Her eyes flashed and Varick sat back in awe of her.
“However, you, knowing that I object to arranged marriages of any kind, saw fit to intercede with those intentions without consulting with me. As such, you conspired to alter a matter that concerns the entire realm without my approval.”
Meroca gaped at her, his eyes wide with shock and fear, before he shook himself. “Your Majesty, I did not intend to change a matter of governance. The right for the Council to choose your husband has been a tradition for thousands of years.” He lifted his hands, palms up, in a helpless shrug
She didn’t acknowledge the councilman’s words. She proceeded to cut her eggs into precise fourths, her eyes trained on her plate.
“Yet, it is not within the Council’s legal standing. Tradition is not law. Legally speaking, my parents would have arranged the marriage for me, but since they are deceased, I have the right to choose whomever I please. You were outside of your legal authority to try and deny me the right to choose a suitable mate.” Anna set down her fork and leveled him with a hard look. “To be honest, I am disappointed in you. I thought your experience taught you better.”
Fear flickered in Meroca’s eyes for a moment. An unspoken challenge wedged itself between Anna and the councilman, and Varick gripped the table.
“I only meant to protect you and Varick from the reality t I know will come once we’ve called our people home. The Council will insist upon you taking a husband from the eight families.” Councilman Meroca forced a smile
“You mean that you wanted to protect us from what you had to endure, don’t you?” She arched one delicate brow
Anna’s eyes were fierce, a cold ice blue, as they bore into the councilman. Every muscle in her jaw tensed, her mouth turned down at the corners. She sat straight in her chair, regal in her disposition. She was every inch a royal—an angry royal about to unleash war on Councilman Meroca. Varick held his breath
“Your Majesty, please, I—”
“My mother would be heartbroken.”
The councilman blanched. His fingers convulsed around his silverware in self-defense.
“You loved my mother, didn’t you? You fell in love in your youth, before her parents gave her to my father to marry. The moment she married, you blasted off to serve at your post in the military school.” Her voice cut the air like a knife.
Varick took in a deep breath and Hannah gasped. They swiveled their gaze to Councilman Meroca.
“Your Majesty…” He pleaded, hanging his head
“Did you think I wouldn’t realize your secret? You talk about my mother with such tenderness in your voice. You never mention my father. You say I remind you of my mother constantly, you tell me stories about her that only a close friend would know—a trusted confidant. The dates of their marriage line up with you taking a post that was vacant for more than five years. You should be ashamed. You, of all people, should know how painful an arranged marriage is. You should know how painful it is to have the person you love ripped away from you.”
The councilman cringed and shrank in his chair. He contemplated the crimson tirwyn in center of the table and the bits of food spewed around it. His eyes glazed over. His body was there, but it appeared his thoughts were light-years away.
“It’s how our people marry, Your Majesty.” His voice was quiet and defeated
“Many cultures on Earth had arranged marriages as well. Most of them have evolved, establishing a new way to look at marriage as other than as an alliance. It is time for the people of Dahrel to evolve as well. If you loved my mother at all, you will agree with me. You will support me in the Council chamber when I introduce a bill to enforce it. It will be the first thing I do once the Council reconvenes.” She tapped the table
Meroca sighed. “I loved your mother more than anything else in the universe, but I cannot destroy one of the basic tenets of our way of life. That’s why I left after her marriage to your father. We both knew if I stayed, we would have been unfaithful to our mates. We could not allow that. I agreed to leave to protect both our families. To protect our people.” He regarded Anna, his eyes misting over
“Now you have a chance to change it all, to give our people a fresh start where they can choose their own happiness. With my approval, the law only needs a majority vote from the Council and your approval will go far in convincing them. Our people deserve the right to marry whom they please just as much as you and my mother did.” She grabbed the councilman’s hands.
“Stand beside me in the Council chamber and ensure that no one has to go through what you went through when you lost my mother. Not me, not Varick, not anyone.”
Meroca swallowed hard. He gripped her hands, white knuckled and tense
“My mother told me about you once. When my father wasn’t around, I asked her if she dated anyone before she met him and got married. She told me when she was young, she was in love with another young man but their families forced them apart. She said she loved my father, and our family, but if she had her life to live over again she would wish that the terrible pain of losing her young love had never happened.”
Councilman Meroca sank his head into his hands. He sniffled and a few tears rolled down his cheeks. He sighed in a blast of air as he dropped his hands onto the table. “I will do as you have asked. I will support the change in law.” His voice broke on his words
“You will not come between me and Varick? You will not threaten him again?”
The councilman dropped his hands into his lap. He looked at Varick with such clear pain and misery Varick’s chest constricted. He remembered that pain from when he thought he’d lost Anna forever
“I’m sorry I threatened you, Varick. I would’ve never carried it out. You’re like a son to me. I did not wish to see you live through the pain I endured. I hope you will forgive me for what I said to you. I will not stand in the way of your happiness any longer. I will defend your right to be together, should anyone object. I will protect your love in the same way I should have protected my own.” He took a hard swallow.
Varick swallowed hard. He gazed at Anna. She smiled, the room brightening with her. She covered his hand with her delicate palm. He stared at that for a moment before he peered up at the councilman. “Thank you. I love Anna more than anything. I promise to protect both her and our love with my life.” He squeezed her hand.
Meroca wiped tears from his flushed cheeks. Anna ordered facial tissues from the cybernetic, and they appeared on the table. The councilman took them, trying to get his emotions under control. “I should go and let all of you eat your breakfast in peace.”
“No, you should stay. You shouldn’t be alone when you’re this upset. Order yourself another breakfast.” She held up her hand to stay him
“No, I must go. I wish to be alone with my thoughts, but…will you forgive me for what I did?” He glanced from Anna to Varick. His eyes glistened with hope
“So long as you support us with the Council, and in front of the crew, then all is forgiven.” She enclosed one of Meroca’s large hands in hers.
“Thank you. Your forgiveness means more to me than anything.” He sniffled, gripping Anna’s hand
She released him. She smoothed down her dress with her hands. The councilman lumbered to his feet and left the room
Anna toyed with her necklace. Varick brushed his fingers along her arm. He took her hand. His touch brought Anna back to him. He smiled with all the warmth and affection in his heart
“I’m glad I was here for this conversation. Not only was it entertaining, but I finally got to see Anna fight for what she wants.” Hannah clapped.
Anna tore her eyes away from him. She scowled at her best friend. Hannah shot an impertinent smile at her as she shoved a forkful of eggs in her mouth. Anna shifted her attention back to Varick. “How was your meeting?” she asked
Varick chuckled. “Just fine. I wanted to go over our plans for landing at the science station, and potential scenarios in case the Star Alliance chas
es us down.” He relaxed in his chair
“So will we all go down to fulfill the great prophecy of the wise Oman?” Hannah rolled her eyes
Anna frowned at her, but Varick gave a short laugh. “We’ll see. We’re sending out a scouting party in less than a standard hour. They’ll make sure everything is safe. If it is, then yes. I think we should go.” He glanced askance at his love. He finally relented to her wishes.
“I don’t want to go.” Hannah produced an apathetic shrug
“Of course not. Never mind the fact that if we were planning to go and told you that you couldn’t come, you would beg to go until our ears bled. Since someone wants you to go, and thinks you need to be there, you don’t want to go.”
“Exactly.” Hannah’s smile took on a saucy bend
Anna stared at her. Hannah stared back as she started eating her toast. There was a distinct note of challenge in the tilt of Hannah’s chin, but Anna wasn’t having any of it.
“Fine then, don’t come.” She waved her hand in dismissal
Hannah grinned. She opened her mouth to retort when Varick interceded. “We should go down to the control room. The scouting party will leave soon.”
Anna tilted her head toward him, and he brushed her lips with his. A shiver of pleasure rattled him to the core.
“I suppose we shouldn’t be overly familiar while we’re in front of the crew.” A note of disappointment threated through Anna’s voice.
“Not quite yet. We’ll need to put the resolution through the Council first. Before that, we need to shut this experiment down so we can have a council—if we ever find our Council. Until then, it’s enough to know Councilman Meroca won’t have me executed.” He beamed at her. The way she swept aside Meroca’s objections and won his support was masterful.
She fingered his sleeve. Varick caught her hand and kissed it.
He kept a polite and respectful distance as he escorted her to the control room. He stood by her side as five short-range starcraft shot out of the hangar below them and sped away. Each starcraft had a single crew member and the pulse shield that Decana had designed and built. Decana stood off to their right, alternating between watching the starcrafts, and hunching over the science desk she had programmed to monitor all of their pulse shields.
The vessels disappeared into the distance. Even now, when no one was watching, she was regal and confident—the very definition of their Vadana. His heart filled with admiration and awe. He fought to keep a smile from his face.
“They should return in several hours. I’ll escort you to your quarters.” He leaned over and whispered into her ear.
“No, I would like to stay. I should be with the crew now.” She gestured to the people in the room.
Their gazes met and kindled. No matter what their facial expressions showed anyone else, he could read the heat in her gaze flickering in the background.
“As you wish, Your Majesty.” He stepped to the side. Anna made her rounds. She spoke to everyone in the room, except Captain Fayn. The Captain did everything in his power to avoid the Vadana. Varick shook his head. If he were captain of this vessel, he wouldn’t have left the Vadana alone for a minute. Very little the Captain did ever made sense to him.
They spent the rest of the time with Decana, monitoring the scouting party’s shields and vital signs. Decana had implanted each of them with microchips that allowed her to monitor their brain waves. The scouting party returned three hours later, without incident.
Varick left Anna to question them in person. He went down to the hangar bay, and entered the makeshift containment units they’d constructed for this purpose. The five men were in individualized cells, continuously scanned by the science-techs who ran around the hangar.
He strode up to the men, who all hopped to attention. They wore light-gray ship’s uniforms, each spotless from their mission. Varick surveyed them, looking for any signs, any reason at all, to not go down to the surface.
“Tell me about the science station. Were there signs of life?” He folded his arms. His eyes poured over them like water
“Yes, sir,” answered the crewman on his right. “When we scanned the surface, there were several life forms, but they are scarce. We didn’t run into any while we were on the surface.”
Uneasiness settled into his stomach. It would’ve been easier if the science station was deserted. Even once harmless animals could be deadly now. “Were there any life forms that could be Dahrelian?” Varick asked
Another crewman shook his head. “No, sir. No one left there survived.”
“Did you see the actual science station in the center of town? Did you go inside?” He strode down the line of men and women
“We saw it, Protector, but we could not get inside. We used the code Decana gave us, but the doors have rusted shut. The structure appears to be sound. Most of the buildings in the center of town are still intact. The ones on the outskirts are more overgrown. They’ve been reclaimed by the jungle.”
He paced, while he weighed their opinions with caution. “Do you see any reason at all why the Vadana should not go down to the surface of the science station?”
“No, Protector,” one crewman said. The others nodded their agreement.
He swept his gaze over them. “I want you kept here in isolation for the night, so that you can be observed. I must discuss your findings with the Vadana. You have our thanks for your service.”
Varick left the hangar and went to the turbo lift. He paused outside her door, knowing he must tell her the truth, but dreading it. He didn’t want Anna on that science station, but he didn’t know how to convince her otherwise
He pressed his palm to the center of the door and entered the room, where he found his love reading on her bed
She jumped off the bed and marched up to him. “What did they say?”
“There wasn’t very much to report. The science station has minimal life on it now. The actual science center seems sound, but the doors have rusted shut. The crewmen appear to have survived the trip with no ill effects. The pulse shields work.”
Varick moved over to the table and laid his sword on it, next to the tirwyn. It was a lovely violet just now, reflective of Anna’s pensive mood. He was glad he didn’t have a tirwyn of his own; it would’ve been deep blue with concern
When he faced her again, she surveyed him with a crease in her brow. “What is it? What’s bothering you?”
Apparently, he didn’t need one. “I don’t like this plan, Anna. I don’t want you or Hannah down there. There are still animals alive on the surface, and even the smallest animals are potentially deadly now.”
She put her hands on her hips and shot him the look of impatience usually reserved for Hannah. He clenched his fists
“Varick, you know that Oman said—”
“Yes, I know what he said, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to risk it. Also, the scouting party didn’t get into the science center building. We don’t even know if it’s structurally sound.”
“Varick…”
He glared at her, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the table. “We should send out another scouting party. I want them to at least get inside the building.”
Anna glided over to him. She leaned her body against his. Varick set his jaw and peered down into her eyes, which was an incredible mistake. He was far too susceptible to her desires. She placed her hands on his biceps, stroking them with her fingers. His gaze darted to the ceiling. She placed one hand on his cheek and drew his eyes down to hers.
“I know you don’t want me to get hurt, but you have to admit that there is very little the scouting party found that is a danger. The more you stall, the more likely it is that the Star Alliance will find us before we can do what we need to do. Please, Varick. Let’s go to the science station, turn off this experiment, and call our people home.”
Varick looked into the warm, blue starlight of her eyes. Then he drew her in, tucking her head under his chin. He kissed her hair and
rubbed his cheek against the glossy strands.
Anna wrapped her arms around his torso. She nuzzled his neck, burrowing against him. his heart squeezed in his chest, but he opened his mouth and said the words he had to say. “I’ll tell my men we launch the day after tomorrow in the afternoon. I want you and Hannah to be surrounded at all times. I don’t want you to leave my side for even a second, do you understand?”
She smiled at him, but for once he didn’t smile back. His stomach turned over and twisted hard. He squeezed her tighter against him
“I promise. I won’t leave your side for a second.”
Anna gazed up into his eyes, with all of her warmth and love and understanding. So Varick kissed her, devouring her mouth. His tongue swept into her and warred with her own. He wanted to make her as soft and as weak as she made him.
Anna surrendered to his demanding tongue. When he grabbed her derriere and squeezed, she let out a surprised squeak. He had never been quiet so demanding and insistent. He found it intoxicating, primal.
Varick picked Anna up and laid her down on the glass table. As he shoved her dress up to her waist, a shiver ran through Anna’s whole body. He made love to her there, right on that dining room table. Their lovemaking was so all consuming that it left them both trembling and weak.
Varick leaned over Anna, kissing her and caressing her. He murmured words of love, and told her how much he treasured each part of her body. When his pulse returned to normal, he helped her slide off the table. He led her to the bed, and laid down with her in his arms. He intended to hold her there for as long as he could.
~ * ~
Anna was famished the next morning. Between her nerves and Varick’s energetic lovemaking the night before, couldn’t stop thinking about food.
The councilman ventured to her breakfast table, more polite and reserved than usual. Anna had invited him. She needed his support, yet she felt a twinge of guilt with every sheepish smile he threw her way. She didn’t want to be the type of ruler that inspired trepidation.
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