by Rose Nickol
Chapter 7
Myla paced the length of the room. Once, twice and then again. Why wasn’t he here yet? Her father had set up everything for her and Naglan to have some time away from everything. Myla still wasn’t convinced this was a good idea, but her father had given her no choice. She had to do this for her people. And for herself. She needed to find out if she could ever care for Naglan the way she cared for Dwaain and Lewan.
She paced and watched the clock. She had been waiting over thirty minutes. Something had to be wrong. Naglan was never late. Myla checked her communicator again, still no message. What could be keeping him? It was over an hour later when Naglan finally made an appearance. He stumbled into the small suite Myla’s father had rented for their weekend at a resort on a nearby planet. “Hey, beautiful,” he slurred as he pulled her into his arms.
Myla stiffened in his embrace. She could smell the alcohol on him. It was almost as if he had bathed in it.
“Naglan,” she said as she pushed away. “I’m glad to see you are unharmed. I’ve been waiting.”
“Well, I’m here now. You don’t need to wait any longer.” He stalked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her neck.
“I think we should talk,” Myla said, pushing away from him again.
“Talk, talk, talk. That’s all you ever want to do. Where’s your passion, Myla? Why don’t you ever want more with me?”
Myla was surprised by this. Naglan had never been anything but proper with her. At the events they had appeared at together, he was attentive, but polite and almost cold with her. He had never shown her passion.
Nothing like the way Dwaain and Lewan had treated her.
Naglan pulled her into his arms again and pressed his lips against hers. “Is this what you need from me? You’re always so cold around me, Myla. What will it take to warm you up?” He roughly pulled her closer and pressed his lips to hers. “Kiss me. Kiss me like you kissed them.”
Them? Who did he mean? Did he know about Dwaain and Lewan? Was that who he was talking about? How could he know of them? Myla pushed against Naglan trying to get away. He only held her tighter.
“Naglan, let me go. What do you think you are doing?” Myla pushed against him harder in her struggle to get free. Naglan wasn’t as big as Lewan and Dwaain, but he was still several inches taller than she was and physically stronger. “Please let me go.”
Naglan held her tighter and walked them over to the bed where he pushed her down. “Is this what you want? Me to take you forcefully?”
Myla freed one arm and slapped him. “What do you think you are doing? Stop now! If you don’t stop, I’ll scream and call the guards.”
Naglan let her go and pushed himself to his feet. Myla scrambled towards the other side of the bed, pulling herself into a ball.
“Oh Gods, Myla. I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?” he asked sitting on the edge of the bed far away from her.
Myla took stock of her body. She felt abused and bruised. “I’m fine. What were you thinking? Talk to me.” She made sure there was still plenty of space between them.
“I don’t know. I heard about you and those men on the planet. What they did to you. What you did with them. Why? Why them and not me?”
Myla didn’t know how to answer him. “Naglan, I…I didn’t know you felt that way about me,” Myla said looking down at her hands.
“Myla, you’re beautiful and intelligent. You also have the gentlest heart of anyone I know. Everyone who knows you loves you. It isn’t that I don’t love you, but my heart is given to another.”
“Who? Who is it you care for?” Myla reached and touched Naglan’s shoulder. She’d never thought about him caring for another.
“It doesn’t matter. It can never be. My parents have already promised your planet that we will wed. I cannot let the people down.” He sat with his head in his hands for several minutes. Then he turned to her. “We have been given this time to get to know each other better. We are to be bonded shortly. Let us take this time and talk. Plan for our future. It is what our parents want.”
“But it’s not what we want. Truthfully, Naglan. I think you are a wonderful man, but you are right. My heart is given to another. Two others to be exact.”
“The men you were stranded with. They have claimed you publicly, but your father denied their claim.”
“He did what?” Myla was outraged. She had no clue that Dwaain and Lewan were even still interested in her, and now she found out that her father denied the claim they had made. “I need to talk to my father! Immediately!” She ran for the door. Before she could open it, Naglan stopped her with one arm around her waist.
Myla turned and batted at him. “Let me go. You can’t keep me here.” As she was pounding and hitting at Naglan, the door opened. A member of the royal guard stepped in.
“Is there a problem, princess?” he asked blocking the door with his body.
“I wish to see my father.” Myla twisted free of Naglan and stood regally in front of the guard.
“Your father has left instructions that you are to remain here for the weekend and nothing is to disturb you.”
“I am disturbed and wish to see my father.” Myla fisted her hands on her hips and stared up at the guard. It reminded her of Dwaain and how she had to look up at him. That made her even more determined.
“I will transmit your wishes to the king.” The guard turned and walked away. Myla heard the sound of the door locking behind him.
“OOH!” she screamed as she pushed Naglan out of the way and began pacing the room again.
“Myla, calm down. I’m sure we can figure this out between us.” Naglan tried to calm her down. “You’re making me dizzy pacing, and it’s not helping anything.”
Myla glared at him and sat abruptly in the closest chair. She beat her fisted hands against the cushioned arms and let out another scream of frustration. “Why? Why would my father deny their claim without speaking to me?” As furious as Myla was with her father, her heart warmed knowing that Dwaain and Lewan still wanted her. Wanted her enough to claim her. Knowing that Dwaain and Lewan had claimed her made Myla even more determined that she was going to end things with Naglan and do what her heart knew was right.
“You have to help me get out of here,” she looked at Naglan. “There’s no reason we shouldn’t be with the people we love. You deserve to be happy, Naglan. Tell me about the person you care for.”
“He’s really special. I’ve known him forever, but we were never serious about each other. He understands that I have a duty to my people and expects me to fulfill that duty.”
“Why can’t you do that with him by your side, supporting you? We both have wonderful people in our lives that will support us and help us to be the leaders our planets deserve. Shouldn’t we be happy?”
“I could have been happy with you, Myla, your strength and beauty would bring balance to my people. I’m sorry you don’t feel you could be happy with me.” Naglan lowered his head and took a deep breath.
“Naglan,” Myla said, reaching for his hand. “I didn’t mean that I couldn’t be happy with you, but I want more. I want passion and fire. Something I don’t feel for you. Can you honestly say you feel that for me? I can tell by looking in your eyes that you reserve that for your special person, as it should be.”
“I would be willing to make it work. I have to think of the people first. It’s my responsibility.” Naglan clasped his hands behind his back and paced the floor.
“I also need to think of my people. How could they respect me as a leader if I’m living a lie? I know that my parents and your parents both had their bondings arranged, and it worked out great for both of them, but I think it’s time to change things. Time for us to step up and show the people how a true leader rules.” Myla stood and gave Naglan a gentle hug.
Chapter 8
Naglan and Myla talked for a while planning what they needed to do. It wouldn’t be easy, and they had a hard job to do, but they were going t
o make the changes needed. Not only for them but for their children also.
They were still talking when the door flew open, and Myla’s father came running in. “Myla, I was told you were upset, and I needed to come immediately. What’s wrong, daughter?” he asked pulling her into his arms. He glared at Naglan. “If you’ve done anything to hurt her?” He pulled Myla tighter into his arms.
“Why would you think Naglan would do anything to harm me, father? He’s my betrothed. We are promised to each other. Why would you promise me to a man that you thought capable of harming me?”
“Myla, you know I wouldn’t intentionally do something to harm you?”
“But father, you have,” Myla said as she turned to her father, hands on her hips.
“What do you mean, daughter?”
“Tell me it’s not true. I can’t believe you would do something like that to me.” Myla walked away from her father and turned to face him.
“Did you or did you not deny Dwaain and Lewan’s claim to me?”
“Daughter, you are betrothed to Naglan. How could I accept their claim?” Knowlan walked over to Myla and pulled her into his arms.
“You could have spoken to me and found out what I wanted before publicly denying them. They think I don’t care for them now.” Myla looked up at the father. “How could you do this to me?”
Knowlan sat and pulled Myla down beside him. “I had no idea you cared for these men. You never talked about them. You never said anything. As far as I knew you had been kidnapped by them and were being held against your will. Then I heard of the crash, and for days I didn’t know if you were alive or dead. They made me wait until the physicians from Xylan examined you. I also had the royal physicians examine you. It was hours after your rescue before I knew you were okay.
When Dwaain and Lewan made their claim, I hadn’t spoken with you. I didn’t know how you felt or what you wanted. I was worried about you and denied the claim. You’re right I should have talked to you. After we had returned to Xwrest, the doctors recommended that you rest and not be disturbed. I didn’t want to upset you by telling you of the claim. I’m sorry, daughter.”
“Father, it’s been weeks since then. I’ve not heard anything more. Surely they didn’t make the one claim and give up, did they?” Myla couldn’t believe that Dwaain and Lewan would give up that easily.
“No. They were very persistent.” Myla’s father looked at his hands while he spoke.
Myla smiled. She knew how persistent they could be. “You said they were. What happened? What have you done, father?”
“It’s nothing that can’t be changed. I had them prohibited from coming to the planet, and I banned all communications from them, but I can fix this. I know I can.”
“But what if they gave up and don’t want me anymore? Father, if you’ve ruined this for me I’ll never forgive you.” Myla pushed her father away and walked to the other side of the room.
Knowlan walked up behind Myla. “I see this is very important to you daughter. I’m sorry. I should have talked to you before I did anything. I didn’t want to upset you, and I made the wrong decision. I was trying to do the best thing for our people.”
Myla turned to Naglan. “I hope you find happiness with the one you care for. Don’t let her doubt for a minute how much she means to you.”
“Him,” Naglan said quietly.
“What?” Myla wasn’t sure she’d heard him right. “Him. His name is Jael. He’s one of my guards. We’ve been seeing each other for a while now.”
“I’m glad you found someone. Please be happy, and I’ll send you an invitation to the wedding.”
Naglan gave her a big hug and shook hands with her father.
Chapter 9
“What do you mean she wants nothing more to do with us?” Lewan raged as he looked at Dwaain, confused. They had been trying for days to reach Myla only to have every attempt thwarted. They had been whisked off by the physicians as soon as the rescue ship landed on the planet. They were all immediately separated and taken to be examined. When they were released by the medical team Myla was gone. All they were told was that she had returned to her home planet and her fiancé.
They sent message after message with only one response. “Please do not bother me again. I have returned home and am happily planning my upcoming bonding.” That was it. Nothing more. No further explanation.
When he and Dwaain had tried to land on her planet to talk to her, they were informed that if they didn’t leave Xwrest space immediately they would be fired upon. It didn’t feel right to Dwaain or Lewan, so they returned to Xylan to come up with a plan. A plan to find the woman they loved and make sure they would never lose her again.
Lewan wasn’t sure Dwaain’s plan would work, but he didn’t have a better one. It had been weeks at this point since he had seen Myla. His heart hurt from missing her so much.
“Do you think it will work?” Dwaain asked, looking at him intently.
“It’s better than anything I can come up with.
It was a few days before they could put Dwaain’s plot into action and they had a lot to do to prepare for it. The quicker it was done the sooner Myla would be back in their arms where she belonged.
Myla moped around the palace. She had been trying to contact Dwaain and Lewan for days with no reply. Her father assured her that the ban on communications had been removed and couldn’t understand why she wasn’t getting a reply.
Finally, she decided that she wasn’t going to wait any longer. She was going to take a ship and go to Xwrest herself and find them. If she had to search the entire solar system, she would find them. Her father protested and tried to deny her, but when he saw her determination, he gave in as always. “I will go with you,” he told her as she prepared to depart.
Myla felt a sense of déjà vu as she and her father prepared to board the transship to start their journey to Xylan. This was the same ship that she had first seen Dwaain and Lewan on. Maybe it would bring her good luck. She needed some.
She had spent hours talking with her father about how she saw the future of their planet. What she thought would be best and how to make it happen. Once she and Knowlan sat down and really started talking he was impressed with her ideas and how much time and study she had put into implementing them. “You know there will be some resistance, but in all, I believe your ideas are what is needed to push our planet forward. It will make us a leader in the system. I’m proud of you daughter.”
Myla steered the ship onto the course that would take them to Xylan and her men. She hoped they still wanted her. She wasn’t sure how she would have reacted if she had been in their place. To be told that they wanted nothing to do with her and banned from seeing them. It would destroy her. She should hate her father for what he had done, but she couldn’t. He was only trying to do what he thought was best, even if it was a huge mistake. Myla let her mind drift back to the time she had spent with Dwaain and Lewan stranded. She had wasted so much time denying her feelings and not worrying about things that should have never mattered. She hadn’t even taken the chance to tell them she loved them. If she ever saw them again, she would make sure they knew how she felt about them.
“Did you receive permission to land, father?” Myla asked anxiously. What if they had banned her from their planet out of vengeance? She didn’t think they would be like that but wasn’t sure.
“Myla, you know we aren’t close enough to send a signal yet. Be patient, my daughter. If they care for you the way you care for them, they will try to find a way to see you. I’m sure of it. Although I loved your mother dearly, I wish I would have had the courage to explore life. Maybe I still would have found your mother. I don’t know. Losing her was like losing a piece of my soul. I grew to love your mother over the years, as much or more than you do your men.”
Myla looked at her father with tears in her eyes. “I know mama loved you also, papa. Wherever she is in the heavens, she waits for you.”
Her father clasped her ha
nd with a tight squeeze. “I’m sure she does, daughter.”
Myla watched him wipe a tear from his eye and focused on navigating the ship. They would soon be close enough to transmit the signal requesting a landing on Xylan. She watched as the distance slowly decreased until they were within range to send a communication. Their request to land was approved, but she was informed that commander Moreson and his second were off planet, but they had left instructions that she was to be allowed to land and stay in their home. “We will inform Commander Moreson that you are awaiting his arrival.”
Myla was so excited. She didn’t know how long it would be, but she would soon be in the arms of her beloveds. She hugged her father in her excitement. “I will return home and leave you with your men daughter. Good luck,” he told her giving her a swift hug.
Dwaain terminated the communication and changed the course of the ship. “She’s there. She’s waiting for us. I don’t know what happened, but she’s asked for permission to land. They’ve given her our instructions. She will be in our home when we arrive.”
Dwaain didn’t know what had happened, but soon his love would be in his arms. He was never going to let her go. There would be no separating them this time. He would see to it. Being the ruler of the planet did have its advantages, and he would make sure of it.
He had lain awake at night remembering the feel of sinking into her warm heat. The little noises she made when she was aroused. How her face looked when she came. The smell of her arousal, everything about her. This time he would make sure she knew how he felt about her. Whatever had happened to cause her to deny their claim and ban them was in the past. All that mattered now was the fact that she wanted them and they wanted her. Everything else was of no consequence. She would belong to them.
“Commander, I have calculated our course, and we can intercept her transport if we take this course.” Lewan interrupted his thoughts. Perfect. That would put her in their arms even sooner.