Authors: April Zyon
“You forgot one job description.” She pulled back to look at
him and grinned. “Mate to Laura. Or rescuer of women in small vessels tumbling
through space,” she teased.
One hand moved up to cup her
cheek as he lifted her into his lap to cuddle her close. “I would have
preferred you
not
being beaten
before
your arrival here.
Unfortunately,
we cannot always have what we want in life and must accept bumps along the way.
You’re here now, and maybe one day soon we will be able to thank the one
responsible before I find a quiet corner of space to dispose of
his
or her body.”
That was a surprise. Before
that
moment,
he hadn’t given her a glimpse
of
the knowledge that he truly was a warrior. She leaned into him and brushed her
nose
against
his. “I would have preferred that, too, but such is life. I’m here now.”
He teased her mouth before
nipping at her full lower lip. When she wiggled
closer,
he tightened his hold, not
enough to cause discomfort but more than enough to let her know who was in
control. He kissed each corner of her mouth.
Laura readily opened for him.
She had only known him for a handful of hours, but she already knew she could
never deny him. She nipped his lip with her teeth, teasing him and wanting
more.
Gently squeezing the back of
her
neck,
Chevon broke the kiss. He
pressed another light kiss to her
lips,
then tucked her head
to
his shoulder when he changed position to lean back on the sofa. His free hand
moved to stroke up and down her thigh.
She shuddered at his touch, turning her head so that her
lips brushed against his neck.
“Laura, until you’re
healed,
we should take care.”
“
Oh,
fine,” she teased with a pout. She
loved when he cuddled with her. It was only the second time but he was
infectious. “I love having your hands on me and having you hugging me. Would it
be taboo if, when I’m able to walk around your ship freely, I were to hug you
randomly?”
“It’s not a common thing, but I
wouldn’t mind. I would welcome it,” he said, squeezing her thigh gently.
“You are mine, and I am yours. Whatever we do on the
ship together is our business.
On Imara is another thing. Certain
societal standards would need to be followed that are not as open.”
She sighed. “I have some things
to learn about your social structure. I feel like a child in a strange
world,
” she confessed. “How old are
you, by the way? I’m twenty-eight.”
“Forty-four,” he said, making a face. “And there are vids
you can watch while you are recovering to learn our laws, our customs, and to
also keep yourself from utter boredom. The system has everything from what a
young child would watch, to ones that recently came out to assist with
integrating adults of different cultures into ours. This was mainly because of
Samantha and the fact she is Petr’s soul-bond mate.”
“You aren’t that old at all.”
She looked up at him and tilted her head slightly. “Why do you have that look
on your face? In our
culture,
you are barely getting started by then.
If not for the death of our parents,
Laurence wouldn’t have taken over their stations as advisers for the council.”
She paused. “Wait.” She chewed her lower lip and began to think. “There was a
document that I was translating. It was something I never should have seen. A
military communique. It was one that I didn’t think made much sense at the
time.” She paused long enough to anchor herself against him by stroking her
fingers over his neck. “It was a document that should have been shredded, if
the wording was correct on it. They were talking about altering ship
insignia
. I don’t know what that would
gain
them,
though. It was a document
between my twin, Laurence, and several of the higher members of the council.”
Pain surged at the back of her head again and she pressed her forehead against
his shoulder, accepting the touches from him as he stroked the back of her neck
for comfort.
Chevon whispered nonsense words
to her, calming her. When she
shuddered
and collapsed into his heat
again,
he pressed a kiss to her temple. “Changing the insignia and code related to a
craft could potentially show a foe as a friend. If a Craegin destroyer had the
markings
and gave off the radar
signature of an Imarian cruiser, that vessel could come through our sensor
field, unquestioned, and go straight for the home world. It could get right
next to an actual Imarian cruiser and destroy it because unless you look out
a port
to see the many differences
between the vessels, you would assume it was a friend. Imagine doing that with
a fleet.
Of course,
the same applies
the other way around. It would be a great way to restart the war, taking it to
bloody and destructive levels. And the other side would be blamed in the media,
getting
the people behind the war efforts. There would be no stopping it until both
sides were decimated.”
She felt sick at just the
thought of what could happen. “Tensions between our people are already at a
point where I’m not certain we could come back from. I can’t imagine if they
were to do that somehow.” She couldn’t believe that she had just thought about
that. “I caught them, the man that I was to be married to and my twin. They
were on Mikel’s desk doing things that, well, things that I could only possibly
hope for with you.” Now she was thankful that Mikel had demanded they didn’t
have sex before the
wedding.
She was thankful that was all for the man who
actually
mattered to her, Chevon. “So I
dropped the paperwork that I was taking in there and ended my relationships
with both men and walked away without looking back.”
“How is it that you then ended
up on the cruise?” he asked.
“It was supposed to be the
vacation that Mikel and I took together after our ceremony. I upgraded my suite
because he wasn’t going to be there. I also kept the gifts we had been given
and donated them to the shelters on the outer colonies for women whose mates
have abandoned or abused them. I
gave
the money to the same foundation but the cruise I kept because, let’s face it,
I deserved it.”
“You did at that, although it
was rudely cut short.
Hopefully,
we can find some way to make up for that when you are feeling better.”
“It was made up for the moment that you touched me. The
second I woke and was able to feel your hand on mine and you talking to me. Did
you know?” she asked. “Before I woke, did you know I was yours?”
“I thought it was possible, but I was not entirely sure,” he
told her. “There was something there from the start. Nothing I could put my
finger on. Then you woke up, and that previously indecisive sensation
solidified into knowing you were mine. You were hurt, so I felt it best to wait
until you were slightly more coherent before bringing it up, and then you mentioned
it first.”
“I’ve never been
very good
at
holding back any and all thoughts that
have popped into my mind. This is why I was a translator and didn’t train under
my parents to take over as an adviser as well. My mother told me that I was
always far too much like her mother, an outspoken woman who blurted out the
most random things at the oddest times. I just hope to rein that in so that I
don’t embarrass you.”
“It doesn’t bother me, Laura.
You’ll need to be more careful
about
your word choice when we are on the home world, at least in the city. When we
are staying out in the country at our
home,
you
can be yourself once more.
Unfortunately,
within the
capital
every word you say is judged and will be held against us both.”
“It sounds very much like my home
world.
Thus,
why I didn’t mingle in society at all. And I think my parents had despaired of
me ever finding love. I wish they were here now so they would know I had found
that, with you.”
“Wherever they are, the Great Spirits will ensure they know
you are looked after, cared for, and loved. It is a fact of life within the
Imarian society that one always takes care of what you do in this life so that
when you move on to the next your mother does not have any reason to box your
ears.”
“This is very true.” They really were more alike than she
’d
realized. “I’m happy to have
you, just so you know. I also think that I might know why I was attacked and
jettisoned. As much as I don’t want to think about it, or acknowledge it, I
have a feeling that it had to do with that communique I translated.”
“If it held content as you mentioned, then it is the most
likely reason. They were probably hopeful that you would either die during the
journey, be shot out of the sky for the intrusion, or killed by your enemies.
Someone will be quite disappointed if they discover that you made it, found
your soul-bond mate, and are very much alive and well.”
“
Well,
I know for a fact that we weren’t
supposed to be that close to the asteroid field.
Yes,
we were
expected
to be along the edges of the
neutral zone but not that close. Maybe we should make sure they know I’m still
alive.”
“We will once you are fully
healed
and cleared by the doctor.
Until then we keep the fact you survived to ourselves. When you’re
better,
I’ll have Petr get a message
to a contact he has who will make sure it filters through to the Craegin
channels appropriately.”
“Thank you. Too bad there isn’t
a way to watch just how much they panic.” She was positive now that her brother
had been part of it. She hated to think it, but it was probably the truth. “My
brother always hated
me,
”
she admitted.
“I seriously doubt anyone could
hate you, Laura. And if they did it was because you showed them how flawed they
are in comparison.”
She smiled wryly. “Well, since I
’
m alive I can see to it that my
half of our family’s fortunes be divided into the charities that my mother
championed when she was alive. Since the monies will do me no good here, do you
think that would be possible? I don’t want him to be able to touch a single portion
of that money, ever. Is that bad of me?”
“Not in the least,” he told
her. “I’ll find out what’s involved given you are here, instead of there, and
we’ll make sure it happens.
For
now,
though, I think we should tuck you back into bed. I also
need to get some sleep since I only have a few hours before my next shift
begins.”
“Will you stay?” she asked. “I
know these are your rooms, so will you stay?
We all know that
I’m
nowhere
near ready for anything
physical but I would really like to have you sleeping with me from here out, if
you don’t mind?”
“
Of course,
” he said. Pressing a kiss to
her
cheek,
he began to unwind the throw
blanket from around her legs. Once she was
free,
he helped her to stand. “
Let’s
get to bed.”
She slipped her hand into his. May the stars help him but
she couldn’t seem to stop touching him. Poor man. “Will you wake me when you
leave? I don’t want to wake up and be alone.”
He nodded. “We can have
breakfast together before I leave. And the communication device is still on the
bedside table. All you have to do is turn it on, and I’ll come running.”
Squeezing her
fingers,
he walked her into the
bedroom
and led her to the bed. “I need to take a sonic shower before we sleep. Try and
get comfortable while I clean up.”
“
Well,
you shouldn’t need to come running,”
she teased with a laugh. “Go and do what you need to. I’m going to crawl back
into your sinfully comfy bed and steal your pillows so that you have to share
one with me and hug me
tightly
.”
“Devious plot,” he said. “Or I
could pull the extra pillows from the closet. A single day of rest is not
enough for you to fully
recover,
little one. You have a lot of bumps and bruises.” Touching her
cheek,
he leaned in to kiss her
lightly
before walking into the
bathroom and shutting the door behind him.
She shook her head, then stole
his pillow anyway.