Page 86 of Aria's Desire

Kix’s comment about Sin wanting to adopt the kids had her glancing at her dragon. She knew Tirox and Kix wanted children, but knowing Sin did, as well, loosened something in her chest. Her gaze strayed back to Rellik and lingered… then swept over the field again.

Reality was a cold wash of water. The sounds of the soldiers fighting, the soft whump of blaster shots, and the meaty sound of fists meeting flesh echoed in her ears, drowning out the imagined sound of a child’s laughter.

Biting back a sigh, she made herself focus, moving among the troops, correcting stances, offering advice and encouragement.

* * *

As soon asthey were back in their rooms that night, Aria made a beeline to the bathing room, eager to get the layers of grime off from a full day of training the army. While she was in there, she commed home.

Victoria’s perky voice answered almost immediately. “Hi, friend!”

Aria smiled. Trust Vee to sound bubbly as fuck at what had to be close to midnight. “Hey, Kid. How is everything? Has a team been sent to that last arena yet? You holding down the fort?”

“Everythings great! And, yeah, Spar and her team took it over without any complications. The slaves from there have already been processed, and uhh… Thegan, how many have gone home?”

Aria heard a deep male voice answer before Vee repeated, “Thirty-seven have been sent back to their worlds on this last shipment. Load? Ugh, I still don't know what to call them.”

Aria laughed as she perched on the edge of the bathing pool. “Transports?”

“Oh. Yeah, okay that makes sense.”

“Any other news?”

“Umm, oh! We got another group from Braxton. They've been processed, too, but most of them wanted to stay. They've got family here they want to find, first. Let’s see, what else?” Aria could almost imagine the small, redheaded woman ticking her fingers as she rattled off, “The dungeon remodel is going great. Ahura is on schedule with the secret thing. The assassin guy, Killir, is still locked up and singing like a canary. Vi’kail likes him.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I kinda do, too, but I won’t like him fully until you give the go ahead. Vi’kail has that dude-understanding thing going on, because Killir was a soldier, too. So, he’s kinda biased.”

Aria’s brows rose. She hadn’t known Killir had been a soldier, and the news that Vi’kail liked him surprised her. Maybe it shouldn’t have, but the broody, taciturn male didn’t actually seem to like anyone aside from Vee and her two other mates.

Vee kept going. “Spar is still bananas, and she’s always making mischief with her army of octoflies. Shecallsit training, but does she really have to make them pretend to kill Vi’kail… in the shower?”

Aria choked on a laugh. “You’re kidding.”

“Not even a little bit! What else? We've got five more pregnant ladies! Oh, and Rykar, the guy I told you about? With the starry eyes? He finally showed up with his mate, that human woman his mine owner kept as a pet. I still don’t know her name, and she hasn't left their rooms. Rykar hasn’t left their rooms either, really, because he refuses to leave her, which is just the sweetest. But don’t worry, Cloud checks on them. She’s the only person Rykar will let near. She said they're doing okay. Ugh, I just want to hug that woman. She’s been through hell, you can just tell. Oh, uhh, also… don't get mad… ”

“That’s never a good way to start a sentence, Kid.”

Victoria paused then hummed. “Good point. But, still. Promise?”

Aria snorted. “No. Now, tell me.”

Vee groaned but sighed. “Somebody snuck into one of the skyscrapers. They didn't get caught! And they got some good intel. And we don'tthinkthey were spotted on any of the surveillance… ”

Aria felt her eye twitch. “Who?”

“Arek.”

Growling at the mention of the male, she rubbed her forehead. Arek was on the covert team with Spar. Aria had her suspicions he had some serial killer tendencies, but he was good, damn good, at covert work and kept any proclivities he may or may not have outside the complex. But if he was going to be doing reckless shit like sneaking into one of the skyscrapers, something she’d explicitly forbidden, and prove himself a liability, Aria would have to rethink him living at the complex.

“Does Spar know?”

“Oh, yeah. She’spissssed.”

“Good. Double the watchers. Tell Spar he’s off missions until I get back.”

“Vi’kail already did. And gave Arek a… talking to.”

Aria smirked. She’d seen Vi’kail angry and overheard his version of a ‘talking to’ as Vee called it.

“Any other awesome news?”

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