“But she’s mated to another,” Natalie said again.
“I don’t care about protocol. She’s mine. I won’t let her go.”
Roark looked at me from where he sat next to his son. “I wish you luck, Brax. But the Prillon warrior who has claimed her with his second may not let you live long enough to convince her to return to Trion.”
“She’s mine.”
The door slid closed before Roark could lodge further protest. I wasn’t afraid of the Prillon who had taken what was mine. Miranda was a complex and beautiful female. I knew her, knew her needs. He would know nothing, and I would be sure to prove that to both Miranda and the idiot who thought he could satisfy her better than I.
8
Miranda, Battleship Zakar, Command Deck
* * *
Commander Grigg Zakar, Trist’s boss, was huge, and a bit scary. I’d have been more worried if not for the equally intense woman who stood beside him. Amanda was human, from home. It had been two years since I’d been to Earth, but it was still home. But now, with Trist, even after a short time, I felt like home was with him.
“I’m the first bride ever sent into space from Earth,” she said, smiling proudly up at Grigg. I’d gone to Trion with Natalie. I could only imagine how afraid she’d been to do it alone. But having her mate waiting for her after transport… if he were anything like Trist, would have eased her mind right away.
The commander cleared his throat, and while he looked down at Amanda with love in his eyes, his words were a reminder. “To spy on me, mate.”
Surprised, I knew my head tilted to the side like a confused puppy’s, but I couldn’t help it. “You were a spy?” I asked, looking her over. She wore a pretty long dress in blue and looked nothing like a spy to me, although I had no idea what one looked like.
“CIA,” she confirmed. “I was supposed to come out here, steal weapons technology and determine whether or not the Hive were a viable threat.”
Holy shit. “What? The Hive a threat to Earth?” I’d heard of the Hive, of course. Everyone out here had, but I’d never seen one. Or been this close to the actual war. “I’ve never gotten near the fight. I was on Trion.” As if that explained it. “I haven’t seen one of them. Or been close to a battle. But being on a battleship…”
Trist leaned down, whispered, “We may be on the front lines, but I vow to keep you safe.”
Amanda’s dark brown eyes grew cloudy and she shuddered. “The Hive, they’re evil incarnate, Miranda.”
The thought made me a bit queasy until Trist’s hand settled around my waist and he pulled me into his side. I noticed Commander Zakar did the same with his mate and she melted into him like she was part of him. So intimate and familiar. Their collars matched, a deep blue, meaning she’d accepted his match and been claimed.
God, these collars were something else. Earth women would sell their souls for this shit, knowing what a man was really thinking and feeling? No hiding anything. No lies. Trist hid nothing from me, not his protectiveness, or his desire. He wanted me, and he was making sure I knew it every second of every day. I had to wonder if there was a difference, something even more intense, once the color matched.
Reaching up, I rubbed mine where it rested against my skin. It didn’t feel like a collar, not like I’d ever thought of them. A choker, something that cut off some of my air. Stifling, even. But this one felt like it was part of me, part of my skin. Like it had melted into my flesh and become part of me—the way Trist was beginning to feel. Like we were becoming one.
Amanda—Lady Zakar—laughed and the sound reminded me of home. “It’s crazy, isn’t it?” she asked, catching my eye and waggling her eyebrows. I knew exactly what she meant.
“Insane. Women would kill for this back home,” I said my thoughts aloud.
“I kn
ow, right?” She grinned.
The commander looked at me, his gaze focused. “Women should not kill anything. What are you referring to, Lady Treval?”
Lady Treval?
Holy shit. I was Lady Treval? And I realized, as I noticed every single member of the crew on the command deck trying to eavesdrop, that I was standing here speaking to the commander of the entire battlegroup, that my mate was second in command. Like the Vice President of the entire area of space.
Trist had given me a little lesson in battleship roles, so I wasn’t totally clueless, thank god. He’d even said that Lady Zakar was the highest-ranking officer on the civilian side. A big responsibility, especially since I got an idea of how large this ship was as we’d walked from Trist’s quarters to the command deck. And this was one ship of many.
Did that mean I was second in charge of all of the day-to-day living arrangements out here? What was I supposed to do? I wasn’t suited to be a leader. Sure, I was bossy as much as everyone else, but not like Trist. No way. I loved my teaching job. Did they even have teachers out here? Schools? Surely, they had schools. What did a school even look like on a spaceship?
Amanda giggled and patted Grigg’s arm. “Earth slang, mate.”
He replied with a little nod as if that explained it all. Perhaps it did, for not everything translated with the NPUs. Even a big, powerful Prillon couldn’t understand everything. Perhaps that was why she’d said it, to confuse her mate every once in a while?