Truthbreaker Read online

  She cleared her dry throat and accepted the drink the doctor handed her before she answered. Very deliberately she moved her eyes from all that male distraction to the good doctor, who was good looking in a competent and easy way. A way she could handle and still form clear thoughts. She smiled her thanks for the drink and thought about Lore’s question. "Either is acceptable."

  "Trig means True or strong, while Kelia's meanings can vary by language. Strong beauty, strife, war, intelligent, and slender," Lore said pulling her attention back to him. She had the feeling that those black eyes missed nothing as he looked her over. "You seem well suited to your names, both of them. In fact rarely does someone suit their name meanings so well."

  That had her blinking up at him, caught by both his words and the intensity in those dark eyes. This time she did blush, damn it.

  She thought about asking him why he thought he knew anything about her, but another question escaped her lips instead. "And your name, Lore? Does it suit you?"

  He almost smiled, she could see it in the softening of those dark eyes even though his too perfect lips never shifted except with words. "I do not think anyone would mistake me for a flower."

  She laughed, it sounded rusty and unused, and she stifled it immediately, wondering at her own reactions to the men who had basically kidnapped her. But even knowing it was foolish, she could not keep the humor back. "I see what you mean."

  She looked from him to the Captain, "And you? Does Tyber have a meaning?"

  "No fucking clue," he said succinctly and abruptly. "How did you know I was in your room?"

  Trig tilted her head as she studied the Captain for a hint at his thoughts. "A better question would be why were you in my room and why am I here." She looked him over. "I saw you with Lara and Nori on a vid conference once. You are one of the pirates helping them."

  "We’re not pirates, and we were tasked with bringing you to PortSea for your own protection."

  There was so much wrong with what he had said that her heart rate picked up and she felt suddenly clammy with fear. She did her best to hide it, but she didn’t think any of the three men surrounding her missed it. "Protection that the High Ambassador and his elite army of space marines can’t provide?"

  He swept his arm over her and the ship she was on. "Obviously not, since I basically waltzed in and took you from under their protection."

  "Good point," she mumbled. Then swallowed hard. "And where are you taking me that is safer than that?"

  "PortSea," he said again. She really had hoped she’d misheard him the first time. She looked up knowing her dismay was written across her face but hoped at least the fear was hidden. Sure enough those chocolate eyes were studying her, and she knew, as well as she knew she was once again on a path not of her own choosing with few options for survival, that this man saw everything. "You know it?"

  "The ocean moon ruled by Lucan Warrung. A pirate stronghold," she said softly in answer. "That is where you think I will be safe?"

  "Since it's Cor Warrung that is after you, it's the only place you will be safe."

  All the color drained from her face. She felt it, knew it gave away as much as her earlier blush had to these men and again could not do a thing to stop it. She licked dry lips and tried to steady her breathing while the pounding in her head ramped up as her adrenaline spiked. "Why would Cor Warrung even know my name?"

  "That's what we were hoping you could tell us." Relian's voice had gone warm, like aged whiskey adding a bite of heat to honey, that voice. She knew after having had one conversation with him that he had no problem using it like the weapon it was. Tingles of warmth went to places she had been sure had closed permanently. She had no doubt most women would give him anything he asked for when he used that voice, and those chocolate eyes of his. "Do you know why Warrung has been searching for you, and reportedly flew into a rage when he heard you worked for the High Ambassador?"

  Not good, Trig thought. So very not good.

  “But before we get into all of that," Tyber said dismissing the fact that Cor Warrung was supposedly after her, and he was taking her to the only slightly less dangerous Lucan Warrung, for her own safety as trivial. "What I want to know is how you knew I was in your cabin. It might have been the first time I used that cloaking shield since Jax adjusted it, but I know it was working. I never would have made it through the shields if it wasn’t, so how did you know I was there?"

  Trig shrugged her shoulder as nonchalantly as she could. "I’m a truthsayer. I have always been good at spotting the lie in the room." Not a lie really, if only a partial truth. After all no one really knows the extent or limits to the power of truthsayers, so even if it is not a common ability to see through illusions it wasn’t that farfetched.

  "I have never heard that truthsayers have the ability to see through illusion tech."

  Trig met his eyes and did her best to dismiss his opinion with a look. "Now you have."

  What would he think, she wondered, if he knew what she was capable of? It had been so long since she had let her full powers out to play that she was almost tempted. She didn’t need to sense the discord to know that Tyber Relian and Lore Trugarian had all kinds of secrets she could plunder. She could see that just by looking at them. For the first time in a long time she was tempted. She had not released her full power in so long she had forgotten the heady taste of pure truth. But she, more than anyone, knew the cost of using her full power.

  Learning all the truths a person sought to hide even from themselves created a connection. That was the last thing she needed to feel with these two men. They were dangerous enough already.

  "Is there anything I can say or do that will make you let me off somewhere other than Port Sea?" she asked, already sure of the answer. The last place she wanted to be was anywhere near a Warrung. Any Warrung.

  Surprisingly, it was Lore who spoke before his Captain could, and he answered with a cool question of his own. Which turned out to be answer enough, she supposed.

  "Would you really want us to drop you off somewhere else knowing Cor Warrung wants you for some nefarious and no doubt disturbing reason?"

  "Lucan Warrung may be a scary powerful bastard but he's better than the alternative," Tyber's voice had lost none of its honey whiskey warmth but the truth in that first statement rang like a bell. "You will be safe at Port Sea."

  Not so much the second. Trig raised her head and glared right into the Captain’s distracting brown eyes. "Lie."

  Tyber quirked up a half smile her way and holy hell if he did not look even better with humor lighting up those warm chocolate eyes. "You will be safer at Port Sea than anywhere else."

  She kept glaring at him, even if that time he spoke the truth. "Fine. Port Sea it is, but I want to talk to the High Ambassador, and I want your word that if Lucan Warrung attempts to force me into service you will get me out. I'm not trading one tyrant for another."

  For some reason that made him smile. "Lucan Warrung has his own truthsayer, and since she is also his Bruha mate, I think you are safe enough."

  He did not give her a direct answer on getting her out, but then she hadn't really expected him to promise any such thing. It was a scary but true fact that if Cor Warrung was after her, her choices were limited, and all of them bad. So she did not point out his obvious misdirect. "And the High Ambassador?"

  "As soon as you are cleared with Doc, Lore will escort you to a cabin. When we are safe on Port Sea and not in danger of being intercepted or traced, you can talk to the Ambassador. By the time we arrive Nori should have already joined Lara. Between you and his daughters, I'm sure you can keep Tryne from sending the full force of the Alliance after us. And, I have no doubt between those two, and all the rest of those females, you will be safe enough from Lucan's megalomaniac machinations."

  There was a lot in what he had said that reassured her, not least of which was that Nori and Lara would be there. If there were two people in all the worlds that she trusted it was those two. And if Luca
n Warrung already had a truthsayer maybe she could stay under the radar enough to escape detection, just as she had for so long with the Ambassador and the Alliance. Which only left one big problem and that was Cor Warrung, and what he knew about her that would make him chance Alliance trouble to acquire her.

  Doc took that moment to distract her with a question of his own. "Head feeling any better?"

  Trig blew out a breath and realized, while she had a slight pulsing of pain behind her eyes, it was no longer the pounding pain of before. She smiled at the Doctor. "It is, thank you."

  Some tension went out of the Doc and he gave his Captain a pointed look. "No more stunning for you then," he said. Tyber raised his hands in surrender and gave the Doctor a half smile and a brow raise. The Doctor snorted at the look and turned back to Trig. "Barring that, I think we can safely send you to eat and rest in your room." The Doctor cleared his throat and looked for the first time unsure as he spoke again, this time with friendly intent, as if he wasn’t sure how it would be received. "PortSea is on the outer rim of space, as far from Alliance control as it can be without entering the void. It will take at least four days to reach. When you are feeling better I would enjoy talking with you. I have only met one other truthsayer and I would love to share some tea and talk with you about your work with the Alliance, and about being a truthsayer in general. I find the ability fascinating." He cleared his throat looking sheepish at his own verve. "If you are so inclined."

  Trig caught the blush on the young Doctor’s cheeks and heard the truth in his intentions, and that there was more he did not say. She was again tempted to use more of her abilities but looking into those calm kind eyes, she realized he was handsome in his own studious way, and she wondered how often people overlooked him when he was surrounded by the more in your face good looks of his Captain and First Officer. One thing she did not detect was sexual interest. At least not sexual interest with intent.

  Which was a nice change if she were honest, too many of her interactions lately were with dangerously seductive men. She had thought Malik was dangerous to her libido. But he had never tempted her enough to make her forget her reasons for saying no. She had a feeling that if either of the beautiful men that stood in front of her turned their sights on seduction she would be in serious trouble.

  She forced those thoughts out of her mind and smiled warmly at the Doctor. "My work with the Alliance is not something I can discuss, but I am not opposed to speaking with you on other matters. I think I would enjoy your company Doctor Morgan."

  The Doctor smiled and said "Henry, please. Or Doc if you must, no need to stand on ceremony."

  A long elegantly tapered hand appeared between her and the Doctor, and she looked over to see Lore standing at attention. "I will escort you to your room." Since he wasn't giving her a choice in the matter, she placed her hand in his and almost gasped at the warm hardness of it. For some reason she had expected it to be soft and cold, but instead she found herself suddenly in an uncompromising grip of iron. She glanced from his hands to his swords and then finally his eyes as he pulled her gently to her feet. She would bet a lot of money that he was deadly with those swords of his.

  Between his obvious hard body, strength, and the almost feline way he moved, all spoke of a potential for violence. The Captain had the same kind of movement when he was not trying to look harmless. Something that probably worked well for him when he was dealing with anyone but her. Illusion tech was not the only lie she could see through.

  The Captain strangely enough was glaring at the Doctor when she turned to look at him. Then he turned back to her and Lore and his eyes went directly to their hands. When she would have removed hers self-consciously Lore only tightened his grip and started leading her from the room. He said not one more word, and in a little bit of confusion at the sudden tension in the room Trig stayed quiet as well, just waved at the other men as she was led by the hand from sick bay.

  The last thing she saw was a slow wicked smile creeping across Tyber's face as he watched the two of them leave. This time the warmth that shot through her body was less like a tingle and more like a flood. Whatever the man was thinking at that moment, she really did not want to know. She swallowed hard and unintentionally tightened her hand around Lore's. As if he was any safer.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Lore felt the hand tighten around his own and knew he wasn’t the only one who had seen Tyber's face as they left.

  "Have you been with the Jezebel for long?"

  "Yes." Lore watched the small truthsayer study the ship as they walked. He had long since memorized every inch of the salvage vessel, so he did not bother to look around to see what she was seeing. He was still studying her face when she turned and raised her eyebrow at him.

  "Yes?" her lush pink lips perked up on one corner in a grin and he realized she found something amusing. He was not usually amusing, so it made him wonder once again what she was thinking. Unlike the rest of the people on the ship she gave little away with her face. Unless, like this moment, she intended to convey something. He finally realized what she found amusing when she spoke again. "Are you always so careful of your answers, or is being around a truthsayer that scary?"

  She found him amusing. That was different. "I have been told I lack people skills," he finally said by way of answer.

  The humor disappeared from her face as fast at it had appeared. She studied him, her eyes looking into his as if she could see something others had missed. Then she blew out a soft breath and turned back to studying the ship. Hiding from him, he realized. The last look in her eyes before she looked away had been hard to decipher. Understanding? Sadness?

  "Funny, I've heard that myself."

  Lore walked beside her after that in silence, wondering, as he had since she opened her unique golden eyes, what it was about the small truthsayer that was so compelling. Or why he continued to hold her hand in his long after they had left the others behind them.

  He led her past most of the open quarters and finally stopped at a portal, swiping his hand across the ident plate to unlock the hatch. It swished open and the little truthsayer finally tugged her hand from his and stepped through.

  He clenched his hand, as if he could hold onto the warmth she had left there.

  "This is bigger than the one I had on the Ambassador’s frigate." She looked around, and Lore did the same noticing the room for the first time in a long time. It was a large cabin for the ship size, but unless you opened the closet or checked the carefully organized and hidden shelves you would not know that that anyone had already claimed it. So he was not surprised when she did not question him further on the room. "Thank you for the escort, I assume one of these many doors leads to the bath?"

  Among other things, Lore thought but did not say aloud. Instead he pointed out the correct one for the bath.

  She turned and smiled at him. A smile, he saw that did not reach her eyes, like most of the smiles she had made since she awoke. He had no idea if it was because of the headache she was battling, or something else.

  Like the darkness he saw even hiding behind those light eyes. So much like what was in his own he imagined. But when she went to the portal and stood there with a smile and a look at him, he understood she wanted him to go.

  Lore stepped out of the room but felt compelled to speak before the portal closed between them. And even he could not have said why.

  "You would be wasted on him," Lore said.

  "Who?" Her confusion was clear on her face.

  "Doctor Morgan. You would be wasted on him."

  "What does that mean?"

  Lore met her gold eyes and marveled that all of her seemed to shine, even in the dim lights of The Jezebel. He had never seen anything like it. Like her.

  "He is a good man, probably the purest of heart that I have ever had the privilege to know. I wonder daily why he is on this ship with the rest of us, and I can only conclude he is on a mission to save the savages. When he joined the ship I assumed he wo
uld last a few cycles and then would either move on or die trying to save someone who could not be saved. But he has managed to stay alive, mostly because the Captain sees his crew as his to protect and acts accordingly. He is a good man. He is not for you."

  She seemed taken aback by his speech. He could not even blame her; he could not remember that last time he had spoken so much to anyone but the captain.

  "Are you telling me I can't have tea with your Doctor, first officer?"

  He searched for the right words. Something he rarely bothered with. He was not good enough reading the tone of emotions in a woman’s voice to decipher what she was expressing but even he could tell it was not good. He should have waited and let the Captain explain this. He was botching the job. "I do not believe that is my intention, no. Merely to warn you that the good Doctor would be a liability to you if you attempted more than friendship. He would not understand the darkness you hide."

  She froze, and he turned back to the room because he could not seem to help himself. He was toe to toe with her before he realized he was going to move. But he would worry about his own strange reaction to the truthsayer later. Now he wanted to catch every nuance of emotion she expressed, because since she had woken up she had rarely expressed any. Considering all that had been presented to her in such a short time he found that, along with everything else about her, intriguing.

  He watched her slender throat swallow, her head held high, she seemed taller than she should, but standing this close it was clear just how small she was, even for a female. He marveled at just how small and seemingly fragile she compared to him.

  "You think I hide darkness?" Her voice was barely there but he caught the words, his eyes never leaving hers, and he could see once again she had retreated to her protected place that gave him nothing.

  "I think you hide everything," he answered back finally, not liking that she was beyond his reach again but knowing it was true and he would get nothing else from her now. Without another word he turned and headed out of her new quarters.