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Malo feathered kisses along Caro’s chin, careful not to disturb her sleep. Holding her brought him pleasure, contentment, still, he struggled to convey how much he cherished her. He twitched his lips, only now understanding what had bothered Caro so many days ago.
The fault lay with him. He had known she invoked intense emotions, knew right from their first meeting that she was the air to his lungs, his very breath, his salvation, yet he hadn’t been able to name it until he’d listened in.
Her tearful, “He doesn’t love me,” had been the revelation he’d needed. Love? He wasn’t an Etterian who didn’t believe in such feelings, having seen much in his life. But when she had thought he couldn’t love her, he’d identified his intense emotions with certainty.
Maker, I am a blessed male.
Not only had Oyaz and Izzy returned to the Valiant ending Malo’s last task, but that Oyaz was Izzy’s Eth meant Izzy would be well-cared for. This nonsense about him not remembering her was lunacy. Once Oyaz fully recovered, Malo had no doubt the male would succumb to the Ethera again.
His O.D.I. tingled along his arm, and he twisted to activate it, reading the message from Tias. He had found the leak at E.S.A. Extricating himself from Caro’s embrace, he kissed her temple and pulled on his armor.
“Who is this human?” Malo strode into Tias’s data room.
“An engineer at E.S.A. The comms between him and a xenophobic organization called No More Galaxy Whores began the day you arrived. It is this group that fired the ancient weapon, harming your Dar Eth. I suspect they were aiming for you, Operations Commander.”
Malo gritted his teeth. “Then how did Imarri involve herself?”
Tias shook his head. “There were no comms between Peter Duncan and the Yithians or Maloidians. She must have trailed us to Earth. This does not please me, Operations Commander. The location of Earth is now shared across all Maloidian ships.”
“Alodon’s balls. Two separate attempts at the same time? And Yithians stealing humans for slaves? Now Maloid’s involvement? Send this information to Adviser Kanzo, asking for reinforcements. With the Maloidian greed in play, who knows how they might exploit the planet.” Malo gripped the console. “Show me this Duncan.”
The male’s image had him cursing and slamming his palm onto the console, denting it. He knew the face of the male who had treated Caro so poorly. A grin formed, surprising an arched brow from Tias.
“He is Caro’s enemy.” Malo never explained, yet Tias had worked hard and deserved to know. Malo tapped his O.D.I. “Afax, continue on course to Earth and increase speed.”
“Should I send this information to Director Reyes?” Tias gestured to the display vids.
“No, this is for our use. I will appraise Director Reyes when I am in his office.” What Malo wanted was to smash his fist into Duncan’s face. Without including Reyes in his decision meant he jeopardized the tremulous peace. Malo pursed his lips. “On second thought, comm Director Reyes.”
He folded his arms across his chest and waited for the connection.
“Yes?” Reyes rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Operations Commander?”
“We have found the leak. I would like to pulverize the male, despite him being human and working for E.S.A. As an Eth, I deserve vengeance.”
“Oh, dear.” The male straightened, facing the vid.
“To do so would bring me great pleasure, Caro as well, yet the negotiations between Etteria and Earth still need to be finalized.”
Reyes sighed. “Well, let’s start with who the culprit is?”
“Chief Engineer Peter Duncan.”
“Shit.” Reyes pinched the bridge of his nose. “There will be an inquiry, a panel will review the findings, and a judgment made.”
Malo grimaced. “Tias, forward what we know. How long will this inquiry take?”
Reyes rubbed his face and hair. “Weeks.”
That was time Malo didn’t have. “It goes against the core of me to leave this unresolved, Director Reyes, but I wish to remove my Dar Eth from danger.”
“I’ll need a recording from her with regards to your supposed kidnapping. In addition, a full medical report will ensure she wasn’t coerced or drugged during the recording.”
Easy enough. “Very well, Director Reyes, I will ensure both are sent through. Will this end this nonsense?”
“I explained the situation again, using the information Oriana provided. It made no difference to their accusations. Without being able to locate Izzy, the arrest warrant remained valid.” Reyes grinned. “She submitted a formal statement earlier today. Along with Princess Oriana’s retelling of her Ethera experience, they have agreed to drop the charges.”
Malo nodded. Everything was falling into place, except for this Duncan issue, but he was a patient male. “This is good news, Director Reyes. I will inform Caro and have her comm you.” Malo ended the comm.
He tapped the console, undecided. Deep within him, he knew what he would choose—an immediate change of direction for Etteria. He had blood-bonds now that were his highest priority.
“Tias, I need you to ensure justice by my standard is met. Contact the closest battleship heading for Earth and have them rendezvous with us. You have my authority to meet out my vengeance if E.S.A. fails to deliver an honorable judgment.”
Tias stood, faced Malo, and thumped his chest with his fist. “Yes, Operations Commander.”
Malo’s thoughts reeled while he hurried to their quarters. Never had he imagined returning to his estates on the outskirts of Issneen would summon such joy and excitement. For the first time in decades, he was going home, and he wasn’t alone.
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