Chapter 26
"So, you're saying you have no memories?" Mitchiko scoffed, lips pursed in displeasure, eyebrow arched as if she didn't believe a word he said, and challenged him to continue the lie.
"Indeed." Thane confirmed, dipping his head in validation, watching Mitchiko carefully, every detail committed to his memory while he tried to recollect anything he could about her.
Not even the sound of her voice is familiar.
"Not entirely," Koji spoke up from his position across the room to the left of him, between Mitchiko and himself. Koji kept his back pressed against the wall, arms over his chest, feet crossed at his ankles, eyes focused on the woman who sucked her teeth and glanced at him coldly.
Slipping his hands behind himself and linking them together, Thane waited patiently, unable to discern the thoughts going through the human woman's mind. Mitchiko leaned back upon the pristine white couch, a boxy and stiff looking make, something more for show and not at all for comfort. Mitchiko seemed to fit perfectly against it, her hips shifting while she adjusted herself.
At least he thought she looked comfortable.
Everything about the woman, in the short time he perceived her, felt wrong and as if her entire persona was shrouded in falsehoods. Thane's instincts flared in warning from her scent and movements, her stiff frame, the way she walked, a tangle of quick jerked gestures. Even her facial expressions left much to be desired.
Did he feel this way before his memory loss?
Crossing one leg over the other, her gaze focused on Thane, eyes trailing up his body with a hint of heat. It made his scales itch. There was so much coldness in her eyes, an unfiltered hate that resonated through her, a cruelness she was unable to hide. The longer he was in her presence, the more he wanted to be away from her, dread and fear tugged his insides into a knot at the implications of a simple truth.
He was probably forced into marrying her.
"Nero knows who we are. He recognized me right away, and you. He has a grasp of his surroundings, just the how he ended up here is missing," Koji continued.
"And his skills?" Mitchiko asked, voice unforgiving and flat.
Koji narrowed his eyes and mirrored her tone. "He just woke up. Did you expect me to greet him in hand to hand combat?"
Her upper lip pulled away from her teeth in a snarl, head snapping toward the other man in unchecked rage.
"If you wish …" Thane cut in, an attempt to pull their focus off one another. "I can go to the training facility now. I am confident Koji can show me whatever you wish for me to know. Perhaps it will help me find myself better."
Being with Koji would also give him another opportunity to ask questions he knew he would never get the answer to with Mitchiko. A part of him also just wanted to be alone with the human man again. His scent was soothing and familiar. More so than anything else he experienced upon waking.
Mitchiko closed her mouth and released a long deliberate sigh, as if trying to calm herself. The coldness in her eyes returning from edges of the fury displayed a moment prior. "Koji …" She stressed his name, wrinkling her nose like she smelled something foul. "… has a point. You just returned to me from a life threatening injury, perhaps we should take this time to try and see what you do remember."
Thane nodded and glanced back at Koji. "I remembered Koji as soon as I saw him. I have several memories of him … and of you," Thane added on, seeing the discomfort in Mitchiko's body language, the warning in Koji's eyes before he blinked it away and stared at the floor.
"Only a few? What kind of memories?" she pressed.
Thane closed his eyes and tried to focus, incoherent images trying to surface though rippled waves. The edges of his vision blurred and blackened while he tried to pull upon pictures in his mind, waiting for a memory to spring to life on his lips, hesitating when a quick flash of Koji came first.
Shaking his head regretfully he looked back up at Mitchiko, unwilling to let her know that all he could pull upon was Koji, raising even more questions of why that was. "I'm sorry, I can't recall anything more in this moment."
Frowning, Mitchiko sucked her teeth. "Perhaps we should have the medical staff run some tests. If you can't remember any of your training, you will become a liability. All of the effort used to nurse you back would have been wasted in the end."
"Am I your husband, or just a resource?" Thane bit out, feeling as if Mitchiko cared more about his skills than his own well-being.
Standing up taller he slipped his hands behind himself again, noticing Koji's jaw twitch, his cheeks tightening while a grin spread slightly across his lips. Keeping his gaze on Mitchiko, Thane watched the anger flash in her eyes before a slow, vicious smile, spread over her mouth.
"There we go. I was wondering when you would stop being so docile," she purred, leaning back further on the couch with complete ease, eyeing him from head to toe.
"My omnitool," Thane insisted sternly. "You said you wanted me to return back to work as soon as possible."
Whatever that is.
"Nero, you really should rest, give yourself some time," Koji said, pushing himself from the wall. "There's no telling what might happen if you can't remember your training while you're on a mission."
"Besides …" Mitchiko continued. "Don't you want to spend some time with me before you have to leave again?"
Thane blinked both sets of eyelids, keeping his silence, an automatic no, resting on the tip of his tongue, threatening to break free. Relaxing his stance, he made sure to keep all hint of emotion from his face. "How long have we been married?"
All humor fell from her expression, an emptiness settling into the darkness of her features. "You can't even remember that?"
"You can't even bother to tell me?" Thane returned coldly.
Mitchiko looked away in disappointment, voice falling away. "A little over a year."
Thane glanced around the small apartment, bare shelves and empty spaces, nothing felt familiar or held any kind of attachment. He was curious by the lack of personal effects, no photos or keepsakes linking him to the space he occupied. No children's toys and only a small hallway leading to two doors in the back made him confident in the prospect of no children between them.
Without thinking, Thane progressed through the living space, his quick movement alerting Mitchiko who snapped her attention towards him, but he paid her no mind. Storming past, he made his way down the hall hearing Koji call his name in confusion as he went. Opening the door on the left, he ignored the bathroom and turned around opening the only other door in the apartment. Walking into the bedroom, he immediately studied his surroundings, once more void of any personal effects. Was he so heartless to not even keep something personal? A wedding photo, a work log ... even a personal memento? Glancing around once more, he tried to see if any of the scarce items called out to him. Not even anything to signal a female living there stood out, either.
What kind of people were they?
"Nero, you okay?" Koji asked, voice laced with worry, just as Thane caught sight of an omnitool on the bedside table, at least recognizing that.
Picking up the small bracelet, he quickly put it on and moved toward the furthest side of the bedroom, his scales itching with discomfort, a heavy oppressive force tightening his chest in regret. "I feel no attachment to this place. Nothing feels familiar."
"Nothing at all?"
Thane shook his head at Koji, eyes scanning the room once more, noticing a sliding door. Crossing the floor, he reached out his hand, fingers lingering over the paneling to slide it open. "The feel of the air around me, the smells … even my own footsteps..." He opened the closet and ruffled through the articles, pushing aside women's clothing until he came upon a section of clothes with a broader and taller cut. Uniforms he saw the men wear while he moved through the base earlier, slightly modified. Taking one out, he held the material in his hands, cloth and leather mixed together, the symbol of Cerberus on one of the arms. "Do I have anything else here? Something personal, a family heirloom, a friend's gift ... something from you?"
Koji whispered his name and touched his arm, averting his attention fixated on the uniform clasped in his hands to the human male beside him. Their eyes met, the care and sincerity in Koji's dark brown eyes opening something within him, his heartbeat skipping for a brief flicker. Koji's touch was warm and inviting, and without subtlety, Thane glanced at the doorway, focusing to make sure Michiko wasn't nearby. Koji's boots were the only sound of pursuit when he had gone to the bedroom.
"Why can't I remember anything?" he asked on a hushed whisper, more out of frustration, already knowing the answer Koji would give him. The man's light-hearted smile eased him.
Koji glanced at the doorway and back at Thane, lifting a hand to brush a finger over one of the frills on his cheek. The intimate movement sent heat rushing to Thane's ribbing as he glanced down at the uniform in his hands in uncertainty.
"You remembered me," Koji said, voice laced in glee, pulling his hand away.
"Barely," Thane sighed looked back at the other man.
Sucking his teeth, Koji grinned. "You're so negative. Want me to knock you on the head again? Maybe it will have a reverse effect?"
Thane snorted while Koji made a sound through his nose in delight, both of them continuing to keep their voices low, his playful disposition lightened the air and forced a twitch of a smile from Thane. "I'm up for any suggestion right now. I fear I am getting desperate."
Koji's expression softened, and a gentle smile took the place of his previous roguish stare. "Maybe you need to relax. I really think you should give your head a mental reset." Koji scrunched his nose and snorted, as if trying to hold in a laugh. "Get it? Mental reset?"
Thane chuckled at Koji's terrible joke, his whole body finally relaxing as he let out a sigh of defeat. Glancing at the bed, he frowned, on the edge of despair. He really didn't want to be anywhere near Mitchiko, his instincts only sending warning signals instead of emotional attachment. "I don't want to stay here," he admitted, uncaring if the woman in the other room heard him, the further distress it caused him from those scandalous thoughts, pushed away by his lack of memories.
Koji nodded sternly, glancing down at his hand as he moved his fingers back to brush over Thane's arm, digits boldly tracing a path over his bare scales up his inner arm. Thane felt his frills heat again, and this time he let out a soft purr of inquiry. Did Koji realize the sensuality of his touches? The sexual gesture they implied toward a drell?
Meeting his stare, Koji blinked languidly, taking a moment as if weighing his thoughts, determination shining through as he took the uniform from Thane's grasp, throwing it on the bed behind them. "Then don't," Koji stated simply.
Thane hesitated as Koji turned and made his way from the room abruptly. Thane took a deep breath to collect himself before following after him, finding Mitchiko exactly where they had left her.
"Did you find your omnitool? I left it beside the bed for you." She smiled smugly, studying her nails, voice void of warmth.
"I did. Thank you."
"I think Nero should stay in the medical facility for now," Koji blurted, his lack of subtlety towards Mitchiko alarming, leaving Thane to glance toward him, feeling agitated by Koji's lack of finesse.
Glancing between them, she switched the position of her legs and crossed them at her knees in the opposite direction, adjusting herself on the couch again, expression bored and flat. The light left her eyes as she glanced at her nails again and sighed in annoyance.
Not even a hint of concern for my well-being...
"Is that what you want?" Mitchiko asked in reluctance, lips thinning into a deep set frown, her pasty skin making her seem more like a phantom than a real entity, while her cold and calculating eyes met his.
He refused to back down, her intimidating facade doing nothing for him as he dipped his head in confirmation. "Indeed. I think it would be best, until I've regained my memories."
"Nero needs time to let everything set in. The doctors need to assess his amnesia. I can't have him in the field with me like this. I will work with him to see what skills he has retained, and after that ... well, we'll see what the Illusive Man has to say, won't we?"
The Illusive Man? Who is that?
She was quiet for a long time, an uncomfortable tension filling the room as Koji and she stared at one another. Thane could sense much unsaid between them.
Eventually, Mitchiko sucked her teeth and rose from her seat, hands falling into the pockets of her lab coat. Thane's gaze fell to the vibrant red of her heels sinking into the lush white carpet. A splash of crimson upon a blank canvas, his mind drifting towards recollection.
'Be alive with me tonight...'
The woman from his prior memories appeared in his thoughts, the one whom he originally mistook for his wife. Vibrant crimson hair fell upon white crisp sheets, the vivid green of her eyes, like shining emeralds, stared up with sensual heat, lips parting, beckoning….
'Beg for me….'
His chest tightened as the thought disappeared as quickly as it came. A fantasy? A memory? The human woman felt familiar, and he tried to picture her again, eyes sliding closed while he focused on her face.
"How does that sound?" Mitchiko's voice yanked him back from slipping further, his eyes snapping open to glance at her, keeping the thoughts from surfacing further.
Both Koji and she looked at him, waiting for an answer to a question he didn't hear, Koji's eyebrow arched as he tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. "Are you getting another headache?" he asked, voice dipping back toward concern.
"Nero …" Mitchiko called his name before Thane could answer, her tone crisp with disappointment followed by a sigh. "Go back to the med bay. Koji will keep an eye on you. I need you better."
Thane blinked slowly and nodded. There was a slight pause as Koji motioned his head to follow after him as he started to turn toward the door. Mitchiko slowly sat back down, her gaze on him leaving a sense of regret in his chest. No matter what, this woman was his wife, whether he remembered their marriage or not. She was someone he had chosen to mate with, for whatever reason. When his memories returned, it was something that would still be true, something he had to take into consideration for the future.
"Mitchiko … I'm sorry. When my memories come back, I will make it up to you."
Mitchiko blinked at him slowly, her dark eyes assessing him from head to toe before she snapped her eyes back up to his. A dark smile curled over her lips, a discomforting emptiness in her eyes in her eyes sone back at him before she flashed her teeth in delight. "I look forward to it."
Kolyat stopped in the doorway, a pleased smile pulling at his lips just as he felt Shepard step in beside him. Ebony sat in a chair pulled up beside the bed, a spoon held up to Keston's lips in the midst of feeding him something from a cup grasped in her other hand. A pained expression pulled at the sides of Keston's eyes, dark circles and puffy bags creasing with the apparent strain it took for him to swallow.
Keston looked towards them, a lazy smile softened his features as Kolyat continued into the room. Ebony following his gaze, placing the spoon into the cup and resting it on the tray table next to the bed. Her face lit up in genuine warmth, and she rose from her chair to meet them both.
"Kolyat," Ebony said in greeting, throwing her arms around his shoulders in a light hug.
Kolyat hugged her back, keeping eye contact with Keston, pleased that his friend had finally woken up. "You look like shit." He grinned as Ebony smacked his shoulder in warning, releasing him to turn toward Shepard.
"I'm glad you came, too," Ebony said, giving Shepard a gentle hug as well.
"He looks like he's doing well," Shepard said, just as the dark skinned woman pulled away, happiness shining through like rays of hope.
"He is. Just don't let him talk too much, his throat is still very sore." Ebony looked back at Kolyat raising one of her eyebrows as if she was challenging him.
Kolyat chuckled and held up both of his hands in surrender. "Yes ma'am, you're the boss."
Turning back to Keston, Ebony lingered over him, their gazes meeting. "I'll give you some time. I'm going to get you some more ice chips. Do you need anything else?"
"A burger," Keston answered, the emotion for her apparent in the way he watched her, his voice a hoarse wisp of air. A cough and then a whimper of pain escaped his lips as he tried to adjust himself on the bed a little better.
Kolyat went over and took his arm, Keston's hands shaking as he tried to grab the bedrail to pull himself up, giving Kolyat an appreciative look while he helped adjust him, being mindful of the IV's and machines attached to Keston's fingers and hands.
"Uh huh," Ebony answered, crossing her hands over her chest. "And how exactly do you plan on eating it?" She lifted an eyebrow when Keston grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief. A silent conversation seemed to pass between the two of them until Ebony eventually shook her head and sighed. "Fine. I'll be back in a little while, but if I get in trouble for trying to smuggle it in, it's all on you."
Ebony looked back at Kolyat when Keston's delighted grin forced another wave of coughs to erupt from him throat, making him grimace."The doctor said for him to eat the ice chips, it will help soothe the pain."
"We'll make sure he gets some," Shepard answered just as Kolyat nodded in agreement, waiting until Ebony left before turning his attention back on Keston.
The human man met his eyes, fingers coming up to try and tug at the thick, surgical collar around his throat. Kolyat noticed the dark bruises right at the edges of the thick bandages, and the slight discoloration near his jaw and left cheek. His skin was pale and pasty looking, a fraction of his former self, but he was alive, and that's all Kolyat cared about in the moment.
Keston swallowed roughly, letting out a crisp sound as he tried to clear his throat. "I told you ... I love a woman ... who knows what she wants … and takes charge."
"Well, she's definitely called dibs on you." Shepard grinned, walking to the bed and sat by Keston's feet, untangling some of his tubes and wires while she got comfortable.
Kolyat watched her in content, pleased with her ease around his friends, how natural her personality was in warming up to people.
"You look ... well." Keston smiled again, as if amused by Shepard's lack of etiquette, jumping right in and treating him as if they've been friends forever.
"I wish I could say the same thing to you," she teased.
"I probably look as good as I feel." The rest of Keston's sentence barely heard as it flowed into a wheeze.
"Don't talk. You're going to get us in trouble with your new warden," Kolyat jested, unbuttoning his navy blue suit jacket before sitting in the seat next to Keston's bed. Kolyat saw the question in the other man's eyes as Keston's gaze lingered over him. "What? You don't think I dressed up for you? Tell me I don't look good."
"Doesn't he have the most remarkable modesty?" Shepard asked, grinning in wicked delight at Keston.
"Bullshit," Keston forced out, coughing slightly, frowning while he winced in pain. "Your suit sucks."
"What?" Kolyat blinked in shock, glancing down at his dark grey vest, running a hand over his chest in uncertainty. "Sarah said it looked good," he continued pointedly before he glanced back up and saw the laughter on both of their faces.
"You're so vain." Shepard shook her head sharing a look with Keston, Kolyat realizing now that they were both just teasing him.
Kolyat purred flippantly, and Shepard laughed. He leaned forward to grab the cup of ice when Keston coughed again, looking as if he fought to keep down his own laughter. "This isn't sexual, just take one, it will help," Kolyat said, fishing around for a small ice chip to scoop onto the spoon.
The confusion on Keston's face was loud, both of his eyebrows raised while Kolyat moved the spoon against his lips, allowing him the chance to sooth his throat.
"Feeding another by hand is very intimate for a drell," Shepard spoke up. "It can be considered a form of foreplay or a show of sexual interest. It means they want to supply for you, if you would have them."
Kolyat remained quiet, doing his best to fight the heat spreading over his frills. He wished he would be able to do this for Shepard soon, knew their relationship was finally at a point where he wanted it to be, comfortable and open to trust.
"I knew you wanted me," Keston muttered, snapping Kolyat's attention back towards him. Shepard and Keston chuckling as Kolyat returned his grin.
"Kolyat is accompanying me as my date to a fundraiser for the families of fallen Alliance Officers," Shepard answered for him, adjusting herself more comfortably against the bedrail. The subtle sounds of her crinkling skirts filled up the silence while she adjusted the lace and stiff, voluminous material beneath to fan out around her knees and over Keston's lap, unable to keep the overflowing fabrics to herself. The human man tentatively reached out his fingertips to touch the material, pulling it beneath his palms as if testing out the texture.
Kolyat's chest tightened with retaliation, and he had to physically force himself not to purr in territorial warning. Licking his lips, he glanced away, finding another ice chip and held it up to Keston's mouth, averting his attention off of Shepard and Keston's hands.
"No offense … but I would prefer Ebony to do that."
"Clearly," Shepard teased. "So, are you two a thing now?"
Keston lowered his gaze and fell into silence, the gentle care in his expression revealing the answer. "Are you … and Kolyat?" he countered cheekily, meeting Shepard's stare in defiance.
Kolyat and Shepard glanced at one another, her smile and nod giving Kolyat the confirmation to voice her answer. He had already guessed that Shepard was willing to be open about their relationship when they had spoken to Feron the other day. With her willingness with his friends now, it made everything seem more concrete and real. They were finally an 'us' now.
"We are," Kolyat answered. "We've been seeing each other for a few weeks."
"Good," Keston returned. "Maybe you won't be … such an asshole now."
Kolyat sucked his teeth and placed the cup back on the bedside tray beside them. "It's a good thing you don't want any more ice, you just lost the privilege of being fed by me."
"My heart breaks." Keston coughed roughly, making several attempts to gulp in a few swallows of air, groaning in pain as one of his hands came up to hold his chest.
"Do you want me to call the doctor? Do you need something for the pain?" Kolyat leaned forward in his seat worried about Keston's comfort, knowing it would still be some time before he was back on his feet.
"Tell me …" Keston started, shaking his head and growing more determined when Kolyat held up his hand for Keston to stop talking."Tellios?"
"He's dead," Kolyat answered after a slight pause, unsure how Keston would take the news.
He watched different emotions swirl over his friend's face. Uncertainty and regret fled from Keston's features when he rested his head back against the pillow and stared at the ceiling. His jaw tensed as anger and determination seemed to take hold of him before he nodded. "Good," he said quietly, waiting a moment before his gaze drifted back towards Kolyat.
Kolyat stayed quiet, taking in Keston's expression. The certainty and guilt of his admittance began to show on his face. Kolyat didn't want his friend to feel any kind of regret. Tellios would have killed Keston or could have hurt Ebony, eventually, if left unchecked. Heartless, but the truth nonetheless. "I agree," Kolyat returned in comfort, knowing the relief in Keston's eyes spoke volumes in that moment.
"You did the right thing. No regrets," Shepard added, nodding at Keston sternly when he glanced back at her.
Sharing a moment of silence, Keston took a deep breath, letting his body fall and rest against his pillows before he eventually smiled, licked his lips, and cleared his throat. "So … detective … tell me everything I missed."
"You look beautiful."
"Don't tease me, smooth talker. You know older men make me hot," Shepard cooed, wrinkling her nose at Anderson in jest.
He smiled at her, his normal stern face softened as his dark eyes moved over the crowd while they made their way towards a secluded area, scanning everyone close by. Hitting her omnitool, Shepard activated her scrambler in case anyone was trying to eavesdrop or record their conversation. She wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if pictures of her already circulated over the externet from the event. Kolyat had notified her on several occasions of people staring longer than necessary as they mingled, whispering as they passed.
Kolyat kissed her cheek before he left her. His warm fingers caressed her lower back, and he gave her a seductive purr before he pulled away, disappearing into the crowd, allowing her time alone with Anderson. Her body still tingled from where he touched her, insides humming whenever she was with him.
"Do they?" Anderson answered. "You could have fooled me with your new chaperone."
Shepard grinned as they made their way out toward the balcony, the sparkling lights of the Presidium against the blackness of space still catching her breath. A sight she never got tired of.
"I need to change things up every once in awhile. I decided to play the cougar this time."
Anderson snorted. "He's not that much younger than you child - three years I believe? Hardly worth the hunt, if that's what you were aiming for."
Shepard tilted her head in intrigue. Why would Anderson know Kolyat's age off the top of his head? Was he keeping tabs on them? "Well …" she started, trying to feel the older man out. His comment about Kolyat twisted her guts in warning. Forcing a seductive smile to her lips,she turned towards him. "Please tell me you're jealous. I'll take your love confession on your knees. Go ahead, I'll wait." She dramatically motioned towards the ground, waiting for him to kneel.
Anderson didn't smile, nor did he make any indication that he was interested in her teasing. The stern authority figure took over full swing. She knew the man like the back of her hand, someone whom she considered her father away from home. Her friend and mentor. He knew her too, and she knew it was only a matter of time before he would start asking questions about her life.
"Please tell me one thing, Shepard …" he started, hesitating as he put his hand on the balcony rail, the weight of his stare burning a hole through her well placed mask.
"Yes, the sex is amazing, too bad you didn't take me up on my offer." She tried to deflect, knowing the question he was most likely going to ask would break a piece of her heart.
Anderson turned his gaze on her, the eyes of a man who easily saw through bullshit and deception - she would know, because she had learned it all from him. "Tell me you're not replacing the father with the son."
Shepard closed her eyes and released a deep breath of disappointment, a bitter taste filled her mouth, ice spread through her lungs.
"I know what it's like to lose people Shepard-" he continued.
"And I don't?" Her eyes snapped open, voice laced with irritation.
"I worry about you." Anderson confessed, eyes dulling with the look of a man who had seen it all. Horrors and trials. His wisdom and experience peering at her with some kind of pity she just didn't want to come face to face with again. "You haven't been the same since you lost Krios," he continued, his somber voice laced with care and warning. "I don't want sorrow to be the driving force holding you to his son."
"It's not like that…." She trailed off, her gaze finding Kolyat in the crowd, immersed in the throes of conversation with an Alliance officer. It was true she had thought that same thing in the beginning, had fought her attraction wondering if it was indeed the reason she had been so captivated by him.
It wasn't … and Kolyat wasn't Thane.
And now she was in love with Kolyat.
Him … not the shadow of his father.
"Our connection after Thane died just gave us an opportunity to spend time with one another. It's not something we just jumped into, and no-" Shepard barked at the end, turning her gaze back toward Anderson, unfiltered anger spilling out from his doubt in her. "I don't see Thane when I look at him, or when I'm fucking him."
Anderson's lips thinned from her comment, his own sigh of disappointment slipped out of his mouth, apparent in the way he looked at her. Taking a pause, he glanced out toward the crowd, Shepard followed his gaze finding Kolyat. "I have to give it to the kid, at least he can handle himself."
"I agree. I trust him."
"And his actions?" Anderson raised an eyebrow at her in inquiry.
"Of course," she returned carefully, sensing that Anderson was trying to bait her for something.
"I hope he understands how dangerous things can get for him."
"He works for C-Sec. He knows the dangers … but you're not referring to that, are you?"
Anderson was quiet for a long time, and Shepard found Kolyat staring at her in the crowd. A sensual grin quirked his lips as their eyes met before his gaze was pulled away by the Alliance officer he was still speaking to.
"Lamalin Ara'tay," Anderson finally said.
"Am I supposed to know that name?"
"Right after the Unveiling, Ara'tay was sent after Kolyat in an assassination attempt. The batarian terrorist group that tried to kill you sent someone after him."
Shepard stopped breathing for a moment. Her one fear of someone coming after Kolyat froze her heartbeat. "I guess it didn't work out in their favor."
"Kolyat was seen with Ara'tay at a club. I have intel that they went to a hotel. Both of them went in, but no footage of them leaving was ever found. She disappears, and Kolyat shows up at work the next day, unharmed."
Shepard shrugged feigning indifference. "He really is a good lay, maybe he fucked Ara'tay's brains out, and she decided against it. We weren't dating at the time. I can't control who he fucked before me."
"Shepard," Anderson scolded, and her insides tightened in guilt, feeling as if she was ten years old, being reprimanded by her father. "That is not the point. Krios was trained for this, Kolyat needs to be prepared for every possible scenario. I don't want you to lose anyone else."
Shepard fell into silence because she had no words to say, the thoughts she tried so hard to force away came back to her in perfect clarity.
Everyone you love, will either leave you, or die.
Shepard pushed herself into the darkness of the balcony, wandering toward the outer edge away from any prying eyes. Anderson's words left a heavy weight in the pit of her stomach, only because she still had a nagging fear of something happening to Kolyat. She knew being with her would be a constant danger to him, but he wasn't a child. He had made the decision willingly, very vocal in wanting to be with her.
And she had fallen in love with him in return. She wanted to tell him, God knows she wanted to tell him, but fear still held her tongue.
She was upset that he hadn't confided in her with what happened that night, and she was upset with herself for being so needy and letting it bother her the way it did. If she didn't care about him, it wouldn't have mattered.
That was the reality though, she did care, and she didn't want secrets anymore.
"Are you trying to hide from me?" Kolyat's voice came from behind her, moving closer as he spoke. "You should know that won't work … not with my scent all over you." He whispered the last part in her ear, hands grabbing her waist firmly while he pushed the line of his body against hers, lips touching the juncture of her neck and shoulder. "Or did you perhaps want to play?" he continued seductively, and a gasp escaped her throat when his hand slipped beneath the hem of her dress.
Shepard arched her back instinctively, hips moving to meet his in surprise, while she glanced around to make sure they were alone. Kolyat's bold actions excited her and made her nervous at the danger of being caught, even while her head spun with the information Anderson had just given her.
"Relax, no one is nearby. We can play," he continued, fingers gliding over her underwear, rubbing her center, teeth nipping at her neck. "I want to be inside you, but for now this will have to do."
Holy shit…
Kolyat and his dirty mouth.
"We need to talk." Shaking, just shy of moaning, Shepard grabbed his arm in a vain attempt to stop him, his dark chuckle melting her insides.
Flexing his wrist Kolyat plunged his fingers beneath her lace underwear, pushing them to the side and tested her opening with his fused digits. Shepard shivered from his touch, knowing that she was already growing wet in need for him.
Traitorous fucking body….
"Kolyat, I really need to talk to you," she attempted again, trying to sound as stern as possible, despite the fact that Kolyat had his fingers dipped inside her and swirling his thumb around just the right parts, her knees starting to shake in anticipation.
He chuckled again, his tongue licking a trail up her throat before he nipped the back of her ear. "Is this before, or after, I make you cum on my fingers?"
"Lamalin Ara'tay," Shepard whispered, fighting against Kolyat and the wicked things his hands were doing to her.
She felt him freeze against her, the breath on her neck ceasing, until his hands slowly slipped away, giving them space and her an opportunity to pull from his faltered grasp. Turning, she stared up at his face, irises disappearing beneath the darkness of the outer, ocular scales, his features motionless and unreadable.
"Do you know that name?" she pressed.
Kolyat averted his gaze and took a step back, jaw flexing in the way she knew it did when he was upset, as if a sour taste filled his mouth, and he was trying to decide if he liked it or not. He paused and took a deep breath, hands slipping into his pockets. "Did Feron say something to you?"
"Feron?" she asked, narrowing her eyes in disbelief. Feron had been involved in Ara'tay's disappearance, too?
Wait a minute … no video footage of them leaving …
Son of a bitch, this happened the night Feron disappeared for a while.
Kolyat blinked rapidly and clicked his tongue, most likely realizing that she had started to piece events together. Sighing, he nodded and glanced around. "I was going to tell you."
"Were you?" Shepard challenged back, crossing her arms over her chest haughtily. It wasn't the fact that he'd kept it from her that pissed her off so much in this moment. She was just more upset about being blindsided by Anderson and finding out through him.
"I was," he answered with conviction, stressing his words sternly, meeting her stare in resolution. "I just didn't know how to bring it up."
"Well, you can start now," she retaliated.
Kolyat frowned and shook his head, his gaze falling in sadness. "Sarah ... this is not a conversation to have in a place like this."
"I agree. We're leaving," she replied abruptly, pushing past him in order to make her way off the balcony.
Kolyat turned and grabbed her wrist in haste, trilling apologetically. "Kira, I can understand why you are upset with me – because I kept something from you, but it wasn't on purpose. I swear … and whatever you think you know, you don't know the whole story."
"Are you sure about that?" Shepard bluffed, her shoulders squaring in confidence.
Kolyat hesitated, inner eyelids blinking rapidly. Emotions swirled over his face as he searched her empty expression, but then he nodded, gaze hardening as he released her hand. "I am."
Silence passed between them for several heartbeats. Finally, she turned and continued to leave, sensing him take stride behind her She stopped one final time and turned to look at him. If this was going to work between them, she wanted nothing hidden.
All in, or nothing.
"I trust you," she said, and instant relief washed over his features, letting out a loud breath as his shoulders loosened. "But I need you to trust me, too."
"I do – I trust you," he answered without hesitation.
"Your memory," she stated. Her words caused him to freeze. She knew she had most likely caught him off guard with her demand. "I want your memory … even if it takes all night. I want to hear it."
Kolyat's jaw tightened as he grit his teeth, eyes falling to the ground, voice barely above a whisper. "You just said you trusted me."
"I do, and I want you to trust that I won't think the worst of you. No matter what you might have thought of felt in that moment. I know things have changed since then, and I don't want you to hide from me anymore … just like I won't hide from you anymore."
Kolyat narrowed his eyes as if thinking, silence stretching a few heartbeats before he purred mournfully, sadness filling his eyes. Dipping his head he trilled in submission and nodded in acceptance. "If we are going to do this, then no more secrets, for either of us. I want you to open up to me, completely ... I promise I will do the same."
"No more secrets. Promise." She nodded in return.