Heart of Gold

Chapter Thirteen - The Team

Each step of Cade's echoed loudly down the corridor of the ship. His already fierce facial features were twisted into a dark scowl, a physical manifesting of the resentment boiling in his blood. An unpleasant task lay before him, but there was no way to avoid it and honour his brother at the same time. Cade was a big believer in honour.

That was one of the reasons that this meeting was doomed to failure. The person he was to meet lacked any. He passed a few leifteaans on his trail through the ship, barely noticing them as they skittered out of his way, cowed by his menacing presence.

He reached his destination. With great strength of will, he worked to remove the black expression and subdue his temper somewhat. He could be angry, he could be downright furious, but he must be polite. After a few slow even breaths, he had regained enough rationality to let himself into the room.

Comleoir Eowan looked up at his entrance. An ornate wooden desk dominated the room, freshly polished and glowing. Wooden furniture was unusual on board a spaceship, considering that it was a flammable material - metals were preferred. Eowan lounged on his leather desk chair as a king might lounge upon a throne, surveying him with black eyes that did not attempt to hide their amusement.

"D'Airgead," he drawled. "What can I do for you?"

Cade considered his words carefully.

"Comleoir," he began, trying to infuse respect he did not feel into his words. "I have come about the prisoner."

"Ah," Eowan looked at him over steepled hands. His nails were carefully shaped and polished into ten daggers of obsidian. "The murderous little creature. What do you want with it?"

"She is Kilnor's life-mate," Cade began. "She bears his mark. It is my wish that she is transferred into my custody as her fuilbain."

Eowan's eyebrows raised slightly, but otherwise no sign of shock could be seen on his features.

"I am afraid that is simply not possible," Eowan said, his tone coloured with faux-sympathy. "Even were your claim to be correct, she is to be charged with attempted murder of a warrior-class pilot."

Cade fought to keep his temper level, reminding himself that they had expected this as their answer.

"My claim is correct," he said, holding his head high, eyes focused on Eowan's dark ones. "As such, regardless of any crimes, she is to be given into my keeping."

Eowan shook his head slowly.

"For those rules to apply," he countered. "She would have to be Miotalan, and though you claim she is a life-mate to Kilnor, there is no proof of that."

Cade's brow twitched, but asides from that he managed to keep himself from scowling.

"She bears his mark," he stated.

Eowan smiled, revealing glittering teeth. "Does she?" he laughed. "That proves nothing. For a mating to be confirmed, both mates must bear marks. Until either Kilnor wakes up, or an investigation is performed, as an unknown, she will remain in my custody - the custody of the council.

Cade bit back a multitude of expletives he wanted to spew at the disturbingly smug Comleoir, reminding himself once again that they had expected this outcome. Expecting the outcome, however, did not make the smarminess any easier to swallow. Nor would it be any easier to explain to Kilnor when he woke up.

But if he let loose with his temper, allowing the Comleoir to see that he considered this an important matter, Cade had no doubts that harm would come to the female in return.

***

"Well," said Zandin, sprawled on the small desk that lined one of the walls of Cade's bunk room. "We did predict this outcome."