“My place is with Sera. It always will be. I’m doing my duty every day by serving in the corps. I did my duty when I married Kira. You have your first and third sons in political unions. The Pelas won’t want to cause a stir with Kira under suspicion. You may as well know now, they’re doing a press conference with the three of us when Sera is finished at the hospital. The new face of Family responsibility.”

  His father nodded. “That should help. You could do both.” He exhaled sharply when Ash snorted. “I misjudged you, Ash. I apologize for that. I’m proud to know you did your duty. I know the cost was great. Even if you refuse to marry now, I’ve been guilty of thinking you an irresponsible wastrel. I was wrong.”

  “Thank you.” It meant something to have his father say that even with the qualifiers. “I have to run to catch up before the helo takes off. I’ll be in touch. My men are here, stay out of their way and make sure everyone answers questions or they’ll be taken into custody.”

  His mother just looked at him through sad eyes as he ran past, on his way to the woman who loved him no matter what.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Ash eyed her carefully.

  “I told you at least five times, Ash, I’m fine. All I have to do is stand next to you two and look like the nice, token unranked officer. It’s not like I need much stamina for that.”

  “You were just shot two hours ago, Sera.” Brandt paced, looking edgy and slightly feral. Both men hovered over her, asking how she felt every few moments. They’d badgered the doctor so severely they’d been banished from the room where she’d been stitched up.

  Really, for two warriors who’d seen their share of blood and wounds, they acted as if it were extraordinary she was able to stand.

  Not that she’d admit it but she did feel dizzy and very tired. But all she had to do was stand there and look responsible. Even Kira could manage that. Maybe.

  The nurse finished tightening the sling holding her shoulder and arm still and assisted her into a makeshift uniform shirt. The jacket would have to be draped over her left arm and they’d call it done.

  “Come on you two, let’s get this over with. I want to get something to eat and then I want to pass out for many hours.”

  Brandt stepped before her, cupping her cheeks gently. “I could have lost you today. You don’t know what it was like. The blood on your shirt, the look on your face. My heart stopped. I don’t know what I would do if you didn’t exist in my life every day.”

  She swallowed hard, choking on emotion. “Not right now, please. I need to hold it together and there’s been a lot today. I’m just barely…” She clamped her lips together to hold back the sob that threatened.

  He kissed her softly. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to upset you. Later. We will go home and you can let it all go. For now, Sub-Commander, let’s go.”

  Ash shoved Brandt aside with a snort. “I’m not done. I’m having you brought to the dais in a wheelchair. Don’t argue, it’s useless. As you and Brandt frequently forget, I’m the ranking officer on this team. You can stand once you get there but not until then. We’ll be sitting at a table instead of standing throughout the press conference as well.”

  Sera wanted to be mad but all she felt was relief. He’d taken care of her and she needed it.

  “Yes, sir. Pardon my lack of a salute but the dressing is so tight both my arms have limited movement.” She winked and he kissed the tip of her nose.

  Sera mentally thanked Ash a myriad of times for taking care to have all the attendees of the press conference sit. As she sat on the raised dais as the crowd pelted question after question at Ash and Comandante Ellis, she knew she’d have passed out if she’d had to stand for this long.

  To say the Federation-Aligned Universes reacted with shock to the revelations that Families had cooperated with the Imperialists in the bombings and murders of Federation citizens was an understatement.

  Several near-riots had been quelled across the ‘Verses in the hours since the news had broken and it promised to continue to be a dangerous situation.

  The populace, for the most part anyway, had trusted the Families to run the ‘Verses and protect its citizens. That they’d taken that trust and betrayed it in such a heinous manner was not only shocking on a personal level but simply unbelievable.

  There had been a lot of anger from the people. From the media. From the other Families and all rightfully so. But through it all, Ash and Brandt had stood as what it meant to truly be a Ranking Family member. They stood for what was right and what was just. Sera was so proud of them both as they handled the animosity and grief from the assembled press conference with humility and accountability.

  The only notice that’d been taken of her had been when she’d been held up by the Comandante as an example of what a citizen could achieve with dedication and hard work. The way the Comandante spoke, Sera got the distinct feeling the Federation would make her their official “unranked citizen” at least until this all calmed down. Goody.

  Thank the gods, their relationship hadn’t come up at all. It would, she knew that, but it would at least happen when she wasn’t nearly falling over after she’d been shot.

  Sera saw her parents in the crowd at the press conference and kept her gaze on them, willing them to understand she was happy at last.

  Comandante Ellis closed the conference by conferring a commendation on the three of them and explaining the members of the conspiracy would be put on trial in Ravena once they’d had a chance to procure a defense team. The Federation employees and military corps members who’d been implicated had been arrested. Several had confessed and were providing evidence to the Federation.

  The Supreme Leader of the Imperialists disavowed any involvement with the plan, branding the charges as false and what may be true, as instigated by rogue elements. Sera found the entire event totally ridiculous but she’d not failed to notice the difference in the way Ash and Brandt both held themselves. She supposed years’ worth of playing a part would take a toll on them.

  Brandt watched her sleep as he sat in a chair near the bed, pretending to read. After the press conference he and Ash had wanted to get her straight back home but instead they’d dealt with her parents.

  After an intense and not-so-very pleasant session of angry accusations, crying and at last, acceptance, Sera had been sweating and barely awake.

  Ash forced her to take the pain medication she’d been refusing and once her mother had gotten on her as well, Sera finally gave in. They’d taken a helicopter back to Ash’s house and settled her in immediately.

  And then he’d looked to Ash and shrugged and they’d simply sat with her for the pleasure of being able to watch her without pressure. Without anything more than wanting to be assured she was well.

  Ash had dozed off in the chair opposite his, not wanting to mistakenly roll over and jar her arm in his sleep. Brandt knew Sera would be grumpy about being alone in bed when she woke up and it made him smile.

  In the background, he heard the ping of his comm unit and with a careful check of her breathing, he left the room quietly and headed down the hall.

  He sat for a moment before accepting the communication. “Hello, Mother. Are you well?”

  “Brandt Pela, are you insane? The buzz all over the ‘Verse is that you’ve married a concubine!”

  “No. Not a concubine. I’m sure you saw the press conference so let’s not play games. You know who and what she is. And you know I received permission to marry her. She’s a Pela now and I trust you’ll receive her as such.”

  Not that he believed it, but he said it anyway.

  “You had your sister arrested. How could you take this woman’s side over your own blood?”

  “There were no sides. There was incriminating evidence and as a matter of fact, it’s Sera who argued that she felt Kira should be charged as an accomplice instead of a member of the conspiracy. She’s being questioned and if she’s innocent, they’ll let her go. So I suppose you should hope she’s getting another marriage dissolved and start looking for another male for her to marry. Most likely a Walker because I’m sure the taint of this whole thing will make other Families want to steer clear of us for a while.”

  Why that amused him he couldn’t say, but it did. He heard his father chuckle in the background so it wasn’t just him.

  “Now, my wife is resting after having been shot in the line of duty so I need to go back to her. I’ll be in contact soon. My love to everyone.”

  He cut the communication and smiled. He was free. Free to live the life he wanted with his woman and his best friend. No longer did he have to pretend every day of his life. He’d save the ruses for those times when they went covert. The weight of judgment fell from his shoulders and he walked back into the bedroom to face a life he’d never dreamed of, but couldn’t wait to live.

  EPILOGUE

  Sera looked through her laser site and typed the measurements of the squat building in the distance on a keypad.

  “It’s awfully large to simply be a supply depot. Infrared shows extensive underground tunneling and space. I doubt they need all that room for shoes and outdoor gear.” She sat back, packing up the equipment and moving down the hill she’d been situated on while she staked out the buildings below.

  Ash waited in the transport some distance away, waving as she and Brandt jogged to the doors.

  She still hadn’t gotten used to the wig he’d procured for the assignment. Short, spiky bright red hair. He wore green lenses in his eyes and had taken supplements to darken his skin. An odd combination but he looked like many other residents of Levin, one of the desert ‘Verses on the frontier.

  Brandt also had red hair and green lenses. A mustache and a fake scar on his chin marked his face along with extensive tattoos on his arms and chest.

  “Do you two need a lift back to the settlement?” Ash’s accent was perfect. Rough. It made her shiver.

  “Sure.” Brandt opened the door and she got inside, saying nothing as they drove into the tourist settlement on the edge of the vast nature preserve people traveled far and wide to traverse and camp in.

  It also seemed to hold some Imperialist agents moving their weapons around.

  Back at their hotel, fairly luxurious for the area, she’d gone to her room and bid her brother good evening.

  * * *

  Ash snuck up the back hallway to his room and then knocked on her door, adjoining his.

  When she opened, she was naked. He looked his fill as he stalked inside. The whole mission had been like an elaborate sex role-play game. She stood there with short black hair, tipped with bright red. Her normally blue eyes were instead a brilliant green and tattoos covered her whole body. Prosthetics had changed the shape of her nose and while he knew it was Sera, the bit of not Sera thrilled him as much as he knew his changed looks turned her on. All the excitement of fucking a stranger but still being your mate.

  Brandt came in right as Ash had lowered his face to her cunt and breathed her in.

  “Should have known you two would be at it already.”

  “Well come on then, you’re behind now.” Sera laughed.

  “I wouldn’t want that.” Brandt knelt and she sat up, leaning forward to kiss him. Ash watched a few moments before adding his mouth to theirs.

  “Perfect. What do you want to guess those other covert teams don’t have nearly the fun undercover that we do?” Sera asked through the link.

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  ABOUT LAUREN DANE

  The story goes like this: While on pregnancy bed rest, Lauren Dane had plenty of down time so her husband took her comments about “giving that writing thing a serious go” to heart and brought home a secondhand laptop. She wrote her first book on it before it gave up the ghost. Even better, she sold that book and never looked back.

  Today Lauren is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over sixty novels and novellas across several genres.

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  Also by Lauren Dane

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  Undercover

  Relentless

  Insatiable

  Mesmerized

  Captivated

  Metamorphosis

  All that Remains

  Standalone

  Land's End

  Reckless

 

 

  Lauren Dane, Undercover

 

 

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