Born of Betrayal Read Free

anatomy he’d like to preserve. Though, to be honest, he wasn’t sure why at this point. Not like he had many chances to use it anymore.
    Don’t go there.
    Chayden clapped him on the back. “You all right, Hauk? You look like you’re about to hurl.”
    Fain cut a glare toward his friend. Hurl? No …
    Kill. Definitely.
    â€œI’m fine.”
    Fain’s little brother came out of the holding area to stand next to him. “I’m with Chay. You look a little green, drey .”
    Fain dodged Dancer’s hand as his brother reached to touch his forehead, and barely resisted the urge to slap him. “I know you were just a kid when I ran off with Omira. But do you remember the fact that I was pledged to an Andarion female before I married her?”
    Dancer’s jaw dropped. “No. I have no memory of that at all. Who were you pledged to?”
    Fain faced the ramp that was lowering in front of them. “Prime Commander Galene Batur.”
    Dancer’s curses rang in his ears as Fain headed down the ramp toward the one female he was sure would gut him on the spot. As he scanned the gathered Andarion soldiers, he kept the helmet carefully positioned.
    Just in case.
    His gaze went straight to her, as if it was drawn there by magic. Damn, was the first thought that went through his head. As with all Andarion females, Galene had been a gorgeous teen. But the adult warrior waiting on them had to be one of the sexiest, most beautiful of her kind. Because Andarions aged much slower than their human counterparts, she didn’t appear any older than thirty.
    Tall, lithe, and exquisite, she was dressed in a standard red and black Andarion battlesuit. One that hugged a body made to be privately worshiped by hours of leisurely naked activities.
    And often.
    He sucked his breath in sharply as an involuntary image went through his mind of her wrapping those long legs around him. He hadn’t been this attracted to a female in a long time. Not since the last time he’d seen her.
    Every part of him was alert and panting.
    And he was twice as glad now for the helmet at his crotch. I should have worn looser pants. God help him if he had to sit down with a hard-on this fierce. That pain alone might kill him.
    Focus .
    Something much easier said than done.
    What the hell had I been thinking or drinking when I walked away from that ?
    Young and stupid didn’t quite cover it. But then, there’d been extenuating circumstances that had forced his hand. Things that had made staying with her completely out of the question. Maybe I should have fought harder to stay .
    Yeah, right. It hadn’t been that simple.
    A fight, he could have won. What they held over his head had been totally out of his control and beyond his young abilities to stop.
    She looked up and met his gaze. His throat went dry as his body hardened even more and he remembered the way she used to look at him.
    Like he was her cherished hero.
    And I fucked her over . Badly.
    Yeah, he’d earned the hell that had been his life. How he wished things could have been different. Especially between the two of them. While he’d been enamored of Omira, it was nothing compared to what he’d felt for Galene when they were kids. This was his first and only real love.
    The one who’d gotten away and had haunted him every minute of his life.
    His one true regret.
    The worst decisions in life are always the ones we make out of fear. He hated to admit how right his father had been whenever the old bastard had quoted that. But life had shown him just how wise his father was.
    At first, her gaze swept past him, to the other Tavali trailing in his wake. She had no idea who he was.
    Not until he pulled his Tavali mask down and exposed his face.
    *   *   *
    Galene was impressed by the military formation and discipline of the Tavali crew—something she’d never expected from outlaw pirates who were as