by Shae Mills
But Jason was not deterred. “She will love the water. I know she will.”
Korba finally moved over to him and scooped him from the floor. Jason squawked with glee as Korba hung him upside down effortlessly. Then the Warlord swung him around, throwing him high into the air. Catching him about the waist, he settled him on his shoulders. “How about you and I go for a swim right now?”
“Yes!”
Korba nodded to Chelan and Stose. “We will go burn off some energy, if that is okay?”
Chelan waved her hand at them. “Go have some fun.” And she winked at Jason as he clung to Korba’s hair.
He smiled back and blew her a kiss. “See you soon, Mom.”
“Bye. And no drowning one another!” she teased.
After Korba and Jason were gone, Stose looked up at her. “Perfect time for a rest, my Lady. I will take Shanna out into the Command Center for a time.”
Chelan nodded. “Thank you, Stose. But I will rest only if you promise to bring her in the minute she fusses.”
“You have my word, my Lady.” And the doctor left.
Chelan crawled into the big inviting bed, but her body trembled. What thoughts would assault her this time? What images would terrorize her, leaving her winded? But she was too tired to fight, and she nestled down. Morning would be upon her soon, and she needed all the sleep she could get.
Chapter 3
CHELAN LAID THE SLEEPING infant into the cradle and then slumped down onto the bed. She ran her fingers through her disheveled hair. “Finally,” she whispered.
The doors opened and Marri walked in soundlessly. Chelan looked up and placed a finger to her lips.
Marri nodded to her and then signed in battle language, “You need to sleep.”
Chelan took a deep breath and peered down at Shanna, the little beauty now one Earth month old.
Marri studied Chelan. She was thin—too thin. Under her eyes, dark rings had begun to form, marring her once flawless beauty. Marri touched her shoulder. “Come with me,” she signed, “to the Command Center. We have to talk.”
Chelan struggled to her feet. Once the doors had closed behind them, Marri confronted her. “You need help.”
Chelan shook her head as she fell into the main command chair. “I will manage.”
“No, you won’t. Stose confirmed, she is following our hours. You cannot possibly hope to keep up with her.”
Chelan’s eyes welled. “But I have to.”
Marri sat down in front of her. “Why?”
“Because... I lost Shan’s baby, and I lost Dar’s...”
“You did not lose Dar’s. Jason was taken from you.”
“It does not matter. I was not able to be a mother to either of them. I want to be all to Shanna.”
Marri shook her head. “You do not understand. You will be all to her even if you accept help.”
Chelan ran her hands over her breasts. Then she hunched forward and gave in to her fatigue, sobbing quietly.
Marri leaned forward. “They still hurt?”
Chelan nodded between cries. “Every time I nurse her, it is as if I am being stabbed. The pain goes right through to my back.”
“She is nursing too often for you. You should have hardened long before now. Let another help.”
Chelan sat up and sniffled. She hugged herself defensively. “I do not trust anyone else. I do not know anyone else.”
Marri took a deep breath. “Let me take a look at you.”
Chelan complied, lowering her gown. Then she undid the bra that had been fashioned for her.
Marri winced. “Your nipples are split. You should have told me or Stose.”
Chelan did herself up. “They will heal.”
“Not before that little dynamo in there puts you in the sickbay.” Marri looked around. “Where is Korba?”
Chelan wiped at her tears. “I am not sure at the moment. He, Lethiason, Ilan, and Zane have been working on something. It has them all preoccupied.” She sighed. “It must be important, but he won’t tell me what all the commotion is all about.”
“Is he helping you?”
“When he can, Marri. He has a lot to do. He returns nights, but he cannot help with the nursing.”
Marri straightened. “Do you trust me?”
Chelan’s eyes widened. “Of course!”
“You know I had partially returned to the military?”
Chelan nodded. “Yes, I know you can now that Jason attends school and training full time.”
“Well, I just quit the military. If you will permit, I will help you nurse Shanna.”
Chelan’s mouth dropped open. “How?”
“Will you accept my help?”
Chelan looked over the ebony-clad beauty before her. She was a prime Breeder of the finest quality. She was also one of Korba’s First Officers, her skills and talents indisputable. Marri was well over six feet, her muscled body perfectly proportioned. Her skin was a fine bronze; her long blue-black hair fell almost to her waist. Her beautiful facial features were highlighted by her azure eyes, their look pleading softly and full of concern.
“Yes,” Chelan whispered. “But how?”
Marri relaxed. “Stose can prepare hormone shots for me. It is commonly done. I can be ready to nurse within a couple of days.”
Chelan was so overcome with relief she nearly felt like passing out.
Marri smiled. “It is still going to be tricky, though.”
Chelan rubbed at her brow. “How so?”
“Well, I have to take the pressure off you, but I can do only so much. If I nurse her too frequently, you will lose your milk. If I do not do it enough, your nipples will take forever to heal. And if she fails to drain you, you could get a breast infection.”
Chelan glanced down for a moment. Then she looked at Marri with gratitude. “We will figure it out.”
Marri smiled and stood. “Good. Now I will go pay Stose a visit. In the meantime, try to sleep while Shanna does.”
Chelan nodded and watched as Marri strode out.
BUT STOSE WAS NOT MARRI’S first visit. She headed straight to the very busy main Command Center. There, as Chelan had mentioned, she found Korba and the other men all hunched over incoming data. “What is up?”
All four men swung in their chairs at the sound of her voice. Marri folded her arms over her chest and frowned. “Okay, what are you boys up to that is so important? The good Lady is back there wasting away to a feather, and no one is even noticing.”
Korba stood slowly. “I have noticed. I talked to Stose not an hour ago. He will see what he can do.”
Marri faced him directly, praying she was not about to be struck dead. “How about you see what you can do?”
Korba was silent as he studied the very determined warrior before him. He signed to the men, and they vacated the area promptly.
“You will lower your tone with me,” Korba rumbled.
Marri straightened. “She is not Iceanean, my Lord, yet she struggles with an Iceanean child.”
Korba’s eyes narrowed. “I have gone over this daily with her. You accuse me of neglect, yet she accepts no help.”
“Do you think she would ask?”
Korba ground at his jaw. “If it were you, what would you have me do?”
“I would have you take my daughter away for hours on end. Then I would have you take her to the nursery and have her fed.”
Korba’s eyes flashed. “First, I would never deceive Chelan that way. And second, you know as well as I that I would never get away with a stunt like that even if I did decide to try it out of desperation.”
“Maybe not, but what would she do to you, my Lord? Have you punished?”
Korba’s ire was suddenly tempered by amusement. “In her weakened state she might suggest just such a thing, but I dare not to try my Lady’s trust or threaten her mothering instinct. It is I who lies with her at night, asleep and vulnerable to both her desires and her impulses. And you know her abilities with a knife!”
Marri finally chuckled. “You have a point, my Lord, but no matter—the nursing problem is solved for the moment.”
“Oh really? How so?”
“She has agreed to let me help.”
Korba stood very still. “And you are all right with that?” He watched as she shifted her weight, seemingly suddenly uneasy. Korba stared into her eyes. “Talk to me, Marri...”
Marri squared her shoulders. “I am fine. After all, I looked after Jason.”
“Jason was Dar’s.”
Marri’s gaze dropped to the floor. “I will not deny that it stings.” She looked back up at him. “But what helps her, helps you.”
“I do not want you hurting.”
Marri shook her head. “I will be fine.”
Korba stepped up to her. “This means a lot to me Marri, more than I can say. She trusts you, and only you.”
Marri studied the Warlord before her, her heart taking off as it had done in his presence so many times before. Then she stiffened, another thought suddenly knifing into her mind. “There is one thing you could do for me, my Lord.”
“Anything.”
Marri felt her heart stop. “I wish to spend some private time with you.”
Every fiber in Korba’s body knotted. “Private time?”
Marri brushed her hair back. “Yes. We have spent decades together, fighting side by side. During the early part of our exile together, we discussed strategy and planned everything out together. We organized and trained the masses that eventually executed the takeover. We lived in horrendous conditions at times, on the outskirts of the galaxy, worked and lived together, but during that time we never had the opportunity to simply be with one another, to simply converse.”
Korba’s brows furrowed. “What do you wish to converse about?”
Marri sighed. “Oh, I don’t know—the past, the future, our hopes, our dreams...” She looked about the bustling Command Center until her eyes once again lit on him. “Look, years ago, long before Chelan entered our lives, when time and circumstance allowed, we spent many an evening relaxing and speaking of everything and anything that crossed our minds. We have not done that in forever. I guess I am getting old and reflective. I just want to recapture a hint of the happiness we once both shared together in the past.”
A small smile tweaked at the corner of Korba’s mouth, and he looked down. “I remember those times.” Then he stared into her bright eyes. “And that time on that godforsaken planet during the Rigilean war...”
Marri burst out laughing. “We were discussing silence.”
“We were philosophizing about death,” he said, correcting her.
“Ha! You have never been able to philosophize about anything in your life,” she blurted out.
“That is not true! I just could not quite wrap my head around your train of thought as we sat on that hellhole of a dead rock. You were messing with my rest period.”
Marri continued to laugh as she shook her head at him. Then she contained herself. “See? We can still banter with one another, let our guard down, and simply enjoy.”
Korba nodded. “It feels good, doesn’t?”
“It feels great, hence my request.”
Korba smiled. “Well, there is nothing happening that requires my urgent consideration at the moment. My officers carry the burden of the Imperial workload rather well, it seems. I shall check with my Lady and see what she says as far as her time with Shanna. I will not leave her even for an hour if she allows me to help her with the baby.”
“Completely understood, Sire. Just so you know, I am off shift this eve should the timing be fortuitous. Otherwise, it may be a bit before a time can be arranged, depending on my schedule with Chelan.”
“I will let you know.”
Marri smiled warmly. “Well, I shall go visit Stose in the meantime, my Lord, if you permit?”
Korba nodded his dismissal, and Marri flowed out of the Command Center.
Korba turned back to the consoles and took a few more moments to study incoming data before he returned to his private Center. As soon as he the doors parted to his chambers, Shanna’s shrill cries assaulted his ears. He ran to the cradle and picked her up, her wails replaced by intermittent sobs. “Chelan?” he called.
He hustled to the en suite and found Chelan there. She was slumped with one hand against the vanity, her gown at her waist. With her other hand, she held a warm compress to her breast.
“Oh, my Lady,” he whispered. He held Shanna in one arm while he reached for Chelan’s chin with the other. He stared down into her bloodshot eyes.
“She wants to nurse, but I hurt so much.”
Korba looked down at her breasts, and his heart twisted. He reached for the compress and removed it. “Oh, hell...”
“I am sorry,” she whispered.
“There is nothing to be sorry for. And I know Stose can come up with some formula. The odd time a woman cannot nurse for some reason—”
Chelan shook her head, interrupting him, and finally managed a smile. “No, nothing artificial. In fact, Marri has offered to help me. I only have to last a couple more days.”
“I heard, but it will still take those few days until Marri is ready.” He looked back at her heavy breasts, her nipples red and split, the inflammation vividly angry. “Maybe Stose can help in other ways.”
“He was here. He says there are medications but they take time. He can assist only with preventing an infection for now. He says having Marri help will be best.”
Korba looked away and swayed gently with Shanna held firmly in his arms, limited options plying through his mind. Then Shanna stirred and began to whimper once again. Chelan reached for her but Korba stepped back. “You cannot.”
“I must, my Lord. I can endure it now that I know help is imminent.”
Korba heard the optimism in her voice and saw the glint in her eyes, the first spark he had seen in days. Almost reluctantly, he released the baby to her.
Chelan took Shanna and began toward the bed. Korba watched her, his heart aching. He could see her ribs, her white skin stretched taut over her bones. She was even too tired to eat. Her entire body was consuming itself for the sake of their daughter.
He sat down in a chair and watched as she raised Shanna to her breast. Then he recoiled with horror at the contortions Chelan’s face went through as the little one latched on.
Chelan hunched over and gasped, her eyes watering, but she persevered.
Korba winced. “Is there anything I can do? I will do anything you ask. Just let me take her to the Command Center when you are done. I will keep her occupied for a few hours while you rest.”
Chelan shook her head. “No, my Lord. I am fine, I assure you. There is light at the end of this tunnel. You should go tend to your work. I know you are busy with something.”
“Everything can wait, my Lady. You come first.”
Chelan rocked, the movement quelling some of her pain. “All I would ask is that you return here whenever your work allows. You know I have the support of Stose and Marri, so come only when you are able.”
He stood and moved to her, sitting beside her gently. Then he took her in his arms. “You have all my support at any time. I know how much you hate to call on people, but I am your mate, and I am nothing without you. When you are in pain or down, my heart bleeds, and when you are well, my heart sings. We are one, and no matter my workload, I have thousands of competent, committed men and women around me to share the work and take over whenever necessary.”
He tilted her face to his, and his eyes searched hers. “The only thing that causes me more pain over and above your distress is the thought that you would willingly suffer rather than ask for my assistance. I want you to understand my feelings completely. I will tell you now that if I feel you are holding back, worried about putting me out in some way, I will put Zane in charge with Lethiason at his side, and I will not leave these chambers until that little powerhouse is ready for school.”
Chelan
finally smiled. “It is understood, my Lord. You have my word that I will call upon you, or Stose or Marri, the moment I need any help.”
Korba kissed her lips. “You just put my heart at ease. You know how to link to me anywhere within the Empire. You use that ability, or not only will I be displeased, I will come in here one day, turn you over my knees, and make that shapely bottom of yours just as red and sore as your breasts. Am I understood?”
Chelan blushed. “Perfectly, my Lord.”
He traced her lips with his fingers and then glanced down at Shanna, the infant now sated and sound asleep. “Marri had requested some time with me this evening—nothing important, just some quiet reflection, I suspect—but I am not going to do that tonight. She and I can reminisce at any point over the coming months. But I will go to her now to make sure she followed up with Stose, and I want to get a firm commitment from her as far as when she should be ready to relieve you.”
Chelan nodded and pulled away from him. She twisted ever so slowly and laid Shanna down. Then she held her breath and watched her baby for a moment, praying the tiny girl would remain asleep. When all seemed well, Chelan eased up the bed and lay down quietly.
Korba covered her with a blanket and kissed her on the forehead. “I shall return soon.”
Chelan smiled. “I will be here.”
Korba kissed her once more and then left as silently as a ghost.
Chapter 4
KORBA HEADED DOWN THE corridor to Marri’s quarters, his large entourage of guards about him. At her door, he hit a button. The doors opened to his touch and he stepped in.
Marri rose from her desk. “My Lord. This is unexpected.”
He nodded. “I plan to spend as much time with Chelan as possible, including tonight.”
“I understand completely, but you need not have come to inform me. A simple message would have sufficed.”
“I am headed to the main Command Center for a brief meeting with some of my Commanders, but I wanted to hear what Stose had to say in person.”
Marri smiled. “Well, he is relieved that I have made this gesture and that Chelan has accepted my offer to help. He says he has rarely seen such an exaggerated wounding of the breast from nursing. But then we as a people are more hardened and resilient all round.”