by Juno Wells
He’d foolishly thought she might miss him and come back. When that didn’t happen, he knew whatever she’d once seen in him was enough to draw her to his side but not enough to keep her there. Time slipped slowly by, and Bradon dreaded the next celebration. It was Iod, the celebration that had drawn them back together and given him such hope for the future.
Ralon interrupted his meditation in the garden one day, and he had the traitor with him. He humbled himself respectfully, “My Regent, your honorable priest, Onyx would like to beg a moment of your time.”
“No.” One couldn’t be clearer than that.
The older priest “Sir, I think you should speak with him. It is about the female.”
“No, thank you. I have nothing to say, and no desire to hear anything from the deceiver on the subject.”
Onyx kneeled beside him and spoke. “As always, my Regent, your emotions get the better of you. Because you have issued insult, you are now obligated to explain what offense I have committed against you.”
Yes, he’d messed up. One didn’t insult another without explaining the insult. It simply wasn’t done in Davarian culture. “She was only one of hundreds…maybe thousands. She was mine, my only one.”
“I never touched your female, nor did I even have an impure thought about her. At least, I know what is in my heart, regardless of whether or not you will ever believe it.”
Bradon couldn’t contain his misery. “You lie. Why did you have to spoil that? Was it just to make me miserable? Do you find satisfaction in hurting me, when you were sworn to serve me?”
“I only found out today, you thought I was being immodest with your woman. I certainly do not derive any gratification from you thinking that I abused your trust in this matter.”
“I saw you with her in the Awakening Room. You had your arm around her, and she whispered something sweet in your ear. I couldn’t make myself accept nothing was going on between the two of you.”
“I encouraged the female to pursue you. We discussed possible obstacles to her being bonded to you. One of them was that you must sleep at regular intervals. She disclosed that she wished to slumber and awaken on your schedule. We devised a plan by which she would bring a sleep pod for the two of you so you would see with your own eyes how easy it would be to keep her with you always. We could see how open you were to the idea, and what you saw was our joy at hoping the two of you might be together always. That day we were discussing the fact that you had responded so positively to her gift. We took that mean you were considering using it with her. She whispered to me that I was helping make her dream of being with you come true. It cheered my heart, to think that at long last you would have a mate.”
“Later you had the audacity to pull her from bed. She even told you to be quiet and not wake me. She insinuated I should not be told about the secret you shared. I was awake. I heard the whole interaction.”
“Your little love mate had me, and a dozen or so others, searching the galaxy over for a certain Awakening Day present for you. It was something special and rare. Something she hoped would touch your heart and demonstrate her love for you. One of the traders found it. I came to tell her it was delivered. She chided me that it needed to stay a secret until the gift-giving ceremony. She came to take possession of the gift. I’ll bet it is here still. Come, my Regent, I will show you. Once you see the gift, it will leave no doubt in your mind about her love for you.”
Bradon followed the young priest into the Awakening Room. Onyx popped open one of the sleep chambers and handed him a tiny ball of fur. Bradon recognized the creature immediately as a kitten from the human entertainment vids he’s watched.
The moment the tiny creature opened its big blue eyes, Bradon’s shattered soul came back together. The creature was tiny, sweet, and soft. It reminded him so much of Grace his soul ached for her touch.
Onyx said softly, “She made me go find this blue ribbon to tie around its neck so it would seem more like a present. You should go to her and apologize.”
“She does not wish to see me, and now I know why.”
“She will forgive you because she loves you.”
As Bradon ran his hands over the small sleepy creature, it mewed. The sound was adorable. Suddenly, he remembered what he had done.
“You don’t understand, Onyx. I intentionally humiliated her in front of hundreds of people. I chose another for my Awakening Celebration Night, right in front of her, without warning. I was so enraged, I even chose her pretty little Davarian friend.”
Onyx shot him an annoyed frown. “I had heard of your choice, of course. I’m sorry. That was a very stupid thing to do. Most women wouldn’t forgive that level of betrayal.”
Bradon rubbed the kitten on his face. It made more of the cute sounds. “This is an astonishing gift. I can’t believe you two found one.”
“You’d believe it, if you knew how much money she threw at the search. Your little love was tenacious. I’m sorry you broke her trust.”
Finally, the older priest spoke. “I believe she will not care how many people you embarrassed her in front of. She never has cared about what people think. You should go to her and make your apologies. Even if she doesn’t take you back, you will have earned her friendship. That can sometimes be enough, if we aren’t allowed a bond with the person we love.”
Bradon teased, “Your words of wisdom inspire me, elder. Perhaps we should rename you, Ralon the Wise.”
The older man glared at him disapprovingly. Bradon thought to himself, Grace was correct about the older man had absolutely no sense of humor.
Reluctant to waste a moment changing clothes, Bradon went to visit Grace aboard the human ship. He found her alone in her quarters, and her door opened unannounced. It was set to open automatically for whoever approached. Bradon strolled in carrying her Awakening Day present.
He called out in typical human fashion, “Honey, I’m home.” It was just the way men announced their arrival in the old human entertainment vids.
Grace looked up from the electronic tablet she was reading and frowned. His thinly veiled reference to Earth customs would have normally amused her, but her tolerance level for his cavalier attitude was apparently at an all-time low.
Instead of greeting him, she motioned towards the door. “Get out. Don’t come into my presence unannounced again.” If he didn’t know better, his cold greeting would have sounded like she was dismissing a Davarian Regent.
Instead of leaving, Bradon plopped down on the large wraparound sofa. He glanced about at her décor. “You have decorated your quarters like a Davarian great house. Dare I hope you have taken to our ways?”
Her eyes flickered over him, briefly dipping to look at the small furry creature in his arms. Sighing, she reached over, picked up her com, and announced crisply, “Intruder alert. Security to my quarters, immediately. Weapons set to stun.”
Bradon frowned. Instead of making up with his female, he somehow provoked her ire. “Why do you have to do that? I came to apologize, and let you have a visit with your daughter…or perhaps your son.” He picked up the kitten, and twirled it around, looking underneath it. "Umm, there’s a lot of fur, therefore I can’t really discern the gender.” Bringing it down onto his lap, he smiled pleasantly. “I know you won’t care if our child is male or female, as long as it’s healthy.”
Grace rolled her eyes at his antics. Bradon knew from their history together that it was difficult for her to stay mad at him. He took a moment to really look at her. She didn’t look any worse for being separated from him. In fact, she looked amazing, even better than he remembered. When his eyes landed on her face, he realized she also looked pretty determined to get rid of him.
Security came busting through the door. Commander West had his weapon drawn and at the ready. He came to a staggering stop when he saw who the intruder was.
Bradon petted his new kitten calmly. “Greetings, Commander. Are you really going point a weapon at your Regent and throw him off your vessel? As
long as I’m sheltering your people, I am your Regent. Bear that in mind when you answer.”
Holstering his weapon, the commander took a step closer. The frown that creased his face wasn’t evidenced in his voice when he spoke. “No sir, I’ve no intention of mistreating you in any way.”
Bradon spoke cheerfully. “If I’m not mistaken, human custom states you’re obligated to offer me beverages, and invite me for a tour of your ship.”
Grace reprimanded him. “Don’t you think it’s a little late to be playing the Regent card? Get your sorry, two-timing ass off my sofa before I throw you out myself.”
Commander West’s head jerked to look at Grace. “What in the name of all that is holy is going on here?”
Ignoring him, Bradon replied to Grace’s statement. “I didn’t double time you, my sweet. You know you’re the only female I want.”
“It didn’t look that way the evening of your Awakening Day celebration. If you remember, I got tossed aside for a new woman. Got a bit bored with your little human, didn’t you?”
“You know that’s not remotely true. In case you are wondering, Nayla and I spent the whole night talking about you. She is really nice. She told me all about the human male she covets.”
“I already know all that. Nayla is my friend, after all, so she told me all about it.”
“She did?” Bradon found himself feeling a bit betrayed.
“What exactly do you think it is women talk about, if not things like that? She says you are nice too, by the way.”
Suddenly, all his angst about Nayla melted away. It seemed as though all of Grace’s anger had ebbed away too, leaving no heat in her words.
“What other objections do you have to our relationship?”
“Well, my biggest objection is…we don’t have a relationship. Remember, I am just a series of one-night stands with no commitment.”
“You know that’s not true. Forgive me if I am making a mess of our relationship, but in all fairness, this is my one and only relationship in five thousand years.”
Commander West took a step back and then another before stating quietly, “I didn’t know you two were …well …I should go. Shout if you need me.” Then he made a dash for the door with his men in tow.
Grace crossed her arms over her chest. “It doesn’t matter if you were with Nayla or not, I have another male now. I don’t need two.”
Bradon inhaled deeply. “You don’t smell like you have another male.”
“Stop sniffing me and leave.” The irritation in her voice was rising again.
“Are you going to force your commander to throw me off his ship?”
Grace’s voice rose. “You’re the most arrogant, pompous, ill-mannered man I’ve ever met.”
Bradon sighed. “Are we finished arguing yet? I really enjoyed the argument, but we need to be getting home. We have a furry little baby to put to bed, a bonding ceremony to organize, and a life to plan.”
Grace rolled her eyes at his antics. She didn’t disagree when he insisted they go home and plan a bonding ceremony. To his mind that meant she agreed that they belonged together.
She snorted a dismissive laugh, and he didn’t appreciate it one bit. “It’s not that easy, big guy.”
“It used to be.”
“Not anymore.”
“What changed? I still love you. You still love me.”
“I need my relationships to have at least a small element of trust.”
“You need your relationships to have an element of me. Come home, kitten. I miss you. My soul aches for your company. I know you feel the same way, because I can feel your longing for me.”
That expression was only ever used between mates who were bonded or drawn together by the stones. Technically they were neither. Grace stood staring out at the dark expanse of space. Though she didn’t appear angry anymore, she wasn’t coming to sit on his lap either. It confused Bradon. He didn’t know where he stood with her.
How could this happen? How could we go from being ecstatically happy, to being miserable, and then back again, like nothing happened?
Grace
A soft feminine voice floated across the room. “It’s because you’re destined to be together.” Mia stood in the doorway leading to her room, fingering the magical stone necklace. Grace shot her a disapproving look, unable to comprehend why she’d gone back to wearing the damned thing.
Watching Mia finger the beads, she remembered something important. Usually, men made the necklaces and females found their stones. How her sister ended up with the necklace rather than her own stone was still a mystery. So if during ancient times, all their men participated in this ritual, it occurred to her to wonder why Bradon hadn’t.
Still gazing at her sister, she asked, “Bradon, why don’t you have a prayer circle necklace?”
“I set it aside. The first couple of thousand years of hoping left me feeling a bit despondent.” He shifted the little bundle of squirming fur to his shoulder. “You and I, we are meant to be. I feel it in my soul. I don’t need a prayer circle to verify that.”
“What are the chances that of all the planets, we’d end up on yours? That it would happen so close to your Awakening Day? That you would choose me and that we’d fall in love? Everything to do with us seems like a one-in-a-million chance, but each time fate throws us together.”
“Thank the gods we found each other. To have never known you would have been the great tragedy of my life. You are meant for me. I know it in my soul. I can also sense your need for me. Come home, Grace. I need you. We need each other.”
Grace turned her head to look at him. “I say let chance decide. I will draw a stone from orbit just like the other true believers. That stone will draw me to my mate. If that person is you, fine. If that person is not you, then you will leave me to my proper mate.”
Bradon’s face immediately became washed out. He whispered, “Then you really don’t want me? Somehow, I thought you did. I thought you cared about me. I honestly believed we could work this all out.”
“You once told me that you believe in the power of the stones.”
“To rely upon pulling my stone from the cluster is madness. Do you have any idea how many stones are there? Millions, some are thousands of years old…the leftover stones of dead warriors who never got the chance to be mated…mixed with the stones of strong, virile young males. The chance of you finding my stone is… Well, it won’t happen.”
Mia tilted her head and said, “I thought you were Davarian. I thought you were devout.”
“I am, but I’m not stupid.”
Mia walked over to him and touched him gently on the hand. “Go back to your world, find your prayer circle, and pray like your life depends on it. You must believe in your heart that the gods will guide her choice. You must do your part, as your ancestors did before you. You must believe.”
Bradon stood looking at the younger woman for a long moment. “You believe that strongly, yet you are not of our world.”
“I believe because I’ve experienced the power of the stones. Don’t you see? If the stone calls the female you love to you, it can call no other but Grace to you. In doing so, it will demonstrate your true love still exists. Honor the ancient ways and trust the woman you love to make that happen.”
Watching him walk out the door was one of the hardest things Grace had ever done. For a moment, she thought herself mad. Then Mia touched her shoulder from behind. “You’re following your instincts and in doing so, you’re making the right decision for both Bradon and his people.”
“I feel like I should come clean with him.”
Mia’s expression turned devious. It was strange look on her normally innocent face. “He’s been a bit of a prick. I say let him suffer a bit and tell him after.”
“So, are you going to help with my little scheme?”
Mia laughed, her fingers dropping away from her necklace for the first time since she’d come in. “Dakota might have figured out the secret to the sto
nes, but I’ve got the people skills to pull this off.” Dakota’s engineering skills did come in handy on this one. That woman would burn in hell before she saw both her sisters lose out on marrying the men of their choice.
Suddenly, everything that Grace had thought was impossible became her new reality. She grinned, her mood finally picking up. “Let’s do this thing.”
18 Managing the Media
Bradon
Sitting in his personal suite at the Hall of Awakening, Bradon was deep in thought. How could Grace cast him aside so effortlessly? He’d made a mistake, to be sure. However, she’d forgiven him in their roundabout way. She’d insisted upon selecting her mate in the tradition of his people, even when he’d explained how unlikely she was to pull his stone. So very few of his people believed in the power of the stones in the modern age, yet his one true love clung to the old ways. Was it because he was ancient, and she felt she had something to prove to him? Did she honestly need verification that he was her one? A thousand mad ideas flew around in his head, each leading in a gigantic circle.
Ralon approached with his tea and took the opportunity to speak about the subject bearing on everyone’s mind. “Though you may see this as an impossible situation, know that all is possible when the gods smile on us.”
The elder priest had served him through two awakenings. The male had been born under his reign and service had been his one and only aspiration. His mate was long dead and his sons were now in training to follow in their father’s footsteps. Maybe with the pods the humans had gifted him with, Ralon could be at his side for yet another cycle.
When Bradon didn’t answer his longtime friend, the priest spoke again. “You know the stone will draw your woman to her perfect mate. You should be happy for her.”
“Strangely enough, I am. Even though chances are astronomical that it will draw her to me, knowing she is with her one will be enough to ease the ache in my soul.”