6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Damascus

He was an idiot. A complete and utter moron. With one statement he'd managed to turn the beautiful Iris against him, probably irrevocably. He'd only meant to annoy Palathum by reminding her about his ownership of Merrick. An unintended consequence to his words was alienating the sweet-smelling Iris.

Maybe if he treated Merrick well during their visit, Iris might warm to him again.

Yes, that was the key. He'd show her that he meant no ill will toward the sickly human male. Then he could seduce her and have one last enjoyable time. It had been a long time since he'd had sex, and he knew better than to pursue any of Progress's crew. They'd gut him the moment the offer left his lips.

Iris was his only chance, or more accurately, his last chance, to fuck before reaching Balforge. It had nothing to do with how entrancing he found her. No, she was simply convenient. Nothing more.

That's what he kept telling himself as he watched her small, round body walk behind Palathum.

She'd put on the same omnie she'd been wearing the first time he'd met her. The long-sleeved coat ended at her ankles and hid most of her shape. He'd read humans couldn't handle much temperature variation, which was probably the reason Progress was kept a little warmer than any other ship he'd ever been on. The nano-infused faux fur lining would respond to any temperature change and keep the human warm.

He could do that. He could carry her against his chest and keep her warm; she didn't need the cumbersome omnie. Then he'd be able to feel her soft human skin and her delectable scent would be right below his nose.

These thoughts started to make his mating shaft fill with blood. He needed to get control of himself. Getting erect in the middle of a public place wouldn't be helpful. The last thing he needed was station security hauling him away for inappropriate behavior. Especially because Palathum wouldn't ask for his release. She would rumble with amusement as they left him to negotiate his freedom with the station authorities.

Despite the way his body was reacting, he couldn't make his gaze move away from Iris. He was floored that his fellow Talins saw humans as pets first and partners rarely. How could you not want to touch the soft, lush creatures? It was a testament to the flawed thinking of his species that they weren't all falling at Iris's feet and begging to touch and taste her. These humans were built for sensuality and pleasure. Why couldn't anyone else see it?

Utharium moved in front of him, blocking his view of Iris. It was disappointing but probably for the best.

"Don't stare at her," Utharium growled over his shoulder. So the change in position from next to Iris to walking behind her hadn't been an accident.

"My eyes will travel as they wish," Damascus retorted. "You can't control that."

Utharium sounded an irritated rattle before shifting a little closer to Iris, denying Damascus even a glimpse of her as they moved through the busy station.

"Did the med techs give you any more information besides that he woke up?" Iris asked.

"Nothing more than his basic status," Palathum said. "They claimed his words weren't making sense, but I think they couldn't be bothered to stand and converse with him for any length of time."

"I wish they didn't have to move Dek-lee to another room. They would've paid attention," Iris grumbled, then grimaced. "That was mean to say. They needed the nebulizing room treatment. I hope that's helping with their breathing."

"I neglected to tell you that I received information about the Delorta. They can leave the medical suite this rotation," Palathum announced. "The med techs said they responded very well to treatment, and with continued monitoring by our healer, Dek-lee will be perfectly fine within about ten rotations."

Damascus wished he could see Iris's expression, but at least he could hear the happiness in her voice.

"That's great! Will they need to share a cabin with one of the crew?"

A rumble of amusement came out of Palathum. "Dek-lee won't be happy unless they're with you."

"Oh, well, Mia crawls into my bed half the time anyway so I guess we could move her bed into my room, and they can have her room for now."

The two of them talked about living situations for the entire walk to the medical suite. At first Damascus was annoyed, but halfway through the conversation, he realized Palathum was using the topic to distract Iris from worrying. It was only then that Damascus understood how tense Iris had been.

He should've seen it sooner. It should've been him that distracted the pretty human with conversation. He wouldn't let the next opportunity escape him!

The talking ended the moment they entered the suite. The little human rushed for the smallest bed in the place.

Damascus was surprised at how bad Merrick still looked. At least he was awake and sitting up, but he was still very pale and thin. It would probably take more than a handful of rotations to fix those issues.

"Merrick? You're safe. No one's going to hurt you," Iris said as she leaned against his bed. "I'm Iris, and everything's going to be fine."

He didn't speak right away as his eyes roved over her face then dropped to her jeweled collar.

"Are you a slave too?" he asked, voice low and hoarse.

Damascus spoke up. "You won't be a slave for long, Merrick. I'll be setting you free once I get what I want. Consider your current status as temporary."

Merrick blinked at him in confusion at the same time Iris shot him a curious look before turning her attention back to her fellow human.

"I'm not a slave, but I'm not entirely free. It's complicated, but the important thing is that no one is going to force you to do anything."

He closed his eyes and let his head drop back against the pillows propping him up. "It doesn't matter."

"It does," Iris insisted. "I know a place where almost a hundred humans live! They have plenty of food and no one threatens them. After I explain everything to you, we can take you there. Or you can stay with us on the ship and travel around. I've seen more things in the last few months than I saw in my entire life. It's been—"

Merrick cut her off with a harsh sound. "I don't want to travel, and I don't want to see other people."

Instead of getting upset at Merrick's rudeness, Damascus watched Iris's expression turn stubborn.

"I know you think death is the answer, but it's not. Things are going to get better. The Talin healers are really good at formulating medications for us. They'll make you feel better."

"Can they bring back my wife?" he demanded harshly. "Because that's the only way I'll ever feel better. That's the only thing that will make me want to live."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," Iris said, her tone gentle. She tried to lay a hand over his, but he jerked away and lifted his head to glare at her.

"Don't touch me. Don't comfort me. Don't promise me anything!" He screamed those last words or screamed as much as he was able. "I'm the reason they're dead. I'm the one who took the job on Maltive and left Grace behind."

His voice softened and tears welled in his eyes. "We were trying to get pregnant, and we didn't have the money for the medical suite on Tanash, but the job was temporary. She asked me not to go, but I thought I knew best. Now I've lost everything."

Damascus had to stifle his mourning rumble. He'd never expected to feel a deep understanding of this human's trauma, but he knew firsthand what it was like to be absent when others had needed you.

"What happened?" Iris asked in a whisper.

"The Red Sun Offensive," Merrick answered.

Iris frowned. "The what?"

"It happened at the end of the Orlok-Talin war," Utharium answered before Damascus could find his voice. "The Red Sun Offensive was the last push against us by the Orlok. It was swift, brutal, and unsuccessful."

"Tanash wasn't a target; we were supposed to be a neutral station. I thought we'd be safe. The station was owned by a Veli conglomerate. No one fires on them! But I was wrong. Tanash got caught in the crossfire between two battle cruisers." Merrick gave a half sob and covered his face with his hands. "If I'd been there, I could've done something."

"Tanash station?" Damascus said, trying to figure out why the name sounded so familiar. "Was that the one orbiting Tans?"

Merrick dropped his hands and glared at Damascus. "Yes, it was."

Damascus made an affirmative rattle, delighted to have positive information to share. "That station was evacuated before it was destroyed."

All eyes turned to him. Iris was the first to speak. "And you know this how?"

"The ship I was on took in about half the refugees from the station," he explained. He'd been so mired in grief at the time he hadn't paid much attention to what was going on. But even locked in the brig, he couldn't miss the hundreds of individuals crowding on the ship for several rotations. They'd had to let him out temporarily to help handle so many refugees.

Iris's eyes went wide. "How did they know to do that?"

Damascus sounded a soothing rumble as he answered her question. "If I remember correctly, the Committee for Foreign Knowledge noticed unusual traffic in that area and advised Tanash to evacuate. That allowed almost everyone but a few staff members to leave before the Red Sun Offensive."

"Did you see any humans?" Merrick asked. "Grace wasn't the only human. There were twenty of us sharing a space."

"No," Damascus admitted. "But I didn't personally see the refugees. Most of them were housed en masse in one of the ship's bays. There were many of them and few of us."

"Where were they dropped off?" Palathum asked, her tone demanding. "We can go there immediately and search for Merrick's mate and the other humans."

"Dandilow II," Damascus said and couldn't help the sad rumble that escaped him. "Our captain didn't want to, but he had no control over it. Dandilow II was the closest place willing to take them so that was where command ordered us to go."

"What's wrong with Dandilow II?" Iris asked.

"It's a…" Utharium started, then paused, trying to find a word that fit. "It's not a pleasant place."

Damascus didn't want to upset her, but she needed to know the truth. "It's a place of vermin, trash, and thievery. I've heard murder is so common that there is a spot the authorities have set aside to drop off bodies so the criminals don't dump them into the river and pollute the city."

Several things happened at once: Merrick got paler, if that was possible, Palathum and Utharium both sounded angry rattles, and Iris jumped at him and shoved him away from Merrick's bed. Palathum and Utharium were quick to move close to Merrick and fill the air with their reassurance.

He let her move him as if her pushes were actually accomplishing her goal. How depraved was it that he didn't care that her touch was out of anger, only that her hands were on him?

"You don't give someone hope and then rip it away in the next breath," she hissed.

"False hope is no hope," he retorted, sounding a soothing rumble. "I refuse to give him inaccurate information when the eventual truth could possibly kill him. That's cruel."

Her hands were splayed across his chest, so he put his hand over hers and pressed them down. Even her little, delicate hands were soft.

He wanted to run them down his chest, over his belly, and into his pants. Press the tips of her fingers to the seam of his mating pouch. What would it be like to lick her neck and shoulders as she played her fingers over the most vulnerable part of him? What sounds would she make? Did she like it rough like the Ugarians or soft and slow like Movitis?

The scent glands in his cheeks ached and his mouth watered. He wanted to know everything about her.

"Giving someone hope isn't cruel," Iris whispered. She was staring up at him, eyes wide and dark. Her breathing was a little uneven, and she wasn't trying to pull her hands away. "Sometimes all we have is hope."

"Hope is an uncertain foundation with unreliable returns," he murmured, leaning over. "Passion provides better footing, and there's always a reward."

"Passion?" she said in a voice so soft only he could hear.

"Passion is a gift from the ancestors," he whispered back. "Our kind have forgotten, but we used to live lives full of it."

Lowering his head, he pressed the side of his face to hers. His overfull and aching scent gland released, spreading bonding oil onto Iris's skin.

"Let me show you," he begged, his lips next to her ear.

"Chocolate," she breathed. Confined by his hands, her fingers were petting a small section of his chest. "Sweet, rich chocolate."

He was so entranced he didn't notice anyone getting close until something sharp pressed against his side. The tip of the weapon slid between two of his keratin plates and pricked the skin beneath.

It was a harsh reminder that he and Iris weren't alone.

"Let go of Iris, or I'll gut you," Utharium growled.

With deliberately slow movements, Damascus lifted his hands from Iris's. The sharp object was withdrawn, and he only caught a glimpse before it disappeared into Utharium's belt.

Ah, a jamati blade. Made from a special type of nano-infused cloth, the blade was thin, flexible, and razor sharp. It required a very specific type of sheath and handling. If you weren't careful, you could do damage to yourself simply by trying to draw it out. He'd heard of them, but never seen one in person.

If he didn't absolutely know Utharium would try to kill him, he'd ask the male to teach him how to use the rare weapon. It was lucky they'd needed him alive in the Nimon restaurant or Utharium could've easily slit his throat with the blade while Damascus held his arm in a joint lock.

Damascus had a newfound respect for Utharium's restraint. If someone had him in a painful hold that made him vulnerable, he wouldn't have hesitated to deliver a killing blow despite possible repercussions.

"Thank you for sparing my life here and earlier," he said with a slap of his fist to his chest. It was the first time he'd done it in solars, and the movement felt odd.

Utharium sounded half a note of a startled rattle before straightening up and returning the gesture.

"My opponent was capable, but danger was minimal and my actions needed to match," he answered. Those words were his way of acknowledging Damascus as a capable warrior with an appropriate control over his impulses.

He was probably half correct.

"I've been on my own for a long time," Damascus said, realizing that as much as he didn't like the air of superiority from Utharium and Palathum, they were doing a good job of protecting Iris and Mia.

Utharium was quiet for a moment. When he spoke, there was no anger, gruffness, or irritation, only genuine curiosity. "Do you really have no wish to return to the empire?"

That was an easy question to answer. "None."

Except was it? Iris was part of the empire now.

His eyes found Iris sitting on the bed, holding Merrick's hand and speaking to him in a low, confident voice. He could tell she was working hard on not looking over at him.

One side of her face looked slightly shinier than the other. If he was closer, he'd smell his bonding oil soaking into her soft human skin. He was sure it would smell divine. What would his oil smell like when he rubbed it between her legs?

His mouth watered at the thought.

Moving to the side, Palathum blocked his view of the humans. "We are going to travel to Dandilow II first. After we find Merrick's mate and other humans, we'll continue on to Balforge."

Her tone was aggressive, as if she expected him to challenge her decision. In all honesty, he was secretly thrilled at this added destination. The need to be with Iris was becoming almost as important to him as getting to Balforge. Extra time with her was a gift from the ancestors.

"You're the owner of Progress," he agreed with an affirmative rattle to show that he meant no disrespect or sarcasm with his words. "You decide when and where we go."

It was easy to see he'd surprised everyone, including Iris and Merrick who were both staring at him. Merrick looked thankful, but Iris appeared confused.

"I thought you'd object," Palathum said.

"Thank you, Damascus," Iris said, her confusion giving way to a smile. He almost unclipped his Ident to take an image capture of that smile.

No, image captures were for families, friends, and compatriots. Iris wasn't any of those things.

Iris was…

Iris was something important.

Feeling all kinds of things he couldn't define, he had the urgent need to get away from Iris's soft eyes.

"I'll meet all of you back at the ship," he declared, then turned on his heels and fled the medical suite. The noise and crowd beyond was a relief after the silent stares from the humans.

Deciding to do a little shopping before returning to Progress, he headed to the station's market area. There were a few items he needed, and he had a sudden interest in looking at any items a small human child might enjoy.

It wasn't because he was charmed by Mia at all. He simply knew that making Mia happy would help win Iris's favor. Getting to hear the child laugh again wasn't part of his motivation—not at all.