Chapter Nineteen
Kerr spent the rest of the day and night in bed. The following morning, he was up and ready to resume his usual routine, despite both his mate’s strident objections.
“I’ve rested enough, sprite. I have important matters to see to.”
“You can hardly call what you did in bed rest, Kerr. You wouldn’t let me up or leave me alone.”
He grinned at her, his amused gaze flicking to Jarlan and back as if to remind her the healer was still in the room.
Eva rolled her eyes. “After living on this planet for weeks and doing the things required of me, for you and by your physic, I have no modesty left.” She whirled and faced the other man. “I count nine times since he came out of his coma, and I’m not including the numerous, um, oral exchanges. Does that sound like rest to you?”
“No. It sounds like a man with impressive resilience and a great deal of stamina. You’ve convinced me, Eva.” The physic rose to his feet and, with his equipment bag in hand, started for the door. “Kerr, you’re cleared to return to regular activity. Call me if you have concerns.”
“What?” she protested close to a shout. “Jarlan, you can’t be serious. He almost died two days ago.”
“Eva,” Kerr murmured, pulling her close. “I’m fine. Perhaps you should stay and rest though. You’re a little…” He paused, searching for a word benign enough not to upset her further.
At the door, Jarlan smiled and suggested, “Hysterical?”
“Fine!” She threw up her hands and stalked away, tossing over her shoulder as she went, “But if you have a relapse, don’t come asking me to fix you again.”
Jarlan took this as his cue to leave and did so discreetly.
Left to battle on his own, he went to where she stood, staring out the windows, arms crossed, back stiff, silently fuming.
He curled his hands around her shoulders, using his chin to move her hair to the side, exposing her mark—his mark—and kissed her there, feeling her tremble beneath his hands as he did.
“You’d let me suffer over a silly disagreement?” With flicks of his tongue, he traced the elaborate curling and twisting lines, barely suppressing a groan at her delicious taste.
“I don’t think anything about your mate lying near death is silly, Kerr.”
As he latched onto the side of her neck, his arms wound around her. “Forgive me for teasing, anisa.”
He felt the tension in her body melt away.
Turning in his arms, she lifted her mouth as he lowered his, and they devoured each other with lips and tongue, hands driving into the other’s long hair, something neither could resist.
Unable to linger and take things further, no matter how much he wanted to, Kerr ended the kiss. He couldn’t miss his upcoming meeting, but he hated to be away from her just yet, not even briefly. Perhaps it was due to some residual effects of the separation sickness, but whatever the cause, he decided to bring her along.
She had a personal stake in the meeting’s outcome, after all.
“How would you like to come with me? You can watch me for this relapse you’re so worried about.”
“To one of your meetings?” Surprise combined with eager excitement shone in her eyes.
“Yes. In fact, I’d value your input on the topic up for discussion.”
Her smile was radiant. “I’d love to come.”
***
Kerr navigated the busy first floor with her hand in his. It was a familiar path now, though the last time she’d traversed the crowded public space had been under much more unpleasant circumstances. When they entered the Council room, her focus went immediately to the left of the door—and the coat hooks. She could barely contain her grin at the pleasant memories filling her mind.
“Behave, sprite,” Kerr said with a warning inflection.
“Sorry,” she uttered quietly, although she wasn’t, not really. From the indulgent look he sent her way, Kerr could tell, but he only shook his head, his lips quirking in amusement.
He led her to the front of the chamber. As they approached, Aylan stood and gave her his chair. When she sat at Kerr’s side, her keen interest turned to surprise when she saw Maggie and a few of the other senior officers from the Odyssey.
“What’s going on?” Eva asked. “Why is my captain here?”
“I decided it was about time we met and discussed a mutually agreeable arrangement.”
As he repeated her words to Maggie, her jaw dropped in utter astonishment. “You mean it? You’re willing to help my people?”
“Yes, which is why we are here today.” He called the hall to order. “Yesterday, I made a statement to the elders about change. In the past few weeks, we have seen much of it as we all learn to adapt to new people among us, different beliefs, and ways of life. We have already had the news of three pregnancies, and all but one of our mated pairs are doing quite well.” Kerr’s hand moved to her lap beneath the table and squeezed her thigh. “Captain Vohlmer, you were asked to poll your crew and about half of them were willing to be tested and potentially become Primarian mates.”
Hushed murmurs and sounds of surprise rippled through the group.
“Only half?” one of the elders asked, clearly disappointed.
“I was surprised the number was so high,” Maggie quipped. “But three years on a frustrating voyage with an all-female crew does strange things to a woman, I suppose.”
“What happens to the others?” Eva asked.
“They are free to return home.”
“I don’t understand. Are you just letting us go? How is this mutually agreeable? Except for the women who match, no one else on the ship gains anything.”
“Hear me out, impatient one,” Kerr murmured, before addressing the rest of those gathered. “I’m proposing an exchange. We will escort the Odyssey home and open negotiations with the leaders of Earth. In exchange for a safe, habitable place for the people of Earth to start over again, we would ask your females to be offered the option of making Primaria their home, instead. As mates to our males, of course.”
“An option?”
“Yes, Eva, it would be entirely voluntary.”
“Building a colony from the ground up won’t be easy. And the hardships back home have been many. Given a choice, I think many women will be interested. One hundred forty-seven from the crew have volunteered for testing,” Maggie explained. “And they are going in with their eyes wide open. However, before anyone is matched, they will be required to attend a series of educational classes about Primarian society to avoid some of the confusion and misunderstandings the original eight of you experienced.”
“That’s an excellent idea. I often wished for a rule book or English to Primarian dictionary of terms not programmed into the translators.”
“It was your king’s idea. In fact, he insisted on it,” Maggie replied.
“Princep,” Eva corrected, as she covered his hand on her thigh and squeezed in return.
The captain’s brows rose a fraction. “Isn’t it the same thing?”
She grinned, shooting Kerr a sidelong look, when she answered, “I believe it is.”
He turned his golden gaze on her. It warmed her as much as the knowledge he had been listening to her, all this time. She wanted to crawl in his lap and smother his handsome face with kisses but felt it might be better to wait for her show of happy gratitude for a private moment, later.
“When did you do all of this? You’ve been ill.”
“Kerr has been working on this since we brought the Odyssey to space dock.” This explanation came from Commander Rothke who was standing behind her captain and officers.
“Captured is a better word, I believe,” Maggie muttered.
“Semantics,” he replied.
Eva looked at Rebecca who sat quietly at Maggie’s side. She made a subtle shake of her head. Something was going on there, but she’d have to dig for more later. Earth-Primarian relations was more important news than an Odyssey officer and a Primarian warrior not getting along.
As she thought of the Primarian’s negotiating with the governments of Earth, she asked of Maggie, “Do you think our leaders will be open to this?”
“I’ve already sent word—and they have agreed to meet. Apparently, things at home are much worse, and they’re ready to consider anything. There is so much we can gain from an alliance. Not only a home and hope for a future, but uladite. A renewable source of energy that could sustain us for millennia. is—” She frowned. “Exciting is too bland a word to describe it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The hunting planet has some small inert stores,” Kerr explained. “Our scientists have a process to activate the uladite, but it takes time. But it would allow your people and your new home complete self-sufficiency in approximately ten years. It is a good-faith demonstration of our intention not to conquer or enslave your people. We want to coexist. There will be some rules, however, to protect Ventorcopia from the same fate suffered by your Earth.”
“It would be a fresh start,” Eva murmured, her eyes meeting Maggie, who nodded in turn.
Kerr wasn’t finished explaining his plan. “We’d also share other technology and our medical advances. Roth is interested in learning more about the stealth feature for hiding your ships, and our physics are eager to gain knowledge about your kind so they may care for the mates who come here. I’m sure there are many other ways we can benefit one another.”
“It all sounds very mutually agreeable,” Eva said. “Thank you, Kerr.”
“No, mate, thank you. Captain Vohlmer said this was your idea.”
“I had a small kernel of thought, which you expanded upon.” She smiled as he transferred their hands to his thigh, where he continued to hold it, their fingers intertwined. “I think this can work.”
“I hope, for both our worlds’ sake, that it will.”