had some sort of past. I turned away, pretending not to care, even though seeing her come on to him made me feel physically sick and shudder with repulsion. Lucky for her, there was a barrier around the Black Port or I might be compelled to push her in.
Gaelan took a step back, appearing eager to leave. “Thanks, I’ll check into it. Goodbye,” he said, taking my hand and hurrying us away.
“Anytime, Gaelan. You know where to find me if you want to come back and stay a while,” she sneered.
“Old girlfriend?” I asked once we got out of earshot.
“If that’s what you call it.”
“Does Cami work here?”
Gaelan stopped and faced me. “She has her lot. Look, I’m sorry about all of that. We had a brief affair. It was a long time ago. She’s a conniving, manipulative … I mean, it was never good for me; we clashed on everything. I think I was just going through a rebellious stage of my life.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I leaned up and kissed Gaelan gently on the lips. “I love you, and I know you weren’t born yesterday.”
“Thank you. You’re one amazing woman.” He smiled widely before he pulled me closer to him, encircling me in his arms to give me a real kiss, a kiss that helped me to forget where I was and who I was.
“Hmm-hmm.” I heard Tyden clear his throat behind me.
Gaelan pulled from my lips and gave me an adorable grin. I smiled back and released him from my arms, satisfied. I really needed to feel his soft lips against mine. It reminded me of our strong bond and told me that anything he ever had with that twit could never, ever compare.
“Any luck?” Gaelan said as he held his eyes on mine for a moment longer.
Urit gave us a pleased look. “Yes and no. No Dreons have been sighted, but the Farni have invited us to their colony,” he said happily. “They said they would help us build a replica of the Dreon tracer using Nia’s drawings and reverse the transmission so we can use it to locate their ship.”
Gaelan sighed. “I don’t know. That’s really far. Plus, we have to travel through a port key to get there,” he said, running his fingers through his hair.
“Brother, it’s a great plan,” Azil said. “We get to work with the Farni, maybe even pick up some other technology while we’re at it, and we’ll be able to find the correct Dreon ship—no guessing if we found the right one.”
Gaelan sighed. “It’s one option.”
“Why, Gaelan?” Zaric asked. “Do you have a better suggestion?”
“Well, the shopkeeper back there was saying we should consider hiring a freelance Katarian scout. Do you remember Loic Veenhoven?” Gaelan asked.
Tyden groaned.
Azil looked at him in disbelief. “Isn’t he dead?”
“That’s what I thought, too, but no,” Gaelan refuted. “Apparently he’s working on Dalinova.”
“I thought you loathed him,” Azil questioned her brother.
“That was decades ago,” Gaelan replied.
Zaric looked at us as he contemplated the idea. “It is closer … and easier to get to.”
Tyden’s body stiffened defensively. “Absolutely not. No— no way. We can’t trust him. I don’t want him aboard our ship. He’s a wastrel, a criminal, and a low-life,” he shot back.
“Tyden,” Gaelan intervened. “I understand your concerns, but we are looking for Dreons, remember? Who else would be better? It takes one to know one. Besides, Loic has a reputation of being one of the better scouts.”
Tyden sighed. “I respect your opinion, but he operates in a self-serving manner. Even though he’s made a name for himself as a scout, he’s probably still as kooky and unstable as ever.”
Gaelan and Zaric looked at each other and let out a small laugh.
“So what, you’re prejudice against crazy?” Gaelan teased.
Zaric gave Tyden a pleading look. “Come on, Tyden; he probably knows every dark corner of the universe and might be well versed on the Dreons’ routes. Besides, he has a history of doing business with anyone and
Gaelan took a step back, appearing eager to leave. “Thanks, I’ll check into it. Goodbye,” he said, taking my hand and hurrying us away.
“Anytime, Gaelan. You know where to find me if you want to come back and stay a while,” she sneered.
“Old girlfriend?” I asked once we got out of earshot.
“If that’s what you call it.”
“Does Cami work here?”
Gaelan stopped and faced me. “She has her lot. Look, I’m sorry about all of that. We had a brief affair. It was a long time ago. She’s a conniving, manipulative … I mean, it was never good for me; we clashed on everything. I think I was just going through a rebellious stage of my life.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I leaned up and kissed Gaelan gently on the lips. “I love you, and I know you weren’t born yesterday.”
“Thank you. You’re one amazing woman.” He smiled widely before he pulled me closer to him, encircling me in his arms to give me a real kiss, a kiss that helped me to forget where I was and who I was.
“Hmm-hmm.” I heard Tyden clear his throat behind me.
Gaelan pulled from my lips and gave me an adorable grin. I smiled back and released him from my arms, satisfied. I really needed to feel his soft lips against mine. It reminded me of our strong bond and told me that anything he ever had with that twit could never, ever compare.
“Any luck?” Gaelan said as he held his eyes on mine for a moment longer.
Urit gave us a pleased look. “Yes and no. No Dreons have been sighted, but the Farni have invited us to their colony,” he said happily. “They said they would help us build a replica of the Dreon tracer using Nia’s drawings and reverse the transmission so we can use it to locate their ship.”
Gaelan sighed. “I don’t know. That’s really far. Plus, we have to travel through a port key to get there,” he said, running his fingers through his hair.
“Brother, it’s a great plan,” Azil said. “We get to work with the Farni, maybe even pick up some other technology while we’re at it, and we’ll be able to find the correct Dreon ship—no guessing if we found the right one.”
Gaelan sighed. “It’s one option.”
“Why, Gaelan?” Zaric asked. “Do you have a better suggestion?”
“Well, the shopkeeper back there was saying we should consider hiring a freelance Katarian scout. Do you remember Loic Veenhoven?” Gaelan asked.
Tyden groaned.
Azil looked at him in disbelief. “Isn’t he dead?”
“That’s what I thought, too, but no,” Gaelan refuted. “Apparently he’s working on Dalinova.”
“I thought you loathed him,” Azil questioned her brother.
“That was decades ago,” Gaelan replied.
Zaric looked at us as he contemplated the idea. “It is closer … and easier to get to.”
Tyden’s body stiffened defensively. “Absolutely not. No— no way. We can’t trust him. I don’t want him aboard our ship. He’s a wastrel, a criminal, and a low-life,” he shot back.
“Tyden,” Gaelan intervened. “I understand your concerns, but we are looking for Dreons, remember? Who else would be better? It takes one to know one. Besides, Loic has a reputation of being one of the better scouts.”
Tyden sighed. “I respect your opinion, but he operates in a self-serving manner. Even though he’s made a name for himself as a scout, he’s probably still as kooky and unstable as ever.”
Gaelan and Zaric looked at each other and let out a small laugh.
“So what, you’re prejudice against crazy?” Gaelan teased.
Zaric gave Tyden a pleading look. “Come on, Tyden; he probably knows every dark corner of the universe and might be well versed on the Dreons’ routes. Besides, he has a history of doing business with anyone and
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