“Everything okay?” he mumbled, his eyes opening just a peep.
Once he saw me, a small smile appeared on his face. A tired, still half-asleep smile that was so cute, I had to kiss him right away. And he kissed me back.
“Yes, everything is great, actually,” I said, curling up even closer to him.
“Can we stay like this all day?” he asked.
“I'd love that actually.” It surprised me to say it, but I would. I wanted nothing more than to lounge in bed with him all day, talking, cuddling, kissing and making love.
“Then lets do it,” he said, closing his eyes again, but not before he planted a kiss to the tip of my nose.
“Yes, lets,” I said, letting him wrap his warm body around mine.
For the first time in a long time, I not only felt safe, but at peace. I felt like I belonged. Who'd have thought it would take me being saved by an alien – someone who's not even human – to finally feel a connection with another living being?
I wasn't sure how or why this was happening to me, but I didn't want to question it too much, afraid I could chase all the good feelings away.
And God knew, I needed them at that point in my life.
Chapter Seven
Jendrish
I wasn't lying when I'd said I wanted to stay in bed with her all day. But I also knew I had work to do. So, I compromised and we stayed in bed most of the day. And then we discussed going to meet Bazarok. Using the information Tarkonil had fed into Ozul, I put in a call to him and he agreed to meet me. We would go over to his place.
Riley wanted to join me at the meeting. And honestly, I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could, so I didn't object.
“So Bazarok is the former king?” she asked as we walked over to Bazarok's home, which wasn't too far away.
Sapphire Bay was a smaller town, but I had to admit, it had its charm. The salty air from the sea called to me, reminding me of home – which only made me homesick and angry that I might not see it again.
“Well, kind of. I don't know if he was ever officially crowned before abdicating the throne,” I said. “It's hard to explain.”
“But he did it for this Paige woman? That's sweet.”
“Well – from what I understand, he didn't abdicate just for her. He really never wanted to be king anyway.”
“Why?”
“That I can't answer, but perhaps he can?” I said.
Her questions were adorable. I loved being able to share some of my history and culture with her – and she seemed genuinely interested. She had a lot of questions and I was trying to explain it to her the best way I could with the information I had. But even I didn't know exactly why Baz had opted to give up the throne. If it were just for Paige, that I could understand. But even before she came along, he'd had no interest in it.
“We're going to meet a king of another planet, living right here in Sapphire Bay,” Riley said, shaking her head in disbelief. “You know, if it weren't for the fact that I experienced so much other wonky stuff, I'd probably call you crazy.”
“Maybe I am?” I said with a wink.
Riley grabbed ahold of my arm, latching herself to it – and to me – with a smile. “Maybe we all are,” she said. “But I like your kind of crazy.”
There was a weird sensation in my belly – that of warmth and so much more. Never before had I experienced these weird sensations, and I had to admit, it seemed like Riley was the cause of it. Even before we'd made love, I'd been having fleeting thoughts about kissing and touching her. But until she came on to me, I wasn't sure it was appropriate to attempt to indulge those feelings. Now that it was, I just wanted to keep her close to me at all time.
Perhaps Baz had the right idea. Settling down here with a human didn't sound too terrible – even though I missed my home. After all, I'd likely end up dead if I ever tried to go back.
But the other women, my conscious reminded me. Can you really let that go?
But I'm also only one person. Can I really stop it?
Of course, that was why I was meeting with Baz, hoping he could help me stop it all. Now I had a conflict of interest, however, as I stared at Riley. I wanted to stay with her and not fight this battle. It was such a tough call and I hoped that Baz might offer some answers. Because in that moment, I had none.
ooo000ooo
Meeting a man I idolized, in the flesh and up close in his own home, was almost too much to handle. Sure, I'd been around Bazarok before, but never alone. And never in such a personal meeting. I honestly don't know if he even knew my name.
But when he opened the door, he greeted me with, “Jendrish! Welcome! And who is this young lady?”
“Riley,” she said, reaching out her hand. “My name is Riley.”
He shook her hand, but gave me a sideways glance as if to ask if we were together. I wasn't sure if we were or not, so I didn't dare make assumptions. I gave him a small smile and tried to deflect the conversation.
“She's one of the women I rescued on my mission, my lord,” I said. “The one our late friend, Tarkonil, told you about, I believe?”
“Yes, come inside,” Baz said. “And stop with the my lord stuff. I'm just plain ol' Baz.”
We followed him inside and he shut the door behind us, locking it. He looked at Riley, giving her a sympathetic once over as if it pained him to hear about what had happened to all of them. I liked to think he would help us, even though he insisted to Tarkonil that he wanted to stay out of it. I knew him better than that. He was a good man, a man with a heart. And maybe bringing Riley here would make him realize that these victims needed to be saved and this needed to stop.
“I'm so sorry to hear about Tarkonil,” he said. “He was a dear friend and it breaks my heart that I couldn't do more to save him.”
I knew he meant it too. “I hardly knew him, but he was a friend of my father's, so I trust him to be a good man.”
“He was,” Baz said. “Very much so. I hate to see what our planet has come to and I know it pained Tarkonil to the very core of him.”
I nodded. “It did. He became almost obsessed with trying to prove the Regents were involved in what's going on and bring them down.”
“And it cost him his life.”
I gave him a grim smile. “Yes, it did.”
We all stood in silence for a moment before Baz nodded. “Well, let's go have a seat on the deck,” he said.
Riley took my hand and we followed him through the house, out onto his back deck. I thought it was beautiful. Tall, soaring trees seemed to cover the world out there – and it blended with the aroma of the ocean, creating a very pleasing scent.
“You have a beautiful home,” Riley said.
“Thank you,” he replied. “Though, I can't take credit for it. Paige is the one who decorates and makes this house what it is. Please, sit.”
He had arranged the chairs on his desk so that we were facing one another in a small semi-circle. He'd also thoughtfully arranged food and drink on a small table in the center of our little meeting spot.
“I'm sorry Paige isn't here to meet you,” he said. “She had a lot to do at her club today.”
Riley cocked her head. “Which club is that?”
“The Mahogany Tavern,” Baz replied.
Comprehension – or perhaps just familiarity – crossed her features. “I've been there before,” she said. “I had no idea your wife was the owner.”
Baz nodded, beaming proudly. “She is the owner,” he said. “She's really made something of herself – and her club, I have to say.”
Riley took a can of soda from the table and opened it. Not being familiar with human food and drink, I leaned back in my seat without taking one. Riley though, giggled and handed me one.
“Dr. Pepper,” she said. “At the very least, give it a try.”
I looked at her skeptically, but raised the can to my lips. Baz was watching me very closely, probably waiting to gauge my reaction. The bubbles in the drink tickled my nose, b
ut it had a good flavor. I held the can and looked for at it for a bit. The soda, as she'd called it, had been very good. Different than anything I'd had before, but good.
“I like it,” I said.
“It's become one of my favorites too,” Baz said as he leaned back in his seat. “So, what can I help you with today, Jendrish?”
“To be perfectly honest, I don't know anymore,” I said.
“Well, what do you want to have happen?”
“I want what Tarkonil wanted,” I said simply. “I want to make Optorio a world to be proud of again.”
“So what is stopping you?” he asked.
“There is but one of me,” I replied. “And the Regents have an army.”
“Sometimes, the smallest fighting forces are the most effective,” Baz said. “Especially those with absolutely nothing left to lose.”
“Nothing left to lose?”
I cocked my head and looked at him. He smiled and took a drink of his soda. Birds chirped in the trees all around us. As beautiful as Optorio was, this place was extraordinary. I snuck a peek over at Riley, who was trying to be discrete about her presence, and was hanging on every word of our conversation.
“I still have a connection with Anjol, my biosystem,” Baz said. “I never closed the link. He told me that there was a death notice out for you. Though, you should take heart in the fact that bringing you in alive is worth a little bit more than bringing you back dead.”
I sighed. “Yeah, that wasn't expected.”
“It's not fair,” Riley finally chimed in. “He saved our lives and now he can't go home?”
A rueful grin touched Baz's lips. “It's because he saved your lives that he can't,” he said. “He made some powerful enemies by doing that.”
“So, what should I do?” I asked.
“You're going to have to cut out that corruption,” Baz said, all trace of warmth gone. “You're going to have to break the power of the Regents. Destroy the Council. And then establish something in its place to govern Optorio.”
“Oh, is that all?” I asked, my words dripping with sarcasm.
I looked up and something had caught Baz's attention. Though he appeared to still be focused on us, I could see that his eyes were focused on something behind me – something in the forest.
“Don't turn around,” he saids softly.
The urge to turn and look was very strong and I had to actively fight it. I looked over at Riley and saw that she was having the same internal battle.
“It looks like that bounty on your head must be a good one,” Baz said. “I count a pair of those lowlives in forest back there.”
My heart started to race and I felt the familiar tension in my body I would get as I readied for battle. Baz stood up and walked inside the house, leaving Riley and I staring at each other.
“I'm scared, Jendrish,” she said, her voice cracking.
“Don't worry,” I replied. “Just act like everything is normal.”
Her laughter was more of a dry, barking sound – and definitely not the laughter of somebody who genuinely found something funny.
“Normal,” she said. “Nothing in my life has been normal in a good, long while.”
I nodded. “I know. And I'm sorry for that. I truly am.”
Baz re-emerged fom the house and set another tray down on top of the table – actually, on top of the tray already there. It was covered by a napkin, and I looked at it questioningly. Baz nodded and tipped me a wink and I had the feeling that there was something beneath the napkin would make the coming fight a little more even.
“Riley,” Baz said. “I wonder if you'd be so kind as to go in the house and see about putting on some coffee?
She looked at him, an expression of offense upon her face before she realized what he was actually asking – go inside, stay inside, and keep her head down. Without another word she stood up, and excused herself, disappearing into the house.
“They still out there?” I asked.
“Yeah, they're creeping closer though.”
“We're going to need to question one of them,” I noted.
“Of course,” he replied.
“On the count of three,” Baz said.
I nodded and began mentally preparing myself for the coming fight. It had been a little while since I’d last seen combat – or had been involved in any sort of a fight. But I was well trained and I was ready.
Three...
I cleared my throat and tried to clear my mind.
Two...
I was doing this for Riley. I was doing this to help keep her safe.
One...
I reached and yanked the napkin on the tray Baz had carried out. And sure enough, there were two weapons of Optorion design sitting there. Picking up the first gun, I spun and fired – blindly, of course. I had no idea where the assassins were. I was simply hoping to draw them out long enough for Baz to get a good shot.
But no shot came. These assassins were ridiculously patient. I snuck a peek at Baz, and he was a little uneasy too, not knowing what was going on.
“Come,” Baz said.
I followed him down the stairs and into the meadow that spanned the distance from his deck to the forest beyond. Holding our weapons out in front of us, we walked slowly toward the forest with no idea where they were.
The sound of a twig snapping underfoot drew my attention quickly. Gun raised, I spun and saw one of my would-be assassins – and he was holding Riley, a gun to her head. My heart lurched and my stomach seemed to be folding in on itself. I looked over at Baz and saw that he was angry, his face darkening.
“Let her go,” I said.
“I'll do that,” the first assassin said. “But you'll be coming with me.”
The second assassin appeared and held a gun pointed at Baz. “You scum are the worst of the worst,” Baz hissed. “Have you no shame? No pride?”
“I like getting paid,” the first assassin said. “There's so little of that on Optorio as it is, that you need to take advantage of things when you can.”
“And you're part of the problem on Optorio,” I said. “Work with me. I want to bring down the Regents and make it a better world for all of us.”
The two men shared a look and then burst out into laughter. “Now, why would we do that?” the second assassin said. “We like getting paid and the Regents pay a lot more than anybody else.”
“So, let's have you put down your guns,” the first assassin said. “Drop 'em on the ground and then we'll let your girl and the cowardly king here go on about their business.”
“Fine,” I replied. “Just don't hurt them. Either of them.”
“You have my word.”
I was just about to toss the gun away when I saw Riley spring into action. She drove the her elbow back into the midsection of her captor at the same time she brought the heel of her foot down on the top of his. The man screamed and cursed, his hold on her loosening up slightly.
Just enough, actually.
Riley threw herself to the ground and I raised my weapon again, squeezing off a shot without hesitation. The assassin grunted and then fell as my shot took him square in the chest. He dropped immediately, dead before he hit the ground.
The second assassin turned and looked at his dying partner – a big mistake. With the lapse in concentration, Baz reached out and seized the man by the neck, giving it a vicious twist. I heard the snap from where I stood. The man fell to the ground, as lifeless as his partner.
Riley was on her knees, looking at the two bodies and then back at us. Tears stood in her eyes and her lower lip quivered.
“They will keep coming,” Baz said. “This was just the first of them.”
I moved over and dropped to my knees, pulling Riley to me in a tight embrace. She wrapped her arms around me and held on tight, sobbing into my chest. Baz was angry. He looked like he would have relished the chance to kill both men all over again.
“What can I do?” I asked Baz.
“You need to
end this,” he said. “One way or another, you need to take the fight to the Regents. Bring them down once and for all.”
“I'm one man.”
“Sometimes, that's enough,” he replied softly. “But I still have friends there. You will have some support. You have my word.”
“Thank you,” I said.
I had no idea what else to say. Or where to start. Or what to do. Yes, I'd been in the military, but I wasn't a tactician. I was a soldier.
“Jendrish, listen to me,” Baz said. “These assassins will keep coming. You have to cut the rot out of the fruit. Take control of Optorio back from the greedy and the corrupt. Give it back to the people.”
I nodded. “I will. I don't know how, but I will.”
I kissed Riley on the top of her head and didn't know how I was going to keep that promise – but was determined to try.
Book 4 – Silver Lining
Chapter One
Jendrish
I knew Baz was right. I really had no other option than to confront the Regent Council with what I knew and find a way to take them down. Or else, I'd always be living in fear of another assassin coming after me. Or worse, coming after Riley. And even worse than that, if I failed to act, I would forever be haunted by the knowledge that I turned my back on a crime against people. That I did nothing while the Regents turned women like Riley into sex slaves.
I would never be able to live with myself if I turned away.
I was quiet, deep in thought while sitting at Riley's place. She was there with me, her head resting in my lap as she stared up at me with eyes that were wide. I idly stroked her hair, not knowing what to do. She was worried. Scared. Not that I blamed her. I was worried too. Going back to Optorio would mean starting an all-out war. In order to get the Regent Council ousted from power, I'd need backup. I'd have to call on former brothers of mine, as well as Baz's supporters, to help fight. It was a fight that would more than likely leading to some deaths. Maybe even a lot of deaths.
Maybe even my own.
“Are you okay?” Riley asked me, staring up at me with eyes that were haunted.
I stroked her face with the tips of my fingers, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, and smiled. She made me happy – even when the weight of the world felt like it had settled down upon my shoulders. Leaving her behind wouldn't be easy and I knew she wouldn't like it. But to guarantee she'd always be safe – as well as other women like her – I had to do this. I had to fight.
Mated to a Bear (Legends of Black Salmon Falls Book 3) Page 40