He shook his head. “The property is safe enough. I did not think your first officer would let you explore on your own in unknown territory. He seems . . . protective.”
“Eli does have an overprotective tendency,” I agreed easily. “He’s currently using it on Lexi and Anja.” I cocked my head and thought about the snatches of conversation I’d caught over the comm. “And Havil, I believe.”
Torran’s eyes went distant, then he dipped his head in agreement. “And Chira.”
I chuckled. “It’s a party over there, wherever they are.”
“Do you wish to join them? I can . . .”
I waved him off before he completed the offer. “I sent them off together on purpose so I could enjoy a quiet walk with Luna.”
Torran hesitated, then asked, “May I join you?”
“If you’d like, but I’m planning to walk the whole property, so you don’t have to stick around once you’ve gotten enough fresh air. Do you know where the thieves gained entry?”
Torran’s mouth compressed, but he nodded. “Shall I show you?”
“Just point it out when we get there.”
He silently fell in beside me, letting me set the pace. We ambled along while Luna frolicked through the greenery. For all of my relaxed pace, I kept a sharp eye on our surroundings.
Torran was surprisingly good company, and the silence between us was far more comfortable than I’d expected. I let the sun and crisp air unknot some of my tension before I turned my mind back to the matter at hand.
Unfortunately, I was here to do a job. I mentally sighed and bid my relaxing walk farewell. As long as Torran was here, I might as well get some answers.
I glanced at my silent companion. “Did Nilo find anything new while you were away?”
“Nothing useful.”
Which was not the same as nothing. I didn’t know what it was going to take for Torran to trust me, but at this rate I needed to stop mentally spending that second payment because we wouldn’t find the ring in eight months, never mind eight weeks.
I stopped and turned to him. “Why did you really bring me and my team all the way to Valovia?”
He froze and met my eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I thought you were reticent about the details because we were still in human space, and you didn’t want the information leaked. But we’re standing on your planet, on your property, deep in Valovian space, and you still aren’t giving me enough information to actually do the job you hired me for. So what is your objective?”
Torran ran a hand down his face, and it was such a familiar, weary expression that my heart cracked open a little more. Whatever else was going on, he truly was worried.
“I am bound by a web of oaths,” he finally said. “Navigating them is . . . difficult.”
“Someone doesn’t want you talking about the theft even now?” He didn’t deny it, and he’d already said he was the head of his household. Who else would want to silence him? I took a stab in the dark. “Is it the empress?”
The merest flicker of his expression was all the answer I got, but it was enough. “Kee, I need you to look into General Fletcher’s connection to Empress Nepru,” I said subvocally over the comm. “I think she’s preventing him from telling us about the theft.”
“On it,” Kee confirmed.
“Why would the empress care about a family ring?” Eli asked.
“Losing it makes one of her top generals look weak,” Lexi said. “If she’s facing opposition, this could be fuel for the rebels.”
“Maybe they’re having an affair and something else that would incriminate her was stolen at the same time,” Anja said. Her voice was bitter.
My heart jolted a little at the thought. The empress was undeniably beautiful, but she was married and nearly old enough to be Torran’s mother. As much as I hated the thought, it was possible.
I tuned out my squad as their theories became increasingly improbable. But an affair—that would explain quite of lot of things. And there was one way to find out.
I carefully studied Torran’s expression. “Are you having an affair with the empress?”
His eyes widened in shock and the colors shifted as the teal and silver streaks spread. But his voice, when it came, was quiet and firm. “No.”
I believed him. “Is someone in your house?”
He shook his head.
“But the empress is involved somehow.”
Torran said nothing.
I growled and jabbed a finger at him. “This is the most annoying game ever, you know that, right?”
He stepped closer, until my finger was pressed into the soft fabric of his tunic—fabric that covered firm muscles. My brain short-circuited, and I almost didn’t catch his words.
“I apologize,” he said. “I am trying.” He dipped his head, until his mouth was near my ear. “And I am not having an affair with anyone.” He slid back and slanted a heated glance at me. “At the moment.”
I kept sneaking sidelong glances at Torran, trying to figure out if he meant that last statement the way I’d heard it, but he was acting like he hadn’t said anything shocking at all.
My pulse jumped every time I remembered the heated look in his eyes. He had to have been flirting . . . right? Doubt and certainty warred with each other.
Luna continued to enjoy her time in the sun. She never got so far away that I couldn’t spot at least a bit of her white fur, and I wondered if she could feel my turmoil. I knew that she would be happier on a planet with plenty of room to roam, but if she decided to stay behind this time, it would break my heart.
We came upon a relatively clear piece of the outer wall, and I stopped. I couldn’t see the house behind us, but it wasn’t far away. Multiple feet had trampled the plants leading from the path to the wall. “Is this where the thieves got in?”
Torran’s eyes glinted as he nodded.
A tall row of densely packed shrubs with sharp, spiky leaves surrounded the property, and if that wasn’t enough of a deterrent, the stone wall itself was three meters tall. So how did the thieves get over it?
I mentally apologized to the gardeners as I stepped on the edges of a few plants in order to get a closer look. The wall was too tall for me to pull myself up, so I waved Torran over. “Give me a boost. I want to see the top.”
“There isn’t anything to see.”
“Doesn’t matter. If you won’t do it, I’ll ask Eli. He shouldn’t be too far away.”
Torran’s jaw clenched, then he jumped, caught the top of the wall, and pulled himself up with ease. If he expected me to do the same, then he was in for a major disappointment.
“Take a deep breath,” he said.
As soon as I did, his power clamped around me. My feet left the ground and he lifted me up next to him. He braced his hands on either side of me, then released the telekinetic hold. I clutched his arm as I found my balance on the narrow wall.
“That wasn’t exactly what I meant,” I said breathlessly, “but I’ll take it. Thank you.”