Pirate's Fortune

by Gun Brooke

  “Hello, Kellen. I shouldn’t have used an unofficial name for the section of my quarters.”

  Kellen spun around. “Rae!” She was staring again, but couldn’t stop. They stood among the busy crewmembers aboard the Brilliance and took each other in. Rae looked thinner, with deeper lines around the eyes. She was still pale and her red hair in sharp contrast to her complexion. But the fire was present in her eyes and, most important, so was the love.

  “For stars and skies, you’re so beautiful,” Rae said, sounding short of breath. “I’ve missed you.”

  “And I you.” Kellen wanted to wrap her arms around Rae and kiss her, but this crowded junction wasn’t the right place for such a display. “Can we go back to your quarters?”

  “Our quarters. Yes, the sooner the better.” Rae smiled her trademark little curve of one corner of her mouth, and surprised Kellen by taking her arm and tucking it in against her. Only then did Kellen realize how badly Rae was trembling.

  Their quarters were located on deck four, where the only other occupants were the Brilliance’s captain and guests of the same rank or higher. Kellen vaguely noticed the impressive size and expanse of the rooms before she pulled Rae into her arms.

  “I was so afraid,” she managed to say.

  “Me too.” Rae clung to Kellen, her arms around her neck. “At times I thought nobody would ever find us, and if they did, it would be too late. Then I got here and found that you were on a very dangerous mission, and…I know it sounds utterly unprofessional, but I feared we were jinxing it. You know, pushing it too much and asking for too much good fortune.”

  “Asking who?” Kellen tried to follow Rae’s reasoning.

  “Deities. Lady Luck. The Seers of Guild Nation. The Gods of Gantharat. Whoever you pray to in times of deep trouble.”

  “They don’t get much deeper than this, I agree with that. Still, it is hardly asking for too much when you want only for the people you love to remain safe during wartime.”

  “You’re right, of course. Perhaps I’m struggling with this notion that I don’t deserve this much happiness.” Rae buried her face in Kellen’s shoulder. “Either way, I’m so happy to be back in your arms.”

  “Oh, Rae.” Kellen hugged her closer, tears flowing. “I would never have stopped looking for you, but in my darkest moments, when they couldn’t find you, I feared the worst.”

  “I know you did. I’ve done so myself where you’ve been concerned, several times. I know how devastatingly frightening it can be.”

  “Yes.” Kellen couldn’t get enough of the feelings that having Rae in her arms evoked. She nuzzled Rae’s neck and kissed her way along her jawline to her lips. Rae kissed her back with fervor, her lips open and inviting.

  “Mmm. I love you, Kellen. So very much.”

  “I love you too.” Deepening the kisses, Kellen changed from being upset and distraught to serene and excited. Before loving Rae, she would never have thought it possible to feel this way. Kellen pulled Rae with her onto the couch and settled in with her on her lap.

  Rae put her arms around Kellen’s neck and hugged her. “I was determined to return to you. I couldn’t think about anything else, but I was afraid I wouldn’t. When I developed a fever, my mind played out scenarios of how the SC authorities notified you, Armeo, and my parents of my death. For a moment I thought they were real and I frightened myself by calling out, ‘No, no, I’m here.’ I think I scared the living daylights out of Ensign Hallberg.” Rae chuckled, but the tremors traveling from her to Kellen spoke of the horror she’d experienced aboard the Onotharian shuttle.

  “You’re here now. I’m here now. This was a long separation, with very dangerous assignments. No wonder our nerves are frayed.” Kellen caressed Rae’s back with long, soothing movements. She needed the touch, the feel of her, as much as Rae needed the comfort. Appalled at how she could detect Rae’s ribs and vertebrae, she held her gentler than she normally would.

  “I won’t break. I may be on the scrawny side right now, but I won’t come to pieces if you hug me closer. I really need closer.” Rae placed a trail of soft kisses along Kellen’s neck. “I love how you hold me, how you make me feel. I always have.”

  “Yes. I know what you mean. Long before I knew I loved you, I loved how you held me. You used to infuriate me, and I certainly didn’t trust you, but when you touched me…” Kellen caught Rae’s lips with her mouth. “Mmm, when you touched me, I forgot all about that.”

  “You drove me crazy with your mere presence.” Rae smiled against Kellen’s lips. “I had never met a more intense, cutthroat person. I remember calling you a loose cannon, and I wasn’t the only one. The fact that my father, whom I didn’t exactly have an easygoing relationship with, saw your greatness before I did confused me even more.”

  “My greatness?” Kellen returned the smile. “That’s stretching it, isn’t it?”

  “No. You’re great. As a protector. As a guardian. As a representative of your people. But mostly, you’re great for me. You helped bring me close to my parents. You made me aware of how I missed having a family. You brought a child into my life. You brought me love. How can all of that not be great?”

  Kellen couldn’t see for the new tears that welled up instantly. “Henshes,” she said, her voice broken. “I never realized you saw things, me, that way. I thought you loved me despite the mayhem I brought to your life. A life you nearly lost because of me.”

  “You saved my life.”

  “And you saved me.” Kellen pressed her wet cheeks into Rae’s hair. “You took me in and gave me a chance, and married me. Before you, all I could hope for was to be as good a guardian for Armeo as possible, and to hide him from the Onotharians. I never dared to dream he’d be able to reclaim his throne, or that we could free my world. You, your family, and the people you know, and our friends, have made it possible.”

  “My darling.” Rae cupped Kellen’s cheeks. “You hold my heart.”

  “So do you.” Kellen kissed Rae’s palm. “My protector.”

  *

  Ayahliss knew Owena and Leanne meant well by checking on her, as did Ewan. Still on a strange high after helping Kellen apprehend M’Aldovar, Ayahliss didn’t know how to lose the jitters. She excused herself half an hour into the impromptu debriefing and stepped outside. The corridor bustled with purpose-filled SC soldiers and officials, and Ayahliss had never felt more out of place.

  Unable to return to the others, she began to walk—up one corridor, down another. Eventually she stopped noticing the faces of the people she met or passed. She used her steps as meditation, trying to calm down with techniques Kellen had shown her. Once they had found the unconscious M’Aldovar, a strangely anticlimactic surprise, and managed to place him back into his hover chair quickly enough to save his life, Ayahliss had felt out of sorts.

  She had been prepared to fight, to explode in a glorious discharge of energy. Something cataclysmic that would be appropriate after her training and qualifying for the Ruby Red suit. When that didn’t happen, the emptiness paired with a strange onset of nerves made her slip back into a familiar feeling of depression.

  “Jacelon to Ayahliss.” Ewan’s voice over her communicator brought her out of her hypnotized frame of mind.

  “Ayahliss here. Go ahead, sir.”

  “Please report to shuttle bay six.”

  “Very well. On my way. Ayahliss out.” She wanted to ask why, but knew not to question admirals, not even one in the family. A quick glance at an orientation board showed she was actually four decks directly above shuttle bay six.

  The bay was, if possible, even more crowded, as several more shuttles had arrived. Certain that Ewan wanted her to fetch something, she looked around for someone to ask.

  “Ayahliss. Oh, Gods.”

  Whirling around, Ayahliss stared at Reena where she stood dressed entirely in black, down to her long cape. She kept her wild hair back with a brass hair band, and she was pulling a hover bag behind her, no doubt filled with legal pads a
nd documents.

  “Reena.” Ayahliss raised her hand, but, suddenly feeling drained, she let it fall. “You—I didn’t expect to see you aboard the Brilliance.” Her lips felt stiff and her voice was just as rigid.

  “We’re back to update the military leaders on our progress. I think you’ll be very proud of Dahlia. She’s accomplished a lot in a very short time.”

  “As have you”

  “I’m not a diplomat. I’m all about the law.” Reena smiled with a tired look in her eyes. “I’ve got six hours before I give my briefing. I need to find my quarters and—”

  “I’ll help you.” Suddenly energized, and with a new sense of purpose, Ayahliss stepped up and took the handle of the hover luggage from Reena. “I’ve walked all over this big tin can of a ship, and I know where the brass stays.”

  “Brass?” Reena looked startled. “Guess I’m brass, then.” She glanced down at her handheld computer. “Deck four, quarters Sig0811.”

  “This way.” Ayahliss wanted to offer her arm for support, but knew it wasn’t appropriate aboard a military vessel. Nor did she want to make anyone who didn’t know Reena think she was weak. “My quarters are on deck five, which is a great honor. I believe they’re just beneath yours.”

  “Have you had time to think about what we discussed?”

  “No. Yes. I mean, I was afraid you might have spoken out of concern and then had second thoughts.” Ayahliss kept her gaze forward, too nervous to look at Reena.

  “I most certainly haven’t.” Reena sounded quite affronted, which was oddly heartwarming.

  “Really?” Ayahliss spoke fast, tripping over her words. “I mean, Owena and Leanne are my neighbors. Of course Andreia and Roshan are on the same deck as you. All the quarters here are luxurious compared to the ones aboard the Noma.”

  “Given Andreia is Boyoda, that makes sense, I suppose.” Reena still didn’t look pleased. “Nothing has changed. I still want you to stay with me.”

  Reena’s assertive words made it impossible for Ayahliss to say anything. She walked in silence next to Reena to the lift, which took them to the fourth deck. “Take a right,” Ayahliss finally said as they stepped off. “Looks like it’s the fourth on the left. Use your communicator as your key.”

  Reena pulled her communicator from her lapel and held it against the sensor, which opened the door with a soft hiss. “Efficient.” She stepped inside and looked around. “Look, this is huge. We’ll have plenty of space.” Reena suddenly blushed. “If you still want to, that is. I’m taking a lot for granted.”

  Ayahliss stepped inside and pressed the sensor to close the door. “No. You’re not.”

  “I’m being pushy and selfish.” Reena pushed her cape off and tugged the band from her hair, sending it flying in wild curls. “Coming back here, I thought of little else but getting to you as soon as possible. I’ve been wrapped up in the negotiations, and during the meetings, I deliberately forced every thought of you out of my mind, or I couldn’t have focused at all. As soon as I was on my own time, and especially aboard the shuttle heading for the Brilliance, all the thoughts and feelings rushed back with a vengeance.”

  “A vengeance? That sounds pretty bad,” Ayahliss said, trying to pass it off as a joke.

  “Poor word choice. I’m sorry.” Reena gestured helplessly, palms up. “I feel dusty and unattractive as hell. I need a shower.”

  “On this ship you can even take an aqua shower.”

  “Really?” Reena’s face brightened. “That might transform me in more ways than one. Care to join me?” Her eyes widened. “Oh, Gods, I can’t believe I said that.”

  “You mean it?” Ayahliss whispered. The images in her mind made her feel warmer, heavier.

  “Yes. Did I offend you?”

  “No. And yes.”

  “What?” Reena looked up at Ayahliss with alarm as she stepped closer. “No, yes, what?”

  “No, you didn’t offend me and, yes, I’d like to join you.”

  “I can’t believe I actually invited you to take a shower, but you know what? I’m glad I did. I don’t want to be away from you, even to wash up.”

  Pulling her black cape off, Reena looked like an enchanted mythical creature. Ayahliss wondered, for the millionth time, what Reena saw in her, who had seen little else but violence and fighting for the last several years.

  “Computer. Unless there is an emergency, administer privacy lock on door and communicator. Code Beqq-Sig0811.” Reena motioned for Ayahliss to do the same. “Good. No unnecessary disturbances. Come with me, beautiful Ayahliss,” Reena murmured, her glimmering eyes half-closed. She took Ayahliss by the hand and pulled her toward the bedroom and into the ensuite. “May I undress you?”

  Trembling now, but more exhilarated than she’d ever been, Ayahliss simply nodded.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Reena had known she had to follow her feelings as soon as she saw Ayahliss in the shuttle bay. She had paged both Jacelon admirals to let them know she and Dahlia had made it safely to the Brilliance. Ewan Jacelon had asked his wife to join him in his quarters and offered to send Ayahliss to escort Reena to hers, as it was on another deck.

  Reena had accepted.

  Now, standing outside the blessed aqua shower, she couldn’t take her eyes off Ayahliss. Tall and blond, with a dangerous look in those icy-blue eyes, Ayahliss had a statuesque appearance, which her blue skin tone emphasized.

  “How do I unclasp this thing?” Reena pointed at the Ruby Red suit. “It looks like it was painted on.”

  “Fortunately not.” Ayahliss raised her arms and pressed a sensor on her neck. Kellen’s Ruby Red suit was made of traditional, natural leather, but Ayahliss’s was replicated and made from a leather-like material that looked identical. The suit lost cohesion and slid down a few centimeters before it got stuck on her elbows and breasts. “Like so.”

  “Like so, eh?” Reena pushed the suit off Ayahliss’s arms. It now hung from her hips, where her weapons belt prevented it from slipping farther. “Ah, another challenge.” Reena examined the belt and pressed the buckle in the front. Nothing happened. She licked her lips and turned the buckle an entire rev. This proved successful and Reena couldn’t hold back a triumphant grin. “Now the boots. More buckles. Sweet soul, this is draining my patience.” Pressing the many sensors on the tall red boots, she unfastened them and pulled them off.

  Once she had removed the Ruby Red suit, she took a long look at Ayahliss, wanting to become reacquainted. Ayahliss had clearly gone through a lot since they parted, and for some reason seemed to be brimming with pent-up energy. Reena didn’t want to pry and was also fairly sure she would hear all that had happened aboard the Onotharian ship during the debriefings.

  Now all that was important was right here in the luxurious bathroom with her. Reena pushed off her tunic and stepped out of her trousers. The black shoes went the same way, and soon she and Ayahliss were equally undressed.

  “May I continue?” Reena asked. “I won’t do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

  “Yes. I mean, yes, please continue.” Ayahliss’s voice had suddenly deepened, as had her breathing. Deep and fast.

  “Very well.” Reena first turned to the control panel for the aqua shower. “Computer, aqua shower, medium spray, forty degrees Celsius.” She then slipped her hands under Ayahliss’s non-woven camisole. Her skin was like damp silk. Reena tugged the camisole over Ayahliss’s head and tossed it into the recycler. Broad shoulders, small firm breasts with dark reddish-blue nipples that puckered before her eyes—Reena’s mouth watered. Still, she knew they were supposed to shower and forced herself to merely push Ayahliss’s briefs down off her hips. “There. Get in. I’ll be right there.” She nudged Ayahliss gently into the shower tube. Undressing quickly, she didn’t take her eyes off her stunning body. Naked, Reena stepped into the spray of water next to Ayahliss and moaned as the hot water hit her sore shoulders. Sitting at a negotiating table wasn’t the cushy job some people thought. It drained both the b
ody and the mind.

  “I want to wash your hair,” Ayahliss said, surprising Reena. “It’s something I’ve dreamed of doing.”

  “By all means.” Reena closed her eyes when Ayahliss pulled her close under the cascading water. Strong, gentle hands rubbed sweet-smelling hair cleanser along her long curls, massaging them gently. Touched that Ayahliss would know not to clump them all together in one big mess, which would be damn near impossible to untangle, Reena groaned at having her scalp massaged.

  She let the water rinse the cleanser from her hair, then felt Ayahliss’s hands on her back, sliding a bar of old-fashioned soap against her skin. The feeling was so exquisite, she had to hold on to the grab bar next to the shelf where all the luxurious cleansing supplies sat.

  “The label says oat-and-honey soap,” Ayahliss said. “It has a nice scent, even if I don’t know what an oat is.”

  “A sort of grain,” Reena said dreamily. “Grows on Earth.”

  “Ah. I see. Hence the roughness of the texture.” Ayahliss pulled the soap up and down Reena’s back, and the scrubbing inflamed every nerve ending.

  “I feel it.”

  Suddenly kneeling, Ayahliss washed Reena’s legs. Having Ayahliss’s head so close made Reena blush again. The warmness of her cheeks far surpassed the feeling of the hot water and, unable to hide her reaction, Reena looked down at Ayahliss.

  “Feel good?” Ayahliss ran soapy hands along Reena’s legs. The inside of her thighs seemed to especially interest Ayahliss, who turned the washing into caressing with a few strokes. Just as Reena was ready to spread her legs for a more intimate touch, Ayahliss rose from the floor. Standing in front of Reena, she took another type of soap and dutifully read the label.

  “This one is made from samona oil and…how do you pronounce this? Galloianti?”

  “I-I believe you’re right.” Samona oil was a well-known rehydrating soap that left the skin completely rejuvenated. Galloianti was a Cormanian herb Reena had never tried.

  Ayahliss slid the new soap up and down Reena’s abdomen, stroking her at the same time. She avoided her breasts a few times, but then washed them with slow, circular movements. At first, Reena thought that Ayahliss’s touch had caused her puckering nipples to tingle. It took her a few moments to understand that the galloianti was a strong stimulant. Her nipples buzzed and begged to be fondled. Reena whimpered and wrapped her arms around Ayahliss’s waist, rubbing her breasts against her smooth skin.