"Tell her I don't have a wife,” he said. “I'm not married, am I?"
Gabrielle's stunned look then dissolved into gales of laughter. She bent at the waist with her arms wrapped around her middle, her mirth at his expense plain to see. Keller smiled as well and stepped out of his way. Crag pulled Ellie over to stand before a recovering Gabrielle.
"Cease, Gabrielle."
She wiped the moisture from her eyes and gave him an apologetic smile. “Okay. I'm sorry. He's not married, Ellie. I promise. I would have told you."
"How come he doesn't know whether he's married or not. What are you, his translator?” Ellie had a puzzled look on her face, but she was no longer trying to release herself from his grasp.
"Sort of. You see, where he comes from, some of our words mean different things,” Gabrielle explained.
"I don't understand.” Ellie's face sported a confused look, but she was still beautiful.
"'Wife’ means business partner. So while he does have a wife, he's not married. See?"
"No, I don't understand at all.” Ellie shook her head. They were saved from making any further explanations by the healer. Barton entered the room in his traveling clothes.
"Are you ready to depart for Tiburon, Crag?"
"What are the results of the examination?"
"The queen has requested I bring the results back with me and inform her personally. She expects you will accompany me, of course. That way you can all learn the results together.” Was that sarcasm from Barton? What was he about? Crag turned to Ellie.
"What about Ellie?” he asked, not taking his eyes from her. Barton didn't respond until Crag turned back to him.
The healer looked at Ellie's state of undress, frowned, and said, “You may bring her if you wish, but if she doesn't carry your progeny, she'll be sent back immediately."
"Well, then tell me if she's carrying my child.” The exasperation in his tone was impossible to miss.
"The queen felt it would be better to have you back on Tiburon for the reading of the results. She wants to ensure your safe return home, even if the information is not what you expect."
"The queen doesn't trust me to return?” Crag asked incredulously. Barton shrugged and his eyes roamed over to Keller who sported a dawning understanding across his features.
"Are they to have a formal reading, in the Chamber of Elders?” Keller asked. The healer nodded.
Crag now understood more fully what his friend had gone through in trying to life partner with Gabrielle. Love made the commonplace things seem extraordinary. He was sincerely in love with Ellie. She may be an earthling, but he adored her all the same. His heart was at peace with her mere proximity. He tightened his hold on her hand.
Everyone in the room seemed to understand the situation with the exception of Ellie.
"What is going on here? Who is the queen? Where is Tiburon? And what is a Council of Elders chamber?” She extracted her hand from his and took a step away. The fear in her eyes humbled him.
"Do not be frightened,” he said.
"Too late.” She took another step away. One more and she'd disappear into the hallway.
"Gabrielle. Explain so she'll understand.” Crag never took his eyes off his future life mate.
Gabrielle took a deep breath and let it out before speaking. “Ellie, you and I are from Earth. The three men in the room are from a planet called Tiburon. I believe it's two galaxies away. They're aliens."
"But I don't believe in aliens,” Ellie responded with an uncertain look in her lovely eyes.
"And yet they exist. I know it's hard to wrap your brain around it, but on some level, I know you secretly wonder about the chocolate flavor and a particular, shall we say ... intensity which results when you kiss his lips."
Crag watched a series of expressions cross Ellie's face. She squinted. Her glance traveled around the room to each of the others present. She then shook her head.
"I don't ... no, it can't be ... because...” Ellie's eyes suddenly widened in terror. She put a hand to her stomach, drilled a horrified gaze at him, and then slid to the floor in a dead faint.
* * * *
Ellie never thought she'd wish for the child to be Brandon's. After about a nanosecond, she still didn't. It spoke volumes to her that she'd rather be pregnant with an alien baby than one from her ex-boyfriend. Was it true? Maybe she heard Gabrielle wrong. What rhymed with alien?
"Ellie, please wake up,” Crag's pained voice made its way through her fear-fogged brain. She kept her eyes shut on purpose as the significance of the moment surrounded her.
Aliens. Why did it have to be aliens?
Back in her teenage years, when she still lived with her mother, she vividly remembered the Friday nights they shared. Gladys Granger loved horror movies. She forced Ellie to stay up late and watch Scream Theater every week. Gladys felt it was a treat to allow Ellie to stay up late. A big plastic bowl of greasy, salty popcorn always rested on the scratched and dented coffee table between them. Her mother curled up on one end of the sagging sofa, eyes wide, waiting to have the crap scared out of her. Ellie coiled into a ball at the opposite end of the couch, a pillow at the ready in which to hide her face. And what was her mother's favorite theme of all? Why, that would be aliens, of course.
Unfortunately, the alien movies Gladys enjoyed were fraught with blood thirsty, flesh-eating, zombie aliens, constantly after one internal organ or another, chasing hapless earthlings around to feed off them. Ellie spent the start of every weekend frightened to death that a hoard of aliens would land secretly near her bedroom, find her cowering under her sheets, and feast on her once she dared close her eyes to sleep.
"If I open my eyes, you aren't going to try and eat my liver, are you?"
"I beg your pardon?” Crag's voice sounded wounded and confused.
Ellie peeked at the apprehensive face of a man she'd been dreaming about for months. Crag was the alien man she longed for and missed each day he'd been away from her. He was the man whose kisses were intense, all right. Not only did Crag's mouth never once sprout razor sharp teeth and attempt to gut her for her pancreas, it instead brought her extreme pleasure. Repeatedly.
Even in her dreams, after he'd gone.
"Nothing. Never mind. Are you really an alien from another planet?” She sat up and tried not to be embarrassed that she'd fainted in a room full of people ... and aliens.
"Yes, I'm sorry to distress you, but—"
"Can you prove it?” she interrupted him.
He gave her an uncertain look. “Will I be required to do so?"
"Yes, I believe you will.” She let him help her up while she clutched the borrowed robe together so as not to provide a peep show for the assembled group.
Gabrielle chuckled again but quickly wiped the amusement off her face when every man in the room gave her an evil look. Ellie detached herself from Crag and made her way to Gabrielle.
"But you're an earthling, right?” she asked.
"Yep, and I promise, they won't hurt you,” Gabrielle said. A glint came into her eyes before she continued. “That is unless you try to take away their future king. Then they drug you senseless and send you back to Earth before you can say ‘kiss me breathless.’”
"Gabrielle,” Crag said, heaving a deep sigh of resignation. He sounded deeply offended.
"Well, it's true,” Gabrielle retorted.
"Be that as it may, it doesn't help this situation.” Crag looked over at Ellie. His face expressed sincere worry. Was he worried about her?
"I'm ready to go back to Tiburon,” the strange healer man said. He was as tall as Crag and Keller but wafer thin. Ellie expected a stiff wind would carry him two states away in a flash.
"Ellie, will you come with us?” Craig asked her. “I'll show you Tiburon and do my best to prove to you I'm not from your world.” He reached out a hand tentatively as if he expected her to smack him down.
Ellie stepped forward and took his outstretched hand “All right. I guess it'll
be okay.” What did she have to lose? If she could possibly have a life with him, she wanted it. If he proved to be from another planet, as she was beginning to be convinced, she didn't find it as appalling as staying behind in her world without him.
"I need to tell you something else."
"I honestly don't think I can take anything else."
Crag sighed deeply but spoke in low tones “You need to know, if we are to have a life together, it must be on my planet. The queen made it clear I'm not allowed to reside here."
"Why not?” Ellie glanced back at Gabrielle and Keller briefly. They obviously lived on Earth.
"I am The Commander at Arms. The position has been in my family for generations.” She thought he stood just a little straighter when he spoke, as if full of pride at his rank and station.
"He's like the Earth version of the top military commander,” Keller spoke up. “He's responsible for the safety of the royal house, among other duties."
"Wow, and all this time I thought you lacked motivation to get a full-time job,” Ellie muttered to herself. He was probably out of her league. Top military men were powerful by the very nature of their title. Powerful also equaled out of her league, but then she already lived that way here on good old Earth.
During college, she endured rich-girl school on a scholarship. Once she graduated with top honors in Art History, she then went on to endure the looks of those in her various Art related jobs who classified her quickly into the have-not side of the world. Snobs like Brandon.
She'd already come to grips with the fact she was better than people like him anyway. She'd learned to have a thick skin around those who thought she was a lesser person because she hadn't been born with a silver spoon shoved in her mouth. She'd learned to temper her remarks when insulted, which was almost every day.
It wouldn't be a chore to face a planet full of snobby aliens, as long as they weren't of the bloodthirsty variety.
"All right, I'll go with you. How bad can it be?"
Gabrielle laughed again. “Wait until you meet the queen. Whatever you do, don't tell anyone you're friends with me."
Chapter Nine
They left Earth under the cover of darkness from a secluded place completely void of humans. The blue light of the transporter swept them quickly to the star craft which would then take them to his home planet via several spatial tunnels in a short time.
The trip to Tiburon was uneventful, but Crag couldn't help the over protective streak he felt for Ellie. He brought her into Tiburon's main dock at night when most citizens were home asleep. The hanger door closed after the ship landed, protecting them from Tiburon's harshly cold environment. Gabrielle's presence in their world several years ago had garnered much speculation and innuendo. He hoped to avoid the same with Ellie.
He led her to his quarters without anyone seeing her except those working the night shift on the dock. He asked them not to spread the word an earthling was in residence. He hoped they might share some quiet moments tonight before all the drama and uncertain conflict of tomorrow in the Council of Elders chambers.
"It's very quiet here.” Ellie clutched his hand in hers as they strolled the quiet corridors of his world.
"It's after hours. We'll stay in my quarters tonight. In the morning, we'll attend a special session of the Council of Elders."
"What does that mean? Who are the Council of Elders?"
"They decide and dictate the laws of my world."
Crag led her down another hallway to the door of his cramped quarters. After Sybille's death, he'd moved out of the rooms he'd shared with her in an effort to escape the memories of his former life. His new home was smaller but just as comfortable.
He unlocked the door and pushed it open. The lights came on automatically. Ellie entered ahead of him, stopping just inside. He secured the door and turned to her. He should probably take her to the visitor's quarters, but it would require waking someone else who would know she was in residence. He wanted to keep her presence as quiet as possible. There was no need to antagonize everyone on Tiburon if Ellie didn't ... The stab to his chest hurt more each time it occurred to him she might not be able to stay.
"Will I have to go in to the Chamber of Elders place?” she asked, the warmth of her voice healing his desolate thoughts.
"Yes, but I'll be there with you. The session will start, and the healer, Barton, will be brought forward to inform them officially whether the child you carry is mine."
"They can already tell that?"
"Yes, and if the child is mine, you'll be invited to stay and reside on Tiburon. That is, if you wish to reside with me and raise our child here.” He certainly wished it.
As if unconsciously trying to protect herself, she moved a hand to her belly. She did that a lot. A mother should protect her child.
Crag's mother had been protective of him. It was a memory of his mother he never lost. He also remembered her laughter. From his earliest memory, he and his mother went on journeys to discover the world. Other memories of her faded over time, but he remembered he'd loved his mother like no other. He had her to himself until age six when his sister, Lizzie, was born. Even two years later when his sister Ophelia had been born, his mother still made special alone time for him.
At age ten he held his mother's hand tightly as his sister, Tessa, was born prematurely on the floor of his parents’ bedroom while they waited for the healer. Tessa had lived. His mother had not.
He recalled his mother's final whispered words. “I'm depending on you to take care of your sisters, Crag, and your father, too.” Then she passed onto the next life. Stabs of pain entered and swelled in his chest at her death. The newborn cries of his baby sister rang in his ears. He leaned down to brush his mother's cheek for one last good-bye.
After losing his life mate, Crag's father never sought another life partner. The former Commander Kern now lived with Crag's sister, Lizzie, and her family. At least Crag's father had his children for comfort in his later years.
He didn't want an action of his to cause Ellie to perish in childbirth as his mother had. Perhaps that was another reason he'd been so reluctant with Sybille, but she died anyway. This was the reason for his gut-wrenching fear of losing yet another woman he loved.
Ellie simply had to live, with or without him, whether or not the child was his.
The final conversation he shared with the queen before his departure slid uneasily into his mind. The queen would still have to approve the match between them. He knew Elsbeth harbored ill will towards Gabrielle, but he hoped it wouldn't transfer to Ellie who deserved a chance to show she was different.
Then there was Lena. Another conversation he didn't look forward to.
"Will I ever get to go back to Earth? I mean, my mother still lives there. We aren't close, but I don't want her to be worried. And what about my job? I can't quit and leave them hanging."
"Frequent trips are difficult to arrange. However, regardless of your gestational status, I'll be allowed to send you back once to make permanent arrangements. Afterwards, we can send messages via Keller and Gabrielle."
"So you won't make me stay here if I don't want to. What if the baby is yours?"
Crag's heart tightened as if in a vice of unyielding titanium. He wanted her to stay, especially if the child was his, but he would never force her. The words stuck in his throat. “You won't be forced to stay,” he choked out. “However, I won't be allowed to leave. If you decide to live on Earth, you'll leave without me."
"You won't send me away without the baby, right?” Both hands went to her midsection as if she silently called for protection from all bad things.
"Of course not, but I would mourn you and our child.” She smiled at his heartfelt statement. He desperately wanted the child in her womb to be his. However, if it wasn't, he suspected it wouldn't matter. Regardless of what the tests revealed, he'd mourn her and the child if she left.
"How come Keller gets to live on Earth, but you don't?"
; Crag sighed, “That's a long story. I don't share the same circumstances that he did. Basically, I won't live on Earth."
"Could you ever visit me?"
"No, I have obligations here, which require my attention. If you leave, I'll be forced to life partner with another."
"Forced? Why?"
"I need to produce an heir for my line. The next Commander at Arms will need to be determined to follow in my wake once I'm no longer able to serve. It would be a disgrace to allow it to fall to another family member out of my direct line. I would never shame my father in this manner."
"I see. So the decision to reside here is mine. Do you care if I stay?” she asked in a small, sad voice. Crag felt the stone fist around his heart again.
"Of course, I care. I've never cared for anyone as I do you.” He let loose a deep sigh he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He should explain about Sybille before anyone else told her about his past. “You should know I was life partnered once before."
"Really? What happened?” Her eyes were wide with curiosity.
"Sybille died over a year ago in an accident. I was mourning her death on Earth when we met."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know."
He shrugged, “You should also know I never thought I'd find another woman I cared enough about to go through the experience again. I knew I'd eventually life partner for an heir, but now that we've been together, I'd rather be dead than share my life with another. Do you understand?” As he spoke, he moved closer and closer to her. She didn't back away.
Her eyes widened now. “I think you're saying you love me.” Her smile brightened the room with its intensity.
"Yes, I love you with everything that I am. Tell me you love me, Ellie."
"I do love you, but this is a lot to take in. I may need time to decide if love is enough to leave my planet forever. And how am I ever going to let you go, if it turns out the baby isn't yours?” Her eyes welled up with moisture.
"While it's true we have several obstacles to traverse, I'm confident we will crush them if we face them together."
"Okay. Will you kiss me?” She moved her face closer to his.
Just One Embrace [The Tiburon Duet, Book 2] Page 9
