Alien Beast, page 13
part #2 of Warriors of Gehar Series
He takes in the situation at a glance. “Go,” he says to Adon. “Take the kid. Save his life. Lettie and I will handle this.”
The next few hours are tense. We get Wasik into a healing tank and roar into orbit, and then we sit by his side, anxiously watching the monitors for signs of his progress. We don’t leave the med room until his vitals are stable.
Then we wait, neither of us speaking, for Khem to check in. “He’s going to be okay,” Adon says over and over, in an effort to convince himself. “He’s good. Better than me. He’ll make it. He has to.”
I squeeze his hand and desperately, desperately hope he’s right.
Khem checks in an hour later. “Hey there,” he says cheerfully. He’s holding a med-pack to his side, and he has a gash on his forehead, but he seems otherwise fine. When Adon sees that he’s alive and mostly unhurt, a shudder of relief runs through him. “You made it.”
Khem grins. “Was there any doubt? I’m offended.” He takes in the pendant around my neck, and he smiles wider. “At last,” he says. “I was wondering when Adon would give it to you. Tell me you two finally told each other how you felt.”
Adon makes a rude gesture at his friend. “Who’s Lettie?” he asks. “And why haven’t I heard about her?”
“Ah, Lettie.” Khem gets the strangest expression on his face. “Interesting woman. It’s a long story, and we’ll have to save it for a different day. I’m going to take a long shower, wash the blood off me, and pour myself a glass of cav. I suggest you two do the same.”
Adon puts the ship on autopilot. We shower. We check in on Wasik, who is unconscious but stable, and then we tumble into bed and make love. His eyes glow golden as he thrusts into me, and I wrap my legs around his hips and tug him closer.
After, I cuddle into Adon. “I hope the others are okay,” I murmur.
“Hakan said he sent teams after them,” Adon says. “I’ll never admit it in front of him, but he’s pretty good at what he does.”
My comm chimes. I glance down at it. “Speak of the devil,” I say. I pull the sheet up and answer.
Hakan Abiri’s holo materializes at the foot of the bed. He takes a look at me, at Adon, and at me again. Then he swears under his breath. “Poppy was right,” he says. “I owe her some money.”
“Focus, Hakan,” Adon says curtly. “Bella’s team. Are they safe?”
“Yes.” Abiri’s eyes rest on me. “Khem already gave me a status update. I’m aware you were almost killed. There have been no attacks on Anders Duran, Sarit Sukassem, and Hera Lenaxa. A team ambushed Thom Carney, but he is also fine.” He seems to hesitate. “I wronged you. I should not have threatened you with deportation. I pushed you into a situation where you felt like you had no good options.”
I’m not going to give him a pass on this. “Yes, you did.”
“My teams will provide protection for all five of you on your journey to Atlantis,” he says. “But that is not enough to settle the debt I owe you.” His expression is serious. “For that, I offer you and your team a formal adoption into Clan Abiri.”
Adon sucks in a breath.
“You do not know our ways,” he continues. “You might not realize what this offer entails. If you are hurt, every member of Clan Abiri will be honor bound to avenge you. We will stop at nothing to protect our own. If you join our clan, the mercenaries will stop their attacks because they will realize it is not cost-effective to harm you. There is no sum of money that Fenrik Petosa can offer that will make the risk worthwhile.”
It sounds too good to be true. “We all get the offer? Everyone on the Prestige?”
“Every single one of you. Except Keomi, who is already a member of Clan D’arana.”
I turn to Adon. “Should I accept?”
He looks shocked. Stunned. He nods. “Yes,” he says. “Accept the offer.”
I look back at Hakan Abiri. I don’t pretend I understand the Chief of Staff of the Gehar Empire. But whatever anger I felt toward him for blackmailing me has evaporated. Without his meddling, I would have never met Adon. “I accept. Thank you.”
“Good. I’ll alert the Earth Federation embassy as well as the press.” He tilts his head toward Adon and there’s a trace of laughter in his eyes. “When he asks you to marry him, bring me the marriage contract and I will help you negotiate.”
He ends the call. Adon starts to laugh. “What is it?” I ask him.
“I was going to ask you to marry me,” he says with a grin. “But I have to think about this now.”
He wants to marry me? My heart leaps. “Why?” I manage to ask.
“Because once we get married, I’ll be related to Hakan Abiri.” He shudders theatrically. “I'll have to defend the fucker with my life. Ah well.” He smiles at me, his eyes glowing golden. “Will you marry me, Bella?”
Joy rushes through me, almost robbing me of the ability to answer. “Yes,” I say. “Absolutely.”
Epilogue
Bella
Much to Adon’s annoyance, Hakan Abiri was right. As soon as news broke that my crewmates and I were members of Clan Abiri, the attacks stopped. Fenrik Petosa still wanted us dead, but there wasn’t a mercenary crew in the galaxy who would take his contract.
And so it ended. Just like that. For months, I’d walked around with the knowledge that there was a price on my head. I’d grown used to the sensation of not feeling safe. But in one fell swoop, all the threats against me were removed.
It took me a while to truly feel safe. It took a while for the nightmares to fade. But in the end, they loosened their grip on my subconscious, and I felt like myself again.
Adon stayed with me while I testified in the Petosa Exploration vs. Earth Federation trial. We’d been down to the surface of HF-47T after Petosa ruined it. The judge saw the vids and he heard our first-hand accounts of the carnage we saw. Petosa’s lawyers argued in vain that the vids could have been falsified, but they couldn’t do a damn thing to counter our testimony.
Fenrik Petosa had bribed the judge, but in the end, even that didn’t help. The judge ruled that Earth Federation had every right to cancel the contracts. Petosa Exploration promptly appealed the decision. There was another trial. We had to testify again.
On and on it went. The whole thing dragged out for six months. It would have been a stressful time if Adon hadn’t been with me.
But he never left my side. Together, we explored Atlantis. We took shuttles to nearby planets and way-stations. We found the best back-alley noodle stalls. We explored hidden beaches. We visited the famous vineyards of New Rhone. We swam in clear lakes and soaked in hot springs. We took a bubble over the Lava Falls.
I was already in love with Adon. After all, I agreed to marry him after knowing him for just two weeks.
But by the time we finally returned to the Gehar Empire, I knew with complete certainty that this was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
Anusha wanted another big wedding, but after the tumult of the last few months, both Adon and me were eager to keep the fuss to a minimum. We got married in a small, intimate ceremony. Dimek and Mina were there, as were Jehan and Keomi. Khem was there. My crew too. Commander Duran beamed through the entirety of the ceremony, and no matter how loudly he’ll deny it, I swear I saw Khem cry.
Anusha, Navri, Sej, and Deroz were present. Hakan Abiri was there too, which made Adon grumble a little. (Hakan is the Geharrim we love to hate, but as much as Adon might grumble, there’s a well of deep respect between the men.)
After the ceremony, we threw a massive party. Everyone was invited. There was music and dancing and feasting.
When the festivities came to an end and we returned from our honeymoon, Adon resumed his duties as the Third Shield of Gehar, and I joined the University of Ilyas. I’m working on a joint research project with Sarov Bekkai, and my new lab is glorious.
And Adon and I lived happily ever after.
Six months later
“Can you get away for a couple of days?” Adon asks.
“Probably. I have some papers to read, but it’s nothing urgent.” I give him a questioning look. “Why?”
“I thought we could go out.”
“Out where?”
He flashes me a smile. “It’s a surprise, Bella.”
A thrill shoots through me. Adon’s surprises are always amazing. “Give me a hint? What kind of clothes should I be packing?”
He wraps his arms around my waist, and I lean back against his strong chest. “You know the answer to that one, love.” He kisses my neck and I shiver in pleasure. “Take clothes you don’t mind me ruining.”
He takes me to Semra. We trek on treetop walkways and enter the deep forest. We arrive at our destination, a clear glass treehouse. It is shaped like a crystal and suspended from the trunk like a teardrop, and it is like nothing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
“Is the floor going to make you dizzy?” Adon asks. “There’s a setting that will darken the glass, if you’d like.”
“No, heights don’t bother me; I’ve had the shot.” I look around in awe. I’m surrounded by forest. Green and blue vines twine around the broad tree trunks. The ground is covered by a canopy of plants. Trilling, chirping birds fly close to the treehouse, completely unafraid. In the distance, I hear the muffled roar of a predator.
We’re not the only ones here. Crystals dot the trunks all around me. “I’m more concerned about the clear glass walls,” I continue. My cheeks heat. “People will be able to see us.”
Adon laughs at my expression. “No, they won’t. You can see out, but people can’t see in.”
Oh. He’s right. Now that he mentions it, I can’t see the people inside the crystal structures. Phew.
I beam at Adon. “I’ve never seen anything like this. This is a great surprise.”
“The treehouse isn’t the surprise, Bella, it’s just the prelude.” He glances at his chrono. “Any minute now.”
“Any minute what?” I ask, but before he can answer, the light inside the treehouse dims.
“Look,” Adon says softly.
As the sun sets and the last rays disappear, the floor of the forest comes alive. Hundreds and hundreds of pale pink flowers bloom. A lilting melody fills the air, and the flowers sway on their long necks, dancing to the music.
“The rosali flower,” Adon says, his eyes glowing golden.
I watch, entranced. I was Space Fleet. I traveled all over the galaxy. We descended on unexplored planets, and I’ve seen many amazing things. I thought there was nothing that could surprise me. I thought I’d seen everything.
I was wrong. This is magic brought to life.
“This is what you were growing in the Crystal Courtyard,” I whisper. “This is what I startled.” I wrap my arm around his waist. “No wonder you wanted to kill me.”
“I did not want to kill you,” he protests.
“Oh, please. You looked like you wanted to wrap your hands around my throat and squeeze.” I can’t stop looking at the undulating flowers. “But now that I’ve seen this, I understand the impulse.” I tear my eyes off the forest floor and give him a rueful look. “Sorry about not staying on the path.”
He brushes a soft kiss against my lips. “I checked the Crystal Courtyard before we left,” he says. “I brought back six plants from Semra. Last year, I had one bud.” A smile breaks out on his face. “This year, I have six. They are all blooming.”
The plants are blooming again. They only flower when they are safe and happy. Much like me, when you come to think of it. I hold Adon close and watch the rosali dance, and everything is perfect.
Thank you for reading ALIEN BEAST!
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A Preview of Alien in Charge
I have better things to do than babysit a human. And her cat.
Someone has attacked the Human Federation Ambassador in Gehar territory, and out of an abundance of caution, the Empress has assigned me to protect the human until the culprit has been caught.
The new Ambassador, and her kitten, Luna. (Short for Lunatic.)
Yes, seriously. I, Jehan D’arana, Shield of Gehar, have been reduced to guarding a cat.
Then I meet the Ambassador, and everything changes.
Because she isn’t a stranger. She’s my ex. Keomi Hearne.
The woman that got away.
The woman I want more than ever.
But every time I try to be alone with Keomi, her kitten is there. Watching me with a sinister sneer as I make my move. Tripping me up. Dive-bombing me from the top of a cupboard and scratching my face. (Not that a Gehar warrior would ever think to complain about a little blood.)
And then, the situation goes from bad to worse. Someone’s seriously trying to kill Keomi. Her work is sabotaged. Her staff is poisoned, and her skimmer is blown up.
This assignment just got very real.
I am Jehan D’arana, Shield of Gehar. No matter what the wickedly adorable kitten may think, I’m in charge. Nothing is going to keep me from protecting the woman I love.
Jehan
I’m so ready for vacation; I can practically smell the beach.
I’ve already made my plans to foil the press. If I stayed on the core worlds, the paps would follow me around endlessly. Any woman I hooked up with would be subject to persistent and outrageous privacy intrusions. And so, I’m going to take a shuttle to the mercenary stronghold of Zabala. The scandal-hungry ghouls won’t follow me there—everyone in the core planets is terrified of entering Tadej D’elim’s territory.
A month on the beach. Catching up with Tadej. Finding a willing woman to fuck. Nothing but good times await.
Then my comm flashes a message from the Empress. “Lord D’arana, could you meet me right away?” An address follows.
The Empress knows my shuttle leaves in a few hours. We talked yesterday; the two of us had grabbed a drink together. I told her my plans. After trying to discreetly pump me for information about Tadej—the two of them have a love-hate thing going on—she’d told me to stay out of the tabloids as much as possible. I promised her I’d try.
So why the summons now?
Seema is my cousin. We grew up together. If she’s using my formal title, then it’s official Empire business. And if she comms me right before my shuttle leaves… Whatever it is, it’s a problem.
My plans crumble into red dust.
I am the Second Shield of Gehar. The tabloids might believe that I have been chosen to that post for my good looks and because I provide constant entertainment for the masses, but they are wrong. I was forged in fire. When it comes to matters of the Empire, I don’t shirk my responsibilities.
“Fine,” I write back. “But you owe me a drink.”
The address Seema sent me is a human eatery in the innermost ring of Mihwar. How very strange.
A year has passed since Dimek spoke the words of courtship to Mina Vardin. A lot has happened in that time. The human contingent has been given permission to relocate from the unstable moon of Yzad to Kissura, one of the three core planets of the Gehar Cluster.
Most of them have settled in Mihwar, the capital city. There are almost two thousand of them here, mostly traders. Some human corporations have set up exploratory offices here as well, all of them jockeying for Gehar favor. Three eateries have opened, focusing on human food.
This one is called Dongbei. I enter the luxurious premises and walk up to the human hostess. She recognizes me, of course. “Your Excellency,” she says, with a flutter of her eyelashes. A wide smile covers her face. “Welcome to Dongbei. This way, please.”
She shows me to my table, her hips swaying seductively. Her body language signals that she’d be interested in spending time in my bed. Any other time, I wouldn’t be opposed to it, but today, I regretfully have to pass up the opportunity to flirt. The Empress awaits.
Dongbei might serve human food, but its architecture is all Gehar. The structure is low to the ground. Rectangular corridors arranged in a maze that encloses several small private courtyards. Jasmine scents the air, and soft music is piped in from hidden speakers.
The hostess leads me to one of these courtyards, festooned with decorative lanterns. Seema, Empress of Gehar, is already there. At her side is her Chief of Staff, Hakan Abiri.
Fuck.
Hakan Abiri is ferociously competent, cunning, clever, and ruthless. He’s perfected the art of receding into the background, and most people overlook him, which is a colossal mistake, because Hakan is quite possibly the most dangerous person in all of Gehar.
The moment I see him there, my chances of going on vacation sink to zero. If Hakan is in attendance, it’s serious.
I walk up to the two of them. “This looks like a peaceful dinner. Why do I have a bad feeling about it?”
Seema’s lips twitch. “Sit down, Jehan,” she invites, gesturing to the empty chair at her right. She turns to the hostess. “We’re waiting for a few more people,” she says. “Could you have the kitchen send us a pot of tea while they arrive?”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
