There was a bright flash followed by a low rumble and then the door simply disintegrated into a small pile of ash. The squad was through the doorway before the last of the ash had even fallen, weapons at the ready.
Pinned between the Alpha and Bravo squad who had entered through the other door were two men and a woman I didn't recognize – but judging by the look of pure hatred and the weapons in their hands, they were without a doubt, Regent rebels. A number of tables were spread around the room and were filled with weapons and what looked like explosive devices. Clearly, the tip we'd received had panned out well.
“Place your weapons on the ground,” Vink said. “And put your hands in the air. By order of the authority of the lawful crown of Optorio, you are to be detained and questioned.”
The atmosphere in the room was filled with a malevolent sense of foreboding. It felt charged. Expectant. It felt like the air just before a particularly wicked storm broke. As I scanned the room, something felt off to me. Something wasn't right.
And then it hit me.
“Vink,” I said. “Where's the fourth?”
He shot me a look. “What?”
“When you scanned the building, you picked up four bodies in here,” I said. “There are only three here. Where's the fourth?”
As if in response to my question, a hidden door in the back wall of the room came crashing open. A man dressed in black from head to toe rushed out, his weapon at the ready and trained on Vink. Moving without thinking, I stepped in front, shoving Vink out of the way just as the man opened up. As Vink fell to the ground, blue lasers erupted from the gunman's weapon, catching me in the chest and stomach. It felt like hammer blows to my body, but with a crackling sound filling my ears and the smell of something burning filling my nose, I stood my ground and returned fire.
As my lasers pierced his body in multiple places, I heard the sound of gunfire behind me. Apparently, the other three in the room decided that they weren't going down without a fight. The gunman dropped to the ground and was still. I fell to a knee, trying to catch my breath. My body ached from where his shots hit me. Thankfully, I was wearing my sonic body armor – the very thing I'd argued against but Vink had insisted I wear.
“Are you okay?” Vink said, taking a knee beside me.
I nodded, still struggling to catch my breath. “Fine,” I gasped. “I'm fine.”
Vink looked behind us and then turned his attention back to me. “I told you that you need to stop coming on these raids,” he admonished me. “You're going to get yourself killed out here. This is no place for a king.”
I gave him a lopsided grin as my breath slowly began coming back to me. “I was a Guardsman first,” I said. “I do about as well out of the action as you do.”
“You have bigger responsibilities now,” he said. “You're a king.”
“A king who has no desire to send others to fight my battles,” I said. “I will not send others to do that which I'm unwilling to do.”
Vink looked at me and sighed – but I could see the respect behind his eyes. He may not like it, but he had to understand and respect it. We were Guardsmen. Getting into the fight was what we did. And king or not, it was what I intended to continue doing.
Vink helped me to my feet and scanned the room, looking for any other threats. The rest of the Guardsmen had formed a protective circle around me. Not that they needed to. Everybody in the room who could have been a threat was dead.
“Doesn't look like we're going to have anybody to interrogate,” I said.
Vink sighed. “They gave us no choice.”
I nodded. “I know,” I replied. “I just want to put an end to these rebels. And to do that, we need information.”
“At least all of these weapons are out of circulation,” Vink said.
I nodded. “There is that.”
I turned and looked down at the bodies of the rebels. They hadn't stood a chance and yet, despite that, they'd tried to fight their way out. These people were committed, I at least had to give them that. Of course, they were committed to killing me and seizing control of Optorio, which lessened my sympathy for them tremendously.
“Okay, that's it,” Vink said. “Let's get somebody out here to clean this up and pack it in.”
The rest of our squad got to work and I walked out of the building with Vink. We were silent for a few moments before he turned to me.
“I'm glad you're okay,” he said. “But seriously, we need to talk about you participating in these raids.”
I shook my head. “I'm going to keep participating,” I said. “It's my duty.”
“It's your duty to keep yourself safe,” he replied. “For Optorio's sake. Do you really want this planet to fall back into the hands of the Regents?”
“Of course not,” I said. “But nor do I want to be seen as the type of king who is unwilling to get his hands dirty. The kind of king who believes he's above anybody else. I can't ask these men – I can't ask you – to risk everything, while I risk nothing.”
He sighed again. “I'm not going to talk you out of this, am I?”
I shook my head. “No, you're really not.”
“Fine,” he replied. “But we are going to be taking extra precautions next time.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a hand to cut me off.
“As the mission commander,” Vink said. “It's my way or no way at all. King or not, I have an entire squad to worry about.”
He had me there and I knew it. There was nothing I could say. Oh sure, I could pull rank – I was the king after all – but it would do me no good and would only alienate my most trusted ally.
“Fine,” I said. “We will do things your way.”
He nodded, satisfied. Or at least, as satisfied as he could be given the fact that I refused to be left behind.
“You could do one thing that would help me though,” I said.
He cocked his head and looked at me. “What's that?”
“Make sure all of the bad guys are accounted for so they don't sneak up behind me,” I said and laughed.
He looked at me and then a slow smile spread across his face. His laughter soon followed and he clapped me on the shoulder.
“I'll do my best next time,” he said.
Chapter Two
Riley
“Thank you, Ynora,” I said. “Everything looks absolutely perfect.”
Ynora smiled. “You're welcome, m'lady.”
I stood on the balcony just off of our chambers and looked at the table she'd arranged for us. The sky was finally clearing and the twin moons of Optorio were shining down, casting the world in a sparkling, silvery light. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore was the perfect ambiance for the night of romance I was planning.
It had been eight months since we came to Optorio and Jendrish assumed the throne. And in those eight months, it seemed like I had barely seen him. I knew that he was being kept incredibly busy. I couldn't pretend to know everything that went into being a king, but I knew that the commitment of time was enormous.
Obviously, since we barely got to spend any time together.
Which was why, I made sure he carved a little bit of time out of his schedule every now and then – time for us. Time where he didn't have to worry about affairs of state or anything else. Time when we could simply focus on each other.
Looking forward to those shared times was one of the few things keeping me sane. I had very little to do and really was the proverbial stranger in a strange land. Though most of the people of Optorio were very gracious and welcoming, I couldn't help but notice how many stares I got. Some were curious, some were openly hostile. Though there were many different alien species mingling around in the marketplaces, Optorion society was decidedly – homogenous.
Strangers tended to stand out. It felt like perhaps because I was with Jendrish and everybody knew it, I tended to stand out even more. And I got the distinct impression that some people simply did not approve of the fact that
their king was with a human. Jendrish liked to say that I was being too sensitive, that Optorion society was open and welcoming. But he didn't see the looks I got. Didn't feel the cold shoulders I sometimes felt.
I hoped that one day, I would feel welcomed. That I could make Optorio feel like a home. But I wasn't sure how far off that day was. Or if it would ever arrive.
Still, I had Jendrish. And I had managed to develop a few close friendships. That's what got me through most days. That's what helped keep me sane and keep me from feeling like I'd made a horrible mistake – the most horrible mistake of my life.
But now that I was on an entirely different planet, there was no easy fix for that kind of mistake.
I cared for Jendrish. A lot. It was crazy given how little time we'd actually known one another, but there was something about him that I'd never found in another man I'd been with. At least, in no human man I'd ever been with. After a particularly bad and abusive relationship, I'd thought that I'd closed myself off to love. At least until I had my house in order and was well on my way toward achieving my goals. But Jendrish had fallen out of the sky and into my life – literally – and had changed a great deal about my thinking. And my life.
As thankful as I was to have him in my life and to be a part of his, it didn't change the fact that I was lonely. I wandered around the halls of this amazing palace, studied the art and culture of the Optorion people, spent a lot of time on that strange, yet beautiful beach just outside – but I did all of those things alone. I wanted to share these new and amazing experiences with Jendrish, but his duties kept him away from me most of the time.
“Are you okay, m'lady?”
I turned and gave a small start. I'd been so lost in my head, thinking about all of my problems, that I nearly having forgotten that Ynora was still there.
“Sorry, Ynora,” I said, giving her a weak smile. “Just sort of caught up in my head again.”
She smiled and nodded as if she understood. And given the amount of time she spent with me, she probably did. Ynora was about the closest thing I had to a best friend on Optorio. She was part of the household staff, but she was more than that to me. She took care of me. Looked after me. Was always there to be a sounding board or to offer up some insight or piece of wisdom.
I'd spent a lot of time with Ynora and genuinely enjoyed her company. She was very smart, witty, easy to talk to, and like seemingly all Optorion women – absolutely gorgeous. She was tall and trim, her body lithe and athletic. She had that Optorion pale skin and hair that was a soft, violet color and fell nearly to her waist. I had to admit that I felt like a bit of an ugly duckling next to her. But she never made me feel anything less than beautiful, always going on about how beautiful I was – though I didn't necessarily believe her, it still made me feel a bit better.
“What is troubling you, m'lady?” she asked.
I looked at her and grinned. “The fact that you keep calling me m'lady,” I said. “It's Riley. And I'd feel a whole lot better if you'd just call me that.”
I saw a spot of color rise in her cheeks. “But that isn't proper. You're to be queen and calling you by your given name is a little too – familiar.”
“You're my friend, Ynora,” I said. “You can't be too familiar with a friend. Call me Riley. Please?”
“I will do my best. But I make no promises,” she said and smiled. “Now, what's really troubling you?”
I shrugged. “The usual,” I replied. “Just missing Jendrish. He's gone so much – it's silly. I know he's busy and has many duties that take up his time and attention... ”
She nodded. “He does have much to do as a king,” she said softly. “But, pardon me for speaking out of turn, but I believe one of those duties should be attending to you. Making sure you're taken care of and not feeling so alone.”
I gave her a grateful smile. “Sometimes I feel like such a needy girl.”
“You are not though,” Ynora replied. “I can't imagine he understands what it must be like for you. You're so far away from your home. On a new world entirely. This has to be so strange and so powerfully overwhelming for you.”
“It is,” I admitted. “I try to be strong though. Try to not make it a big deal. He's got enough to worry about right now. But yeah, it's hard. Not that I had much of a life back on Earth, but at least I was in familiar surroundings. Among familiar people.”
“You should let him see that. You must not feel the need to be strong, m'la – Riley,” she said and smiled as she caught herself. “Make him understand how difficult this is for you.”
“I'm not so sure it would change much,” I said. “He's so focused on being the king.”
“I can tell that he's a good man,” she said. “And from what I have seen, I know he will be a good king. I don't know him very well on a personal level, but I can see that he cares for you. I can tell that he wants to make you happy. I have no doubts that if he knew how much you're struggling, that he would do everything in his power to make it right.”
I sighed. “I just don't want to be a bother.”
“If he truly loves you, nothing you can say or do would be a bother, Riley.”
I looked at her and Ynora favored me with a kind, compassionate expression. She was so good to me. I crossed to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. At first she was a little stiff and hesitant but then gradually warmed up and embraced me in return. One thing I'd learned in my time on Optorio was that they were not an overly demonstrative of physically affectionate people. They weren't the kind of people who seemed particularly fond of PDA's. But I was going to change that – at least, among the people I felt were part of my inner circle.
Eventually, I stepped back and wiped away the tears that had welled in my eyes. I wasn't much for crying or letting myself feel – or appear – vulnerable, but I felt like I could be myself around Ynora. I felt like I could let down my guard and it would be okay.
“I feel so fortunate to have you in my life, Ynora,” I said. “Thank you for being such a good friend to me.”
She smiled. “No thanks is necessary, Riley,” she said. “I value your friendship as well. Very much so.”
The door to our chambers opened and Jendrish walked in. He was limping and wincing as he walked, but he smiled at us.
“Am I interrupting?” he asked.
Ynora blushed and bowed her head. “Of course not, your Majesty,” she said. “I was just leaving.”
She shot me a meaningful look – one I interpreted to mean that she thought I should talk to him about everything we'd talked about. But I was worried about Jendrish in that moment. He looked tired and he looked injured. But the fact that he was able to walk in under his own power told me it probably wasn't too serious.
I gave Ynora a small smile and a nod. If it seemed appropriate, I would bring it up. Maybe. She departed the room without another word, softly closing the door behind her. I looked at Jendrish and smiled, all of the warm feelings I got whenever I saw him flooding my body. It had been eight months, but I still got butterflies in my stomach when I saw him. He was a genuinely beautiful man.
“Welcome home,” I said and smiled.
He returned my smile and looked at me. And then his eyes shifted to the table I'd had set up.
“What's all this?” he asked.
“I took the liberty of putting together a small, intimate dinner,” I said. “Just for the two of us.”
He gave me a smile filled with warmth and even a hint of gratitude. “It looks wonderful,” he said. “Thank you.”
Unable to stop myself, I rushed over and threw my arms around Jendrish and squeezed him tight. He winced and groaned softly, making me take a step back. He gave me a weak smile, but I could see the pain in his features.
“Rough day at the office?” I asked.
Chapter Three
Jendrish
“And you didn't think to mention this to me – why?”
Riley stood before me, her arms crossed, and an expression on her face
that was both concerned and angry all at the same time. Humans were so emotive and expressive – it was something I was still getting used to.
“I didn't want you to worry.”
And that was the truth. I knew that telling Riley that I was participating in the raids would only upset and concern her. They were dangerous. I knew that and I assumed the risks going in. Nobody, not Vink and not even Riley were going to prevent me from taking part in the raids I ordered.
I winced as I took a seat at the table she had prepared and looked at the lavish feast she'd laid out. Riley had obviously gone to a lot of trouble to put this together – a fact that I appreciated. But as I looked at her, still standing in the same spot, arms still crossed, jaw set, and eyes narrowed, I wasn’t sure I was going to get a chance to indulge in our intimate little dinner.
“This looks wonderful,” I said, smiling and trying to shift the conversation. “I appreciate you going to all of this trouble.”
She sighed and sat down at the table across from me. Grabbing the bottle of wine, she poured a glass for me and then for herself.
“I thought we could use a little alone time,” she said.
I picked up my glass and raised it to her – the light blue fluid inside sparkling in the candlelight. “I think you're right.”
She raised her glass in return, but didn't smile. “Don't think I'm not still pissed, Jendrish,” she said. “You're not getting out of this that easily.”
I took a sip of my drink and smiled. I figured she wasn't going to let it drop that easily – but I'd hoped she would.
“There is really nothing to be concerned with, Riley,” I said. “I'm fine. I promise you.”
“Then why did you look like you were going to scream like a little girl when I hugged you?”
My grin was rueful. “A few bumps and bruises. Nothing more.”
“What happened?” she asked and leaned back in her seat.
Riley took a sip of her wine and I could tell by the look in her eye that she wasn't going to let up until she got the story out of me. I was tired, sore, and hungry – and looking at a feast that included all of my favorites spread out before me, I grew even hungrier. But until she was satisfied, I knew there would be no partaking in such a fine meal.
Rocor (Dragons of Kratak Book 5) Page 43
