Part 6 (2/2)

She jerked her chin toward his awards and articles. ”Even though he was and is the most celebrated fighter in Ring history, her agency still refused to allow Talyn to have a full contract with her. He had to take on more fights to buy it out or lose her to a fully Vested male. And you never want to know what the cost of that contract was. It still boggles my mind and fills me with fury.”

Fain ground his teeth. Every Andarion mistress and her agency that he'd ever heard of, or known, would have sold their souls to make a lifelong pact with a military officer. Especially one who held the second highest rank in their armada, and wasn't fifty years old with it. Not to mention the fact that, as Galene had said, Talyn Batur was an intergalactic champion regaled by every known world who followed the Andarion Ring sport.

It sickened him to think of what his child had gone through because of him.

”If I'd had any inkling, Stormy, I would have busted h.e.l.l wide open to provide for both of you.”

She let out a weary sigh. ”It doesn't matter now, does it? We can't go back. And we both had a guilty hand in ruining our son's life.”

”I don't know.” He gestured at the trophies and awards on the shelves and wall. ”You look like you've done an amazing job with him.”

Galene looked away. Tears filled her eyes as she tried not to remember the past. ”Every day, I ask myself if I could have done more. If I should have done more.”

Fain gave her a hard, harsh stare. ”You're a much better mother than I ever had. At least you loved him. Protected him. You didn't eject him from your house and make him an Outcast who didn't dare step foot in any Andarion territory without a death sentence hanging over his head.”

Galene swallowed at those words. Funny, she'd never thought of Fain that way. For all these years, he'd been a target for her hatred. She had never really considered how hard it'd been for him to be alone, without lineage.

Mostly because she hadn't cared. She'd wanted his life to be lived in total misery. Wanted him to pay brutally for leaving her.

For leaving Talyn, and causing her baby harm.

Now that she knew he had, it didn't make her feel better as she'd thought it would.

It, too, made her sad.

”Having raised Talyn, I will never understand how my parents did me the way they did. Or what yours did to you. There's no way I could ever hurt him. Not intentionally.”

”As I said, you're a much better mother than any I know. He was lucky to have you. The only thing he got shafted in was the father department, and for that I am so incredibly sorry.”

”Commander?”

They both turned as Talyn rejoined them.

He handed a link to his mother. ”There's been another attack.”

Flinching, she took the link from him and left the room to answer the call.

Awkward silence filled the air between them as Talyn stared a brittle hole through him.

What did someone say to a grown child they'd never known they had?

All of a sudden, Fain had a whole new respect for Nykyrian, who'd been faced with this when his ex had dropped Thia on him, out of the blue.

Uncomfortable, he cleared his throat. ”Your mom said that you have a female?”

Talyn continued to stare at him, without comment.

”Does she have a name?”

”Yes.”

Fain winced at the fact that Talyn had no intention of making this any easier on him. ”And it is...?”

A full and very slow minute went by before he answered. ”Felicia.”

”It's a beautiful name.”

And still he glared at him. d.a.m.n. Forget Talyn's martial skills. That cold stare alone could let blood.

”How long have the two of you-”

”I don't talk about my personal life with strangers.”

Wounded and hurt, Fain nodded as he remembered reading that in a few different articles over the years. It was something the media had beaten Talyn up over. The Iron Hammer didn't show his face in the Ring, or out of it. Nor did he speak of anything other than his matches. He kept everyone at arm's length. The most the media had dragged out of him was that he liked to rock climb and camp on weekends. And that was if they could ever get an interview with him at all.

”Is there anything I can say to you that would end with us at least on friendly terms?”

”You're dying with a painful, terminal disease and only have a few hours to live might work.”

Fain let out a tired ”heh” with that. ”Aren't you at least curious about me?”

Talyn snorted. ”Not really.”

”You've no questions whatsoever?”

”He's never asked any questions about you or your family,” Galene said as she rejoined them. ”Not even your name.”

Fain didn't know why, but that hurt more than anything. ”I see. We'll keep this strictly military, then. I'll stay out of both your ways, and you can contact me whenever you need me to relay orders to the Phrixians. Darling Cruel the Caronese emperor you can deal with directly. He has no problem taking orders from a female, as Jayne has bossed him around for years, and broke him in when he was young. If you need to contact one of his commanders, you can text me and I'll forward the orders. Most of the Tavali shouldn't have any problem with you. If they do give you any trouble, forward their names and I'll tell you who they answer to. You can easily deal with their four primary commanders, and if it helps, Ryn Cruel Darling's older brother is the son of Hermione Dane. She's the leader of the Wasturnum, and she sits at the head of the UTC.”

Galene arched a brow. ”UTC?”

”Universal Tavali Council. She goes by Kirren, and you will need that name to get through to her. It's her call sign, reserved only for those closest to her. All the Tavali operate that way. It's how we keep outsiders and spies from knowing anything about us.”

Talyn narrowed his gaze on him. ”What name do you use? Faithless?”

Fain let the insult go. ”I don't. Nor do I answer to anyone. I'm what's called a Rogue.”

”And that is?”

He returned Talyn's glare with an equally cold look. ”Someone with no family or individual National allegiance. What Andarions affectionately call an Outcast, only the Tavali don't try to kill us on sight. They just use us when they need cannon fodder or decoys, and we pay a yearly fee directly to the UTC, instead of a t.i.thing fee to a National Presidium.”

Galene glanced away as she caught the pain that flashed into Fain's eyes. She shouldn't care.

At all. And yet she did.

Because I used to love him.

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