Epilogue Amy

EPILOGUE: AMY

Tonight's the night, I thought to myself as I stared out at the thick traffic of air cars in the Metro, perched high on a tall building at the edge of a rounded radar dish-like contraption whose arcane purpose only the Uune would know.

It made for a good vantage point, however.

I looked forward to that evening, when I would have my mate, Razov, all to myself. We were going to have dinner at the Nebula.

Tessi and Alkard had joked that we would likely face an assassination attempt while eating our fourth course.

I wasn't worried about something bad happening at dinner, though. If something were to go wrong, it would happen a long time before then. Like any minute now.

Kovas was working a lead on his end, searching for Mera. But that didn't mean he had to do everything all alone.

In the last few weeks, I became fully integrated with the Vinduthi family. And they really were a family at the end of the day.

Ruthless as the Fangs may have seemed to outsiders, they would always stand together against the rest of the galaxy. Always.

It took me a few days to realize I truly belonged with them. At least, they were convinced.

Razov had claimed me, and that was that as far as the inner circle was concerned. They discussed business freely in front of me, and no one made any attempt to keep the ‘organizational hassles' separate from my life with Razov.

Tessi and I had connected as well, originally over the intricacies of being human mates to our Vinduthi lovers, but over our concern for Mera, as well.

It worried us sick that she was still in the clutches of rat bastards…if calling Ewani rat bastards wasn't some kind of racial slur.

And now we had a lead to follow up on.

Movement on a balcony fifteen levels lower than my perch drew me out of my reverie. A Nazok in a nondescript floor length gown of simple gray came out, the usually fluffy black hair shaved to a bald sheen.

He was the man I was in the Metro to see, and the reason I had headed out several hours early for my date with Razov.

I reached up and touched the communicator disguised as a gold hoop earring on my left side.

"Tessi, can you hear me?"

A long moment of silence made me worried, but then I heard her voice.

"Loud and clear. Do you see Munk?"

"Yeah, I see him all right. I can't believe this guy took over most of Kalak's business interests when he died. He looks so…plain. At least Kalak had some panache, you know what I mean?"

"I think you shouldn't judge villains based on their fashion sense."

"Is he really a villain? You know a lot of people on Thodos III seem to think that we're the villains. The Vinduthi, I mean, not us specifically."

Tessi's laugh rang in my ear. "Honey, we're a little bit Vinduthi ourselves, you know? And don't misjudge this guy. Word in the underground has it that the new boss is twice as ruthless as his predecessor, Kalak. He'd have to be, if he's going to try to take over Conii's business."

It was true.

But I'd spent days trying to figure out a way we could indirectly move against Conii, and unfortunately, this guy seemed like the best bet.

Hopefully, I wasn't wrong.

"Okay, the traffic is clearing up and the last station security patrol just went by," I said. "I'm going to make my move. Are you ready?"

"Yes, I am. I have your parcel ready for you when you arrive."

"Thanks, Tessi. I sure hope this Munk guy knows something about Mera."

"Me, too. Good luck, and don't screw it up."

I snorted and ended the communication by touching my earring again. There was no easy way down from my hiding spot. I had to leave the same way I had gotten there.

Thinking about it would just make me nervous, I crouched down and sprang out over the span. A moment of exhilaration rushed through me as my teal sigils glowed faintly, pulsing with my heartbeat.

I reached out and caught a metal rail, flinging myself up and over onto the ledge. Ten floors below me, Munk paced back and forth on his balcony, speaking to someone on his percomm unit.

Before I was claimed, I would never have been able to hear him so far away.

Now, though, I could. Only what he said made no sense.

"Dishwater mouse teapot stilts carburetor," he said in an angry tone. "Sigil petunia right bark."

That bastard was using a scrambler, a device that did just what it sounded like. It produced a feedback wave that changed soundwaves from spoken words into gibberish.

I would just have to get up close enough to turn it off so we could chat.

The Metro has many arching bridges and gracefully curving ramps, but the paths they take are quite meandering, built little by little, added to by the various races who call Thodos home.

I went over a baroque bridge, which would have been at home in Dracula's castle connecting to a ramp that looked like something out of a pastel fever dream.

Nothing made any sense, and if I'd been forced to stick to the beaten path, I would have been frustrated, lost, and further from my quarry than ever. Good thing I had a little more freedom than that.

Leaping from the candy-colored bridge, I landed onto a ventilation conduit about the span of my big toe, trusting my new sense of balance was more than keen enough to keep me from falling off.

Part of me, the back of my brain that had descended from apes who did their damndest to not fall out of a tree, was still terrified every time I did something like this.

But the rest of me laughed like a kid on a rollercoaster. The only thing that could possibly compare to this adrenaline rush was being held in Razov's arms.

For a moment, I slowed, distracted by the sudden rush of warmth that filled my chest every time I thought of him, then I pulled myself back together. I'd be with him soon enough. First, there was a job to do.

A quick dash down the conduit, then a somersault down to a curving ramp with lighted handrails.

I slid down the handrail and then flipped up onto the balcony beside Munk.

He reached his hand into his pocket for the panic button our informant said he kept there.

"Wait, Munk," I said. "If you do that, then your guards are going to come and you're not going to have time to hear what I have to say. And you want to hear what I have to say."

Munk arched his brows, the tall pointed ears quivering in anger.

"Is that so?"

"Indeed. Your predecessor had a family connection that you don't. We're offering something else."

He snorted. "An alliance? I doubt that very much. I know when I'm being threatened. If that's all you came to do, then you can leave. If you think just because you're mated to a Vinduthi you scare me?—"

Holding my hands up to stop the flow of words, I cut him off. "Right now, the Vinduthi have their eye on you. They're thinking that if they act quickly you won't have time to consolidate your power."

"So, I'm a breathing dead man?" Munk reached into his pocket. I prepared to leap off the balcony, but instead of the panic button he brought out a death stick and thrust it in his lips.

He didn't just seem less flashy than his predecessor, Kalak. He seemed downright tired. "But you're here to tell me how I can avoid that fate, aren't you?"

I wasn't counting on him being this unflappable. In my mind, I pictured him being frightened or angry, or indignant.

Anything but this…almost bored reaction.

"If you would help us out with a little information, it would prove that the Fangs don't need to worry about you so much, that maybe an alliance with you might be worth investigating."

He stared out over the buildings below, taking another drag. "They'll leave me alone?"

"I can't promise that, but they'll move you to the back burner. And they'd be willing to explore future areas of…" I shrugged. "Cooperation."

He snorted with derision.

"Very well. Ask your question."

"I'm looking for a human woman. Her name is?—"

"Mera," he finished.

Shocked, I stepped back. "How did you know that?"

"The Vinduthi have put an extreme amount of effort, time, and credits into trying to find this human woman. She must be powerful, indeed."

"Powerful?" I shrugged. "I guess so. She's my friend and I want her safe and sound. You have contacts we don't. You might be able to point me in the right direction to find her."

He chuckled and drew on the stick, the red glow from the ember making his face look less plain and far more sinister.

"Ah, I'm afraid I can't help you."

"Can't, or won't?" My hands curled into fists at my sides. I'd promised Razov I'd be careful and wouldn't do anything reckless.

But I'd do what I had to in order to find Mera. My conscience could deal with roughing up a gangster to get the job done.

Munk simply waved a hand at me. "Can't. I simply have no information for you on the woman."

I shook my head. "Not good enough."

"Too bad."

Disappointment coiled around my stomach. Another dead end? "How am I supposed to believe you?"

He chuckled softly and crushed out his cigarette in an ornate glass ashtray built into the wall.

"It's really quite simple, my dear. If I knew where this Mera was, I would have already obtained her for myself. She would make an excellent bargaining chip with the Fangs, don't you think?"

I opened my mouth to deny him, and then closed it.

He was right. That is totally what a jerk like Munk would do.

"All right, I believe you."

Munk tilted his head to one side, considering. "But I like the idea of a tie with your people. If I were you, I would tell the disagreeable Kovas to look in the Serpentine," he said.

My heart fell. I knew of the area, a highly dangerous, cramped, and desolate area of the Under. Only the most wretched and ruthless of the Under's already hardy denizens dared to go there.

"The Serpentine? Mera's in the Serpentine?"

He shrugged.

"Who knows? I only know that if I were going to expend the resources to find her, that's where I would begin my search."

There was more the bastard wasn't telling me. Munk was going to be a more capable adversary than Kalak, by far. Kalak moved in grand strokes, causing mayhem on a big scale. Munk was more subtle, craftier, and I got the feeling even more ruthless.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now, if you would like to get to your dinner date with your husband, feel free to use my lift. I'll give you a pass through my men." The hard look was back on his face. "This time."

"No, thanks."

I stepped backward, right off the edge of his balcony. It was totally worth the look on Munk's face when I plummeted out of sight. At last, I'd managed to shake the unflappable jerk.

I landed in the air car piloted by Tessi.

"Am I late?" she asked, then tapped the golden hoop that matched mine. "It seemed like things were wrapping up."

"You're just in the nick of time." Leaning back in the seat, I let my mind wander. We had a clue. But would it be enough?

"Stop thinking so much," Tessi ordered. "You did well. Now it's time for other people to pick up the thread. You have something else to be focusing on."

She handed me a parcel, and I opened it to find a shimmering black dress within.

"It's beautiful." I held it to my chest, letting the silky material flow through my fingers. "Thanks so much for picking it up for me."

"It's a self-tailoring material, so it will adjust for the perfect fit," Tessi said, a wicked grin lighting her face. "I'm sure Razov is going to want to eat you alive when he sees you in it."

I sighed, running my fingers over the intricate beaded hem.

"I'm happy, Tessi. I'm happy for the first time in my life. Is that wrong?"

She snorted. "If you're asking if you should feel guilty for going on a dinner date with the man you love more than life itself because our friend is missing, then I think that you're being an idiot."

"An idiot?"

"Yeah, an idiot. Do you really think that Mera would begrudge you your happiness?"

"No," I said slowly. "She wouldn't. Do you think that Kovas is going to find her?"

Tessi laughed, but there was an edge to it.

"Oh, Amy. You've integrated yourself so well into our family that I sometimes forget how new you are. You've found a new lead to investigate. And I've got a feeling that right now, it's just a matter of time. You shouldn't be worried about Mera anymore."

Her voice dropped an octave and took on a sinister edge.

"You should worry about anyone who gets between Kovas and Mera."

Razov was too busy with Fang business to focus on interior design. Understandable.

But his quarters were sparse—just a bed, table and chairs. The gray walls were bare. It was functional but lacked warmth. But that was all right. I knew just where to start to change things up.

"Let's go to the bazaar," I suggested one quiet morning.

Razov grumbled in protest, "Must we? Shopping is not how I prefer to spend my time." His arm slid around my waist. "I can think of so many other things for us to do instead."

I pushed him away. If we started that, we'd never get out of the apartment. I stood on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek, my fingers tracing the teal markings on his left arm. "Please, Razov? We'll find treasures for your quarters and have an adventure together."

He sighed in resignation and nodded. "Shopping. Why couldn't it be something easy, like shaking down an informant.'

My silly man.

The bazaar was a riot of color and activity, filled with goods from every corner of the galaxy. As Razov and I entered the noisy, crowded space, I squeezed his hand in excitement. He still grumbled about the chore ahead but his eyes glinted with indulgence. He could never deny me.

Our first stop was a merchant selling exotic floral arrangements. A bouquet of golden solar roses caught my eye, their delicate petals seeming illuminated from within. "These would brighten up your quarters. And they last for years!"

Razov purchased the flowers with a shrug. "If they please you, I can withstand even an eternity of roses," he said in his gravelly voice. "Just try not to tell the others, all right?" His wry words hid depths of tenderness, and warmth flooded me.

A vendor hawked plush rugs in vivid colors. I paused, enchanted by one in shades of gray and navy that reminded me of Razov's coloring. "That would cheer up your floor."

"That's far too plush for my floors," he argued. "You want to just walk on it?"

I tugged at his arm until he bent down over me. "Think about how much easier a padded surface would be on my back. Or my knees."

His face went blank, as if something in his mind had short circuited. Then shaking, he came back, only to bargain ruthlessly with the merchant until I had my rug at half price.

As we walked on, Razov pointed out an antique weapons display gleaming with wicked blades. "For the walls," he suggested with a glint of mischief, knowing my opinion on such decor. I swatted his arm in protest and he chuckled, a rare open sound of amusement.

A holocube caught my eye, projecting scenes of a mountain vista at sunset. A glance at the tag, and my breath caught. These were Vinduthi mountains under a violet sky. Somehow we'd never talked about Razov's home world. He never brought it up. Did he only have bad memories there?

His fingers traced the corner of the frame and I wrapped my arms around his waist. "Does it bother you?" I asked softly.

"No." He shook his head. "I left too long ago to worry about anything that happened back then. But this reminds me of home, just a little," Razov answered, a trace of longing in his tone.

We had to have it.

In a quieter corner, I found a collection of metal wall sculptures with dreamy, spiraling patterns. Razov studied them seriously before selecting two intricate pieces to flank the holocube. "For beauty and balance."

I glanced at him in surprise. I'd said before he had layers. Even now, I learned more and more about him.

By the time we finished shopping, Razov's arms were laden with packages and I was flushed from haggling over the best prices. As we left the bazaar behind, I gazed up at my alien lover, this fearsome warrior, and felt joy bubble up inside at the memory of the tender, playful moments we'd shared. Beneath his intimidating surface, Razov had depths I still explored, and a generosity of spirit to indulge my every whim.

"Thank you for spoiling me," I said. "I'll have to come up with something to pay you back."

He raised an eyebrow. "Trust me, a few things have already come to mind." The heat in his gaze struck me, lighting an answering fire deep in my belly.

"We should hurry home," I decided, "Now."

We arrived at Razov's quarters laden with packages, the golden solar roses perfuming the air around us. I opened the door to the stark, empty room now ready to become our cozy sanctuary.

Razov set down our shopping with a grateful sigh, flexing his arms. I giggled at his show of fatigue; as an Vinduthi, he was tireless. But hours of following me through the bazaar had worn even him out.

I lifted the bouquet of solar roses, wondering where best to place them. Razov came up behind me, guiding my hands to an end table by the bed. "Here, where I will see them first thing upon waking, and be reminded of the radiant woman who chose them," he murmured in my ear. A delighted shiver went through me at his words.

The plush grey and navy rug was next. We rolled it out on the floor by the bed, its softness and color warming the space.

Razov studied the metal wall sculptures, frowning in concentration. I saw him plotting where each would harmonize the energies in the room. He placed the pieces in a balanced design, standing back with a nod of satisfaction at the effect.

Between us, we made short work of the remaining parcels. The holo-cube went on the largest wall, the rotating scenic vistas from Razov's home planet washing the room in color. Additional candles and decorative pillows gave the finishing touches, transforming the stark quarters into a cozy retreat.

By the time we finished, night had fallen. I sank onto the bed, admiring our handiwork. The golden solar roses glinted in the starlight from the window, their delicate fragrance permeating the room.

Razov joined me, tracing a finger along my arm. "You've made this feel like a home," he said softly. His tender words made joy swell inside me.

"And you've made me feel safe and cherished, like nothing I've ever known," I confessed. Razov's fearsome reputation and physique hid the generous, playful soul I came to know, who lavished me with affection and spoiled me shamelessly.

In answer, Razov captured my lips, his mouth hot and hungry against mine. We came together in a tangle of limbs, our universe narrowing to just the two of us.

And in our new sanctuary, surrounded by the fruits of our shared adventures, we found the perfect place to begin.