He paused before replying as if waiting for her to say more, but she stubbornly kept her mouth shut. Finally, he cleared his throat and continued, “I am very glad to hear it. I was most concerned when Lt. Cmdr. Mahoney told me you were feeling poorly, and I take full responsibility for that.” She nodded politely, and he continued, “I owe you many apologies, Jessica. I will not downplay the grievousness of my actions by providing excuses or explanations, for they do not matter when weighed in the balance of the pain I caused you. I was arrogant, stubborn, jealous, and incredibly callous in regards to your feelings, and there is no excuse adequate for the harm I caused you. Just know that I am so very sorry and I wish that I could go back in time and undo the damage I caused.”
Jessica’s heart melted at his sincere words, but the echo of her shame refused to allow her to back down so easily. “Korian, I don’t blame you for being angry or hurt when you received your report. Believe me, if I had been in your shoes, I would have been hopping mad to think that you had been sleeping with another woman. The problem was that you refused to hear my side of the story and didn’t even give me the opportunity to defend myself. You had already made up your mind about me, and that hurt me more than anything. I thought we had developed an understanding, some kind of emotional connection during our time together, and the fact that you discarded me so easily made me feel like the biggest idiot on your world.” She paused to sigh deeply and almost retracted her words at the look of defeat and loss etched across the handsome planes of his face. “I do forgive you, Korian. It’s just that I’m not going to be able to forget it any time soon.”
Korian dropped to his knees in front of her and picked her hands up in his own. His gaze sought hers and he pinned her to the spot with his icy lavender eyes. “As your Mahoney so eloquently put it, I fucked up big time. I have never felt like this before with any other woman, and it frightened me. Place me in a room full of nobles or on the battlefield with a sword, and I am confident, eager, and in control of myself and my surroundings, but all that changed when I met you. At first, it was your physical beauty that captured me, but then I got to know you as a person. You are funny and kind, affectionate and friendly, yet your temper flares as brightly as the noonday suns. Instead of treating you like the warrior and man that I am, I reacted like a youngling fresh from the school room and drove you away. You dazzle me, Jessica, and I will grieve all my days if I have wrecked my opportunity to ask you to be my lifemate.”
Jessica felt her nose swell and tickle with the stupid tears that were never far from the surface lately and she blinked rapidly to keep them from falling. Unable to resist any longer, she reached out her hand to cup his cheek and he leaned into her touch and closed his eyes. She wanted to fall to her knees with him and become lost in his arms, but there was so much more at stake now. She was no longer making decisions for just herself anymore, and she owed it to her child to ensure that they both had the best possible future.
“I’m not going to say that there’s no chance for us, because I would be lying if I said I no longer cared for you. I’m also not going to just fall back into your bed, either. I know that this was an unusual situation for both of us, but we started our relationship ass-backwards. If you’re willing to start over fresh with me, then I would like to begin a friendship with you and see where it leads us. We can spend time together, as your schedule allows, but I’ll be staying with Mahoney and Mikael for the foreseeable future. There’s a catch, though,” she cautioned him.
His eyes were shining with hope and a beatific smile wreathed his face. “Anything, my thalia. This is more than I even hoped for, and I will do whatever it takes to earn your trust again.”
She smiled softly and finally allowed a spark of optimism to bloom in her heart, but tempered it with caution. “First, I won’t have sex with you again until we both decide if we’ll move our relationship forward into a permanent commitment. Second, you need to understand that I will do my best to never lie to you. I may have been an actress on my world, but my word means everything to me, and that means that you have to decide if you can trust me or not. If I say that I am just friends with someone, like Zandar, then I expect you to believe that and act accordingly. The caveman jealousy thing is awesome during sex, but outside the bedroom? Not so much. We can’t have secrets from each other, Korian. If we don’t trust each other, then there’s no reason to try again.”
Korian stood to his feet gracefully and gently pulled her to her feet and into his arms for a long, careful embrace. He kissed the crown of her head and murmured, “You are more than I deserve, and I will do anything to show you that I am worthy of being your lifemate. I know we only have little more than a week’s worth of sun cycles left together, but I will prove to you that your faith in me is not displaced.”
Jessica laughed, her heart as light as a balloon drifting on the breeze, and squeezed him tight around the waist, careful to not squish her sleeping pet between them. “Oh, I’d say we have a lot more time than that. It doesn’t look like I’m going back to Earth, after all. For better or for worse, T’Kala is my home now. This is where my family will be, so that’s where I will be, too.”
He pulled back and grasped her by the shoulders. His eyes were wide with a combination of joy and panic. “What is your meaning, Jessica?”
Taking his big palm in her hand, she placed it over the soft swell of her abdomen. “I’m saying, Korian, that we are having a baby. If he or she can’t leave the planet, then that means I can’t, either. I will never abandon my child for anyone or anything.”
His knees buckled before he caught himself, and his eyes sparkled suspiciously. “Truly, my thalia?” When she nodded happily, he pulled her into his chest again and breathed against her hair, “I have been blessed by the stars beyond all measure. I know that you said we may not share our bodies as of yet, but I need to feel your lips against mine just once more. Will you allow it?”
Jessica pulled back to twine her arms around his neck. “Try to stop me,” she replied as she pulled his head down to meet hers.
This kiss was different than all others that had come before it. There was still the lingering ghost of passion, but it was infinitely sweeter, achingly tender, and full of the promise of so much more to come. Jessica burned to take the kiss deeper, but she was grateful that Korian respected her limits and kept it chaste, even if he did linger until their breaths traded spaces between them.
Finally, he pulled back until their eyes could meet again. His face sobered, and Jessica’s heart lurched with anxiety at what he might say. “I accept your conditions, Jessica, but you must understand that I will have one of my own now, and it is not negotiable. You were already precious to me before, but now that you carry our child, your safety is my first priority. I have to insist that should you go anywhere outside these walls that you be accompanied by at least one warrior, if not more. Should Mikael, Mahoney, or I not be available, I would ask that you allow me to assign one to you. I have much to do in the coming week to prepare for the arrival of the Council, and knowing that you are protected will allow me to focus my efforts on ensuring the future of our people. I do not wish to send spies to watch over you behind your back any longer, and the only way to prevent such a thing is securing your cooperation. Do you agree, Jessica?”
Jessica blew out a sigh of relief. “It would be stupid of me not to agree to that, Korian. I won’t be playing fast and loose with my safety anymore. I’ve got the future king or queen of T’Kala growing inside me, and that’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly.” She paused to shoot him a coy, teasing glance. “Are you sure you trust your warriors to be around me, though?”
Korian’s eyes glittered with an unnamed emotion, but a half smile quirked his lips. “You mean our warriors, Jessica. And the answer is yes, but even more importantly, I trust you to be with them. My days of acting like a spoiled youngling are over. Let me prove it to you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The following days leading up
the big conference and gala for the Council members were busy for Jessica, but they were nearly insane for Korian. More than at any other time in his life, including right after his father died, he had a mission to accomplish. His entire life, his main priority had always been ruling the kingdom. Not schooling, not warrior training, not his friends, or his love life, but first and always his focus remained on his future as king. His father had drilled it into him from the cradle, and Korian had embraced his destiny with both hands willingly. That was why Jessica MacGregor had thrown him for such a loop. Nothing and no one had ever stolen his focus so thoroughly as she had when she exploded into his world with her shocking red hair, lush curves, and passionate emotion. His life had been black and white before her arrival, but now his world was painted in a rainbow of colors from bright yellow happiness to purple ecstasy to emerald jealousy and more. He felt like he had never really lived until he heard her laughter for the first time.
And what had he done with such a prize? Instead of embracing it and thanking the stars for their blessings, he had smashed it out of fear and rage at the changes she had brought to his life much like the hulking green monster from the Earth movie that Mahoney had insisted he watch. The sheer terror he had felt when he finally realized what he had done had paralyzed him for almost an entire day. He was desperate to win her back, not just because he craved her body, but because she brought light to his dark places and forced him to view her as his equal. She didn’t care that he was a king or held great power over an entire planet of people. She had seen him for who he was as a person, and the thought of losing the only one in his life who viewed him that way broke him down into shards of broken glass.
It had taken many, many hours of painful soul-searching, but he had finally risen from his bed with purpose. Calling his secretary to his office, he had grilled the younger T’Kalan female for information on what Jessica might enjoy for a gift. When she had hesitantly mentioned fresh flowers or sweets, he had ordered her to pull up the information on local vendors that would deliver and kept her busy for the next hour ordering everything she could image the human woman would like. The only thing he had insisted on was the three dozen cuttings from the thalia plant and the jeweled collar for her companion. Realistically, he knew that showering her with gifts would not make everything magically smooth between them, but he had at least accomplished his goal of gaining an audience with her. He had no expectations of forgiveness after what he had done, so he was given hope when she readily agreed.
Then, when he had arrived and she had been wearing a new dress that he had helped choose, his heart had been given a jolt as if a corrective treatment laser had hit him square in the chest. It seemed like things just got better and better as they spoke until she had agreed to his suit. Not just that, but she had asked for a fresh start. If Jessica had thought that would upset him or make him change his mind, she was terribly mistaken. Korian could have asked for nothing better. Not only did his thalia give him another chance, but she was allowing him to begin fresh as the man he knew he could be, and there was a very real chance that he would be able to regain her trust once more. Because he finally realized why he had acted like such a fool: he was in love with the human Jessica MacGregor.
When she had told him she was expecting his youngling? He thought he would drop to the ground with shock. No matter what Mikael had told him, he had not honestly believed that she would end up pregnant beyond the poisonous fury that had taken hold of him when he believed that the child may not be his. The realization that he loved her followed by the news that she would also be bearing his child had sent him into a frenzy of fierce joy and paralyzing fear. He could not lose either of them, and he would do whatever it took to protect them and keep them close. He would not let his thalia down ever again.
The irony of his earlier belief that a relationship with Jessica would be nothing more than a distraction from his duties was almost laughable. From the moment he walked out of the door of Mikael’s apartment, he was filled with a renewed purpose. In order to ensure the safety of his future lifemate and their young, it was imperative that he make a good showing at the conference in order to secure the favor of the Council. He needed their help to guard against another possible attack on his world by the same forces that had sent his father and many older warriors to the stars too soon. To that end, he set about planning an exhibition that the off-worlders wouldn’t soon forget.
Korian swept Jessica along into his planning and he found her insight and familiarity of such spectacles to be priceless. They spent every day of the following week together traveling to provinces across T’Kala and recruiting the best and brightest of their talent. Jessica was endlessly fascinated by her new home and peppered him with questions about culture, music, arts, and ways of living. When he mentioned that the province of Nin’Tala was renowned for native T’Kalan dancing, she insisted he take her there to witness it for herself. The local dance theater was honored to host their new king for the first time, and had put on a show that brought both him and Jessica to their feet with cries for more. It had been her idea to book the troupe for the exhibition at the conference, and the dancers had been thrilled to be included.
From there, it seemed that the entire show had fallen into place with ease, and he owed it all to his outgoing and friendly thalia. His people instinctively fell in love with her effusive praise, honest appreciation, and her natural ability to charm anyone she spoke with. She even won over and secured a promise to perform from the cranky and reclusive musician from Bak’Bar that played a stringed instrument. Lysanter Mic’Arin was the most popular and famous musician on T’Kala and he rarely left the privacy of his home to perform, but he agreed to a showcase in the assembly for Jessica. Korian could only shake his head in disbelief as she flawlessly put together such a display that the Council would not soon forget.
The final performance, or grand finale as she had called it, would be a demonstration by the T’Kalan warriors themselves. He would never forget his pride when she had suggested it. “Just imagine it, Korian!” she had exclaimed. “What better way to convince the Council to send reinforcements than to show them what you can bring to the table?” He had to agree with her. He may have been one himself, but it wasn’t out of just loyalty when he stated that his warriors were elite fighters. The two of them spent many hours with their heads bent over a vidscreen planning it out together. There would be general examples of fighting techniques by a handful of his best warriors followed by an exhibition by his first female warrior, Mahoney, accompanied by prototypes of the new battle bots she helped design. If the combined might of his fighting forces did not sway the Council to place their faith and resources in his world, then he would be greatly surprised and offended.
Though Jessica had seemed in good health following the initial treatment, he kept close watch over her for any signs of ill health or fatigue. When she had begun to complain of her head aching while they visited the city of Vin’Tress in order to recruit the province’s famous acrobats, he insisted on calling for a medic against her wishes. He refused to allow her to suffer any ill effects from her pregnancy even after she calmly explained that human females on her Earth were well-used to the symptoms. Both her health and her safety were his main priorities now, and he would not be budged on either of them. She seemed to accept his overbearing sensibilities with good grace, and just shook her head with a laugh when he tucked her into a bed for a nap every time she yawned or showed signs of fatigue. He was even grateful for the constant presence of her fierce companion, as prickly and snarling as it was, for he knew from experience that the creature would guard her even more aggressively than himself especially now that she was with child. There was a reason why the companions were so highly sought after by the elite and rich of their society, and he was already planning on the purchase of yet another one when their child arrived to greet the stars.
Throughout their travels and planning together, Korian had difficulty refraining from grabbing Jessica and
taking her against every flat surface they encountered, but he managed to control himself with some difficulty. On the third day of their travels together, she resumed her affectionate touches to his arm or thigh, and though the progress thrilled him, it led to some very uncomfortable moments for him when his breeches would get too tight in the crotch and he would have to use all his ingenuity to hide the evidence of his desire from her and those around them. His traitorous imagination tortured him constantly with remembered visions of their bodies joined, her hair trailing down her back, and her cries of ecstasy as their bodies splintered apart to commune with the stars. He could be patient, however, and kept his eyes on the final prize of securing her for his forever lifemate.
That didn’t mean that he refrained from testing the limits every chance he received. Once she broke the touch barrier between them, he took full advantage of the opportunity to return her affection whether it was by pulling her into his side as they strolled, holding her hand during events, or reaching out to tuck a stray red curl behind her ear. She even allowed him to kiss her sweet lips and hold her in his arms, and it thrilled him each time he left her breathless and panting with desire. Though it pained him to return to his compound each night unaccompanied, it was of some comfort knowing that he was not alone in his arrested passion. He would never confess to be an expert on female emotions, far from it, but he knew what he saw when he looked into Jessica’s eyes, because it reflected back everything that he felt, too. He could read the enjoyment of his company, her happiness at seeing him arrive to pick her up, and her reluctance to part at the end of the evening. For the first time in many days, he was beginning to feel confident that things just might work out between them.
Of course, that was only if he managed to make it through the Council visit alive. Like a specter of doom, the thought that a hired assassin was coming to kill him haunted his dreams. He was no stranger to the concept of someone wanting him dead, but he had always been able to face them on a field of battle, or in the case of Rox’Ana Ful’Tera, across a crowded banquet hall. A nameless, faceless enemy was not someone he could conquer easily. Mikael and Zandar had both begged him to cancel the conference and allow them to arrest the treasonous noblewoman, but Korian had steadfastly refused. Gaining the support of the Council was paramount in order to secure T’Kala’s future safety, and not even the threat of his death would deter him from seeing that through. In the end, the two warriors had reluctantly agreed, but insisted on calling in several dozen warriors from around the globe to converge on the compound for extra security. They pored over the guest list, studied archived footage from Council transmissions, and narrowed their search down to the contingent arriving from Mamaxon. While there were only five delegates arriving from the powerful planet, they would likely be bringing employees and servants with them, and they had no way of knowing who they would be.
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