Brianna (18 page)

“Strange, isn’t it?” Meri said. Then, “Brianna, are there dragons on your planet?”

“In myths and legends.” Her eyes widened. “You don’t suppose…”

Meri shrugged. “I don’t know, Bri, but my people believe all things—past, present, and future—are intertwined. It’s very strange, given all the interplanetary travel in our corner of the galaxy, no ship before Char’s picked up any radio signals from your planet. Some greater power is working here that we don’t understand.”

Brianna shook her head. “Greater power? Sounds more like a coincidence to me.”

“I know it’s hard to believe,” Meri said stubbornly, “but what other explanation is there?”

Brianna shrugged. “A lot of people on my planet would say everything happens by chance. This does seem to be more than coincidental, but it isn’t worth worrying about. What’s done is done.”

“I guess so, but you must admit it makes a great story.”

Brianna laughed. “Meri, you’re a hopeless romantic.”

*

Much later, when Char returned to his quarters, he found a hot meal waiting, and Brianna bent over a sheet of paper.

Unbuttoning the top four buttons on his uniform, he rolled his neck and shoulders as he walked over to see what Brianna was doing.

“If that uniform is so uncomfortable, why don’t you redesign it? It’s not as if the president of the company will deny your request,” Brianna said a bit absentmindedly.

Chuckling, he kissed the top of her head. “I thought I might find you still blushing in bed.”

Brianna controlled her embarrassment much better than he had expected. She hardly flushed.

“Meri came to visit today.”

Char grinned ruefully as he sat down to his meal. “Bringing you two together may have been a mistake.”

you two together may have been a mistake.”

Brianna grinned. “You have no idea how true that is.”

He changed the subject. He’d already learned it was impossible to get the last word in with Brianna. “What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to make our alphabets parallel. I’ll never learn to read and write your language if I can’t figure out what’s what,”

she answered in a frustrated tone.

“Are you making progress?”

“I thought so, but you have more vowels than we do, even if I use
y
and
w
.” She put down her pen and stretched, grimacing at the sharp pain that stabbed across her shoulders.

“Have you eaten?”

She nodded. “I was hungry, and I didn’t know when you’d be back.” Leaning back in her chair, she closed her eyes. She hadn’t realized how tired she was.

Char watched Brianna as he ate. From the symbols drawn on the papers strewn about the table, she had been working for some time.
Once we get back to Drakan, I’ll send all of her work
on to the university in Benishan. The linguists there will
appreciate the head start she’s given them.

Rising after he finished his meal, he cleaned up after himself, and then neatly piled Brianna’s papers. He stroked her shoulder lightly. “Brianna, come to bed.”

Yawning, she opened her eyes.

When she didn’t move, he swept her into his arms and carried her. She snuggled against him, curling her arms around his neck.

“I think you are perfectly capable of walking,” he murmured.

“You just like to have me carry you.”

“It didn’t…take you long…to…figure that…out,” she answered between more yawns.

Char dropped her on the bed and pulled her robe over her head. Rolling over onto her stomach, she wrapped her arms around a pillow and snuggled down into it. Char admired her smooth back and long legs. He’d have liked to remove her panties also—he really didn’t understand why she wore them— but he decided to leave her be. She was very tired, and he hadn’t been allowing her much rest when they were in bed. She deserved a night of uninterrupted sleep.

Stripping out of his uniform, he went into the bathroom.

Opening the cabinet, he took out a small bottle and opened it.

Swallowing one of the capsules, he sighed as he returned the vial to its customary place. Now he, too, would be able to sleep without having to deal with the aching erection Brianna’s soft body would invariably create. Dimming the lights, he dropped onto the bed next to his wife and gathered her into his arms.

Rodane joined his father in the library. “Char’s sent another message, Father. Oh, hello, Grandmother. I didn’t realize you were here.”

Elegant white eyebrows rose. “Where should I be?”

“I’m not here to argue, Grandmother. You’re usually tucked away in your rooms with your nose in a book.”

“And where else would I get a book but the library?”

Jamiros chuckled. “Leave off, Mother. Rodane admitted years ago that you could think and talk circles around him. Now what does Char have to say? Don’t tell me he’s haring off to another corner of the galaxy after supposed radio signals to keep Bakom from Drakan—again.”

Rodane nodded. “It turns out the radio signals were real. He found another inhabited planet. And he’s bringing one of its inhabitants home with him.”

“Is that such a good idea with Bakom on the same ship?”

“He didn’t have much choice. It seems she rescued Miklan and Cindar from what sounds like an alter ego of Bakom’s. She was wounded in the process and transported back to the ship by mistake. Bakom managed to get his hands on her for his damn Tests, but Char and Lorilana were able to rescue her before they had progressed too far.”

“She?” Jenelle asked. “This alien is a female?”

Rodane nodded. “A very human female. It seems her blood is exactly the same as Medirian blood.”

Jamiros leaned forward. “I didn’t know that was possible.

Why is Char bringing her here?”

“Because he married her.”

“What!” two voices exclaimed in unison.

“Preposterous!” Jamiros continued. “The woman is an unknown entity. What possessed Char to marry her? The clan will never accept it.”

Rodane shrugged. “It was a rather terse message. However, Char did say that there was no other way to protect her from Bakom. Since Meri is on board, they’re busy devising plans to keep her from Bakom’s clutches. She saved Miklan and Cindar from certain death and almost died herself in the process.”

Sighing, Jamiros nodded. “That explains it. Char has always had an overdeveloped sense of duty and protectiveness. The clan does owe her more than our gratitude for saving Miklan and Cindar. The marriage is undoubtedly to throw Bakom off-balance.”

“Bakom doesn’t know about it yet, Father. Char’s keeping it secret.”

“Very, very good,” Jenelle murmured. “Bakom would never suspect that Char would marry an unidentified species simply to keep her from him.”

“Char’s probably counting on the Medirians accepting her because of their matching blood. Once she’s safely out of Bakom’s clutches, Char will simply dissolve the marriage,”

Jamiros mused. “It makes sense.”

Jenelle’s sharp eyes locked on her son and grandson. “I wonder if she’s pretty.”

“What do the woman’s looks have to do with anything?”

Both Jenelle and Rodane stared at Jamiros in amazement.

His expression became sheepish. “I must be getting old.”

Jenelle chuckled. “No Drakian gets that old.”

Rodane snorted.

Jamiros frowned. “Does Char say anything else?”

“Bakom sent a message to the Academy directing them to make sure the Ruling Council reaffirms the Tests.”

“That can be circumvented.”

“Char should be arriving in two and a half to three months.

He wants us to see what we can do to weaken Bakom’s hold on the Council until then.”

Jamiros nodded. “Plans can be pushed forward.”

“What are you going to tell Xdana?” Jenelle asked.

“Everything except that Char married the woman. Since the marriage is a sham, there’s no reason to upset her or Crystas.

They’re too deep in their plans for finding him the perfect wife this Solstice.”

Jenelle snorted. “You mean Crystas is busy finding Char the perfect wife. Xdana just agrees to keep peace in the family.”

Rodane frowned. He really didn’t want to talk about his wife.

“I think you’re making a mistake, Father. Mother won’t be happy when she discovers you’ve kept Char’s marriage from her.”

“A marriage that will be dissolved, possibly before he even arrives home? I think not. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go tell your mother the important parts of the message.”

Jamiros left the room, closing the door firmly behind him.

Rodane glanced at Jenelle. “Father is making a mistake, Grandmother. Even if this marriage is just a sham, this woman will be entitled to Alalakan clan status, among other things.”

Jenelle pursed her lips and stared steadily at her grandson.

“Tell me, Rodane, could Char deny Bakom access to this woman on his own ship if he truly wanted to?”

“Of course. Char is his own man. No one tells him what to do on his own…”

Rodane’s eyes widened as what he was saying registered in his own mind.

“Exactly,” Jenelle said. “Why then did he marry this woman?

I think that this Solstice will prove very interesting.”

*

Staring out at the darkness of deep space for what had to be the millionth time, Brianna contemplated her situation. She hated not being able to go anywhere, hated being stuck in the Char’s quarters day after day after day. She felt as if she’d been there two years rather than just over two months. And whenever she said anything to Char about seeing another part of the ship, he just smiled, said it was too dangerous, and then made love to her.

To make matters worse, she was having a particularly frustrating day with her studies. She knew she was close to bringing the two alphabets together, but a few sounds just would not mesh.

Brianna glanced over her shoulder. Char was lounging on the sofa with a book.

Damn him! How could he be so relaxed when she was ready to climb the walls! She was sick of being locked up in this room working on this stupid alphabet! She was sick and tired of everybody telling her how sorry they were that she couldn’t go anywhere else on the ship. They weren’t the ones penned up here. She was!

Grinding her teeth together, Brianna stomped back to the table and glanced at Char again.

He looked up and smiled at her.

Brianna clenched her fists. What was he smiling about?

Asshole. She was nothing more than his sex kitten. As long as she purred, he was happy.

Crumbling a handful of the papers scattered before her, she threw them up into the air. “I can’t stand this anymore! I’m tired of being penned up in this room, locked up like some kind of animal!” As she whirled to face Char, a wave of dizziness swept over her, and she grabbed hold of the chair to keep from falling.

Then she burst into tears.

“Brianna!” Char’s book tumbled to the floor. He leaped to her side and tried to pull her into his arms.

Brianna pushed him away. “Let me go, you, you sex-starved kidnapper. Take me home. My family doesn’t even know if I’m alive or dead.”

Spinning away from Char’s worried expression, she took one step and crumpled to the floor.

A sharp pain stabbed Char’s chest in the general location of his heart. When he picked Brianna up, her head lolled back against his shoulder. What was wrong with her!
Nothing must
be wrong with her. I need…

Char shied away from his own thoughts, unwilling to venture into such uncharted territory.

On his way to the bedroom, he opened his com-link to control. “Dr. Sendenton to my quarters immediately!”

Banging his shoulder against the control panel of the bedroom door to open it, he entered and carefully laid Brianna on the bed. The outer door toned, and he had to leave her side.

She still had not regained consciousness when he returned with Lorilana.

“What’s wrong with her?” he asked anxiously, hovering.

“She just collapsed.”

“I don’t know. Her pulse is normal and her breathing seems fine,” Lorilana said mostly to herself. A thoughtful expression appeared on her face. “Wait in the other room, Char.”

“But…”

“Go!”

Scowling, he obeyed.

Lorilana chuckled quietly. Things were getting interesting.

A foul odor brought Brianna back to consciousness.

Coughing, she pushed the vial away from her nose. “God, what is that stuff?”

“Brianna? Does the female of your species follow a monthly cycle?

“Of course. Why do you ask?”

But Lorilana didn’t have to answer.

Brianna’s eyes opened wide, and her hand went to her upper arm. “Where is it? What happened to it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The birth control patch, the small patch under my skin. It prevents conception.”

A guilty look crossed Lorilana’s face. “We noticed it when we were treating you for your wound. Since it was a foreign object, we removed it.”

“Oh my God! I’m pregnant.”

Char paced his outer room while Lorilana remained closeted in the bedroom with Brianna. She couldn’t be sick. She couldn’t die, could she? Was there some kind of germ or bacteria she’d contracted?

The bedroom door opened and Lorilana walked out. “Go in to Brianna, Char,” she said before his frustration could explode.

Then she left the room before he could question her.

Clenching his fists and swallowing his anxiety, Char managed to stifle his frustration at Lorilana’s seeming callousness. Carefully shaping his face into a neutral expression, he entered the bedroom.