Born of Ice

“I ain’t your pimp, boy. You better turn those desperate eyes elsewhere. What Alix does with her spare time is her business. But I’m thinking she’s got better sense and taste than to waste time on a stink-scab like you.”


Mered let out a tired breath. “I’m going to quit while I’m on the ground being viciously kicked by people who are supposed to be my friends . . . but I will remember this.” He took a drink of whisky. “Bastards.”

Sphinx poked his lips out. “Poor baby. Them mean old people picking on you again and hurting your little feelings?” He reached out sympathetically.

Mered knocked his arm off his shoulder. “You are so not right in the head, you twisted fuck.”

Ignoring them, Devyn sat forward in his chair and caught Taryn’s attention. “Did you get all the medical supplies I asked for?”

Taryn crossed his arms over his chest. “I got them, but you should know The League enforcers at Paradise City have been scanning cargoes for perillian and antibiotics for the last two weeks. Someone told them a large shipment would be coming in, and that its destination was for the rebel outposters in the mines. They don’t know it’s you, but they plan to put whoever they find with it under the jail.”

Her heart skipped a beat. The last thing she wanted was a run-in with The League. An elite military organization, The League had charters from all the major governments granting it the right to act as judge, jury and executioner against anyone it deemed a threat to intergalactic peace. More than one rumor claimed The League served only itself, and she knew crossing The League would be the last mistake she or Devyn ever made—even with his political pull.

Not even Taryn’s father could save them.

Devyn narrowed his eyes at Taryn. That cold, merciless look sent a chill down her spine. “Any idea who leaked?”

Taryn shook his head. “No, but I’d be real careful. You know what a hard-on The League has for you, anyway. They would literally kill to have this on you.”

“I’ll guard my back.”

“And I’ll guard the rest of you!”

Taryn let out a foul curse.

Alix turned around at the sound of a sultry female voice. Her mouth opened in stunned surprise. The most beautiful woman she’d ever seen leaned over Devyn and kissed his cheek.

Hair as black as space cascaded from the top of an assassin’s skullcap down to the woman’s tiny waist. Unbelievably tall and dressed in a skimpy black suit that barely covered the necessary parts of her body, the woman had a figure she would kill for. She wore one blaster strapped to her left hip, and the silver handle of a dagger peeped out of the top of her shiny black thigh-high boots.

Meeting the woman’s friendly gaze, she realized the stranger was Andarion—a fierce race of predators who were rumored to eat human meat.

But not even the oddity of Andarion eyes—white irises surrounded by a very thin ring of red—or her long fangs detracted from the beauty of her face.

Devyn kissed her cheek in return. “Someone needs to tie a bell on you. I hate the way you sneak up behind me.”

The woman laughed before making her way around the table to hug Sway, then Vik. “Oh, I’ve missed you guys.” She emphasized her words with a tight squeeze to Vik. “So where’s Golan?”

Devyn scoffed. “He was arrested and detained. Alix here is our new engineer.”

“Hi.” She took a seat between Sway and Omari. “I’m Zarina, but you can call me Rina.” She cut a hostile glare to her brother. “Not Reen. I really hate that.”

“Gah, I need to have that tattooed to my forehead.” Taryn looked at Sphinx. “You know a good artist at this station?”

Sphinx hit him playfully on the arm. “One day she’s going to shoot you and I’m going to laugh my ass off while you bleed from it.”

Taryn didn’t seem the least bit concerned as he turned his attention back to his younger sister. “Did you lock Strife in the ladies’ room again? I swear, Reen, if I have to bail him out one more time because of—”

“Relax, you obnoxious pirate-snot. I only kicked him.” She pointed toward the door.

Alix turned to see a gorgeous man drawing near. Like Omari, he had a head full of riotous curls that fell against features that were sharp and virtually perfect, only his hair was dark auburn instead of Omari’s dark brown. With a small goatee, he was dressed in a gunmetal-gray battlesuit.

Holding his crotch, he was limping and scowling at Zarina. The mere fact that he could still be hot while doing that . . .

It said it all.

“You—” he snarled at Taryn. “Do. Not. Pay. Me. Enough. I want a raise right now or I quit.”

Taryn glared at his sister. “It’s coming out of your trust fund.”

“Oh, that’s not fair.”

“Yes, it is. I can’t replace Strife. He’s the best damned assassin in the universe. You, on the other hand . . . I’ve got another sister.”

She made a rude noise at him. “Excuse me, Mr. I-Have-a-Twin. You’re less unique than I am and I must say Tiernan is by far the nicer of you two.”