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  Abbie looked at Roman for a moment, and Carina noticed the hand on her belly. An ache, sharp and sweet, sliced through her. Want. She wanted that with Daniel. A life. A family. Carina knew she was being childish. It was his job, and he did have to do it, even if it meant he had to be separated from her for a little while. He wouldn’t be Daniel without that loyalty to his Federation, to his people.

  “I apologize. I don’t have tantrums. Ever. I don’t know what’s come over me.”

  Abbie held her hand. “You’ve just had to turn your back on your people, on your family, even if they aren’t perfect. You’ve been on the run and fallen in love with a man like Daniel. That’s a lot for a very short period of time. You’re allowed a bit of a tantrum. We’ll have to keep you busy while he’s gone.”

  She needed to get hold of herself, to be Carina Fardelle again. She sat taller, held her spine straight and nodded. “Thank you.”

  She watched part of the city go by through the windows, watched the looks on the faces of the people on the streets. Vincenz had been right; there was so much here, so much energy. Their features held such a dizzying array of emotions!

  “Daniel said I’d be debriefed today?” Carina turned to look back at Abbie.

  “I’ve negotiated for that to take place in our home. Silly to drag you all the way down here when Wilhelm can just as easily come there, and we can be comfortable.” Abbie said it cheerfully, but Carina got the sense she was a hard-edged negotiator. And she was thankful for it. “My position as your advocate is really symbolic, you know. Wilhelm, despite being as big as a tree trunk, is quite sweet. Roman, too, even though sometimes he can be extra fussy House Lyons. Grrr.” Abbie’s mouth twitched.

  Roman sighed heavily but didn’t look up from his comm.

  “All right, thank you.” She nodded her head.

  The rest of the drive was uneventful as she gawked at the city. But the house, the manse, compound, whatever it was called, where Abbie and Roman lived was the most impressive thing she’d seen. She hadn’t taken it in the day before; there had been so much chaos with the attack at the portal. But now she had the opportunity to take it all in and be, in no small amount, impressed by the glory of the Federation as it was embodied by this place.

  It was a house, a physical space fit for a ruler. Tall, imposing, surrounded by beautiful gardens that, she realized as they drove past and then exited the conveyance, would be in bloom across the seasons.

  Stone stairs led the way to doors easily thirty feet tall, and the entry foyer stole her breath. Where her father’s idea of power had been black and red, true power and glory lived in this house. Ceilings soared, held up by columns of wine-colored wood as big around as the conveyance they’d been in. The floors gleamed, first in polished stone a deep green and then in warm toned hardwoods with mosaics set within.

  The art on the walls was an eclectic mix of old and new, of styles across cultures. Tall windows let in light but appeared to block heat and cold. A grand staircase marked the south and north walls.

  Roman looked his wife over, kissed her quickly. “You’ll tell me if you’re feeling poorly today.” It wasn’t a question. Carina liked Roman Lyons. Despite his short, brusque, even formal nature, he was a man who cared about his family and his people. It was something she wished her father had learned.

  Abbie sent him a soft smile. “I promise. Go work; I know you’re itching to.”

  “I love you, Abigail Haws, you beautiful, pregnant troublemaker,” he mumbled as he went back in for another hug.

  “I love you, too.” Abbie grinned, and they both watched him walk away.

  “Vincenz, if I may speak with you for a time?” Roman called out.

  “You have my comm; ping me if you need me. You and I have a lunch date; we’ll eat in the gardens near the greenhouses.” Vincenz clasped her hands and followed Roman’s path out of the room.

  Carina turned back to Abbie. “I didn’t get much of an opportunity to look well yesterday, and this morning I was distracted. This is a magnificent home, and at the same time, it has heart.”

  Abbie smiled. “Thank you, Carina. There are still days I find myself surprised I actually live here. Would you like some tea? I have a chill, and it’s always a good way to have Mercy offer me some special cake she’s made me.”

  Carina followed Daniel’s sister through the house into the kitchen. She turned and knew it was the heart of the house immediately. She felt embraced by the space as she sat across from Abbie at a small table bathed in light from high windows.

  “I’ll be wandering around in the greenhouses and remember that a year ago I lived in a flat that was never quite warm enough. Roman brought a lot of unexpected changes to my life. Good and bad. But the Roman part is always good.”

  Carina liked her, liked Abbie and the love shining so openly in her eyes for her husband and her family.

  A woman caught sight of them and made a sound in her throat. “Abbie, have you eaten?”

  “Of course I have, Mercy. You made me breakfast, remember?”

  The woman kissed the top of Abbie’s head. “Well I did put by some of that spice cake you like. Don’t tell your mother; she and I have a difference of opinion on the recipe.” She turned and took Carina in slowly. “Ah, I can see what he sees in you.” She nodded once and bustled off to a nearby cabinet and began to rustle through it.

  “Mercy, this is Carina.” Abbie winked at Carina.

  “Of course she is,” Mercy called out as she brought a tray with tea and cake to them.

  Carina didn’t know if Mercy’s nonchalance was good or bad, so she just took her cues from Abbie, who didn’t seem alarmed.

  Abbie sipped her tea and goggled at the gargantuan slice of cake Mercy put in front of her. “Mercy, you really don’t need to give me a slice as big as your head. I’m not in danger of blowing away anytime soon.”

  Mercy waved a hand as she moved away.

  “Mercy has been with Roman since he was a child. She helped raise Roman’s sons after their mother died. If you need anything and you can’t find me or Roman, go to Mercy. She knows everything.”

  Mercy snorted but kept at whatever it was she was doing. “Just come to me straightaway, Roman will frown you to death, and Abbie will talk you to death.”

  “She’s such a lovely woman; as my grandmother used to say, butter wouldn’t melt. Did you know that was a saying they brought from Earth?”

  Carina laughed, relaxing for the first time in a long while. “Your brother would often tell me this sort of thing. He told me you had to know everything, said I was like that. I see it was a compliment.”

  Abbie cocked her head. “He made a good choice.”

  Daniel felt her absence acutely. He walked through the crowded, dusty streets of Parron. The ’Verse on the Edge was basically one large series of mining towns. Canyons, much like those on Mirage and Asphodel, cut through the landscape here and there, offering some respite in the sameness of dusty sidewalks and men in mining clothes.

  He’d done his planning on the way. Surveillance, some investigation, and if he was lucky, he’d get out with a minimum of fuss. He also realized Wilhelm had most likely sent him to get him out of the way while they debriefed Carina.

  It agitated him to be manipulated that way, even if he did understand the reasoning behind it. She was there, and he was a world away, and he could do nothing but put his faith in Abbie and Vincenz.

  Good thing he had such good judgment when it came to people. Abbie would never allow anyone to take advantage of Carina, even if Carina had been silly enough to fall for any tricks. Between Abbie and Carina, if Wilhelm thought to try to maneuver Carina anywhere she didn’t want, he’d never try it again.

  A savage smile marked Daniel’s mouth, twisted his mouth with the surety that he’d done well. The women in his private life, those he loved without reservation, were strong, smart and vicious if need be.

  Vincenz was a different story. Daniel knew details most others didn’t,
including Vincenz’s desire to be part of Phantom Corps, but there had been initial distrust of him when he’d first come to them. And then, once they knew he was trustworthy and a good operative, he had too much pride to ask again.

  Wilhelm did not miss details, even minor ones, and so if he hadn’t asked, there had been a reason, and as in most things, Daniel trusted his boss and whatever master plan he had in that head of his. Didn’t mean Daniel wouldn’t tear a strip off him when he returned if any harm had come to Carina, though, even if she’d merely been upset.

  He caught sight of his quarry: a tall, beady-eyed man with gaunt features and a stooped back. Most people would have kept on, not understanding the wrapping was merely a guise, a mask he wore over a blackened heart and a craven soul.

  This man was Henry Sessions, third in line to the leadership of House Sessions. A Family member had yet again betrayed the Federation. Cold rage built within him as he stalked his prey, following him into Parron’s only establishment any Ranked would lower themselves to stay in. Parron wasn’t known for those sorts of fancy digs, so their attempts to mimic what the Ranked would expect in most other ’Verses were a profane twist on reality.

  It also meant the place was absent the kinds of security measures that would impede Daniel’s movements as he trailed Sessions back to his room.

  He locked the door at his back, baring his teeth.

  “What do you want? Get out!” Sessions, though afraid, stood his ground.

  “Henry Sessions, I am here to pass your sentence.”

  Two steps as he raised his hands, faster than Sessions could track. “Traitor,” Daniel hissed, poised in that moment before he’d flex to twist the other man’s neck.

  He dropped the body to the carpet, stepping over it like the offal it was. The coin he left bore a lion’s head. Roman Lyons was done fucking around and trying to get these people to do the right thing.

  He’d told Daniel when he’d given him the assignment, “Leave the body. Leave the coin. I want them to know I will find them all and kill them.” But at the time they hadn’t suspected it would be another Family. That news was particularly serious.

  The portal loomed ahead as Daniel passed through the last part of town. It was time to go home. Before he entered the transport, he hit a code on his personal comm. A smile touched his lips for a brief moment at the sound of an explosion. The warehouse Sessions had been using for his weapons smuggling operation sat just outside of town in a complex owned by House Sessions. Two, three, four, five more explosions as the entire compound burned.

  By the time he stepped off the transport in Ravena, House Sessions would be no more. Once Roman learned the identity of the smuggler, he’d strike just as hard as the explosions and the death of Henry Sessions.

  Chapter 22

  It had been eight entire days since Carina had seen him last. Eight. Days. She missed Daniel desperately, making her even more sure of her decision to be with him. Wilhelm had told her, kindly so, that Daniel would not contact her while he was gone, that they never did on a mission outside extraordinary circumstances.

  In his absence there had been a major disaster. A bomb had gone off on a large passenger transport as it had been in transit between Borran and Ravena. Nothing could survive an explosion like that, and when it happened in the portal space, there would be no cleanup, no rescue.

  Her father was behind it, she knew for certain.

  Despite Daniel’s absence, Carina had begun building a life there in Ravena’s capital city. Abbie had kept her out of the public view; only a very select group knew she was in Ravena, and Roman appeared to want it that way, at least until Daniel came back. She realized, during these conversations she had with Roman and Wilhelm, that Daniel was a lot more powerful and influential than he’d ever let on to her.

  Carina was proud of that. Proud that she’d chosen to love a man with so much to be proud over.

  Not that it stopped the comments, even from the preapproved people in the circle who knew about her. How many times did she have to tell people she was not interested in marrying a Khym or a whoever else? She wanted one man, and that man would marry her, even if he didn’t realize it just yet.

  She grinned at herself in the mirror in her rooms. She’d lost the dark circles beneath her eyes and didn’t look so tired these days. She wondered when Daniel would return and wanted to be sure to look lovely every day just in case.

  She had an outing planned with Abbie and Vincenz in just a short while. Abbie had connected her with the staff at a community center in the second circle of the city. They were looking for a teacher, and she certainly wanted to work as one. She’d met, though under guard, with the people in charge, and after she’d taken their entrance exams, they’d offered her the position. She’d accepted, building the foundations of her future there.

  When she went downstairs, she called Abbie’s name rather than use the location system. It seemed so silly to have a machine do the work she could easily do herself.

  That’s when she saw Alexander Lyons in the common room having tea with Deimos, Roman’s oldest son and the next in line to lead House Lyons.

  “No, Alexander,” she said as she entered the room. The man was a ridiculous flirt and had propositioned her every single time she’d seen him. She got the feeling it was because people expected it of him. He was a lot smarter and kinder than one thought when they first met him. But that didn’t mean she tolerated any of his silliness.

  “You wound me.” He grinned, his hands over his heart in mock devastation.

  “She might. But I can assure you Daniel will if you don’t stop it.” Deimos shook his head at his uncle.

  “Daniel isn’t here,” Alexander teased.

  “Be quiet, you. You and I both know Daniel is one of your friends. Stop it.” Deimos seemed to constantly steer his uncle into behaving. It was sweet, and Carina had no doubt there were dozens of women who closed their eyes each night thinking about Deimos Lyons. Alexander, too, was a stunningly handsome man. Roguish and sexy, if not far more work than he would be worth.

  Too bad she already had her heart set on a stunningly handsome man who said a lot less than Alexander, but when he did, it meant something.

  “See, she’s thinking of Daniel right now.” Deimos raised his tea-cup toward his uncle.

  “I am. You two behave. Have you seen Abbie or Vincenz?”

  Abbie rushed up, spectacles perched on her nose, a sheaf of papers clutched in her hand. “I’m sorry, I got caught up in this speech.”

  Carina smiled as she pushed Abbie’s spectacles up her nose with a fingertip. “Now then.” She hugged Abbie and stepped back to look at her again. “Don’t apologize. I know you have a job to do. Vincenz will be by in a bit. If you need to finish your work, you can come along on another day.”

  “I’m done now. I can’t wait to see it. It’s so thrilling. Perhaps afterward, we can stop in and you can see my mother’s bakery and Nyna’s café?”

  “I’d love that.”

  “Excellent! Oh, and Nyna tells me there’s an opening in her building. A large flat on a corner. Perhaps the perfect size for you and Daniel.”

  “Daniel is going to kill you for doing all this while he’s gone. Like an ambush. He’ll return and find himself contracted to marry, a few kiddies in school and you behind it.” Alexander stood and kissed Abbie’s cheek.

  She swatted at her brother-in-law but wore a smile doing it.

  “They have to live somewhere, and Daniel’s flat is not meant for two. Nyna moved to Marcus’s building so it’s safer and nicer even than her old one. Daniel will appreciate these small details being taken care of in his absence. He’s a busy man.” Abbie’s mouth firmed.

  “I’m going to blame you when he gets mad,” Carina teased. “You scare him.”

  Abbie’s face lit with amusement. “I know! I think I heard Vincenz down the hall, near Roman’s secret fortress office thing.” She snorted. “I’m going to run and get presentable. I’ll meet you ba
ck here shortly.”

  Vincenz had only agreed to let her do it if she had him along as a guard and that he be allowed to check out the security in the area. She’d argued, but he’d told her Daniel would insist anyway so to just agree now and get it over with. In any case, it would be him or Andrei with her at all times when she left the house, so she may as well spend some time with her brother and let him guard her, too.

  Funny how one could be separated from their sibling for long periods of time and still fight as if you’d never been apart a day.

  “Don’t run!” she called after Abbie. “Roman will shove me out into portal space if you get hurt.”

  Restless, Carina moved to the windows overlooking one of the myriad courtyards just outside. She’d been debriefed the same day Daniel had gone, had agreed to serve as a sort of consultant on the Imperium. Her goal was educating them about what the inner workings of the Imperium were, how power moved, that sort of thing. It hadn’t felt traitorous, and she believed that with some more information about what the Imperium was and wasn’t, the idea of peaceful coexistence was possible.

  They watched her still; she knew that. Vincenz told her they’d watched him for two standard years before they began to trust. She hoped in time, they’d see she had no ill intent toward anyone, was pretty sure they did now, but Roman Lyons wasn’t a fool, so they’d be on their guard for a while.

  With a soft sigh, she turned at the sound of Vincenz’s laugh. He walked out into the large entry where she waited, still talking to Roman. Both men turned to her with smiles. Roman was ridiculously handsome when he wanted to be, and Vincenz was more than aware of his own appeal.

  “Vincenz tells me you three are off to look at the community center classroom? Wonderful. I wanted to tell you before you left. On behalf of the Governing Council of the Federation Universes, we offer you sanctuary and citizenship as Family Rank. You will be considered, for all intents and purposes, an associate member of House Lyons.”