Trapped (The Condemned Series #1) - Alison Aimes Page 0,74

have been dressed in the trappings of Council civility, but he’d never quite shed that dangerous wildness he’d had since the day they met.

“Almost.” Caine lifted his gorgeous head and kissed the tip of her nose. “You’re getting better.”

“I’ve had a good teacher.” Plus, she’d been practicing like a maniac. For precisely this moment. Her gaze dropped to the disc in his hand, the distinctive gold seal of the Council hard to miss. “That for us?”

The disc bent in his grip. “I told you not yet.”

She shrugged. She wasn’t afraid of Caine or his bark. She knew the reason behind his gruffness now. His history. His instincts. His ingrained need to protect her. They were just some of the many things she loved and appreciated about him. But she also knew he wouldn’t let his fears rule either of them. They’d come to trust each other too much to let the past stand in their way.

“Ava has already waited too long for us to come and find her.” Bella’s heart still hurt every time she thought of her missing friend, of how she must think she’d been abandoned, when the reality was totally different. “I know you’re as sickened as me by all the Command Council delays and excuses. It’s way past time to take this on ourselves.”

Bella didn’t know what kind of shape her friend would be in when they found her, but she knew Ava would never have stopped fighting for her freedom. After dealing with her friend’s family and fiancé, Bella had a better idea of the source of her friend’s strength—and her wounds.

Besides a meek mother with sad eyes and a bruise on her chin, Bella had found the rest of Ava’s relations arrogant, despicable, and creepy to the core. They’d flat out told her and Caine to mind their own business when they offered to help. It was clear from the way they spoke—as if Ava was a possession to be retrieved—that they were committed to recovering her, but that the homecoming wouldn’t be a happy one.

Before meeting them, Bella had thought Council families were the lucky ones.

“Ava deserves the freedom she always wanted. She’s not going to get that if her family finds her first.”

“You’re right.” Caine’s head clunked back against the floor. “It is past time. For her. And for us. Besides, even tigos and pythiles aren’t as dangerous as those asshole Council members.”

Actual jokes. Caine had been making them more and more.

Her heartbeat picked up a notch. “So we’re a go?”

His sigh was long and loud. “You’ll probably be a hell of a lot safer once we’re off this planet anyway.”

He wasn’t wrong. She wasn’t exactly the Command Council’s favorite person thanks to her recent maneuvering—and not just over Ava.

Living up to her fighter girl nickname, she’d used the insider information Winthrop had given her about the Command Council’s growing precarious leadership position along with her findings about Dragath25 soil to blackmail the Council into pardoning Caine. It hadn’t been easy. Council members preferred to protect their own. But when faced with the possibility of losing out on information about potential food and water sources that could help them retain power, they’d tossed aside one of their own easily enough.

Of course, she hadn’t stopped there. She’d also used the information to wrestle better food and lodging for all non-Council people. Nothing revolutionary, but enough to make things a little more fair. And put a dent in established protocol. Something few in the Council welcomed.

Which was why Caine was so worried about Council reprisal. He’d been doling out his share of intimidating looks during the mandatory Council meetings. And though he hadn’t mentioned it to her, she knew he’d engaged in more than a few physical ‘discussions’ in the corridors with displeased Councilmen and their hired muscle. All to keep her safe.

“And you once thought Dragath25 was the most dangerous place in the solar system,” she teased.

He snorted.

She kissed the corner of his lip, pleased to see the hint of a laugh line at the edge of his mouth. It was a good sign. Despite the issues with the Council, he was happy. They were happy.

Though he’d grumbled and protested about risking herself for his sake, she could tell a weight had been lifted since his pardon had come through. Reuniting with extended family and friends had also gone a long way to healing old wounds. But what had really made him smile was when Councilman Hendricks and his brother were found guilty