She threw her head back and laughed out loud, the sound one of utter delight. I froze, shocked at her reaction. I’d expected her to be angry or embarrassed. Instead she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “You’re welcome, Lady Deston.” She placed a heavy emphasis on my new title. “You’re very, very welcome.”
I felt my eyes widen and she winked at me as her mate gently pulled her toward the door. She looked back over her shoulder. “We are going to be great friends, Hannah. I’ll see you again, soon.”
I waved as she left and turned to find Dare studying me, his nostrils flaring as if he could smell my arousal. Then I remembered that he could, in fact, feel it through our connection. A guilty blush crept up my neck and face, and I knew I was turning a bright pink. I’d liked… no, loved, what Captain Hendry and his second had done to Anne. I craved that kind of dominance.
“Explain, Hannah.”
I shook my head, refusing to tell the man my true feelings, and took my first bite of lasagna instead. The flavor of tomato and oregano, mozzarella cheese and thick noodles exploded on my tongue. It was the best lasagna I’d ever tasted. I made a small sound of pleasure and hurried to take another bite, my stomach suddenly an empty, aching cavern.
Dare watched me for a moment, then decided to let the matter drop, eating his own food quickly.
When we were both finished eating, a kind-faced Prillon woman walked to our table and took our plates with a shy smile. I thanked her, and she bowed to me. “My pleasure, Lady Deston. Welcome. May you find much joy among us.”
“Thank you.” I looked up to discover that everyone who was still in the dining hall, which was eight unmated warriors, six small children with their mothers, and one mated couple who appeared to be in their sixties were all watching us openly. I turned to Dare, suddenly uncomfortable to be the center of attention. “Why are they all looking at me?”
His chest was puffed up with pride, and his smile one a man gives when he is feeling generous and all too pleased with himself. “They are waiting to meet their new lady. The commander is second in line to the Prime on our home world.”
I had no idea what a Prime was, and my confusion must have shown on my face.
“The ruler of our planet. Our king.”
Holy shit. Deston was third in line for the throne of his whole freaking planet? I felt my chest get tight. Hot. It was hot in here.
I looked from the approaching couple to Dare, who appeared to be enjoying my moment of panic, because he continued. “Zane, my cousin, is also the most feared warrior on the front. He is the commander of the entire coalition fleet, not just this battleship and its battle group. You are Commander Deston’s bride, Hannah. And the second highest ranking member of our entire fleet.”
“What? What does that even mean?” I whispered the question in a hurry, as the elder warrior and his bride were already approaching the table. I didn’t know anything about war, or battleships, or their enemy. I knew how to wipe noses, sing ‘Wheels on the Bus,’ and paint the alphabet with watercolors.
Dare leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, nodding almost imperceptibly to the male headed toward me. “The Prime rules our planet, but the commander rules all of the coalition military forces. He has more real power and influence than the Prime, because he oversees warriors from all member worlds. Zane rules this region of space. On Earth, Hannah, I believe you would be called a queen.”
For the next hour I was introduced to and greeted by everyone in the room. I couldn’t complain. They were friendly, warm, and seemed genuinely happy to meet me. I tried to smile and make small talk, but the truth was, with my stomach full and the day’s events wearing me down, I was getting tired. Dare watched me like a hawk, and the moment the last chubby little hand had held mine, he stood.
“Thank you all for your kindness to Lady Deston, but she is weary from her transport. I must take her back to our quarters now for some much-needed rest.”
They all nodded agreement and Dare wrapped his arm around my waist and led me from the room in almost the exact same way Captain Hendry had led Anne. He towered over me, but he didn’t remove his hand as we walked the hallway back to our quarters.
The walls shifted from a dark orange, to blue, then back to the familiar cream-colored brown that I knew meant we were close to our private quarters. As we approached, my thoughts turned to Zane. He was in charge of the entire outer space army, the same army that protected Earth and all the member worlds? He was the leader of all of it?
And more important, would he be in our quarters, waiting for me? What was I going to be dealing with when those doors opened and I stepped inside?
Dare must have felt the muscles
along my spine tense as we drew nearer.
“The commander will be on the command deck all night. We arrive at the front soon. I have a few hours before I must report for duty. He will return for you then. We will always care for you, Hannah. You will never be alone or unprotected, not while we live.”
“Yes, but you might die. Both of you. I can’t give myself to a man—to two men—who willingly put their lives in danger.”
“You are a bride of Prillon, Hannah. To be sent here means you are like us, you seek the harsh edges of life, Hannah. You enjoy a sharp bite of fear or pain, that hint of danger.”
I remembered the dream and the hand about my throat. It hadn’t been real, but I’d felt it. I’d liked it, being tied down, submitting to not one man but two, his power over me evident in the way he touched me.
“I see by the flush on your cheeks that you admit this is true.” When I was about to speak, he held up his hand, tucked a finger around his collar. “You can’t hide it. Perhaps Zane may choose to deny it as well, for fear of hurting you, but I can see it clearly. You were matched to Prillon because of our prowess, in bed and in battle. If we weren’t warriors, you wouldn’t want us. You must relent and trust in the match.”
“Yes, but…” I began, but bit my lip.
Dare cocked his head. “What?”
I tugged at my collar. “I sense… I sense he’s holding back.”