Dealers' Choice - Susan Hayes Page 0,75

Xori.

“I haven’t reached out, but I could. I’m not sure what I’d learn, since I sense emotion, not thought or form, but best I don’t bet so no one thinks I’m cheating.” Xori still hadn’t gotten used to being open about her abilities. It wasn’t common knowledge and never could be, but this group were her family now, and it had been freeing to let them in on her secret.

Cyn was quiet for a long moment, then handed Mya to the older woman sitting next to her. Phylomenia Harrington was a tall, lean woman with silver in her hair and lines in her face that deepened when she laughed, which was often.

“Hello, sprite,” Phyl cooed to the baby, her eyes softening as Mya squealed with delight.

“Xori, could you? I mean, I’d like to know…” Cynder touched a hand to the subtle outward curve of her stomach.

Xori reached out and Cynder took her hand. Chance took Dana, leaving her free to focus on what she was about to do.

“This is a first. I don’t know what I’ll feel,” she warned the cyborg female. Then she extended her awareness and focused it on Cynder.

In the week since bonding with her vardo, she’d been working on her abilities. For the first time she could actually practice using them instead of focusing on suppressing them. She sensed Cynder’s emotions first. They were strong and clear as a mountain stream, with only a few darker patches where current worries and long-ago grief lingered. She moved past those and found something else. It was small and unfocused, but it was there, a life force so new it had no awareness yet.

She smiled at Cynder. “Your son or daughter is present, and as far as I can tell, they are content. I can’t really tell you anything else.”

Cyn smiled and squeezed her hand before letting go again. “That’s good. Thank you.”

Chance was taller than Xori, which meant Dana was now high enough to be able to grab at the matyri Xori wore over one ear. It was a new design, one that had no relation to her social status. It was made of white gold, the metal twisted together at the center to form a star-shaped flower with sapphires for petals. It had been a mating gift from Vic and Ward, and she wore it with pride.

“Sha-sha,” Dana burbled as she tugged at the ear cuff.

“Yes, it’s very shiny, and it’s not yours.” Chance lifted the little girl away before she could get a good grip on the jewelery or Xori’s hair.

Not that she would have minded. She loved spending time with the children, especially the way they reacted to Vic and Ward. They adored the two males, and the feeling was mutual. She suspected the twins were as much a part of her mates’ recovery as anything she’d done. Unconditional love and trust were priceless gifts, and Zura’s daughters gave both things freely.

“How are you feeling, Chance?” Nova Force had asked the uniquely gifted cyborg to review all the data to see what predictions she could make. The effort had drained her enough they hadn’t seen Chance in two days.

“Better. I just wished there’d been more to go on. The Grays need to be stopped, but there wasn’t enough data left on that ship to figure out where they were taking you, or what their next move might be.”

Vivian might not have blown up the ship, but she’d destroyed it in every way that mattered. Nova Force had retrieved every object that had been expelled into space when the ship had vented atmosphere, including the bodies. They’d taken the Enigma 4 apart, but they hadn’t found anything useful. The only clones on board were the two types she’d seen. There were no experiments in progress. The only DNA they’d found belonged to the clones or Xori, which confirmed that Vivian had never been present. All they had was the data she’d managed to take with her, and the knowledge that the Grays were watching their every move.

Security was elevated everywhere, especially with the big corporate event coming up fast. Tianna was determined to go through with it, pointing out that if she backed off now, it would only empower their enemy further.

“We don’t know what the next move will be, but we can guess where it will happen,” Zura said, her silver eyes clouded with worry.

“We’ll be alright. We know what’s coming and we’re making plans. Taking care of each other. It’s what we do here,”