“I hope so. I truly hope so. Because if they so much as glare at you, if Grigg believes they are a threat, he will kill them.”
I shuddered, knowing Rav spoke true. Grigg’s patience had been pushed to the breaking point by me, by Earth’s bullshit attitude and the day’s losses to the Hive. “They won’t.”
“Good. But you should know, love, if Earth tries to fuck with the Coalition’s fleet, they’ll lose.”
“Would the Interstellar Coalition let the Hive take us out? Destroy Earth?” The idea was terrifying, but I had no idea what the Prime of Rav’s home world, or the leaders of the other planets, might decide if Earth’s leaders didn’t get their heads out of their asses. Earth was so small, and so very, very far away.
“No. We’ll protect them, even if they don’t deserve it. There are billions of innocents on your world who need to be sheltered.”
“But what about our soldiers? You know Earth’s leaders won’t stop trying to get their hands on a weapon. A human pilot could easily steal a ship. Why let them come here at all? I don’t understand.”
Rav stroked my cheek as he explained. “You must understand, we are very, very far away from your home. Should a human pilot steal a ship, he would never make it out of this system alive. The light of your star takes thousands of years to reach us. There are over two hundred and sixty member planets in the coalition, most in different solar systems. The Fleet protects trillions of beings, hundreds of worlds separated by vast expanses of space. We live and fight and die and most never leave their sector of space. We are a vast network spread out over unimaginable distances connected only by our transport technology.”
“Then, how did I get here?”
“Our transport system uses the gravity wells around stars and black holes to accelerate travel and communications. You journeyed here as a beam of pure energy accelerated to speeds you can not comprehend. Our transport and communications stations are very secure and guarded my entire battle groups of warriors. Your naïve human spies could not break into our system even if we walked them through the door and chained them to the controls. The transport pads are controlled by bioscanners and neurostim units implanted directly in the brain of our technicians. There is no way for your people to overcome our security. Even the Hive has been unable to do so, and their race is much more advanced than the humans of Earth.”
“So, there’s truly nothing Earth can do and no way to send anything back without permission, not even a simple message?”
“No. There is not. But your Earth is not the first world to doubt our intentions. Your leaders will come around eventually. They always do.” Rav kissed me again and I melted in his arms, our embrace one of comfort and care, not hot monkey sex, although Rav was pretty damn good at that, too.
“I love you, Amanda. Whatever happens, I want you to know that.”
I didn’t have the words, not yet, but I held him close for a long time, both of us lost in our own thoughts, the connection between us wide open and flooded with tenderness, with love, as I allowed myself to believe he was mine to keep, allowed myself to fall absolutely, no-holds-barred, head-over-heels in love with him.
Chapter Fourteen
Grigg
The dining hall was full and the crowd of people who stopped to greet Amanda had begun to grate on my nerves. In less than an hour, the first soldiers from Earth would arrive via transport, and my beautiful, soft-hearted little mate had somehow convinced me not to kill them.
“Lady Zakar, Commander, Doctor.” Captain Trist bowed low as he rose from the opposite side of the round table, his tray now empty. “I must report to the command deck.”
“Captain.” I inclined my head as he left us. I often took my meals here, but before Amanda’s arrival, most had simply nodded silently and passed me by. Today I felt like the center of a one-woman event.
Everyone wanted to meet our mate, greet her, offer their congratulations. Amanda took it all in stride, seated as she was between myself on her right and Rav on her left. No one got close enough to touch. I was still too raw from the events of yesterday to let her out of my sight, mine or Rav’s
I’d felt them bonding, soothing each other, the peaceful flood of emotion soothing me as far away as the command deck where I’d sent more than a hundred pilots into battle. We’d lost a dozen, but the Hive incursion had been pushed back.
The war went on. And on. And fucking on. I’d been fighting since I was a boy, my father dragging me with him to the command deck when I was a mere child, teaching me strategy. Teaching me how to deliver the killing blow, how to kill without mercy. Twenty years I’d been fighting, and each death took a toll on my soul. I was battered, worn down.
Before Amanda, I had forced myself to fight for duty, for honor. Now? Now I fought for her, and my determination to drive back the Hive forces, to protect her and all of my people, settled like a mountain in my chest, unmoving and without mercy. For her, I could fight forever.
She pushed the food around on her plate, an expression of distaste on her beautiful face, and I realized that I had not thought to find out what the people of Earth liked to eat.
“I’m sorry, Amanda. I should have thought to order dishes from Earth for the S-Gen programmers. I will remedy that immediately.”
She leaned her head against my shoulder, touching me with a comfort and familiarity I was quickly coming to crave. “It’s all right, Grigg. You’ve got much more important things to deal with than my taste buds.”
“No, love. I don’t. You are the only thing that matters to me.” I meant it. If I lost her, I’d have no reason to keep fighting. I’d be finished.
Her eyes widened when I failed to hold back my emotion, but I was done hiding the ferocity of my devotion, my need, from her. Rav shifted in his seat as I was sure he felt it, too, the link forged by our collars both a blessing and a curse. I simply glowered at him, daring him to say a word.
Which, of course, he did.
“Told you, love.”
She smiled and her smile morphed to a small laugh. “Yes, you did.”
I held her face still between my palms and kissed her once. Twice. Right there in front of everyone as an unnatural hush fell over the room. “What did he tell you?” I whispered.
Amanda’s secretive smile was all feminine mystery and I longed to throw her down on the table and fuck the truth out of her.
Gods, I needed to get control of myself, but knew I wouldn’t be able to rein in my dominant nature, not until she was safely ours forever, the claiming ceremony complete, her collar a dark midnight blue.
Rav saved me from making a fool of myself in the middle of the fucking dining room. “I told her you were a pathetic, needy mess.”
I considered denying his words, but the soft glow in Amanda’s eyes, the total acceptance I saw in her gaze, stopped me cold. She knew. She already fucking knew the truth. “Yes, I am.”
Admitting it didn’t make me weaker. It didn’t make me anything my father said I would become. Instead, it made me stronger, for I knew Amanda and Rav would be there for me, supporting me, encouraging me. Loving me, no matter what hardship we faced.
The confession earned me another smile and a sigh that made me feel like I’d just conquered the entire Hive collective. I kissed her again, pulling her as close as I dared in such a public place. When I let her go, she smiled and turned to Rav, kissing him, too, making sure he knew what he meant to her.
Glowing with happiness, she forced another bite of the nutrient-rich protein cubes down, her eyes scanning the crowd that had suddenly found something else to do, and somewhere else to look. But the room felt lighter, calmer, happier.
Maybe that was just me.
Amanda gasped and jumped to her feet. I rose instantly, Rav a split second slower, both of us ready to tear the head off whatever had scared her, but it wasn’t panic flooding my collar, it was sorrow.
Confused, I looked down at my mate as she placed a hand on my arm to stay me before walking away, toward
a couple and small boy that had just entered the dining room.
Silence descended as my mate approached Captain Myntar and his mate, everyone watching, waiting to see what Amanda was going to do.
She didn’t say a word, but her gaze locked with the much larger Prillon female’s for scant seconds before Mara leaned forward, collapsing with heaving sobs in Amanda’s outstretched arms.
As if a dam had broken, everyone in the dining hall rose and surrounded Myntar and his mate and child, offering support and sharing in their sorrow. My little human mate was in the center of the small crowd, cementing my people into a family unit stronger than it had ever been.
“Gods, she’s going to fucking kill me with that soft heart of hers.” Rav was rubbing his chest, trying to alleviate the sharp, stabbing ache I knew he must be feeling, because Amanda’s pain was our pain, and she was truly broken-hearted for Mara and Myntar and little Lan.
“We didn’t have a heart before her,” I said.
“Agreed.” Rav twisted and turned his head on his shoulders, cracking his spine to relieve some tension. “I’ve got to get to medical and prepare the body.” He turned to me. “You sure about this?”
“Yes. And so is she.”
Rav nodded, patting me on the shoulder as he walked past. “I’ll see you down there.”
I followed behind and waited patiently beside him for the crowd to clear so we could reach the small family at its center.
“I’m sorry, my friends.” I patted the captain on the shoulder and bowed to Lady Myntar as Rav came up next to me, his sorrow clearly etched on his face. He’d spoken to the couple the night before, when he’d had to explain to them exactly what had happened. Rav had come back to our room looking ragged and raw and crawled into Amanda’s arms.
Mara released my mate and wiped the tears from her eyes to look at us. “We know there was nothing to be done, but thank you all.” She looked at the faces surrounding her, offering support, led by their new Lady, the new heart of the battle group. “Thank you. I’m proud to be a Prillon bride.” Her gaze drifted to Amanda as she continued, “And happy to call you friend.”
Amanda squeezed her hand one last time and walked to us, her mates, where we waited for her and I realized I would always wait for her, always protect her, always love her. I took her hand as we followed Rav from the room and thanked the gods for the matching protocols that had brought her to me, my perfect match, my mate.
* * *
Amanda
I waited silently at the front of the meeting room Grigg told me was normally used for meetings of the battle wings before a mission. Twelve long tables with three chairs behind them in classroom style faced the front of the room where a giant communications monitor was imbedded in the wall.
When I was ready, all I had to do was ask to be patched through to Robert and Allen back on Earth. I had no idea how their communications worked across such vast expanses of space, and I didn’t care. All I knew was I could talk to them in real time and try to make them see reason.
I’d warned Grigg that they wouldn’t listen, that their focus was solely on Earth and the bickering there, so he’d suggested I make contact with the Coalition’s Planetary Induction teams and explain to them Earth’s subterfuge. I’d sat beside him this morning on my first deep-space version of a teleconference and explained the fears and doubts of the people I worked for to a council of mixed races and strange beings I could barely comprehend. They’d listened attentively, from light years away, and were on standby to relieve the much more diplomatic representatives of the Coalition that were now trying, in vain, to deal with Earth’s hard-headed leaders.
I told them everything I knew, trusting Grigg and these strangers who held the fate of all humanity in the palms of their hands. If I doubted, all I need do was recall the memory of Myntar’s bubbling flesh, his cries of pain as the Hive implants in his body killed him. When I thought of that happening to all the innocent citizens of Earth, I straightened my spine and squared my shoulders. I had to protect my people, even if they didn’t understand what I was doing.
The door slid open and Grigg walked in, Rav directly behind him and immediately I went to my mates, grateful as their arms wrapped around me, enclosing me so that I felt safe and loved, stronger with them beside me.
“Are they here?” I asked.
Grigg sighed. “Yes. They are going through processing now. Then we’ll take them to medical, and they’ll be all yours.”
“How long will that take?”
“About twenty minutes. We aren’t giving them the full exam, just making sure they’re healthy enough to survive their return trip.”
Grigg had ensured the transporter was ready to send them back. He was willing for me to meet with the Earth soldiers, but refused to allow them to remain. They would learn the truth, see Myntar’s body, the recording of his death, then go back and report what they’d seen. They would serve the Coalition better in this task alone than fighting the Hive for their two-year service time.
I nodded, pulling from their arms. I wiped my clammy palms on the thighs of my dark blue uniform, proud to be wearing the color of my family, and prouder still of the new insignia on my left shoulder. Grigg had officially named me Lady Zakar and updated the ship’s systems to allow me access to everything, including ship’s systems, weapons, histories, medical information. Everything I could possibly need to betray him. His trust in me, in us, was substantial. He’d done it, then kissed me senseless. I could now issue orders to everyone in the battle group, everyone but him.
Which was just fine with me. His dominant, bossy ways made me shiver with anticipation, for as soon as this was done, as soon as the Earthmen learned the truth and were sent back, we would complete the mating ceremony. I’d told them I was ready, that while we’d told each other of our love, felt it through the collar, the bonding ceremony would make it official. I wanted my collar the color of theirs. I wanted to belong to them forever, just as my mates would belong to me.
“Let’s get this over with so I can claim you.” I purposely reminded them of what was to come and was rewarded with a flood of heat through my collar. Both men glanced at me with heated stares, stares that were promises of their own need to finalize their claim.
“Commander Zakar?” The communications officer’s voice filled the room.
“Yes?”
“General Zakar is requesting to speak to you, Sir.”
Grigg sighed, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck and Rav’s eyes narrowed in irritation. Curious now, I was glad when Grigg gave the order to patch his father through to the monitor at the front of the room.
“Commander?”
“Yes, General?” Grigg stepped forward, to the center of the room so his father could easily see him as I studied the much older Prillon warrior on the screen. His features were similar to Grigg’s, but the general’s coloring was much darker, his skin a burnished gold that was almost copper in color, his hair a dark shade of burnt orange. The uniform he wore was one I recognized, the armor of a warrior, but no longer black, but the same blue hue of mine, Zakar blue.
“How dare you keep your mate a secret from me. I had to hear about her from the medical staff.”
Grigg’s jaw tightened and I felt the tension pouring from him in waves, the anger. “My mate was never a secret, Father, I simply didn’t realize you’d care.”
The general leaned forward, squinting to get a good look at me where I stood near the back of the room. I looked at Rav, who shrugged and spoke to me low enough so that the monitors wouldn’t pick up his voice. “Go ahead if you want, but he’s an asshole.”
That sealed it for me. I wasn’t going to allow my Grigg to stand alone. Not anymore. I walked forward, head held high and slipped my hand into Grigg’s much larger one. The general inspected me and I looked back. He was nothing to me, and if he hurt my mate, he was my enemy. Still, this was my father-in-law. Manners required I attempt to be polite. “General. It’s a pleasure to meet y
ou.”
He took his time looking me over, as if he were inspecting a breeding mare for his prize stallion. “She’ll do, although I wish you had chosen a Prillon mate.”
“She was matched to me through the Bride Program. I assume you acknowledge their success rate. That should be enough to satisfy you. To me, she’s my matched mate. I would have no other.”
His father crossed his arms with a harrumph and scowled. “Fine, Commander. Fuck whomever you want. I don’t care as long as she breeds. I will transport immediately for the claiming ceremony.”
Behind me, Rav growled.
Um, yeah. No. There was no way my father-in-law was going to watch the claiming ceremony. Gross and altogether creepy.
His protest fell on deaf ears as Grigg’s rage boiled over. Gently, too gently, he stepped forward and used his arm to move me behind his back, out of his father’s sight. “No.”
“What did you say to me?”
Grigg’s entire body tensed with rage and I stayed where he wanted me, content to lean against him, to press my forehead to the center of his back so he’d know I was there, that I was with him. “I said no, Father. No more.”
I heard a rustling and felt Rav’s approach as he walked to Grigg’s side, standing with Grigg as he refused his father.
“What are you talking about? No more? What the fuck kind of game are you playing with me, boy?”
I expected Grigg to explode in wild rage, was shocked when the opposite occurred. It was like all the anger drained out of him, leaving him calm and relaxed. “Amanda is my mate and I will not subject her to your presence. I am done with you. I’m your blood, and I will always honor our family. But I am not your son, and you are not welcome on my ship. If you have need to communicate with me again, you may send a message via my communications officer. I have no desire to speak with you ever again.”
Mastered by Her Mates (Interstellar Bride Book 0) Page 15