Asmodel (Alien Legacy Brotherhood #2)

14. Epilogue

Epilogue

“D amn, ahu . You were supposed to rescue the human woman, not have sex with her.”

A deep masculine voice snatched Asmodel awake from a deep slumber.

“Who do you think you are? Arakiba?” The annoying voice continued.

Asmodel, his eyes bleary, glanced at Izzy, who slept on her side facing him.

Adapa stood beside the bed, his fists planted firmly on his hips, casting a judicious stare in his direction.

Groaning, Asmodel rolled onto his back with his arm across his closed eyes. “Go away. I’m sleeping.” He’d like nothing better than to throw the bastard out, but unfortunately, his brother wasn’t there in person. He’d somehow put Asmodel into a Dreamwalk as he slept.

“I haven’t heard from you in a while, and I was worried about you.” Adapa snorted. “I should have known better.”

Asmodel let his arm fall as he sat up. With a humph, he rolled off the bed on the opposite side from his brother. Even though he was on the psychic plane, he was careful not to wake Izzy. She might not be a psychic, but she was an intuitive lady.

He took a moment to watch her sleep. Her arresting face was slack in slumber with her upper body partly exposed. Asmodel frowned and pulled the sheet over her naked torso.

She murmured and nestled into her pillow with a sultry smile.

Asmodel’s cock twitched as if he hadn’t indulged in the fine art of lovemaking with her for hours.

Turning to Adapa, he crossed his arms, uncaring of his nudity. He and his brothers spent most of their young lives without clothes around each other, so it wasn’t worth the effort to conjure clothes for his older brother’s so-called sensibilities.

“Yes, you should have. I’m fine.” Asmodel jaw tightened at Adapa’s teasing grin. “I assumed JR13 kept everyone posted on what I was doing, so I didn’t bother.”

Adapa nodded. “Your JR unit has been quite useful that way.” He chuckled. “He went out of his way to… ah, what is the modern term?” He tapped his forefinger against his scruffy jaw. “Oh yes.” He snapped his fingers. “Tattle. Every chance he got, that droid tattled on you. With more information on what you were doing than any of us wanted to hear. Maybe we should have JR10 look at his creation when we get back. Must be malfunctioning.”

The gleam in Adapa’s eyes gave Asmodel a slight headache. He rubbed his temple and grimaced. “Don’t you have something better to do than harass me? I’m sure you know we’ll be back at the chancellor’s palace by tomorrow.”

“Yes, we are very interested in the QLR on this ship. Do you think we can replicate it?”

Asmodel shrugged. “That’s a question for a quantum mechanic, not me. At least we’ll have access to it. But there’s one condition.”

Adapa’s eyebrows rose. “Oh? What’s that?”

“Have the chancellor pardon Raxx Jorlen from all warrants and bounties out on him.” Asmodel made sure his voice carried his non-negotiable intent.

“That’s already done.” Adapa waved an expressive hand. “We did that when you first hired the smuggler. Can’t have you galloping around the galaxy where any mercenary would stop or kill you because you were with him.”

“What about the Vargrux he stole it from?”

“They’ve been monetarily compensated.” Adapa shook his head. “I still have a hard time understanding this business about money. Or what the Federation Consortium calls the credits they use.” He grinned. “Hard to believe it all started with the gold the Akurns needed for the shield to protect their rogue planet.”

Asmodel eyed Adapa. Why was he wasting time making small talk? The personal power he expanded using his psionic abilities over this vast distance had to be draining him at a rapid rate. He’d never seen his brother so unsure before. “What’s the real reason you’re here?”

Adapa grimaced. “I don’t know why I try to hide anything from any of you.” With his head down, he paced in the small space. “It’s Arakiba. We haven’t heard from him since he left FiPan.”

“What about his JR unit? Surely he’s been in communication.”

Adapa shook his head with an impatient snort. “Unlike your JR unit, his has been silent too.”

Asmodel considered what Adapa was saying. There had to be something… “Oh, wait! Wasn’t he using the chancellor’s spaceship run by a sentient AI?” He couldn’t remember the ship's designation. Not that it mattered.

Adapa scratched his jaw. “See, that’s the other part of the puzzle that bothers me. If something happened to that ship, she wouldn’t hesitate to send out a distress signal even if her systems were down.” He shrugged. “And I doubt anyone could have snuck aboard her and stopped her from communicating with Chancellor D’zia.”

“I assume you’ve tried to mentally touch him?”

“Of course I have!” Adapa growled. “I’m not an idiot.”

Asmodel’s blood ran cold. They’d always been able to connect with each other. Unless… He looked in horror at Adapa. “You don’t think he’s dead, do you?”

Adapa crossed his arms, his face losing most of the tension. “No, that’s the only thing I am sure of. Why don’t you try to connect with him and see what you find?”

Asmodel didn’t need any encouragement. He closed his eyes and connected with the shared mental path reserved for him and his brothers. In the blackness, he saw four expanding lanes, each leading to a different brother. Sky blue for the serene Azazel, violet for the introspective Abalim, green for the calm balance Adapa had. Last, there was a brilliant yellow ribbon for the vibrant energy of Arakiba. Asmodel breathed in a sigh of relief. While the yellow ribbon was still there, it was now tinged with slices of red, turning the yellow to a soft orange.

“He’s still alive.” Asmodel confirmed. He stared at Adapa. “But something has happened to him. I sense he’s changing into something different. What do you think that means?”

Adapa’s face turned gray. “I’m not sure. But I have a feeling we’ve got to find him before it’s too late.”

Discover Arakiba’s fate in Alien Legacy Brotherhood Book 3