by April Zyon
She smiled back over her shoulder at him. “I love the way that you touch me. Just so you know.” Once she was dressed, she watched him pulling his clothes on and had to bite her lower lip. She loved watching him getting dressed as much as she loved watching him getting naked.
“Quit ogling me and come along so we can head out. We should continue with the tour you wanted so badly earlier. Let you see all the places you have yet to see on my cruiser. This way you’ll know where you are going when everything is all clear there.” Hooking his arm through hers, he disengaged the locks, then spent a moment undoing whatever he’d done to the cameras.
She shrugged. “I could go for something to eat.” Of course, she was hungry now. She always seemed to be hungry after they made love.
For a second she thought he’d argue. He looked like he wanted to argue with her, or at the very least say something. She had eaten a large meal before they headed for the hydroponics bay, so she could understand it. It was a testament to him that he held his tongue and waved her to the lifts. The fact that he rolled his eyes, she let slide since he was going along with her every whim. She moved so she could slip her hand into his and gave it a squeeze. “When do we go back to your ship?” She was looking forward to being able to leave the hood off. No more hiding.
“Tomorrow morning. We’ll visit with Bryerly, stay here overnight, have breakfast with Petr and Samantha, and then return to the cruiser.”
Laura nodded. “By the way, you do know that I’m hungry again because of how wonderfully you wore me out, right?”
“I think you just like to try the new foods and will find any excuse to do so. Not that I will argue about it.”
“I do love trying new foods and new things.”
“There is still so much to show you. Especially now that you’ll have full freedom around the cruiser. There are also a few things I still need to tell you, things that will help you navigate the Imarian world when we return home. I’m rarely there, but there are a few things you’ll need to know. Nothing too scary, unless you consider high society scary.”
She stopped walking and looked up at him. “Uh, yes, I do consider them scary.”
“Well, you will need to deal with them a bit. You soul bonded extremely well. So well in fact that if you feel the need to run away from them you can, and they cannot say anything about it. They will, but we are not the sort to notice such things. At least, that’s the rumor.” He shrugged. “I don’t have time for nonsense and ignore their prattling.” Chevon keyed open the doors to the cafeteria and allowed her to go ahead of him.
That had her smiling and she nodded. “I’ve sadly had to deal with society as a child and teen but once my mother realized that I couldn’t handle the pressure of it, she allowed me to bow out of all of the functions that I had to do. Thankfully, I still know how to function in society. I just hate it. You might have to pamper me a bit after any function,” she tossed out there with a grin.
“There are only two functions I make sure the ship is back in port for. The first is in support of the wounded veterans, and the second is for orphaned children. Everything else is for some frivolous cause that some drunken matriarch has thought up. Well, not everything. There are a couple others I send credits to because I can never be there to support them in person.”
“Those are two very worthy causes. For those, I will gladly stand by your side.” The thought of high society throwing a party for any frivolous reason, however, had her practically breaking out in hives.
“Once this training run is complete,” he continued, “we’ll have several weeks where we will be home. Mainly to get to the country home to relax, but we’ll need to spend a couple days in the capital for the orphaned children event. Which means you will probably want to go shopping.”
“Yes, I will,” she agreed.
“You’ll enjoy it,” he said. “You can wander the grounds for days and never discover all the nooks it holds. There are a couple spots that I will have to show you, favorites from my childhood and where I spent a large amount of time to guarantee I didn’t get dragged into my parents’ fights.”
“Your family won’t give us trouble, right?” She didn’t want him to have to be pulled into a fight between his parents while they were there; she would rather they spend time on their ship if they had to. She realized that he didn’t have a relationship with his parents, but she didn’t want to be another reason for there to be a wedge between them.
“No, they will not be around to give either of us any trouble. They live elsewhere on the planet and only come into the capital for certain events that they need to be seen at as a couple. Then they present a united, loving front before slinking back off to wherever they live. I banned them from the familial estate because they would focus their fights on me when I was there. I couldn’t put up with their nastiness any longer. They have twice attempted to get back onto the property, and both times they were turned away with a pointed reminder that they were not welcome, thanks to the security team living there.”
“I don’t understand. How could you have the family estates instead of them? The only reason that Laurence and I received the estates of our family was because our parents died. How is it that you have the family home?” She was curious.
“It was in my grandparents’ names even when I was growing up there. Before grandfather passed away, he changed his will to leave it to me instead of my father. Father attempted several times to have the will overturned or thrown out. Grandfather was a smart man and had four different doctors certify that he was of sound mind and four lawyers on the will to make sure it was above reproach.” He took the tray she’d filled, then carried it to the table she led him toward. “He passed not long after I had taken my first position.”
“It sounds to me as if you are better off without them if all they wanted from you was a position of power inside of society. It also seems that you take more after your grandfather than your parents. Did your father ever do any sort of time with the military as you did? And your grandfather?”
“It is mandatory to serve in the military for a single term unless there are health issues, or you are the sole heir. We all have to attend military school for our senior level at a minimum and then serve the single term. Most male children are enrolled in military school from the start, but some do not come into classes until later due to familial obligations.”
“So you have a brother, then?” That was news to her.
“No, thankfully my parents decided to only have one child to torture. No siblings. They shuttled me off to military school the moment I was properly house trained by the nannies and maids. They came to visit whenever it was required and nothing more. All holidays were spent at the academy or with Bryerly’s family.”
“I see.”
“Bryerly was always upset by the fact she was not allowed to join. She could have if her parents had permitted it, but they did not feel it was right for their daughter.”
“Ah, well that does make sense. In a way, however, didn’t your cousin sidestep her parents?” Which Laura thought was rather brilliant of the woman. From what Chevon had told her, the young woman had made her own way and was a well-respected nurse.
“To a degree, yes. Bryerly is quite the rebel when she wants to be. I think she may have picked that up from me. At least, her parents say that she did. I can accept that happily if she did. It led her to her soul-bond mate and she is happy. I would say it worked out for the best.”
“I agree. I think that it worked out wonderfully for them. I don’t know what I will be able to do on your ship but I want to find some pathway so that I’m not simply sitting around waiting for you to come home to me each night. I adore you completely, but I really do want to have something of my own, too.”
“You’ll find something you want to do. Whatever it is I am sure you will be happy with it, and it will fill your days. Don’t worry about what you might one day do, little one. You have plenty of time to decide.”
Epilogue
Four months later…
Closing the vid call down, Chevon scrubbed his hands over his face. Things were beginning to break apart behind the scenes. While the general public would not know what was happening for a long time yet to come, the military was already feeling the first waves. The ruling body of Imara was pulling in all their supporters from the other worlds in the vain hope they would survive the war they had started. The war the military would end.
On the other side of the border, the Craegins were doing something similar. While their marshal was not party to the behind-the-scenes sneak attacks, the Craegin military was keeping the woman at arm’s length. Only after everything was finally settled and the truth revealed to both the Imarian and Craegin public would the marshal step back into position—with a greatly cleaned out office, since she was now aware of exactly who had been working against her, the military, and the Craegin people.
Both sides had to ensure that all the traitors who had worked hard to bring the war back to a head were removed or controlled before the announcement was made. No one, on either side of the border, could afford to blow this whole campaign by allowing their only hope and royal to die. It was not an option.
After securing the terminal, Chevon headed for the command deck. He did what he needed to do there before going to find Laura. He needed to bring her up to date on the latest information he had. She would need to know what was going on, especially since it involved her brother and her former fiancé. He had to tell her that they were both now in jail and being held on criminal charges just as they deserved to be. They would need to prepare the crew for the news that would soon be breaking. Everyone needed to be on board and those that were not would be removed from any position they might be able to cause harm in.
Stepping into the lift, he leaned a shoulder against the wall. Once he updated his little mate, he would need to contact the other cruiser commanders to bring them up to speed and find out who would need to be removed from command. They couldn’t risk any trouble from within the ranks. The entire operation would need to run smoothly and perfectly.
When the lift stopped, Chevon stood inside for a moment and stared out into the corridor. There were crew members moving around attending to their assigned tasks. Those who saw him paused to give him a nod before hurrying off to complete their work. Striding out of the lift, Chevon quickly headed for Laura.
****
Laura had loved the last four months spent with Chevon. When they’d returned to his ship the crew had been switched out and she had been fully accepted by them. She had blended in with them and had actually found a place in hydroponics of all places. She’d also been more than happy that Chevon hadn’t been punished for taking her as his mate.
After her time with Chevon on Petr’s ship in hydroponics, she found she really liked being around the plants, the grasses, and everything that was with it. She had enjoyed learning about everything there was with nature.
Now that her shift was over she knew that Chevon would be heading toward their rooms and she met him halfway there. She knew his rituals by now, his ways in and out of the corridors when it was time to come back to their quarters for the night.
“Hey you,” she said from slightly behind him, sneaking up on him and sliding her hand into his. “How was…” She hesitated. She saw it then. The look on his face.
“So, are we headed to our quarters or were you coming to find me to take me to eat?”
“I thought we could eat first before heading back to our rooms. There is so much to share with you, but I need to wait on Petr to give me one more piece of information. Then we’ll know how this is all going to play out. We need to eat, so we might as well do that while we wait.”
Laura took a deep breath and forced herself to smile. “I could go for food. I’ve been working all day today. We just put in a new water feature in hydroponics. I believe that it’s going to be something all of the crew members will enjoy.”
Tucking his arm through hers, he drew her toward the door. “Let’s get you fed now and then we can chat.”
She leaned into him and nodded at one of the crewmen as they passed him. His crew had become accustomed to them touching and feeling as they walked through the halls and didn’t even give them a second look anymore.
Squeezing her closer to his side, he led her into the dining hall and to the food line. He gave her a tray, then followed her through as they collected their food and made their way to a table.
She made sure that she got more than they needed, so that they would have enough snacks and drinks for all night in their rooms. Then she would let him tell her whatever it was that had him so uptight that he was practically vibrating.
“Sit. Eat,” Chevon said. “I hope Petr calls sooner than later with news.” He nodded to a table full of young officers who appeared to be finishing up their meal before shift.
She placed her hand over his and gave it a light squeeze. She wanted to make sure that he knew she was there for him, no matter what. “Help me eat this food and we’ll work on heading back to our rooms after. Deal?”
“Deal.” Leaning in, he brushed a kiss to her cheek, then started to eat. They ended up taking most of the food back to their rooms. Chevon still hadn’t heard from Petr when they got there, and he was actually pulled away before she could get her hands on him. When he came back, he looked grim.
“Petr will be contacting us in the next two hours. He’s in a meeting and by the end should know how things are progressing on all fronts. Then it will be our turn to prepare this cruiser while the commanders do the same on theirs.” He sat down next to her and draped one arm around her shoulders to pull her in closer to him.
“We could put on a vid to watch while we wait.”
“Sure, put the vid in. Just let me shower and change first. I won’t be long,” he promised.
In no time at all he was back dressed in loose pants and one of the shirts she occasionally stole to wear. Unlike his dress shirts, it was longer, a bit looser, and soft from wear. He also came bearing the fuzzy blanket she liked to cuddle with him under.
Laura shifted so that she could give him more room on the couch with her. When he had them both covered she snuggled up close to him and looked up. “All right, talk to me, Chevon. We don’t have the crew near, so what are we waiting for Petr to call us back on?”
After pulling her into his lap, Chevon rested his cheek against her hair. “Everything has been set into motion. The Craegin marshal has already authorized all those who they know to be working against the military be taken into custody. Your brother and ex are also in custody for a laundry list of charges. Anyone affiliated will be placed under watch until their innocence or guilt can be proven. The ruling body will also be taken into custody as soon as the last of their cohorts make their way to Imara. They’ve called them all in for an emergency meeting. We leaked enough to worry them but not send them into hiding. We should have everything wrapped up soon. Once the majority of those keeping this war going are locked up, we will announce to the general public about the arrests, and why. And then the rest will be up to Markus.” He rubbed a hand up and down her arm. “We’re waiting for Petr to call us to let us know how things are proceeding with the Craegin side. Everything is in place on Imara for the ruling body and their supporters. Now it’s all timing and perhaps a bit of luck if the Great Spirits might be willing to grant it to us.”
“He must be in a precarious position if he’s waiting to hear back from Fintan on how things are going on the Craegin side. Now I understand why we’re near the neutral zone and why you have your most trusted seconds on the command deck.” She might be in hydroponics but she still knew when her husband was arranging shift changes. She had watched him for weeks making slight changes here and there so that no one really noticed.
“We are all in precarious positions right now. But we should know what our fate will be soon enough. For now, grab the control pad and let’s watch something.” With a smile, h
e leaned them both forward to get her close enough to the table to grab the controller for the vid system.
Halfway through, the video paused and Chevon tensed under her. She knew then it was Petr calling in. Chevon took the controller from her to switch over to the communications from the video. “Petr, what news do you have?”
The other man looked exhausted on the screen. “Apologies for the interruption, Laura. Everything has fallen into place. We are ready to move ahead with all our plans.”
Chevon shot her a look, and she knew their world was about to forever change. “What are our next steps?”
“At this time, stay where you are.” Petr wiped a hand down his face, then rubbed at his jaw. “Markus is on the move with guards. Only a select few on the Craegin side will know where he is going to be. The marshal and her chosen guards among them. He’ll be in position for the announcement, but where that is will be anyone’s guess.”
“Understood, keep us updated whenever you can, Petr.”
“You know that I will. Goodnight, you two. Get some rest,” the other man advised. “We are not yet out of the woods on this. There is much to do in the days to come. We will talk soon.” The connection ended, and the video they’d been watching appeared back on screen, paused at the moment it had been interrupted.
Laura looked up at Chevon and took another deep breath along with him. “Well, all we can hope at this point is that we are able to actually get through this in one piece. I really hope your plans work, Chevon.”
Nodding slowly, he hugged her closer to him. For a long moment or two he remained silent. Then he loosened his hold and turned off the screen. “Off to bed for us both. We need to get some sleep tonight.”
She moved with him, her hand in his, and let him pull her to her feet. “I do love you, Chevon von Janus, and I’m happy that you are in my life. No matter what else happens in this universe and with this fight, know that I’m here for you for now and for all time.”
