Jael growled but she didn’t argue with him. “As if you’ve never seen the inside,” she muttered, implying he’d stolen something of hers of course.
Varan ignored her and stayed close to the princess. He didn’t know the interior from personal experience but he’d studied the blueprints enough, plus he’d gone through the secret passage in Nadyah’s closet more than once.
“I suppose you’re going to tell me there’s nothing I can do to keep you on Draga Terra,” Jael said to Nadyah with more emotion than Varan had thought possible.
He watched the way she looked at the other courtesan – a wistful longing. The two had been intimate before.
“No Jael, I have to do this. You know as well as I how important it is.”
Jael stopped before the back wall of the House, wide windows from floor to ceiling with a fantastic view of the ocean. She turned and pulled Nadyah into a fierce hug. “I know we’ve had our differences, but I want you to stay safe and come back to me.”
Nadyah kissed the Mistress of the House on the lips and it was tender. Varan had to look away. He felt like he was intruding on a private moment. Varan stared out the massive windows to the balcony with the statues of the gods and goddesses. Ladra wasn’t present, but rarely was she represented properly.
“Then send me a list of what you still need, and I’ll do what I can,” Jael said, looking at the princess as well. “I serve the Crown and this is more important than the Crown Princess believes it is.”
“Thank you,” Adelina told her. “I appreciate your loyalty. Nadyah will also send the coordinates and timeframe.”
“Come Varan, let’s be on our way.” Nadyah pulled him along.
He turned from the view and followed with his eyes on all the nooks and crannies. Adelina pressed into his side and it took more effort than he cared to admit to stay casual. He wanted to wrap an arm around her and keep her close, but it wasn’t what she needed. She needed to stand on her own two feet, even if she did need the reminder she wasn’t alone.
Nadyah let them into her room and she ran about, gathering what she could with impressive speed. It hadn’t been very long ago Varan had been in that same room, tempting the courtesan.
“All right, let’s go,” Nadyah said, ushering them into her closet.
The panel slid open and she handed Adelina a cloak. Varan ducked under the small door and led the way through the House of Kismet grounds and back into the city. No one should know about the passage except Jael so the tail would be sitting, waiting for them to leave the House for hours, maybe even a whole day before realizing they were no longer there.
Adelina and Nadyah followed closely behind Varan. He wanted her in front of him so he could guard her better, but between him and the courtesan she would be safe. Varan simply didn’t like not being able to see her.
He listened to the two females talk and plan as he led the way through Stella di Draga, taking all his favorite alleys and backstreets, cutting through yards and taking shortcuts he and only a handful of others knew about.
Within the hour they were at the docks. “Shh,” he warned them. Varan pressed against the wall of the warehouse across from his as he scouted the area. He glanced back. Nadyah and Adelina mimicked his every move perfectly. Then Varan took out his scanner and waited for the ping that would tell him the area was clear.
“No more tails and no one unidentified,” he reported, slipping his device back into his pocket.
“You’ve scanned everyone here?” Nadyah whispered.
Varan nodded. “All who live and work in my territory have been scanned; keeps everyone safe.”
He walked across the street first towards the warehouse door. It was a massive place and took up the entire block. He’d moved all his ships in preparation for Roxy’s work. He could hear her yelling from the street.
With a grin he placed his palm against the door and it swung open to reveal chaos. Mechanics scurried about like rats in sewers. The noise was unbelievable. All three ships were gutted and parts were being replaced. Roxy had her hands on her hips, directing and watching.
Every few moments she would go back to the large desk and mess with a few holographic 3D images, typing out formulas, and then she would go to the work table and work on a strange looking part before turning back around to yell at someone.
“Looks wonderful, Roxy,” Adelina murmured. Somehow he could hear her quiet voice over the din and apparently so did his friend.
She whirled around with a look of fury on her face. “You!” she said, pointing a stylus at the princess.
Varan growled, stepping in front of Adelina, the instinct was out of his control and it shocked him. He needed to get it together; the princess didn’t need his protection in the warehouse.
Roxy blinked at him, but her anger didn’t wane. “You said I had five days!”
Varan glanced at Adelina. She must have sent a message ahead.
“I was mistaken,” Adelina said. “I apologize. Is there any way you can do it? Whatever you need, I will make it happen.”
“Can you stop time?” Roxy demanded. “Because that is the only way this is going to work.”
Adelina’s eyes narrowed and Varan stiffened. Her wolf was right under the surface, ready and raring to go. He’d known there would be some kind of dominance tussle between Roxy and the princess and he wanted to stay the bloody hells out of it.
“Ladies,” he said gently, stepping away from both of them. “Please remember we are on a time sensitive schedule.”
It was the wrong thing to say.
“Yeah, thanks to the insanity of the royal house!” Roxy screeched.
Nadyah rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Nothing about this seemed to faze her. Varan stepped closer to her; maybe she would be able to protect him if things got ugly. As a male he would be a target, simply for having a cock.
Adelina took a step forward, accepting the unspoken challenge. “I will not stay in the palace any longer than I have to,” she hissed. “If I have to haul parts, or clean, or do repairs I will; anything to make this happen.”
Roxy blinked at the raw truth in the statement. “Do you even know how to work on a ship?”
“I don’t, but I can write programs, and I’m fully capable of hauling equipment. If my skills could be used I offer them freely.”
Roxy crossed her arms and glared, still not happy, but she wasn’t absolutely furious any longer and Varan breathed a sigh of relief. “Perhaps when we get to that part. If you need us to work day and night we will, but it will have to be in shifts and there will have to be more workers to take on the mundane tasks. I can get more in tonight, and perhaps we can manage.”