.” She spun him around. “Let me chat with your mate while you see who else decided to come.”
“What?” Finn looked back at Dru’s ship, and his eyes widened at the sight of a large, purple Grell. “Lord Admiral? Who the hell let you off the station without an escort?”
Fasi groaned. “Renee and the boys have all yelled at me plenty. I am perfectly safe, and I have shit to do.”
Dru and the rest of her crew stood around Fasi, eyes scanning the docks. There were quite a few more than usual, so at least they had added security.
Finn narrowed his eyes on Fasi. “What are you up to?”
Fasi sniffed. “Is that any way to greet your illustrious leader?” He pulled Finn into a hug. “We’ve missed you, son.”
Dru poked Fasi’s arm after a moment. “My turn.” Her Vexal newt, Monty, perched on her shoulder.
Finn laughed when his friends passed him around, hugging him tightly each time.
Morgan and he hugged a little longer. “You still have her medallion?”
“It’s in my pocket,” Finn whispered. “I miss her.”
“Me too.”
Fasi patted his back. “Let’s get onboard the Blue Albatross and meet with your captains.” He waved his head toward the ramp. Death and his son Wyatt stood at the top. “We have something to offer Dramacus.”
The two men had once looked very similar to one another. They were both a bit plain looking and of average height. At one time, they had shared their brown hair and eyes and tan skin. Now, though, Death was pale skinned with almost white hair and solid black eyes.
Wyatt though… Something was different. Finn’s eyes stayed glued to Wyatt. “Morgan, is your mate pregnant?”
Morgan’s grin lit up his face. “We just found out. How did you know?”
Wyatt leaned into his father’s side and whispered something to him. The young man’s skin practically glowed with happiness, and his hand rested on his abdomen.
“It wasn’t hard to guess,” Finn said wryly.
“Let’s get to your big, fancy ship.” Dru shoved him. “Amelia still has your mate.”
Finn spun around, and sure enough, Amelia was still hanging on his mate’s arm. “Amelia, I said you can’t have him.”
“We’re just talking.” She glared at him. “No one told me he has an older brother.”
“Dermot is mated.” Finn huffed. “Find your own mate.”
Amelia just laughed at him and leaned up to whisper something in Crow’s ear. Finn’s mate laughed, then shot Finn a guilty look.
Finn grabbed Fasi’s arm. “Let’s go before Amelia steals my mate.”
Soldiers surrounded Fasi, Wyatt, and Death as they made their way to Finn’s larger ship. Fortunately, the Blue Albatross was close by, and the spaceport was still fairly empty.
Once they were all in Finn’s office with his captains either in the room or on the vid-screen, Fasi spoke. “Our two Dr. Morricks believe they can make progress on curing Pleuli Feciose. Based on the research Mr. Crow sent us, we believe we saw where Montrella’s scientists went wrong.”
Finn took his normal seat in Crow’s lap and focused on the conversation.
“They rushed things.” Wyatt shook his head, a look of disgust on his face. “They focused on the symptoms rather than the actual disease. All he cared about was making it appear as if the disease were cured.”
“With Charybdis Station’s resources, we’ve already made progress,” Death said. “We need information from the Dramiads to continue our research.”
Fasi nodded. “We have something to offer them, Finn. We just need to get to them.”
“We?” Dread followed his slow realization. “Fuck me, you can’t come with us, Lord Admiral.”
Fasi gave him a stubborn look. “I’m not asking. Dealing with Dramacus can potentially turn into a political nightmare. If a decision needs to be made for Charybdis Station, it will save time if I’m there.”
“The royal family are narcissistic to the extreme.” Crow gave Fasi a pained look. “I don’t know that they will care about starting a war with Charybdis Station. You’d make a nice ransom payout.”
Death patted Fasi’s back. “I will ensure the Lord Admiral’s safety.”
Crow gave them all a disbelieving look. “I know the stories going around and all, but one man can’t take on a planet.”
Finn leaned back and kissed Crow’s cheek. “This one can.” He turned back to Fasi. “Okay. You’re the boss. How did you even get this past Renee, Draif, and the Council?”
Dru snorted, and Monty moved to perch on her head. “He didn’t. The asshole showed up at my house and told me we were taking a short trip to Burnished Outpost.”
Dru’s lieutenant, Alois, shook his head. “We’ll be going home to a bunch of unhappy people.”
Fasi grinned and picked Finn up, hugging him tightly. “I wanted to meet your mate too. Mr. Crow has been very helpful in taking out Humans First, but Amelia and I need to make sure he’s good enough for you.”
Finn sighed and returned the big Grell’s hug. “Wyther’s father is already here. I guess the sooner we get this over with the better.” Fasi put him back down, and Finn looked at Death and Wyatt. “Thank you for doing this. Dramacus has almost half of the missing Vextonians we’ve been searching for, including most of the children that were taken. This is going to make some families very happy.”
Death nodded. “It is a small enough thing to do for so many. If the disease had been brought to my attention before, I believe I could have already created a vaccine.”
“The royal family would have had to request it, and they’re not ones to ask for help from outsiders,” Wyther said. “The Montrella debacle has made them even more insular.”
Finn rubbed his ears, trying to control his nervousness. Having Fasi with them both filled him with dread and made him happy. The man was his leader, but he was also a good friend. Fasi and Renee had welcomed Finn into their inner circle with open arms when he joined Hack’s crew so many years ago.
“We’ll leave in the morning,” Fasi said, nodding. “Wyther, how many of us can your father bring in?”
“His ship will hold two hundred thousand slaves,” Wyther said, voice full of disgust. “Those are tight quarters though. I suggest we bring a light crew and leave room to take some of the Vextonians with us. Two hundred thousand soldiers won’t do us a bit of good anyway.”
“Good point.” Fasi rubbed his chin. “Me, Finn, Dru’s crew, and Death and Wyatt should work.”
“I’m going too.” Crow nodded, eyes narrowed. “I go where my mate goes.”
The air on either side of Fasi shimmered, and two Full Moon operatives appeared. Finn recognized Otto and Sandve.
“We’ll be going as well,” Otto said.
Sandve smiled at Finn. “Nice to see you again, Lieutenant.”
Finn grinned. “Sandve!” He hugged the assassin. “I thought you went with Cas.”
The tall Dedril smiled. “Bendix wanted to stretch his legs a bit, so he went instead. I promised to keep an eye on the Lord Admiral.” He eyed Fasi. “I thought it was going to be an easy job.”
“Sandve.” Crow rolled the name around on his tongue, his expression showing his displeasure. “Why are your hands still on my mate? A friendly hug doesn’t last that long.”
Finn glared at Crow, but Sandve’s eyes brightened, and he hugged Finn again. “Oh, your mate is going to be so much fun.”
“He’s a bit growly, but once you get to know him, he’s a big softy.” Finn stepped away from Sandve. “I should warn you that he’s a good shot too. Just so you know.” With the way Crow was glaring at Finn’s friend, it was pertinent information.
Fasi wrapped an arm around Crow’s shoulders. “Don’t go getting jealous, son. Trust me, it’s never the right response. Renee has kicked my ass more than once for not trusting her. Now, Finn told us all about your mom. Amelia and I would like to meet her and chat before we leave in the morning.”
Crow continued to glare at Sandve until Fasi walked him out of the room.
“Why does he hate me?” Sandve asked.
“The better question is why wouldn’t he hate you.” Otto chuckled and shoved his friend. “You’re annoying as hell.”
“I’m a fucking angel.” Sandve sniffed and shoved Otto back. “It has to be something else.”
“Gee, what could it possibly be?” Dru tapped her chin. “You’re handsome, an unknown friend of his new mate, and all touchy-feely with Finn. Hmm, I just can’t understand it.”
Lerais frowned at his wife. “Sandve isn’t that handsome. His ears are too big.”
Sandve glared at Lerais and covered his ears. “They’re perfectly proportionate to my head.”
Lerais nodded. “Now that you mention it, your head is pretty big.”
That night, everyone gathered at the villa, and Diana, Amelia, and Fasi exchanged embarrassing stories about Finn and Crow.
Finn tugged on Crow’s arm. “Let’s go into the kitchen.”
Crow was grinning, completely involved in the story Fasi was telling about Finn’s first mission on the Blue Solace. “I need to hear this.”
“They were only supposed to scare the man a little,” Fasi said. “The point of the whole mission was to get him to agree to leave the colony alone, and a little fear goes a long way. It was going well, but then the man made a mistake – he tugged on Finn’s tail.”
Crow frowned, eyes narrowed. “Then they killed him, right? No one gets to touch my mate’s tail but me.”
Fasi chuckled. “They almost did. Hack got growly and set the man’s house on fire, and Selene almost cut the man’s hand off. Finn was so mad at everyone because he didn’t get to do anything.”
Dru leaned over from where she perched on Lerais’s lap and tweaked his ear. “Aww, we let you in on the next fight, didn’t we?”
Finn crossed his arm and scowled. “It wasn’t the same.”
“Everyone’s always protective of Finn.” Amelia smiled softly. “I remember when one of our clients tried to talk him into bed. He was only fourteen at the time, and my kittens were pissed that the asshole was trying anything with our sweet little Finn.”
Finn groaned. “I’m going to the kitchen.” He left them in the front room and stalked past his captains playing poker with Parker, Brisco, and other members of Crow’s crew.
Brisco raised his cup in a slightly drunken salute. “Lieutenant. Parker and me are comin’ with you to the snooty royal people planet.”
Finn rolled his eyes. “Maybe you shouldn’t drink more until after dinner.”
Brisco pouted. “Why are you so mean?”
Finn found Lumi in the kitchen humming a song and bustling around happily. The former slave had practically shouted with joy at the chance to feed a crowd. Berenna sat at the table, chatting to Ival on her tablet.
“Lumi, what can I do to help?”
Lumi eyed him. “I’ve heard about your cooking abilities. Here, cut these vegetables.” Lumi put a huge bowl of a variety of native Rueal vegetables in front of him. “Did you really set your ship on fire trying to cook like Dru said?”
Finn growled. “Everyone’s telling my business.”
Lumi arched a brow.
“Yes.” Finn flushed. “I did set the Blue Solace on fire, but Hack does it all the time.”
Lumi gave him a sympathetic look. “How do you feed yourself?”
Finn wrinkled his nose but went to work chopping. “I rely way too much on my friend Juniper. He has a diner on Charybdis Station and most of the crew goes there to eat.”
Lumi looked over his shoulder. “Do you miss your home?”
“Yes. It’s nice to see Dru and the others here.” Finn blinked away tears. “It’s stupid, really. It’s just been a little under three months since I’ve seen everyone, but I got used to being with my friends all the time. I was about your age when I moved to Charybdis Station and met my best friend, Dannol. It’s been home ever since.”
