Petr's Mate

by Petr's Mate (mobi)

  “Extremely,” he said. Taking the book from her, Petr flipped back and forth between the pages, then inspected the spine. “It hasn’t been tampered with, which means either there is a separate book for that time period or they never wrote anything down. Let me go take one more look. It may not be a large volume, so it may have become stuck in another book or bumped behind some.” Returning the book to her, he pushed up and headed deep into the archives once more.

  In front of the shelving where he had found that particular volume, Petr began to move and check each of the other books resting there. He gave them all a quick flip through in case someone had had the foresight to write that particular section into another volume in their effort to hide it. A good thing, too, because when he found it, it was precisely that.

  Returning to the table, Petr sat down, flipped through the book, and handed it to her. “They hid it between records of births, deaths, and marriages. It fits in well but is obviously not written in the same manner. If you look at the writing on this section of pages, it’s different from what is before and after it. I think they may have originally written it into a volume that included that other information, but when the war started, they rewrote the books to create two separate volumes. One with that huge gap of time, and this one with what we need tucked away where no one would ever bother to look.”

  “The only question is if it was purposefully or accidentally placed there. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that it was purposefully placed there.” She was looking at the book with him now, moving in closer to him as she did so. “Huh.” There was that word again. He had no idea what huh was, but he was assuming it was a utterance of a question. “They had a child before they were married. They were, however, killed and the monarchies disbanded. It says here that their names would be forever stricken, but there is no mention of the child.”

  “If their names were removed from all records then the child was at the least given a new surname, at most a new identity.” He ran a finger down to the date noted for the birth of the child, then flipped to the beginning of the book. Petr went through the pages quickly until he came across a record with the same date, time, and location. “Here,” he said, pointing to the entry. It was a surname he was all too familiar with.

  Sam looked at the registry and frowned. He saw the uncertainty in her face. “I don’t know this name. Is it a name that’s still being used? Are they still around? If so, are they Imarian or Craegin?”

  Petr nodded. “It happens to be the surname of Fintan’s first officer, Markus. We would have to review his lineage to be sure it is not a name he gained through a marriage at some point. But this is a solid clue. And even if he is an offshoot from this child, he still has a real claim to the thrones. Albeit they are defunct thrones, but ones that have never been completely terminated. They have merely been forgotten in the passage of time. Markus is quite possibly the proof we need that we were united at one point. What we need to figure out is if the monarchs were murdered, or was it merely coincidence.”

  “At least we know where they came together.” He looked up, surprised at her words. “There’s a statement up a couple of paragraphs where they were discussing the terms of contracts for the world that was contracted to hold the ceremony.” She pointed it out to him. “It’s a neutral world, if I have the galaxy’s maps correct in my mind?”

  “You do, and it’s still a neutral world, part of their draw to a lot of people looking to start their lives fresh. It would make perfect sense to have the wedding between our worlds there. The security has always been some of the best around. Everyone on each side of this would have felt safe being there. Which makes it odd that they both conveniently died there.” He pointed to a section of text. “They arrived, were shuttled down, and met to sign the contract. There was a dinner, after which they separated to begin their own preparations for the formal ceremony the next day. The contract, if it still exists somewhere, is legally binding. While the ceremony would be for everyone else, the contract is what counts, Samantha. They were for all intents and purposes married when they died.”

  “Really? That’s very interesting. Is that still an active practice for your peoples? If it wasn’t just the Craegin or Imarians’ contract?” He saw her confusion. “So if they were married and that bloodline is still alive and is still running through someone’s veins and they find out that we are looking for a link to them, then your brother-in-law’s first would be in danger. Someone has to know about this. There has to be something and someone that knows about the family. Right?”

  “I would presume so, yes. My guess would be that the ruling body has the information. Not only was the reference tucked away, but if not for us having an idea of what to look for we would never have found it. The contracts are still a practice. Now, though, there are some different versions. Those between influential families are like the one these two would have signed. It would have been detailed, including division of wealth, where they would reside, how the monarchy would have continued with them being from two worlds. My thoughts on that particular point would be a merger. Which for anyone in power would have been bad. Going with what I know of the influential family marriages, everything is restructured so that people in positions of power are those both individuals can fully trust. Out with the old guard.”

  “Good point. No one who was in power in any of the outlying planets of the Craegin and Imarian planetary systems would want to give up that control. If they were to come together and merge the houses it would restructure a great deal, I would imagine, right?” She looked back at him again and sighed. “We need to do something with this information, something to keep it hidden so that the man can be kept safe because I’m sure that he doesn’t know about his lineage, does he?”

  “It’s doubtful that Markus knows anything about this part of his history. We need to make copies of everything so we have the proof. The ruling body will do anything to keep this information from coming out. If Markus did make a claim to the thrones, he could remove all of them from office. The ruling body, the governors, the chancellors. Not something any of them would permit without a bloody battle.” Digging in the satchel he had brought along, Petr handed her a data pad. With a second one he pulled out he demonstrated how to make a scan of the pages. “We need to get everything from the first mention right to where everything went back to normal.”

  “I’ll work on this one if you want to work on the other one? We should also take scans of where they were found and where you found the slim book. It would work best if there ever was cause to produce where we found it and how. We also need to make sure that we put everything back to where it came from so that hopefully no one will be the wiser before we are able to prove everything?”

  “Agreed,” he said. Catching her hand, Petr gave it a squeeze. “We have our proof, Samantha. With what Adira has been doing maybe this will all make more sense. We’ll focus on one task first. Proof. After that, we’ll worry about everything else, and the impact.” Turning his attention to the books, he and Sam quickly scanned the pages, ever aware their time alone in the archives was running out.

  Chapter Twelve

  A week later...

  Samantha looked up at Petr when he walked into the gym on board his ship. She smiled and said, “Two minutes left.” She was pushing the weights today. Yesterday was running and today was weight training. “You’re looking very serious,” she said, though, and frowned.

  When her two minutes were up, she put the weights off to the side and grabbed a towel. “Are you okay?” she asked, standing from the bench so that she could approach him. “What has you looking so doom and gloom, honey?”

  He slipped his hand into hers, lacing their fingers together. Leading her to one side, he sat and pulled her down onto his lap. “I received a message from Fintan,” he told her. While the majority of the senior crew knew about Petr’s trips to see his sister, those under a certain level were not privy to that knowledge, she knew. “Someone tried to kill
Markus. They didn’t succeed, thank the spirits, but it’s obvious that there is someone out there who realizes we know who he is. Fintan also passed along that he has spoken with Markus and told him everything, which I did agree was the wisest course, given what has happened. They are currently in the process of running some genetic tests to see how closely related he is to the original line.”

  She shifted so that she was just that hair bit closer to Petr and lowered her voice. “They likely have the best chance of finding out how close he is to that line with the genetic equipment that I’m sure they are able to get their hands on without raising too many brows. Hopefully.” Sam had tried to keep what they were doing on the downlow, but she had a bad habit of talking to herself when she was working through problems in the lab they had set up for her.

  “They’ll be more vigilant in the coming days. Adira is doing more work at their end now that they have our portion of the information. She thinks she may have some other details to help fill in the blanks of who may have killed the royal couple, and possibly even the why.”

  “That would be wonderful. If she could help fill in the blanks, that is,” Samantha agreed.

  “Yes, and Markus will be more aware, as will everyone else. Not that Fintan or Markus have told many of the crew the specifics. I’m not even sure what they may have told the crew, but it doesn’t matter, not if it keeps them aware. I should have considered the ruling body would figure out what we were up to. They have eyes and ears everywhere on the home planet and the other worlds, too.” Shaking his head, Petr pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Enough of that for now. Are you ready to get something to eat?”

  “Let me go and step into the sonic shower first? I’m a hot and sweaty mess right now. You could always walk in there with me if you wanted to? I have a change of clothes in the other room.” She was still trying to get used to the sonic showers, which was why she carried changes of clothes with her to the workout area instead of simply walking there and back.

  “You do realize the shower cleans not only you but also the clothing you’re wearing, right?” He smiled at her when she shot him a warning look. “Ah yes, this would be one of your old habits, as you call it.”

  She winked at him as she rose from his lap. She was still learning so much about this new world she woke up into.

  “Then again, we could get your things, return to our quarters, and have our shower there instead. We could be naked for the rest of the evening.”

  “Oh, I like that idea. I have everything I need. I just need to put the weights back on the rack and spray them down with the disinfectant.” And when he mentioned naked she was totally there. “I’m ready if you are?”

  “Do what you need to do. I’ll get your bag.” Leaving her to tidy up, Petr went and returned with her bag of clothing slung over his shoulder.

  She slipped her hand into his and looked up with a smile. Squeezing his hand in hers, she nodded and let him walk her out of the workout area and into the hall. She was happy to have him there at her side, hand in hand, while they walked and talked. They were both talking about everyday things instead of the dangerous thoughts that they were both having about the ruling bodies of their world.

  When they reached their quarters, Petr locked up behind them, then tossed aside her bag before reaching out to throw her over his shoulder. With a hand on her ass, he made his way into their bedroom and to the bathroom. Only once inside did he flip her upright and ease her down to sit on the vanity. She grinned and let her hands move over his chest. “So should I get naked now or later?” She wanted to strip him down, wanted to let her mouth move over his body.

  “Now is the perfect time.” Stepping back, he was already working on the buttons of his uniform jacket.

  “Good.” She pulled her shirt up and over her head and tossed it to the side. Then she pushed her pants off. She couldn’t help but move closer to him, her hand reaching out to his cheek and stroking it lightly, then moving down so that she could help him get naked.

  When they both were devoid of clothing Petr pulled her into him for a kiss. His mouth fused to hers while he lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his hips, his cock in the perfect position. He thrust his tongue into her mouth to tangle with hers while he moved them into the shower enclosure.

  His tongue and cock both entered her at the same time. Her hands moved over his shoulders and she pulled him as close as she could get him. She laughed when he pulled back with a groan. He had her pushed against the wall of the sonic shower and ordered the timer for the maximum setting. She looked down at him and smiled. “God I love you.”

  “Being with you makes anything seem possible,” he told her, then gave her another kiss while he began to thrust. Dropping a hand to her ass, he lifted her higher to get her into a better position.

  She moved with him, leaning down so that she could nip his lips. She tightened her legs around him, her heels digging into his ass as she moved with him. “Perfect.” And when he thrust even harder she cried out, not in pain but in pure pleasure.

  They moved together in perfect harmony. Thrusting, withdrawing, trying to get closer. Hot kisses shared, and soon sweaty bodies pressed tightly together. Their rhythm faltered a little the closer they got to orgasm, but it didn’t matter. They were together, in the moment, and Sam could feel all the emotions he never spoke of pouring into her. She didn’t need the words when their connection, their soul bond, showed her more than words could ever express.

  Sam’s head fell back and she cried out his name. This was when they were closest. When they were at their most primal and when they were one soul once more joined. She shuddered and smiled, his emotions rubbing against hers, the ebb and flow between the two of them far better than any words could ever be. This was perfection. And when he came with her, she felt her body tensing once more and holding him close.

  His cheek rested against hers while they held tightly to one another. After a few minutes, Petr turned his head to press a kiss to her lips. “I love you, little one,” he said softly. “I know I don’t say it nearly enough, but I truly do. You are my world, Samantha.” Another soft kiss when he hugged her closer.

  “I love you, too, Petr. You’re my everything.” She kissed his cheek, then the side of his neck. “You tell me every time you touch me. Each time you look at me. You tell me with every single second that we have together and when we come together like this.” She sighed happily. “I feel it. Soul deep. Those feelings are so much better than the words all the time.”

  For another minute, they stayed wrapped around one another. Eventually, he lifted her off his cock and eased her to her feet to allow the sonic shower to do its job properly. Not that Petr let her go. He kept his arms wrapped around her, and she kept her cheek on his chest until the shower’s timer sounded, announcing the end of the cleaning cycle.

  Once the shower was over, Sam let him lead her out, hand in hand, and they approached the bed. “So are we going to settle in for a nice nap or are we going to eat first? I’m game for either one.”

  “I think we should lay down, and if we want to eat, later we can. There’s no rush, little one.” He helped her up onto the bed and followed her under the blankets to wrap his arms around her. When she was snuggled in close at his side, Petr began to stroke her hair. “Even if we don’t sleep it’s nice to lay here with you close to me.”

  “There is very little that is better than this, right here. Snuggling with you. I never want to lose what we share.”

  “We won’t lose it, Samantha. Not when it’s something we both crave. You know we would both fight for this.” Sam felt his lips pressing to her forehead. “I would fight for you.”

  That had her smiling. With her eyes closed, she nodded. “You betcha cute ass I will fight for you. Always, Petr. You are mine and I’m keeping you. I had hell falling around me to get to you and I’m keeping you.” They had often discussed the nightmares she had in cryo-sleep. It was the only way she was staying sane and realizing that this wa
s her new life and not just a dream.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Seven months later, on Imarian home world, ancestral country home of the van Jahnsens...

  Sam looked around the room and had to smile. Everything was clean and in place. She was a bit shocked that she was getting married, but she couldn’t be happier. Yes, it was bittersweet because all of her family was no longer living, but she was happy. She had a man that loved her every bit as much as she loved him and had created a family for herself with his crew. She adored them all, and she liked to think that they also adored her. She was happy, living for the here and now, and today was going to be one of the best days of her life.

  Today she was marrying Petr.

  Once she was certain that everyone was doing what they should, she turned to go back into the room she was using for dressing. She smiled at the women that were there helping her, wives of some of Petr’s men, along with women she had met while they were on his home world. “Okay, let’s get me dressed and married, shall we?” She then let them help her with the dress, a figure-hugging gown that had hand-stitched beading covering it from top to bottom.

  She let them fuss and twist her hair into place, anchoring it with beautiful bejeweled hair combs that Petr had bought for her on their latest shopping trip. Finally, she was ready. She heard the music and took a deep breath. She watched as the women filed out of the room, then stood there with Chevon at her side. “Thank you for coming,” she told the imposing man as she took his elbow with her hand. “This means a great deal to Petr and myself.” She had no idea why she was so nervous, because she had been with Petr now for almost a full year.

  “He asked, I came. It could be no other way, Samantha. Besides, I happen to like you and the effect you have on Petr. He has never been as happy as he is when he is with you. For too many years, he has merely gone through the motions of living. Then you entered his life and he’s now truly living for the first time. Petr deserves to be happy.” Chevon patted her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Now let’s get out there before he decides to come looking for you. I would hate for him to ruin the traditions you spoke of.”