Promises to Keep

by Promises To Keep (lit) (NCP)

  Memory surfaced of what he’d told her before, about needing to be reminded to shower. If he’d needed reminding with a room this beautiful at his disposal, something must have been very wrong.

  She eyed the large tub and wondered just how far Garran wanted to take this temporary marriage of theirs. It was one thing to sleep together, but bathing with a partner had an appeal as well.

  Probably for the duration she’d better stick to the single person shower.

  * * * *

  So far--so well played. Garran watched the door his little wife had disappeared through with a distinct measure of satisfaction. Against all odds, he’d managed to obtain her promise to stay with him for the next three days. Stay in his rooms, and sleep in his bed.

  A triumphant grin took over his face. Sleep in his bed. It had been years since he’d had that pleasure, the feel of a woman in the bed next to him, her warm softness a finger’s breath away.

  The next few days were going to be wonderful.

  Not that there hadn’t been a dark moment. When she’d seen his face and heard his name, he could have sworn she would have broken her promise and screamed at him. But then, she’d closed that lovely mouth of hers and let those beautiful eyes do the talking.

  If looks could kill, he’d be dead already, murdered by the furious darts of her eyes.

  She’d kept her promise, though, and that encouraged him more than he could say. If she could keep that promise, then she’d keep this one. If she kept this one, he had a chance to win her heart. A chance to keep her by his side, keep her through love and not merely the fulfillment of a promise.

  For a moment Garran remembered the smile she’d held in the moment before she’d realized who he was. She’d been happy at his appearance and there had been delight in that smile.

  Delight and something else. She’d almost looked like she loved him, and that fleeting moment and the joy it had brought him was almost enough to make him forget the pain he’d felt when her smile had fled.

  If only he could bring it back, make her smile like that again.

  He was still thunderstruck at how beautiful she’d looked. Even knowing how his attachment would color the way he saw her, she had to have been the most beautiful woman in the room. Her Gaian garb had been the perfect dress for her and with her hair crowning her head, she’d given the appearance of a queen.

  His queen. Gaia didn’t have a monarchy--an elective council of twenty men and women provided the government needed for the colony. Still, Garran had often been called upon to act as a figurehead for that council and before he’d taken the role of general he’d sometimes been labeled Gaia’s king by the angry Earth government representatives he’d had to deal with.

  He glanced at the small holopic of his wife and child mounted on the wall, sudden anger and loss filling him. That misconception had cost him dearly.

  And it was still costing him. Sarah knew him because he’d taken the role of a leader to deal with the pain of losing his family. But now his work during the war could cost him his new wife if he wasn’t careful. His hand clenched the back of an armchair, fingers digging into the softness, not unlike the softness of Sarah’s breasts. Would she ever let him touch her again?

  As fast as it had come, his fury fled, leaving him drained and exhausted. The wine he’d drunk caught up with him, and he fought the urge to lie down. A yawn caught him and he found himself eyeing the velvety surface of the bed.

  The blue-green coverlet was new, to go with the larger bed. It was wide and plump and looked as soft as a cloud.

  It looked as soft as Sarah’s breast.

  He’d slept poorly last night and hardly at all the nights previous. Without warning Garran found himself stifling another yawn. Maybe a nap wouldn’t be such a bad idea. He could lie down for a few moments and rest a little. Sarah would understand.

  He removed his shoes and stretched out. Sweet Gaia, the bed did feel like a cloud, a cloud on the way to heaven. A heartfelt groan escaped him.

  Sarah emerged from the sanitary and took in his supine form, alarm in her face. Garran couldn’t repress his grin. The bed felt like heaven, and here was his angel, just in time to make it complete.

  Consternation filled his angel’s eyes. "What are you doing?"

  "I’m tired, Sarah mine. Dreams of you have kept me up too many nights and I need a nap."

  "A nap?" Confusion and concern radiated from her.

  "A nap," he told her decisively. He patted the space next to him. "You look like you could use one too. There’s plenty of room, why not join me?"

  "But.…" Her voice trailed off as the look of confusion grew.

  Garran leaned up on one elbow. "I promise, my wife, you’re completely safe with me. I only want to sleep." He yawned again, and as he finished caught sight of her hand over her mouth, obviously hiding one of her own.

  "I think you, too, have had trouble sleeping. Come here and rest. It’s been a long morning."

  She moved slowly toward the bed, her movements tentative. When she reached the edge, her hand stroked the velvety surface and a soft moan slid from her lips. In trepidation she eyed the space next to him.

  Garran smiled and reached out his arm to her. "You don’t need to fear me, Sarah. I only wish to hold you. Come, take your rest."

  After knocking off her shoes, she slipped onto the bed. When she was within his reach Garran slid an arm around her and drew her closer until they were nestled together, front to back, his arm loose around her waist, tight enough to hold, but not to keep.

  Under his cheek her braided hair felt like ropes of silk. Her heavy breasts rested just above his arm. He thought of raising his arm, running his hands across those firm sweet globes and his sex awakened, hard and ready. Immediately he resisted the urge to fondle her softness and he forced his body to relax. That was not the way to love his lady at the moment. She needed rest as much as he did.

  He pulled her tighter and whispered in her ear. "Sleep now, my angel. I’ll keep you warm and safe."

  Sarah grew quiet and relaxed into his chest and arms, her breathing quieting. Even before he could tell that she was asleep, Garran’s eyes closed and he drifted off.

  * * * *

  Warm strong arms around her, holding her close, soft breathing in her ear. Sarah woke but kept her eyes shut, not wanting to break the dream she was having. Under her cheek was velvety softness, behind her was a hard body that rumbled in reassuring solidity.

  Sarah had never felt so warm, so safe or comfortable before. In all of her dreams of a lover, she’d never imagined what it was to simply be held while she slept, how wonderful that could be.

  She wriggled with happiness and the hard arms around her flexed, tightening and the rumble behind her halted. The heavy breathing in her ear ceased and she heard a man’s sleepy whisper instead. "Does my angel wake?"

  She fought her dreamy appreciation of his embrace. "I’m not your angel, Garran."

  He nuzzled her and hot breath warmed the back of her neck. "My angel, my wife, my Sarah, Sarah mine. I can think of a hundred names for you, but none are sweeter than your own." His hand stroked her stomach, then reached up to fondle the bottom of her breast.

  Her languor disappeared immediately and she caught his hand. "Garran, stop that."

  The breath from his heartfelt sigh slid along her neck and his hands pulled away. "As you wish, my Sarah."

  Sarah scrambled to the edge of the bed and turned to see amusement in his face. He held up his hands as if to blame them. "I’m sorry, they get carried away at times."

  A warm flush covered her cheeks. "You should keep better track of them, then, particularly if you want to keep your promise to me."

  "Indeed, I should." He sat up and stretched, and Sarah had to resist a groan at the sight of his loose shirt stretching tight across his chest, revealing the well-defined muscles underneath. He really was a magnificent specimen of a man, even for a Gaian.

  He ran his hands through his hair, disheveled from their
nap and glanced over at the chrono. "We slept long enough I think, a little more than an hour. We should be fine for tonight."

  "What happens tonight?" Bethan and the other Gaian women had been sketchy as to the details of the three-day post-claiming period, other than to say that couples were encouraged to spend as much time as possible together.

  A grin broke out on Garran’s face. "Tonight’s our claiming party, Sarah. Didn’t Bethan tell you?"

  Her mouth dropped open. A party? With people? Nervously Sarah licked her lips. "No, she didn’t. I assumed we’d be alone."

  Delight flashed in his eyes. "Why Sarah, you sound disappointed that we won’t be. But no, Bethan and Symon made the arrangements. I expect there will be at least twenty or more people here." He glanced over at the chrono again. "In about two hours."

  There was a buzzing from the main room and Garran swung out of bed to answer it. Sarah was repairing the damage their nap had done to her braids when two huge men hauled her trunk into the bedroom. One was Maxxa, Garran’s bodyguard from before.

  Garran pointed to the other man, a brown-haired giant without a wristband. "This is Sammul. He and Maxxa have been making sure I don’t have a lot of time alone."

  The big man shook his head. "You were happy to have company when you couldn’t sleep after the first marriage meet." He grinned at Sarah. "He kept me up all night playing cards...and winning to boot."

  Sarah smiled wryly. "Somehow his winning doesn’t surprise me."

  Garran laughed. "And I was happy to have you around. But I’ve all the company I need now, so be off!" he roared.

  Sarah watched as the pair cast covert glances at Garran and herself and then the rumpled covers of the bed. Maxxa nudged Sammul in the ribs. "I think I noticed some cards out in the lounge. We can stand guard out there." Eyebrows arching and grinning at each other, they left the room, closing the door after them.

  In the wake of their departure, Sarah busied herself in opening the trunk under Garran’s watchful eye. "Did that bother you so much, that they thought we’d made love?"

  She hesitated on the last lock. Unable to meet his gaze, she attempted a nonchalant shrug. "I suppose I should get used to it. If I’m going to be here for three days, everyone will assume if we’re sharing a bed, we’re sharing more."

  "You’re my wife." His voice was a soft caress in her ears. Without his touching her she felt the same tingle down her arms, the same warmth in her stomach. He could move her with just the sound of his voice.

  A shudder not born of cold or fear slipped through her. She was in VERY big trouble.

  She jerked open the last lock and slid open the trunk. On the top was her filestore.

  In a flash Garran was by her side, staring at the sleek black box, envy in his eyes. "Wow! Is that the new IBQHP twenty-nine thousand? I didn’t think they were out yet!"

  Garran’s sudden enthusiasm caught her off-guard and surprised a laugh out of her. Men--give them love, they’re happy, but give them new technology.…

  She pulled the filestore out. "I had some credits to spend so I invested in the latest model available. It’s got eighty jigabits of storage."

  He ran his hand over the smooth case. "Good thinking, particularly when heading for places where you’re lucky to get five-year old equipment. Is it as fast as they say it is?"

  She handed it to him. "Go plug it in and see for yourself."

  Flashing a happy grin, Garran headed for the media station and the universal input slot. The filestore slid into place and in moments he had the search and locate screen visible on the media screen. His eyes narrowed in appreciation. "It’s even faster than I expected. The interface is so smooth."

  He grabbed a pointer and scrolled through the labeled files. "You’re really organized, aren’t you? I bet you can find anything on this system in minutes.…"

  His voice trailed off and his smile disappeared. Sarah went to the screen to see what he was so intently staring at, and her heart sank.

  The pointer was pinned on a vid-clip file labeled "Gaian Beast".

  "I assume that’s a reference to me?" His voice was deadly quiet.

  Sarah found her voice. "It’s a copy of one of your broadcasts. The first one."

  Puzzlement was in his eyes. "Broadcast? I don’t understand." He shook his head. "What broadcast?"

  "The broadcast about the destruction of the first fleet."

  His eyes looked wide with disbelief. "You have a copy of that?" With an abrupt wave he pointed to it. "Play it for me," he demanded.

  She had no desire to open old wounds, but Garran seemed adamant. Reluctantly Sarah triggered the file.

  The large screen on the wall cleared and filled with the triple ringed logo the Gaians had used during the war. The screen then filled with the image of Garran, seated at a table, with a small screen in front of him, probably holding the notes for his speech. His hair was shorter than it was now, and in the black shirt, he looked older and tougher.

  He looked at the imager and smiled, but there was no humor in that upward curve of his mouth and it didn’t reach his eyes, the dark-blue of which seemed black with malice.

  Sarah had heard his speech so many times before that she could have recited it with him. Instead of watching the screen, she watched Garran instead. He viewed the clip quietly, his face pale, only his clenched jaw and whitened knuckles showing emotion as the speech began.

  "Ladies and Gentlemen. It is my pleasure to speak to you tonight on something of significance to both our peoples.

  "You have sent warships at us and have been successful in hurting us in the past. You have damaged our planet, our cities, and killed our people, and assumed that we could do nothing to stop you.

  "The rules of the game have now changed.

  "You recently sent a fleet of ships to attack us. It is my duty to report to you that these ships have been unsuccessful in doing so. In fact, they no longer exist as a threat to us or to anyone else. They have been removed from action."

  The recorded Garran grinned evilly. "Their removal is permanent.

  "These ships include, the Valiant, Exeter, Doublestar, NorthernVale, Saradon, Mousabel, and the Hope."

  Garran’s image on the screen looked up, his eyebrows high with mock surprise. "I see that the Hope was a hospital ship. That must hurt," he said in a mocking tone.

  Even now, after so many viewings, Sarah’s hands clinched when she heard that. Garran himself winced and he glanced over at Sarah. She looked back at him and met his eyes, hers as angry as his had been. His face troubled, he returned his attention to the clip.

  "My purpose here is to tell you that you will no longer be able to hurt us. Every ship you send to meet us will wind up with the same fate at these ships--the ships and their crews will not return to you. If you want to preserve your fleet, don’t come near us. Give us our freedom or we promise you will regret it."

  The broadcast ended with his face, a sneering smile in place, and Sarah couldn’t resist the shudder that fled down her spine. This was the image that was burned into the minds of every Earth person, the picture of the Gaian beast.

  For a moment Garran was quiet. "Where did you get this?" he asked finally.

  "It was a public broadcast...there were recordings of it everywhere."

  "Public?" Garran turned to her, eyes wide in astonishment. "You mean everyone on Earth saw it, not just Earthforce or the government?"

  At Sarah’s nod, he thumbed off the screen and sat heavily in one of the cushioned chairs, hands steepled under his chin. A mix of emotions crossed his face, anguish and anger. Sarah watched in amazement. Surely he’d known.

  He jerked his head up as if a thought just occurred to him. "You didn’t have any family in Earthforce."

  He stated it as a fact and she was reminded of the NLC rule about not having Earthforce relatives, but how would the Gaians know about that? "No, no relatives."

  Relief crossed his face.

  "My best friend, though, from medical school. She w
as a doctor on the Hope." The relief in his face disappeared.

  "I hadn’t thought of that...that someone other than a relative could be involved. Of course, you cared for your friend."

  "She was like a sister to me." It had been too long since she’d talked about it, and the broadcast had opened again how much Karen’s death had hurt. Garran should know how reprehensible his broadcast had been to those who’d lost loved ones.

  "Karen and I, we talked about going into practice together. She wanted to specialize in hormone abnormalities. But when we got out of school, she was called up. The military had paid her way through school so she couldn’t refuse. She was on her first mission with them."

  Shoulders slumped, Garran listened as she spoke. He straightened and cocked his head. "What did you say her name was?"

  "Karen. Karen Masters." Sudden hope filled her. "Do you know of her? Were there survivors?"

  A muscle jumped in his jaw and her hope died as he shook his head. "I wish I could tell you there were, Sarah."

  He stood and with restless energy paced the room. "First of all, no one like you was ever intended to see that broadcast. We created it for Earthforce and the government, who knew what was happening, not an unsuspecting Earth. I’d never have said...well, what I said to the relatives of those who were lost."

  He shot her a dark look. "Do you believe me on that?"

  She nodded. Garran was too disturbed by her having the clip for it not to have been a surprise. At her acknowledgement, he calmed some and ceased his relentless pacing. He paused in front of a small holograph on the wall and stared at it. When he didn’t move, Sarah went to join him.

  The holo held the image of a young woman, lovely, with short dark hair, her arms holding tight to a squirming two-year-old girl. The woman’s face seemed hauntingly familiar. It was a short recording, the woman laughing and whispering to the child who blew a kiss.

  Garran’s face was dark with sorrow. "There are always losses in war."

  "Who are they?" she whispered.

  "My wife, Metta, and our daughter, Sallia." His voice was as dark as his face. "She was a teacher. They were at Carras."