ckled in the hearth-a hyper-realistic holographic projection, but it still gave off a c

l resort planet, a margarita in hand. When Anja broke the news about her S-Class stat

"Thank the stars!" Vivian had crowed. "I knew that worthless

tioned the five m

ted to giddy, gossipy curiosity. "Five o

e careful with that one. The Vaughns are old military blood. They breed their sons to be loyal, but t

ill of anticipation through Anja. A dangerous beast, all

ave of exhaustion washed over her. The psionic test, the flood of information, the emotional whipl

compartment in its chassis opened, and a robo

Mistress," the AI announced. "

faintly and artificially of strawberries. It looked like toothpaste. With

ponents. She grimaced, screwing the cap back on and tossing the tube onto the low table in front of her. G

at a soft, two-tone chime echoed through the

inking blue. "A visitor has arrived at the main

e forgotten. S-level clearance?

he commanded, her heart star

e security feed. It showed the massive, wrought-iron gat

just outsid

essed in a deep charcoal-gray dress uniform with silver piping, the formal military attire doing little t

m. Bradfo

e corner of the room. It was almost midnight. He had come straight from

c, unreadable. But she could see his hands, clenched into

y family, was standing outside her gate in the middle of th

st. It was a potent combination of amusement,

e-red silk robe and matching sleep shorts. She quickly tightened the sash around h

er heart thudding a stead

r and firm. "Open the main gate. An

ce, Mi

s began to swing inward with a low

the gates open, his jaw tight. Then, he took a deep breath, squared