Bemused, Jullien locked gazes with his first mate and brother-in-law Thrāix, who’d flown in with him and Chayden. “Chay-Chay Poo Bear?” he repeated.
“Don’t even start, Dagger,” Chayden warned. “My girl can call me whatever she wants. But you two better not.”
Thrāix snorted. “Word to the gods, I will never call you Chay-Chay Poo Bear. Especially if there’s anyone else around to hear it.”
Laughing, Thia moved to kiss Thrāix’s cheek. “Basha Tray! How’s Sphinx?”
“Growing way too fast for my peace of mind.”
“Please! He’s barely two months old.” Jullien shook his head. “I don’t want to hear it, since my girls are now school age. I swear, I blinked and they’re ready to start piloting lessons.”
“They’re not quite that old.” Thrāix shoved at Jullien. “And speaking of babies, Thia … have you heard Dagger’s latest news?”
“About Vidar?” she asked. Which made sense since Vidar was Jullien’s youngest child.
Chayden snorted. “Sort of.”
She screwed her face up at his cryptic response. “What’s that mean?”
Jullien turned bright red as Thrāix answered for him. “He’s going to have a little brother.”
“Pardon?” She gaped.
Jullien cleared his throat as he shifted uncomfortably. “Ushara’s pregnant again.”
Both of Thia’s eyebrows shot up. Not that he blamed her. He’d had the same reaction when Ushara had told him. While he’d been thrilled with the news and was overjoyed to have another baby on the way, he was worried about his wife’s health.
But it was what Ushara had wanted. And she’d insisted that she was fine to be pregnant so soon again after Vidar’s birth. He, however, was terrified for her.
“Vidar’s not even on solid food, is he?” she asked.
Starting the ship, Jullien sighed and rubbed at his forehead. “No. We were using birth control, but…”
“Only abstinence is one hundred percent foolproof, Andarion. Didn’t you learn anything useful in school?” Thrāix laughed. “We’ve all been giving Jules hell over it. Feel free to pile on with us.”
She tsked at them. “I think it’s sweet. Besides, it’s not his fault. Everyone knows that Andarions redefine the term ‘fertile.’” Winking, she moved to hug Jullien in his chair. “Congratulations, Basha. I always wanted to have siblings close to my own age. Can’t wait to meet the newest addition.”
A dark shadow fell behind Thrāix’s eyes at her innocent comment. Jullien felt for the man. Thrāix’s siblings had all been killed during the hostile war that had left his entire race on the brink of extinction.
But Thia had no idea, since it was something Thrāix only spoke about whenever he was extremely drunk, or his wife pried details out of his wounded soul.
Chayden flashed his famous cocky grin. “I still say that if Thrāix is right and this one’s a boy, too, we ought to revoke Dagger’s naming privileges. Vidarri Samari.” He choked. “Poor kid’s going to strangle you the day he realizes his name’s a nursery rhyme.”
Jullien glared at him. “Shut it, Qill. Least we can pronounce his name. What was your last name again? Any Who Yippee Yah?”
“Ah-nah-WAH-yah,” Chayden pronounced slowly and in a surly tone, since he took issue with the fact that no one off his home world knew how to spell or say his name. “You’re such an ass.”
Yes, he was. Chayden should have never let him know he had a weakness when it came to his own name. Jullien was a little brother, after all. Irritating others came with that birthright.
Laughing, he glanced at his niece. “If you’ll strap in, we’ll launch.”
Thia ran so fast to her seat that Jullien felt bad for his brother. He prayed his own children were never so eager to leave his company. While Vas’s bitching about being left behind whenever Jullien deemed a mission too dangerous for him could wear thin at times, he’d take that over Thia’s eager break for freedom any day.
*
Hours later, Jullien docked them on the Cyperian StarStation that was the Gorturnum home base. He took a minute to marvel at the fact that here on this remote outpost of Tavali outlaws and pirates lay the only true home he’d ever known. Yeah, he’d grown up in palaces, but none of them had ever been nearly as beautiful as this metal-and-glass structure that floated serenely far away from the court life he’d been groomed for.
This fabricated structure placed here by Tavali pirates centuries ago was truly the only peace he’d ever known. Best of all, this was where his real family was waiting.