Chapter Two
Vala hugged her adoptive mother. She took the moment to remember the warmth and peace Vala always found in her mother’s embrace.
Such feelings of comfort she might never feel again.
Stop it, Vala. She had friends on Jasvar and surely she could make friends with other humans, too. She wouldn’t be completely alone on a strange, new world.
After another minute, she released her mother and looked up at the female with a similar tattoo on her forehead, although her mother’s hair was lavender to Vala’s white. “They should be boarding the Barren aboard the colony ship soon. I need to leave.”
Her mother smiled and cupped her face with both hands. “Rationally, I know that. But I have the strangest feeling this will be the last time you set foot on Keldera.”
A few tears trailed down her cheeks. Vala quickly wiped them away. “Even if that’s true, I will find a way for you to obtain passage to Jasvar at a later date. I promise you that, Mother.”
“What do I always tell you, Vala?”
“Don’t make promises you might not be able to keep.”
Her mother nodded. “Exactly. I’m not even sure I’d make the two-week journey to Jasvar. Space travel takes its toll on a person in later years.” Her mother lightly stroked her cheek. “I have lived my life, child. It’s now your duty to live yours.”
As she stared into her mother’s blue eyes, Vala memorized every line and curve of her mother’s face. “I intend to keep this promise. You’ll see. The military and research scientists are always finding new ways to make space travel easier. I’m sure there’s something to help get you to Jasvar.” The audio system boomed with final boarding calls for the Barren passengers. Vala smiled. “And since I must depart, there’s no time to argue with me.”
Her mother snorted. “I will say that’s a new excuse for escaping my hugs.” She pulled Vala close once more. “I love you, Vala. You’ll always be in my thoughts and dreams.”
Emotion choked her throat. For a split second, she wondered if she could truly leave everyone she cared for behind. Even if things were brighter once Vala arrived on Jasvar and was reunited with her friends, the two-week journey would send her back into the shadows, where she would need to follow the letter of the law or risk her place. It wouldn’t be easy, especially given her recently discovered assignment aboard the ship.
Before she could dwell on the difficulties ahead, her mother released her. “Go. They’ll close the shuttle doors without you, Vala, and I won’t have it. After listening to how much you enjoyed working with the princess and flying the shuttle, I know Jasvar is your future. Only there can you escape the restrictions on our kind and find your wings.”
“Mother.”
“It’s true. I only want what’s best for you.” Her mother smiled. “And you don’t have time to argue, either.”
Taking a deep breath, Vala bobbed her head. “I’ll send communications as often as I can.” From the corner of her eye, she spotted the last few stragglers boarding the shuttle to the colony ship. “I love you, Mother.”
“I love you, too, my darling Vala.”
Her mother raised a hand in parting. After one more second of memorizing her mother’s face, Vala turned away and somehow managed to rush toward the shuttle’s stairs. It took everything she had to keep her gaze forward and not glance back once more at the female who had taken Vala in as a baby and raised her as her own.
Tears threatened to fall again, but Vala kept them at bay by remembering her shuttle flight not that long ago, when she’d helped Princess Kalahn and General Thorin Jarrell to root out traitors and rescue Prince Kason. The power to move through space again on her own, as a pilot, motivated her to not run back to her old life.
Besides, she made a vow to see her mother again, no matter what it took.
Once Vala boarded the shuttle, she took her seat at the back, where the other females in brown, flowing dresses with intricate tattoos on their foreheads sat—the section reserved for the Barren.
She recognized the female with dark hair and golden skin from her childhood days. But the female named Setla had her eyes squeezed shut and gripped the armrests with her fingers, which meant this was probably her first shuttle flight.
As much as she wanted to ask Setla if she was okay or try to comfort her, it was forbidden for her to do so inside the shuttle since several children sat with their mothers at the front of the ship. Barren were never to speak to or in front of children unless they were under their care or had been granted permission by one of their parents.
After all, you couldn’t have the young ones asking too many questions.
Unless she wanted to risk ever setting foot on Jasvar, she would have to ignore some of her own desires until they reached the colony.
Not for the first time, she wondered how she’d been blinded by the harsh treatment of her kind for so long. Then she remembered most Barren lived in isolation, so it was easy to forget the outside world.
Reaching the back of the shuttle, Vala buckled in and looked out the window.
Soon the shuttle was in the air, and the yellow trees and black mountains of Keldera faded until the scenery was replaced with the darkness of space, albeit with pricks of light for stars and a few glowing planets in the distance.
The sight brought back memories of her piloting a shuttle with Princess Kalahn at her side, and later under Prince Kason’s guidance. Who knew, maybe one day even females could command starships, including the Barren.
With that goal in mind, she closed her eyes and slowly contained her emotions. They would soon be arriving on the colony transport ship, and Vala needed all the peace she could muster. Her assignment wouldn’t be easy.
After a glowing recommendation from Prince Kason and Princess Kalahn, Vala had been granted the honor of serving the general commanding the ship.
Unfortunately, the general in question was Thorin Jarrell. And judging by his looks of disdain and hatred during their previous acquaintance, he wasn’t going to make her job easy.
Nevertheless, Vala would succeed. Even if she had to keep her head down and remain silent during her work hours, she would do it. Thorin Jarrell wouldn’t take away her dream of freedom and hopefully eventual acceptance on the new colony.
The long shape of the Kelderan colony transport ship, painted in red and brown tones, came into view, and everything else fled her mind. The ship and its five thousand people was a new chapter for all involved.
She quietly wished for good fortune. They would all need it.
~~~
His peace restored temporarily because of his orgasm, Thorin exited his quarters and nearly ran into a white-haired Barren in her flowing brown dress. He growled. “Watch where you’re going.”
The female froze a second before standing. However, she kept her head bowed. Something about the shade of white hair was familiar. He ordered, “Look at me, Barren.”
She slowly raised her head. He barely paid attention to the tattoo on her forehead. Looking into her black eyes, he clenched his jaw.
The woman who had invaded his visions for nearly a week after meeting her during a previous assignment stood in front of him—Vala Yarlen.
He had only managed to purge his dreams of her in the last few days. How dare she appear to tempt him again in the flesh. “What are you doing here?”
To her credit, the few visible runic markings on her arms didn’t waver in color from dark blue. “I’m here to do my duty, sir.”
For an instant, he wondered if his second-in-command had sent a female to help relax him; more than a few Barren willingly offered themselves to warriors aboard spaceships.
But Thorin quickly pushed that thought away. From his prior research into the female, he knew she didn’t dally with any of the warriors. “I didn’t call for you. Explain why you’re here.”
Whether out of respect or to defy him, he didn’t know, but she bowed her head. “I’ve been granted the honor of seeing to your needs, General.”
An image of Vala naked on her belly and blindfolded as he took her from behind flashed into his mind, but he quickly forced it away. In this case “needs” referred to being his servant, not his lover. “What I need is to not see you. My schedule will be sent to you daily. Ensure that our paths don’t cross when you clean my room. Robot transporters can bring me my meals.”
She deepened her bow and remained silent.
Good. If the female kept out of his way and didn’t entice him with her black eyes and golden skin, he might avoid dreaming of her again. The thought of having a regular female to pleasure and claim was cruel since Thorin would never be able to take a bride of his own.
No one outside of the royal family must discover his true parentage or he would lose everything. For all he knew, the Barren would gossip about his skin glowing a faint blue to the others. Kelderans didn’t glow as they found release and word would spread.
A small voice inside his head reminded him that his urges faded whenever he dreamed of Vala Yarlen. However, Thorin was a disciplined warrior and dismissed the idea. No general with ambition would ever take a Barren for more than a few weeks. And he certainly wouldn’t trust a female with a secret that could not only rip apart his life and career but could make his mother’s remaining years full of shame and mockery for keeping a half-Brevkan bastard. Even if his mother’s memory was mostly gone, she didn’t deserve cruelty.
Then Vala’s light floral scent finally hit his nose and a primal urge to drag her into his quarters and tie her to his bed coursed through his body. It seemed finding and rooting out an antimonarchy traitor or two might not be his most difficult task for the journey to Jasvar.
Taking a step back, he turned away from her. “You may clean my quarters. Whatever you see inside is confidential. Break your silence and you will be punished. Be gone within the hour.”
Not wanting to chance hearing her voice or being bombarded by her scent again, he strode down the corridor. Each step caused her scent to fade.
After a few minutes, his calmness was wrecked with a new barrage of images. The recent onslaught included Vala on her back and looking up at him with desire as he glowed. No fear or disgust in her eyes, just acceptance.
Clenching his fingers and digging his nails into his palms, he banished the thought. No Kelderan, male or female, would accept his true self. Thorin could barely do so, and he’d had nearly three decades to get used to the idea.
No, he’d steer clear of the female, find a random Barren to sate his desires, and focus all his attention on his mission. Much depended on his success. The quicker he delivered Vala Yarlen to Jasvar, the quicker Thorin could busy himself with assignments and missions. Being a soldier was all he had. Her presence only renewed his dedication to serving. That way, he would be distracted from thoughts of a future or taking a bride.
Not that he wanted one.
The female was dangerous.
Thorin picked up his pace. If he threw himself into work, they might even launch a little early.
~~~
Vala watched Thorin disappear down the corridor. While he had a finely muscled broad back and walked with a confidence she yearned for herself, his orders and tone still rung in her ears.
She should be used to curt orders as most Kelderans viewed the Barren as second-class citizens. After all, a female who couldn’t carry a child had no worth. The final stage of Kelderan marriage required a pregnancy. Without the sacred confirmation, a female could stray and make a fool out of her lord, claiming they weren’t technically bound.
But for some reason, Thorin’s disdain and dismissal stung. Probably because she had been a crucial player in him being able to save Prince Kason and the leader of the Jasvarian colony not that long ago. Without her help, he most likely wouldn’t be a general in the present.
Still, it wasn’t her place to question. If avoiding him would ensure a satisfactory recommendation and her place on the colony, she would do it.
Shaking her head, she cleared her mind and pressed her thumb to the small panel next to the entrance of the general’s room. The door to Thorin’s quarters opened. Stepping inside, she tried her best not to gasp.
The bedding lay shredded on the floor, the small mirror on one side smashed, and she swore she saw a dent in the wall made of nearly indestructible composite material.
If Thorin followed normal protocol, access to the series of rooms was restricted to herself and Thorin Jarrell. That meant he had done this to his own quarters. The stoic warrior had a secret, unrestrained side to him.
She only hoped he didn’t do the same to the Barren who volunteered to share their bodies with him. Vala would have to keep an eye out and check. Violence against her Barren sisters was something she refused to tolerate. She might have little power over their fate, but she could possibly offer a shoulder to cry on and fake their medical records with an illness to keep them secluded.
Realizing she was judging the male without knowing him—something she suffered on a daily basis because of the special tattoo on her forehead—she pushed her judgments aside for the time being to complete her task.
Since Thorin had reminded her that the state of his quarters was confidential, she couldn’t request maintenance to repair the damage. She should use the replicator to make new bedding. However, she had no idea if the replicator’s logs were set to immediately purge after use or not. If they didn’t, anyone in engineering or maintenance could see what was replaced, and replacing almost everything in the room could draw unwanted attention, especially if Thorin’s outbursts were a regular occurrence.
So instead, she picked up the shredded bedding and laid it out on the mattress as neatly as she could manage. A small part of her wanted to see Thorin’s face when he viewed the rumpled mess. Most would merely fold up the scraps and place them into the laser incinerator. But she was too determined to follow his order to the letter while also adding her own flair to it. She didn’t think he’d scold her for something so trivial.
However, even if he requested an audience to admonish her, Vala would stand by her reasoning. Limited use of technology meant fewer records and generals tended to value discretion and intuition in their warriors. At least, that was the case from everything she’d read. In theory, Thorin should admire her dedication.
Still, as she lightly touched the dented section of the wall, she wondered what was behind his outburst. The second she’d received her assignment to serve him for the journey, she’d quickly researched further into Thorin Jarrell. All she’d managed to find before leaving were glowing reports of prowess in battle and dedication to his missions. There’d been no recorded history of violence. Not even his rank would erase his official military and peacekeeper records.
Glancing at the shattered mirror, tens of miniature reflections of her head stared back. Given the concentration of damage in the mirror, it had indeed been punched by a hand.
Yes, Thorin Jarrell was full of secrets. A part of her wondered what had caused him to destroy his quarters, let alone made him frown and look down at her when she’d only ever done as told.
Then she remembered her ultimate goal of living as part of the colony on Jasvar. She couldn’t afford to stir things up by asking questions. Even discreetly diving into the more extensive records she could access on the ship might flag someone in the security department. It was best to leave Thorin’s mystery alone.
Turning away from the wall and mirror, Vala moved into the cleaning and showering quarters. Before she could do more than note the drying clothes strewn about the floor, an unfamiliar musky scent invaded her senses. A vision of her naked and open to a male with a broad back and the toned physique of a warrior flashed inside her head. He moved his hips and pleasure coursed through her body. Her nipples tightened and throbbed before light flashed before her eyes. Something undefined but wonderful flooded her body, and she screamed.
As soon as Vala came down from the rush, she fell to the ground and the world turned black.