by Laurie Roma
“No, he won’t. You are my keeper, and the Alliance knows that takes precedence before anything else.”
“That won’t matter to Director James. He’s already pissed at me for something I did last week. I’ll be lucky if he doesn’t boot me over to the cleaning crew after this.”
Orion let her go when she slapped at his hands. She jumped off the bed and scurried over to grab a short robe off of a hook on the wall. He watched as she put the robe on, tying the belt tight, and immediately wished she were still naked. When she left the room, he got up and followed her out into the living room where he bent down to retrieve his pants from where he’d left them on the floor.
Frowning as he put them on, he looked around and noticed how small her quarters were for the first time. He hadn’t noticed it last night, since he had been too focused on her, but it only took a few steps to get from her bedroom to her living room. Tilting his head back, he realized that the tips of his wings would probably touch the ceiling if he released them. How uncomfortable that would be.
More than his own discomfort, he didn’t like thinking about Morgan living in such a small, stark space. She deserved luxury, and he could give that to her. But not here. Not on a space station in the middle of nowhere. He could give her everything her heart desired back on his home world.
But could he ask her to give up her life to go with him?
She bent over to pick up the wrist unit on the table in front of the couch. “Shit, this is yours. Where the hell is mine?”
Since it wasn’t visible, she dropped to the ground. Orion was distracted by the sight of her bare pussy peeking out from her short robe as she searched for her wrist unit. His cock stirred, and he took a step toward her but stopped when she cursed as she bumped her head on the table.
“Are you injured?”
“Got it,” she announced, ignoring his question. She sat back on her heels with the wrist unit she’d found beneath the table, but didn’t get a chance to look at it when someone pounded a fist on the door.
“Morgan? Damn it, are you in there?”
Her eyes widened and she dropped her wrist unit on the couch as she scrambled to her feet. When Orion started to speak, she launched herself at him and slapped her hand over his mouth. “Oh, fuck,” she whispered. “That’s my director.”
“Why are you so worried?”
“Because I was supposed to be dealing with the people assigned to me this morning, and I wasn’t there. I know he’s gonna be pissed.”
Orion could feel his temper rise as he saw how upset his keeper was, but he didn’t understand why she was acting like they had done something wrong. “Alliance guidelines state that your first priority would be to your bonded—or in this case—your keeper. Your director—”
“Won’t care. He’s going to kill me.”
“Morgan! You’ve been ignoring my calls. Regent Marks has been looking for you, damn it. I swear, I’m going to kick your ass if you—”
“How dare he!” Orion saw red at the man’s words. Stalking over to the door, he slapped his hand down on the manual release next to the door.
“He was joking!” Morgan said through their bond as the door slid open.
Orion ignored her as he took a threatening step forward and grabbed hold of the front of Director James’ uniform jacket, lifting the man up so his feet were dangling off the floor. “You dare wish harm to my keeper?”
“Ambassador D’Sil?” Director James paled and quickly shook his head. He’d been worried about Morgan since she’d never missed a day of duty, but she’d been straining his nerves lately. It seemed like every day she created some new issue he had to deal with. He’d thought she was trying to get back at him for making her help take inventory, but he hadn’t been expecting a pissed off D’Aire Ambassador to come at him when the door opened. “No! I just—shit, did you say that Morgan is your keeper?”
Orion glare at him and growled, “Yes, she is mine. And I take great offense to what you said.”
Director James gulped and held both of his hands up as if to ward Orion off. “It was a joke—”
“I will never consider a threat to my keeper a joke!”
“Let him go. Please.”
Orion didn’t glance back at Morgan’s soft plea, but he sensed her worry through their bond. She placed her hands on his back, and her touched soothed his anger enough that he let go of the director. He took a step back and pulled Morgan with him, keeping her behind him since she was only dressed in her robe.
“Stop pushing me!” Morgan snapped.
“I will not let him see you in your robe. If he sees you bare, I’ll kill him. Stay behind me,” he growled back. Straightening to his full height, Orion looked down at Director James with an icy glare. “I don’t like that you feel you are permitted to speak to my keeper that way. You will apologize to her…now.”
Director James’ eyes flickered over to where Morgan was peaking around Orion’s back. “I’m sorry. You know I didn’t mean what I said.”
She agreed, then shot a nervous glance up at Orion before she said, “So, umm…now that Orion and I are together...I think I might need some time off.”
Director James nodded vigorously. “Of course. I’ll make sure Regent Marks and the others are taken care of while—”
“Good. Do that,” Orion ordered as he hit the panel on the wall, closing the door in Director James’ face.
“I can’t believe you did that!” Morgan hissed. “That’s my commanding officer! My boss! He’s going to make my life hell when I go back to work.”
“Are you going to be returning?” Orion asked softly. “Do you wish to stay here, Morgan? Is this where you see us living? Or would you be willing to return to my home world with me, where we could live in my family’s palace?”
Morgan blinked in surprise. “Wait…what?”
“I told you about it when I explained how I lost most of my family.”
“You said you wanted to go home when you retired, not to a palace!”
Orion sensed her panic, but pushed on. “Does that make a difference? My question still remains the same. Is your position here so important to you, or would you rather live with me on my home world where we can make our family our main priority?”
Morgan stiffened the second he mentioned having a family. They hadn’t spoken about it specifically, but he’d seen the star on her face. As an ambassador, he had to know what that meant for their future.
He reached up and stroked his fingertips across her forehead, trailing them down her cheek until he cupped her face. “You and I are a family, my love. We deserve time together…away from all this.”
Hearing that helped her relax a little, but her heart still ached because they would never have children together. When he’d told her about losing his family, she had sensed how much he missed them, and his heartbreak had become her own. It worried her that she wouldn’t be enough for him. He may love her, but he could still regret fate giving him a keeper that was infertile. Fortunately for her, they were both distracted when her empty stomach rumbled in protest.
As if sensing that she needed time to consider what he had said to her, Orion smiled gently. “Why don’t we go get something to eat? As I recall, the only thing left in your food console is a bagel and some questionable cheese.”
That had her blushing. “I’m not much of a cook, so I don’t store much in here, and I haven’t arranged to have it reloaded yet.”
“Neither am I. I’d like to stop by my quarters to change, and if you are agreeable, perhaps we can invite my friends Blaiz and Daven to join us. I’m sure they would love to meet you.”
She agreed, and got dressed in a long-sleeve black shirt and khaki-colored cargo pants. Morgan usually wore her uniform or other comfortable clothes when she wasn’t working. She was a little embarrassed that she only had a few feminine outfits, but she didn’t really feel like wearing a dress or skirt today.
It warmed her heart when Orion told her she looked wonde
rful. He tried to argue with her about her wearing gloves, but she explained that she didn’t feel comfortable going out in public without her gloves since they weren’t sure if he could shield her from everyone’s emotions yet. He wasn’t pleased that she had to wear them, but she felt that he wanted her protected so he stopped arguing.
They made their way to his suite so he could change, and his friends gladly accepted the invitation to join them when Orion contacted them. Daven and Blaiz agreed to meet them on the lower level where most of the restaurants were located. Since the space station wasn’t officially opened, there were a lot of empty business spaces, so she suggested going to the one place she knew had decent food this time of day—the sanctuary, Asylum.
When they reached the lower level, Morgan instantly liked both Blaiz and Daven as soon as she met them. Daven kissed the back of her gloved hand in greeting, which earned him a hard shove from Orion. She was surprised when she didn’t feel an onslaught of Daven’s emotions when he’d touched her, but then again, Orion had told her that both of his friends were well-versed at keeping their thoughts and feelings contained. Still, she could sense that Daven was pleased that she was Orion’s keeper, and that made her like him even more.
“He is such a brute,” Daven said with a wink. “It’s a shame that such a gentle beauty is stuck with him.”
She snorted in derision. “Are you kidding? He’s the gentle one in this relationship.”
Daven burst out laughing, and even though Blaiz didn’t smile, his iridescent eyes sparkled with amusement. “I’m pleased to see you will keep our friend in line,” Blaiz said as he gave her a small bow. “Orion needs a keeper, in every sense of the word.”
Irritated, Orion pulled Morgan to his side and glared as his friends. “Behave. Both of you. Where are Ivan and Lorn? I thought you were taking care of them.”
Daven rolled his eyes. “They’re wandering around here somewhere. I don’t think they can stand us anymore than we can them. Don’t tell me you want them to come with us. That would ruin my appetite.”
Orion shrugged. “I’m fine with them entertaining themselves. Morgan wants to take us to the sanctuary onboard.”
“Sanctuaries are always fun,” Blaiz said with no small amount of anticipation.
Morgan smiled back at him, then took Orion’s hand without thinking as she led them toward Asylum. Her first instinct was to let go, but she felt Orion’s pleasure at her display of affection, so she continued to hold onto him.
When they entered Asylum, the sound of music and laughter filled the air. The dark red and black décor created an ominous feel to the place, but Morgan thought it only added to the atmosphere. Since it was still early when most people were on duty, it wasn’t as loud as it usually was during the later hours when the place was packed with people.
Morgan felt sheer joy when she wasn’t immediately bombarded with emotions despite the fact that there were several tables filled with people inside. It was the first time she’d ever been in a public place without that happening, and she owed it all to Orion. He squeezed her hand, and she felt a wave of love coming from him that almost brought tears to her eyes. “Thank you.”
“For what, love?”
“For giving me control of my abilities,” she answered. “You don’t know how much that means to me.”
“It pleases me that our bond has helped you.”
“Hey, Morgan,” Zade Tavish sent her a wicked grin as he strode toward them. “Not in uniform today?”
She had to look up at the large Krytos male to smile back at him. “Not today. Up to no good again, Zade?”
He laughed. “Of course. It’s what I do best. You showing another group around? Grab a table in the back, and stay away from that group of Reema. I have a feeling we might have to bust some heads together soon.”
Morgan glanced over to the three Reema males that were sitting at a table. The Reema were a reptilian race, with scale-like skin that enjoyed drinking as much as they liked making credits. They were considered a hostile ally to the Alliance, although, even that was debatable at times. The Reema were often motivated by profit more than morality, and they could be found wherever there was a chance to strike a deal.
She sighed. “They do look like trouble. However, if you get into another fight, Olivia might end up trying to kill you.”
“She can try. You know the Krytos like it rough.” Zade’s dark eyes gleamed with mischief, and the flare of his emotions told her there was nothing he’d like more.
Laughing at that, Morgan shook her head. “Zade, I’d like to introduce you to my bonded—or keeper, Ambassador Orion D’Sil, and his friends, Blaiz and Daven. This is Zade Tavish, one of the owners of Asylum.”
Zade’s eyes widened slightly. “Your keeper?” He ignored the other two males, and his eyes narrowed on Orion. “Ambassador or not, you better treat her well, D’Aire. Morgan is a friend of ours, and we protect our own.”
“She belongs to me, and needs no other protection but mine,” Orion growled in response.
Zade’s frown turned back to a smile instantly. “Good. That’s what I wanted to hear.”
Morgan inserted herself between the two males. There was way too much testosterone in the air for her. “Okay, you’ve had your fun. We’re going to sit down now.” She pulled Orion away from Zade, toward the back of the bar. “Sorry about that. He was just trying to be a good friend.”
He squeezed her hand. “He was being insulting, but it was for your benefit, so I will try not to be offended. The Krytos are a different breed…sometimes annoyingly different.”
“You should have shoved your fist in his face,” Daven muttered.
“Orion knows better than to break the rules of a sanctuary,” Blaiz countered. His voice lowered to an annoyed hiss. “Damnation, they’re here.”
“We heard you’d found your keeper. She’s lovely,” Ivan said as he and Lorn walked over to join them. “Congratulations, Orion.”
“Thank you, Ivan,” Orion said, then he introduced Morgan to the two D’Aire males.
Although she had immediately liked Blaiz and Daven, she had the complete opposite reaction to the two new males. She couldn’t sense their emotions, but something about them put her on guard and made her feel extremely uncomfortable. Since they were both being considered as Orion’s replacement after he retired, she was extremely curious to figure out why she was feeling that way.
After greetings were exchanged, Lorn said, “It’s a shame we have to leave. We were just passing a little time here before we meet Ambassador M’Dor and his keeper. They just arrived and were gracious enough to invite us to dine with them.” He smiled at Morgan. “It was a pleasure meeting you, and I’m sure we will see you again soon.”
As they began to leave, Morgan shifted to the side. Instead of moving out of the way, she kept close enough to brush against Lorn’s arm as he passed her. The move had been deliberate on her part, and she hoped it had been slight enough that no one would notice. She braced herself, and even through the material, she read him loud and clear. It was difficult to hide her reaction, but she struggled to keep her expression neutral as Lorn’s emotions hit her like a laser blast.
Orion looked down at her with concern. “Is something wrong? You are blocking me again, but I can still feel that something has upset you.”
“Not you. I was trying to block him.” She watched them leave, and when Lorn turned back, he smiled at them before exiting the bar with Ivan. “Thank the stars, I don’t think he knows.”
“Knows what?”
“That I read him.” She looked up at Orion. “Did you pick them to replace you?”
“No, the Conclave suggested them to me.”
“Then they have some explaining to do,” she said, the anger clear in her voice. “Because I’d say they need a pretty fucking good explanation why they chose someone who hates humans as much as Lorn does to work with the Alliance.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Silence met Morgan’s sta
tement.
“I guess that wasn’t what you were expecting to hear.” She watched their expressions change from shock to anger.
After a long pause, Blaiz asked, “How were you able to read him when we aren’t able to get past their shields even though we are seekers?”
“I’m a Class-A Empath, with a little extra.” She held up her gloved hands. “My abilities are strong enough that I can even read objects after someone has touched them. So, when I brushed against Lorn, the amount of hate rolling off that male was enough to make me sick if the bond I have with Orion hadn’t helped me. If I had touched that asshole with bare skin, I probably would have thrown up all over him.”
“I would have liked to see that,” Daven grumbled.
Orion pulled Morgan toward an empty table and waited for her to sit before taking the chair next to her. He pulled off one of her gloves, then took her hand in his, reaching up with his other hand to stroke her hair. “I’m not pleased you risked touching him, and you will never do so with bare skin if it will make you ill.”
Morgan shuddered. “Trust me, I’m not planning on it.”
“Good. Now, tell us exactly what you felt.”
She took the next few minutes to briefly explain how her gift worked to Daven and Blaiz. After she gave them the background they needed, she told them what she’d felt the instant Ivan and Lorn had walked over to join them. She admitted that she’d purposely brushed up against the male in order to try to figure out why she’d felt so uneasy around them, and saw Orion’s fierce frown.
“He has to be up to something if he wants the position. And all that stuff he said about it being nice to meet me was total bullshit. What he really felt was disgust and pity for you because you’re stuck with a human keeper.”
“I’m going to kill that worthless little fucker,” Orion bit out through clenched teeth. “He will answer for his treachery.”
Morgan could feel his anger, but thankfully, it didn’t make her sick. Their conversation was interrupted when a Krytos female walked over to their table.