Cherished (Intergalactic Loyalties) (7 page)

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.

Of course, he fully intended to wrap her up and keep her safe for the next several months, maybe until the babe was born. He didn’t think his heart could handle another abduction. Thankfully, they weren’t at war with anyone at the moment. Well, except the Tarnans -- now. He would give them a chance to hand her over peacefully. If they declined, it would all out war. He would shed the blood of every single Tarnan until she was returned to his side, and he would show them no mercy.

He quickly ate the tasteless food and returned to his station. Eventually he would have to rest, if he wanted to be in full control of himself and his abilities, but he would do that later. The thought of lying in their bed alone didn’t appeal to him. It just made him ache all the more for his precious Lucie and their child. Soon. She would be by his side again soon.

***

Lucie growled at Cael in frustration. Her pregnancy test had come back positive, which she’d known it would, and ever since he’d been hovering. The Tarnans were not pleased by the turn of events and had let her know as much. They still didn’t know that she’d been the one to release Dryxel from his prison, and for that she was grateful. Ariana and Bane knew, as well as Cael, but the three hadn’t mentioned it to anyone outside of their family. Arko had spoken with Rebecca and insured her silence, by promising to put in a good word for her with the captain. Not that Lucie thought it would do any good.

Ari was visiting with her after the noon meal when the captain stopped by to see her. She’d spoken to Sol on several occasions and had always thought him to be a kind man, but she figured having him stop by unannounced was not a good thing.

“Ariana, may I speak with Lucie alone, please?” Sol asked.

“I promised Cael I wouldn’t leave her side,” Ari said.

“I understand. It’s just… what I have to say to her is rather personal. I thought it best to speak to her alone. I promise, I won’t leave the room with her. If you’d like, you may wait in the hall just outside the door.”

Ariana seemed to hesitate, but Lucie was curious as to what Sol could possibly want.

“Go, Ari. I’ll be fine,” she assured the redhead.

“All right. But if Cael comes after me, I’m blaming you,” Ari said, pointing at Sol.

Lucie watched her leave the room and listened to the door click shut. It was several minutes before Sol began to speak. She had wondered if he was ever going to say anything.

“I know we haven’t gotten to know one another very well since you’ve been on board,” he began, “but I’ve noticed you from the very beginning. I figured with so many warriors buzzing about you, that it was best I give you space.”

“Why did you feel the need to stay away?”

“As captain, I should stand back and let my men have first choice of the women we find, out of those who decide to settle on a mate before reaching home. Besides, you had so many wanting to bond with you, I figured you didn’t need one more.”

Her stomach flipped. “I don’t understand.”

“I think you do,” he said quietly. “I know you’re mated to your Tourmalane warrior, the prince no less, or at least you claim to be. I also know of the child growing within you, but I came to tell you that those things don’t matter to me. If you’re still seeking a mate, if you need protection while on my planet, I hope you’ll consider me.”

“Captain --”

“Sol,” he corrected.

“Sol. I appreciate the offer, but the fact is I
am
mated to Dryxel and he will come for me. I admit, the thought of going to your world frightens me, especially now, but I can’t bond myself to someone when I’m already bonded. Would you ask me to cheat on my husband?”

He chuckled. “Husband. I had forgotten about that human term. And no, I wouldn’t. If you are truly bonded, then I will stand aside. You do, however, still have my protection if you wish it.”

“What I wish is to be returned to Dryxel’s side.”

Sol sighed. “If only it were that easy. Perhaps if we knew his location, I could quietly return you, but he could be anywhere right now.”

“Then what do I do? What happens when he comes for me? I don’t want there to be a war.”

“No,” Sol muttered. “A war would not be a good thing right now. We’re trying to build up our society, not tear it down and lose even more lives. It’s bad enough there are so few women on our planet, but to lose seasoned warriors would be a crime right now. By all rights, those men should be thinking of starting families, not rescuing a woman who doesn’t want to be saved.”

“Will you speak with your people? Guarantee Dryxel safe passage to your world and allow him to extract me?”

“Perhaps we can stall landing for a bit. We should reach the Tarnan orbit within the hour and land by nightfall.”

“It could take days, maybe longer, before Dryxel reaches me. I can’t ask you and your men to suffer that long. I know you wish to be home with your families, to get the other women settled.”

She felt a vibration through the bed and wondered if Sol was tapping his foot.

“I have an idea,” he said. “It’s a risky one, but it might work.”

“What? I’m willing to try anything!”

“I’ll contact King Razyr, Dryxel’s father, and tell him that we’re piloting a ship with you and a small crew on board. I’ll tell him where to find us and the prince can come and pick you up.”

“And your men are going to let that happen?”

Sol grumbled. “Maybe not.”

“The Keshpans know how to fly a ship. What if you took them on as crew for the mission? We could land long enough for your men and the other women to disembark, and before they realized what was happening, you could take off again with just us on board.”

Sol hummed low in his throat. “I could talk to them about it, I suppose. But if they help me, my fellow Tarnans may not welcome them with open arms. I don’t know that they’ll want to jeopardize their future. It’s possible they would be without a ship and without a planet to call their own when it’s all said and done.”

“Dryxel will take them in,” she said confidently.

“Maybe. But will they wish to go with him?”

She couldn’t answer that, but if it meant she was peacefully returned to her prince’s side, it was worth a shot. The worst that could happen would be the Keshpans saying no. Something told her Bane and Cael would agree. She just wasn’t sure about Arko or Dar. She’d had very little interaction with either one and wasn’t sure they would care what happened to her.

Sol promised to discuss it with the Keshpans then make his call to the king. She only hoped it went well. The sooner she was back with Dryxel the better. Never had she missed someone so much in her life.

Dryxel stared at the COMM in confusion. “They want to what?” he asked his father.

“They want permission to join us on Tourmalane, in exchange for bringing your princess to you.”

“And how is the Tarnan going to pilot his ship back home?”

The king smiled. “I asked that myself. Seems their ships are equipped with a homing device. Once pushed, the ship will pilot itself back to Tarnan. I would imagine he isn’t going to be well-favored when he returns home, maybe even stripped of his title.”

“So why risk it?” Dryxel asked.

“I think he has feelings for your princess and he’s doing it for her.”

Dryxel wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that. No one was supposed to feel anything for his bonded mate except him. Not that he should be surprised that other men found her attractive, since she was rather stunning, but it irked him that she would have to rely on another man to come to her rescue.

“And she’s to be returned, unharmed?”

“Yes. They’re landing, probably as we speak, and once all of the other women and Tarnans are off the ship, Captain Sol said he would lift the platform and take off. He said he could use hyperdrive if need be, but I told him you were no longer in your original location. You’re to meet one lunar cycle away from Tarnan. Hopefully he won’t be followed before the princess is safely on board.”

“And the Keshpans,” Dryxel muttered. He didn’t like the idea of slave owning males being on his ship, even if they were currently without slaves.

“And one mate.”

“Pardon?” Surely he hadn’t heard that right.

“One of the Keshpans took a slave to mate. They were bonded by Tarnan rites, and from what I gathered, she’s expecting.”

Well now, that was news. Another baby on the planet wouldn’t be a bad thing, especially if it was a girl. He supposed he could put up with the Keshpans for that alone. He hadn’t had many dealings with Keshpans over the years. Maybe they were more tolerable than Tarnans.

“I’ll give them permission to come aboard if you’re granting them entrance to our planet,” Dryxel said. “I’m not sure what we’re doing with them though.”

“Two of the males can fight for ranking in our society, just like our warriors do. The other two, I’ve been told, are inventors. We could always use more science minded men.”

“I don’t suppose any of them are healers?”

His father shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Still worried about that tracker in your mate? I’m sure Lynthe will be able to remove it safely.”

“Tell them I’ll meet with them. I’m heading that way already and should reach that area in another twelve hours or so.”

“I’ll pass the word along. Safe travels, son. I’m anxious to meet that mate of yours. She sounds like quite a woman.”