by April Zyon
“There are many rare plants, trees, and bushes in the hydroponics bays. Ones that could not survive on Craegin but because of the carefully regulated atmosphere in the bay they thrive. Not all are safe to be around, so they have signs with warnings on them and are fenced off. We taught the twins to avoid areas with the signs until they are old enough to read them and fully understand what the meaning behind them is. Signs bad, no signs good, like Morgan said.”
“Ah, that makes sense. I look forward to being able to learn all about the trees and plants and so on that are in the hydroponics bay. I can’t wait to learn about everything in my new home.” Because they were going to use this as their home.
“The bay is a relaxing place to go whenever you need a moment to recharge. I have often taken some downtime in there to read, or sit and listen to the waterfall. It’s amazing how that sound can wipe away all stress.” Reaching around her, he pressed the button for the lift and urged them inside. Lennox was the one to tell the AI what floor they needed to go to.
“Seriously, you guys have a waterfall here? That’s amazing. I’ve never before seen a waterfall outside of being on a planet. I can’t wait to see this.”
“It is not a big one, but yes, we have a waterfall. There is also a stream, pathways, benches, and swings. There’s a pond, too, with a few fish in there. Decorative and not to eat despite Morgan’s three attempts to catch one. Adira still thinks she wanted to kiss the fish but I am not buying that excuse.” The AI announced the floor at a low volume and the doors slid open. Lennox pulled on her hand to get her moving out of the lift.
Paisley let Lennox pull her out of the lift and grinned back at Markus. “Well, I’m sure that Morgan would have quickly put the fish back into the water if someone explained to her that the fish can’t breathe air and only water. Has anyone tried to explain that to her?” She looked once more at the little girl and felt her heart melting. Gracious, to have two such beautiful children of her own would be a blessing. She had changed her mind. She wanted twins just like the general and his wife had.
“We have, several times, actually. She claims it is for kisses, but there’s this look she gets when she is hatching a plan, so it has made us all wary and watchful when she is in there. No playing in the water, Morgan. The fish all need their rest today.” At his words, Morgan’s lower lip poked out and began to quiver. “Do not try that with me, little miss. We both know you are only doing it because there is a newbie here you think will fall for it.” That quickly the quiver stopped and Morgan heaved a put-upon sigh.
Paisley’s eyes went wide at the way that the child reacted and she giggled. She couldn’t stop it. “Oh, that’s too precious. You sweet little girl.” Then she looked down at Lennox. “What about you, Little General? What is it that you like to do that drives your parents crazy?”
Lennox gave her a smile that was pure innocence. When Paisley looked to Markus for answers, he shook his head. “He has tried to pilot the destroyer a time or two. Other than that and his penchant to wander off to various parts of the ship without letting Adira know, he is a good kid. He looks out for his sister and tends to let her get into all the trouble while he stands watch. They are still working on their signals, though.” Lennox stopped before a large set of doors and looked to Markus. Stepping around the little boy, Markus put in a code that had the doors sliding open to release a wave of humidity into the hall. “They’ll shut automatically behind us.”
She waited and heard the air pressure settle around them. Once that was done, she winked at Markus. “So is there a swing here that we’ll be able to use?” It had been one of her favorite things as a child, being pushed on a swing.
“There are a couple for adults, and we put in some for the little ones recently. Lennox, show Aunt Paisley where the swings are, please.” Setting Morgan on her feet, Markus let her dash off while he followed after the little girl. “We’ll meet you there. She has to do her rounds to greet her favorite plants first.”
“And fish?” Paisley asked with a laugh. “That’s funny.” She let Lennox take her hand and, after giving a wave to Markus, allowed the child to lead her away so that they could go find the swings. Her mind was already working on what might be useful for this area for the kids to help them find ways to get rid of energy.
Chapter Fourteen
The flight to the Imarian home world had been long but enjoyable. It had been so much fun to get to know not only the general and his wife but the children and everyone else along with the Imarian fleet admiral and his bride and others. She had loved getting to know the crew that was there for her soul-bond mate.
Now, however, they were on the Imarian home world. She looked up at Markus, then the two generals that flanked their sides. She then gazed out over the sea of people that were gathered around them and felt fear. Intense and real fear.
The Imarian home world was beautiful. She couldn’t deny that. The massive structures were all glass and metal, each of them intriguing and interesting in its own way. The architecture was so different from Craegin but in other ways still so similar. “Your home world is beautiful,” she told the fleet admiral, Petr. “It is eerie how much it looks like Craegin as well.” Although on Craegin the climate was far warmer. “I think I’m going to have to purchase a few more clothes while we are here.”
“Understandable,” he told her. He held up a finger, then moved off to the side to speak with someone. The young man nodded before jogging off. A couple moments later he came back and handed something off to Petr, who then returned to her side and held up a shawl. “This should not ruin your look and will help keep you warm until you can get some new outfits.”
“Thank you,” she said, accepting it. “I’ve been given a great deal of new clothing but I don’t think that any of it has been good enough for this weather. Adira warned me that we were coming in during wintertime but I never once dreamed it would mean that it would be this cold.”
“Brisk is the word you are looking for, I believe,” the admiral said with a grin.
Markus moved back to her side after speaking to the crew. He slipped his arm around her waist and hugged her to his side. “Are you all right, little one?” he asked quietly. He rested his forehead to hers, and for a moment it felt like they were the only two people there.
“I’m okay,” she assured him. Someone called his name, causing him to lift his head to look around. With a nod, he squeezed her closer and tugged her along with him.
“Okay, so maybe this isn’t what you want to hear,” she whispered to Markus. “I’m scared out of my mind. I’m terrified that these people will try to harm you in some way, which will, in turn, piss me off to the nth degree. The question is, how are you doing right now?”
He looked down at her and stopped walking. “I know you are, little one. I can feel it. But we are all on guard, and Petr has those he trusts here to help watch out. It is worse right now because we’re out in the open where there are too many people and too many opportunities for something to go wrong. We are heading into the capital shortly, though. With all our security. Hold on a little longer, Paisley. We will be fine,” he said gently. A quick kiss to her temple, then he was guiding her to Fintan’s side.
Paisley noticed that Markus kept her between himself and Fintan. It was pretty clear that he wasn’t going to allow anything to happen to her. Again she wondered at these men surrounding them. The men’s soul-bonded mates had all been left aboard a destroyer with heavy armaments and massive guards. The twins had a fit because they couldn’t come along, but Adira had instead taken them to the hydroponics bay so that they could play in the water and on the swings.
“Are they all waiting for us?” she asked Markus.
“Apparently,” he said. “Although I think there is a good majority that want a look at Fintan. The legendary general of the Craegin fleet who was captured and managed to escape what they are calling custody and their space with a hostage who he brainwashed into marrying him.”
“Pack of
lies,” Fintan grumbled.
“True enough, but we all know they had to sell some story to cover their asses when you broke free.” Markus adjusted his hold on her waist to allow his hand to settle on her hip. “They couldn’t admit to the common Imarian civilian that they had an illegal facility within a medical building where they were torturing Craegins, with the hope of finding an easier and quicker method to kill us.”
The general shot her a look, then glanced away. “Petr managed to finally track them all down. Not personally, but a small group he sent out to look for the individuals after they bolted from the facility after my departure. Took a while but he did it.”
Paisley felt Markus stiffen against her. “Fintan,” he said in warning.
“Don’t worry, Markus. I only plan on showing them that the rumors of my demise that the ruling body fed the public were false. They should know that the one who got away will not be forgetting their treachery any time soon and will be looking into options to make them pay.”
“Do remember you did find Adira in the bargain.”
With a snort, Fintan seemed to relax a moment before it was stuffed back behind the hard shell he normally showed the universe. “That is the only reason they may get out of it still breathing and with all body parts attached. I think those vehicles are for us, if I had to guess, given the security surrounding them and cover aircraft we have.”
A guard helped her into the vehicle, then waved Markus in. Both Fintan and Petr joined them, along with two security personnel. One Craegin and one Imarian. The other vehicles filled up and soon they were on their way. “Breathe, Paisley. You are going to hyperventilate if you keep sucking in air like that.”
“I know and I’m trying. It’s just hard to think of this being a home to us as well. After all this time of our people being at war, it’s something that I’ll have to work out in my mind on how to get past all of these issues that I’ve grown up with. It’s something that all of us will have to get past. It won’t be this generation but hopefully the next or the generation later?”
“The little ones will adjust easier. They don’t have the knowledge we do, nor the experiences we have all had to work against in learning to trust the Imarians. In time we will all get to a point where we can at least work together in harmony if not trust. It takes time to build, and there is a lot of past to overcome. If we go into every situation open-minded and without judgment, then we are ahead of it already. Imara may never feel like home, and honestly it feels bizarre to be here, but it is someplace we’ll need to visit often.” He blew out a breath and rested his head to hers. “We get along with Petr and his crew members, so that’s a good start. The others I’ve met, no matter how briefly, are all good people from what I can tell. They’re willing to try and I know we both are as well, and that is half the battle right there.”
“You’re right. Small steps, right? Just having Craegins on the Imarian home world is huge, so it’s a step in the right direction.”
“Small steps, little one,” he agreed. Tipping her chin up with a finger, he gave her a light kiss. Paisley liked that he didn’t care who was watching or where they were, how if he wanted to kiss her he would. He sat back once more and pulled her in close to him, rubbing his hand up and down her arm while she took in the view of the Imarian capital as they got closer.
“Oh my,” she whispered when she saw the massive glass-and-steel structures that glinted like diamonds in the sunlight.
“It does have its charms,” the admiral commented. “I prefer the countryside but I do have an apartment here. It’s extremely secure and has been made even more so as you two will be residing there. It’s close to everything, shops and restaurants that you may like. You’ll have security with you at all times outside, but within the apartment, you will have complete privacy. I had to yell at several officials to make it happen, but when I threatened to sic Fintan on them, they caved. I’m going to have to remember that trick for any future dealings with them when they become too stodgy in their planning.”
Paisley smiled. “Thank you.”
“I figured you two might actually want some space from the insanity. A little space to decompress is a good thing. Believe me, I know that well after having dealt with anyone in a position of power not out on the front lines. Especially back when I didn’t like Fintan and was determined to find a way to kill him. Now it is more a hobby than anything else.”
The general said something Paisley didn’t quite catch but it had shock rolling over the admiral’s face before he burst out laughing. Even the two security members’ lips twitched.
Markus shook his head. He snorted softly but held his tongue. Instead he leaned toward her and pointed out the window. “That is where we are going,” he told her. The building he’d pointed to was all glass but it was shaped differently than anything she’d seen up to that point. It was also larger and appeared to be green. When they drew closer, she was able to make out the shapes inside that were large trees, flowering bushes, and other shrubbery. It looked more like a hydroponics bay than a building of importance. “That is where we are going to meet with those currently in charge of all Imarian affairs now that the ruling body has been removed from power.”
“Most of them anyway,” the admiral said. At her look, he sighed. “There are still a handful from outlying moons and planets we have not yet rounded up. We have teams on their trails and as long as they’re on the run they can’t cause us any issue. But we’ll all sleep better once they are in custody. Especially a certain male we are hunting for.”
Paisley frowned. “What do you mean a certain male you are hunting? Is there someone that was leader of them all that you have to track down so that he doesn’t somehow harm Markus?”
“No, nothing like that,” he told her. “He is of personal interest to someone I call a friend. There is some mystery surrounding him and his past. If we can finally find him, then we can all get the answers we’re looking for and shut that particular chapter. He is not the sort to be a danger to anyone, rather low-key, given his former exalted position when you look at everything, but very secretive. The others still missing are more worrisome as security threats than this particular man is.”
She didn’t have a chance to find out more as their vehicle drew to a stop before the building Markus had pointed out. The door was opened by a security officer she recognized from Fintan’s destroyer. Petr stepped out first, then Fintan, followed by Markus, who then assisted her out. Stepping from the vehicle interior, she found them to be surrounded by a wall of security personnel. No one was going to get close to them through the sheer number that protected them and their path inside.
The admiral led the way with Markus, and her at his side, behind him. The others fell into step behind them as they entered the building that held a buzz of activity yet was calming with the sound of water trickling from somewhere within.
Even though it wasn’t protocol, Paisley slipped her hand into Markus’s. She needed his touch to calm her somewhat. She knew that most people would look at it as a weakness but she didn’t care.
He didn’t pull away. Instead he adjusted his grip so their fingers were laced tightly together. Stepping into the lift, he drew her in close to him, turning slightly to allow her the chance to stare out the glass wall behind a security member as they rose up several floors. Even when they stepped off he kept hold of her hand, his thumb rubbing over her knuckles while they were led down a large hallway to an even larger and starkly cold room where several individuals in dress uniform awaited them.
The admiral moved toward the uniforms standing to one side and spoke with them. General Daykin stepped up on her other side and chuckled when a few gave him a double take. “Like seeing a spirit from the beyond for some of them, I’m sure,” he said quietly. “This next part should bore us all to tears. There will be a bunch of posturing, some generally shady comments, and then hopefully we can get out of here and relax without scrutiny. Chin up, Paisley. They will not bite.”
/> “If they do, I’m sure that you and Markus will make sure that they are bitten back twice as hard.” She smiled when she said that.
“Any wonder why I adore you as I do?” Markus asked. He gave her a wink but otherwise kept his expression neutral. She could tell he was sizing up the Imarian military officials, trying to get a feel for them before the initial introductions. First impressions could make or break whatever came next, she knew. The general atmosphere of the room was interest, some curiosity, all with an underlayer of tension. Not a huge surprise given it had been ages since the last time this many Imarians and Craegins were in the same room, and not at one another’s throats.
The admiral came toward them a moment later and rolled his eyes. “Everyone ready to be bored silly with the pomp and protocol? No? Too bad, they insist. Think happy thoughts and let’s get through the introductions quickly. Cut corners where you can, and don’t get dragged into a debate. If we do this right, we can be out of here in an hour.”
Markus looked down at her and squeezed her hand. Then, while releasing a breath, he squared his shoulders. “Then we should do this. Any longer standing here feeling like a science experiment gone wrong that they are watching and I will be making the news. And not in any way that would be beneficial to this cause we are working on.”
“Copy that.” The admiral spun on a heel and they all moved toward the group who now sorted themselves out into a military-straight line.
Paisley felt herself being shuffled between Markus and General Daykin. She listened as they were introduced to people here and there.
When they finally, finally reached the end of the line, they got hung up by the man standing there. He was older, had more medals on his chest, and seemed to have an air about him that suggested he knew more than the others. While still gripping Markus’s hand, he looked her man in the eye for a long time. Paisley actually started to count how long the staring contest went on. In the end, the high-ranking man nodded. “I think you will do just fine, your royal highness.”