The Stubborn Lord (19 page)

“We are family.”

“Are you going to be all right with flying?” she asked in concern.

“Ignore Mirek. He is having a laugh at my expense.”

Metal again clanked, cutting off their conversation. When she could again speak, she said, “So, need me to examine that backside of yours to make sure there’s no suction marks?”

Alek smirked, trying to bury his laugh. It didn’t work. The sound drew the attention of nearby workers who looked surprised to see the man’s amused expression. A few stared longer than they should have. “I’d gladly let you make your own suction marks if you like.”

Kendall laughed, not bothering to try to hide her amusement like her husband had. “Looking forward to it.”

* * *

Alek put on a brave face for his wife, but as the spaceship broke through the atmosphere into deep space, he had to grip the arms of his metal seat to keep from flying out of his chair and taking over the pilot controls to make the ship go back down. His stomach knotted. He was glad he’d decided on a light breakfast. Why did people actually like doing this? Space travel felt too unnatural.

Next to him, Kendall seemed completely at ease. She craned her neck as the metal shield slid down to expose the viewing portal. His home world slowly pulled away from them. Mountains, red with streaks of grey, melded seamlessly with the forest near where his castle home lay nestled in a valley. The path from his home to the palace reminded him of the curve of his wife’s hip when she rested on her side. He could almost identify the exact location where he’d kissed her before Aeron’s interruption.

The ship changed course, taking the planet out of view. As one of the suns moved past the portal, the transparent material of the screen dimmed to keep the bright light at a safe level for humanoid eyes. Kendall watched until nothing remained in the portal but darkness with dots of starry light.

“I’ve seen a lot of planets from space,” Kendall said, “but your home world is one of the prettier ones. There is no smoke choking your skies and the land is unmarred by metal and glass structures. Some places are so choked up with smog you can’t see the ground. Others have buildings over every inch of land.”

Alek nodded, forcing himself to relax as the ship stopped bouncing and the ride became smoother.

Kendall slid her hand over his and squeezed. “It was a good takeoff.”

Again, he nodded.

“But you’re still tense.”

He should have known she’d feel his unease. Alek didn’t try to deny it.

“You want to show me where our quarters are and I’ll help take care of that tension?” She gave him a mischievous smile.

Even with her playful demeanor, he felt the sadness she was trying to hide from him. How did he think he would ever be able to let her go? He’d convinced himself that he’d do the honorable thing, but how could the gods expect him to give up his wife? As the ship flew away from his world, he knew he could never return unless it was as he left—with his bride.

“You seem certain about something.” Kendall’s smile fell as she studied him. He felt her probing around inside him, trying to make sense of his emotions.

“Only that I wish to get you into my bed. I have never kissed my wife in space.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it.

As he held her knuckles against his lips, Kendall extended the backs of her fingers against his cheek. “There are several things you’ve never done to your wife in space.” She pushed up from her chair.

The metal walls had a puckered texture that kept them from shining too brightly. The long, arched opening exposed the passageway beyond the wall. Alek began to stand, only to stop as Kendall slid her hand over the wall scanner to close the door.

“These ships have universal lock codes. The pilot can override them…” She pushed at the controls. “…but this will give us privacy unless there is an emergency.” The overhead lights dimmed. When she looked at him, a smile curled her lips.

“We don’t need locks. None would dare disturb us without permission. It is a perk of our titles.”

When he looked at his wife, he felt as if he had run up the side of his planet’s steepest mountain. His heart beat faster, his breath quickened, his muscles tensed, all as a euphoric rush invaded his body. He wanted to tell her how he felt, but the words failed him. How did he put into words something so profound, especially when he was not a man used to speaking about his emotions?

Kendall slid onto his lap. Her legs were to the side and her hip nestled next to his waist as she leaned back to run her fingers along his neck. He brought his hand up to support her by the small of her back. With her thumb, she tilted his jaw up. She closed her eyes briefly before whispering, “Mm, I desire you too.”

Alek smiled. He did want her, desperately, and she felt it. However, she missed the true depth of his need for her with that statement. Their connection was still new and her oversight was understandable. It wasn’t just physical lust, though that was powerful. What he felt was a profoundly emotional necessity. If he’d had his brothers’ art for speaking, he would have told her how he felt in perfect detail, but words escaped him. He did the only thing he could—he kissed her.

* * *

Kendall swallowed down her anger and fear to instead focus on her husband’s desire. She did not want her last days with Alek to be filled with negativity. The memories she had of him, of his planet, would stay in her mind for a long time. Perhaps he was right. Perhaps there would be a time when she could come back to him. But was it naïve of them to think their feelings would remain unchanged? Her timeline would age her in a way his would not. His lifespan surpassed hers. By the time she came back, she could be an old woman and he would look very close to as he did in this moment. Would it matter if her life as an old woman was extended? Would he want her then?

Out of all the things her father’s gambling had done to her, losing Alek was the worst—not the repossession or the constantly broken-down equipment, not even the nights she’d gone without food so Margot had enough rations to eat. The small glimpse of possibilities she saw in Alek’s mountain home was more than she’d ever dared to hope for.

Alek moved his lips against hers. His desire grew, pressing against her hip. Confusion warred inside her. She knew what she wanted to do and she knew what she had to do. How could she actually decide such a thing? If she followed her heart and something happened to her father, or to Margot if her father refused to let her take the girl, Kendall would never forgive herself. If she left Alek, her heart would break and she’d never fully recover from it.

Alek tried to pull back. She followed him with her lips, kissing him harder. She blocked her feelings from him, focusing on the desire that always simmered beneath the surface. A desperation filled her, pouring out of her, as her movements became frantic.

Mindlessly, she pulled at his clothing to undress him. She wanted to feel his skin against hers. She needed him like she needed air and food. He was a part of her now. How it had happened she didn’t know, but there was no time to question it. They only had a few days.

The tension of takeoff slowly eased from his body as he returned her passion. The familiar comfort of being surrounded by space, of being contained in metal, made her feel safe. There was no wilderness beyond the walls, no hidden monsters in the deep black surrounding them. Any ships would be picked up by sensors. Any intruders would set off security alarms.

She focused completely on her husband—the smell of his skin, the taste of his lips, the feel of his body as he moved beneath her. He tugged at her waist, pulling the skirt of her dress. Their clothes were disheveled as the material clung haphazardly to their bodies. His pants were pulled down just enough to free his arousal. She maneuvered over him, taking him inside her.

They made love slowly, their lips only parting for tiny breaths. A few days on a spaceship was not enough time. How could she be expected to leave him?

Gasping, she drew her head back as her climax washed over her. His body answered hers almost instantly as he stiffened. Alek tightened his arms around her as he pulled her close to him. He pressed his face into her chest.

There was so much she wanted to say, but the words didn’t come. Instead, she kissed the top of his head. The heat of his breath hit against her cleavage, uncomfortably warm on her already hot flesh. She didn’t care as she stayed in his embrace. Leaning her cheek against his head, she looked out at the darkness of space. The moment would be over before she was ready to leave it.

Chapter Thirteen

Kendall stared out over the high skies, seeing streaks of color in the distance—magenta and blues smeared over the speckled black. She had lived in space long enough to know the ship was making very good time. She would have wished for engine trouble if not for the fact she wanted to get to Margot.

Except when Alek felt obliged to contact Mirek or speak to the pilot, she stayed with her husband. The Draig crewmen were quiet for the most part, leaving the noble couple alone. The only time she heard them engage in loud conversation was when she wandered close to their common room. They’d been playing some kind of throwing game. When they saw her watching them, they’d quieted and she had taken it as a hint to leave them alone.

While Alek spoke to the pilot, Kendall used the opportunity to send an inquiry to the Exploratory Science Commission about her certification status. She assumed she’d have to restart her classes since there was no telling how much she missed. Hopefully they wouldn’t charge her too many late penalties. It had taken a lot of scrimping and saving over the last six years to afford the classes to begin with.

As she waited patiently for the Draig crewman to send her message, she continued to watch the sky. The cockpit was mostly automated. Only one crewman was required to oversee the monitors as they traveled through empty space.

“The transmission is confirmed as received, my lady,” the crewman said. “It says to expect a response within three days but it could take up to thirty-one days.”

“We’ll be at the fueling dock before then,” Kendall said, more to herself.

“Yes, my lady.” The man confirmed. “I will ensure you receive the response whenever it arrives.”

“Thank you.” Kendall made a move to leave and stopped. “I wonder, is there any way to access a universal star chart?”

“I will have to search the database, my lady. We were not told to supply such programs on this trip. Anything that was not necessary for our journey has yet to be uploaded. I assure you the ship has passed all safety checks, but we were not expecting to fly and some of the extra conveniences have yet to be installed.”

“Does the ESC transmission have a time code embedded in it?” She should be able to understand such a time recording.

The crewman looked. “No, sorry, my lady. It appears to be an automated response from their system.”

“Thank you anyway.” She reached the door but the man’s voice stopped her from leaving.

“We just received an amendment to the message. It says account records that have been inactive for over a star year like the one we’re requesting may take longer.”

Kendall stiffened. A year? She’d known it was possible she’d been in stasis a long time, but over a year? She vaguely felt herself nodding in the crewman’s direction before leaving the cockpit. Numbly, she walked the metal corridors. Her sides began to ache as she thought of the tubes going into Riona’s body in the stasis pod.

“Kendall? What is it?” Alek ran toward her, panicked.

“My certification status has been inactive for at least a year,” she answered.

“The Fuelologist and Station Engineer certificate? You were able to find out? Can’t you reactivate your status?”

“I’m not worried about reactivation. I’m worried that this means I was in stasis for at least a year—wait, no, longer. It would have taken time for them to declare my status inactive. It could have been two years. I’ve most likely been gone for at least two years. Margot would be fifteen now.” Kendall found it hard to breathe. “I have been so focused on getting home to her, I couldn’t think of anything else. I should have insisted on finding a conversion chart.”

“Kendall, come.” Alek tried to lead her from the metal passageway.

“That’s not entirely true.” She refused to move. “I was too scared to think about what happened to me while I was forced to sleep. I convinced myself it could have only been a few months. No one keeps people in stasis too long. It risks stasis sickness. Why would they risk their cargo like that? I had to be worth something. They took me as payment. I mean…” Kendall panted for air, unable to catch her breath. Her body shook and she couldn’t stop the tremors. She gripped her side where the feeding tube would have gone in. “Is that why I kept waking up? To prevent stasis sickness?”

“I don’t have the answer for you.” Alek touched her arm and she jerked.

“How much did I miss? Margot’s birthdays.” She rubbed her arms, suddenly cold. “Alek, you don’t have young girls on your planet so you can’t know what they’re like. Thirteen to fifteen are hard years. There are body changes and hormone changes and urges and if there is no one to guide then… Margot isn’t prepared to deal with the kind of men who come to the fueling dock, not the kind of men who would notice a pretty young girl. I protected her from those customers. She was never allowed around them. And her schooling and eating and who made sure she dresses properly and what if my father lost the foods stores again, who would ration the portions to make sure they didn’t run out? And…and…”

“Kendall, easy,” Alek took her arms more forcibly and held tight.

At his touch, her knees weakened and she began to fall. Her heart beat fast and hard. Her lungs felt as if they’d stopped working and she gasped to fill them. Terrible thoughts swam in her brain. So much could happen to an unprotected teenage girl. Margot wasn’t prepared. She was rash and had a temper. What if she thought Kendall had abandoned her? Their father wouldn’t admit the truth. The child would be alone.