Chapter Eleven – Vanessa
Being back at the Sanctuary felt like home for the first time. Vanessa hadn't realized how much she missed sleeping in her own bed until she spent a night in the little apartment she had been assigned to when she woke up. It also helped that by the time they got back to the Sanctuary, she knew for certain that Taliga was going to be fine. He was malnourished, dehydrated and suffered severe blood loss, but he was fine.
The day after they arrived back at the Sanctuary, Taliga was in meeting with Zon and other leaders of the Sanctuary from dawn to dusk. After night had fallen, Vanessa was finally allowed to see him. The room they had given him was comfortable, with a narrow bed and a small kitchenette, but locked from the outside. He smiled at her when she came in.
"So, what's the prognosis?" she asked, sitting on the bed beside him. "Are they arresting you?"
"They're giving it a trial period, but apparently Zon is impressed by my actions in protecting you despite the fact that I kidnapped you. I've been offered a place to stay here if I want. Me, living here. It's not at all what I was expecting."
"But it's still a good thing, isn't it?" Vanessa grabbed his hand and squeezed. After all they had been through, she couldn't imagine him just leaving her. But her life wasn't in danger anymore. What if he decided that this life wasn't for him? "I mean, they're not going to arrest you or worse."
"No. They're not."
Vanessa bit her lip hesitantly. A pale splash of fleshseal clung to his arm, but other than that, there was no indication that he had been wounded at all. And he still wore her necklace around his neck. That had to mean that he was going to stay, didn't it?
Taliga cupped her face. "What are you looking so worried for?"
"I'm not really…" Vanessa shook her head. "Okay, I'm a little worried you won't stay. I mean, we were thrown together by chance, and after everything that happened… It's just a really strange situation, isn't it? Maybe I'm not sure that I'm enough of a draw to keep you away from your life of crime."
Taliga grinned at her.
"Don't look at me like that." She smacked his shoulder lightly. "So what if I'm being insecure. You're staying, aren't you? Please tell me you are. I don't know what I would do if you weren't. I would want to go with you, but I don't know if I ever want to leave the Sanctuary again. It's a dangerous world out there."
"It is. But I'd die to keep you safe."
Vanessa shook her head. "I know that. But I don't want you to die to keep me safe. I want to live a long, happy life with you."
"And I want the same. We're married."
"Most T'shav don't marry. They just take mates."
"That doesn't mean that I don't understand the importance of the vows we took. Especially to you." His lips brushed lightly against hers. "I'm not going anywhere. Not while you want me to stay, at least. Which reminds me."
He stood and crossed the room. Atop a shelf was his black broadsword. He picked it up and offered the hilt to her. Vanessa took it hesitantly. It was insanely heavy, and she couldn't actually hold it without Taliga bracing up the other end.
"I gave this to you as part of our wedding vows. It's yours."
"Thank you." It was an amazing sword. Beautiful. Even if she couldn't actually wield it. "So will you want to keep using it, or will you get another one?"
"This one is yours. I'll make a new one to represent this new stage in my life." Taliga returned the sword to the shelf.
Vanessa admired the contours of his muscles for a moment. "You know, I didn't marry you because I thought that your plan would save us. I mean, I believed you when you said that they wouldn’t kill us straight off, but I didn't think it would work in the long run."
"You didn't?"
"No. But I didn't really care. I could only think that all I wanted was to be with you. To be bound to you forever. I thought, if we were going to die, I wanted to die as your wife." She shrugged. "And because I thought there was no way that we weren't going to die, I didn't see any reason to let you kidnap me in the first place stop me from getting what I wanted. Marriage and a wedding night."
Taliga's smile slipped off his face. "Do you regret it?"
"No."
"No, I meant… when we made love. We only did it because we thought we were going to die. Now, knowing that we weren't going to… it seems like…" Taliga sat beside her and dragged his hand through his hair. "It's just that you wanted your first time to be special. And it wasn't. It was desperate and not at all the way it should have been."
Vanessa felt a bubble of warmth fill her chest. She smiled, turning him to face her, and brushed her lips on his. "I wouldn't change it for the world, Taliga. No, it wasn't what I imagined it would be like, but that hardly matters. I needed you, and you were there. I didn't regret it then, and I don't regret it now. For one thing, if we hadn't made love when we did, I wouldn’t be pregnant."
Taliga's head jerked up. He stared at her for a long time before a grin burst out over his face. "You are?"
"Yes. We're going to have a baby."
Her husband laughed out loud. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against his chest. He kissed her hotly, making fires flare throughout her body. Their eyes met, and there was no need to ask.
Taliga tugged at the dress she was wearing, breaking the kiss to pull it over her head. She leaned forward to resume the kissing, but he put his hand on her shoulder and stood.
"You're beautiful."
She felt heat rising in her cheeks and then pooling low in her belly at the look of desire in Taliga's eyes. He slowly unhooked her bra, sliding it off her arms. She shivered, then let out a soft moan as his hands caught her breasts, caressing them gently. Vanessa arched her back to push them more firmly against his hands as she reached for his belt. His var'ki dropped to the floor, letting her see him for the first time. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at him from head to toe.
He was the most stunning thing she had ever seen before in her life.
"We should slow down," Taliga said, kneeling on the floor between her thighs. "We should still be kissing right now. Working our way up to this point. The build-up is half the fun."
"Next time," Vanessa promised, hooking her thumbs into her underwear.
Taliga caught her hands and pushed them firmly into the mattress before his took their place. He slowly pulled her underwear off, leaving her exposed to his view. Vanessa grinned and watched as his eyes trailed down her body. They heated, and he leaned forward, catching her mouth with his. His kisses were fevered, building the heat ever higher in her own core.
His hand slid between her thighs, his mouth trailing down her neck to focus on her breasts. The combination was more than Vanessa could take. Her whole body arched to him, sharp tingles shooting like electricity from her skin to his. Like their first time, his actions were slow and deliberate, but unlike the first time, she found herself reveling in every action, wanting every kiss and touch to prolong forever.
Her fingers wove into his hair as he trailed kisses from her breast down her stomach to the place where his fingers danced. With the first touch, she thrust her hips forward, falling back on the bed, crying out. Taliga jumped as though startled, then laughed and repeated his action. Something tightened inside Vanessa, her body feeling like it was about to burst into flame. She was soon breathless, clawing at the bed beneath her. How could he evoke such sensations in her?
Just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, it happened. The flames burst, sending shockwaves up and down her spine, radiating into her limbs. Her eyes widened and her spine curved and a million choirs burst out singing in her brain. She was aware of Taliga moving her so she was fully on the bed. Then he was over her. Then he was in her, and the chorus reached a new crescendo.
She didn't think it could possibly get better, but it did. And every time she thought she had reached the highest point, Taliga was there pulling her higher and higher. And when he was done, she lay on the bed, gasping for breath, her thoughts a scattered mess.
***
Taliga's hand laid gently against her stomach, making her stir. Vanessa opened a sleepy eye and smiled at her T'shav. Her whole body still throbbed with the gift he had given her, and she had never felt so at peace. She snuggled deeper into his arms.
"We've got a little baby in there. A strong baby," he murmured.
Vanessa nodded. She yawned. "Do you know now?"
"Know what?"
"If I'm your Starmate. It's okay if I'm not… I know that not all T'shav have Starmates. And I'm not sure that I really believe it, anyway."
Taliga chuckled in her ear. "I do. I've always believed in Starmates. And yes, you're mine. It's the only thing that makes sense. We were destined to be together. From the beginning of time to its end. I love you, and I will always love you."
"I love you, too." Vanessa smiled as she drifted back into sleep. At last, she was home.
*****
THE END