Awakening

by Rebel Miller

  “No,” I said. “Why do you ask?”

  Lukas frowned and ran a hand around the back of his neck. “Well, you’ve barely said five words to me since we sat down.”

  I sighed and gave him a small smile, placing the spoon on the table.

  I had been struggling through a busy morning at work when Lukas had invited me for coffee. He said he happened to be in the area, but Lukas ran a business three cities away, so I figured he was joking.

  Lukas was a good man, but I was doing him no favors today. When I met him at the eatery on the ground floor of the Judiciary, I immediately regretted accepting his invitation. He had a puppy-dog look on his face that told me he was hunting for treats. Unfortunately, I was no longer dishing them out.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’ve had a stressful couple of days.”

  “That’s okay.” Lukas smiled, his gray eyes darkening. He placed a hand over mine and leaned in. “I can see you’re tense. I know how to loosen you up.”

  I cringed and pulled my hand out gently from under his. “Lukas, I’ve … kind of started seeing someone.” It was a partial truth.

  “Oh,” he said, leaning back with raised eyebrows. He started stirring his own coffee. “Anyone I know?”

  “No. I met him through work.” I ducked my face behind the rim of my mug. “I just thought you should know.”

  I glanced up to see him smile and take on an exaggerated look of confidence. “Well, when you’re done with him, you know where to find me.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “Not this time, Lukas,” I said, resting the mug on the table.

  Lukas eyed me over his mug. He licked his lips as he set it down and, without any passion at all, I admired how handsome he was.

  “So, this is it, huh?” he said. “I wondered why I hadn’t heard from you in a while.”

  I shrugged.

  “You’re a tough nut to crack.”

  I cocked my head. Lukas crossed his arms on the table, leaning forward.

  “I guess I’ve known we wouldn’t last,” he explained. “I’d hoped I could figure you out and be whatever you wanted before you gave up on me.”

  It was my turn to reach out and place a hand on his. “Lukas, you shouldn’t try to be anything for me, or anyone else. I hope I didn’t make you feel like you should have done that.”

  “Kira, you don’t need to make anyone do anything.” He smiled with a shrug. “I liked being with you.”

  “I liked being with you too, Lukas. You’re a good friend.”

  He braced back. “Ouch.”

  We laughed.

  Lukas ran a finger around the rim of his mug. “So … I guess I won’t get to steal looks at Rhoan anymore.”

  My brows furrowed. “Rhoan?”

  He looked at me with a grin.

  “You like men?”

  “Like men too.”

  I scrunched my face. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I did.”

  “I would remember if you told me that you liked men, Lukas Merchant.”

  Lukas slung an arm around the back of his chair. “Kira, when we first met months ago, you asked me what my preference was and I said, ‘Depends on the time of day.’”

  I leveled him with a stare. “How would I know that meant you were working both sides of the room?”

  “Uh, we talked about which male protectors visiting the Academy looked the sexiest in their uniforms … and often. Which hetero male does that?”

  I lost my starch.

  I sat silently as he drank the rest of his coffee. “I can’t believe you were lusting after Rhoan the entire time. That’s kind of … Actually, no, that’s really gross. I mean, he’s my brother.”

  “He’s easy to admire, and not only because he’s so incredibly pretty.” He smirked. “He’s very well respected, you know.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I’ve heard.”

  * * *

  “In less than two weeks, our Corona and all members of Realm Council will arrive with a delegation of forty people from our system’s highest level of governance and law to hold a special two-day meeting. As you know, the main item on the agenda is our minister-approved proposal. I cannot overstate how important it is that we are fully prepar — ” Gabriel paused, peering at me from one end of the boardroom’s expansive table.

  “Metallurgist, do you need a moment alone to tend to your device?” he inquired, the three fingers rapping on the tabletop an effective display of his irritation.

  “I’m sorry.” I tapped at my comm, trying to appease it, but it pinged again. Finally, I removed the infuriating thing from my wrist, threw it in my bag and sent apologetic glances to my colleagues around the room.

  For the past hour, Gabriel had been leading us through the itinerary for the Corona’s arrival and the agenda for the Realm Council’s meeting. Since there was always a chance for any world to be chosen for a Council meeting, each dominion had an established protocol, allowing for quick implementation. As Gabriel started up again, my eye was caught by the sympathetic smile of Ana, who was seated next to me. I returned it with a sigh. Even after coffee with Lukas, my mood still matched the day’s dreadful weather.

  I cringed as I heard a quiet ping from deep within my bag.

  Despite having been told to never contact me again, Tai had been trying to do just that since last night. By the time I arrived at the Judiciary that morning, he had delivered his tenth message. I was deleting them as I received them, not even checking their contents. But when I sat down in my office, I became concerned that he could be trying to reach me for an entirely different reason, perhaps with urgent news about my family. After checking his next message, I dismissed that concern — it was filled with a mixture of apologies and demands that I respond to him at once.

  Now I reached into my bag as inconspicuously as I could and put the comm on silent. Settling back into my chair, I considered my colleagues.

  Up to that point, Gabriel and I had been working as a duo, with Gannon providing oversight, so I’d been surprised upon walking into the boardroom to learn that four of my colleagues were invited to join today’s meeting as well. As Gabriel walked us through the preparations and the agenda approved by the Corona’s detail, I realized that the Realm Council meeting would be on a much grander scale than the others and so would require more support.

  “As I’ve just outlined, there’s much to do, so I require a second-in-command to assist with these various moving parts,” Gabriel intoned, running a hand across the smooth surface of the table. I sat forward, eager to sink my teeth into a new challenge. He turned to my side of the table and I held my breath. “Therefore,” he continued, “I’ve asked Ana to stand by my side.”

  For my fourteenth birthday, I had desperately wanted the latest version comm. Instead, from my Aunt Marah and Uncle Paol, I received a box full of printed textbooks about the history of the worlds. Aunt Marah told me, excitedly, that these were collector’s items. Unfortunately, to my young mind, they were equivalent to a year’s worth of homework. Not wanting to insult my relatives by seeming ungrateful, I smiled so brightly my cheeks hurt — yet not as much as my disappointment did. That was the type of smile I forced to my mouth when Gabriel made his announcement.

  Everyone at the table turned toward me. I braved a glance across the table at Simeon Administrator, a red-haired and freckled faced colleague who always had a funny story to tell. His expression was perplexed as he lowered his tablet to the table. The rest of my colleagues wore the same look, except for one. I turned my head to find Ana giving me the same sympathetic smile she had just a moment earlier.

  She faced Gabriel and said quietly, “Thank you for the opportunity, Gabriel.”

  “Excellent.” He slapped a palm to the table for emphasis and then swung his gaze to me. “Metallurgist, you, of course, will continue to work on matters related to the task force.”

  Gabriel then went around the room, assigning duties. All the while, I sat self-conscious. What d
id I do wrong? It would make sense for Gabriel to choose me as his “second-in-command.” I had done great work. Hallowed Halls, he’d even given me an office! While Ana had been at the Judiciary longer than me and, admittedly, was more senior, Gabriel and I had been working on this project from the start. Why wouldn’t he ask me to continue? I couldn’t understand, and the intentional slight began to anger me.

  Within a few minutes, Gabriel ended the meeting and my colleagues quickly left the room, armed with their individual tasks. While I collected my belongings, under my lashes I saw Ana say a few words to Gabriel before leaving as well.

  Sliding my bag onto a shoulder, I gathered the courage to approach him.

  “Could I speak with you?” I asked, closing the few feet between us to stand beside his chair.

  Gabriel looked up expectantly from his tablet. He seemed to have been anticipating my request. “Of course.” He leaned back in his chair.

  “I was under the impression,” I began, “that I was doing good work and that we were working well together.”

  “Indeed.” He tossed his head, flicking away a shock of white that ran down the left side of his black hair.

  “Is there a reason you didn’t select me to support you for the Realm Council meeting?” I paused when his eyes narrowed. “I don’t mean to seem ungrateful.” I shifted my tablet from one hand to the other. “I’m happy to work on the task force when our proposal’s approved, but I would have liked a chance to work with you directly again.”

  Gabriel stared up at me from his reclined position. The floor-to-ceiling windows behind him provided a picturesque frame. Though the weather was dull and gray, the views of the buildings and low hanging clouds created a stunning backdrop.

  He straightened, steepling his hands on the table in front of him. “You know, Metallurgist, it’s not a sure thing that they’re going to approve our proposal.”

  I cocked my head. “I thought since we have the ministers’ approval, Realm Council’s was a mere formality.”

  “Yes, I thought so as well.” He stood slowly. “But someone has planted a bug in our fearless leader’s ear. It seems she’s not entirely convinced that there was full deliberation and proper counsel on the matter.” He shrugged. “I would bet on those blasted Hale ministers myself.”

  Gabriel perched on the edge of the table, bringing us to eye level. “Oh, don’t look so crestfallen. It will probably go through, just not as easily as we thought. Let’s face it — we do have some outlandish recommendations in there that warrant deeper consideration.”

  I frowned. “I thought you believed in our proposal.”

  He snorted elegantly. “My girl, a proposal isn’t a movement. Whether I believe in it or not is irrelevant. ” He waved a hand between us. “We did our jobs and put the necessary information in front of leadership. The minsters approved — barely — but they did all the same.”

  I lowered my gaze to the table, not sure what to say. He made the entire project sound like a failure. Looking up, I asked, “Should I still even attend the Realm Council meeting?”

  “Well, of course! Our sovereign, the Corona, asked for you herself, after all.”

  “Okay …,” I said. The wheels of my mind started turning. “I’ll do some more research. Perhaps I can find more helpful information that supports our recommendations.”

  Gabriel nodded noncommittally. “You do that.”

  I was stopped from taking my leave by the scrutinizing look that came over his face.

  “It’s startling how much power beauty has over even the strongest of minds, isn’t it?” Gabriel mused in a voice so low, I wasn’t sure he’d intended me to hear it.

  “Pardon me?” I said.

  “You’re a bright and beautiful woman, Metallurgist.”

  I stared at him, taken aback by the turn in our conversation.

  He chuckled humorlessly, holding up his hands. “Don’t get me wrong! I prefer men, though I have been known to dabble in a few females of quality.” He smiled. “Like you,” he said, “I choose to use all opportunities available to me.”

  * * *

  “Wait outside.”

  I jerked my head up to glance over the top of my monitor. The door to my office slid closed behind Gannon. Just before it shut, I saw a protector — the one called Talib, I thought — standing sentry outside.

  Staggering to a stand, I rounded my desk. “What are you doing here?”

  “You’re not checking your messages.”

  “I haven’t received any mess—. Shit.” I rushed to my bag.

  I hadn’t turned my comm’s sound back on after the meeting. With a tap, I saw that, in addition to nine new messages from Tai, there were two from Gannon — one delivered three hours ago, telling me he was on his way, and the other only minutes before he arrived. I activated the sound as I glanced him over.

  He was wearing a more formal version of his Senate uniform than I had ever seen him in. It was red and black as required for work, but the cut of the jacket was more exact and strewn with metallic badges on the left side. The exceptional quality of the material was evident in its fine sheen and thickness.

  “You look like you need to be somewhere, Gannon,” I murmured, admiring how the uniform emphasized his broad shoulders and lean waist. His hair was perfectly disarranged.

  He placed a large white envelope on the small side table I had added to the room and started to unbutton his jacket, his piercing blue eyes searing a path over me.

  “There’s a frightening lack of security here at this hour,” he said.

  It was way past time to leave, but I’d wanted to stay and do some research. This late, there was probably only a handful of staff on my floor, but I didn’t mind. The quiet and lack of interruption allowed me to get a lot more done. You needed a code to enter the building, so I never worried.

  I eyed him. “How did you get in?”

  With a patronizing look, Gannon shrugged out of his jacket as he walked toward me, an inscrutable look on his face. I backed up, but the back of my thighs bumped into my desk. He tossed the jacket onto the chair and stood in front of me.

  “Sit on the desk.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “Sit. On. The. Desk.” He started to unbuckle his belt of his pants.

  Eyes wide, I glanced up at him. “What are you doing?”

  Abruptly, he slipped his hands under my armpits, lifted me and set me on the desk. I sat stunned until he reached beneath the hem of my skirt, his palms skimming up my thighs.

  I shoved at his hands. “Gannon!”

  He captured my wrists, one in each hand. “Stop,” he commanded, his voice low. I felt a tremor in my hands and realized in amazement that it was coming from him.

  I twisted a hand free to cup his cheek. “What’s wrong?”

  His jaw clenched. “Tell me about Tai,” he said.

  I looked away quickly, dropping my hand. “What about Tai?”

  He tensed even more. “I know he was with you, Kira.”

  “You don’t know anything,” I said, still looking away.

  “If a man can travel to five blasted worlds in a single day, he can certainly figure out if Tai Corporal was in your bed!”

  I cringed but turned my eyes to his. “He wasn’t in my bed.” It was the truth.

  He sent me a derisive glance before resuming his determined path under my skirt. I started to push his hands away again, but he leaned into me, forcing me to place my hands behind me to keep from falling back. He hooked his fingers into the waistband of both my leggings and panties and pulled hard. Reflexively, I lifted my hips.

  Gannon lifted his eyes to mine with a knowing smirk as he drew my clothes down my legs. I scowled, realizing I was saying no but helping him along anyway. Like he had done in his apartment, when Gannon met my boots, he deftly unzipped and tugged them and everything else off. The hard, cool metal of the desk greeted my skin.

  He placed a hand on either side of my hips, his expression fierce. “I’m going
to fuck you now. Tell me to stop.”

  My lips parted as I looked into his eyes. Halls, he was intoxicating like this. I became lost, watching the riot of emotions flicker through them. This was Gannon angry, frustrated and something akin to hurt. It was a mix of emotions that manifested in arousal and a show of dominance that could be assuaged only by control. Although he was demanding what he wanted, he was giving me a choice. I wished he hadn’t. At least I could have hidden behind that.

  His breath was labored as he awaited my response. I quickly squashed the thoughts of Tai that tugged at the edges of my mind. I didn’t owe Tai anything, especially after last night.

  With a nervous glance to the door, I scooted closer to the edge of the desk and leaned back, opening my legs wide.

  Gannon’s eyes darkened and nostrils flared. He grabbed a fistful of my skirt, pulled it up around my waist and leaned over me, resting on one hand. Using his other, he pulled his cock free of his pants and thrust deep inside me. I cried out, hoping I wasn’t as loud as I sounded to myself, and wrapped my legs around his waist to pull him closer. He bore down into me as his grip bit into my waist.

  Gannon grunted and widened his stance before pummeling into me again. I whimpered as he forced himself into me so deep that the desk shook with each advance and retreat. I wanted to touch him, but couldn’t in the position I was in, holding myself upright with my arms behind me. I shifted my hips a bit to get into a better position and lowered myself to my elbows then flat on my back. A photo frame I kept on my desk fell, clattering loudly as it hit the floor. Gannon’s eyes bore into my own as he thrust into me again, reaching so far inside me from the new angle that my breath hitched.

  “Gannon,” I managed to breathe as he rammed into me over and over again.