“He sounds hot,” Janey countered. “Is he anything like the Trog?”
“Nothing,” Tannis said. The tension seeped from her. They were back in with a chance. She looked up to find Callum still watching her, his eyes narrowed. “He’s definitely hot,” she added, though she wasn’t sure who she was trying to piss off with that comment. Rico or Callum. “I’m going for a shower. We’ll all meet in the central conference room as soon as they arrive.”
Her step felt light as she hurried from the room, despite the weight of the stares that followed her.
…
Callum studied the other man as he entered the conference room at the head of his people. He reckoned he was predisposed to hating Devlin Starke, nothing was going to change that, however fucking “hot” he was.
Tall and lean, the man moved with the controlled grace of a highly trained fighter. In his time as leader, Callum had learned to sum up people quickly, and he was rarely wrong. Dangerous, was the first word that sprang to mind. Starke gave the impression of leashed-in power that could explode at any moment.
He stared around the room, his gaze settling for a second on Callum. His eyes widened a little, no doubt taking in the wings. Callum held his stare and the expression didn’t change, the cold sneer remaining firmly in place. He moved on and his expression warmed. Callum followed his gaze. Tannis.
She’d showered and changed into tight black pants tucked into knee-high boots that made her legs look impossibly long and a bright red shirt that hugged her small breasts. There was something different about her. He frowned and realized she was wearing makeup—subtle but there—black smudged around her eyes so the yellow stood out stark, and her lips were red to match her shirt. And earrings, long glittering drops that swung against her slender white neck.
Something ugly stirred to life inside him. If she’d done this for Devlin Starke, there was going to be trouble. He looked away, straight into the vampire’s dark eyes. Rico raised one eyebrow. Callum ignored him and slunk lower in his seat, folding his arms across his chest. Amusement flashed across Rico’s face, and Callum scowled. He got the impression the vampire knew exactly what was going through his mind. Well, at least he was providing amusement.
But in truth, he couldn’t ever remember being jealous. How was he supposed to know how to behave?
Tannis was obviously still upset with him. She couldn’t really see anything in that guy, just because he had a cool scar and no wings, and hadn’t actually been responsible for torturing her during her childhood and indirectly murdering her sister.
Rico pulled a silver flask from his pocket and tossed it over. Callum caught it and nodded his thanks. After unscrewing the top, he lifted it to his mouth and took a deep pull. At least he was just about recovered from the poison.
He lowered the flask as Venna appeared in the open doorway. She didn’t look happy to be there, but then who could blame her? She must have realized she was far from popular on this ship, and she wasn’t used to that—she liked to be liked. She’d been skulking in her shuttle, but he’d ordered her to be present at this meeting. He still wanted her with them on Trakis Seven; she had done more research on the planet than anyone. If he was going to find some answers in the limited time they had before the planet’s bloody nature drove them away, then he needed her expertise. She scuttled around the edge of the room, took a chair at the rear, and tried to make herself small.
Tannis was whispering to Starke. Finally, she nodded, headed over, and took the seat next to him, which surprised him. He held out Rico’s flask, and she frowned but took it and sipped delicately. Who was she trying to impress? He’d seen her drinking, and she could drink even Rico under the table. Probably didn’t want to smudge her lipstick.
Starke turned to face them.
“My brother reckons we can trust you. The rest of my people aren’t so sure. But fuck with us, and you’ll regret it.”
“Oooh, I’m sooo scared,” Jon said from the seat behind him.
Callum grinned. It appeared there was someone else the werewolf didn’t like, besides him.
“Shut up, Jon,” Tannis snapped.
“Right.” Stark ignored both comments. “So we have that out of the way. We need a plan.”
“What we need is some serious firepower,” Rico said. “Can you provide that?”
“We have enough to take on those Church ships.”
“And win? You know the Rebels don’t have that good a reputation when it comes to seeing things through.”
Tannis glared at him.
Rico shrugged. “I’m just pointing out a few truths.”
“Like we’ve got so many other options,” Tannis said. “Do you mind not screwing this up.”
Starke leaned against the wall and watched them. “Finished? Yes, we can win.”
“Good, that’s all I needed to know.”