4
Drake felt his agitation rising. They had been in this blasted room for over an hour. His security officer, Ronan, was the main source of his anger right now.
Drake pinched the bridge of his nose. “I know it was a big risk going in there, Ronan. I don’t care. But we’re gone. We’re safe. And hopefully this showed the Da’Nesh we are not giving up.”
“It also showed our numbers, Drake,” Ronan argued, his fist hitting the table. “Don’t think for a second the Da’Nesh didn’t scan this ship once they realized we were there. It was detrimental to the cause. All for the sake of saving some women!”
“What would you prefer?” Drake’s voice was like ice. “Loss of intelligence or the loss of your leader? Because that’s what would have happened if they’d killed her.”
Ronan rolled his eyes. “Don’t even get me started on that Earth woman.”
Drake’s fist hit the table, making everyone jump. He slowly stood up, his muscles taut with anger. Everyone in the room was silent and could hardly look at him. “You are not to speak of her, Ronan, and certainly not with such disrespect. You are to address her as,” Drake paused, not really sure what to say. He didn’t even know her name yet, but that mattered not.
“You are not to address her until I speak with her. Then I will inform you on how she wishes to be addressed. Until that time I expect each one of you to show her kindness above and beyond that of a loyal guest. Do I make myself clear?” Everyone nodded in understanding; even Ronan gave a reluctant dip of his head. “Good. Let me know when we approach Halcydian. Until then I expect to be left alone.”
As soon as he left the stuffy room he felt better, but there was still a tight sense of fear and uncertainty in his stomach. He knew part of it was from his own nerves, but also perhaps he was feeling some from her as well.
His Beloved… a woman of Earth. Never in a millennia would he have guessed his soul match to be from Earth. It was such an antiquated society, only in the last decade even learning of other life forms and planets. And the Da’Nesh provided most of their information and history.
That meant Drake would have much explaining to do. The Da’Nesh version of history was quite different from fact. She would have a lot of questions. There would be a lot of talking. And he would have to keep himself in check.
He’d done a terrible job of that when holding her. When he’d lifted her off the floor in that arena she had instantly relaxed in his arms. Her curves had fit against him in ways he’d only dreamed about.
Drake was almost to her room when he met an anxious Zane in the hallway. “What is it?”
“She’s… not in there,” Zane looked over his shoulder.
Drake took a breath and reminded himself that this was the closest thing to a brother that he had. What he sorely wanted to do was rip his arms off. “Where is she, then?”
“She was cleaned and all patched up in the medical bay, but Ronan had given orders for her to then be taken down to a cell.” He held up innocent hands. “I was on my way to tell you, I just found out. She’s been awake for about an hour now.”
Bloody Ronan, again. Drake pushed past his friend without a word and rode the elevator down to the prison cells. Ronan was the last surviving advisor to the King of Alium, Drake’s father, and strove to protect their heritage at all costs. But this was going too far.
The lights hummed as he descended down into the lowest level of the ship. If she didn’t hate him before, she most likely would now. This was just about the most jumbled mess he’d ever gotten into. And it was so far worse than anyone really knew.
As soon as he entered the hallway he saw her. Those eyes, only before seen from a distance in the arena, were now just mere feet away. Slender fingers gripped the cool metal bars that separated them. He felt his purposeful stride slow, her eyes drawing him into somewhere he’d never been before, somewhere he’d never imagined.
Her rosy lips were slightly parted, as if she wanted to say something, but she remained silent. Those amber eyes just looked at him, a thousand questions swirling in a vortex of something he couldn’t explain.
He shook his head, as if in a trance, and pressed the lock release. The bars instantly disappeared. The medical bay had gotten rid of her tattered clothes from the arena, and she was now in a simple black pants, and sleeveless black shirt with the Alium insignia over her heart. Drake felt an insatiable pull to feel those curves against his skin again, but he forced himself to focus.
“Please accept my apologies for the treatment you have received. I was unaware. I am Drake of Alium.”
Her silence was deafening. Her throat worked up and down, and finally she said faintly, “My name is Ruby. Ruby Collins. I’m from Earth.”
Drake was fairly certain his heartbeat could be heard a mile away, but at this moment he could care less. With those words something inside him clicked into place, and it felt so right. And painful.
He gave a slight nod, moving to the side. “I know you have many questions. It would be my honor to answer them and aid you in any way. Would you like to go to your quarters? I’ve had some food brought up for us both, you must be starving.”
Her cheeks pinked and his stomach clenched in a different kind of hunger. “Thank you.”
They were silent on the elevator ride up, but he felt her eyes flicker to him every few seconds. When the doors reopened he groaned inwardly. Apparently it was dinnertime and every person on the ship was headed to the commissary, which meant they were all standing in the hallway. Some were openly gawking; others were at least attempting to hide their curiosity.
They walked down the hallway, whispers hummed around them. Drake saw one young cadet snap a picture of Ruby. Cadet… Evans was it? He would deal with him later.
Ruby’s eyes were darting from one side to the other, clearly in tune to what was going on around her. She leaned towards him and he caught the scent of something like honey and coconut. This woman was going to kill him. She asked in a low voice, “Why is everyone staring at me?”
If you knew the reasons you would run away and never look back, Drake thought. But he could give her the answer she deserved. Which was probably the most truthful anyway. “They’ve never seen someone who has slain a Syndarthian beast before.”
Her eyes widened. “A human has never… done that before?”
They arrived at the door and he waved his hand across the sensor to open it. He followed her inside and felt his lips part into a rare smile. “No one has ever done that before, Ruby.” The name rolled off his tongue like the most natural thing in the world.
She surveyed the room with a quick glance, looking confused. Alarm creased her features. “This is my room?”
“No,” he replied as the door slid closed and locked behind him. “This is our room.”