Chapter 1 #2
“Dude, I’m seventeen, soon to be eighteen. Honestly, I could probably teach you a thing or two about the facts of life,” she said in a haughty tone.
I slapped my hands over my ears and shook my head. “Don’t ‘dude’ me, and I don’t need to hear this. That is the type of information a big brother does not want to find out about his sister. And who taught you whatever you think you know? Who must I hurt?”
She cackled and clapped her hands mockingly while staring at me with almost malicious glee.
“Spare me the jealous big brother nonsense,” she said disdainfully.
“I don’t want the leeches who visit this space station sniffing around you,” I said in a grumpy tone.
She huffed and waved a dismissive hand. “First off, I’m old enough to assess what kind of people I’m dealing with. Second, you’re leaving now, so I thankfully will no longer have to deal with any more cock-blocking from you.”
Another annoyed growl vibrated in my chest while I scrunched my face at her. Once again, utterly unfazed by my displeasure, her taunting grin broadened.
“You know, Zharina has three brothers, two fathers, her Uncle Ghan, and the countless Xelixian males who are now part of the Sentinels and who were formerly serving in Xelix Prime’s elite military, the First Division.
Every single one of them will be bending over backwards cockblocking you.
You’re about to get a taste of your own medicine multiplied a thousandfold. ”
My stomach knotted. Although Naya said it to poke a bit of harmless sibling fun at me, I doubted she realized how accurate her statement was.
From all accounts, all the males my sister listed indeed worshipped General Khel Praghan’s only daughter.
I had no doubt they would put me through the wringer before they finally gave our relationship their blessing.
To my shock, Naya’s expression lost some of its playful edge. Although she swiftly hid it, I didn’t miss the flash of hurt that flitted over her delicate features.
“Maybe then you will finally know what it feels like when your loved ones act as if your judgment cannot be trusted.”
That struck me hard. Closing the distance between us, I settled at the edge of the bed by her side and slipped my arm around her narrow shoulders. Where I had inherited the massive and muscular body of a Braxian, she had the lithe and delicate constitution of our human mother.
“I trust you, Naya,” I said in a gentle voice. “As obnoxiously annoying as you can be at times, you are not a helpless airhead. You’re beautiful, smart, funny, and insanely rich. It’s the males that lurk around that I don’t trust. I just want to protect you because I love you.”
“There’s protecting and then there’s smothering, Gavin,” she countered. “Let me make my own decisions and the occasional mistake. If I need protection, I will call for help. You know how loud I can be when needed.”
I snorted and nodded. “That, I certainly do. I’m sorry if I ever smothered you. You’re insufferable, but I love you.”
She playfully elbowed me even as she smiled. “I love you, too, you deserter. But what you’re going to love a lot less is the fact that Dad wants to see you right away.”
“WHAT?!” I exclaimed, shooting to my feet. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me sooner?”
She shrugged with a bratty grin that once again made me itch to put her across my knee.
“I guess I forgot. But shoo! Off you go!” Naya said, gesturing with her hand for me to get going.
I bared my teeth at her and hastened towards the door, her mocking laughter following me.
I hurried through the spacious penthouse where I had spent my whole life.
Located on the top floor of the headquarters of the Venus Hive space station, each huge reflective window gave a breathtaking view of the concourse below.
I would miss the glamour and excitement of living on the biggest, most luxurious, and highest-rated entertainment pleasure barge in the universe. And yet, I couldn’t wait to start my new life on the far more bucolic Veredia.
But then, with the Great War looming on the horizon, I doubted the near future would involve much rest and relaxation.
I crossed the spacious living area, climbed the three steps facing the elevator into the penthouse, then turned right into the hallway which led to my father’s office.
He was a workaholic, and yet he still managed to find time for his family.
My chest constricted at the thought that I wouldn’t have him nearby anymore.
People feared him. Although hybrid like me, my father could have passed for a pureblood Braxian with his brutish features, strong brow, and broad, flat nose.
His smaller height and body mass in comparison to purebloods were the only traits that betrayed the fact that he wasn’t one himself.
And yet, to humans, he was a beast of a male.
When it came to business, he could be ruthless.
A single stern glance from him would turn your blood to ice.
But I knew the loving father, devoted husband, and selfless family man that the rest of the world didn’t see. I loved my father and aspired to be the type of mate to my Zhara that he was to my mother.
I knocked on the heavy wooden door and opened it when his muffled voice bid me come in. My pleasantly surprised smile upon seeing my mother in the room faltered when I noticed the uneasy expression on her beautiful face.
My mother was as gorgeous as my father was not. From her, I inherited my unusual amber eyes and a non-negligible part of her harmonious features. But right now, hers were guarded in a way that hinted that something unpleasant awaited me.
She was sitting on a fancy leather stool, near the minibar to the left of my father’s desk.
It was an odd place for her to have settled in.
Usually, if she wasn’t cuddling directly in my father’s lap, she would either sit in the red leather empire chair across from his desk, or in one of the plush and insanely comfortable seats in the sitting area on the opposite side of the room.
Coming to a stop in front of his massive, ornate mahogany desk, I cast a questioning look at my father. “Dad, you wanted to see me?”
He nodded, the intense gaze he leveled on me making me want to squirm. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this inexplicably intimidated by my father. Something felt completely off.
“William told me that you requested a frigate for your journey to the western quadrant instead of a simple chaser. Is that correct?” he asked, his tone neutral and his expression unreadable.
“Yes. Since seven other Braxians are also going to Veredia to join the Sentinels, I thought it would be wiser for us to travel together in a single ship,” I explained.
“That makes only eight of you,” my father countered. “A chaser offers ample space for such a small group.”
I nodded. “Right. But it’s not big enough to also carry my own chaser and hoverbike. Chances are that the others will also have either their personal shuttles, hovercars or hoverbikes. We’re leaving for many years. For some among us, it is a permanent relocation. A chaser is too small.”
“Fair enough,” he conceded. “But you could still fit all of your personal stuff in your own chaser with some room to spare.”
I blinked, baffled as to why he seemed to have an issue with something I perceived as extremely minor.
“You are correct. However, as I previously mentioned, the idea of the frigate was so that all of us could make the long journey together in a single ship,” I replied carefully in a reasonable voice.
“Some of the others have way less means. If they travel on their own, they will be stuck on smaller and older ships. The frigate would ensure much better comfort, not to mention give all of us some bonding time. In more ways than one, the eight of us will become a makeshift clan away from home.”
My father pursed his lips, appearing far from convinced by my arguments. This made me even more confused. Something was happening that I was utterly failing to figure out.
“You have a kind heart, Gavin,” he said at last. “Your intentions are very altruistic towards those other candidates, but you are being rather cavalier with my credits.”
My mother flinched at the same time as I recoiled.
Gaping, I stared at my father in complete shock and disbelief.
Credits meant absolutely nothing to us. Our family’s wealth—well, technically his—had reached obscene levels.
Much could be said about my father, but no one could ever call him stingy, least of all when it came to the comfort of his loved ones.
In fact, we often had to chastise him so that he would stop trying to spoil us.
“Your credits will not be spent for any of this journey,” I said, the outrage I felt audible in my voice.
“In case you have forgotten, I have substantial wealth of my own. I always intended on paying the crew’s wages, fuel, maintenance, and whatever other fees we might incur for the frigate to take us to Veredia and then return home. ”
“Be that as it may, you should have asked me first instead of assuming you could just take my ship. What if I need it in the meantime? It’s a two-week journey each way to your destination,” my father countered sternly.
Utterly confused, I studied his features as if they could help me make sense of what clearly didn’t.
My father never used the frigate the rare times he traveled.
He found it too big and too impersonal. I could count on one hand the few occasions he did, which usually involved bringing half of Grappa’s clan along with us.
“I see,” I replied at last, although I absolutely didn’t. “In that case, I will rent one. It is a little last-minute for it, but I’m sure—”
“No,” my father said in a tone that brooked no argument, interrupting me.
I blinked. “No… what?”
“You will not rent a frigate,” he replied in a factual manner.
“Why the hell not?” I asked, my confusion cranking up another notch.
“Because no one will rent to you,” he said with a shrug.