He grinned. “No. Reinforcements.”
“What?”
“Incoming message from Xylan Imperial Fleet,” the computer announced in their helmets.
Dad chuckled. “Perfect.”
“More Hurlian ships are detected in long-range scanners,” the computer said.
“Oh wow,” Kia whispered.
“Dago, what’s happening?” Mom asked, her eyes wide with fear.
He put an arm around her. “Don’t worry, Mariah. Everything is going to be fine. The Xylans are here to kick out the Hurlians.” He grinned.
“Indeed,” Kayzon confirmed. “That appears to be what’s happening. The Bounty Hunter Guild must have informed the Xylan High Command of what I’d discovered here on New Earth when I came to extract THX690. They were not pleased. Humans have recently been declared a Rare Indigenous Species. This whole planet is now unlawful and against the Scales of Xylan Law. It is unacceptable.”
“Oh wow,” Kia repeated, unable to say much else.
Her husband turned to her and pierced her with a glowing stare. “Stay here and keep your family safe and comfortable,” he ordered. Then he gave Dad a barely perceptible chin lift. Dago nodded back, grabbed Mom by the waist and gave her a lingering kiss on the lips. He let her go and strode away. Mom stood there, her cheeks red, as the two warriors pounded down the lowered ramp and into the night in the direction of the other ship that just landed. The ramp closed after them with a resounding finality.
Shoot.
It sucked being left behind. She was a soldier now, and she wanted to go with them. But…Kayzon was right. Someone needed to stay and take care of Mom, Janet and Harmony. And she was the one with the least fighting experience.
And she was pregnant. She was certain Kayzon had that in the back of his mind. He probably figured she’d done enough already.
Shoot.
Mom stood close, grabbed her hand and squeezed. Harmony grabbed her other hand.
“Don’t worry,” Janet said, her words filled with bloodthirsty eagerness, “They’ll be back. They’re out there kicking Hurlian ass.”
“Oooh, can we watch?” Harmony asked.
“Can we?” Mom said.
Kia blinked. Well, actually… “Computer, can you show a live vid in the bridge of the action happening in the vicinity of the ship? In particular, can you show Kayzon and Dago Cho?”
“Affirmed.”
“Come on, follow me.” She led them out of the cargo bay.
“This ship is so cool,” Janet whispered as they walked down the halls.
Kia grinned. Pride for her husband warmed her chest. It was a very nice ship. She led them all to the bridge, and they settled in and watched on the large vid screen as the Xylan Imperial Army literally slayed the Hurlians. It was amazing.
“This is the best day of my life,” Mom whispered. A slow tear rolled down the side of her cheek.
Kia crooked an eyebrow.
“Well,” she amended, “the best day besides the day I married your father and gave birth to you girls…this is the next best day.”
The vid slow-mo’d on Kayzon striding away from a grounded Hurlian hovercraft blowing up behind him, the wind whipping his gleaming rows of hair about his head. He had his helmet off and his gloves retracted. In either clawed hand was a large blaster. His shoulders were wider than wide. Powerful and sleek. He was epic. His scar and glowing cybernetic eye only made him, like, ten times sexier. If she wasn’t already pregnant, just looking at him would make her pregnant.
Janet stood next to her, watching Kayzon, too, and sighed. “So…what’s going on with you and that Bounty Hunter? Are you going to tell us?”
“Uh…well…” Sheesh. She didn’t know where to start. She felt her face growing warm, thinking about all the hot sex she’d been having with her Xylan warrior.
“I think our Kia has found her husband,” Mom said, a wide smile on her face.
“Well, yeah,” she admitted. “He’s my husband. My mate.”
“And?” Janet said.
Oh gosh, she should tell them everything? She had to, right? Or should she wait to tell them about the baby? She glanced over at the damn countdown clock. Nothing was considered final to Kayzon until the time of review. The time she was allowed to make her decision, which was a load of crap because she was pregnant and she loved that idiot warrior, so of course her decision would be to remain. But her stubborn husband thought he was unworthy or some such shit, and because of this she was in limbo.
It fucking sucked.
Three pairs of eyes stared at her, eagerly awaiting more information. It was weird. Normally she told them everything. Mom, her sisters, her dad…they were her everything. It was the four of them against the world. They were a team.
But for the first time ever, Kia realized her allegiance had changed. This was still her family. But Kayzon was her mate, her husband. It was time to put him first and put their relationship first. So she decided to keep the baby info to herself and the details of their relationship private, just until that countdown clock was over and the time for review was past. Then it would be official. She knew it was what Kayzon would want. After all, they hadn’t told her dad about the baby yet either…
Damn, she felt so grown up.
Adulting was hard, wasn’t it?
Mom watched her closely, sensing her struggle. “You’ve mated with the Xylan warrior?” she asked.
Kia blushed hard, her face red. Because yeah, she’d mated with him. Again and again.
“Xylans mate for life,” Mom pronounced. “And your dad seems to like him and trust him. That’s good enough for me.”
Kia sighed with relief. “Thanks, Mom,” she whispered.
“What? That’s it? That’s all we’re going to get?” Janet huffed. “Come on. That’s not fair.”
“Shut up,” Kia muttered.
“She’ll tell us more when she’s ready,” Mom answered.
“Oh fuck you, Kia. You’re always the nosey one, the one who wants to know everything. And here you are, showing up with some badass Bounty Hunter with one eye and a scar across his face and suddenly he’s your husband but I can’t ask you about it. That’s bullshit.”
“Janet,” Mom gasped.
“No. No. Dad was gone for weeks. Then Kia was gone, too. We heard nothing from her for a whole day and then finally we get a message from the Bounty Hunter saying she’s okay and not to worry. Of course we worried. How do you think we felt when you were gone? At first we were all crying because we thought the Hurlians had snatched you. It turns out you were just on your honeymoon or something. It’s like you didn’t even care about us. That’s not right, Kia.”
Kia’s face continued to heat. “You’re right. That wasn’t fair. I’m sorry.”
“I think we all need a nap,” Mom said.
“Can you guys keep it down?” Harmony yelled. “I’m trying to watch the show over here.”
The three of them were quiet for a second, and then they burst out laughing. “Yeah, okay, you little hellion, we can keep it down,” Kia said as she reached over and mussed Harmony’s hair. Harmony frowned but scooted closer. Kia wrapped an arm around her and settled in to continue watching the siege of New Earth. Xylan vs. Hurlian.
Kia stayed up late watching the vid and listening to her Dad and Kayzon talk to each other on the com through their helmets. She spoke to them occasionally, joining in the conversation when necessary, warning them if she saw something through the vid they couldn’t see themselves. It was a tense and amazing couple of hours as the Xylan military took back New Earth from the Hurlians. Finally, the battle for New Earth that raged above and around Singapore ended. The Hurlians were gone, their soldiers dead on the battlefield and their ships blown into space dust.
Kia took the helmet off and looked around the bridge and found everyone asleep in seats.
She went and removed the rest of her Hunter suit she still wore and changed back into her tunic and loose pants. Then woke her mother and two sisters and
used the food dispenser to give them late-night snacks and drinks. They all paused to have a tearful mental breakdown over the enormity of the food dispenser. Then she showed them the fancy Xylan toilet and all the buttons. They cooed with delight at the choices. Harmony chose the vibrating seat option and everyone laughed until there were tears in their eyes. And then Kia walked them to the stacked sleeping bunks that lined the cargo bay. And everyone went back to sleep. Kia went back to the Bridge to wait and keep watch.
Kayzon returned to the ship a few hours after the two suns rose. Dad was with him and another Xylan warrior with royal pigment. The ramp lowered, and Kia squealed, ran down and threw herself in Kayzon’s arms. She couldn’t help herself. She’d been worried sick the whole time. Worried a stray blast would hurt him, or that a ship would explode too close. At first, he melted at her embrace, his claws digging into her hips, and he burrowed his face into her hair, filling his lungs with her scent. Then he stiffened, patted her awkwardly on the back and stepped back.
Dammit. She did her best to suck up the tears that wanted to flow. That countdown clock from hell was nearly up. The time for review was almost here. She could hold it together until then.
“Kia of One,” her husband intoned with formality. “May I introduce you to Zhoryan of Eighty-Two, the Imperial Warlord of Sector One.”
Oh. Oops. She turned to look more fully at the new guy, and her jaw dropped. Kayzon was considered a Xylan warrior of royal pigment, but wow this other warrior was so dark, she swore he pulled all the surrounding light in and refracted it from his body. His skin was darker than any she’d ever seen before, and it shone with a metallic brilliance. There were even threads of sparkling gray that ran through the ridges of his forehead. The majesty before her was so blinding, she couldn’t even speak. Which everyone knew almost never happened to Kia.
The warlord tilted his head toward her. “It is an honor to meet you, Kia of One, daughter of Dago Cho, Gravian Priest of the Thirtieth Line.”
Kia smiled and blushingly mumbled some sort of weak reply and glanced at her father, who winked back.
Oh, jeez.
Dad was filthy.
Dark matter that looked suspiciously like blood and gore smeared across his neck and forehead. His face was sweaty. But Dago Cho looked happier than she’d ever seen.
Mom, Janet and Harmony stumbled over and muttered greetings. Harmony yawned and rubbed her eyes. More introductions were offered, and then the warlord stood taller and made a general announcement.
“I am here as a representative of the Imperial fleet. The Xylan High Command is thankful to Kayzon of Twenty-Six for exposing the unlawful practices of the Hurlian Empire. You have done well, warrior. This helps renew faith in your Banished line. And…” His gaze flicked toward Kia for a moment. “It will help in the outcome of the review you have requested.”
He continued. “The humans of New Earth are now officially in the hands of the Gravian empire. The planet now belongs to the humans who live here, in conjunction with the Gravians who will monitor and aid in their survival. Xylan formally wishes you the best in your efforts at future autonomous nation-building. This planet is under the protection of the Xylan Empire. May honor follow you in whatever path you choose.”
The warrior thumped his closed fist against his chest. Kayzon and Dad returned the gesture. Then the warrior bowed his head, turned and left. They all watched his retreating back and listened to his footfalls pound down the metal ramp. Everyone was quiet, in shock.
“Wow, he’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen,” Janet whispered as she fanned herself. “Was he for real?”
Mom rolled her eyes, walked up to Dad and took his hand. “Honey,” she asked. “What does this mean? What happens now?”
“We can go home.” Dad smiled. He looked at a bleary-eyed Mom, Harmony and Janet. “We can all go home.”
Kia noticed he didn’t include her in that statement.
She decided this had to be the weirdest moment of her life, a dividing line between child and woman, girl and adult. She was on her own now, if she wanted it.
She glanced at her indecisive husband and sighed. She did. She did want it.
“What about the unigods?” Kia asked.
“The Xylans discovered through Hurlian transmissions that the new President of New Earth wasn’t human,” Dad answered. “But instead was a Hurlian in disguise, sent to bring disorder, to create chaos to make it easier to continue the snatchings. The Hurlians had noticed a trend over the last twenty years of relative prosperity. The citizens of New Earth were growing bolder and technologically advanced, despite the isolation. They were afraid of mutiny.”
“So the unigod movement is gone and we are no longer living under the Hurlian thumb?” Mom asked. “We don’t have to live in fear of them dropping in. And they can’t isolate us from other planets anymore?”
“The Hurlians have retreated to their home world. The Xylan Imperial Fleet will make sure the Hurlians never interfere with this planet again,” Kayzon reported.
“Who is in charge of us?” Janet asked.
“We are in charge of ourselves.” Dad said.
“Wow.” Mom looked like she might faint.
Dad wrapped his arms around her and tipped his dirty, sweaty forehead forward to touch Mom’s. “We have worked for this for the last twenty years. Now it’s here. This world has a lot of work ahead, Mariah. We are free of the Hurlians and can rule ourselves, determine our own destiny. We can be a part of this. You’re the brains and I’m the brawn. We have a lot of work to do.”
Mom started sobbing. Kia felt tears streaming down her own face. It was too much. All her life she’d wished for this moment and it was actually happening. It was a dream come true.
Janet and Harmony were crying, too.
Dad looked at his daughters and pulled them in for a hug. “Okay, everyone, let’s all go home. We can walk back. Everyone needs a good night’s sleep.”
“We will stay here, on the ship,” Kayzon told him.
Dad met Kia’s gaze for a moment, then grinned at Kayzon. “I will see you soon. Come and join us at the house when you two are ready.”
Kia smiled to herself. Gods, she loved that man.
Then Kia’s family all started to walk down the ramp and into the morning, but Harmony stopped in front of Kayzon and lifted her chin. “Kayzon,” she said with her darling little voice, pegging him with those wide brown eyes. “I’m sorry I screamed when I first saw you. You’re really not scary. I was just tired.”
Kayzon grunted. His lips twitched.
Harmony continued on her way. At the bottom of the ramp she turned and waved a little hand. “Bye, Kia,” she whispered. “See ya later.”
Kia winked at her. “See you soon, baby girl.”
Chapter Eleven
The ramp clanged shut.
Everyone was gone and they were alone, staring at each other.
Kayzon was just as filthy as her father had been. Blood and gore caked his armor. It was smeared on her now, too, and she didn’t care. All she cared about was that he was standing there without a single emotion playing across that damn impassive Xylan face.
And she felt like an idiot, unsure what to say or do. Was this man her husband or not? Did she have the right to run up to him as she’d done before? Had he liked her showing affection for him in front of her family and the Xylan warlord, or did it make him uncomfortable?
Did he love her or not?
What was in his heart?
She had no idea.
Suddenly a chime sounded throughout the ship. “Incoming holo deck message from the Xylan Judicial Command,” the computer intoned.
“The time for review of our mating bond has passed,” Kayzon pointed out.
She exhaled and glanced over at the countdown clock that now read zero.
He took her hand. “Come with me. You will tell them your decision and we will be done with this.”
Done with this?
She stood sti
ll, anger bubbling up inside of her.
Done with this?
She yanked out of his grasp and glared at him. “You still think I’ll say no, don’t you? You think that’s what this outcome will be?”
He continued to stare at her without a flicker of emotion on his scarred face.
What the fuck? He thought she’d deny him. She was suddenly so pissed off at him for doubting her, she couldn’t speak.
After all of that? The off-the-charts sex, the emotional talks, the way he’d bonded with her father, with her family. The fact that she was carrying his offspring. He still thought she’d leave him?
What kind of bitch did he think she was?
Her chest tightened to the point where it felt like a stab in the heart. She stood before his towering masculinity, her hands fisted, eyes boring into him with laser beams of pulsing rage. And still, he said nothing. Well, fine, she didn’t have the patience to pry dialogue from his silent ass.
She brushed past him and placed her palm on the lock of the cargo bay. The door swooshed open and she strode down the hall, leaving him in her wake. Heavy footfalls sounded behind her.
They walked into the holo deck together. The area was plain. The walls were white, the floors white, too. But there were three disks of light on the floor, and on one of the disks stood another Xylan of royal pigment. He was dressed formally, with a black headdress on his head and red robes that covered his body and went to the floor.
“Judge Rankin,” her husband intoned and bowed his head.
The judge tilted his head forward and gestured for them to stand on the remaining disks of light. Once she stepped on the disk, the image immediately shifted. They were in a great hall with gray stone walls. There was a fire pit in between them.
“Kayzon of Twenty-Six, you formally requested this review for possible disavowal of your recent mating due to illegal testing of mating compatibility?”
“Yes, I accidentally touched this female’s hand while attempting to rescue her from a Hurlian snatching, or kidnapping. This is my temporary Bride, Kia of One. She is half human, half Gravian, from the Priests of the Thirtieth line.”
Kayzon's Wish Page 11