“I can’t hear her thoughts either.”
His jaw dropped. “Part Trisani?”
“Andarion.” Jayne wagged her eyebrows at him.
Hadrian laughed. “She’s messing with you. She has some Tris blood.”
Nero winced. “She’s aClusan?”
Hadrian nodded. Clusas were a very special breed of Trisani. A rare race that should have died out with all the rest of them.
That only seemed to agitate his brother. “You ready to leave?”
“I’m not five.”
“No, but you are hunted. I have a place that’s safe and clean.”
Clean was a nice change of pace. Still, Hadrian shook his head. “I’m not going. I’m done hiding.”
“Don’t make me stun you and haul you out of here. You know I’m not leaving you while you’re being hunted, and you’re too minsid heavy to carry. I swear if you make me do that, I’m banging your head into everything I pass.”
Hadrian gestured at Nero as he spoke to Jayne. “You still think your sister’s the bigger asshole?”
“Reevaluating.”
Jayne watched Hadrian. He was so different around Nero. Instead of that air of calm aloofness, he was more like a rabid lorina. “Guess you do lose your composure.”
Hadrian jerked his chin toward Nero. “Only aroundhim.”
“I get it. Only family can make someone who could remain so calm while being shot at lose their shit over nothing.”
Hadrian gave her a droll stare. “That why you lost it in the transport?”
Jayne rubbed at her brow. “If you ever meet my sister, you’ll completely understand.”
“Hang around my brother, and you’ll understand my change in tone, too.”
Her gaze went to Nero’s holster and the emblem it held. “You’re guild. Pedarian.”
He skimmed her gear and arched his brow. “You’re not.”
Mordacity answered for her. “She’s an Incee. Not an Inca.” Incas were contract hitters who worked illegally. Incees were the independents who had no allegiance to any virgyl guild or nation. While they didn’t have any backup, they also didn’t have any of the hassles that went along with virgyl memberships. Each one came with its own set of rules and problems.
Problems and obligations Eve profaned and refused to be a part of.
Pedarians were one of the largest and more civilized assassin virgyls. They were highly regulated which meant Hadrian’s brother wasn’t an animal and had rules he had to follow, or they’d punish him.
Jayne relaxed a little at the good news. All the Pedarians she’d ever met had been decent for the most part. While Nero’s clansmen might bend the rules a bit to bring in their targets, they were better than most of their ilk.
“So what are we doing, kids?” Hauk leaned against the wall.
“I vote all of you get out of my home.”
Jayne shook her head at Mordacity. “I get it.”
“Now get out.”
Nero tsked at her. “Really?”
