Page 11 of Choosing Jenny
Jenny
“Who are you calling?” I asked once we were inCheesecake.
“My old boss.”
“You think Jac can help get Surge into the palace?” I asked curiously.
Tiger nodded as we made our way to the cockpit. “He’s taken me on over a dozen missions to spring people out of the royal prisons. If anyone can pull something like this off, it’s him. I sent him a message to be onSovereignfor our call. Hopefully, he had the time to get there.”
Tiger sent the call through, and a few minutes later Jac’s face showed up on the screen, and his voice came through the comms. “Hey, Tiger,” Jac said, looking concerned. “Is everything okay?”
Jacaranda Cozz was a Ladrian of unusual coloring. Not quite gray, not quite brown, more of a taupe really, with a blue sheenin the light of his monitor. His sheen matched his hair, and his facial features were strong. None of us knew whether Sarah’s baby was his or Deacon’s by blood, but I kind of hoped it was Jac’s. He always seemed to be smiling, whereas Deacon always came across as so serious. I wanted her baby to be happy.
“Yeah, kind of…not really.” Tiger told him everything that had happened, and as he spoke, I zoned out, still reeling over the scene at Credo’s house and the question that worried me.
My ears didn’t perk back up until Tiger said, “…on top of all of this, my clan has called me home to be united. They weren’t happy that I hadn’t told them about Kapok.”
“You hadn’t told them?” Jac asked, his voice raised.
Tiger shook his head. “I knew if I did, they’d call me home.”
“Shit,” Jac muttered, then groaned.
“What…you’rehow they found out about Kapok?”
Jac scrubbed a hand along his jaw, looking apologetic. “Gods, Tiger, I’m so sorry. Yeah. It was me. Your clan master, Otolith Wakamyn, sent a message asking if Kapok’s gauntlet driver had malfunctioned, because he couldn’t get a hold of him. I told him what happened. I didn’t think to lie about it.”
“That’s not on you, Jac, it’s on me,” Tiger said to wash away Jac’s guilt. “I should have been the one to tell them. I’m sorry I left you in that position.”
“It’s fine, Tiger, no worries. Oto told me he’d lined up a union for Kapok and had been trying to contact him to let him know. Since Orne unions are so rare, I’d imagine that’s who they plan to unite you with—Kapok’s intended consort.”
I crossed my arms, trying to keep my mouth shut. As much as I loved the experience of being on a new planet, learning about Ladrian culture, and the rest of it, I hated the way Tiger’s family was treating him.
Jac noticed. “You okay, Jenny?”
I looked at the monitor and said in a flat tone, “I’m not exactly thrilled with the idea that they are treating Tiger like a walking sperm donor.”
Jac softened his voice. “That’s not how—”
“Oh yes, it is,” I interrupted him, not wanting to hear excuses.
He looked to Tiger for help dealing with me, but Tiger shrugged. “She is pretty set on thinking the worst of my clan.”
“They think the worst ofyou,” I refuted. “I’m merely returning the gesture.”
Tiger sighed under his breath and turned the conversation back to business. “So…Aphonic. Can you do it?”
“Technically speaking, yes, I can make it happen. But this is not the kind of operation you can rush. I would need schematics, a guard schedule, the knowledge that the palace magician’s magic would not impede my op. I would need that information ahead of time so I can formulate a plan. And it sounds like Discord is looking for this to happen now. Realistically, I’d need at least a month to get everything set up.”
“I don’t know if she’s willing to wait that long,” Tiger said.
Jac frowned. “What other choice does she have, Tiger?”
“I wouldn’t put it past her to try to do this on her own.”
Jac’s violet eyes widened. “That would be suicide.”
“She’s desperate,” Tiger said. “Truth be told, I don’t blame her. You didn’t see Credo, Jac. It was a fucking nightmare, and I think that’s why she’s gotten so impatient.”
