Synnr's Hope

by Kate Rudolph

  They ended up in the front of the palace, where dozens of vehicles were parked and more official people milled around. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted what looked like press, cameras and reporters and all of that. She ignored them. Someone else could deal with that. She just wanted to go home and lay down with Solan for a week. No bombs, no challenges, nothing but the two of them naked in a soft bed.

  Heaven.

  Oh, what the hell. She tugged his head towards her and laid a claiming kiss on him. She didn’t care about the audience. And after a second of surprise, neither did he, kissing her back with vigor.

  A voice cleared behind them, reminding her they weren’t in private. Lena’s cheeks heated, but she didn’t let go of Solan’s hand. It was Major Ozar. She looked satisfied, so Lena didn’t expect a reprimand. “I want you both back at headquarters. We need to debrief. No detours.” She gave the order and hurried away.

  “That was a warning not to sneak off and have sex, wasn’t it?” Lena asked, watching the major walk off. She was trying to calculate how long it would take to get to headquarters. With the way her blood was singing, she was pretty sure she could manage a quickie. Would the major really notice a five-minute delay?

  Okay, maybe fifteen minutes.

  “I think it was,” Solan said. “The sooner we get to headquarters, the sooner we can leave. I want to show you my bed.”

  His bed. His house. His life. Lena couldn’t wait to see. “Then let’s get this over with.”

  They found transport back to headquarters, and a few people were starting to trickle in from the palace. Lena and Solan used the opportunity to take a shower; well, two showers. If they showered together they would definitely be guilty of taking a detour. When Lena got out, Solan wasn’t in the changing room. She didn’t hear the water running in the other shower stall and figured he must have already left. Weird. She would have thought he’d wait for her. But she was a big girl, and she could find the briefing room herself.

  She did find it. But Solan wasn’t there. Major Ozar sat behind a table with the commander that had sent her and Solan off to remedial training all those weeks ago. “Where’s Solan?” Lena asked.

  “He’s being debriefed,” said the major. “Now please have a seat.”

  Lena sat, a bit uneasy but eager to be done. “We’re doing this separately?”

  “Yes.” The major gestured and the holoplayer brought up an image of the palace. “Now let’s begin.”

  It took hours. The major started by going over Lena and Solan’s morning at the training facility all the way through to the last moments they spent around the bomb. Then she wanted to talk about Lena and Solan’s training.

  Lena was pretty sure this was another test. Or torture. She just wanted to get out of the building. And after going over every mission in excruciating detail, it was over. Finally. Even better, Lena and Solan were being cleared for active duty—no more need for training, no more murder house. She wanted to celebrate. And there was only one person she wanted to celebrate with.

  Once she was dismissed, she left the room and went on a search for Solan. No one knew where he was. She found her communicator in her locker and checked for any messages, but there were none. Then she asked the front desk officer if she knew where Solan had gone. And the officer told her that Solan had left more than two hours before.

  Why? Insecurities tried to take hold. Was Solan reconsidering their relationship now that they were out in the real world? Did he need time to himself?

  No. Everything was fine. Maybe he had just gone home to make sure everything was ready for her to show up. Okay, that sounded a little self-centered. But they had spent every day together since being sent off for training. She wasn’t going to begrudge him a few hours alone.

  Besides, she could just call his communicator. That would explain everything.

  But when she put the call through, it was a woman who answered. “Who is this?” the woman demanded.

  “Who is this?” Lena shot back. Then she remembered he had a sister. “Micia?” she asked. That was his sister’s name.

  “I don’t know what your game is, but leave Solan alone. The Zadra family doesn’t need some interloper taking advantage.” The woman ended the call.

  What the hell? Why was that woman answering Solan’s communicator? Did he know what she was saying?

  Whatever was going on, Lena had to find out.

  SOLAN’S HOUSE WAS IN order when he arrived. He expected nothing less. He employed incredibly competent people and they were more than capable of keeping the place tidy while he was gone for a few weeks. But that didn’t mean that he was going to trust them to have it in perfect condition for Lena without checking. He wanted her to be impressed. He knew that she’d seen the place before, but everything was different now. He wanted this to feel like a home for her. Of course, they hadn’t discussed living arrangements yet. Everything had been so simple at the training house. But surely she would want to move out of Crowze’s estate and onto his own, right?

  He was instructing his cook on what he wanted prepared for dinner when he realized he hadn’t left a message for Lena. She would know to come to his place. They’d discussed it earlier. But it was probably best to make sure that she would be coming. He left the kitchen and went into his study to make the call. His trott, Stypon, followed close at his heels. The animal hadn’t left his side since he’d walked through the door, so excited to see him again. But before he could call up her information on his communicator, the front door to his house burst open. Lena?

  No. He could hear his sister’s voice as she told his butler that she knew where to find him. And find him she did. She closed the door to the study behind her and started pacing back and forth. “You’re back,” Micia said. “When mother heard, she had me drop Stypon off. I hope that was okay.” She looked a bit frantic, her hair falling out of its perfectly coiffed style and her clothes a little bit wrinkled.

  “I’m back.” News traveled fast. Of course, his mother had plenty of friends in the military and guard, and he was fairly certain he had seen media cameras at the palace. He had hoped he could have at least tonight alone with Lena before they had to deal with the rest of the world. But clearly his sister needed his help. “What’s wrong?” At his feet, Stypon let out a little whine before curling into a ball and laying at Solan’s feet.

  She tapped her fingers together, the nervous motion as out of character as pacing across the room would’ve been. “This isn’t supposed to be a romance. The Matching service said we were compatible. And you know that Matched units go further in society. But now it’s like I care about what she thinks. And I can’t stop thinking about what it would be like to kiss her. I didn’t want this.”

  She was talking about Keni, her Match. Solan had thought he’d seen the beginnings of a romance when he met the two of them, and Micia’s plight didn’t surprise him, but he had to wonder if he had sounded so frantic when he was dealing with falling in love with Lena. “Our father may have tainted our view of Matches, but it doesn’t mean all of them are bad.”

  “Since when do you believe that? Suddenly you have a new Match and you’re speaking like you’re a different person.” His family knew he had been Matched. There was no way to hide it. But they didn’t know who Lena was. He was going to fix that very soon. But hopefully not tonight.

  “Perhaps you and your Match should go away alone for a while. You might learn some things.” If he had never been sent away with Lena, he didn’t know if things would’ve turned out the same. He hoped they would. He couldn’t imagine his life without her now that he had her. But he didn’t know if he would’ve been able to see that if they weren’t isolated. It wasn’t a good realization. He’d been too caught up in his own pain and trauma to see what was right in front of him.

  One of the servants knocked on the door and Solan excused himself for a moment. Stypon had fallen asleep and stayed on the floor.

  Apparently there was an issue with dinner. It onl
y took a few minutes, but when he came back to the study, it seemed to surprise Micia. She set his communicator down on the table, but before he could ask her what she had been doing with it, she said, “I have to go.”

  “Did someone call?” But she was already leaving.

  What in Brazon’s bowels was that about? But now that he had time, he went back to the kitchen to see if there was anything else he could do to make the night perfect. Half an hour had passed before he realized he still hadn’t called Lena. His communicator was still in his study, so he went back to get it. He checked the call log and saw that Lena had called. How had he missed that? He tried to call her, but it didn’t connect. Was she still being debriefed? Why was it taking so long? Maybe he should’ve stayed.

  Yes, he should have.

  He couldn’t go back in time, but he could go back to the city. At the very least he’d be able to offer her a ride out to his estate. He was ready to head out when the door opened again. There was Lena. Solan approached her with a smile, ready to apologize for leaving her on her own. But she looked fierce, ready to brawl. He had screwed up.

  “What was that all about?” she demanded.

  “I’m sorry, I meant to call you.” He should’ve never left. He was going to figure out how to make this Match thing work. He didn’t want to disappoint her.

  But that didn’t satisfy Lena. They were in the front hall, but she didn’t seem to care that the servants could hear them. Solan would have shepherded her into his study if he wasn’t worried it would make things worse. Instead the servants were going to get a show.

  “Were you going to tell me that I’m interfering? That I’m an interloper? Maybe you should’ve just left a note. I know things are going to change now that we’re no longer locked in a house together, but I kind of thought the honeymoon period would last longer than six hours.” Her voice got louder with each word, but she wasn’t quite yelling.

  Interloper? Interfering? What was she talking about? “I never said those things. I don’t think that. You’re my Match.”

  “Does your sister know that?” Her spark danced in her eyes, and he could feel the crackle of electricity in the air, but she kept her wings hidden.

  “Micia? What does she have to do with anything?” And when had they spoken?

  “Yup. I figured she got that attitude from somewhere. Is that what I have to look forward to?” Lena crossed her arms and looked at him, eyebrows raised in challenge.

  And Solan remembered seeing Micia put his communicator down. Lena must’ve called and his sister had answered. And given her emotional state with her own Match, that conversation could not have gone well. “Micia is dealing with her own issues right now. I didn’t know she talked to you. I’ll talk to her.” Yell at her, he would yell at her for interfering. “I want you here. I love you. And if my family has a problem with that, they’re going to get over it. Because I’m choosing you no matter what.” He didn’t think of the words before he said them, but as he did, he could hear an echo of his father. But this time, Solan didn’t flinch from it. The situation was different. He was breaking no vow. This was being done honestly, properly. And he would tear his own heart out before he let anyone hurt his Match.

  That brought Lena up short. She stared at him for several seconds before her scowl turned to a grin. “Maybe I should let you talk before yelling at you. You love me?” There was an air of breathlessness to the question.

  He needed to touch her, to kiss her. And he didn’t care who saw it. He stepped close and cradled her cheek, holding her like she was the most precious thing in the universe. “Of course. It may have taken me a little time to see it. To see you. But I should’ve known it from the first. You asked me before if I’d have chosen this, chosen you. Yes. Even without the Match. If it were to disappear tomorrow, I wouldn’t care. I want you. I love you.”

  Her smile grew even brighter, and he could feel a lick of her spark mixed with his. Her hands wrapped around him and clutched him close. “If you don’t kiss me in the next ten seconds I’m definitely going to jump you.”

  She said it like it was a warning. There was nothing Solan wanted more. But they were standing in the front hall. “You know, I have a nice big bed upstairs.”

  “Dinner can wait.”

  It did. For several hours, and more than a few positions. For kisses, and caresses, and promises of the future. It was everything Solan wanted and had never managed to dream before. And if his stomach hadn’t rumbled, he would have gladly slept with his Match in his arms. So when the servant knocked on his door a while later, he was sure it was to offer food. He was already out of bed when he was informed that his mother was waiting downstairs.

  Braz.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  LENA LOOKED AROUND frantically for clothes she could throw on. Her shirt had gotten ripped at some point, and she didn’t think it was appropriate meet the parents attire. Of course, Solan’s clothes made it abundantly clear what they had been doing for the past few hours. But she was thirty-four goddamn years old and Solan’s mom could deal with it.

  “I can make her go away,” Solan offered. He looked a little frantic himself and had ripped open a drawer, rifling through neatly folded clothes to find his own outfit to wear downstairs.

  “We have to meet sometime.” It was abrupt, but Lena had already met his sister today, sort of. Could meeting his mother be any worse?

  “I was hoping for a meeting over lunch or dinner. This is a bit sudden.” Solan held up a pair of pants and examined them. They apparently met his standard. He pulled them on and then went in search of a shirt.

  “Are you taking back that whole loving me thing?” Lena teased. It made butterflies swarm in her stomach to think about it too closely. No guy had ever told her that he loved her before. She should’ve said it back. She should probably say it back right now. But for some reason the words got caught on her tongue. She felt it. This thing between them was the real deal. It wasn’t going away. But she couldn’t figure out how to say that out loud.

  Solan tugged a shirt over his head before leaning in close to kiss her with a grin. “Never,” he promised.

  She realized she had gotten caught up in watching her Match get dressed and quickly threw on the clothes she had in her hands. “Then let’s get this out of the way. I think you said something about dinner and I’m starting to get a bit hungry. Vigorous activity takes it out of me.” She would like some dinner, and then some more vigorous activity. Lots of vigorous activity.

  They went downstairs and found his mother waiting in a brightly lit room right off the main hall. She was sitting on a chair and looking out the window, casually petting Solan’s dog—no, trott, Lena corrected herself. She looked over when Lena and Solan entered the room and watched as they sat.

  “Mother, this is my bonded Match, Lena Richardson. Lena, this is my mother, Lureyne Zadra.” Solan did introductions, and Lena detected a bit of tension in his voice.

  She was going to soldier through this. Meeting his mother couldn’t be worse than her tour in Kuwait, or trying to block out the blast of the bomb earlier that day. Right? “It’s nice to meet you, Lureyne.” Lena had learned a thing or two about Synnrs and the Zulir in general. Because Lena was Solan’s Match, it was proper for her to address his parents and his siblings by their first names. Otherwise she would’ve used a title or honorific.

  Lureyne looked at her son. “This is all quite a surprise. Solan, go fetch us some refreshments. Take your time.”

  Solan stiffened. “Mother...”

  Lena had had a feeling that this was coming. She gave Solan’s thigh a gentle squeeze and offered a smile. She could handle his mother. If she was going to be in his life, she would have to. After a second’s hesitation, he left.

  Lureyne didn’t speak until the door closed behind Solan. “I was surprised to learn my son had a Match. You know he was quite opposed to the institution.”

  “Yes,” Lena agreed. “He told me.” She had an idea of how this co
nversation was about to play out. What was the Synnr equivalent of writing a check to make the undesirable girlfriend go away? And how much would she offer? There was no number high enough to make Lena leave, but she was a bit curious.

  “He told you everything?” Lureyne was surprised.

  Lena shrugged. “Enough to make me understand.” The situation with Solan’s dad sucked. But it was obvious from one minute of conversation that Lureyne was a proud woman and wouldn’t accept any sympathy or pity for what had happened.

  Lureyne stood and crossed the room to stand beside a small writing desk. The trott looked up before settling back down on the floor. She didn’t pick anything up, and Lena got the idea that she moved more to keep Lena’s attention than for any other reason. “You know that my son has certain expectations in his position. The Zadra name is ancient. Carrying it on is important.”

  Was she getting ready to write that check? She was laying it on thick. “We haven’t really discussed family yet. If we choose to have kids I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually.”

  Lureyne pursed her lips. “A Match is not a marriage. One does not automatically equal the other.”

  Lena could hurt her. She could say something cutting about Lureyne’s marriage, and what a Match had done to her family. But she wasn’t going to. Lureyne was being hostile, and Lena didn’t like it. But some things couldn’t be unsaid. Still, she made sure to meet the woman’s eyes and let her see that Lena was intentionally choosing not to say anything hurtful.

  Lureyne didn’t acknowledge the look. “We are not Apsyns. I am pleased my son has found his Match, even though you are human. You seem like an intelligent woman. You look well enough. And from what I hear, you are becoming a capable soldier, even if you put my son’s career in jeopardy at first.”

  Well, that was a heaping pile of bullshit. Now Lena was regretting holding her tongue earlier.