Prophecy (Book One in the Prophecy Series)

by Lea Kirk

  Divine Warden. Fynn suppressed a derisive snort at the title Isel T’orr had bestowed upon himself. Elevating himself even above the ymero, and one mere step below the Creator. Would it be too much to hope that this was the beginning of the fall for the self-anointed demi-god?

  “Citizens of Anferthia,” the Profeta said. “I’m sure some of you have heard of the term mind-browsing—the ability of a healer to scan the brain of a person recently deceased. My brother has an extraordinary gift for healing. An hour ago, he browsed a dead assassin and retrieved a memory, which he corroborated by mind browsing three others. He does not speak or understand a word of Anferthian, but you will not need your translators to understand.”

  This could be it. Fynn clench his fist in his lap and held his breath. The Terrian male closed his eyes and, in flawless Anferthian, repeated word for word an assassination order for the Profeta, down to the signature...one Antaro T’lik. A cold silence fell in the room, and all heads turned to Supreme Warden. Even his most loyal supporters, who were likely just as guilty, were sure to desert him now.

  Fynn gave the putrid mass a narrow-eyed look. “Assassination is a coward’s game, T’lik, one played by the skulking Nightshades, but not Anferthians. Is what the Terrian tells us true?”

  Antaro T’lik’s face turned a sickly greyish-green. His mouth worked, but nothing came out. That was all Fynn needed. He signaled the Coalition Guard. “Remove the Supreme Warden. Place him in a holding cell. The Divine Warden will decide his fate later.”

  T’lik didn’t utter a word, a small blessing to be sure. The doors closed after he and his escort passed through, and Fynn returned his attention to the brilliant young woman on the viscomm who now called on the Anferthian people for justice.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  “Two birds with one stone.” Alex turned her back to her husband, and lifted her hair from her neck. It was so nice to be back in the privacy of their quarters, even if it was for just enough time to change into their uniforms.

  Gryf’s hand smoothed down her spine, opening the seal of her dress. “And that means…?”

  “That I accomplished two things at once today.”

  “More than that, I say.”

  “Well, yes, but two things I wanted to accomplish. Winning the release of the Earthling prisoners, and securing a safe sanctuary for K’rona and the dissenters on Matir.” As much as she wished K’rona could live close by, there was already a faction of humans on Earth bent on ridding the universe of Anferthians. Her friend wasn’t safe on Earth.

  “Both of monumental importance. There, you’re free.” Gryf’s hands glided her dress down her arms, leaving goose bumps in their wake.

  “Mm. Thank you.” She stepped out of the dress, turned to him and reached for the clasp holding his cape. “Chin up. So tell me about Sergious Roma—the son of your father’s friend.”

  Gryf frowned. “He was an infant aboard the Defense Fleet Cruiser Luna when it disappeared twenty-two years ago. Apparently he was taken and trained from childhood to be an assassin, as we discovered today.”

  “Along with the other children from Luna.” She released the cape and it slithered down his back to puddle on the floor. “It’s heartbreaking, Gryf. I can’t even imagine what his childhood was like.”

  Certainly not a loving one. The Anferthian Supreme Warden deserved a horrific punishment for his part in enslaving those children. She ran one hand along the overlapping sections of Gryf’s dress uniform, exposing the shirt underneath. “Can I do anything to remove the mark of shame on all their families?”

  Gryf shrugged out of his over-coat. “They must come to you for forgiveness.”

  “Can I go to them?”

  “It’s rarely done, but yes.” Gryf reached for her hands and brought them to his lips. He kissed one palm, then the other. His tongue traced down to her wrist, where it made little whorls against her sensitive skin. Oh, boy. They had to be in the transport bay in a half hour to meet the ships transferring the prisoners. And the gleam in Gryf’s eyes was anything but platonic.

  She cleared her throat. “Well, ah, then I’ll do it when we get to Matir.” How could she concentrate with him nipping his way up her arm? “Oh, what the hell. We have time for a quickie.”

  Gryf raised one eyebrow. “I hope that means what I think it means.”

  “You bet it does.” She moved her body against his, burying her hands in the soft, white curls behind his head. “And up against the wall means what you think it means too.”

  His eyes darkened, and a sultry smile played on his lips as he backed her against the wall. “The Profeta has spoken, how can I deny her?”

  “Don’t even try,” she murmured against his mouth, then the satin smoothness of his tongue slid against hers.

  We’ll be late. Gryf slid her panties down far enough for her to free one leg. Then he freed his shaft.

  So?

  With a firm grip, Gryf lifted her thigh and hitched her leg over his hip. The hardness of his erection pressed against her entrance, and the building heat at her core blossomed into a flame. Her soul shifted in the now familiar way it did when preparing to reach out to Gryf’s soul.

  He entered her with one swift thrust.

  Oh God, Gryf.

  “Animi,” he whispered next to her ear as he pulled out and surged back in, each plunge rocking her against the wall.

  Heat built at her core as they moved, as if each stroke was designed to give her the most pleasure. She dug her nails into his back and bit down on his shoulder as her orgasm burst over her in intense waves of pleasure.

  Gryf’s seed exploded against her walls. In that moment, their souls merged and she catapulted into oblivion with him.

  ~ * ~

  Gryf rose from his seat at Admiral Teris’s signal, and Alexandra stood up with him. It had taken the better part of a week to convene the Panel of Inquiry, and another two days for the Panel to hear testimony both for and against Gryf. Now they were ready to render their ruling.

  Alexandra’s warm hand slipped into his, and he twined his fingers with hers. No matter what decision was handed down, no matter what they stripped him of, they couldn’t take the most important and precious part of his life away. She would likely rip them a new one if they tried. He liked that Terrian phrase. Nick had taught it to him last night, along with how to cough and say ‘dick-wad’ at the same time. Gryf was still unclear on exactly what a dick-wad was, but something about saying it was satisfying.

  Alexandra gave his hand a squeeze, and his heart soared. The girl who’d despised him at first sight had become the woman who loved him. And, true to her word, she and the others from their cell had spoken on his behalf today. Winning her trust had been a defining moment in their lives.

  And now they stood on the precipice of another life-defining moment. The decision the Panel of Inquiry handed down would set them on a new path.

  “Senior Captain Gryf Dimytro Helyg,” Admiral Teris intoned. “This Panel of Inquiry has heard the evidence and deliberated today’s proceedings. We have reached a decision.”

  From behind Gryf came a soft rustle. Alexandra glanced over her shoulder. Everyone is standing up.

  All of them?

  Even your father and Admiral Cael.

  Gryf closed his eyes and swallowed. She didn’t know it, but by standing, those who served in either Fleet subjected themselves to whatever sentence he received. He blinked his eyes open. So be it.

  “Senior Captain Gryf Helyg, you are charged with failure to prevent the hostile invasion of the planet Terr, also known as Earth, by the Anferthians; the near annihilation of the sentient inhabitants of Terr; and the near complete destruction of the Matiran Guardian Fleet. This Panel would impress upon you of the severity of these allegations.”

  Gryf gave the Admiral a nod. “I do understand, ma’am, and will abide by the Panel’s ruling.”

  “Terr’s newly-seated council was invited to sit in judgment of these charges against you, but they hav
e been steadfast in their insistence that you are not guilty of any of these crimes, and that the Panel should ‘spend less time investigating false accusations and more time at the beach with their families.’”

  Alexandra made a small choking sound, but Admiral Teris continued her discourse.

  “Due to this, and subsequent evidence from various sources, and the events and risks to which Senior Captain Helyg has subjected himself, including near loss of life, this Panel votes to dismiss all charges.”

  He blinked. All of them? Alexandra wiped her eyes with her free hand. He longed to crush her against him and hold her there forever. But Admiral Teris wasn’t finished speaking. Regardless of the dismissal, there would still be a sentence.

  “We further vote to decommission the remaining Guardian Fleet. We charge Senior Captain Gryf Helyg to oversee this process, and give him one Galactic Standard cycle from today to complete the process. At the end of said year, all remaining Guardian ships and personnel will be absorbed into the Defense Fleet. The Matiran Defense Fleet will be requisitioned as the Unified Defense Fleet, which will be open to all Matirans and Terrians.”

  His stomach lurched, and numbness tingled in his hands and feet. Disband the Guardian Fleet? He met Admiral Teris’s blue gaze.

  She gave him a pointed look. “Do you understand your duties, Senior Captain?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Teris nodded. “You have your orders, Senior Captain. This Panel of Inquiry is dismissed. So be it.”

  The Panel rose and exited in silence. No one else moved. It was as though they had all been frozen in place. After twelve millennia, the Guardian Fleet would be no more. A lump lodged in Gryf’s throat, and he swallowed around it.

  “Did that just happen?” Ora’s murmured query broke the spell.

  Gryf took in and expelled a deep breath. He was still the senior captain of the Guardians, and the others would look to him to set the tone of this final year. He turned to face them, laying his arm around Alexandra’s shoulders. “Guardians, we have one last duty to perform for our beloved Fleet. You are the final Guardians of a great legacy.”

  ~ * ~

  Simone swallowed against the lump forming in her throat. Graig leaned against the single section of wood rail fence that had somehow survived the pounding the Anferthians had dealt her planet. There was a tension about him that wasn’t there when he left three weeks ago. But he wasn’t much of a talker, so she’d have to do some probing.

  “Is something wrong, Graig?”

  His intense grey eyes seemed to study her. The hot autumn breeze ruffled his russet hair. The stubble it had been when she first met him had grown out over the last few months, and she loved running her fingers through it.

  “I’m going back, Simone.” His words were soft, yet they cut like a jagged knife on her heart. This was what she’d feared since she met him. That he would leave her; fly away in the Atlantis when the ship left at the end of the week.

  “You have to go where your heart calls you.” I wish it called you here. “My heart calls me to stay and help my people rebuild.”

  Graig came around the fence and stopped in front of her. Why did he have to look so damn fine in his new uniform? She wasn’t going to look at him; it hurt too much. Instead, she cuddled the puppy in her arms—a gift from Graig just two days ago.

  “The next transport to the Atlantis will be leaving from the port in New Damon Beach soon.”

  “Then you better get back to town so you don’t miss it.” Her words came out sharper than she intended, but really, did he expect her to beg him to stay? Even though the Atlantis wasn’t departing for another four days, it was better to make a clean cut now.

  His hand moved as if to touch her, and she stiffened. He dropped it back to his side. “Take care of yourself, dele.” Darling.

  He turned and strode away through the long grass. The horse snorted as he mounted, then he snicked and the animal moved out of the tiny yard in front of her equally tiny new home. What she would have given to feel his arms around her once more, to have one last chance to inhale his masculine scent?

  “You too, space cowboy.” He couldn’t possibly hear her whispered words, and it was just as well. The last thing she wanted was his pity.

  Ranger whimpered in her arms as both horse and rider disappeared over the next hill. He would go back to space, where he was happiest. Why had she ever been stupid enough to believe she could compete with that?

  Setting Ranger on the ground, she placed her hands on the top fence rail where he had been leaning. Was it the heat from his body that still warmed the wood, or just the sun?

  Simone rested her forehead on the bare rail between her hands and allowed her heart to shatter.

  ~ * ~

  From the top of the bluff just outside of New Damon Beach, Alex could see her husband wading in a tide pool, as any respectable Fleet captain would: barefoot, uniform pants pushed above his knees, peering into the clear water with the three remaining Camp One orphans, Flora, Juan and Maggie.

  Too bad her cell phone was long gone. This would make a great picture.

  A Matiran transport whooshed softly overhead, disappearing over the coastal hills in the direction of the new Matiran station that was being built. Earth Base One. Gryf had already secured assignment to be the first commanding officer of the station, a post he would take up in a year after completing his current assignment.

  Little Maggie picked up some creature from the water and held it up for Gryf’s inspection. Then she shrieked, dropped it back into the water, and clawed her way up his leg and into his arms. The once peaceful tide pool erupted into a boiling cauldron as Flora and Juan tried to recapture the creature. Gryf said something to Maggie.

  “No, no, no!” Maggie pointed to a rock that was well back from the edge of the pool.

  Alex’s heart did something like a flip-flop in her chest. If only she and Gryf weren’t going into space.

  By the time she reached the sand, Maggie was safely settled on the rock. Gryf met Alex, and pulled her against him.

  “Dante asked me to remind you...mmm.” Delivering messages wasn’t easy to do with her husband’s mouth exploring hers. Not that she would complain. Cripes, the man was becoming more Terrian by the day. They parted, and she gave him a smile. “You need to go see him before we leave.”

  Gryf snorted and shook his head. “He is aware that the Atlantis does not leave for another four days, is he not?”

  “I think he wants to show off his new infirmary.”

  “All right. I will be there tomorrow morning to submit myself to his poking and prodding.”

  A giggle bubbled up, and she entwined her fingers with his. “Good.”

  “I need your opinion.” His serious tone drew her attention back to his face. “Let’s sit.”

  So this was a “sit down” talk. Hmm. She lowered herself next to him on a sea-worn log.

  “Okay, on what?”

  Gryf’s hand made an all-inclusive motion in the direction of the kids. “You know that we’ve come up with zero DNA matches for those three children over there?”

  “I saw the data when it came in, yes.” How heartbreaking that none of their biological family members had survived.

  “Fortunately, Li-Min and another young woman named April Boruski have set up a home for youngsters like them.”

  “Yeah, Nick goes to the orphanage a couple times a week to teach music and help out.” She met his gaze. “Gryf, wouldn’t taking children on a space-ship be, well, risky? Remember what happen with Luna?”

  He appeared only mildly surprised that she had figured out where he was heading with his thought process. “Living is risky, animi,” he replied quietly. “Firsthand experience has taught you this.”

  “I see your point.” Her eyes drifted back to where Flora and Juan tried to coax Maggie back into the tide pool with them. Maggie wasn’t having anything to do with that idea. “You realize that’s three children, right?”

  “Wo
uld you rather we create our own children?”

  “Having a baby from ourselves should sound terribly romantic and fulfilling, yet it doesn’t feel right to me somehow.”

  “I think our children have arrived by more unconventional means, compa.”

  She glanced in the direction of the children. “To deny them would be to deny everything we have stood for the past several months.”

  He brushed his lips across the back of her hand. Then we are in agreement?

  Warmth flared in her heart and she gave him a smile. One-hundred percent.

  Epilogue

  Gryf lay in bed; the soft, slow breathing of his soul mate sleeping at his side filled him with peace. Down the hallway of their recently expanded quarters, Juan murmured in his sleep. Underlying the night noises of Gryf’s family, the barely perceptible, steady hum of the Atlantis’s engines proclaimed smooth sailing.

  All was well.

  Even their trip to Matir had been without incident, with the exception of his mother and her grandchildren. Who knew how much work it was to reprogram three children after such excessive spoiling? He certainly did not.

  A warm internal glow crept into his chest. His children. Flora, Juan, and Maggie. The most important assignments of his life. For a short time he had feared he was in over his head with parenting, until he began taking his cues from Alexandra. She handled them with ease, just as she handled her new duties as Terr’s first ambassador to Matir.

  When Moises had extended the request for her to fill this role for the next year, Gryf had not expected she’d accept. But she had. Then, surprise of all surprises, Senior Admiral Cael and Administer Navigand had placed the Atlantis at her disposal. It was now the official residence and flag ship of Ambassador Bock. In hindsight, this was an ideal situation as the dismantling of the Guardian Fleet did not require the constant presence of its Senior Captain. If the unlikely event of conflict occurred, his new second-in-command, Ora, would step in to cover for him.