KINSMAN’S OATH By Susan Krinard

Something had gone very wrong.

“We found no evidence that you took anything when you broke into engineering using Charis’s passcard,” Cynara said, catching his gaze. “Did you?”

“I did not.”

“Then what you know must be very general. It can’t be enough to satisfy your Kalevi.”

The vil-nymph thought intruded again, buzzing between his ears. He had broken the promise given to her on the Pegasus. He had unwittingly uncovered important information in her mind during their mating in the lifepod, though it was not what he’d expected. In many ways it was even more valuable—and dangerous.

How could she claim such information had been erased? If she had not felt him take it from her and denied possessing it, VelShaan’s procedure, undoubtedly similar to the one he had undergone on Aitu, had failed in some vital respect.

Just as the shaauri Kinsmen’s programming had failed.

He pressed his temples, drawn into a nauseating spiral of speculation. If he were to question Cynara further on the procedure, he would only arouse her suspicions and destroy the trust he must keep if he were to save her life.

How he had learned to hate these games of deception.

Cynara was sketching invisible runes on the deck with her finger, tension evident in her posture. “When you spoke to the shaauri,” she said, “did you mention the people who trained you?”

He gladly pursued her change of subject. “Aarys is aware that Kinsmen were involved in my mission.”

“And they hate the Kinsmen. Did you know any of the men and women who worked with you on Aitu?”

“I did not know their names. Their shields were very strong. They trained me with the War-Leader’s approval, and Kalevi agreed.”

“One of those Kinsmen was Artur Constano VelRauthi. Do you know the name?”

Ronan searched his memory. “It is not unknown to me. Rauthi is not at present a powerful Line.”

“But Constano VelRauthi was important to both shaauri and humans thirty-two years ago, when he led the Kinsman rebellion prior to the Second War.”

“I do remember. He became Aarys’s enemy.”

“Constano had some human-hating shaauri convinced that the Kinsman rebellion would lead to the eventual expulsion of all humans from shaauri space. But he betrayed his shaauri allies when he saw an advantage in doing so. Your parents were instrumental in stopping the rebellion and capturing Constano VelRauthi. He was returned to the Concordat, but he managed to escape and was presumed dead… until his face turned up in your mind.”

“If he was known to be living among shaauri Kinsmen, Aarys would hunt him down.”

“Then they must not know he’s alive and working incognito. Why would your War-Leader and your Line permit a treacherous bastard like Constano to conduct intelligence operations?”

Ronan bared his teeth in a smile. “They would not. This Is information Aarys would wish to obtain.”

“The desire for vengeance is something humans and shaauri have in common.” She returned his smile and moved closer, brushing his temple with the softness of her hair.

He put his arm around her, sinking into the forbidden warmth of contentment, the rightness of her firm and supple body close to his.

“You want to know,” she murmured, “if these Kinsmen have their own agenda, and why they sent you to kill the Archon.”

“And you desire the same thing.”

“Among others.” She nuzzled his neck. “It benefits your people and mine. Peace is what we all want.”

“You do not know how much many shaauri hate humans.”

“I think I do.” She glanced at his hand flat on the deck, and he became aware of the netting of old scars. He clenched his fist.

“Line Kalevi… and my own House, Ain’Kalevi… tolerated Kinsman presence on Aitu only because of me.”

She took his hand and deliberately opened each one of his fingers until his palm lay flat against hers. “Would they be able to distinguish one human from another easily?”

“Unless the circumstances were extraordinary, they would not pay attention to individual markings and features.” Her hand, so small in his, seemed infinitely precious. “All humans appear alike to them.”

“Then they might not recognize any given Kinsman. The Constano I’ve heard of wouldn’t be foolish enough to risk his life carelessly. He may harbor the same ambitions he did during the rebellion, and he has a faction of shaauri-allied Kinsmen on his side. He might have been involved in your programming without shaauri knowledge, hiding among the Kinsmen who are accepted by the shaauri government.”

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