he’d murdered an innocent man for his bride, sold her to a known trader in the outer reaches to pass on to the leader of the most ruthless legion on Rogue 5. He’d received credit for Zara, but there was more. He could have earned that from selling her to anyone. No, Bertok and Cerberus had made a deal, and it all had to do with that necklace I’d ridiculously thought was a human decoration, just like her navel ring.
While I’d left so long ago, I was still bitter. Still angry at my family. Yet Trion was my home, and I couldn’t let Bertok live knowing what he’d done to Zara. What he intended to do with Cerberus. I didn’t need to have the details of their plan to assume it was very, very bad. Cerberus’ depths of evil had yet to be plumbed… and I knew more stories than most because of Zenos and Ivy.
Based on Zenos’ drive to learn the truth about the other legion’s leader, he, too, was rightfully concerned.
I dropped my bag on the tile floor by the entry, looked to Zara. I was exhausted. I didn’t transport often, preferring to travel by my ship. That wasn’t possible coming to Trion, and I’d forgotten how it sucked the energy from my body.
We’d come from Zenith directly here. It wasn’t the time for sightseeing. The transport center was large, and I hoped my return was not noticed by anyone familiar to me. I would have to visit my parents eventually, but by the way Zara was swaying on her feet, I didn’t want it to happen right away. I wasn’t ready to deal with them on top of everything else.
I wondered how she saw the place. It was vast. Elegant. Larger than any bachelor could ever want or need. Fark, even larger than any Trion family could ever use. This being my home, it was representative of me or at least of the life I’d left behind. I didn’t usually care what others thought of me. Hell, I’d left the planet for just such a reason. I cared what Zara thought, though.
“You’re rich,” she said finally.
“My family is,” I replied, clarifying the difference.
“If you have all this, why are you selling Hive tech for your cannon thing? Just write a check or something.”
I sighed. Zara had said she’d grown up poor, and I was sure such opulence was new to her, just as much as being on a new planet.
“It’s family money that built this place. Not mine. My parents’ home is larger still. My dead brother, Malik’s, equally so. I haven’t touched a credit of it since I left. Come on, let’s get some rest.” I took her elbow to guide her toward the stairs and the second floor that housed the seven bedrooms.
She shrugged out of my hold. “We’re on Trion. We need to find Bertok.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Gara, I’m exhausted. I’m not sure how you’re still standing. You’ve barely slept since you came from Earth and have transported three times. An Atlan beast would be struggling to stay conscious. Leave your titan stick by the door, and we’ll sleep.”
“I have motivation,” she replied, her jaw clenched, her pale eyes fierce as she looked up at me.
“Remember we talked about the way time is different on Trion? The planet is so distant in the sector that it’s been—” I paused and did some loose math in my head. “—about two hours here on Trion since Bertok returned from The Dome.”
Her mouth fell open. “Two hours?”
It had been three days since we’d been beneath The Dome, so it was hard to even fathom the bend in time. It was even harder to fathom how my life had changed since then.
“Bertok is not expecting us, and I’m sure he’s sleeping off his own transport. While it would be a good time to attack, we don’t know all the details. Yet. There’s nothing for us to do now but rest and wait for Zenos and Ivy to investigate. Remember, while we sleep, days will pass for them.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Daylight savings time is one thing, but this? I don’t think I’ll ever understand this… time change.” She rubbed her eyes. “Rest sounds good. A shower sounds better.”
Nodding, I led her into my bed chamber and through to the bathing room. Everything was as pristine as when I’d left it. The deep stone tub, the windows that surrounded it to make the user feel decadent soaking in