Worlds Apart 4: Ryan's Hope

by Bonnie Rose Leigh

  I know, but I didn’t want to start the day without starting it out right, without showing you how much I love you, with what little time we had. Liana sighed and pulled away, slipping out of the bed, not bothering to even take the covers with her. She had nothing to hide from her mate. Besides, he’d seen everything throughout the night, why cover up now?

  “Why indeed?” he groaned, looking down at his erect cock as he followed her into the bathing facilities.

  Ten minutes later the pair left their quarters and headed for the command deck, prepared to check on the status of their arrival time in Chantrean airspace. Based on their calculations, it shouldn’t be much longer. As they stood in the lift, hand in hand, Ryan lifted his head toward the ceiling—out of habit, again. “Contessa, has the Royal fleet arrived to accompany us safely to Chantrea?”

  “There’s been a change in plans, Commander Morgan, sir. High King Brantiff Shi’Lan has arranged to have the Chantrean Royal Fleet accompany your ship as well as the ships of both of his sons, Princes Taliff and Hunter, and their wives, to an allied Planet called Vestria. There Prince Logann and his wife and their Manruvian Personal Guard will meet you, along with several other high-ranking allied members in the Born Free Rebel Alliance.”

  “Why the last minute change, Contessa?” Liana asked.

  “With known spies in both the Chantrean Palace and the Manruvian Security Forces, the Kings of Chantrea and Manruvia felt this was the best alternative. Neither wants to lose any children, and apparently they consider you and Ryan their adopted children—Ryan for crash-landing on his planet and agreeing to lead the Rebel Forces in his name and Liana for seeking to find a cure on behalf of all Chantrean and Manruvian Citizens—and are taking threats to the both of you very seriously.”

  ‘Thank you for such a concise report, Contessa. How far are we now from the rendezvous point? And has our escort already arrived to accompany us?” Ryan enquired.

  “The Chantrean Royal Fleet joined us approximately three hours ago and we’re less than two hours away from Vestria as we speak.”

  Ryan raised his eyebrows, more in shock than disbelief. Contessa had never outright disobeyed a direct order before and he remembered distinctly ordering the sentient computer to awaken him when the Fleet joined them on route to the rendezvous location. “And why weren’t we notified when our destination changed, nor were we told when the guard joined us as I specifically ordered.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “Under whose authority were my orders disregarded?” Ryan demanded.

  “Under mine,” Brantiff Shi’Lan announced, appearing suddenly before them, and crossing his arms.

  “Oh, excuse me, Your Highness, we weren’t informed you’d come aboard the Retribution.”

  “That’s because I told Contessa to let you sleep in. You had things to work out and I’m not so old I’ve forgotten how to fly a bird like this one.

  Liana chuckled. “Of course you haven’t, Sir. Besides, you’re having the time of your life joining your sons on this mission. Being there when your daughter is captured will also give you the closure that you and Luna desperately need.”

  Brantiff nodded, and then cleared his throat before turning toward Ryan. “You have a smart mate there. Don’t do anything to lose her—again—son.”

  Ryan pulled Liana under his right shoulder and kissed the top of her head, inhaling her scent that had blended completely with his during the night—they were well and truly mated now. “Believe me, sir. I’ve learned my lesson well. She’s the most important part of my life. I’m not ever going to forget that ,after almost losing her like I did.”

  The High King shook his head. “Why is it we always wait until it’s almost too late to take our heads out of our asses?” he mumbled.

  He may have meant the question to be rhetorical, but Liana was quick to jump in with an answer. “Because you’re afraid that if you let your walls down and let someone weaker than yourself in, others will think you look weak. If you happen to hold a position of power, then it makes such a decision very difficult for you to make, virtually tearing your soul apart until circumstances force you to choose which is more important… Power or Love?”

  Chuckling, the king once again shook his head and clapped Ryan on his back before pointing toward Liana. “I could have used her on my council twenty-five years ago, when I was trying to choose between my duties and my mate, before Haeda tossed me in my own dungeon. It would have been so much simpler to make the right decision with her standing behind my chair as my councilor.”

  “But now you have Eve and she does a phenomenal job. I’d never be able to handle being around all those strong personalities. I’m where I’m supposed to be, doing the work where I’ll be the most beneficial, but thank you for such an amazing compliment, Your Highness.”

  “No need to call me by my title. If you must, call me Brantiff, but we’d prefer you at least call us papa and mama since your parents are lost to you, Liana. It would mean so much to us. You are the daughter we so wish we would have had, the daughter we want to lavish gifts upon and throw a mating ceremony for. And we won’t hear a word against it. That’s a done deal. You promised Luna and me three years ago that if you found a mate, we could throw a celebration and I’m holding you to your word. Besides, Luna would be heartbroken.”

  Ryan watched the entire conversation enfold around him, shocked at how much the royal family honestly considered Liana a daughter. When Contessa mentioned it earlier, he hadn’t realized the depth of the bond she’d developed with the royal couple. What if they didn’t approve of him, or didn’t think he was good enough for her? What would he do then? His gut clenched? Misery threatened to overwhelm him.

  Relax, moyo. If they didn’t approve, Brantiff probably would have pulled you out of bed by transporting you directly into a running cold shower. He’s not exactly subtle. Besides, how many times has he said not to screw up again, meaning you have his approval for now, just don’t fuck up again or you’ll lose it. Don’t worry, they’re marshmallows when it comes to me and what I love. After Haeda’s betrayal, they tend to go overboard trying to make me happy for whatever reason. I just can’t figure out why they picked me out of all the women brought here from Earth or rescued from their daughter’s camps.

  Ryan’s thoughts answered hers. Time to change the subject or I’ll freak. I had no idea the High King and his wife would practically be in-laws. If I’m going to pull off this meeting in a couple hours, I need to focus on something other than worrying him pounding on me for sleeping with you and having carnal thoughts at inappropriate times—like when he’s in the room with us.

  “So, sir, where’s your lovely wife, Luna, this morning? Is she aboard The Retribution as well or back on Chantrea?”

  “Actually, she’s on board the Adventurer with Taliff and Eve. Hunter and Amy decided to hitch a ride with Mikel and Maryann on the Victory. If you look out the viewport, we could practically walk from one ship to the other, with two royal fleets guarding the two main vessels. We should arrive on Vestria without any trouble. No one is going to bother a space armada nearly thirty ships strong.”

  Just as those words passed the High King Brantiff Shi’Lan’s lips, one explosion after another lit up the sky outside the viewport, as one ship after another seemed to come under attack.

  “Who’s firing, Contessa?” Ryan yelled.

  “Processing.”

  “Process faster, Gods Dammit!”

  “Unable to determine the means, or the types and amount of weapons used.”

  “How is that possible?”

  Even as Ryan asked, three more explosions lit up the dark sky, allowing those on the command deck to see the debris floating aimlessly in the dead of space, and more flying missiles just as capable of causing deadly damage as any weapon out there.

  “Contessa, contact all remaining ships. Engage cloaks and hyper drives. Get us to the rendezvous location as quickly as possible. If our way is blocked, head to Glendor ins
tead, we’ll meet there, again under full cloak. Any ship that’s damaged, leaking fluids or chemicals and can be traced, needs to be abandoned and their crews added to the other ships. We can’t chance them finding out where we’re heading. Send the messages highly encrypted and send them now, Contessa.”

  “Encoding messages. Processing. Messages sent now. Scanning one million kilometers in every direction. We’re virtually surrounded. They knew where we’re going and know of our retreat plans. I’ve located nearly a dozen ships blocking the way toward Chantrea, Manruvia, and our allies at Vestria each. What location should we head for, Commander?”

  “How many ships did we lose all together in this attack so far?”

  “If you count the ones that are leaking fuels or other substances that our enemies can trace, we’ve lost thirteen ships out of the twenty-nine we started with.”

  “Dammit.” Ryan turned to the High King. “Sir, King Shi’Lan, you have a lot more experience than I do. This is your family out there as well as your allies. Is there a location you know of, a person you can call that we don’t have access to that may be able to get our asses out of this fire, sir?”

  Another blast rocked the ship, sending everyone sprawling across computer consoles, chairs and even the decking. The High King managed to stay solidly on his feet along with Ryan. “As a matter of fact, there might be someone. Contessa, I need to make a very long distance communication…”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Liana wiped her scraped palms on her leather pants, wincing at the bleeding scratches there. It wouldn’t take long to heal but because of her Empathic abilities, the pain of a minor scratch would feel many times worse than it actually was—just another annoyance thanks to her gift that she’d always have to deal with.

  As she scrambled to buckle herself into one of the navigation seats, she focused on Papa Brantiff. There was something definitely odd about the way he was feeling. He seemed almost excited by this turn of events, as if he’d known ahead of time he’d be called in to request help from his allies,. And yet, he was also oddly subdued, as though he’d hoped he wouldn’t have to make the call, despite knowing the possibilities. But how would he have known that?

  “Contessa, please contact the planet of Hyria. I must speak with The Goddess Queen Hermione. She is the widow of their planet’s water god, with great powers of her own. She may be able to help us as both Vestria and Manruvia are mostly covered in water.”

  “Processing the request. It will take a moment. I have to extend our long-range sensors. Message will be sent in three…two…one…message delivered.”

  Liana shook her head. “But how will that help, Papa Brantiff?”

  “When her husband died, he gave the power she gifted him with when they mated back to his widow, and combined with her own over wind and Earth, she has more than enough strength to defend us all. A goddess powerful enough to do some serious damage to the Black Rose and her allies and one strong enough to get us where we need to go.”

  Ryan held up his hand. “That’s all well and good, but how will she get here?” he interrupted.

  The High King Shi’Lan just chuckled and shook his head. “You young kits. You think you have everything figured out, but you’ve just scratched the surface.”

  Before Ryan could ask him what he meant, a bright flash of light appeared in the middle of the Command Deck. Ryan immediately reached for his weapon but before he could even lift it from its holster, the female intruder had it in her hand and started disassembling it before quickly reassembling it right in front of his eyes.

  “So, what’s the emergency that had you calling for an SOS? I’ve never known you not to be able to talk yourself out of any situation peacefully, Brantiff.”

  “Queen Hermione, thank you from the bottom of my heart and my mate’s heart for arriving so quickly. If it weren’t for the lives of my children and my grandchildren in danger, I’d never ask you to put yourself in harm’s way. You’re the last of your people’s deities, and to risk you seems like such a wrong to me, but I see no other way out for us.”

  “Then tell me what the situation is so that maybe together we can come up with a plan that will keep everyone safe who should be, and eliminate as much of the danger to the rest of us as possible. Hmmm?”

  “I knew you’d see it my way?”

  “Just like old times eh? By the way, where is Luna? I expected her to be here in the thick of things.”

  “She’s aboard the Adventurer trying to keep the grandchildren calm while we strategize over here. Taliff, Hunter, and Mikel from Manruvia and their respective mates should be transporting here shortly under cloaked ships unless you can do it safer. Then we can get started.”

  In less than five minutes, the Command Deck was full of those needing to attend the meeting, including those who were waiting on Vestria. The meeting was moved to the war room two decks down. As the meeting progressed, the Goddess Queen of Hyria not only cloaked the ships, but also repaired them and transported them inside the allied base on Glendor. No one could track them there because no emissions of any kind were left behind, as the engines did not run at all. It must be nice to be a Goddess, Liana thought as she took a seat at the conference table, awed and amazed at this strong woman. No one would ever call her weak or treat her as an Omega.

  Liana. You have found the cure for a disease that has stumped every scientist and God and Goddess on the side of good for ten thousand millennia—yet has only been in our own universe little under one hundred years. Don’t ever belittle yourself for your gift. That gift will help you win this war. Remember that. Remember to leave yourself open to the feelings of those around you at all times, to the things around you, because it’s not only people that feel, everything, organic and non-organic feels something. The ground beneath your feet. A sunflower raising its face toward the sky. A bloody sword upon someone’s back. Remember. Remember…

  Liana shook her head and blinked. She was almost positive that someone had spoken to her, but even as she was confident and turned to look for the speaker, the words had already started to fade away into her subconscious like a very pleasant dream. Perhaps she’d remember them later, because they sounded important.

  After a couple of hours of dialogue—in other words, yelling back and forth—the group broke off for dinner. The Queen Goddess excused herself to contact some of her fellow gods and goddess to see if she could collect any intelligence regarding where the Black Rose could be hiding. Anxious to take on her own piece of business, Liana signaled Ryan that it was time to meet with Mikel and Maryann about their Security Chief.

  Taking Ryan’s hand for encouragement, they headed toward the quarters assigned to Mikel and Maryann inside the Glendor base. They hadn’t even finished knocking on the door when it was quickly opened by a distraught Maryann. She was literally clenching her hands together, tears pooling in her eyes. “Maryann, whatever could be the matter,” Liana whispered, pulling the now sobbing woman into her arms.

  “Our Security Chief confessed an hour ago to forwarding a falsified security report against you to your mate. He was sure after reading it, that Ryan would disown you, and you would be too sick to show up for the talks, so you couldn’t use your ability to tell who was lying, who was a traitor. But when you appeared healthy on the ship today, they had to attack to prevent you from showing up. This is all my fault.”

  Just then Mikel came out of the bathroom. “Maryann, this isn’t your fault. He had no way of knowing that his plan worked perfectly, but these two were determined to see past the lies. They figured things out for themselves. He has no real clue what a true mate bond is like. He’s only seen what a forced breeding bond is, so he’ll never truly understand the depth of emotion there. Why are you so emotionally distraught over this? You can see for yourself, they’re all right now. It was only a bad twenty-four hours, nothing more.”

  Liana smiled. She of course knew exactly why Maryann was acting the way she was. “Ryan, Mikel, can we have a moment of gi
rl talk. I need to ask Maryann a mating question and she’s been mated longer. I feel more comfortable asking her than Ryan, no offense, moyo.” She’s pregnant and I don’t think she knows. I need to explain the mood swings, baby. Get Mikel out of here, please.

  Oh, oh. Yeah, okay. Is ten minutes enough do you think?

  More than. Five will be plenty. I know she’ll want to share this with him right away, she suspects but is afraid to get her hopes up.

  Okay. Five minutes it is.

  “Let’s go try and calm that mob down then maybe that powerful crazy-ass goddess has come up with something for us.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Maryann, what are you and Mikel using for Birth Control?”

  Liana giggled when Maryann ducked her head and a bright pink blushed spread across her cheeks and down her neck. “Nothing,” she mumbled.

  “Is there a particular reason why?”

  “We want to have a baby, that’s why. Mikel is a lot older than he looks. He’s waited a long time to find a mate and I want to give him a family as soon as I can.”

  “Well, then I’m happy to report you can stop trying. You’ve got a couple little bundles of joy nestling quite happily in there right now.”

  Maryann squeaked, then jumped, then shouted, before jumping up and down before collapsing in her chair holding her crotch. “I shouldn’t have done that. Now I have to pee. I can’t wait to tell him. Wait. I don’t have to wait.”

  When Maryann closed her eyes, and smiled and heard an answering shout out in the hall, it was obvious daddy was just as excited as mom about being new parents. Now, to get rid of the threats hanging over everyone’s heads, and all would be right in the known universes.

  After a two-hour break, the meeting restarted. This time the Goddess Queen sat at the head of the table. “After talking with several of my colleagues from several known universes and dimensions, we’ve figured out exactly where your Black Rose is hiding. The problem is that even if we eliminate her, it is as we suspect. She is only the public face of your enemy. The Iblis—commonly called Dark Princes among themselves—are your true enemy. They are the ones who have systematically polluted, poisoned, and corrupted your planets and your DNA so that eventually they can invade your worlds. They now live on a planet they’ve named The Dark Moon. Star Charts of course call it Ibliston Five. In the meantime, they are profiteering off your misery and feeding off your breeding slaves, once they are too old or too worn out to breed for you.”