Cherished (Intergalactic Loyalties)

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  “I’m your friend, Lucie. You know that, don’t you? I care about you more than I’ve ever cared for a woman, except my mother. Until you, I didn’t think women were good for anything other than fucking and procreating with. It had never crossed my mind that I might enjoy their company. But I do, enjoy yours that is. I didn’t just spend so much time with you because I felt sorry for you, or thought you were helpless. I wanted to help you, to be with you.”

  She’d thought of him as a friend too, but oh so often she’d wished she could be more to him. Now she was glad he hadn’t taken her to his bed. It made her time with Dryxel that much more special.

  “There were times I wondered what it would be like, to be with you that way, but I always shied away from the thought. Truthfully, I might have broached the subject with you before too long, had we not come on board with the Tarnans. I think we could have had something special together. Maybe not the grand passion that Ari and Bane have, but I think we would have done well together.”

  Was he saying he would have given up his other slaves for her? Oh lord, this was a mess. She didn’t want Cael to have those feelings for her. She didn’t want to hurt him when she returned to Dryxel’s side. Maybe she’d misunderstood.

  “I’ll make sure you’re taken care of when we reach Tarnan, Lucie. I won’t let just anyone claim you. You’ll need someone patient and kind, but a fierce warrior who can protect you and any children you may have. Not someone who goes off adventuring all the time, or who works for the military on space missions. You need someone who’s going to be home with you.”

  She moved a little more, but still couldn’t speak. She wanted to tell him that she didn’t need anyone, that she had Dryxel. Her prince would come for her. She nearly giggled at the thought, thinking back to the countless Disney movies she’d watched as a little girl. Of course back then, she hadn’t realized her prince would be blue, or from another planet.

  “I’m going to go fetch you something to eat and drink. By the time I return, you should be able to move again.” He gave her a gentle squeeze then extracted himself from the bed.

  Left alone, she willed Dryxel to find her. She remembered what he’d said, about finding her no matter where she was or who had her. There was no doubt that he’d assume the Tarnans had her, but would he be able to rescue her before they reached Tarnan? If he came to their home planet, he’d have to stop for reinforcements, which meant it could take a while. She’d just have to be patient, and do everything in her power to make sure no one claimed her until she could be rescued.

  Several minutes passed, but Cael finally returned, a plate full of mashed potatoes and steak steaming in his hand -- if her nose could be believed -- and a glass of some sort of brightly colored juice in the other. The food smelled delicious and made her mouth water. All of that zipping about in space had made her hungrier than she’d thought.

  “I didn’t need rescuing,” she said softly as she accepted the plate from him.

  “I’ve cut your steak for you. It’s at the bottom of the plate and the potatoes at the top. Do you have enough strength to feed yourself, or do you need help?”

  “I can do it,” she said, accepting the utensil from him.

  “I know you don’t think you needed to be rescued, but the Tourmalane just made you think you wanted to be with him.”

  She shook her head. “I know what I want, Cael, and I want Dryxel. The moment we met there was something between us, something I’d never felt before. He defended me against the Tarnans in that hall, thinking they would harm me if they took me from him. We’re true mates, destined to be together.”

  He exhaled loudly. “You may think you’re destined to be with him, Lucie, but you’ll feel differently once you’ve been separated a while. You’ll see.”

  She swallowed and stared at him a moment. “Cael, there’s something you should know.”

  “Whatever it is, it can wait. You need to eat. There’s no telling when you were last fed.”

  “I’m pregnant,” she said quickly. “It’s Dryxel’s.”

  Silence met her statement.

  “Cael?”

  “He forced you. I’ll have his head!”

  “No!” she assured him. “He didn’t force me. Cael, I… I think I love him. Don’t you see? A Tourmalane can only reproduce with their destined mate. It means I’m right.”

  “We’ll have a test done. You could be wrong. What if he just told you that you were pregnant as a way of keeping you by his side?”

  She sighed. “If you want a test, then do one, but I’m telling you the truth.”

  Cael placed a reassuring hand on her arm. “Whatever the results, I’ll take care of you, Lucie.”

  “I just want Dryxel.”

  “I’m sorry, Lucie. I thought I was doing the right thing. The Tarnans insisted you were being mistreated. Everyone knows the Tourmalanes are a warrior race with little compassion for their enemies. Women haven’t been part of their society in so long that no one knows how they will act around them.”

  “He’s a good man, Cael, and he cares about me. He doesn’t want me because I was conveniently in that hall. My blindness doesn’t bother him. You should have heard Ghel and Bynt that day. They called me ill, made me feel defective because I can’t see. Why would they want me if they feel that way? Or are they just so desperate that any female will do?”

  “I don’t know,” he muttered. “I don’t like that they call you ill though. There’s nothing wrong with you, other than your sight. And who’s to say that it won’t be cured in the future? We’re making strides in the medical field all the time.”

  “Cael, return me to Dryxel. I’ll explain to him that you thought you were helping me. He won’t harm you, I promise.”

  “I can’t, Lucie. Not only will the Tarnans not allow it, I have no idea where Dryxel’s ship is now. I doubt he’s in the same spot we left him, and we’re probably out of range for a transport. I used your tracker for my destination before.”

  She set her plate aside. “I’m not hungry.”

  “Lucie, please eat. I swear, I’ll do anything I can to protect you. If you’re truly pregnant, there’s no doubt your Dryxel will come for you. Even if you aren’t pregnant, if he cares, as you say he does, he’ll come. I would imagine we’ll wait until we reach Tarnan. We’ll be there by morning at the rate they’re traveling now.”

  “What are they going to do with me once we reach the surface?”

  “I’ll do whatever I have to for you to remain by my side. If I have to, I’ll get my brothers to help. Better yet, Ariana… you know the Tarnans would do anything for her.”

  “How is she?” Lucie asked.

  “Pregnant,” Cael said. Lucie could hear the smile in his voice.

  “That’s wonderful! I’m so happy for her and Bane.”

  “He’s driving her mad, I think. He hovers and won’t let her lift anything heavier than a plate of food. I’m not sure he even lets her do that. It wouldn’t surprise me if he fed her.”

  Lucie laughed. “I’m sure that’s going over well.”

  “I’ll have Ari visit with you while I get something from medical to test for pregnancy. I’ll just have to draw a little blood.”

  She watched him move across the room to the control panel on the wall. A moment later, she heard Ariana’s voice and knew he’d called her room. She hoped he wasn’t disturbing her and Bane. After Ari agreed to come sit with Lucie, Cael disconnected the call and returned to her side.

  “As soon as she arrives, I’ll slip out. I don’t want to leave you alone for too long, in case the Tarnans get it in their heads to move you elsewhere.”

  “They’re going to do much worse,” she said softly, knowing she needed to come clean.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I know how Dryxel escaped.”

  He tipped her chin up. “How do you know that information, Lucie? You were safely tucked away in your room, locked in I believe. They still don’t understand how he got you o
ut.”

  “Rebecca.”

  “What about Rebecca?” he growled.

  “She freed me. And she gave me the key to Dryxel’s cell.”

  Cael cursed softly. “You freed him, didn’t you?”

  She nodded.

  “This isn’t going to go over well, Lucie. If they find out, you’ll be punished. Maybe not as harshly as some because of your handicap, but they will punish you. I’ll see if Arko can sway Rebecca to keep silent. I’m sure her part won’t go unpunished if it were discovered so that will be incentive enough.”

  The door opened and she smiled as she smelled Ari’s unique scent.

  “Hi, Ariana.”

  “Hello, Lucie. How are you feeling?”

  “Sad.”

  Ariana sat on the bed beside her. “Well, you can tell me all about it while Cael runs his errand. I hear there may be good news. A baby is good news, right?”

  “Very good news. I’m not sure everyone else will see it that way though. They won’t harm my baby, will they?” she asked, suddenly frightened for her unborn child.

  “No,” Cael assured her. “Regardless of who the father is, the Tarnans would never harm a child.”

  That eased her mind a bit. She still wasn’t sure what her fate would be though. If they knew anything about Tourmalanes, they would realize she was Dryxel’s true mate. But if they didn’t know about that? What if they didn’t know only true mates could have children on his planet? Would they still force her to bond with someone, knowing her heart belonged to someone else? Would they even care? She’d thought they were wonderful, when she’d first met them. Now she wasn’t so sure. She supposed every race had their ups and downs, but she didn’t want to be caught in the middle.

  She chatted with Ari while they waited on Cael to return, telling her about Dryxel and the other Tourmalanes she’d met. She told her how she’d been cared for, treated with respect, and called their princess. Ariana expressed her happiness at Lucie finding someone to love, and she supposed her friend was right. She did love Dryxel. She’d thought she was merely falling for the big warrior, but the more she thought about it the more she realized she’d already fallen. Would she have the opportunity to tell him how she felt?

  Chapter Four

  When Dryxel entered his chambers, he knew something was wrong. Illuminating the space, he realized Lucie was missing. It was doubtful she would have woken and gone searching for him, not in unfamiliar surroundings, but just to be safe he would search for her. His gut was telling him she’d been taken, but how they managed it he didn’t know. They’d kept an eye on the transport chamber, expecting such an attack. It hadn’t been used since he’d brought Lucie on board.

  Gathering a few of his men, he did a sweep of the ship, not the least bit surprised when they came up empty-handed. He’d hoped he was wrong, that she had merely wandered off, but deep down he’d known she wasn’t on board. When he’d felt a pang an hour ago, he should have heeded it and checked on her, but he’d told himself he was imagining things. Now he’d lost his beloved, his other half. Without Lucie, he wasn’t whole.

  Addressing the crew, he tried to push away his anxiety and fear over her safety. He had to believe they would find her in one piece. If the Tarnans discovered she’d aided in his escape, he didn’t know what they would do to her. They would see it as a betrayal and might imprison her, or worse. What if they gave her to one of their warriors? The thought of another man touching what was his made rage pour through him.

  “Lucie has been taken,” he told his men. “If the Tarnans were smart, they hit hyperdrive and are nearing their planet even as we speak. It would be foolish to go after her right now, no matter how much I want to. We’ll return to Tourmalane and gather more warriors, more ships, then go after our princess.”

  “It will take us two days to arrive home and a good five days to reach Tarnan. Our ships aren’t designed to fold space to that destination. We’ll have to take the long way. What if something happens to our princess during that time? A week is too long to wait to strike,” Rylo said. “I fear for her and your unborn child.”

  “As do I,” Dryxel muttered.

  “What if we continue to travel toward Tarnan and call Tourmalane for backup? You could speak with your father, explain to the king what has happened and have him send more warriors to us. They could meet us at Tarnan,” Kilare said.

  Dryxel nodded. “That plan could work. We’d have to stay cloaked until the others arrived, otherwise we could have a war on our hands before we were ready.”

  “I’ll get King Razyr on the COMM,” Napir said.

  Dryxel watched the men return to their stations, each with a determined look in his eyes. He knew they would do whatever was necessary to retrieve their princess. They might not have known Lucie long, but they all liked her. He’d worried at first that they may not accept her because of her blindness, but he should have known better. His people were tenderhearted when it came to females, any females, regardless of whether or not they could see.

  He had high hopes that their healer would be able to help her once they reached Tourmalane. While it might not be possible for her vision to be perfect, ever again, he was certain they could improve it. One of their warriors had lost sight in one of his eyes two years before and their healer had worked tirelessly, trying to find a cure. Rybolt still couldn’t see out of that eye as well as he once had, but his vision was much improved. No longer able to be a warrior because of his loss of vision, the king had given him an honorary title and a position in the palace as an advisor.

  If Rybolt could see again, so could his Lucie. While he loved her just the way she was, he knew it bothered her to be so dependent on other people. He wanted to give back some of her independence, some of her worth. To him, she was worth all the gems in the galaxy, if not more, but he knew she doubted herself. They may have known each other a short time, but she had proven herself brave when she’d saved him, trusting when she’d given herself to him so easily, and kind when she’d greeted all of his men with a smile, despite having been brought into a world she didn’t understand.

  He stared out of the viewing screen at the vast galaxy before them. His Lucie was out there. Probably frightened. His arms ached to hold her once more, to tell her everything would be all right. He never should have left her alone, but he’d thought she would be safe. Never again would he take her safety for granted. She would have someone with her at all times. If not him, then one of his brothers, or a guard. Yes, he would assign a guard to her. She might balk at the idea of having someone follow her around, but he wouldn’t be swayed. Not after this. She was too important to him to take a chance on someone absconding with her again. Once she was safely back in his arms, he would take the proper precautions to make sure she never left his side again.

  Some might say it was because of the pregnancy that he felt that way, but he knew that wasn’t it. Yes, he was thrilled that they were going to have a child together, that his line would continue and the next ruler of Tourmalane would be born in five short months. He probably should have mentioned that part to her. His studies had shown that humans carried their young for much longer. Hopefully she wouldn’t be upset about it.

  Dryxel had no problem admitting that he loved his mate. Perhaps he should have told her sooner, but he’d thought she wouldn’t believe him if he confessed to such a strong emotion so soon after meeting her. Did they have love at first sight where she came from? When he’d seen her, his heart had recognized her. He would tell her when she was returned to him. He wouldn’t waste another moment with her; never would he keep something from her again.

  The men around him rotated as some left to sleep for a few hours, but he remained where he was. Sleeping wasn’t an option, not while Lucie was gone. There would be plenty of time for sleeping after she was with him once more. Until then, he would be ever vigilant, watching for the Lynten 12, not that he thought they were going to catch it.

  Napir came to him, a small COMM in his hand
. “Highness, I have King Razyr on the COMM for you. I’ve explained the situation, but he asked to speak with you.”

  Dryxel accepted the COMM unit.

  “Father,” he said in greeting.

  “Son, I hear you have good news for me.”

  Dryxel shook his head. “Not so good right now. I found my mate, bonded with her, and then she was taken from me.”

  “Five more ships will be taking off within minutes and heading your way. Our top warriors are already on their way to the vessels. They’ve been briefed and know that retrieving the princess is the most important thing to do right now.”

  “I’ve failed, father.”

  The king scoffed. “You’ve not failed, Dryxel. Damn sneaky Tarnans are to blame, not you. You just bring my new daughter home to me.”

  Dryxel smiled. “Yes, Father. I’ll bring her to you soon.”

  He disconnected the call and handed the COMM back to Napir.

  “Your Highness, you should probably eat something,” Napir said. “I know it’s not my place to tell you such things, but you need to keep up your strength. The princess is depending on you.”

  Dryxel nodded. “Yes, she is, and I won’t let her down.”

  He headed to the galley for something quick to eat, stopping to speak to crewmembers along the way, all expressing their concern over the princess. It warmed his heart that they cared about her so much already. He knew that one day she would be a greatly loved queen, perhaps even more so than his own mother had been. Lucie had a fragile quality to her that made people want to protect her, but she had a backbone made of steel and could easily stand on her own two feet. He had no doubt she would show them all just how capable she was, once given the chance.