by Zara Zenia
Either way, she was quite sure she hated him for the position he'd put her in. He was manipulating her deepest desires, and in more ways than one. It was obvious that she wanted him. At least, on a physical level. Did she have any more feelings for him than that? If so, those were gone now that he'd shown her his true self. He was just a spoiled, egotistical ruler who couldn't handle not getting what he wanted.
She started to pace again, and Jaia came through the door to find her doing just that. "Whoa, what's wrong with you?" asked the younger woman. "Have you been crying?"
"No! I'm mad, not sad. Wait until I tell you what that stuck up jerk did now."
"Oh boy, maybe we should take a seat, huh? You're going to make me nervous if you keep pacing around like that. This isn't exactly a big room, y'know?" Jaia sat down on her own bed and patted the empty place next to her. "Come on, tell me what's wrong."
Chera told Jaia all about the deal that Thras had offered her. She had fully expected that Jaia would take her side too.
"You know what? I don't think that's such a bad offer. You said it yourself, he didn't want to get with you when he thought you were unsure last time. Right? He's not forcing himself on you. He just seems to be confused and desperate not to let you get away from him. I think it's kind of romantic if you want my honest opinion."
"You're kidding me," said Chera. "I guess everyone's really against me on this then."
"Stop it," replied Jaia with a scowl. "That's not the kind of person you are. I've looked up to you since I first came to the palace on Jatra. This is the first time I've seen you feeling sorry for yourself like this. And this is also the first time any of us slaves have been given a good offer."
"A good offer? I have to swap myself for—for their freedom." Chera was silenced by a heavy pang of guilt. She'd been acting like a brat and worrying about herself, when Pari, Marta, Nisa, and Fera were all captive on some alien ship. They needed her to do the right thing. "I have to take his offer."
"I think you'd be crazy to turn it down. You could be queen. That's a big step up from slave girl, don't you agree?" Jaia smiled and nudged her friend with a playful elbow to the side.
"I'll do it, but only for the others. I hate him right now."
"You wouldn't hate him if you saw how upset he was when you were injured. He was like a sad puppy by your side the whole time you were in the healing chamber. If that's not caring about a person, then what is? I can only imagine he cares even more about you now that you've had the chance to ... get aquatinted." She winked and giggled.
"We haven't had sex if that's what you're getting at. Okay, we fooled around. That was amazing to be honest. I wanted to go further but we were interrupted by the radio call."
"So, you wanted to be with him. You were going to give yourself to him. They say Hjotts mate for life, and you know that from having lived with them longer than me. Seems like you already made your decision, and now you're just being fussy because things didn't go just how you expected. I would be thrilled to have a Hjott like him want to be my mate. It wouldn't even have to be the king of a planet. I'd settle for a prince, or maybe just a rich politician." Jaia was smiling brightly now. That cheered Chera up as much as her words of encouragement did.
"Alright, I'll accept his offer. You're right. It's a good idea, and I'm never going to get anything better." She said this in an enthusiastic way. She was dying inside at the thought though. Chera had vowed to oversee their wellbeing, and the only way to do that was agreeing to be mates with Thras. This was the ultimate way to protect the other women, and the princess.
That night, Chera lay awake in her bed. It took some time, but she finally drifted off into a restless sleep. It was filled with dreams about Thras. What would it be like to be his mate? She already knew about life in the palace and how royalty lived. But what would Thras be like to be with? He'd never struck her as a warm or emotional man. Over the past few days, he'd shown that he did have a softer side. It was the hard side that worried her. He was a warrior king, after all. What if she displeased him? Would he punish her?
Upon waking, she realized that she actually wanted to be with him. Coming out of that dream was like being torn away from a new life of happiness. When she remembered that the dream could become reality, she truly felt happy. Stretching in her bed and wiping sleep from her eyes, she noticed that she couldn't stop thinking about Thras. The feelings she had for him were real. They'd been there, and they'd been hiding under all those layers of indecision, doubt, and fear.
It didn't hurt that he was the hottest man she had ever seen. That was something she had worked ridiculously hard to ignore. Letting her sexual desires lead her mind around would only lead to heartache.
It was still rest time on the ship. The only people awake were crew members from the 'night shift.' Since they were in space, the shifts were dictated by the clock instead of a normal day and night cycle. It was disorienting at first, and Chera still hadn't gotten used to it. That's why she was awake earlier than everyone else. That, and she also needed to speak to Thras. There was something important she wanted to tell him and getting back to sleep without doing so seemed all but impossible.
Chapter 13
Thras
Thras lay awake in his opulent bed. It wasn't as comfortable as the one he slept on at the palace. However, it was still better than what most people had in their homes. He was used to that kind of comfort and had only just recently been learning to appreciate his good fortune in life. Being king was an exceptionally good life, but what was the use if he couldn't even have his fated mate by his side?
He tossed and turned in his big, empty bed. There was no one to put his arm around and hold close to his muscular chest. Now, he was certain he'd lost any chance at winning Chera's heart. All because he tried to use a display of force for something as delicate as a matter of the heart. His diplomacy skills were apparently just as lacking as his ways with the opposite sex.
He got out of bed and started to busy himself by preparing for their upcoming space flight. It was no use. He couldn't bring himself to concentrate on anything but Chera.
Someone came to his door and he beckoned them to enter. Could it be her? He would have otherwise turned whoever it was away at this hour, but the chance of seeing her could not be lost.
"Chera?" he said with carefully guarded joy. He didn't want her to see how much he still wanted her. Defeating his bloated sense of ego was hard to do. Perhaps if he could spend more time with someone as humble and compassionate as Chera...
But that was never to be. "What is it?" he asked, standing aside so she could enter his room. He closed the door behind her and locked it without letting her see. Just in case anything were to happen, there would be no chance for someone to burst in and interrupt them.
"Yes," she said.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Yes," she reiterated. "Yes, I'll be your mate. If you rescue my friends. That means you must do it, or the deal's off. Do you understand?"
She was giving him the orders now, which was very strange. Thras would have been lying if he said he wasn't strangely attracted to her for it. He didn't want a doormat for a mate.
He looked at her with mouth agape, not sure what he should say or do. "Alright," he finally said.
"Are you really alright though? You seem like you want to say something. Have you already changed your mind again?" she asked.
"Me change my mind? I have only wanted you since we first met. Hmm, I think we have been misunderstanding each other all along. Now that I've had more time to reflect on my emotions, and deal with the fact that I am capable of being so fragile, I think we should talk."
She was clearly taken aback by this display of emotional maturity. "You seem strange," she said. "Not in a bad way, mind you. Just different. Okay then, let's have a talk." They sat on the edge of his bed again. There was plenty of room, but they didn't sit too far away from each other like they had last time. Playing coy and pretending they weren't attracted to one an
other wasn't going to do any good at this point.
Thras was happy, but also felt contrite. He wasn't a fool. Years of ruling a planet had taught him to realize when someone's hand was being forced. Chera might have been happy about the deal, but that was likely because she would do anything to save her friends. Despite how much that hurt to accept, it also made him want her even more.
Whatever happened, he knew he didn't want a mate who was forced to be with him. That wasn't love. It was just a different shape of slavery.
"Tell me about your life," he said.
"You've heard just about all there is to know. I was taken very young really, in the scheme of things. And you've been there for my adult life. What I want to know is more about you. The real you, not just the version of yourself you present in that lavish throne-room of yours."
The question made him feel exposed, but it didn't feel so bad with her. "I grew up as the Prince of Jatra, and always knew my father would select my mate. It is a royal tradition that I never thought to question at first. As I grew older and starting to think more about women, I had a change of heart."
"You didn't want your father to find you a mate?" she asked, watching his eyes intently as she hung on every word he said. Many people listened to what he said, but they didn't seem to be truly understanding him, caring about the man behind his royal title.
"The Hjott women are so frail that they tend to live short lives. It's a tragedy that our species has just learned to accept throughout many generations. My own mother died when I was born. I didn't want to have a love destined for failure right from the beginning."
"That really is sad. For the women to know they won't live long and won't get to see their children grow up most likely. And for the mates, and sons and daughters they leave behind. Why couldn't you talk to your father? Ask him to find someone from another species who wouldn't die so easily?" Her eyes were enchanting, mysterious blue looking up at him with such focus and caring.
Thras laughed dryly. "My father would have never even allowed me to discuss such a thing. To bring up the topic would have enraged him as dishonorable. I always thought I was a bad person for even thinking it. Until I was first close to you..."
"Well, why don't you have a mate then?"
"My father died before he could choose one for me. Who was going to do it after that? Tradition has an odd way of failing to fit into real life."
"It's even worse when the traditions aren't even from your own people," Chera said. Again, reminding Thras that he didn't have a life as bad as most others. "I didn't mean to imply anything," she added. Her level of understanding was high. "What happened to your father?"
"King Octille. I had only just entered the age of accountability, which is roughly thirty human years for Hjotts. Having lost my mother when I was born, my father, being king and in need of assuring the throne, remarried when I was seven. My sister Pari was born from his second wife, but she died as well. My father was then our only parent.
"The Vada System was held together by my father and his shrewd business arrangements with the Aulius. There was respect there, which made them keep their distance. When he died, I wasn't ready to take the throne yet. A rogue Terud army began a skirmish with us while I was still training to be a leader."
Chera seemed fascinated by his story, having never heard any of these details before.
He continued, "After that experience, I decided to change the way I looked at life. The Hjott people do not need to be isolated in their own traditions, though my people are set in their ways. I've done the research and I know it is possible to interbreed with other species. That could only make us stronger as a people, to join with others."
"So, you chose a hearty human woman for your mate. We do seem to be immensely popular for some reason," she said with laughter.
"Only, it hasn't been done on a wide-scale before. Hjotts have taken Terrans as mates, but only rarely. They are a DNA match, however."
"Why hasn't it been done more often? There must be other Hjott males who want to find better matches," said Chera.
"Honestly, it is because Hjotts view Terrans as a lesser species. My goal is to change that way of thinking, assuming we make it back to Jatra safely after this rescue mission." He hadn't given much thought to the idea that they wouldn't make it back. Being with Chera made him more open to the possibility that he didn't have to be invincible to be a good man.
When they were done talking, a pleasant silence fell across the two. Thras turned to Chera, only he didn't reach out and pull her to him this time. "I want you to know that you can refuse my offer."
"I know, you gave me the choice. I choose to help my friends and be with you."
"If you decline being my mate, I will still promise to give your friends high priority. They will be rescued along with my sister if possible. Should you choose to be my mate, I want that decision to come from your heart entirely. There is no ultimatum here." Thras didn't want to use his royal status to get what he wanted anymore, especially not with a matter of the heart.
Chapter 14
Chera
Chera was speechless. This display of sudden honesty had come completely out of nowhere as far as she knew. "Can you tell me one thing though? This whole fated mates thing, it's just a myth, right?"
"No, it's not. I know that for a fact. It's a physical manifestation that takes the form of the uxormea. It is located over our hearts and activated when we are near the one we are fated to mate with."
Her mouth hung agape, as she tried to accept what he'd just told her. "What? And you're saying that your, what did you call it?"
"Uxormea."
"Your, uxormea, activated when you were near me? Is that why you were by my side while I was in the healing chamber?" Suddenly things were starting to make sense. She wanted to believe that this strange phenomenon was real. It would mean that love at first sight was actually a thing.
"Yes. Tell me something about yourself that I don't know. I want to find out more about who you are, where you came from," said Thras. His violet eyes looked down at her from his considerable height. They bore into her soul, like he was trying to get inside of her and learn everything he could. It was exposing, but she wasn't complaining.
"You wanna know something dumb? I never even wanted to join the Qerrassa and be part of the Milky Way Military. My parents had been pushing for me to do something honorable that would make my family proud."
"I can relate to that," said Thras.
"I guess you would be able to. I mean, I wanted to be strong and learn how to stand up to people. I just didn't want that to have to involve being part of a giant killing organization like the military. I wanted to help people, or teach them, or heal them. Anything where I could be compassionate."
"So, why did you join the military?"
"I just let those around me choose my fate for me. That's probably why I've been so resistant to your proposal. It's not that I don't like you. Honestly, I've been attracted to you from the first time I saw you."
"Then you know how I feel."
"Only, I don't have an uxormea like you. My feelings had to grow over time," she said, realizing she just told him she did have feelings.
He just smiled and his eyes widened a little. He didn't ruin the moment by making a big deal out it, thankfully. Thras changed the subject to avoid embarrassing her. "What do you honestly think of Jatra?"
"As a slave, it's hard to know. It seems like a wonderful place. I could totally see myself living there if I had my freedom."
"I suppose freedom is the thing a slave wants the most. I have never thought much about it, given that slaves are so common to us."
Chera wanted to start on another tirade about how horrible the slave industry was. But that would just kill the mood, and it was already known, by them both now. "I won't pretend like my people don't also benefit from the slave network that seems to run through the entire galaxy."
"That doesn't make it right," he said. "For a people so obsessed
with honor, we do some terrible things to others."
"Okay, I have an answer for you. About my dreams. Until now, it was to get away from Jatra and travel to a moon in the Vada system to find a human settlement." She could tell he was worried that she still planned to do that. It wasn't fair to keep her new feelings to herself. "That's changed now," she said, reaching out to run her hand over his chiseled jaw.
Thras pulled her toward him with strong, protecting hands. He whispered in her ear with heated, delicious breath, "I hope you will choose me because you truly want me, not because you feel compelled to do so."
Someone knocked and tried to open the door, but it was thankfully locked.
"Who is there?" called Thras with some agitation.
"Kenor."
Thras opened the door and asked what his pilot commander wanted. "The Vada Shadow is ready for takeoff," he replied with great excitement. It was excellent news, despite coming at an inopportune moment.
Chera was fairly sure that she and Thras had been able to say what needed to be said, though. It was a wonderful moment and she felt like anything was possible now. This was her destiny, perhaps, but now it was one that she could choose for herself.
Chapter 15
Thras
Thras needed to get back into the mindset of a leader. He tried to put his thoughts of romance to the back of his mind in order to do just that. They headed toward Sector 9V12, which was where they believed Pari and the Terran women were being held on a ship.
The Vada Shadow was still disguised as a cargo ship named The Big Scout. "Fly in carefully, and don't do anything that might draw suspicion upon us," ordered Thras.