Perchance to Dream

by Lyssa Chiavari

  ❦

  When Isaias returned to his quarters that evening, Ellena waited for him alone. Dressed for dinner, she paced the living room, glancing at her watch.

  “There you are!” she exclaimed when he entered their room. “We’re going to be late for dinner! Hurry up and change.”

  His upper lip curled as he took in her revealing dress and red lips. “You look like a prostitute.”

  Ellena gasped, picking up a pillow from the nearby couch and throwing it at him. “Don’t be a jackass.”

  He shrugged, tossing aside the pillow and sinking into an armchair. “It’s the truth. Did you do what I asked you to?”

  With a snort, she lifted a silver bracelet from the small counter separating their living area from the kitchenette.

  “I don’t know why I bother to do anything for you when you treat me like crap all the time, but here it is.”

  Isaias extended his hand and accepted the bracelet. “Because you know better than to cross me,” he murmured, not bothering to thank or even acknowledge her for the item. “Are you sure it’s the right one?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Dia never shuts up about the thing. It’s the bracelet Onyx gave her the night he told her he loved her. She’s going to throw a fit when she realizes it’s missing. What do you want it for, anyway?”

  “Don’t worry about that. You just go change your clothes. I’m not taking you anywhere looking like that.”

  Ellena stomped off to change, leaving Isaias alone to stare at the stolen bracelet.

  “It’s funny how such a small thing can cause so much chaos,” he mused aloud, watching the light glitter on the surface of the piece of jewelry.

  ❦

  Dia glanced at the clock as Onyx swept into their quarters, an hour late for dinner. She stood, relieved to see that he was all right. When he hadn’t come or sent word, she’d been worried. Besides, she was anxious to talk to him about Cronius and get it over with. Seeing how distraught the lieutenant was over the whole situation had made her even more determined to help him.

  “Hey,” she said, smiling as she stood to greet him. “How was your day?”

  Onyx avoided her gaze and brushed past her, going into the small bedroom off the sitting area. “You didn’t have to miss dinner,” he said, his voice muffled by the wall between them. “I got held up, but you should have gone without me.”

  She frowned at his cold, even tone. Maybe now wasn’t the best time; obviously, he’d had a bad day at work. Following him into the bedroom, she found him changing out of his uniform.

  “That’s okay, I didn’t mind,” she said. “Besides, I thought maybe we could have dinner sent up and spend the night alone.”

  She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against his bare back. He stiffened, but didn’t pull away.

  “Did you, now?”

  “Mmm-hmm,” she murmured, inhaling his distinct scent. Her fingers traced his Ethelene tattoos. “I missed you today.”

  “I’m sure you did,” he snorted, pulling away from her and jerking on a t-shirt.

  She blinked, stunned as he continued changing, still avoiding looking at her.

  “Is everything all right? Did you have a bad day or something?”

  He shrugged. “Just a long one. Maybe you should go ahead and get dinner sent up. I’m starving.”

  She nodded, toying with the hem of her shirt and studying him intently. His behavior was unusual, to say the least. “Sure,” she whispered.

  Leaving the room, she put a call down to the kitchen, then set about prepping the little dining table in the kitchenette. By the time he emerged from the bedroom, dinner had arrived. She laid it out on the little table and portioned everything out. He took the seat across from her and finally looked at her. His gaze was intense, his fingers tight around his fork when he lifted it.

  “How was your day? What did you do?”

  Why did his scrutiny make her feel like she’d done something wrong?

  “Just hung out with Ellena,” she replied.

  “Just Ellena?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Yeah. I tend to stay away from the other wives. Most of them only wanted to be my friend before because I was General Tian’s daughter. Now that I’m your wife it’ll be even worse. I’m not interested in being used.”

  He didn’t reply. For another moment, he simply watched her, as if waiting for her to say something else. After a while, he turned his attention to his plate and started eating. Dia followed suit.

  “Everyone’s talking about what happened last night,” she said between bites.

  “Men who drink too much can always be counted on to act like idiots,” he replied. “Nothing new about that. The situation’s being handled.”

  “Oh, I’m sure. It’s just… well, I hate that Lieutenant March is being decommissioned over it.”

  Onyx paused, his fork halfway to his mouth. “You and Ellena discussed that today?”

  “Yeah,” she replied. “I’m sure the punishment is the status quo when officers get out of line, but—”

  “But what?” he snapped, dropping his fork onto his plate. “You want to tell me how to do my job now?”

  Dia started, rearing against the back of her chair. Even when he was in a bad mood because of work, he never took it out on her.

  “N-no,” she stammered. “Of course not. It’s just that I’ve known Cronius March since I was a kid. He was friends with my father. He’s a good man.”

  “Is he? How do you know?”

  Her heart began to race, and her palms broke out into a sweat. She had always hated confrontation, and arguing always turned her stomach and made her jittery. They’d never fought before.

  “Well… I… I just do. He’s served in the army with honor, and he was a family man before… before Virus X took out half of Napet.”

  “Yes, I know all about his wife and child,” Onyx said, his expression softening a bit. “He wasn’t the only person who lost someone.”

  “I know that better than most,” she reminded him. “But I still had my dad, and I have you. Cronius has no one. Did you know he had a drinking problem after they died? He fought his way back from that, and hadn’t had a drink in a year before last night. He had a little slip-up, but it was just a mistake. People make mistakes.”

  His jaw clenched and he glanced away from her. His dark eyes became even more inscrutable, if such a thing were possible. She’d always been drawn to the mystery in their depths, but now she found it frustrating not to be able to guess at his thoughts.

  “Yes, people do make mistakes,” he replied. “I suppose you think I should forgive him for making me look like a fool as his commanding officer?”

  She reached across the table and took his hand. “Would it be so hard? You told me that he was the best candidate for the job when you promoted him. Has that changed because of one mistake?”

  He sighed, running his free hand over his short hair. He gave her fingers a squeeze with the other.

  “I love how you care about people,” he said. “I’m sorry for being a jerk. I’ve had a long day and I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m… I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

  She stood and rounded the table toward him. Grasping his face, she tilted his head back and smiled down at him. “No need to apologize. We all get grumpy from time to time. Why don’t we finish dinner and go to bed early?”

  He turned in his chair and reached for her, pulling her down onto his lap. “What do you say we go to bed right now?” he murmured.

  He leaned into her and she met his searching lips with her own. “I say that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”

  ❦

  Chapter 8

  Cronius had just finished donning his uniform and was preparing to leave his quarters for breakfast when a knock sounded at the door. Crossing his living area quickly, he opened it to find Major Onyx standing on the other side, with Isaias flanking him. His throat constricted as he q
uickly snapped to attention and saluted.

  “Major,” he said, trying to control his voice. It came out shaky and breathless. “Is there something I can do for you?”

  “We need to talk.”

  He backed away from the door. “Of course. Come on in.”

  The two entered his quarters and Isaias closed the door behind them. Onyx took a seat in the armchair, and Cronius sat across from him on the small loveseat.

  “Mind if I use your bathroom?” Isaias asked.

  Cronius shot to his feet, remembering his little houseguest. He’d left her sleeping in his bed, as he hadn’t wanted to wake her. In his state of loneliness and distress over the incident that might have cost him his career, he’d slept with a fellow soldier—a woman he’d caught staring at him enough times to know she was attracted.

  “Um…” He paused, scratching the back of his neck. “Use the outer door here, not the bedroom door. I have… company.”

  Isaias gave him a grin that clearly said ‘you dog, you’, before finding the hallway door giving access to the bathroom, which also connected to his bedroom.

  “Sorry about that,” Cronius said, his face flushing in embarrassment as he turned back to the major.

  Onyx shrugged. “I shouldn’t have intruded on your personal space. I just… I wanted to talk in private.”

  Cronius leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “It’s okay.”

  Onyx cleared his throat. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about things. Maybe I was a bit hasty to jump straight to decommissioning. While your actions were reprehensible and irresponsible, I do believe you are sorry for what you did. It was out of character for you, and I’m certain it won’t happen again.”

  Cronius sat up straighter, hope causing him to smile. “No, sir!” he insisted. “I had a one-time break in my sobriety, and I’m ashamed to say I let anger get the best of me. It will never happen again, in or out of uniform.”

  The major nodded, his sharp eyes assessing him. “I’ve heard stories of what happened to your family, Lieutenant. I know that Virus X affected many families, so I can understand how grief can lead someone to lose themselves.”

  “Losing my wife was the darkest moment of my life,” he admitted.

  “I can only imagine. I will admit, it took putting myself in your shoes to understand. I don’t have a family anymore, Lieutenant. I have my wife, and that’s it. If I lost her…” He trailed off, a hard look transforming his face for a split second. He shook his head, as if to shake the thought away. “Anyway, my C.O.s will want a full report when we return, and I can’t lie to them. Too many witnesses. But, instead of recommending that you be decommissioned, I plan to have you placed on a probationary behavioral monitoring program. For ninety days you’ll have to adhere to a pretty strict protocol, then go before the board for a review and evaluation, but I think you can do it.”

  Cronius breathed a sigh of relief. “I’d do it for twice that long if I had to. Thank you, sir.”

  He stood and extended his hand to the major. Onyx stood as well, placing his own hand in Cronius’.

  “Don’t make me regret this,” he warned.

  “I won’t, sir.”

  By then, Isaias had emerged from the bathroom, though he could still hear the sound of running water indicating that Cronius’ companion had entered in his place.

  “Perfect timing,” Onyx said to his ensign. “We’re done here. Lieutenant, I expect to see you at the meeting with Avaron’s captains this evening. We’ll be having dinner with them and discussing Avaron’s security in light of the Matsai sighting nearby.”

  “Of course. I’ll see you then.”

  He straightened and saluted the major, who returned the salute before turning to leave. When they were gone, Cronius fell onto the sofa, throwing his head back and laughing hysterically. Just the day before, things had seemed so hopeless. He’d been about to lose his career in addition to his wife and family. He told himself to find Dia Tian and thank her at the earliest opportunity.

  ❦

  Onyx gritted his teeth and tried not to stare at the woman sitting across from him. One of the six Avaron captains present for the meetings, she’d caught his eye the moment she entered the room. Not because he found her attractive or because anything about her struck him as remarkable, but because of the piece of jewelry she wore around her wrist. The sight of it robbed him of his concentration, causing him to lose track of the conversation taking place around him. To his left and right, his first and second lieutenants watched him in confusion, though neither remarked on his state of distraction.

  “Which is why I think an increased military presence in and around Avaron is the wisest course of action, considering the circumstances.”

  Onyx blinked, realizing he’d missed almost everything Captain O’Ryan had just said. He leaned back in his chair and pretended to consider a course of action he hadn’t even heard. His eyes continued flitting back to the female captain and the bit of silver hanging from her wrist. It just didn’t make sense.

  What was a stranger doing with his wife’s bracelet?

  “I’ll need time to confer with my lieutenants on the matter,” he said finally. “We’ll reconvene in the morning after breakfast to discuss the matter further. I may have to put in a call to my superiors at Napet.”

  “Very well,” Captain O’Ryan replied, seeming satisfied with his answer. “Until tomorrow.”

  The room began to empty as the Avaron officers stood and took up their files, folders, and notepads before trickling out of the conference room.

  Onyx stood as well and located Isaias on the other side of the room. He took his time making his way toward the ensign, careful not to show any outward sign of urgency.

  “Isaias.”

  The ensign saluted. “Sir?”

  “That female captain… what do you know about her?”

  Isaias followed his gaze across to the room to where she stood smiling up at Cronius. The two were talking in hushed tones.

  “That’s Captain Moore. I believe her first name is Vivian.”

  “I need to speak with her alone. Arrange that for me, please.”

  “Right away, sir.”

  Onyx resumed his place at the conference table and waited, hands folded in front of him. He fought to keep them from shaking as anger gripped him. Two things he’d never been able to abide were liars and thieves.

  A few moments later, he sat alone in the room with Isaias and Captain Moore.

  “Should I leave, sir?” Isaias asked, glancing awkwardly between him and the captain.

  “No,” he answered. “Sit. I need a witness.”

  Isaias obeyed silently, and Onyx turned to the woman sitting across from him.

  “Captain Moore, I hope you don’t mind if I cut right to the chase.”

  The captain shifted uncomfortably in her seat and cleared her throat. “Of course not,” she replied. “Is something wrong?”

  He shrugged. “That all depends. I need to know where you got that bracelet.”

  Her eyes widened, and she glanced down at the piece of jewelry. Just the sight of it touching someone else’s skin filled him with rage. The woman didn’t even know she played with fire by parading it around in front of him.

  “Captain, when I give a command, I expect swift obedience,” he snapped when no answer was forthcoming.

  She jumped, her face not unlike that of a deer caught in headlights. “I don’t want anyone to get in trouble,” she replied.

  Onyx frowned. “Whoever you’re protecting, I suggest you think of yourself and your own career. If I report you for wearing stolen property, you could lose your rank.”

  Vivian gasped. “Stolen? I think there’s been some kind of mistake. This bracelet was a gift.”

  He raised one eyebrow dubiously. “From?”

  “Look, our personal lives are our business. It was giving to me by the man I’ve been seeing, and he’s a fellow officer—one of yours. I don’t know what you’re
talking about, but it’s not stolen. He’s not that kind of guy.”

  Onyx stood, bracing his fists against the table. He was quickly losing his battle for composure.

  “I can assure you, the bracelet is stolen. You see, it belongs to my wife. I know, because I gave it to her. The inside bears an Ethelene inscription. Seeing as I am the last remaining Ethelene in the universe, I think it’s safe to say it’s the same one.”

  “An Ethelene…” She trailed off, reaching down with one hand to unclasp the bracelet.

  It fell onto the table with a clink, and she turned it over, revealing the markings etched onto the inside—not unlike the tattoos he bore on his chest and back. He had committed the inscription to memory: I’ll always come back to you. It had been his father’s promise to his mother, just as it was his to Dia’s.

  “Oh my God,” she whispered. She looked up at him, her mouth hanging ajar. “I’m so sorry, sir. I didn’t know, I swear. He gave it to me and… oh, I feel so stupid! What kind of guy gives someone another woman’s bracelet?”

  “That’s what I aim to find out,” he said, reaching across the table to take up the bracelet. She didn’t resist. “I want a name.”

  She sighed, lowering her head. “To think I tried to protect the bastard.”

  “He could have gotten you in trouble, so there’s no need to shield him,” Isaias cut in. “Sorry, sir, for interrupting. Captain, whoever it is, you’d be better off letting the major handle him.”

  Running a hand through her short hair, she snorted in disgust. “Lieutenant March. Do your worst with him, I don’t give a rat’s ass.”

  Onyx felt his fingers close tight around the bracelet, and his lungs began to burn. He’d forgotten how to breathe. He was drowning, suspended in this moment and dying a slow, painful death. He hardly recognized his own voice when he spoke. “Cronius? You were the woman in his apartment this morning?”

  She nodded. “Yes, and don’t go spreading that around. We didn’t want to get in trouble for fraternization, but now I don’t want anyone to know I had anything to do with that scumbag.”