Chevon's Mate (5 page)

A
little while later,
Chevon came toward the
bed
and eased down on it next to her.
Laura moved so that she could have her back to his front and wiggled closer. He
rested his cheek
on
hers
and wrapped her up in his
arms. He tucked her in, had the AI system turn off the lights, and settled down
with her. “Try and sleep, little one.”

“I will.” She yawned once more
and rubbed her cheek
against
his arm, then closed her eyes. And with him holding her close, she drifted off
into a
deep,
relaxed sleep.

Chapter Five

Laura was feeling a lot better
three days later. She’d been sleeping a lot, eating, and generally resting.
When Chevon came into their quarters unexpectedly one
afternoon,
she knew something was up from
his expression alone.

“I
’
ve been in contact with Petr. We are going to meet up with
his cruiser so we can go aboard for a talk. He needs some information from you
before he sends a message over the border to his contact. Our hope is to find
the individual responsible for your trip in the pod and shake up those who
believe you are dead. It is a risk, but we both agree it
’
s one that is necessary. Are you
up for talking with him?” he asked.

“I haven’t changed my mind
,
” Laura told him with an uneasy smile.
“I still want whoever it is that came after me to know I’m alive and kicking. I
need these bastards to realize that I’m not that easy to kill. Now I’m even
wondering if my parents’ death was really an accident,” she stated
quietly,
then stopped. “I just don’t
know how I can prove it.”

“I have no idea, little one. But if the evidence is there,
we
’
ll
find it.” Settling down next to her, Chevon wrapped an arm around her waist and
pulled her in close to his side.

Laura nodded, shoving away
thoughts of her parents. Dwelling on something she couldn’t change—or do
anything about, at the moment—wouldn’t do anyone any good.

Pressing a kiss to her
hair,
he gave her a gentle squeeze. “We will
be
meeting
with Petr in two days’ time.”

“Good,” she told him, mustering
up a smile. She was a little nervous about meeting the fleet admiral but was
excited to meet the woman he had married, the woman from the
deep
past.

“He’s looking forward to
meeting you, and so is Samantha. While we’re
there,
you can also meet my cousin
Bryerly. She may be overly excited, but don’t let that throw you. She has this
theory that I have long needed a woman in my life. I warn you, she’ll probably
be more obnoxious than normal when she meets you. Don’t take it
personally
.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” She grinned. “So tell me, is she
right? Have you been in long need of one?”

Chevon smirked. “She claims
I’ve needed one to keep me in line for
some
cycles. Says I’ve become set in my
ways and that a woman would help to loosen me up. And she worries that now that
she has found her soul-bond mate, I’ll turn into a hermit. Not exactly a
possibility given
my position in the military,
but she believes the two are unrelated. She may give you
advice
to handle me.” He shrugged.
“Don’t listen to her.”

“Why would I want to
handle
you
?” She didn’t
want
someone who would do whatever she
wanted them to when
she
wanted them to. She wanted a partner, not a puppet. “I’m thankful that the two
of us are a pair. I think you are perfect for me. The best of the best. Period.”

“You may be mildly biased,
little one.”

“
Well,
all I know is that whatever she has to
tell me I will try to take with a grain of salt, so to
speak,
” she told him with a smile.

“Really, I think you’ll like
her. I adore Bryerly,” he said. He smiled
slightly
and shook his head. “She’s the
only family I know never judges. She accepts everyone as they are unless they
disappoint, and then she will make them miserable,” he teased. He tipped her
chin up and kissed her. “Have you eaten lunch yet or should I pull out some
food?” he asked, rubbing his thumb over her chin.

“I’ve eaten.” She leaned into
his touch and closed her eyes. “Thank
you,
though. I ate earlier because I knew you would
come
to spend some time with me this
afternoon and I wanted to be able to just do that.” She would be grateful when
she was able to walk around the ship instead of having to remain hidden.

“I know this is not ideal, but all we are doing is working
toward making sure you are safe no matter where you go in Imarian space. It
will take time, but soon we
’
ll be able to live freely.” Another gentle kiss, then he
drew back to lift her into his lap. Hugging her close, he rubbed a hand over
her thigh while cuddling her.

She hugged him back, her face
buried into his shoulder as she held on to him. “I guess I’m just going a
little crazy staying in here all the time.”

“I know,” he whispered. He
stroked a hand up and down her back. “I only hope it’s worth it
all
in the end, Laura. You are my
everything, but I hate having to hide you away from everyone.” Not exactly
everyone. A few
high-ranking
officers on his ship knew about her. They had even visited a couple times. But
it wasn’t the same as being able to go where she
wanted
when she wanted.

“I know. I feel it each time
you have to leave me that you hate it.” The bond between them was growing more
and more each day. She was starting to feel his emotions as he was
beginning
to feel hers. At
least,
that’s what she was assuming.
“I do enjoy your first’s company at times as well. He will stop by occasionally
and have dinner with me or lunch. Typically when you are stuck in meetings with
your higher-ups.”

“He has shared that with me,” he told her. “He knows this is
hard on us both and is trying to do what he can to alleviate your boredom. We
have been talking and may have some ideas about getting you out sooner than
later. But it will have to wait until we meet with Petr. I need to know what he
’
s found out from the military
command structure, and if they will do what
’
s necessary to protect you when the ruling body gets up in
arms about this joining between us.”

“Protect yourself first, Chevon, please?” It would break her
if he were harmed or if he lost his position. “Okay, well whatever it is we
will do it together, right? We will overcome whatever it is that comes after
us.” She just hoped she was strong enough to be all he needed.

“We will be
okay.
Together we are stronger than we could
ever be apart. We’re a unit, little one. Never forget that. I have your back as
I know you have mine. As to protecting myself, I have insurance in place to
ensure the ruling body regrets any action they may take against me. It may not
seem like much in the grand scheme, but it would definitely put
a significant
dent in any of their plans.
Long enough,
at least,
for public opinion to be swayed in our favor so they could never dare to take
action. I pray to the Great Spirits we won’t need it. I’d prefer to keep it on
standby for a later date if this war looks ready to break out. But if it means
protecting you, I will use everything at my disposal. You are my only
priority.”

“I would rather have you with
me at my side forever. Our skin colors might be different but we were always
meant to be together, forever. We will have a life together, a very long and
very happy
one. I’m sure of it.” His skin
was a very dark olive color where hers, well hers was as pale as milk. While
his eyes might have been a lighter color than hers, silver to her blue-ringed,
black eyes, both of them seemed to simply fit.

“The color of our skin means nothing.
It is what’s inside that matters. Our love and nothing more.” He continued to
rub her back gently when he fell silent. His cheek rested against hers as they
sat quietly for a time.
Eventually,
he lifted his
head
and looked down at her. “I’m sorry, little one. I need to get back to work for
a few more hours. But I have a surprise for you tonight that will help make up
for at least a little of the time I have had to leave you alone. And tomorrow
is my day
off,
so we’ll have the entire day to spend together.”

She took a deep breath and
nodded. “Okay.” She leaned into him again and closed her eyes. “I’m looking
forward to your day off, then. Spending time with you is always fun.”

Chuckling
quietly,
he cupped her
face
and leaned in so their foreheads were
touching. “We will have a wonderfully lazy day tomorrow.” Using his
thumb,
Chevon lifted her chin until
he could press his lips to hers. It was a slow kiss that deepened until their
tongues tangled together in need for more.

When he pulled back from
her,
she whimpered. He was potent. There
was no doubt about that. “Go. Do what you need to do and hopefully tonight when
most of the ship
is
sleeping we will be able to make use of the exercise room.”

“I think I can do better than
that, but that is a part of the surprise, so you’ll have to wait to see what I
have planned. Until then, this will have to tide you over.” He gave her another
kiss,
then stood up with her in his
arms. Setting her on her feet, he hugged her close. “Have a nap this afternoon
so you are rested up. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Sounds like a plan.” She
touched her fingers to his cheek, then nodded. “Go and save the universe.” She
winked. “Just no more women floating in pods, if you don’t mind?” Another
tease, one that had his lips lifting in a grin.

“How’s this? I promise I will
not bring any home, not now that I have you. The best woman there is, all
mine.” Cupping her face between his palms, he gave her another kiss.

She watched him as he left. As
always, he made sure the door was closed before anyone could possibly see into
the room, including the cameras. She stood back from the door and sighed. She
hated
life right now. Only when he was gone
did she regret anything at all.

Chapter Six

After checking with his command
crew to make sure everything was in
place,
Chevon headed for his quarters. It had taken more than a little planning and
some creativity but he had an evening planned for Laura that would—he
hoped—help alleviate her sense of abandonment each time he had to leave for a
shift. He entered the suite, then locked the door behind him and carried the
tray to the table. He could hear her in the other room but didn’t know what she
was doing.

Undoing his jacket, he shrugged out of it as he entered the
bedroom. “I have dinner on the table if you
’
re ready. A little something special I had the chefs make up
especially for you,” he said. Moving to the closet, he hung up the jacket, then
pulled out some casual clothing. He would change after they ate, and by then
everything would be in place or close to it.

“Thank you.” She glanced at the
table and moved in closer to him. “How was your day, Chevon? Did you miss me?”
She always seemed to ask the same questions when he came back home. “
Oh,
this looks so good. How?” He had the
cooks prepare her favorite Craegin meal for her. He could see by the look in
her eyes that she didn’t think it was possible for them to know how to cook
Craegin food.

“We are not quite the
barbarians your people might like to
believe
that we
are.
At
least,
not all of us are. They thought it a little strange but
were willing to test their skills. I can’t promise it will taste exactly like
back home, but I hope they managed to get close.
Let’s
eat, and then I have more planned for
us tonight.” Taking her hand in
his,
he led her to the
chair
and held it out until she sat down. Then he moved around to take his own seat.
Lifting the
carafe,
he poured her a glass of the Craegin wine. It was one with a low alcohol level,
but it would suit the meal well.

“You have wine, too?” He saw the shock on her face and had
to bite back a chuckle. “Well, whatever it is that you did, thank you. I am
astounded that you were able to do this for me. Thank you, Chevon. You are too
good to me,” she told him with a laugh. “But I
’
ll
take it.”

He waved a hand at the tray. “Give it a try and let me know
if they have done all right or if I need to fire the dining hall staff.” He was
teasing but she would know that, he was sure. He handed her a glass of the wine
and an empty plate so she could take a little of everything.

She laughed along with him and
took a bite of the food that had been offered. “
Oh,
this is good. A little spicier than I
would typically have it but it’s actually
superb
.” She took a sip of the wine.
“The wine is utterly delicious.”

“I’m glad you approve, little
one.”

He pointed to a meat dish.
“This I got direct from Petr on his last visit. His sister sent it back with
him and I’ve had it frozen since I got it since
I
didn’t know when I would have a chance
to share it with someone who might properly appreciate it. I told the chefs not
to add anything to the dish, merely warm it.
Hopefully,
they listened.”

He knew when she recognized the
dish by the way her face lit up in happiness. “
Oh,
I have to thank him.” She took a piece
of the meat in the dish and cut a slice for herself. He watched her
closely
when she moaned and her eyes
closed in pure bliss. “This is incredible. Perfect.” He smiled at her when she
looked at him once more. “His sister? She’s bonded to a Craegin war hero, a
general of the highest rankings. How could he have gotten this from her?”

“Yes, Adira is bonded to Fintan
Daykin,” he said with a nod. He weighed his options for a
moment
but knew he couldn’t keep any
secrets from her. She was his other half and deserved nothing but the truth
always. “When Adira was used as leverage in Fintan’s escape from Imarian space,
she fell in love with him. When they settled in a
little,
she sent a message to Petr.
Because of the stress of Fintan’s escape, and other pressures caused by the ruling
body being in disagreement with the military, the ruling body being the ones
who had captured Fintan and other Craegins for experiments, Petr had to put on
an act and denounce his relationship with Adira. It took some time but between
Petr and Fintan they were able to smuggle Petr over the border to see his
sister. Petr now makes a couple trips every solar cycle to visit with his
sister and his niece and nephew. He must take care so that neither side
suspects what is going on. But it is also the time that they do their meetings
to figure out what new information has been uncovered about why we are at war
and how to stop it from both sides. It has taken a while but we now know why
the war started. We are all still trying to figure out how to stop it with minimal
loss of life.”

“And they are the contacts that
we’ll be meeting to carry the information back that I’m not dead.” She was
quick, he had to give her that. “It’s so sad, a family torn apart by this
senseless war.
If only
it could be over. I don’t even know what started the war so many generations
ago, but the hate has spilled over into every generation since. There are so
few of us that don’t harbor that hate, that simply want peace. If only we were
the majority instead of the minority. I want to help you. Anything at all that
I can do, I will do it to help end this war.”

“We will not actually be
meeting with
Fintan
and Adira. They don’t come over into our space, mainly because of the twins.
They are still too young to risk the journey, but Petr will be transmitting a
coded message to his sister. Fintan will be the one coordinating the search on
the Craegin side, along with
some
allies who want this war to end as badly as the rest of us. As to what started
the war
…
” Chevon ate some more
food
and took another sip of the wine. It
was a long story but maybe he could compress it a little. “Millennia ago we
were both ruled by royal houses, I am sure you know. They were on friendly
terms, and the one son of
Imara
fell in love with the daughter of Craegin. They arranged to be married in
secret
and even had a child together.
Then they decided they needed to make it more public because of rumblings of
dissent on both sides. They wanted to unite our systems under one rule. But
there were entities in the Craegin power structure who, along with those of the
ruling body, did not want the
royals
to rule over them any longer. There was no money to be made if we were not at
war. So they were killed mere hours before the formal, public ceremony was to
be conducted. They buried the facts of the child, who was put into hiding by
the nanny when word came in
of
his parents’ death, and they hid the fact the
royals
were already married. As of
that moment in
time,
the royal houses of Imara and Craegin ceased to exist except in history. What
none of us expected to find out was there is a living heir to the thrones who,
should he decide to come forward, and we can damn well keep him alive to do so,
can end everything immediately. The biggest problem is getting him to a place
where we can prove who he is, and keeping him alive long enough for us to
arrest and imprison all those responsible for keeping our peoples at war.”

“That would be a difficult task
indeed. My parents served as advisers for the council on Craegin. My brother,
Laurence, and I should have each taken over their positions when they passed
but I had no desire to. I dislike war intensely and I would never agree to
continue the war, so between the pull of my twin and some of his buddies the
dual role was reduced to a singular
position
.
Part of what I want to be made known is the fact that the
role
was taken illegally. Does that make
sense?”

“It makes sense, little one. As
a
male,
he should never have been able
to fill the spot. Only yourself as a
female
or another
woman
should have filled it. We will pass that information along to Petr as well so
he can give it to Fintan. We may not be able to right all the wrongs in our
worlds, but we will do our part to correct the ones we can. The rest will take
time.”

“Thank you for that. I don’t
want him to have anything that he shouldn’t. I should have known something was
wrong when the man took over the position without giving our family the
mourning time that they needed and deserved. That’s what has me angrier than
anything and why I suspect he killed them. He didn’t mourn them in the least.
He didn’t even go to their burial. Instead he was redecorating their offices.
But I never
suspected
that he and my fiancé had been lovers the whole time. I believe that Mikel
assisted Laurence in the murders of our parents but I can’t prove it.”

“If there is any evidence to be
found, Fintan will discover it. He has contacts there like Petr does here.
Trust me, little one.” Lifting his hand to touch her cheek, he smiled when she
leaned into it. “We will find the proof of his actions, and he will be held
accountable.”

“Well, if the general can find
evidence to convict my twin he would be summarily killed for high treason. My
parents were greatly loved and their loss was felt by many.”

Chevon frowned at her words.
She was right. With Craegin laws as they were, the punishment fit the crime.
And if he had murdered their parents, or taken part in it, he could be put to
death. “Are you prepared for that to be the end result? We could discuss this
with Petr, and through
him,
Fintan, to figure out a better way to handle it all. I don’t want you feeling
guilty for any part you might have in this.”

“Yes. If he murdered our
parents,
he deserves nothing less. He’s
an absolute monster if that is the case. He’s been a bully for a long time and
is no longer the child that I grew up with. Whatever our society deems is the
appropriate punishment for him is what is necessary.”

Nodding, he leaned back in his
chair. He would receive all the information first, so he could potentially
soften the blow of whatever came. But she knew the Craegin laws better than he
did, which meant she was likely already resigning herself to the outcome.

“I don’t know how it will be
proven,” she continued. “I’m just hopeful that they will be able to prove it so
that he will pay for his crimes. Everything that he did, everyone that he’s
wronged, he has to pay. I
should,
however,
thank him if he had a part in what had me beaten and
slammed into a pod for certain death, because it brought you to me.”

Chevon grunted. “No matter the
outcome,
the end result was clear.
Enough of
that,
though. Finish your dinner so that I can show you the next part of your
surprise and the evening’s plans.” He wanted her off the topic mainly because
the more worked up she
became,
the more agitated he got. And as there was no one there for him to hurt for
harming her, it was a no-win situation.

“Oh yes, the surprises. I can’t wait.” She was grinning now,
and he saw the happiness in her eyes. “I can’t believe that you did all of this
for me. That you went out of your way like this.”

“You’ve had a rough go for the
last while. It was only fitting I do something to make it a little better. Now
finish your meal, and then we will begin your evening of surprises.” Touching her
cheek
lightly,
he leaned in to give her a kiss. “Eat.”

“I’m eating.” With rapt
attention he watched her lift a bite of the food and bring it to her lips. When
she closed her mouth over the
utensil,
he felt a greedy and eager need for her. “See, eating.” She did it again. The
little minx was trying to shake his control, he knew it.

He narrowed his eyes and
watched her for a moment more. When she continued to eat, Chevon turned his
attention purposefully to his own plate. If he did
not,
he would ruin his own plans. As much
as he wanted to throw her over his shoulder and take her to the bedroom, not
letting her out until he had to be back on shift, he had gone to great lengths
to give her a night out around the cruiser. No way would he ruin that.

When their meal was over and he
had served them an amazingly delicious Craegin
dessert,
she leaned back with a smile.
“That was
incredible
,
Chevon. Truly. I can’t believe just how good that tasted but it was more than
the taste. It was the fact that I got to share that meal with you.”