Cecilia's Mate

by April Zyon

  Epilogue

  When Cecilia reached the command deck Draven was there waiting for her. He took her hand, pulling her in close for a quick kiss before leading her to Bracken’s office. The doors opened, and he let her hand go. “I already know what’s going on, not in full detail but enough to guess the end. I’ll be here when you’re done,” he said softly. After giving her a hug, and another kiss, he left her alone with her brother.

  Cecilia looked at Bracken and frowned. “What’s going on?” she wanted to know, taking the seat he offered. “And why is it that you’re wearing a look as if you’re going to be sick?” She knew that look well from her brother.

  Taking a deep breath, Bracken settled into the chair at her side. “The marshal sent me the results of their investigation and some other findings that came to light because of it. I’ll give you the file to view, but it boils down to Mother being in collusion with Sadie’s mother. From what the marshal and her team discovered they had plans to overthrow the marshal, the office, and the government in general. They were part of a much larger force, but their parts were key. Sadie had to be married to a specific man with political connections who could get close to many of the senators. You were to be married to Mother’s lover, who also seemed to be Catherine’s lover, as well as our father’s lover. He has many of the marshal’s staff in his pocket through various blackmail schemes he’s been running for years. They are all under his boot heel and would have allowed him access to key information within the offices.”

  Bracken shook his head and wiped a hand down his face. “Catherine’s future husband, another one of our father’s lover, is one of the senator’s aides. He’s been drugged on a regular basis, feeding information to Father, who then has been turning it over to Mother. Four of Mother’s lovers are key people either in the marshal’s offices, or within the government. All had given up a lot of information that could damage everything we hold dear and know to be on Craegin. Mother, Mrs. Monterey, Father, the sisters, and all the various lovers have been arrested. They will be tried for treason. Should they give up the names of the others who started this and recruited them to be a party to it all, they will only receive a lifetime in prison. It will be one of the moon prisons, maximum security, of course, but otherwise it’s death by public execution. As I said, you can view the file in its entirety for all the details and things I left out. But that is what it all comes down to. Thankfully the House of Monterey, and House of Kiraly, will be untouched by this scandal. I did allow Draven to view it all so he was forewarned of what might come around because of our relation to Mother. Sadie also knows everything since her mother was involved in this.” He stopped speaking then and sat looking at her with pain in his eyes.

  She was shocked. She knew that their siblings and parents weren’t nice people, were actually rather nasty people, but nothing could have prepared her for what he had said to her. She nodded, took a deep breath, and asked, “And what about you? You said that the House of Monterey and House of Kiraly will be untouched but what about you, Bracken? This won’t affect you in any way, will it?” If so, she was certain that both Draven and Sadie would do anything they had to in order to make sure that Bracken wasn’t harmed by the fallout. “I can’t believe that they would do this.” No, she could. Her mother had always been power hungry; she was one of those women that wanted more and more with each taste of money or power that she received. “Are you okay?” she asked again, reaching out to touch her brother as she spoke.

  “The marshal has assured me that she’ll keep as much of this from coming to land on you and I as possible. She’s also assured me it won’t affect my position in the military, or any future promotions. If I earn one I’ll receive it. But we’ll have to bear some scrutiny, I fear, because of this mess Mother created. While I was thankfully away from the home world so often, you were living within the very mess she created. Draven’s more concerned for you than Sadie is for me. She’s worried, of course, but I think with the Monterey name attached to mine we’ll be fine. As I think the Kiraly name will help to protect you. But I also didn’t want you to be caught unaware by anything that might be said or done. This is going to be messy, Cecilia. The marshal plans on keeping it as quiet and private as possible but we both know that people talk.” He took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “I knew there was something going on, and I should have gotten you out of there sooner. I’m sorry, Cecilia.”

  “It’s okay.” She reached out once more and took her brother’s hand. “You had so much to deal with. I understand that. You had to protect our borders. I’m not concerned with myself. I have the man that I love, who loves me. I have my brother and new sister-in-law. Yes, I’m very sad about losing our family, but in hindsight I realize that our family was gone a long time ago. I’m just happy that the two of us got out of that family with our sanity,” she admitted.

  Bracken nodded. “Go be with Draven, Cecilia. He’ll need to remain on the command deck, or in his office, but at least you can be with him.” Bracken got up from his chair. When he turned to her again, he held out a small disc. “The file in its entirety is on this. You can view it whenever you are ready.”

  “Thank you.” She took the disk but she also stepped forward so that she could hug her brother. “I love you, big brother,” she told him before moving toward his door and wasn’t surprised when she saw Draven leaning against the wall beside the door, waiting for her. “Hey,” she whispered and moved right into his arms when he opened them for her.

  Draven wrapped her up close, pressing a kiss to her hair. “Let’s go to my office,” he said softly. Keeping an arm wrapped around her shoulders, he led her to his door. Before they went inside he stopped one of the younger officers to give the woman some instructions. Then he urged Cecilia inside and to the low-slung sofa against one wall.

  She let him lead her to the sofa and settled down onto the seat with him. She moved so that she could be in his arms and rested her head against his shoulder. “Thank you. For everything that you have done for me. For staying at my side through all of this. I can’t believe they did this. I’m just floored that they actually thought they could do what they had planned.”

  “I’ll always be at your side, Cecilia. No matter what comes. You are my wife and the love of my life. It took us too much time to get where we are to waste even a moment separated. Besides, this is all on your family, not you. Every person is responsible for their own actions. While you may feel responsible to some extent, you are not and shall never be held so by anyone. Our societal structure is designed in a way that it all falls on the head of the family, unless the marshal’s office finds otherwise. They have found you innocent of everything, forced to play a part to survive, and you will not be tainted by the family again. Bracken has been protected as well. I’m unclear how they managed it, but they’ve made sure even he will be buffeted from the coming storms.”

  “I’m relieved. That he’s protected as well. He wasn’t the head of our family, but he did take over responsibility for me when I came to you.” Which she was thankful for. “Otherwise I would likely be wed to that male right now.” She shivered in reaction to that thought. “Enough bad thoughts. We will focus on our forever-after now, right?” she asked with a smile as she looked up at him.

  He nodded. “The past is the past, something we cannot change, but which we shouldn’t forget. We learn from what came before so we don’t make the same mistakes again. Everything that has shaped us was a lesson, a way for us to grow and become strong for whatever is to come.” Draven rolled his eyes before he smiled. “A bit existential for my taste but definitely seems to fit the moment. We can only move forward, Cecilia. And we will because we have a lot of living to do, little one.”

  “Yes, we do. We have a marvelous life ahead of us.” They had a good life ahead of them simply because they were together. “Have you been in contact yet with your birth mother?” She shifted the line of conversation quickly, not wanting to have another thought about her family. H
e heaved a sigh and made a face. “I sent off a message to her. It’s relatively vague, but I think she’ll understand. I’m not sure yet if I want to meet with her, but I thought we should at least begin to open the lines of communication. She may not want to see me. She has a whole new life, a family, a home, and I’m part of the past. Who knows if she’s even told her husband about the past. Another reason for keeping the message vague. I don’t want to cause her any discomfort by being too open in the communique in case someone who doesn’t know about me finds it. Best to leave the reveal to her discretion, should she choose to do so.”

  “That was both very smart and very considerate of you.” Then again her Draven was a very good man. “Are you good with me being here in your office, then? If not I can go back to our rooms.”

  “Move a muscle and I’ll damn well tie you down to my desk,” he said. “I want you here, Cecilia. Besides, I think we both need to be holding on to the other person. This day hasn’t heralded very much good news, unfortunately. I think we should enjoy the fact we are together, are both healthy and whole, and that we are safely far away from the home world in the cold of space where none of that mess can touch us.”

  “I don’t know, the idea of you tying me to your desk…” Cecilia pulled back and looked up at Draven with a grin. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything. And you are right. Right now we do need to hold on to the one we love.”

  Lifting a hand, Draven gently stroked her hair, tucking a few pieces back from her face as he did so. “We are going to be fine, Cecilia. No matter what, you and I will get through this because we have each other. Now come back here so I can hold on to you. Especially since I have no idea when one of them will come looking for me, and I intend to enjoy every moment I have you in my arms.”

  “Too true.” She moved back into his arms. She had her eyes closed as she listened to the beating of his heart. “I’m a lucky woman,” she told him only a moment before someone buzzed at his door. She laughed. “Looks as if you are needed. Go, I’m going to rest here on your sofa and wait for you to come back to me. Go and do what you need to do.”

  “You’re sure?” he asked softly. At her nod he wrinkled his nose a little. Draven kissed her, then stood. He touched her cheek gently. “I’ll return as soon as I can. Until then, relax. And if you want a drink you know where they are.” Smiling down at her for a moment, he stroked her skin lightly, then turned and left his office.

  Cecilia watched him as he left the office and just smiled. Even with her family’s world falling apart around her ears she was happy. Life was, well, life was good. Very good.

  The End

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  Other Books by April Zyon:

  www.evernightpublishing.com/april-zyon

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