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  She gathered all information on the missing boat and forwarded it to the Guardian’s shuttle, as well as their mainframe.

  “Dispatch to Commander Cowl. There is a situation that you can help with.” She rattled off the information, and he inclined his head.

  “Thank you, Dispatch. We are on our way. Have you loaded—”

  “The information is in the shuttle and the skimmer, depending on what you want to take over the water. With the incoming storm, I would recommend the shuttle.”

  “Suggestion accepted. Can you jolt the others?”

  “I can.”

  Jianne took a deep breath and used her override on the men’s personal coms. “Twist, there is a situation.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  “Roil, there is a situation.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  “Flare, there is a situation.”

  “Acknowledged, and pleased to meet you, Dispatch.”

  She laughed at the flirtation in his tone. “Get to work, Flare. We have missing tourists in the ocean. Go and find them.”

  He was in the common area, and he snapped a salute to the nearest camera as the other members of his team came up behind him, scooting him out the door and into the shuttle.

  Jianne breathed easy that they were not going to continue their tracking of her scent. Sending them six hours out to sea might be a little bit of overkill, but what else could she do? She panicked.

  Chapter Three

  An easy assignment ended in triumph, and Jianne felt a little less guilty when she saw the images of the families that had been stranded in a dead ship. She forwarded the best images to the local news distributors and smiled as she watched the Guardians head home.

  Jianne waited until they were back at their home, and then, she disconnected her audio feed. Her video feed would play behind her eyes until they turned their links off.

  Whistling, she brewed a cup of caf and stretched, her bodysuit clinging faithfully to her. In her mind, the images that the Guardians were seeing played out against her visual centre.

  She stepped out onto the deck and smiled at the steep drop off the cliff as well as the one above her. Her small apartment was wedged into the one place no one would think to look, the cliff near the Guardians’ base. Jianne enjoyed her own supply line for food and sundries, but the Guardians had no idea that this small outpost was hidden right under their noses.

  Safety was the watchword. If she was too close, she could become a liability to the team. At this distance, friendships didn’t blind her, nor did they worry about leaving her undefended.

  Jianne still worried about them, but the people of Cadar came first.

  She watched birds fly and twist through the canyon toward the ocean. With a sigh, she sat out on her deck behind her stealth screen, and she watched the wildlife of Cadar while her Guardian feeds were turned off one by one.

  * * * *

  “You are sure that she went this way?” Cowl scowled behind his hood. The scent of female was all over the desk, and it led down the hall to a tall painting.

  Twist nodded. “She went this way, and here is the code panel she used. Look, it is built right into the frame of the portrait. I would never have seen it if she hadn’t been wearing silver in the shadows.”

  Roil asked, “Why are we so interested in this woman?”

  Twist stared at him in surprise. “Because she isn’t just a woman, she could be Cowl’s woman. We need to see her first.”

  “You believe that Charm’s wife really painted a portrait of you and your mate?” Roil was the skeptic in the group.

  Flare grinned, “She has not been wrong yet. Even Blade says that her uncle is delighted with his new mate, and he has been a bachelor for a third of his lifespan.”

  “What is the rush, Cowl?” As soon as Roil said it, he stopped. “Sorry. I forgot.”

  Cowl tried to ignore the comment, but it was a reminder that he was reaching his mating time and finding a good match was imperative. “It’s fine.”

  Twist and Flare glared at Roil before Twist set about touching the frame. “These buttons are small. They are not meant for big hands. Can we get the security feed from the mainframe?”

  Cowl smiled. “I already have.”

  He stepped forward, and with his smallest finger, he pressed the buttons one by one. There was a click, and the portrait swung outward to reveal a tunnel sloping away.

  He stepped into it. “This is a surprise.”

  The others piled in behind him, and Flare took point, his hand extended to give light to the well-paved expanse.

  Twist grinned, “Why do I feel like a teenage girl?”

  Cowl chuckled. “Possibly because we are three grown men and Roil sneaking through a tunnel after sunset.”

  Roil growled while Flare and Twist laughed.

  Cowl was enjoying himself aside from the time running out. The image of the woman in the portrait was striking in her direct confidence in facing him. He had been shocked to see the image of a woman who could look him in the eye, but the moment that Dispatch told him that she had a cybernetic implant, it all made sense. The digital input could be the key to seeing him without having the standard reaction that his race caused.

  Mah-Duh-Sai had the distinct ability to freeze any prey that they chose. Their skin gave off enough pheromonal toxin to stun, and the reflection of light off their body dazzled their prey into a rigor that lasted from hours to days. A mate that could be locked in place would not be a desirable match, but their species were so rare that all unmatched males and females left home and went to the stars in search of a match before their mating season kicked in.

  Cowl grinned within his hood as the end of the tunnel loomed ahead of him. He hoped that he was right about Dispatch, because they were about to give her the shock of her life.

  * * * *

  Jianne watched the stars come out through her little slice of sky. She set down her cup and was about to stand up when the internal sensors for her home went off. She moved inside her living room, but it was too late.

  She blinked at the huge males sharing her space. “I suppose that privacy was too much to ask?”

  Flare laughed. “If you didn’t want us to come, you shouldn’t have left a trail.”

  Jianne wrinkled her nose. “Fine. Can I get you something? Caf or tea?”

  Cowl stepped forward. “I believe that introductions are in order. I am Cowl. You are?”

  She extended her hand to his, and to her surprise, he stripped off his glove before taking it. Her head spun briefly, but she smiled. “Call me Dispatch.”

  “You don’t have a proper name?”

  “Well, you don’t, so neither do I.” She grinned brightly. “I am a fan of fair play.”

  Flare edged Cowl out of the way. “I am Flare, but you can call me Gelor.”

  “Dispatch but you can call me Jianne.”

  She went through the other two, but they both introduced themselves by their given names, Herkikel for Roil and Vhorlon for Twist.

  Cowl stepped forward. “May I try this again?”

  She grinned up at the darkness that filled his hood. “If you think that it will help.”

  “Sarnvil Makthoth.” He extended his hand again.

  She took it, but this time, instead of dizziness, there was a tingle. “Jianne Theevin of the Alliance Protectorate of Terra, your dispatcher. Pleased to meet you, Commander Cowl.”

  He lifted her hand to the darkness of his cowl, and she felt the distinct warm pressure of his lips on the back of her knuckles. “Pleased to meet you, Dispatcher Jianne.”

  Her stomach flipped with something that she hadn’t felt in a while. Desire caught her by surprise. Sure, he was built like a truck, but then, most of the Guardians were structured on the sturdy side, male or female. She was usually a woman who melted when a man met her eyes, and with him, it didn’t seem like an option, but her body didn’t care. Her pulse fluttered and her skin warmed as she waited for him to release h
er hand. She felt the flick of a tongue across her knuckles, and the light touch caused her belly to clench.

  Jianne pulled her hand slightly, and he relinquished his grip reluctantly.

  She folded her fingers together against her belly. “So, anyone up for tea?”

  Gelor nodded and followed her into the kitchen to help her get the tray ready. “Where do you get your supplies?”

  She chuckled. “They get dead dropped into the canyon, and I go down to fetch them. Why?”

  “You just have more tea than my mother does, and my mother has a lot of tea.” He chuckled.

  “I never know what my mood will demand, so I keep them all here.” She shrugged and pulled out the standard tea that was offered in most restaurants across Cadar.

  Her kettle whistled, and she lifted it off the heating element, pouring her largest teapot full of hot water before filling it again and setting it to boil.

  Gelor chuckled. “Yup, my mother would like you.”

  Making tea was a matter of pride for many people on Cadar, and Jianne had made it an object of study when she was recovering from losing her eye. It seemed a good way to practice her depth perception.

  When the second round of water was ready, she dumped out the water that warmed the pot, dumped in the leaves with their filter and put the empty hot pot on the tray before adding more water. Gelor carried the tray out to her living room where the other three were waiting on her couch and chair. The furniture was fine for her, but under the Guardians, it looked teeny.

  “So, what drove you to come and break into my home?”

  Sarnvil’s deep, soft voice said, “Your scent. You left a clear line from my quarters to your tunnel. Why were you at the base?”

  She twisted her lips as she poured the tea. “I was retrieving something that Cyber left for me.”

  She could almost feel him frowning. “A gift?”

  Jianne shook her head and reached for her teacup. “No, a program to detect someone trying to hack my signal. The last assignment they had showed traces of someone trying to tamper with the feed.”

  She had their attention now. Sarnvil asked, “They have infiltrated the Guardian signal?”

  Jianne sipped at her tea. “Not that signal, my signal.” She raised her finger and tapped her right eyebrow. “They were watching me.”

  Herkikel scowled. “I don’t understand.”

  Gelor chuckled. “She has a cybernetic eye. That is how she can be such an efficient dispatcher. You saw her stats before we arrived. She had increased the efficiency rate and decreased the injuries by over fifty percent. She can only manage that if she has eyes on each situation.”

  Vhorlon looked away shyly. “Thanks for the advice on the last assignment. I almost went the wrong way.”

  She smiled brightly at him and said, “Thanks, it was nice that you listened. Few Guardians would take my advice before they had any experience with me. It was gratifying that you followed my suggestion on the first meeting.”

  They both grinned, because her suggestion had been issued at the top of her lungs, and he had offered her a few options for what she could do with her advice. He had listened though, and as a result, the swell had not swept him or any of the others over the side of the ship while they were engaging in the rescue.

  Sarnvil sat back with the small teacup cradled in his hands. “How did you find your way onto Cadar?”

  She blinked. “That is a long story.”

  Herkikel chuckled. “We are not going anywhere unless our dispatcher sends us, and I am assuming that you are monitoring current events, so go ahead.”

  Vhorlon smiled sweetly. “We are tired of our own origin stories. It will do us good to listen to someone else.”

  Jianne looked them all in the eye, except Cowl. “Well, Cadar is quiet right now, so here goes. It all started…”

  Chapter Four

  “Back on Terra, the request for Volunteers had just gone out, and I was in the hospital with a broken leg. To my shock, my sister dragged the Volunteer Coordinator into the hospital and introduced us.” Jianne smiled as her mind went back to the surprise on the man’s face.

  She had been banged up, bruised and had a black eye to go along with the broken leg.

  Herkikel frowned. “You were injured?”

  “That is how my talent worked at the time. I stepped into harm’s way and took the little pain so that others would not be injured or killed. Even I didn’t think it was a talent. It seemed like some messed-up instinct that I couldn’t understand. Fortunately, my sister kept track of what I did and what the result was. We went through a list of my injuries from the last three years, and each item was met with her explaining how my actions had altered the course of disaster.

  “After twenty minutes, the Volunteer Coordinator made a call and a healer was there within the hour, knitting my bones and removing some of the damage that the scars had caused. I was offered a contract, and I signed it without reading it.” Jianne slurped at her tea, lost in her memories.

  “A few months later, I was off into the Alliance for basic training, and I spent some time with a Citadel tutor before the job offer in the Nyal Imperium raised its head. I was doing paperwork for the Nyal version of the enforcers when I got into a fistfight with a Yinshin. She charged me with attacking her, and I ended up in Janial.”

  Gelor finally appeared shocked. “You were in prison?”

  “Yes, I was in Janial for three months, keeping to myself and staying out of the way until there was a riot in my pod and a young Cadar woman was being attacked by something a lot bigger and sharper than she was. That is how I lost my eye, it was clawed out.”

  Vhorlon was leaning forward. “What happened next?”

  “Well, I spent two days in the Janial infirmary before the young woman’s father paid my legal expenses and had me taken to a medical station for the best care that money could provide. She was the governor’s daughter, and she and two friends had been charged with lewd behaviour while on an alien world during the Cadar equivalent of spring break. The governor had been very happy that I helped his daughter survive, and he offered me citizenship here on Cadar.”

  “Once here, I needed a job, and my ability to find the key to situations had the Cadar government very quietly building me this little apartment and setting me up with all the information feeds I could want. I was introduced to my first Guardians as Dispatch, and when they left a few weeks later, I had ironed the bugs out of my behaviour that would cause any problems.”

  Gelor smiled, “And now, here you are with one of the highest safety ratings for any dispatcher in the imperium. You have to be doing something right.”

  Jianne filled their cups again, and she sat back with her own tea. “I like to think so, but my success depends on your success, so don’t screw up.”

  They looked at her in shock, and to her amusement, it was Herkikel that laughed first, drawing the rest of them into laughter.

  She gave them a quick tour of her home before yawning dramatically and sending them on their way.

  Cowl was the last one to leave, and he made sure that the others had preceded him down the tunnel before he turned to her. “Thank you for your gracious hospitality.”

  To her shock, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek before he turned and left.

  Jianne blinked rapidly as Sarnvil’s broad back disappeared around the curve of the tunnel. He kissed her. She knew that he had a face in those shadows, his nose had brushed her cheekbone when his lips had caressed her skin, but why the hell had he kissed her?

  * * * *

  Sarnvil licked his lips and fought the shudder that ran through him at just the smallest taste of her skin. If Jianne wasn’t his mate, she was as close as he was going to get in his lifetime. Walking away from her and back to the Guardian base was the hardest thing he had ever done.

  Every instinct in his brain and body was screaming at him to return to Jianne and take her before another one of his kind found her, but he had not yet
determined if she could stand to look at him and that one thing cooled his pulse slightly.

  She was here, he could take his time, and his body would just have to wait.

  * * * *

  Jianne waited until they were back in their base, and then, she scrambled the code. She had done her duty as hostess, and now, fun time was over. She didn’t enjoy uninvited guests.

  With the Guardians tucked back into their base, she brought up the monitors and checked to make sure that they had closed the trap door. “Well, that was fun.”

  She exhaled heavily and checked the news feeds and police lines of Cadar. It was all clear, so she cleaned up the tea tray and washed the cups. With her domestic chores completed, she went to her room and taped her right eye open while she settled in for one of the three naps she took daily. If anything registered on her implant, she would wake and get to work.

  It was a strange life, but she was used to it. In two days, Yassi Norg would come for her quarterly visit, and Jianne would enjoy some female company. Yassi was going to be married in a few weeks, and this was their last chance to gossip together as single women.

  Yassi’s father, the governor of Cadar, had reluctantly given his daughter authorization to visit Jianne after her surgery. He had been as shocked as Jianne when the two became fast friends.

  Yassi took it upon herself to bring Jianne the newest in Guardian fashion and instructive vids on how to use the new toys. Jianne’s private armoury had not been part of the tour she offered to the Guardians.

  She settled in to sleep and watch over Cadar with the memory of Cowl’s kiss still tingling on her cheek. She was going to have to look up his species in the morning. If he was compatible with her, she was going to be in real trouble.

  Two hours later, she was jerked out of sleep as her mind replayed what her eye had recorded. An incoming shuttle was breaking into the iridium reserve. She pulled on her headset and said, “Commander Cowl, we have a situation.”