Maris hesitated as he reached the ramp. Kyr would have Saf beaten and stripped of his rank for this. They both knew it. But if Saf allowed Maris to escape without injury done to him, his punishment would be death.
Pressing his helmet against Saf’s, Maris held his brother close. He wanted to take Saf with him, but that would be even worse. Then Saf would be marked for death and hunted by every assassin the League had. It’d be kinder to shoot him in the head himself than relegate his brother to that fate.
“Shoot him!” Saf yelled to the other soldiers, covering his ass.
When one of the soldiers came close enough, Darling set off his last charge.
As it erupted, Maris pushed Saf away from it and down the ramp. With a deep breath for courage, he shot Saf in the shoulder then ran the rest of the distance up the ramp.
Darling and Hauk met him at the top. Hauk slammed and held him against the steel wall as Caillen launched their ship before the ramp finished closing.
Darling held on to a strap on the opposite side.
Hauk tightened his grip on Maris. “Ture’s strapped in beside Caillen.”
Maris patted his arm. “Thank you, Hauk. For everything.”
“Any time, buddy.”
Darling held his hand out for Maris to take. They didn’t say a word to each other.
They didn’t have to.
Through thick and thin, brothers to the bitter end.
The ship turned sharply as Caillen outmaneuvered their pursuers. How Hauk managed to keep him pinned to the wall, Maris had no idea. Damn, the Andarion was strong.
As they reached escape velocity, Nykyrian, Syn, Nero, Jayne and Fain brought their fighters in to engage the smaller ships after them.
Hauk released him. Maris made his way to the bridge where Chayden provided cover fire while Caillen piloted the ship. He barely saw them as his gaze locked on Ture. Rushing to him, he sank to his knees, threw his arms around Ture’s waist and laid his head in his lap.
Ture brushed his hand through Maris’s damp hair as tears blinded him. “You ever risk your life like that again, and I’ll make Darling beat you.”
“Copy that,” Darling growled. “Only I’m allowed to be that stupid.”
Maris laughed at them. He lifted his head to see Darling going over their settings. “What happened to Saf?”
“He’s en route to the hospital and is suspended, pending investigation.”
“Don’t worry, Mari,” Nykyrian said over the line. “Kyr will have him punished, but he won’t kill him.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. He won’t trust Safir in the foreseeable future. However, he will know that one of two things happened. Either you got the drop on your brother and used him, and you’re not worth the loss of a highly trained assassin who has family loyalty to him. Or Saf helped you, and you now owe a blood debt to him. That, Kyr can use to trap you in the future.”
And that was why Nykyrian was still alive, even though the League wanted him dead. It was frightening how much he understood the intricacies of other species and their politics.
Darling glanced over to him and offered a smile. “We also have one of our spies covering Saf’s back. If anyone makes a move on him, we will get him out immediately. I promise you, no one’s going to hurt your brother.”
“Thank you.” Maris looked up at Ture. “Are you all right?”
“Now that you’re safe, I am.”
Maris treasured those words as he forced his thoughts away from the tragedy of the night. The League had dealt them a hard blow.
Ture’s brother was dead.
Because of me.
Taking Ture’s hand, he held it to his lips as that harsh reality sank in. No one, other than Darling or Saf, would have protected him like that. It was something he’d never forget.
“I love you,” he breathed.
A single tear fell down Ture’s cheek. “Love you, too.”
For the first time in his life, Maris knew it wasn’t lip service.
This was real.
And it would be forever.
“Darling?”
“Yeah?”
Maris laughed as both Darling and Ture answered him. True to his promise, Ture never took offense to the times Maris called him ‘darling.’ Rather, he took it as the endearment it was meant to be, and never assumed Maris was calling him by the wrong name.
“Ture,” he said with a smile to clarify who he was talking to. “The emperor has offered to allow us to live in the palace with his guard. Will you move in with me?”
Ture smiled. “Of course, I will. Have you seen the idiotic chances you take? I never intend to leave you alone again. I can’t afford to.”
Maris laughed. “Good. Otherwise, I was afraid you were about to relegate me to crazy stalker status.”
Tightening his hand on Maris’s, Ture shook his head. Until another thought hit him. “Where’s Terek?”
“Jayne’s husband has him. He wasn’t hurt, and he was fed and sleeping when I checked in.”
Ture let out a relieved breath. “You know, you’re still listed as his legal father, and Ana had no other family. I have the custodial termination papers she had drawn up, but…”
Maris’s breath caught in his throat as he hoped Ture was asking what he thought he was. “You want to keep him?”