I never admit it to the media, I know the truth. I couldn’t have done it for anyone else. It’s a testament to his abilities and heart that I was able to get him in. At all. Believe me, the Vested league fought me every step of the way. They only agreed to it originally as a joke. Thought it’d be funny to trot out the mongrel freak, and show a Vested leaguer trouncing him. For that first fight, the kid was ridiculously paired with a fighter who outweighed him by over a hundred pounds.”
“The Andarion Butcher?” Felicia asked, remembering what Fresca had said about her cousin.
He nodded. “He tried to break Talyn in half. Didn’t work out so well for him. No one can deny that Talyn has a fire inside him no other Andarion can touch. You might get a shot or two in, but no one can take him down. He mangled the Butcher in under two hours.”
And that was what scared her. What if he turned that level of ferocity on her one day?
He sealed the bags. “C’mon. Let me see you home like I promised. Last thing I want is for the kid to kick my ass because I let you get hurt.”
She smiled at the tender note in his voice as he spoke of Talyn. “You love him.”
“Like a son.”
As they left, the media descended on them. Erix pushed his way through them, taking care to keep her safe through the crowd.
“Who’s the female?”
“Is she the Hammer’s girl?”
“She’s my daughter,” he snarled at the reporters. “Now get out of our way! I’ll field interviews later!” He opened the door to a chauffeured transport and helped her inside. Then he joined her.
She shook her head incredulously at the spectacle. “Is it always like this?”
“Yeah. Talyn’s a once-in-a-lifetime champion. No one’s ever seen a fighter like him before. I doubt if they’ll ever see another.”
And Talyn had requested a contract with her.
She still couldn’t believe she was tied to a famous athlete. “He should be celebrating his win. Not pulled back to duty before he could even finish his shower.”
The look on Erix’s face made her stomach shrink.
“What?”
He glanced away.
“Erix? What is it?” What was he not telling her?
“Nothing. Just agreeing with you.”
There was more to it than that. She knew it. “Tell me why you look like that.”
“Just thinking of what his CO will do to him for daring to win tonight. I hate that unreasonable bastard with a passion.”
“Who’s his CO?”
“Colonel Asshole Anatole. The tadara’s grandnephew. A ne’er-do-well who bought his rank and hates every male who puts him to shame. Which is pretty much everyone. And, in particular, Talyn.”
She knew the type well. “It’s not Chrisen Anatole, is it?”
He frowned at her. “You know him?”
“Only by reputation.” He was banned from her agency for almost killing one of the companions who’d been dumb enough to contract with him two years ago. Her agency used him as an example that though a patron might be highest caste, he might not be the best choice.
“Yeah, it really chaps my ass that my blood son died in battle to protect us, and that cowardly dog sits with a colonel’s commission and uses it to bully and abuse those beneath him. There’s just no justice in this universe.”
“Is there no way to get Talyn out from under his command?”
“Yeah. Kill the bastard… and don’t think the idea of taking that contract out with The League hasn’t occurred to me.”
She frowned at him. “Can’t Talyn simply buy another commission?”
“It’s not just a money thing. Officers have to bank training and service time for a promotion. Unfortunately, Talyn donated his to get his mother her last commission. And even if he had used it himself, it wouldn’t have gotten him out from under his CO. He has to go up two ranks to bypass that asshole.”
She cringed at the thought of him staying with such a beast. “So what do you think will happen when Talyn returns to base?”
“If experience holds, he’ll be sent out on patrol as soon as he gets back and they check his blood to make sure it’s clean. His leave for the next month will be revoked, and he’ll be given every shit assignment that comes across Anatole’s desk.”
“And there’s nothing we can do?”
Erix shook his head sadly. “Just be there for him when he resurfaces, and hope his CO doesn’t kill him.”
Chapter 4
“Hey, Felicia.”
Felicia smiled as she heard Talyn’s deep, sexy voice again.