by Shae Mills
Braedon’s caress faltered. “No. Not today. I want to stay here and be with you.”
Chelan stared at him. Why was this such a hard decision? Why could she not reciprocate? She was so deeply immersed in her quandary that his next move startled her.
Braedon released her. “You know, forget I asked,” he said. “Let’s get dressed.”
Chelan wavered. “But we should at least—”
“Hurry up,” he barked. “We have plans for today, remember?”
Chelan was stunned by his abrasiveness, the first she had ever witnessed from the Southern man. She ran to catch up to him as he began to move away. “Talk to me, Braedon.”
He whirled around. “Talk to you?” He pounded his red chest. “You talk to me! What is happening to us?”
Chelan blinked hard. “I don’t understand,” she whispered.
Braedon turned away and scooped up their drinks. “Well, I do.” And he handed her drink to her.
Chelan was too stunned to move. Finally, she took the drink and began sipping it methodically.
He downed his and then waited. When she eventually finished hers, he snatched the container from her and turned away. “Get dressed,” he ordered tiredly.
Chelan was in a stupor as she walked over to retrieve a new uniform. She stared at the wall as she donned the outfit slowly. When finished, she turned around to find Braedon fully dressed in his Imperial uniform, weapons and all.
Chelan’s eyes widened. “Where are we going?”
Braedon shoved knives into his boots and lazguns under his shroud. “To Satanya.”
“Why?”
“Because we are taking the first transport back to the Palace.”
Chelan panicked. “What are you talking about? I am not going there!”
“Yes, you are!”
Chelan jumped at his stern tone. “No matter what your plan, I am not going to stay there,” she asserted.
Braedon’s shoulders sagged. He stepped up to her. “Chelan, I am not going to leave you there. I just want you to see Korba.”
“But why?” she implored.
“Because you still love the man more than you can admit. He has always had your heart ensnared, and now you must confront that.”
“No! I want to stay here with you.”
“Chelan, ever since you opened that capsule from Korba, you have been in mourning for him.”
“I have not!” she shot back. “I have been everywhere with you.”
“You have been running yourself ragged, avoiding a confrontation with your true feelings. And you have been running away from me.”
“You are crazy! I told you that with all the light orbs we could explore—”
Braedon threw his hands up. “Explore, yes! But not every waking moment.”
“Fine!” Chelan began tearing off her uniform. “We can take today off, but I am not going to the Palace!”
Braedon clamped his jaw shut, his breathing strained. He watched as she threw on her tunic, walked over to some supplies, and began rifling through them with no apparent purpose. Braedon hustled over to her, grabbing her arm and twisting her to him. “We have a chemistry between us. I feel it daily, and I know you do too. So why is making love to me such a hard decision for you?”
“I was mated to the Lord God Emperor of the whole damn galaxy, twice, and both times all hell broke loose! I am not so willing to bond again only to have my life turned upside down… a third time.”
“But that is why you are here, with me, now. I am not a target. To the Empire—either Empire—I am nothing. For you, I am your escape, your future. All you have to do is release yourself to me. That was your intent upon coming back here this time. Why has nothing progressed between us?”
Chelan was flustered. “Because we have been exploring.”
Braedon hissed through his teeth. “We have a lifetime to explore, Chelan.”
Chelan wrenched her arm away. “And we have a lifetime to make love. Originally, you told me to take my time about this, going so far as to tell me that we could remain platonic. So, why the sudden change? Are the men of the South so uncontrolled that they cannot go without sex for—” As soon as Chelan had uttered her words, she regretted them. The look on Braedon’s face caused her heart to bleed. Then he whirled away from her, but she sprang at him. “I am sorry! I didn’t mean that.”
Braedon grabbed her to him roughly. “Please, my Lady. I accuse you of no malice toward me. I believe you are innocent in all of this, your emotions in so much disarray that you can never hope to sort through them. Because of that, all I ask is that you confront Korba and your true feelings. This needs to be put to rest, one way or another, or we can never truly move on. That is why I challenged you on this day to make love to me.”
Chelan held her hand over her mouth and tried to still her tremors.
Braedon stroked her back. “I will go with you. If after you visit with him, you wish to return here with me, then so be it. I will welcome you back with open arms.”
Chelan looked up at him with grievous eyes. “I am not trying to hurt you. I am not trying to push you away. I truly don’t know what I direction I am headed. Sometimes I just feel as though I have been sucked into some deep, dark void from which there is no escape.”
“I know that. But now, it is time to deal with all that has happened. You need to confront Korba and lay to rest whatever is causing all the turmoil within your heart. So many issues need to be reconciled, for both our sakes.”
Chelan’s face contorted. “And if I choose to stay at the Palace?”
Braedon straightened. “Then it was meant to be.”
“But here I am safe with you.”
Braedon looked down. “Safety does not compensate for love.”
“But I do love you.”
“I know. But you also love another. You have loved the man since the first few days he cared for you.”
Chelan exhaled sharply. “He killed Talon.”
“Chelan, in the beginning, you thought Talon had killed him, and with time you came to care deeply for Talon.”
Chelan nearly choked on her words as the truth steamrolled over her. “But… but I don’t want to love Korba anymore.”
Braedon stared at her. “Why not?”
“Because, as I have said, he is a target! If not today, then tomorrow. Someone else will try for his position, and once again, I will lose him, and along with that loss, another big part of me will wither up and die. To love the men at the top invites chaos and pain. You are not a target. You have a real family in the South to go to. You do not have to be accompanied by huge contingencies of warriors just to get from one place to another. And at any time, we can go South.” She hesitated. “Oh, Braedon! You are my freedom. You are my future.”
Braedon found he could not argue with her analysis. But there was still the nagging issue of love—the deep, undying love that lasts forever. “If that is so, then we must both be willing to give to one another all of ourselves, not just a small portion. Yes, in the beginning, I said we could simply remain friends, but we both know that our feelings for one another are much more complicated, much deeper than that.” He stared into her eyes. “Chelan, out of love for me, I want you to do this one last thing.”
Chelan tried to pull away from him, but he held her firmly. “Chelan, if we are going to stay together here, it must be because you wish to, not because you are forced to by your tattered heart. You must give your love to me, all of it, unconditionally, and not to a memory.”
Chelan shook her head. “It will kill me to go there.”
Braedon gave her a small smile. “No, my Lady. You will endure. You always have.”
Chelan finally sagged into him. Once again, her safe and secure world crumbled and, with it, her will to fight. Though she hated the thought, she knew she was heading back to the Imperial Palace whether she wanted to or not, though right now, that was the last place in the galaxy she wished to be.
She closed her eyes and c
almed herself. Then she looked up at him, her voice soft and steady. “You are right, my sweet man. It is time to deal with all my demons, all my fears, and all my insecurities. And most of all, I need to do this for us.”
Braedon smiled. “All will be well, my Lady, one way or another. You will see.” But as he hugged her tight, his heart began to sink.
Chapter 28
The transport landed in the main Palace dock. Chelan and Braedon hustled to a security check. Braedon offered his hand to the scanner and was cleared. Chelan did the same, and when her clearance came through, the attending guards could not conceal their surprise. But before they could properly acknowledge her, Braedon whisked her off.
He headed directly for the private Command Center, where they were hauled up short by a profusion of guards. Braedon removed his hood and nodded to the lead man.
The man stood tall. “I am sorry, sir. This area is off-limits to everyone save the Emperor and his main officers.”
Chelan pulled her hood back. “What about me?”
A murmur permeated the throng. Then they all turned at a shout from down the corridor. “My Lady!”
Chelan watched the warrior running toward her. Just before he reached her, he wrenched off his hood. “Yanis!” she cried, and she leapt at him, hugging him hard.
Yanis picked her up and swung her around. “Oh, my Lady! I thought I would never see you again.”
Chelan pulled away. “Oh, my dear friend! What a sight for weary eyes.”
“Likewise, my Lady. And we have so much to talk about.”
“We do! Oh my god—I am so happy that you survived the devastation!”
“I did, my Lady, but so many did not.”
Chelan held trembling fingers to her lips. Her eyes searched his. “Fremma…” she whispered.
Yanis’ eyes became heavy. “I was with him to the end, my Lady. He ordered the ship evacuated, thereby saving many. But in the end, he and I were separated…”
Chelan nodded. “Thank you, Yanis. It means a lot to me that you were with him as long as possible.”
He nodded and then stepped back. “We will talk more one day soon.”
“I look forward to that.”
Yanis smiled. “Well, as for the here and now, I am sure that you and your friend are more than welcome.”
Chelan looked up at the security chief adoringly. “Are you sure?”
“By all means, my Lady. If I had known it was you, you would have never been stopped in the first place… except to get my hug, of course.” And he stepped to the side.
Chelan nodded to him and then proceeded into the Command Center with Braedon by her side. She looked around and was struck by the fact that the Center was completely deactivated. Not a single display was functioning.
Her eyes met Braedon’s, and he shrugged. Then he nodded toward the chambers. Chelan approached them cautiously. When the doors opened, she could hear nothing but the banging of her heart. The room was as she had left it so long ago. Only the food from her last meal with Talon had been removed.
Braedon watched her as she ventured farther. She seemed fine to him, at least for the moment, but he was ready for anything. She walked over to the large bed and then turned to face him, her eyes taking in the full measure of the room. “A little more posh than the caverns, isn’t it?” she quipped.
Braedon smiled. “Yes, it is, my Lady, but it is no more beautiful than what nature has created on her own over the millenniums.”
Chelan nodded as she began stripping off her gloves. “I will grant you that for sure. Nothing competes with the delicate beauty of the caverns.”
Braedon went to speak, but suddenly, the doors opened, and Lethiason burst in. Chelan clutched at her chest.
“My Lady,” Lethiason gasped. “I was just informed of your arrival.” And he quickly traversed the floor between them, hugging her so tightly she could not breathe. Then he released her. “It is so good to see you.”
Chelan stared at the officer as she straightened her crushed shroud. “Obviously,” she muttered, still not sure what she thought of the man.
Lethiason smiled at Braedon. “And it is good to see you too, my friend.”
Braedon nodded to him. Then Lethiason looked down at Chelan and took her hands in his. “So what brings you here, my Lady?”
Chelan shuffled her weight somewhat uneasily and threw a not-so-friendly glance at Braedon. Then she peered up at Lethiason’s expectant face. “I have just come for a short visit.”
Lethiason nodded eagerly. “That is so good, my Lady. You and Braedon are more than welcome any time.”
Chelan hesitated. “So, where is Korba?”
The air of uneasiness that descended over Lethiason, much of it conveyed through his touch, did not require an Iceanean warrior to decipher it. “I am not sure, my Lady. But I will locate him quickly.”
Chelan eyed Lethiason critically. “I would have thought that his main man would know the whereabouts of his Lordship at all times.”
Lethiason glanced at Braedon and then cleared his throat. His eyes met Chelan’s. “Ah, I see Stose stuck to his damnable ethical standards.”
Chelan felt her stomach turn, and she snatched her hands back. “What are you talking about?”
Lethiason hesitated. “Korba has stepped down from governing, my Lady.”
Braedon gasped. “Why?”
Lethiason studied Chelan as he answered. “Because he has not been well. Zane, for the most part, has been handling the affairs of the Empire.”
Chelan’s head was spinning. “Zane?”
“Yes, my Lady.”
Chelan took in a shaky breath. “What is wrong with Korba?”
Lethiason suddenly felt wary about betraying his Majesty’s confidence, but he could not pass up the opportunity Chelan’s presence afforded. “It appears his wounds ran a little deeper than we expected.”
Braedon caught the innuendo immediately and wondered if Chelan had, but she remained unreadable.
She continued to stare at Lethiason. “What does he do with his time?”
“Oh, do not misunderstand, my Lady. The most important matters concerning the Empire are presented to him for his consideration. Just the everyday grind has been relinquished.”
Chelan’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Lethiason was once again rendered more than a little ill at ease. “You had better ask that of him yourself, my Lady. I still value my head.”
Chelan clenched her jaw, knowing well the stubborn determination of the man before her. It was of no use to question him further.
Lethiason took a step back. “Well, I should tend to the task of locating our Emperor while you settle.” Then he looked at Braedon. “I am sure I could use your help, not to mention your company.”
Braedon watched as Chelan straightened herself. “It is best that I leave with Lethiason, my Lady. You should speak to Korba alone.”
Lethiason nodded in agreement.
Chelan stared hard at Braedon. “I want you near.”
He nodded to her. “Page me at any time, and I will return immediately.”
Chelan threw Lethiason a cautionary glance. “I do not intend to stay long.”
“As you wish, my Lady. You may come and go as you please.”
Chelan watched as the two men left, and then her resolve fled. She wanted to run away, yet she was trapped. Immediately, she knew that she had to get out of the private chambers. The memories were too daunting. She hustled into the inert Command Center and collapsed into the main chair.
She didn’t feel at all well and wondered how long it would be before the insufferable waiting ended. She hung her head and closed her eyes, forcing herself to focus on Braedon in an effort to ease her troubled mind.
Finally, a soft, resonant voice spoke from behind her. “My Lady.”
Chelan twirled around in the chair and looked up at the shrouded man. Where Korba had come from, she had no idea. He had simply materialized out of
nowhere, without a sound. She rose slowly on unsure legs. “My Lord,” she whispered.
He remained still while she studied him. Though he stood with stability, she had no trouble ascertaining that Lethiason spoke truthfully. Majesty and indisputable power no longer radiated from him. Before her stood a mortal man, the undefeatable Warlord, Overlord, and Emperor supreme gone. He removed his hood.
She took a step closer. His normally deep, rich bronze skin had a gray cast to it, and once again, she felt her stomach knot.
Finally, he smiled. “It is so good to see you again, my Lady. And under much better circumstances, I might add.”
Chelan kept quiet. If she spoke, she would lose it. Instead, she watched as he descended the few stairs between them and then stopped. She looked about herself as if seeking escape. Then her eyes once again settled on his face.
For the first time, she noticed subtle differences between him and Talon. Korba’s features were different in a way she could not completely define. Something about his face gave him an overall warmer look. His eyes were not as piercing, his features even more handsome than she had remembered. And even though Korba was the older brother, his looks still denoted his youth on an Iceanean scale, his flawless skin, timeless.
Talon’s features, on the other hand, had portrayed a hardness and coldness that he had inflicted upon her many times in the beginning. Then she caught herself, surprised that her first thoughts concerning Talon, now that she was back in the Empire’s domain, were of his brutality, whereas till this moment, she had indeed been in mourning. Now she questioned just what or whom she had been mourning for.
Chelan finally shook herself free of her thoughts. Still unable to speak, she looked into the inky blackness of the voluminous shroud. With trembling fingers, she reached out for it. Slowly, she parted it. Then, tenderly, her long fingers opened the uniform, Korba’s chest emerging from the bounds of the Imperial garb. “Oh god,” she blurted out.
She peeled back his jacket. Ever so slowly, her eyes followed her feathery touch as her fingers traced the innumerable scars. Though the swelling and discoloration had long ago vanished, the remnants of the battle lingered.
