“Let her go,” I said. “She has nothing to do with any of this.”
“Oh, I disagree,” he replied. “She is my leverage.”
Vink growled and looked over at me. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't risk Riley's life by doing something stupid. I had to let this play out.
“What is it you want, Veshna?” I asked.
“Not very much, really,” he replied. “I want you to step down and vacate the throne.”
“What, you think you should be on it?” Vink scoffed.
Veshna shook his head. “No, not me. I won't be taking the throne.”
“Then who?” I asked.
“It's not your concern,” he snapped. “I am going to do you a kindness and allow you to leave Optorio – with your human whore – if you vow to never return. All you need to do is abdicate. In public.”
“Oh, is that all?” Vink asked. “Not asking for much, are you?”
“It's either that, or we prolong this bloody conflict between us,” he said. “And you never see your precious human again. At least, not alive.”
“Don't you dare do it, Jendrish,” Riley called. “Don't you even think about it.”
“I just have this sneaking suspicion,” I said, “that if I agree to your demands, my shuttle will have some sort of accident before I ever clear the atmosphere.”
A small smile touched Veshna's lips. It was as if he couldn't help himself. It was as if he thought this was his crowning moment of glory and he needed to gloat about it.
“I suppose this leaves us at a bit of a stalemate, does it not?” I asked. “I'm not going up in a shuttle just to have you shoot us down.”
“And I can't leave you alive,” he replied.
“Then what are we going to do about this?” I asked. “You kill her, I'm going to kill you. And if you kill me, Vink is going to kill you. Nobody is going to win in any scenario here, Veshna. So what are you going to do?”
“There is one way to settle this,” Vink said.
I looked over at him and cocked my head. “What are you talking about?”
“It's one of the old ways,” he said. “A practice that hasn't been used in a long, long time. But one that Optorions of old used to settle disputes.”
“And what is that practice?” Veshna asked.
“Trial by combat,” Vink replied.
I nodded. “One on one. No interference from anybody. Only one survives,” I said. “It certainly would clear up all of the lingering issues here.”
Veshna was tall and had some length on me, but I believed that my training as a Guardsman would negate that advantage. A one on one fight might actually be the best solution to our problem.
“No, Jendrish,” Riley yelled. “You can't.”
“What do you say, Veshna,” I called. “Are you willing to fight me man to man?”
A look of anger crossed his face. “Why would I not be? Do you think I'm afraid of you?”
I gave him a soft laugh. “I think you've been afraid of a lot of people for a long time.”
“Do not speak as if you know me,” he spat. “You do not.”
He was growing angrier by the moment – which was something that worked to my advantage. I needed him to not just keep his focus on me, but to also direct all of that anger my way as well. I wanted him good and mad. I wanted him to fight me.
“I don't need to know you to know the type of man you are,” I said.
“He's not going to fight you,” Vink said. “Too much of a coward.”
With a growl, Veshna pushed Riley to the ground and strode down the steps. He stalked across the compound until he was standing almost nose to nose with me. He was angry. Enraged. Which was good. Very good.
“Trial by combat,” he sneered. “Only one will survive this.”
I nodded. “Only one. You kill me, the throne is yours.”
I stole a quick glance over at Vink who looked at me with a small measure of concern. I was putting myself in harm's way and he did not like it. But under the circumstances, there really was no choice. He unsheathed the sword on his hip and took a step back. I took the sword from the sheath on my back and stood before him, a small burst of excitement flowing through me.
“Jendrish please,” Riley said. “Don't do this.”
Vink had moved over and had his arm around her shoulders, guiding her back toward the fence. She was clear of the fighting and was going to be kept safe.
“Free my men,” I said.
“And let them kill me?” he asked. “I think not.”
“Put them outside the gates and put the electrical field back up,” I said. “I will order them to stay outside no matter what happens. They will not harm you. You have my word.”
He looked at me a long moment and then finally nodded. “Fine.”
“Vink” I called over my shoulder without taking my eyes off of Veshna. “Get everybody out on the other side of that fence. And do not come in here no matter what happens. Do you understand?”
There was a long pause before Vink finally answered me. “Understood.”
“Jendrish,” Riley called out. “Don't do this.”
I shut it out and focused on the task at hand. I had to kill Veshna or be killed myself. As I readied myself, movement on the porch drew my attention. Out of the shadows stepped a large, brawny man with a look of pure contempt on his face.
“I said no interference,” I replied. “I controlled mine, now you control yours.”
Veshna looked back over his shoulder and nodded. “No interference Kalmor,” he said. “No matter what happens.”
The big man nodded and remained standing where he was.
“I don't know about you,” Veshna said. “But I'm getting a little bit of an excited rush here.”
I gave him a small, half-smile. “That makes two of us.”
“Are you ready?” Veshna asked.
I nodded. “I'm ready.”
Without warning, Veshna came running in, bringing his sword down in murderous arc. I got my own sword up just in time to deflect that blow. Steel clashed against steel and I felt the vibration all the way up my arms. Veshna, though tall and lanky, apparently had some power in his arms.
With the sound of our swords ringing together still echoing out into the night, I lashed out with my foot and caught him in a midsection. I had driven the air from his lungs and he doubled over, gasping. I quickly moved to press my advantage, bringing my own sword down, hoping it would be one killing blow.
But I had no such luck. He sidestepped my slice and came tearing back in, slashing and stabbing. I was in a frenzy, parrying blows from every angle possible. Veshna was an accomplished swordsman and he was a lot stronger than he looked. I had my hands full, to say the least.
Veshna sliced and I wasn't fast enough. The blade of his sword sliced into my midsection, drawing a pained grunt from me. I was vaguely aware of the sound of Riley shrieking – it sounded like she was light years away though.
I felt the blood flowing from the wound, making my stomach area slick with it. I winced as I moved. It wasn't a particularly deep cut, but it hurt. He came at me again and I was able to deflect the blows – but just barely.
I thrust the tip of my sword and it bit into his upper arm fairly deep. His blood flowed and he grunted in pain, but lashed out with that curved knife that seemed to have magically appeared in his hand. The blade of that curved knife cut across my forearm, laying it open. I took a step back as he advanced and then disaster struck.
I felt something under my foot a split second before my ankle turned and I went down on my back. Hard. The air was driven from my lungs as I hit the hard packed earth beneath me. As I looked up at the stars overhead, I realized that I was done. That I had lost the fight and was about to die. I didn't like it, but as a soldier, I'd made my peace with death a long time ago. My biggest regret was not being able to tell Riley I loved her one last time.
Veshna entered my field of vision. He was looking down at me with a cruel smile u
pon his lips. This was it. I was about to die.
“I can't begin to tell you how satisfying this is for me,” he said. “I am going to savor every last second of your life. And I'll spend eternity thrilled with the knowledge that my will won out”
I heard Riley and Vink shouting for me. They were both nearly hysterical. I did my best to shut the noise out.
“Time to die,” Veshna spat. “Your Majesty.
I watched as he raised his sword over his head, intending to bring it down point first into my body. But as I lay there watching, something burst from his chest. A spray of blood rained down on me and Veshna's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates.
He looked down at the blade of the sword that was protruding from his chest and then at me, his mouth forming a perfect “0”. and then the blade was yanked free and Veshna's body fell to the ground. Limp. Lifeless. His eyes wide open but staring at nothing, fixed in the permanent glaze of death.
The man who'd been standing on the porch – Varnu’s man – stood there with his sword in his hand. He looked at me, his expression was one that said he did what he had to do – but he wasn't even remotely close to being happy about it.
The man reached down, and helped me up. I winced in pain at the wounds on my arm and midsection. I looked at the man and shook my head.
“Why did you do it?”
“Let's just say, I did not share Veshna's vision of the world,” he said. “I have a woman. She's from Praxias Four. And according to Veshna, she should probably be killed. Wasn't worthy of life. So I've been feeding his father information for a long while, hoping that this day would eventually come.”
“And here we are,” I said.
He nodded. “And here we are,” he replied. “Now get out of here. Go and build a better society.”
I did as I was told and got out of there. Now that Veshna was gone and the rebellion was over, we had a world to build.
Chapter Eleven
Riley
We sat on the balcony off our bedchamber, looking out over the red waters of the sea. Together, with the man I loved, we sat there, holding one another and listening to the gentle waves rolling in to the shore. I'd never grow tired of this view. It was so different and so much more amazing than anything I'd experienced before. It was relaxing – which was what we needed after everything we'd been through.
“I'm sorry,” he said softly, his face nuzzled against the crook of my neck as we lounged on a hammock together. “I never should have sent you away.”
I was still a little hurt by him sending me away like he had. But considering the fact that he'd saved my life – again -- I was working on getting over that.
Jendrish took in a deep breath, as if he was breathing me in. My hair fell over his face, hiding him from view, so I pushed it aside, eager to look at him. That was another view I'd never grow tired of, his beauty was something of legend, and he was mine. We were together. He loved me. And I loved him.
Jendrish continued. “I sent you away because I was scared for your well-being, Riley. None of this should have happened, but I did it to keep you safe. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if something had happened to you.”
My body tensed up and I gritted my teeth. I knew that he'd wanted to keep me safe. But he had no right to make that decision for me.
“It was wrong, Jendrish. I'm a grown woman. And whether you realize it or not, I have a right to make my own decisions – and you took that away from me. Can you see why I'm pissed?”
He nodded. “It wasn't the right choice,” he said. “I see it now. I just didn't – I'm just not used to this. As a soldier, things were different. I didn't have so many things to consider or deal with – such as the feelings of those I care about. I only wanted to protect you.”
“But do you know why it wasn't the right choice?” I pressed on. “Not just because I got kidnapped -- but because it wasn't your choice to make.”
Jendrish didn't say anything, which caused me to pull away from him. I sat upright and tried to be distant from him – or as distant as I could be while still sharing a hammock with him. I was on the verge of getting up when he grabbed my hand in his and kissed the palm lightly.
“I understand that now,” he said. “It's just – I not only wanted to protect you, but I was afraid of you seeing that animalistic, savage side of me that war brings out. I didn't want you to judge me harshly because I was – a savage. You've never seen that side of me before, and I feared – ”
“Feared what?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Feared that you wouldn't love me anymore if you saw what I was capable of doing.”
“Oh, so it wasn't just for my safety then, huh?”
I put my feet down on the ground, climbing free from the hammock. Jendrish followed as I paced back and forth across the balcony.
“I'm sorry, Riley.”
“You keep saying that, but I don't know if you know why you should be sorry,” I said. “Do you realize every man I've ever been with has made me feel like I'm just a stupid girl, incapable of making my own decisions? I thought you were different, Jendrish. I thought you respected me, knew I was smart and capable. And I thought you knew better than to think our feelings for one another were so shallow that I could stop caring for you that easily?”
The light in his eyes were gone. I could see shame all over his face as he literally begged me for forgiveness. I was mad – and rightfully so. But I couldn't deny that seeing him in so much pain killed me. It hurt me on a deep, spiritual level. I never wanted to be the cause of pain for him.
And so, I closed the distance between us, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and staring deep into those eyes. I kissed him – just a chaste peck to remind him that even though I was mad at him, I still cared for him.
He seemed relieved.
“I've never cared for someone the way I care for you, Riley,” he said. “I've also never known a human before, as I've told you. And with you, things are just so – different.”
“This is what being in a relationship is like, Jendrish. Sometimes I'm not going to be too happy with you, but it doesn't mean it's the end of the world. Sometimes, you just need to listen to me,” I said.
“I will from now on.”
“Promise?”
“Yes, always and forever.”
“Forever is a long time, you know,” I said, a sheepish smile on my face. “You sure you're up to that sort of commitment?”
Jendrish's eyes twinkled for the first time since we'd started talking, and as he stared down at me, it literally took my breath away. To see him staring at me like I was the most amazing woman in the entire world – maybe even in the entire universe – that was a look I'd never seen in a man's eyes before. He was truly in love with me, despite my stubborn, independent nature.
He may have screwed up, but in that moment, I knew Jendrish was different than any man I'd been with. Unlike my ex, he didn't want to break that independent nature in me. He just didn't understand it as well as I'd have liked. But he admired it. He loved it, even. And he was never going to try and quash it.
And that was something I could see myself living with.
“Yes, Riley. Forever. I am more than ready for that sort of commitment. I want to spend forever with you. I want to have a family with you. Maybe it won't be conventional, but it will be ours. And I want it all. I want you to be my queen – always and forever.”
Jendrish continued, before I could speak, “Of course, only if you still want that,” he stammered quickly. “I'd be foolish to assume anything – ”
“Hush, you,” I said, smiling wide. “Yes, yes, I want all of that too. I want to spend forever with you.”
Jendrish kissed me, his lips pressed to mine as he ran his hands through my hair.
“Sounds like we're going to have a royal wedding then,” he said, a smile on his lips.
“Sounds like it,” I purred.
My entire body – inside and out – was warm and fuzzy at the prospect
of marrying this man and one day, potentially having his children. But whether the scientists were able to figure out and technology worked or not, we'd find a way to build a family together.
I had no doubt about that.
EPILOGUE
The doctor looked over my scans and chart, as my hand rested on my belly. My other hand was firmly in Jendrish's. I was biting my lip and trying to remember to breathe as I stared down at my growing tummy.
Thanks to the doctors and scientists, we were able to get pregnant – the first human to be impregnated by an alien. But things had been rough. This wasn't an easy pregnancy by any stretch of the imagination, and we were at the doctor's office there, to see if a normal delivery was possible – as well as to make sure the baby was forming properly.
“Well, we will want to continue monitoring you carefully, of course,” the doctor said, pushing his glasses up higher on his nose.
He never smiled, but there was a hint of one. Surely, he was going to give us some good news, right?
“Yes, of course,” I said, rubbing my belly. “But so far, so good, right? We're continuing to see healthy development?”
I was putting words in the doctor's mouth, words I so badly needed to hear. Jendrish squeezed my hand, but I couldn't bring myself to look away from the doctor.
“As far as I can see, everything is fine. Better than fine, actually,” the doctor said. “The baby is a bit small – but the development is perfect, actually. We should be able to schedule you for delivery within two weeks.”
My entire body shook as I broke down in sobs. Happy tears flowed down my cheeks as I thought about this child inside of me. So many people told us it would be impossible, that we shouldn't even bother. And for awhile, I believed them. I thought we'd have to adopt -- like Baz and Paige – and I was fine with that. But once the technology became available, I knew I wanted to be one of the first to try it out.
There was something about having Jendrish's actual child that I wanted more than anything. Because having a baby with the man I loved would only make our lives even more perfect.
Mated to a Bear (Legends of Black Salmon Falls Book 3) Page 53
