“I’m ready,” she said and placed her hand in his.
“The Judge of Light wanted to see you alone before he disembarks.” Tory’s gaze slid away. Clearly, he didn’t like the idea. She wondered why.
“Do you want me to refuse?”
His gaze jerked to meet hers. “Only if you want to refuse.”
She stared at him. “What are you afraid of, Tory?”
One of his hands curled in a fist and then unclenched slowly. “Nothing.”
He was lying.
She shrugged. What else could she do? “Lead the way.”
Tory led her through a maze of corridors and down two levels to the shuttle bay. A contingent of Ardasians stood in a group, the Judge of Light in the center of it. When he saw Alex, however, the Judge nodded to the others and strode across the room to meet her. “Commander,” he said.
“If you wish, there’s a conference room off the hangar there,” Tory said and pointed to a door to their right.
“I will not keep her long, Commander Ingle.” The Ardasian’s green eyes seemed to twinkle as if he was amused by something. Considering the man could pick through their minds without their knowledge, he probably was amused.
The Judge’s hand brushed her arm and he escorted her to the small meeting room. When she glanced back at Tory, his hands were jammed in his pockets and he stared at the floor. He seemed…worried. But why?
“Please, sit down, Commander.” The Judge waved toward a chair and she slid into it, unease beginning to prickle the surface of her skin. What the hell was going on now?
She threaded her fingers together on top of the table and took a deep breath. “How can I help you, sir?”
“It’s not how you can help me. I’m here to help you.” He sat down and placed his hands together, mimicking her posture. “During the ceremony, I am required to read the participants. I’ve read much in both you and Commander Ingle.”
So? She knew that. “Yes?” Keep it polite. What was he getting at?
“Are you aware that some Ardasians can glimpse future events?” His tone was casual, almost musing as if they were talking about a play or the weather on Teran One.
“I’ve heard that rumor,” she said carefully.
“The rumor is true.” The Judge stared at his hands for a moment. “Some of us are…gifted with the sight. But it’s not always clear.” His green eyes snapped up to meet her stare. “This I do know. The concerns you have for your sister are valid but the threat is not from Tory Ingle.” He smiled faintly. “But I think you’ve realized this.”
Her lips lifted in a smile. “Only just.”
“Your planet’s future depends on the mating you have with the commander.” The statement stunned her. What did he mean? The Judge leaned forward. “In your hands, Alexandra Zeerah, is the future of the five Teran planets and possibly Ardasia as well.”
“I don’t understand. Only Teran One seems to be threatened at the moment.”
The Judge shook his head. “No. What you carried in the cargo hold of your ship has already changed the fate of a people once. Without you, it may decide their fate permanently.” His face hardened. “Those who seek power only see the leverage to move them into a throne or an office. They do not see the consequences of that leverage.”
“What do I have to do?”
“The thing that is the hardest thing to do,” he answered. “You must trust Commander Ingle.”
“He manipulated me into a Saria contract,” she snapped. “I’m willing to work with him, be his mate, but I don’t have to surrender it all. He has to earn my trust.”
The Ardasian shook his head. “There is no time. And much will happen to test your trust in each other. I tell you this to warn you that if you doubt your mate, much more than love could be lost.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Love? I think you have the wrong couple, sir. Love doesn’t have anything to do with Tory and me.” Well, not anymore. Maybe at one time they could have had love. But she destroyed that.
“You risk much by denying the truth,” the Judge said, his eyes narrowed. “He is no Ardasian Judge. He cannot read your mind and he doubts his own.”
She snorted. “Tory doesn’t doubt anything. He seems pretty confident to me.”
“Do you know what the amendments are to your Saria contract?”
“I have a safeword,” she acknowledged. That much she remembered. The safeword to stop any action. It was unusual to grant such power to the Saria, but Tory wanted her as a brood mare.
“Not just that.”
“What do you mean?” What else could there be? Amendments were usually short ones, like the safeword or a grant of money to the Saria’s family.
“He agreed to mutual nullification.”
The world tilted a little. Mutual nullification? He granted her the power to discontinue the contract. She’d heard of only one like that and it was a myth, a fairy tale, told by mothers to their daughters. A gesture of love. “What are the stipulations?”
“There are none.”
She blinked. “I can nullify it for any reason.”
“He swore his bloodline oath.” The Judge gave her a steady stare. “The only requirement is that you must remain mated for three months.”
“What if there is a child? That’s no choice if I’m pregnant.” She knew there was a catch.
“I asked him that.” Judge Mayar shook his head. “He is the last of his line. A child would be his bloodline’s salvation. But he relinquished his rights.”
“What?” Before she could think, she’d shot to her feet. It couldn’t be. What man would do that?
“I warned him that it gave you the power to control him, blackmail him into anything, since a child is his last hope for his family’s name.” The Judge had read her mind at the ceremony. Her thoughts hadn’t been very complimentary to Tory or their mating. But would she do that? Would she use this to force Tory to let her go? And why did that idea depress her?
“What did he say to that?” She almost didn’t want to know.
“He told me that he wanted no woman as a mate who did not want to stay with him. He hoped that three months would be enough, but he doubted it.”
“He signed the contract believing I would nullify it,” she said, unable to wrap her brain around it.
“He signed it to save your life. Had you not been claimed as his Saria, Teran One would have had the right to attack his vessel to rescue you.” Judge Mayar shook his head. “You never would have made it home.”
“I don’t understand.” She dropped back into her seat. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because he doesn’t have three months to convince you.” The Judge reached out and clasped her hand.
Abruptly, the conference room bled away, the walls melting as if they were wax. She glanced around. She was in the shuttle bay and there was fighting everywhere, stunners and disintegrators going off all over. Men were screaming and dying. She stared at a vision of herself. She could see herself as she stood in a faceoff between two men. Darius held a disintegrator aimed at Tory. Suddenly, she watched as her image raised a weapon and fired. On Tory.
The gut-wrenching agony on his face made her cry out. He dropped, his face ashen, his gaze focused on the woman who just killed him. Then, Darius fired and Tory’s body crumbled, blown away like space dust.
Chapter Eight
The Ardasian let go of her hand and Alex recoiled. “I would never do that. Never.” Not even before she’d known Tory had given her more freedom than she’d dreamed possible. Not even before she’d discovered rich pleasure in his arms. She wasn’t capable of that kind of betrayal.
Was she?
The Judge interrupted her thoughts. “I do not know what causes that vision, but I know you believed yourself to be justified.”
She stared at him through eyes blurry with tears. “I don’t want him to die,” she whispered. And it was true. She didn’t. Love indeed.
“You must trust him. Whatever you are t
old in the next few days, know this. Tory Ingle has refused to take a mate in five years. Even though he is the last of his line. Even though his choices risk his life every day. Five years, Commander Zeerah. Have you ever asked yourself why?”
Her heart stuttered. Why hadn’t he mated? He could have. He could have made a home for himself on Teran Five or Teran Two. Instead, he chose to live the life of a space cowboy, a mercenary soldier. He could have taken a woman and continued his line. The thought made her stomach hurt and she wondered why she hadn’t considered it before. She’d been so wrapped up in her own pain, her own frustration, she hadn’t pondered why he was still unattached.
Had he waited for her?
Of course not. That was ridiculous. Maybe he waited to retaliate. After all, controlling her offspring would be the ultimate revenge. But he had relinquished his rights to their children.
The Ardasian rose and smiled. “Your mind is a fascinating one, Commander. I’m sure you will reach the correct conclusion.”
Love. The Judge meant Tory…loved her.
Impossible.
“Shall we rejoin your mate? He is very impatient.” The Judge turned to the door. She wondered at the Ardasian’s motives. They were a strange people, human with strange, intriguing powers and a rigid code of conduct.
She shook her head. What did the Ardasians really want? He took her arm and his fingers wrapped lightly around her upper arm. Warmth, comfort and peace spread along her nerves and she felt safe. Odd, since she didn’t know the Judge. Of course, she didn’t feel as comfortable and safe with the Judge of Light as she’d felt in Tory’s arms. Where had that thought come from? She and the Ardasian crossed the shuttle bay.
Tory was surrounded by a group of men, but she only saw his eyes. The minute her gaze met his, that heat and desire replaced the gentle warmth of the Ardasian’s touch. Every word, every stroke flooded through her memory. Would it always be this way? All he had to do was look at her and she melted. She forgot about saving her planet. She forgot he was the enemy. It had been that way five years ago.
The Ardasian squeezed her arm. “You are very lucky, Commander.”
She glanced at the Judge. “Why is that, sir?”
“It is rare to see a Sarat and a Saria bonded so quickly.”
She snorted. “We’re bonded by necessity.”
His green eyes were serious, no trace of humor. “You were both connected before. What is in your past only lies dormant.”
Alex would have responded, but Tory took her hand and pulled her into the circle of his arm. Affection? Bonding?
Love?
“May the Saria contract be lasting and fruitful.” The Judge said the words and Alex glanced at Tory. She’d heard the words a million times in the Tribunal chambers. Her position as a descendent of one of the First Families meant she was often asked to witness Saria ceremonies. In almost all of them, she’d seen the cold reality of the arranged matches created to satisfy a bloodline’s need rather than the heart’s desire. Those couples had resigned themselves to their fate as Saria. She was far from resigned. How had this happened?
His hand twined in hers, Tory bowed at the waist to the Judge of Light. “May the Light shine in dark places.” An Ardasian farewell. She stared at Tory. How the hell had he gotten so familiar with Ardasian culture? The only reason she recognized it was because of her childhood friend Kyler, who was part Ardasian. The Judge nodded to the others and gathered his entourage onto the shuttle.
Tory’s crew stood at attention in a respectful tribute, flanking the space where the Ardasian group walked. These men and women on The Pinnacle clearly followed certain Teran protocols, including the one for disembarkation of a political figure. The Judge was afforded all the pomp and circumstance the crew could give him.
When the Judge passed the last man, she glanced at Tory and found him staring at her.
“Let me introduce you to some of my crew,” Tory said. He waved his hand at a tall man with wavy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. “This is my second, Stegar Pulzer. He’s from Teran Five. I met him when I was an insurgent on Teran Four.”
Tory had fought the Teran Four dictatorship as an insurgent? She hadn’t known that. There had been rumors that Tory and his crew had robbed Davida, caused trouble for Teran Four, but she hadn’t realized that The Pinnacle’s people had fought planetside. Even Teran One, who had been in a simmering conflict with Teran Four for years, hadn’t dared fight Dividaon his home turf.
Pulzer’s eyes narrowed and his lips tightened. There’s one of the crew who didn’t like her much. She stuck her hand out. “Nice to meet you.”
For a split second, she thought he wouldn’t take her hand. But he slipped his hand in hers and she shook it. “It’s an honor to meet a man who fought Teran Four and still lives.” She meant it. Teran Four fighters were mean, destructive and deadly. To survive meant you were well trained, determined and lucky.
The man thawed slightly. “I’ve heard you’ve had your share of fire fights. Your flying is legendary.”
“Not on Teran Four,” she admitted. “I’ve fought them, but never on their home turf. That takes guts.”
“Your mate only hires the best.” A reminder that they were paid mercenaries. She didn’t believe it. To fight on Teran Four required commitment.
“Bullshit. You would have fought for him for free,” she told him and his eyes widened. The other people in the group shuffled their feet. Pulzer’s lips twitched and then, he threw his head back and laughed. “You got me there, Commander.” He nodded and jerked a thumb at the man next to him. “This is Bud Masterson. He’s Teran Four, but hates that bastard Divida more than we do.”
The big, blond man bowed formally. She studied him. He had the perfect Teran Four good looks. Divida controlled the genetic material on Teran Four. He bred them like cattle. Some for fighting, some for other things. What had Masterson been bred for? His hand engulfed hers when she shook it. Everything about the man was huge. “It is my privilege to meet you, Commander Zeerah. Your name is well known on our planet.”
“Oh?” She slid her hand away. Well known? No kidding. She was probably vilified by the government there. Teran Four hated Teran One fighters, especially female soldiers. On Teran Four, women served one purpose and one only. Procreation.
“Your exploits are spread by our underground,” he said, grinning. “We hope to inspire our little girls to rebel against the status quo.”
“I’m glad I could be of service.” She nodded her head. Pulzer pointed to another man.
“This is Dink. If there’s a code, he can break it. If there’s a communication, he can listen in.” Pulzer clapped the man on the back. “He’s a genius.”
Dink cleared his throat and kept his gaze lowered. His hand was limp and a little damp. “I’m good with computers,” he muttered.
“We’ve got a file on you on Teran One,” she told him and his eyes jerked up to meet her gaze. They were a startlingly bright blue. “What I read is that there isn’t anything you can’t do with computers.” She shook his hand. The man was legendary and she’d pictured him differently. His sloped shoulders and lanky, almost awkward, posture surprised her. But she imagined he was at ease in front of a console. “We have a tremendous amount of respect for your work.”
He smiled, a shy lift of his lips. “You look exactly like I thought you would.”
“Quit flirting,” Tory ordered and he took her hand away from Dink, who blushed a bright red. “And this is Tesia Lyter. She’s our engineer. There isn’t a bolt or a rivet she doesn’t know on this ship. Or any other, for that matter.”
Alex hadn’t paid much attention to her when they’d met before. The woman was gorgeous. Short, curly, red hair and blue eyes with green flecks combined with her diminutive size to give her a fairy-like appearance. Right now, Tesia studied her as intently as Alex was staring at her. “You look different with your clothes on.”
Pulzer sputtered and Tory laughed. She liked the sound of his laugh. B
ig and free. She turned her attention back to Tesia. Something there. Hostility? A little. Her quick glance at Tory was protective. Not like they were lovers or anything. More like she was afraid Tory would get hurt. After the vision Alex had seen, Tesia had good reason to worry.
She shot another look at Tory. He seemed…anxious, lines around his mouth and eyes. It was important to him that she get along with Tesia. So, she smiled at the woman and put her hand out. “Thank you for the clothes. I appreciate them.”
“Anything for Tory,” Tesia said. Well, she’d made her position clear. Now, it was Alex’s turn.
She kept her hand out even though Tesia hadn’t acknowledged it yet and said, “I agree.”
Tesia’s gaze narrowed. “I know about the Saria,” she said, her voice harsh. “You had no choice. You were forced into this mating.” Every syllable spoke of the woman’s distrust.
Well, that was direct. Alex dropped her hand to her side, but held Tesia’s gaze. Tory started to speak but Alex shook her head. “I was given a choice and I chose Tory. He is my mate. How that happened no longer matters.”
“Bullshit,” Tesia snapped.
Alex shook her head. “Not bullshit. I have said the words, committed to my Sarat.”
“Is this true?” she demanded and glared at Tory.
He nodded. “She has.”
“You didn’t force them from her?” Tesia asked him.
“He didn’t,” Alex interrupted.
The other men seemed uncomfortable with this topic. Should she reveal the mutual nullification? No. Tory’s pride might be hurt if she did. Besides, the details of their contract were no one’s business but their own.
“Why?” Tesia bit out the word.
Tory tensed beside her. Maybe he thought she didn’t have an answer. But she did. “Why not? Could I ask for a better mate? You know he had to prove my family wronged him. He wasn’t guilty of treason. He is a man of honor and courage. Why wouldn’t I accept him as a mate?”
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