That was impressive and painful.
“Then Dancer kills them,” Fain said sardonically as he entered the house first.
“Good evening, Fain. I see you, Syn, and our new unnamed entry have decided to join Hauk. Are we having a party? Should I cue music and order food?”
Sumi turned to see an exquisitely beautiful Andarion female hologram in the foyer. Dressed in the deep burgundy color that marked the War Hauk clan and in a gown that showed off an unbelievably curvaceous body, she had her long black hair pulled back into a silken ponytail that fell to her waist. Her gown was so sheer, Sumi wasn’t sure why Dancer bothered to clothe the hologram at all. A stab of vicious jealousy and a feeling of gross inadequacy went through her as she realized this must be Dancer’s ideal of what a female should look like.
And it wasn’t her – in any shape, form, and definitely not in fashion sense. Something that was corroborated by the uncomfortable looks both Syn and Fain passed to her and Dancer. Not to mention the oh-shit expression on Dancer’s face as he no doubt rethought the hologram’s wardrobe. “No party, Eleron. They’re… uh, just here to watch over me.”
Her face lit up immediately with joy as she saw him behind Fain. “Welcome home, Hauk. I’ve missed you terribly. Where have you been? You should have called and told me when to expect you back. Or at least left me a message.”
Dancer looked even more nervous and uncomfortable as he cast a sheepish frown to Sumi. “Sorry, El. I was with Darice.” He cleared his throat as he pulled Sumi closer. “Eleron, meet the new entry, Sumi, who will be staying with us and is to be considered another owner. Sumi, say hi to the house.”
She gaped at him. “Are you serious?”
“No, mu tara. My name is Eleron, not Serious. As another owner, you may also call me El.” She turned to face Hauk with an innocent stare. “Should I add her voice recognition to our protocols?”
“Yes. Give her full access.”
“Done.” She smiled at Dancer. “It’s been rather busy and annoying this evening. You will find Shahara, Jayne, Desideria, Illyria, and Devyn in the pool area with an irritating mecha I don’t like. May I feed it to the garbage disposal system?”
“Really rather you didn’t. Devyn would also be very upset and would spend the rest of the night crying.”
Eleron made a horrified face. “Oh, we can’t have that. It’s the only thing more agitating than the mecha. Very well. No leaking, loud children… Nero, Caillen, Drake, and Chayden are in the gaming room, draining resources. They made the entire north quad lag. I repaired it by shutting down non-vitals elsewhere, but really wish they’d do something else. Darling and Maris are in the command room, talking to Zarya and Ture. Is there anything else I can do for you, love?”
“Prepare my bedroom.”
“Should I warm your bed?”
Sumi arched a brow over that particular question.
Dancer blushed while Syn and Fain burst into laughter. “Yes, please, El.”
She inclined her head respectfully. “Would you like a guest room prepared for Sumi?”
“No. She’ll be staying with me in mine.”
The computer gaped. “Really?” Her tone was filled with incredulity.
Dancer rubbed his hand over his face. “Thanks for the shock, El. You’re making me so glad I came home.”
“My pleasure to serve you in any way possible, love. But since you have a physical woman tonight, I assume you will be fine with my returning to noncorporeal form?”
Hauk cringed at the question. “Yes, that’ll be fine.”
Eleron made a kissy face at him before she vanished.
Laughing, Fain clapped him on the back. “Heading to the game room to drain more resources and make El scream. You know a lot about that, don’t you, brother?”
“Shut up,” he said between clenched teeth.
Syn flashed an equally wicked grin. “Pool for me.”
Hauk glared at him. “I would say make yourselves at home, but you already have. I really need to yank access codes one day.” He took Sumi’s hand and led her through the living room that had a glass wall with a breathtaking view of the city.
She released his hand so that she could move closer to it and stare out at the brilliant lights that made it appear as if the stars had fallen to the ground. “This is amazing.”
“Yeah. I used to love staying here when I was a kid. I would cry myself sick whenever my parents made me leave.”
“I can see why.” She paused as she saw the oil portrait over the fireplace. Gaping, she stared at it in awe. “Who is that?” she asked breathlessly.
“The first Dancer, and founder of the Warring Blood Clan of Hauk. My grandmother left it with the house when she moved out. Since I was named for him, she thought it only right that it should pass to me.”
Sumi studied the image of the warrior whose handsome face was mostly shielded by the cowl of a dark burgundy cloak. He wore bracers similar to the ones Dancer had and held a winged sword with glowing red eyes that matched the one eye of his the artist had painted in. He stared out with a grim countenance and the bearing of a proud sentinel ready to defend his family, home, and planet.
“He was stralen?” As soon as she asked the question, she remembered that had been part of the legend.
“He was. It’s said that he only lived ninety-two minutes after his wife was buried. That he so couldn’t bear the thought of living without her, his heart exploded the minute he returned home to an empty house.”
She passed a frown to Dancer. “Andarions have the most beautiful and horrific legends.”
He shrugged nonchalantly. “That is the mark of our breed.” He inclined his head to the portrait. “And that sword in his hands is what my yaya is giving to you to fight Dariana with.”
“Really? It’s still battle-worthy?”
“Oh yeah,” he said with a sarcastic laugh. “Andarion hyriallium. There’s no metal like it on any world. It never breaks, rusts, or dulls. His sword used to rest in the brackets beneath the portrait, and when we were little, we would dare each other to try to touch it without getting caught or cut.”
She smiled at the image of him and Fain trying to climb up to it. “Why did she take the sword and leave the portrait?”
“She didn’t want the sword to pass to my mother’s or Dariana’s guardianship. That is the sword of the War Hauk ancestors and of our mighty clan. It has never known defeat or disgrace. Only the greatest warrior of his or her generation is allowed to own it, and it must be passed by the clan matriarch when she deems it’s been earned. For her to offer it to you is the greatest honor my yaya can bestow, especially since she will be doing so prior to our unification. Once it passes to you, you will become the custodian of the Hauk Warsword and you will be the one to decide which of our children or grandchildren is the most worthy to wield it.”
Sumi was stunned by what he told her. “Why would she offer it to me?”
He trailed his finger down her cheek, sending chills over her. “She sees you as the only one who is worthy of it.”
A little unexpected thrill went through her. “That has to piss off your mother.”
He let out an evil laugh. “You have no idea. I’m sure Dariana is doing her own screaming about it, too. As my mother most likely told her as soon as she was free to do so.”
She glanced at him then back to the portrait. “Why is so little of his face showing?”
“He was badly scarred during the battle against the Oksanans, and he lost his left eye. So when they painted his official portrait, he didn’t want to shame our family with his deformity. He had them only preserve the part of his face that was unscathed by war.”
So they’d always been strange about their appearances. How odd when other races viewed scars as manly and desirable. A testament of prowess and courage. “Why are Andarions so obsessed with beauty?”