Page 58 of Alien Mercenary's Wife
Because he's myfuckingfather!
He'd known it was loud. Hadn't cared in the moment, too raw and desperate and terrified of losing Reese to worry about who might overhear. But he'd been too caught up in the moment and all the moments afterward to care who heard.Draanth.
"All of it?"
"Yeah, most of it," Skinny rumbled. "Sound really does carry in these corridors."
"Right." He stared down at the broken mug at his feet, coffee still spreading across the deck plating. He'd have to clean that up. "So you know."
"That Daaynal K'Saan, Emperor of the Lathar, is your father?" Fin's voice was carefully neutral. "Yeah, we know."
"And that you've been hiding it from us for... how long exactly?" This from Eris, her tone carrying a sharp edge he hadn't heard since her early days with the crew.
He looked up, meeting her eyes directly.
"Since always." He shrugged. "My mother told me as soon as I was old enough to keep a secret."
"Holy shit," Marika breathed. "You're anactualprince."
"No, I'm not," he said, the response automatic. "I'm not anything. Just a mercenary who chose his own path."
"A mercenary whose father runs the largest empire in known space," Sparky pointed out with a grin. "That's gotta count for something."
"It doesn't." The words came out hard. "Never has."
Red tilted her head, studying him. "Is that why you've never talked about your family? Why you always change the subject when anyone asks about your past?"
"Part of it." He owed them…herhonesty now, even if it came decades too late. "The other part is that talking about Imperial politics is a good way to end up dead in most sectors."
"Fair point," Fin acknowledged. "The Empire's got enemies."
"Everyone's got enemies when it comes to the Empire," T'Raal corrected. "Including the Empire itself. Internal politics make civil wars look like friendly disagreements."
Silence fell again, but this time it felt different. Less shocked, more thoughtful.
"So that's why you always know things," Eris said. "Information… Contacts in places we have no business having contacts."
"Some of it." He wasn't going to detail his network of sources, even now. Some secrets were worth keeping.
"And why you turn down certain jobs," Skinny added. "Anything that might put us in direct conflict with Imperial forces."
He shrugged. "That's just smart business."
"Is it?" Mayce's voice carried a challenge. "Or is it because you're protecting your father's interests?"
T'Raal straightened up. Regardless of who his father was, he was still the captain of this crew, and it was time they remembered that. "I protect this crew's interests, and we followthe money, take the jobs with the best payday. That's all. That's how it's always been."
"Really?" Marika asked. "Because we seem to spend a lot of time helping people."
"That's different."
"How?"
He opened his mouth to explain, then stopped. How was it different? They'd rescued Marika from her father's criminal empire. Helped Beauty save Nat from the fighting pits. Pulled Zad from a situation that would have killed her. Taken on Reese's cause without a second thought.
"The point is." Red locked gazes with him. "You're still our captain. Still our family. Still my dad. No matter what fancy bloodline you're from."
Her acceptance loosened something in his chest.
