The soldiers had disappeared, but Ian was deep in conversation with a beautiful, statuesque woman. She had inky black hair and deep brown skin. I hadn’t dealt with Deputy Director Marta Stevens much, but I got the impression that she was smart and driven.
Ian turned as we approached. “Did Lady Catarina bring you up to speed?” he asked.
I nodded and smiled in greeting at Marta. “It’s nice to see you again, Deputy Director Stevens. Thank you for helping my sister.”
She inclined her head. “I am glad you have safely returned, Lady Bianca. It was my pleasure to assist Lady Catarina.” Her serious facade cracked into a grin. “You better keep an eye on her, though. She’s too smart for her own good.”
“She’s too smart for all of our goods,” I said and nudged Cat’s shoulder. “I was hoping she wouldn’t find out.”
“Too late,” Cat said. “That’s what happens when you all run off on adventures and leave me behind to pick up the pieces.”
Her tone was light, but there was a thread of seriousness underlying it. Marta’s teasing comment could also be taken as a warning. I met the other woman’s eyes and she nodded, very slightly.
I knew Catarina felt stifled on Earth. We’d tried to shelter her as much as possible from House business, which meant she hadn’t had as many opportunities to get out and see the universe. I would need to change that or she would take matters into her own hands, for better or worse.
I turned my attention back to the upcoming meeting with my father. “Ferdinand and I are going to see Albrecht. I plan to recommend that we keep Pierre in custody and keep digging. Someone is manipulating him.”
“I agree,” Ian said. “I will go with you. He’s demanded my presence as well. He’s waiting in his study.”
Of course he was. Very little got past Albrecht von Hasenberg. He hadn’t ruled a High House for nearly twenty years by luck alone. He wasn’t a figurehead; he was House von Hasenberg.
“Good luck,” Cat said. “I’m definitely not going with you. But I’ll find you later if you survive it.” She kissed the air next to my cheek then disappeared with Marta.
Ferdinand, Ian, and I made the trek to Father’s study. By now he must know that Ferdinand had returned, but still he let us come to him. I sank deeply into my public persona. Father wouldn’t be won by emotion. Logic and facts would win the day.
The study door slid open as we approached. He was expecting us.
The room was ornately decorated with real wood paneling and heavy, carved furniture. It smelled faintly of cigar smoke and expensive alcohol. Father sat behind a massive wooden desk, watching us with a blank expression. Ian and Ferdinand bowed. I curtsied.
“Father,” Ferdinand murmured.
At the sound of Ferdinand’s voice, Albrecht’s eyes narrowed. “Explain.”
“The Syndicate removed my tongue.”
“Can it be fixed?” Ferdinand didn’t flinch at Father’s cold tone, but I did.
“I don’t know,” Ferdinand said.
“Go see what the doctors can do for you,” Albrecht said. “I will speak to you later.”
Ferdinand bowed and left the room. Lucky man.
Albrecht moved his glare to Ian. “How did the Syndicate snatch my heir out from under your nose?”
“Ferdinand had three bodyguards with him. All three died defending him. The Syndicate had an inside spy. Pierre von Hasenberg fed them information. He seems to be working on behalf of House James. We have him in custody and he’s confessed. We believe he is being manipulated, possibly by House James, possibly by someone else. We are still looking into it.”
“I expect a full report on my desk by the end of the day. Dismissed.”
Ian glanced at me and I inclined my head. His presence would likely make Father even more disagreeable than usual. He bowed and left.
Father and I stared at each other in silence. “My prodigal daughter returns,” Albrecht said at last. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
“Did you really think I was a traitor?”
He scoffed. “Of course not. I’ve known about Ferdinand and Evelyn for months. I am not surprised you figured it out.”
“Then why order me detained?”
He stared at me for long enough that I figured he wouldn’t answer, but I’d learned patience. I waited him out. “You needed a push.”
I digested that nebulous statement. He could mean any number of things, but I decided to interpret it my own way. “It worked far better than you could’ve imagined,” I said.
His eyebrows lifted, but I knew he wouldn’t bother to ask, just as I wouldn’t ask what he meant. We were two of a kind.
I let him wait for several long seconds before continuing, “Ian and I are dating.”
Father laughed harshly. “No daughter of mine is going to date the help. Fuck him if you must, but be discreet.”
“I’m going to marry him.”
Red crept up Albrecht’s cheeks as true anger kindled. “No, you will not. I already have a man for you.”
“I’ve done my duty to the House. I will not marry for your pleasure again.”
He slammed his hand on his desk. “You will do as you’re told!”
“I will not,” I said calmly. “You can disown me. Ian and I will move to APD Zero with Ada. You will lose your two best sources of intelligence. My siblings will revolt. You’ll be fighting a war at home as well as in Antlia.”
“Are you threatening me?” he asked, his voice a furious growl.
“No, Father. I am giving you a choice, something you never gave me. You could disown me, or you could give me, if not your blessing, then at least your acceptance. In return, you keep me here, working for the good of the House.”
He leaned back in his chair, his gaze calculating.
“Lord Henderson will accept Catarina in your stead. She’s the one he wanted in the first place, so he’ll be pleased.”
I kept my expression cool through sheer force of will. Lord Henderson was at least as old as Father and had a well-known penchant for young women. But House Henderson was one of the strongest lower houses, and he was careful to select women of legal age, so nothing came of it other than rumors and speculation.
“Do you care so little for your daughters?”
His face hardened. “We are at war. Alliances are few and far between. I will take what I can get. I ensured you can look out for yourselves. What more do you want?”
Love, care, decency. Any number of things, really, but I kept my mouth shut. Catarina would be getting her adventure sooner rather than later if Father continued down this path. I’d have to send her into hiding.
“If I agree to your little farce of a marriage, you will stay in Serenity for five years, working for House von Hasenberg. You will not interfere with Catarina’s marriage. And if Director Bishop leaves you, I get to pick your next husband.”
I wasn’t sure if I should be insulted or amused. “No.”
“No, what?”
“No to all of it. Don’t insult me, Father. In return for leaving us alone, Ian and I will continue working for the House. I will come and go as I please, but I will spend the majority of my time in Serenity for the next year. If anything at all happens to Ian or his job, I will move to APD Zero before the news has hit the rumor mill. And I’ll never again marry a man you choose, even if Ian publicly denounces me to the entire Consortium.”
“Tread lightly, daughter. You are not irreplaceable. Three years,” he said. When I inclined my head in agreement, he continued, “I’ll have the contract drawn up.”
“Save us both time and don’t be a dick,” I said.
Exasperation gleamed in his eyes for a brief second. “You are dismissed,” he said.
I knew when to pick my battles, so I curtsied again and fled.
With nothing else that required my immediate attention, I retreated to my suite. It wasn’t until I was in the lightly shielded room that I realized the normal signal level in the House hadn’t bothered me.
I stepped back into the hall. I could feel the signals, and if I concentrated, I could read them. That caused my head to ache. But when I stopped actively trying to listen in, the pain subsided. Had I used the ability so much that my body was adapting? Or, more worryingly, was I getting better at ignoring pain?
I returned to the suite and collapsed on the sofa. I would have liked to take a nap, but I needed to update my siblings. I sent a series of messages to our group channel. I laid out what we knew, what had happened, and how Father had reacted. I left out the information about Pierre until I could talk to Hannah directly.
I was staring at the ceiling, trying to decide if I’d forgotten anything when Catarina waltzed in, her nose in her com. “Well, you don’t seem to be under house arrest, so that’s good. I’ve scheduled breakfast with Hannah. She needs support and you need to be there.”
I knew it was true, but I gave the sofa a longing glance before I allowed Catarina to pull me up.
Somehow, I made it through the day. Hannah was furious that she’d missed the signs of betrayal, but between us, Cat and I managed to persuade her that it wasn’t her fault and murdering Pierre wasn’t worth the prison sentence.
Breakfast was followed by lunch, then an afternoon tea, then dinner. Hannah and Cat both declared I needed to see and be seen with the full support of the House to squash any remaining rumors.
By the time I pleaded a headache, it wasn’t even a lie. My head throbbed. It wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been, but I wasn’t miraculously cured. The improvement gave me hope, at least.
I’d messaged Ian a few times throughout the day, just to check in and ensure Father hadn’t done something terrible, but after spending a week with him constantly around, the change jarred. I missed him.
When I arrived at my suite, I went straight for my bedroom. The bed sang a siren song of wireless protection and horizontal comfort.
It took me a few seconds to realize it was already occupied.
I had a blaster in hand before I recognized Ian. I huffed out a breath and ordered my heart back into my chest. “You could’ve warned me.”
“Sorry, wasn’t thinking,” he murmured sleepily. “Your bed ambushed me.”
I smiled at him. “It does that. Are you going to explain how you got into my suite?”
He propped his head up on his arm. His hair was back to its usual dark blond and he’d shaved. He’d left his suit jacket and tie draped over the chair in the corner. His crisp white shirt was open at the collar. He looked so delicious I almost missed his reply.
“Nope,” he said.
“I’ll figure it out,” I warned.
“I have no doubt. You’re going to force me to become sneakier.”
I kicked off my heels and crawled into bed beside him. I closed the curtain behind me and blissful silence fell. I sighed in relief.
“The curtains block the signals?” Ian asked. He rolled me onto my stomach and massaged the tense muscles in my neck and upper back.
I hummed my agreement, then melted as his fingers worked their magic. I’d only give him a year or twelve to stop.
“I talked to Albrecht,” Ian said, ruining all of the relaxation I’d achieved.
I rolled over to face him. “And?”
“He offered me a million credits to leave today and never contact you again.”
It was a fortune several times over. With a million credits wisely invested, he could easily become a new lower house in the Consortium. I was actually kind of shocked that Father thought I was worth so much. “You declined?”
“I declined,” he agreed.
“What did he do?”
“Yelled and threatened, mostly. Told me I’d never get my hands on any of House von Hasenberg’s money, even if I married you. But it seems like I still have a job, for now. What about you, how did it go?”
“As well as can be expected. I’m not disowned, at least not yet. We’ll see after I read the contract he’s sending over.”
He frowned. “What did you agree to?”
“I’m pretty sure I agreed not to start a civil war in the House.” When he didn’t smile, I told him about the negotiations.
“That seems suspiciously reasonable,” Ian concluded. “He probably thought he could convince me to take the money and run.”
“Yes, and now that you didn’t, I’m assuming the contract will be a real piece of work.”
“Are you sure I’m worth it?” he asked. “It would be so much—”
“I’m sure. Don’t freak out, but the reason Father brought up marriage is because I told him that I’m marrying you. One day. If you’ll have me. In the future, I mean. If you ask me.”
Ian looked stunned. I clamped my mouth shut before I could make it worse. I closed my eyes. My cheeks burned. Perhaps I would die from embarrassment and save myself from having to live through the next few minutes.
“Yes.”
I warily cracked one eye open. “Yes, what?”
Ian’s face lit up. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Pure joy made me return his smile, even as I protested, “That wasn’t a proposal! It was a warning!”
His smile morphed into a grin. “I accept your warning,” he said solemnly.
I rolled him onto his back and straddled his hips. This dress was not designed for straddling people—the skirt rode indecently high, but Ian didn’t seem to mind. His smoothed his hands down my back and over my butt before pulling me closer.
“Did I tell you that you look amazing in this dress?” he asked. “Because you look amazing.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” I murmured. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to the smooth skin of his jaw. He buried a hand in my hair and pulled my mouth to his.
I shivered as his tongue slid against mine. The kiss was a slow seduction, stoking desire until it threatened to burn us down. I pulled back with a gasp. “Take your clothes off,” I ordered.
Ian’s eyes laughed at me, but he unbuttoned his shirt. I helped by pressing kisses against the skin he exposed.
He sat up with a growl. “My turn.”
He made short work of my clothes, though I did have to stand to get the dress off. While I was doing that, he removed his pants, so when I climbed back into bed, he was laid out like a feast before me.
When I took too long admiring him, he reached for me and pulled me on top of him. His lips closed around my nipple. Pleasure slammed through me. I moaned low and arched into him, rubbing against his length. I wanted him, needed this connection.
I sat up and lifted my hips. He fisted his cock, rubbing it against me. Stars exploded behind my eyes when he hit my clit. He must’ve seen the expression on my face because he did it again before holding steady.
I had meant to take this slow, but desire drove me now. I moved his hand to my breast and slammed my hips down, taking him deep in one smooth movement. I hissed in pleasure. I would never get tired of the delicious stretch of him.
He sat up, changing the angle of penetration and rubbing against my clit. “Yes,” I moaned. I kissed him, a battle of tongues and lips where we both came out victors.
Then I shifted, lifting and dropping along the delicious length of him. We found the rhythm and chased bliss. His thumb pressed against my clit just as he thrust home and I tipped over the edge. Pleasure exploded outward, sending my heart flying.
“Fuck,” he groaned. “You feel incredible.” He rolled us, pressing me into the bed. His thrusts gained a desperate edge that pushed me higher before he, too, fell over the edge.
He collapsed against me, a heavy weight that I wouldn’t move for the world. In a moment of brilliant clarity, I knew I loved Ian Bishop to the bottom of my soul. The realization shook me, so I desperately latched on to anything to change the subject.
“How do you feel about a trip to Pluto?” I asked, then closed my eyes. Of all the inane . . .
“Bianca,” Ian groaned, “we just survived one hellhole and you’re ready to jump into another one?”
“I promised Yuko I’d rescue her daughter, and a promise is a promise,” I said. “Plus, you know you love me.”
I said it lightly, teasingly, a reminder to myself that I needed to back off, but he raised his head. His expression turned solemn. “I do love you,” he said softly. “I’ve loved you for years. I know it’s too soon, but I was serious earlier. I will marry you one day if you’ll have me. You’re the one for me.”
Happy tears flooded my eyes. “Me, too,” I whispered, working up the courage to say the words. “We’re perfect for each other. I love you.” I felt lighter and happier than I ever had before. All of the problems we still needed to tackle seemed insignificant in comparison. As long as Ian and I were together, we could do anything.
Ian kissed me, deep and slow, then spent the rest of the night showing me just how amazing our future was going to be.