The Commander's Fated Mate

by Lily Anton

  She gave up trying to neatly fold the gown she’d been wearing, grabbing the pile of silky fabric and slippers and leaving them on the chair before grabbing her bag and exiting the room.

  The Debir on the other side of the door jumped as she threw open the door with more force than was necessary.

  “I’m ready,” she spoke without preamble, not noticing the Debir’s frown that was there and gone again in an instant.

  “Very well. Here is your telephone.”

  “What?” Leila caught sight of the familiar phone in his hand, realizing that up until this point she hadn’t bothered checking her bag to ensure its contents were still there.

  Why had they taken her phone? And since they had, why was it being handed back? Had they put some sort of tracker on it? Were they going to be monitoring her?

  Something in her expression must have given her thoughts away as she reached out to take the phone from him.

  “I apologize. For security reasons we needed to hold onto it until your departure. It has not been tampered with.”

  Her fingers grazed his own, but she felt none of the all consuming heat like she had with his brother.

  It’s as if she’d completely forgotten Caleza’s comment from their time by the water.

  That is Ezon. He and his brother were the ones that helped us.

  Shiiiiiit.

  Was this some sort of good cop, seductive cop thing?

  “Understandable.” It was really. She just didn’t know if it was the whole truth. “Thank you again for today.”

  Staying polite seemed like the best course of action.

  “You are most welcome. You came to Caleza’s defense. Not many would have done so.”

  “Many are idiots,” Leila replied without thought.

  His laughter bubbled around her, the warmth contained in it calming her to some degree, though not by much. “I cannot argue with you there. I did not have a chance to properly introduce myself earlier. I am Nelo, Second of House Delae, and Security Chief here at the embassy.”

  Her need for manners overruled her desire to cut the conversation short. Staying calm and polite was the best approach for now, especially in front of the Debir who was apparently head of security in this place.

  “It’s nice to officially meet you, Nelo. I am Leila.”

  “We have that name among our people as well,” he pointed out. “A matriarch of House Avaleti. She is remembered as a bringer of peace, having long ago been able to negotiate a truce between two houses that held a long-standing rivalry.”

  “That’s interesting…” she replied slowly, not sure of what else to say. Indeed it was interesting, but she had no desire to be pulled into conversation. If only Ezon hadn’t touched her then maybe she wouldn’t have had her thoughts spiral to a place of paranoia and be so closed off to conversation.

  “Indeed. Those of her calibre are in short supply now, although thankfully rivalries between houses are exceedingly rare.”

  Thankfully he began to walk, their direction taking them back towards the elevator which made Leila more than happy to continue talking to him.

  The back of her neck prickled with a sense of danger, but she refused to turn around and look, attempting to focus on Nelo’s need to keep speaking to her.

  Stepping into the elevator, Leila held back a small sigh of relief as he pressed the button for the main level. “What is your profession Leila, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “I work in leadership development, although my background is in cross-cultural negotiation and mediation.”

  Nelo grinned. “Ah, so you do share a similarity with the Leila I mentioned.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” she countered with a ghost of a smile. “Besides, cross-cultural for humans means something completely different now than it did before.”

  “I suppose that is true...but you cannot deny that your actions today have awarded you some new cross-cultural experiences,” he pointed out.

  Thoughts of Ezon staring at her from the water flashed in her mind, along with his large hand gentle against her skin.

  The elevator doors opened, revealing the main atrium that was still crowded with Debirs and humans alike despite the sun beginning to set.

  “Point taken. There’s been a lot of firsts today for me,” she admitted, their steps leading out the main door and over the pathway that cut through the park. Nelo chuckled slightly in agreement.

  “I understand the feeling. I’ve experienced many firsts since coming to this planet. Although I dare say I’ve appreciated them more than my brother.”

  Leila’s hand went to her cheek; it took her too long to come up with a reply and Nelo remained quiet by her side.

  The Debir beside her seemed happy to walk in silence for now, and there were still people walking about, their paces leisurely as the day winded down. Although some humans were now standing in place, eyes looking at the ground.

  She frowned, noticing that sure enough, Debirs continued moving about, ignoring the fact. “What’s going on?”.

  “Watch…” was all he said, stopping them as he pointed to the paths that criss crossed with each other through the park.

  In the distance, soft glowing orbs of light pulsed as they levitated above the grass on either side of a path, a hazy violet that grew brighter, illuminating more and more of the ground they all walked on.

  In a matter of moments, hundreds of these orbs had risen as if by magic from the ground hovering in place, the lights appearing to race by them as they continued to light the way, branching out like a spider’s web to cover every walkway.

  No wonder the humans had all stopped...it was breathtaking to watch.

  She wasn’t sure how long they stood there, but Nelo said nothing, not until she looked back up at him, amazement on her face.

  “That was…” Leila couldn’t find the words.

  Any amusement or satisfaction she expected to see on his face was non-existent, his gaze pulled elsewhere.

  Nelo’s frown threw her off, though it was clear that his demeanor did not appear to be caused by her.

  She hesitated for a moment, debating whether to ask him if something was wrong, but just like that, his face smoothed out and a smile was back on his face, his focus now back to her.

  “Did you enjoy the lights?” he inquired, as if she hadn’t caught him looking elsewhere.

  Leila nodded. It was beyond anything humans were capable of.

  “We are a romantic species, if you can believe it.” Nelo chanced a look at her as they continued their walk, holding his hands behind his back. Her eyes flicked to his before staring back down at the violet glow leading them on, wondering now if his friendliness up until this point had come with ulterior motives.

  “It is written that we first emerged from the Holy Waters of Azulan, our souls yearning for their other half, determined to find our huertas…”

  He was right: it was definitely romantic...the type of lovey-dovey stuff you read about in books or watch in movies or shows in order to escape the realities of life, if only for a little while. She had never been one of them.

  “You mean soulmates,” she clarified, earning her a surprised look.

  “Yes, exactly! Humans have this then as well?” he asked,

  perhaps a little too nonchalantly..

  “Sort of…” she found herself saying. “It’s just a figure of speech really, a way some people describe how strongly they feel for someone.”

  Nelo’s smile broadened, and Leila felt the immediate need to temper it.

  “It’s not literal. None of us literally have a soul mate,” she explained.

  His smile lessened as he tilted his head. “So you humans do not experience the Calling?”

  ‘The Calling?’

  She shook her head.

  “I see…” he hummed thoughtfully, not saying anything else on the subject.

  Leila debated asking him about it; her desire to understand more of their culture and history as a
species warring with her reasons for needing to leave the premises.

  Thankfully the decision was made for her as they reached the main entrance, Nelo standing in front of a door and allowing himself to be scanned by some sort of recognition program before it opened, revealing the back office of the security checkpoint.

  “Should I even be back here?,” she dared ask.

  The smile he gave her in response was answer enough as she followed him.

  Apparently the back office was a lot bigger on the inside as a long corridor stretched out in front of them, sloping downwards.

  It was like an underground version of the embassy, and it brought to mind those ‘behind the scenes’ shows about amusement parks and how employees got around and kept things running all without the people above being none the wiser.

  Her guard was up although she tried not to let it show; she was completely at Nelo’s mercy as he navigated them through the maze of corridors, no other Debir in sight.

  Despite it being brightly lit, it felt ominous.

  The walk was taking entirely too long and she thought about slowly reaching for her phone in her back pocket. But who would she have called? Family, friends, the police…? Law enforcement (or what was left of it these days) wouldn’t go near the embassy.

  It was, for all intents and purposes, untouchable.

  Relief came several moments later as they made a right turn, several Debir walking between rooms on either side of the doorway; some conversing in pairs while others were focused on the tablets in their hands, their feet knowing where to go.

  “Here we are,” Nelo announced, apparently none the wiser to how she had been half expecting him to turn on her.

  He stopped them in front of a closed door, placing his hand upon a scanner which flashed blue upon completion, the door sliding open.

  A fawn colored Debir with dark brown eyes was sitting behind a desk, various tablets and papers scattered across it.

  At Nelo’s entrance, the other Debir looked up in surprise.

  “Captain! Is there something I can do for you?”

  “That is not my role here, Alkar.”

  Leila got the clear impression that this wasn’t the first time he’d had to remind him although he seemed more amused than annoyed.

  “Sorry, Sir. The logistics with this upcoming summit have me…” he paused, searching for the right descriptor.

  “Say no more. I understand. I’ll be happy when all is said and done. In the meantime, this is Leila.” He gestured for her to come forward, earning her a surprised look from Alkar before it smoothed out.

  “Ah, you are the human from the incident earlier this afternoon.”

  She nodded. “I am, yes. It is nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise…”

  Sensing the unspoken question, Nelo explained. “I wanted to ensure that she made it back to her residence safely. Can you please escort her home?”

  Alkar stood up and nodded. “Of course, Ca-- Of course, Sir.”

  As he made his way from around the desk, Nelo turned to look at her.

  “This is where I leave you. Alkar will take it from here. It has been a pleasure, Leila. Perhaps we may see each other again some day.”

  Leila was pretty sure he was being genuine, and with her exit so close at hand, mirrored his expression. “Thank you again, I appreciate it.”

  She made no comment on the chance of them meeting again, her body’s nerves simmering in anticipation underneath the surface this whole time.

  With Nelo taking his leave, Leila followed Alkar as he led her into a large underground garage filled with streamlined cars made of glass and steel. At least, she assumed they were the Debir version of cars as they definitely weren’t of human make.

  As they moved closer to one, Leila noticed that instead of wheels, the vehicle hovered only a few inches off the ground.

  Her fascination turned to fear as a shiver ran down her spine, her instincts urging her to leave immediately.

  “Commander Ezon!”

  “At ease, Alkar.”

  The deep imposing voice had been her waking nightmare and reluctant fantasy and she tried desperately to calm herself.

  Pulled by some invisible string, Leila slowly pivoted in place, refusing to look anywhere but at him, her handbag clutched tightly in her hand.

  “Allow me to escort the human home…”

  Fuck.

  Fuck fuck fuck.

  This was bad.

  This was very bad.

  She desperately tried to catch Alkor’s eye, willing him to face her so that she could somehow convey to him that she did not want to be left alone.

  “Of course, Commander.”

  And just like that she had been abandoned without a second thought. She forced herself to look up, knowing what she’d see.

  Ezon looked even more massive than before, gold eyes looking her over.

  Leila immediately took a step back as he came forward, and she hoped to god he couldn’t see her breathing pick up. Everything within her felt tight like a bowstring, the need for release mounting and only making her even more scared that he had done something to her.

  He froze as she had moved away, lowering his gaze to the ground and shaking his head, hissing out something she couldn’t make out.

  Was he mad that she had stepped back? Or frustrated that he had caused it? She needed space from him, as much space as possible.

  Even though running would be a very stupid idea, it didn’t stop her from checking for an escape route.

  “I have frightened you.”

  She fought the urge to disagree like she had before, realizing that frightened or not, it probably wouldn’t make a difference. Plus, he sounded almost...resigned to the fact.

  Leila eyed him warily, knowing she was all but pinned down by a larger predator.

  He opened his mouth to say something but closed it with a snap, his posture straightening as a neutral expression fell across his face.

  “I will take you home.”

  And just like that, he brushed past her like she simply did not exist, already seated inside while she still stood there.

  “Quickly please,” he snapped, causing her to jump before turning to glare at him.

  ‘Prick,’ she thought, her annoyance tempering her fear as she went to the other side of the vehicle and got in.

  ∆∆∆

  To say that the drive was tense would have been an understatement.

  He had almost snapped at her again when she had hesitated before giving him an address, and she had spent the last ten minutes leaning against the door and as far away from him as possible.

  She couldn’t even bring herself to do anything but give the interior of the car a brief onceover before she glued her gaze to the scenery passing by.

  What the fuck was this guy’s problem? He ran hot and cold.

  She had a hard time believing him and Nelo were related at all.

  For a moment she had worried that Nelo had planned this whole thing, but Alkar had looked genuinely surprised when the Commander had shown up.

  Now instead of cowering in the car, she was just grateful that they were heading the right way home.

  Despite being very aware of the large, over seven-foot-tall alien beside her, the events of the day had taken their toll, her head slowly tilting until it was braced against the window, her eyes closing of their own accord.

  She knew he was looking over at her now, but she just needed to rest her eyes for a moment and make sense of things.

  “Stop staring at me. Please,” she added tiredly.

  A faint melody, soothing yet unfamiliar, gently fell over her, guiding her into sleep.

  It was only when she was in deep slumber that Ezon’s quiet yet tortured sounding voice answered her.

  “I wish I could.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  leila

  S

  he watched, unable to do anything as he leaned towards her then, fingers reaching out and caressin
g her cheek.

  His touch burned through her, sucking up all the air in the room and leaving her breathless.

  If there was any time to run, it would have been now, but she didn’t want to. All she wanted to do was stay in this moment.