RIBUS 7

by Shae Mills

  Chelan began to awaken. Her fingers slowly wound their way out of her cocoon and to his skin. Korba was happy that he was with her when she awoke, and he was going to make it a point to be with her each time for as long as he could. He wanted her to become confident in his love so she could endure his inevitable absences. But most of all, he wanted her to feel secure about her future with no troublesome thoughts of abandonment intruding.

  Chelan's eyes suddenly snapped open, and she sucked in a deep breath. Korba rolled to his side and looked down into her pretty face. She was instantly bathed in serenity, and a smile touched her lips. She moved her fingers to his face and caressed him gently. "I was afraid you wouldn't be here," she whispered. "I was afraid that it was all just a dream."

  Korba smiled at her as he began to work the blankets loose. Then, he drew her nakedness to him, loving everything her body had to offer. "It is a dream, Chelan," he began. "Only it is one that will never end."

  Chelan hugged him tightly, still not quite sure if she believed that she was actually with him. He seemed almost as unreal as the ship and her whole fantastic voyage. She pushed her fantasy onto his back and then pulled herself up onto him. She looked down at his wound, the scar only a faint hairline. She squinted at it, amazed that it looked completely healed except for a faint shadow of bruising, but then she remembered the healing times listed for the men of his quality. She touched him tentatively. "Does it still hurt?"

  Korba shook his head. "No. Stose numbed it heavily. It's fine."

  Chelan ran her fingers over the fading line. "That's amazing."

  "So are you."

  Chelan pinked. "You must be referring to something other than healing. A wound like yours would have killed me."

  "Let's hope we never have to find out." And his eyes narrowed as he looked to her neck.

  Chelan instantly sought to divert his thoughts. "I love you," she whispered.

  Korba smiled as his fingers traced the line of her jaw. "I love you, too, my Lady."

  Chelan's eyes coursed over his handsome face and his beautiful bronze skin. She slid her fingers through his hair and then drew the long strands down his chest, watching as the tattered ends nearly reached his waist.

  "Time for a hair cut," he commented dreamily.

  "Oh, no! I love it long."

  Korba chuckled and shook his head at her. "It was long before, Chelan. But then it was also neat."

  "Oh, I don't know," she returned coyly. "This way it gives you a sort of animal magnetism."

  Korba beamed at her. "What it does, pretty woman, is make me look like the barbarian I am."

  Chelan continued to fondle the coarse strands with her delicate fingers. "It shines with a metallic blue luster. It's incredible."

  Korba put his arms around her, shifting her weight so that she rested more directly on him. "When everyone around you has it, man and woman alike save Dar, it's no longer so special. Not like yours."

  Chelan grinned and rolled off him. "Your opinion is biased, my Lord. You are bewitched by more than my hair."

  Korba moved over her and settled down on her, his powerful shoulders supporting him and keeping his weight delicate on her. He held her arms up by her head, and the softness of her breasts pressing into his skin caused him to falter. Catching his breath, he looked down into her eyes. "I'll give you that, Chelan. I would feel the same way no matter what the color of your hair." He smiled. "But your golden-brown silk does add an alluring touch to your already exotic beauty."

  Chelan blushed and tried to squirm away from him, her shyness overtaking her. But he held her firmly and kissed her lips tenderly.

  Her immediate and heated response took him by surprise. She met his lips aggressively, her breathing suddenly rapid. Korba rose off of her, springing from the bed and throwing the blankets over her head.

  "Hey!" she shouted, yanking the blankets away and glaring up at him through her disheveled hair.

  "Hey, yourself," he breathed huskily, his own desire having seized him in response to her arousal. "I could tell you were thinking of disobeying the doctor's orders."

  "No, I wasn't," she protested. She rose, the sheets falling from her. Chelan shuffled to the edge of the bed and surrounded his waist with her arms. "He told you to behave and to leave me alone. He never said anything about me behaving and leaving you alone." Her lips began tracing down his muscles toward the softness she sought.

  Korba moaned, instantly swept up by the sight of her and pushed over the edge by her sensual touch. But then he stopped her abruptly. "I'm sorry, Chelan. Just a moment."

  Chelan looked over. She had not seen the indicator light flash. He reached past her and pressed the switch by the bed.

  "Sorry to disturb you, Sire, but your orders were for one full day and now you have a visitor."

  Korba reached for Chelan and hugged her to him. "It's okay, Yanis. Who is it?"

  "It's Marri, my Lord."

  Korba's eyes darted to Chelan, but she remained resolute. "Just a moment, Yanis." He turned the intercom off and looked deeply into Chelan's eyes. "I will send her away if you wish."

  Chelan hesitated. "No," she whispered. "You need to talk." She pushed back from him and peered down, her body coated with the evidence of their lovemaking. "Besides," she smiled, "I need a shower."

  Deep concern overtook him as he watched her step stiffly from the bed. He looked at the coating of dried blood along her inner thighs and he felt his heart twist. "Oh, my Lady."

  She drew a blanket around her and picked up her white gown. "I'll be okay," she cooed, and she kissed him softly on the lips. Chelan turned to leave and then wavered. "What if Marri sees or hears me? Maybe I should stay—"

  Korba halted her by kissing her. Then he gazed down at her in adoration. "Very shortly your presence will no longer be a secret to my people, as you are mine, Chelan, and I am yours. You have nothing to fear from anyone, and as a Warlord's mate you will command the same respect and privileges as do I. There will be times pertaining to military discussions where your presence will be inappropriate, but—" He stopped suddenly as Dar's words surged into his mind. He swallowed and looked at Chelan as though he had never seen her before.

  "What is it?" she asked anxiously.

  Korba hugged her close and rubbed her back. "Oh, Chelan, I owe my life to you."

  Chelan returned his embrace, but she was confused. "What are you talking about?"

  Korba drew her back and looked intently at her. "Dar never told you?"

  "Told me what?"

  "About the final mission, about the assault on the power plant?"

  Chelan simply looked up at him blankly. She shook her head.

  Korba smiled broadly. "You really don't know, do you?"

  "Korba!" she said, excitedly. "What are you talking about?"

  "Never mind," he interjected quickly. "Go have your shower, and I'll explain it to you when you return."

  Chelan turned slowly, overjoyed with his obvious happiness, but she was still at a loss as to what he was referencing.

  Korba watched her disappear and then donned his uniform. He pressed the intercom switch. "Let her in, Yanis." He walked out of his quarters and down into the Command Center. He stopped, looking up toward the doors just as Marri strode in.

  She halted and scanned the Center, distress and concern once again apparent on her face. She wore the same gown she had worn the day before, its beautiful material flowing about her as she started toward the stairs. "I believe you owe me an explanation," she said tepidly.

  Korba turned and walked to the center of the command area. "I suppose I do."

  Both were silent for a time before Marri finally spoke. "How's Fremma?"

  Korba hesitated. "Stose says he is doing well."

  Marri faced him directly. "Whatever possessed him to break in here like that?"

  "There was some trouble. He bolted in here without thinking about the situation adequately."

  Marri shook her head. "No, there's more to it than th
at," she challenged coolly. "Fremma's no fool. He would have had to disable four of his best men to get in here. And then he would have known better than any man what to expect by startling you. He took your blade willingly, Korba. He had a death wish, so don't tell me that there was simply some trouble and that he was not thinking."

  Korba turned away from her, choosing his next words carefully. "It was a problem between Fremma, Dar, and me, and it has been resolved."

  Marri was not going to let up, and she moved in front of him. She had felt the sting of his aloofness as soon as she stepped through the doors. "Korba, yesterday you wanted me, yet now you avoid me. Your guards are doubled outside your door and will allow no one to pass. And Fremma..." She gasped. She reached out and clutched at his arm, her eyes pleading with his. "What was so important for Fremma to risk his life like that?"

  She stared into his azure eyes, awaiting his answer, but her efforts to interrogate him would be thwarted yet again. Marri shuddered as she watched his eyes lift and alight upon a point beyond her. The spark that ignited within them caused her to pale. She swirled around and looked up in shock at Chelan standing before her, the alien's curvaceous body outlined beautifully in white. "Chelan," she breathed in disbelief.

  Chelan smiled shyly and nodded. "Marri," she acknowledged softly.

  Korba studied Marri's back carefully, watching for muscle twitches or any sign of impending action. He was keenly aware of Chelan's vulnerability and her need for his protection.

  Marri was staggered by her own intense reactions, a maelstrom of emotions hitting her all at once. She had dedicated years of her life to the pursuit of the mighty Overlord, and now she was up against the likes of a fair-haired alien. But before she spoke or acted, she needed to know for certain what Chelan's relationship was with her Commander. And she knew exactly where to start. She threw a cutting glance over her shoulder at Korba and then bolted up the stairs past Chelan and into his quarters.

  Chelan cringed as Marri rushed past her. She looked down at Korba for reassurance, but instead, her eyes grew wide. He had drawn a throwing blade, his stance reflecting his own tension. She went to speak, but he halted her with a hand signal, directing her to come to him quickly and quietly.

  Marri knew precisely what she was looking for, as Chelan was a small woman. She ran to the bed and hurled the blankets to the floor. The blood-stained sheets appeared to spring at her with spiteful rancor, forcing her to sink to her knees, her heart breaking. Tears began to stream down her face, and she clenched her fists in abhorrence. "An alien!" she cried.

  Suddenly, her sobs ceased, her pain turning into hatred bathed with fury, not at Chelan for choosing a man any woman would want, but at Korba for his choice. It was a totally unacceptable turn of events, and Marri sprang to her feet in a rage.

  Korba reacted instantaneously to Marri's explosive return, pushing Chelan behind him defensively.

  "You bastard!" she seethed. "How dare you attempt to seduce me one day and then cast me aside on a whim to fuck an alien the next?"

  Korba's muscles flinched in response to Marri's outburst. He set his jaw and struggled to control his urge to throw her out from the Command Center, or worse.

  Chelan was on the verge of tears, and panic pervaded her quaking body. She had always liked Marri, and it hurt her to see the woman so pained, for Chelan knew all too well what it felt like to lose the one you loved so deeply to someone else.

  Korba signed Chelan to remain still as he stepped toward the enraged warrior, wondering if she was armed and bracing himself in case she was. He was careful to approach Marri in a direct line with Chelan, willingly taking any blade or blast meant for his woman.

  Marri hugged herself, wary of the Warlord's menacing advance. "You bastard," she hissed again, her voice cracking.

  Korba halted just in front of her. "I'm sorry, Marri," he stated with tempered ire.

  Her reaction was instantaneous. She lashed out at him murderously, her trained hands attempting to strike his face. But the Warlord was too fast, too strong, and too prepared.

  Chelan pressed her hands to her mouth as she watched Korba bind Marri's arms and force her roughly to the floor. Marri did everything in her power to land her vicious blows effectively, but he thwarted them, countering her every move. And he was far from gentle as he pinned her to stillness, his powerful arms imprisoning her body. Chelan's eyes began to water.

  Korba's chest was heaving in anger. "Chelan!" he ordered firmly. "Hit the blue button to your left."

  Chelan whirled about and pressed the button, and the main doors opened simultaneously. She froze as four heavily armed guards rushed in, the ominous shrouds revealing weapons at the ready. Then she cowered as all four men surrounded her, insulating her from the combatants and protecting her if need be.

  "Now," Korba began sternly, his teeth clenched. He glared down at Marri, carefully controlling his wrath. "Regardless of anything in the past, or of anything yesterday, I have made my choice, and that choice is Chelan." He rose off her, lifting her intransigent body up before him. "And you must abide by my decision whether you accept it or not."

  Korba released her and stepped back. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I've never led you on in the past, and I didn't mean to yesterday." He lowered his voice. "Now, your choices are simple in this matter, and it is up to you to decide your future based on these facts. I have chosen Chelan as my mate, and she has accepted. I choose to take her to the absolute exclusion of all others, and my decision is final and irrevocable. Therefore, you will treat her with the same respect and courtesy you should be showing your Commander. As a consequence, your decision will be to accept the situation as it is and continue to serve me as you have done so well in the past, or apply for a transfer to another RIBUS." He hesitated, watching her as she straightened herself. "Do you understand?" he demanded.

  "Yes, my Lord," she replied curtly.

  Korba continued. "Now, you will return to your quarters where you will remain until your choice is made, however long that takes. Then you will contact me, informing me of your final and binding decision. Is that clear?"

  Korba paused and watched her carefully. Defiantly, yet ultimately, she nodded her understanding. Korba glanced to the floor momentarily, thereby conveying his trust in her by releasing her from his scrutiny. "And there is just one more thing, Marri," he added. "If you decide to remain here, it will be under no false hopes for me. But more important, I want you to understand one thing very clearly. Our professional relationship has always been close and pleasant, and I for one would like to continue it, for you are one of my best pilots. But if you decide to stay on here with the thought that someday, somehow, you can arrange for Chelan's demise, you are sadly mistaken. Any man or woman who challenges her directly or indirectly, compromising her in any capacity, will die swiftly at my own hand with no second thoughts or regrets. Is that understood?"

  Marri nodded. "I understand, my Lord."

  Korba let his head drop momentarily. He took a calming breath and then looked deep into her glassy eyes. "Marri," he stated gently. "Yesterday, this was unforeseeable. I hope you believe me. My approach to you was genuine and honest, even though I was not being honest with my own heart. I cheated you unknowingly, and I would do anything to have yesterday back, to do it differently."

  Marri hung her head. "I am sorry, my Lord, for my outburst. I hope that I am forgiven."

  Korba placed a hand on her shoulder just as her tears began to flow. He felt a telltale ache in his own heart, for he did care deeply for Marri. Then she stepped into him and hugged him tightly. Korba embraced her and kissed her head. "I am also sorry. And I, too, hope you can forgive me," he whispered.

  She pushed away from him and smiled at him weakly. Then she turned toward Chelan; the guards still formed an impenetrable wall about her. Marri waited a moment as they parted an infinitesimal amount at Korba's sign. "I apologize to you, my Lady. My words were rash. I spoke hastily and without thought."

  Chelan stood spe
echless, still trembling at the emotional intensity of the whole interaction. Marri knelt before her and bowed her head. Chelan glanced at Korba in confusion. She did not know what to say or how to respond. Her eyes were forced back to Marri's as the warrior stood.

  "I know Korba did not make his decision lightly, my Lady, and I know because of his choice that you are a special woman. I congratulate you on being able to attain what I never could." Marri went to continue, but her voice broke. She turned quickly to Korba. "I will take my leave now, and I will give you my decision shortly."

  Korba nodded to her. "This conversation goes no farther than these walls, Marri."

  "I understand," she whispered. She turned to leave, but stopped and glanced at Chelan. "Take good care of him, my Lady. He deserves the best," and she left the Command Center quickly.

  Chelan remained mute, her slender body quaking, her mind still stunned by the whole ordeal. Finally, she was roused from her stupor by the guards' abrupt departure. Korba moved to her and touched her shoulder gently. Chelan looked deep into his eyes. "I sympathize with her," she whispered. "She loves you so much, and I know what she feels."

  He drew her to him. "Marri is a strong and desirable woman, Chelan, with much status. She will live to love again."

  Korba held her until he felt the tension in her muscles ease. Then he looked down at her. "Now, come with me. We have something to talk about." And with that, he scooped her up and whisked her off to his chambers. There, he let her down and immediately tore away the soiled bedding, replacing it with fresh coverings. Taking her by the hand, he sat her on the bed gently, conscious of her still-tender injury. He poured two glasses of the cool blue liqueur and returned to her. He sat beside her as he handed her one of the glasses, raising his to hers. "This is to you, my Lady, the beautiful alien woman to whom I owe my life."

  Chelan was still focused on the confrontation that had just happened, and it took her a moment to redirect her thoughts. She took a sip of the liquid. "I assume you are referring to this illusive mission. But I hardly think you owe your life to me, for if it had not been for me in the first place, and my rashly spoken words delivered in an ill temper, you might not have gone on the godforsaken trip to begin with."