by Leslie Chase
The look of relief on the Eldest's face was almost comical, and I had to shake off the urge to laugh as the crowd pressed around me. It wouldn't suit the dignity of my role as Protector, after all. And besides, the Eldest looked almost as frustrated as I felt when it became clear to him that the party would go on all day.
We were both going to have to be patient, it seemed, and neither of us were good at that.
The clanswomen threw flower petals that rained down around us, and Gemma laughed delightedly as the multicolored cloud drifted around us. The sound lifted my spirit instantly and I drew her forward into the party. If there was going to be one, we might as well enjoy it, and I looked forward to something civilized to eat and drink. Something, anything, other than fish.
We had precious little chance to speak during it. The crowds wanted my attention, and I found myself bouncing from one member of the clan to the next, each with a welcome, a greeting, a prayer for my safety. Each one I received as graciously as I could, though I ached to be able to spend time with Gemma alone. But this was part of my duty as well — my people needed to know that their Protector was back and able to protect them.
It helped that I had a war story to tell, though I was soon sick of repeating the tale of the sea serpent's defeat. Gemma, on the other hand, seemed to relish the story, and after a few attempts I let her take over telling it. Her accent was still strong, but the words were clear enough, and where her vocabulary failed her she filled the gap with hand gestures.
I found myself smiling as I watched her, my heart swelling with pride and joy.
A hand tugged at my arm and I turned to face Toprak, the young man who'd let Gemma take the flier out on her ill-fated journey. He looked nervous, so nervous I was surprised he'd found the strength to approach me.
Then I saw his parents standing behind him, Misha's steely glare on her son, and I knew that he hadn't come entirely of his own free will.
"Protector, I'm so sorry," he started, speaking quickly and nervously. "I didn't realize... I mean, I shouldn't have let that happen."
His eyes darted around as though he was looking for a way to flee, and I didn't blame him. His foolishness could have cost Gemma her life, and facing me after that was dangerous. I felt my muscles tense, my claws extend, and I had to breathe deeply to hide my emotions from the crowd. Toprak could see them, though, and shied back. He was no coward, but we both knew that he couldn't face me in combat.
"You are right, you shouldn't," I told him. Then I looked past him at his mother's pleading eyes and sighed. Getting control of my anger, I continued. "What you did was foolish, but we both survived. So you are fortunate — you have the chance to learn from this mistake at only the cost of the flier and your wings. Both can be replaced, unlike a life."
Toprak nodded quickly and I held up a hand before he could speak. "That doesn't mean that you get away without any consequences, Toprak. You will have to make up for the loss of material, and that means no flying until you've repaid the clan for what your foolish decision cost us. Understood?"
"Yes, Protector," he said, looking less happy now. Good. He needed to know that his actions had consequences, and a few months without flying was enough punishment for that. With a little more caution, he'd be a good warrior for the clan.
His father nodded his thanks to me, taking Toprak's arm and leading him away. Misha followed, and once again I was alone in the crowd.
Enough is enough, I thought. Gemma was still enjoying the party, but now that I'd started dealing with Protector's business I couldn't get back in the mood. It was time to find out what had happened in my absence.
It took a while to cut the Eldest out of the crowd, but finally I managed to corner him and get him away from the party.
"What happened to the negotiations?" I asked the Eldest as soon as we were out of earshot of the rest of the clan. He smiled and shook his head, pretending that he wasn't glad to get back to business.
"Not even one day without focusing on your duty, Protector?"
"It's been too many days already," I countered. "Why waste one more?"
He shrugged, letting out an unhappy sigh. "Everything stayed as it was, pending your return. Not a great situation, but about as good as we could have hoped. Alishan Perhar was extremely reasonable."
That last word was spoken with enough irony to make me wince. We'd been the ones who needed to change the terms of our dealings with the other clans, and sticking with the old agreement favored the Perhar a lot more than us. But since it was my disappearance that put the negotiations on hold, I could hardly argue that they'd cheated us.
Indeed, they'd likely argue that we owed them concessions for their patience. I wasn't even sure that they were wrong.
"We can get them back to the table now," I said. "The sooner the better. We need that agreement if we're to repair our lands and modernize the port."
The Eldest nodded reluctantly. "As you say, Protector. But we mustn't seem too eager. If the Perhar smell desperation they'll gouge us for everything they can."
I growled at that. Things had already dragged on too long. They'd been dragging on since before the first meeting, let alone now. But that didn't make the Eldest wrong. "Fine. We'll set up another meeting soon, but it can wait a few days. Anything else?"
He smiled and put a hand on my shoulder, looking me in the eye. I felt the shadow of his old strength — as a young man he had been a formidable warrior. "Just one thing. How are you and your human mate getting on, now that you've spent some time alone together?"
"She is not—" I cut off the reflexive protest and snarled. The Eldest showed remarkable restraint, not letting the slightest sign of amusement onto his face. Getting control of myself, I stepped away from him and looked out to sea. Below us the waves glittered, and we could see the Halloran slowly making its way into port. For once they'd be welcome as traders, though I made a mental note to make sure that the guards were alert. Friends or not, they were still pirates and I would take no chances with my clan's safety.
"I enjoyed my time with Gemma," I said slowly, answering the question without looking back. "Very much, in fact. The Celestial Mates' system does work, I won't deny it. But that doesn't change anything. She is not safe here, that much is clear."
The Eldest said nothing, walking up beside me to watch. Pods full of trade goods made their way along automated tracks from the skystalk to our port, waiting to be loaded onto the gigantic trade barges. I wondered what the crews of those mighty ships would think, seeing the Halloran coming in beside them. The pirates would usually be a deadly threat, but not today.
All the goods that came onto the planet came through our port. And every ounce of export left through it, too. That was wealth worth killing for, and I knew that one clan or another would try sooner or later. Before that day we had to be able to defend ourselves, and that meant a hard struggle to repair what the earthquake had destroyed.
It was a battle I'd been born to fight, but dragging a stranger into it? No. No, I couldn't. Gemma deserved better than that.
"She'll be safe on her homeworld," I said aloud. It sounded weak as I said it, but the Eldest stayed silent. Another pod raced past and I swore under my breath. "I'll send her home with enough wealth to look after her for the rest of her life. Then she can move on and survive."
The Eldest looked out to sea as he spoke. "You're the Protector, Corvax. If you decide that's what's happening, then the decision is made. But if you will listen to one last piece of advice from your elders, don't make that choice too quickly."
"You think I haven't thought about this for long enough?" I snarled. "It's been on my mind constantly."
"Now you're home, and it's different here." He straightened up and stretched, turning to leave. "There's still time before the spaceship arrives. Try to give her a chance."
He was gone before I had an answer ready, and I sighed. "This is exactly why I didn't want anyone meddling in my affairs," I said to the uncaring sea. No answer came, of cour
se.
The celebration was still going on, and if I stayed away too long people would worry. Squaring my shoulders, I went to do my duty.
15
Gemma
This time I was determined to do things right. No more being stuck in a tower, no more being kept at bay by Corvax. If he was determined to send me away there wasn't much I could do about it, but I wouldn't make it easy for him by staying out of his way.
Once the celebrations were over, I turned to one of the castle servants.
"Hello," I tried, fighting down my nerves. I was still learning the language, and what worked on a pirate ship could easily turn out to be scandalous here. It hadn't seemed to matter so much when I'd been telling stories, somehow.
The servant smiled at me. It was still a little unnerving to see the sharp teeth of a Crosan up close, but this time she looked like she was more intimidated by me than I was by her. That was a strange feeling.
I suppose I have just gone on an adventure with her lord, I thought, smiling back. That and with some pirates. And nearly been eaten by a sea monster. Okay, I'd be intimidated by someone who'd been through all that.
"I need your help," I told the alien girl, speaking slowly and sounding out the words. I didn't want to say anything wrong. "Please help me move my things to the Protector's room."
She looked blank and I had to repeat myself a couple of times, trying to work out what I'd said wrong. On the third try, though, her eyes lit up and she nodded quickly. Her smile widened, and it took an effort not to see it as a threat — I was used to Corvax's fangs now, but I knew he wasn't going to bite me.
A blush spread over my face at the thought. Okay. I know he's not going to bite me anywhere I don't enjoy.
If the maid noticed, she showed no sign. Instead, she hurried off up the stairs to my tower room. It was strange to see it again. I'd spent so little time in that chamber before letting a storm carry me off, and I'd hardly unpacked my clothes. Now I just threw them back into my bag.
It wasn't help carrying things that I needed, though the maid insisted on taking the bag anyway. My problem was that I didn't know where Corvax slept, but I could hardly tell the servants that.
"What's your name?" I asked her as she shouldered my bag.
"Zaska, my lady," she said, bobbing her head in a little bow. I realized then that it wasn't just my adventures that put her off. As far as she was concerned I was going to be the lady of the castle, her boss, and she had no idea how to relate to that.
Is that why all the staff were so standoffish? They are afraid of me? It was a hard idea to get my head around. I'd never been the boss back on Earth, and I wasn't sure that I liked the idea of everyone here being scared of me.
They weren't afraid of Corvax, though. Respectful, yes, but not afraid. Another reason to think he was a good man, and something to emulate if I could. I looked at Zaska, doing my best to hide my nerves and calm hers.
"It's alright," I told her, fumbling for words. "Nothing to be afraid of."
Her blue skin darkened in a blush and she giggled. That wasn't the reaction I'd been going for, but it was better than scaring her.
"Okay, what did I say wrong?" I asked, doing my best to keep my voice light as she stopped laughing.
She tried to explain, but it took a while, running into gaps in my vocabulary almost instantly. Part of me wished I still had the translator, but now I was learning the local language. It might be embarrassing at times, but if I was going to live here I was going to need it.
And I was going to live here. Or at least, I'd made up my mind not to think about the alternative too hard.
On her fourth attempt, something clicked. When Corvax told me I'd nothing to be afraid of, he said it using the language a man used with his mate. And I'd just copied him... okay, yes, that was embarrassing. I blushed bright red when I understood, and that sent Zaska into fits of giggles again.
"How do I say that right?" I asked her when she'd recovered. Learning the Crosan language was hard work, but satisfying, and Zaska helped me practice as we walked.
The Protector's room was at the heart of the castle, and it was huge. I stopped in the doorway, looking around with wide eyes. Not that my room in the tower had been cramped or uncomfortable, but this...
The floor was a beautiful dark wood, and the walls were lined with weapons. Dozens of them, swords and spears and things I didn't recognize. These looked old, antique, and beautiful — display pieces, perhaps, rather than anything practical. Though that didn't mean that they were harmless: they all looked sharp and deadly.
Through an open doorway I saw an office, a desk covered in the work that had piled up while Corvax was away. A bit of guilt flared up at that — my foolishness had dragged him away from his people and the work they needed him to do.
Now that he's back, I can help him with it, I promised myself, though I wasn't sure how. I had no idea how to do his job, after all. Maybe backrubs while he worked? I smiled, my fingers twitching at the thought of digging into Corvax's firm muscles.
All of that, though, was just distracting myself from looking at the focus of the room I'd entered. The bed.
It was massive, of course. A large mattress on a heavy wooden frame. As Zaska put my bag away in a wardrobe, I went to the bed and sat down. Swallowed. My heart raced, and I hoped that the maid wouldn't notice. Which was silly, I knew.
I'd slept with Corvax on our castaway island, but somehow the idea of doing it here was different. More significant. Like our island romance hadn't been entirely real.
"Shall I leave you here, my lady?" Zaska asked, sounding nervous again. I nodded quickly, but before she could go I held up a hand to stop her.
"Thank you," I said quietly, putting my best effort into sounding the words out right. Zaska smiled.
"It is nothing," she answered, but I could see that she was pleased. Then she turned and was gone, leaving me alone.
It was hours before Corvax arrived. Hours I spent pretending to read. In reality, I couldn't focus on anything other than the unknown future that I'd face when he came through the door. Should I give up and go back to the tower? Let him find me at his own pace?
Was I pushing too hard by being here?
No. I shook my head, trying unsuccessfully to shake my fears off. Corvax had set his heart on keeping me safe, and in his head that meant sending me back to Earth. If I wanted things to go differently, I had to change them. And this was the only idea I had.
The sky darkened outside the windows by the time the door opened. Heart pounding, I jumped to my feet, wishing I'd spent some of my time thinking about what to say instead of worrying.
Corvax stood in the doorway, looking at me wordlessly. He looked as stunned as I felt, and for a long moment we stared at each other.
"I looked for you. I did not expect to find you here, lying in ambush," he said slowly as he shut the door behind him. My heart thudded, loud enough I wondered if he could hear it.
"We were too far apart," I told him. It sounded stupid, so I tried again. "I want to be close to you. It doesn't have to be forever, just a little while."
His movements were graceful, precise, and dangerous. Like a tiger stalking its prey he moved closer to me. Intense eyes looked me up and down, and I felt my muscles tense. Fight or flight instincts taking over.
But I didn't move. Looking up at him, feeling the flush spreading across my face as he approached, I stayed still. Corvax stopped, towering over me, and I could feel the heat of his body.
"You know I want that too," he said, voice thick with emotion. I swallowed again, frightened of the intensity of my reaction. I'd been right, this was different from the island. More real, more intense.
I took a small step back and he followed, keeping the distance the same. Growling. The sound made me melt, my body aching for him already, and words wouldn't come.
Corvax's whole body tensed, muscles standing out in the evening light. I wanted to touch him so badly, to feel his hands on me again, to be
his. Even just for a moment.
I raised a hand to his chest, feeling the strange texture of his alien skin. The strong muscles. The beat of his heart. And that was enough to break his reserve.
Grabbing me, Corvax lifted me to him in a powerful kiss that pushed all thought out of my mind. There was no space for words, no space for anything apart from the desperate need I felt for him. He held me tight against him, my body squeezed against his, and I moaned into his kiss. Our tongues met hungrily, and then he threw me to the bed.
I cried out as I hit the mattress, trying to steady myself, and Corvax wasted no time. He leaped after me, pounced on me, pinning me to the firm mattress with a growl that sent a shiver down my spine.
"Mine," he hissed as he held me down, and the word thrilled me nearly as much as his touch did. I reached up for him, stroking his chest, feeling the urgent need in him.
He knelt up over me, eyes dark and intense. Powerful hands gripped my top and pulled, ripping the fabric in his haste to undress me. I whimpered as he tore my clothes off me, top first then skirt, leaving me in my underwear.
Pausing, he ran a hand down my body, making me moan. I grabbed at his belt, struggling to undress him too, and he chuckled.
"Impatient," he said, voice low, rough, hard. I bit my lip and nodded, not pausing in my efforts.
Grabbing my wrists, he pinned them to the bed with one hand. The other continued to caress me, stroking across my breasts and then down, parting my legs. Teasing across the fabric of my panties. Making me squirm and whimper.
A grin appeared on his face as he lowered his mouth to mine for another mind-consuming kiss. My body arched and at that moment he gripped my panties and tore them off me in a single movement.
"Please," I whimpered as our mouths parted, not even sure what I was asking for. Only that I needed it, needed him, more than I'd ever needed anything else. My whole body was on fire for his touch.
