Chapter 25

Brook woke with a start. She couldn't believe she'd fallen asleep while they were hurtling through space toward God knew where. Then she realized she was resting next to Ontarii and she relaxed again.

Snuggling into him, she watched as the big man slept. He was absolutely silent, the rise and fall of his chest the only evidence that he was alive and breathing. His face wasn't tense as it often was during his waking hours. Instead, he looked almost innocent, and much younger than he did when he was awake.

Although they'd only known each other for the space of hours, Brook realized now that she'd fallen hard for the alien commander. Not only was he handsome and brave, he was smart, compassionate, and capable.

Ontarii was everything Brook had always wanted in a husband. She just hadn't expected him to be an alien.

The thought of marrying an alien didn't fill her with discomfort like she thought it might. He's from another planet. So what?

His eyes moved back and forth rapidly beneath his dark eyelids. He's dreaming. She wondered what visions he was experiencing during his slumber.

Suddenly his eyes opened. He caught sight of her and gave her a tremendous smile.

"Hi there," he mumbled, then opened his mouth for a huge yawn. "I was just dreaming about you."

"You were?" she asked. "What were you dreaming about?"

He pulled her tighter, his voice rough with sleep as he answered. "We were on Zanthar, on an island near the colony where I grew up. I was showing you the giant sea turtles. I'd just set you up on one of the elder's backs for a ride when I woke up."

The image touched Brook deep inside. It gave her hope that the deep feelings she felt for the major weren’t one-sided. Then he stretched under her and she moved away, coming to her knees and doing her own stretching.

The ship continued on its path into the unknown.

"Do you think this rig has anything to eat?" she asked, putting her hand over her rumbling belly. It had been hours since she'd eaten, and she was definitely feeling the lack.

Ontarii sat up and looked around. "I haven't seen any panels that seem to open for storage. Have you?"

Brook shook her head. "No. The ship seems extremely sparse. Not useful for long journeys or large numbers."

They both stood, and split up, going to opposite sides of the craft. Then they started a slow scan, running hands over panels, searching for anything that might provide food or drink. Their search netted no results.

"This doesn't make sense," Brook said, her frustration leaking into her voice. "Why trap us here and take us away from my ship? Do you think this is what happened to my crew?"

Ontarii shook his head. "No. I think your crew's on my flagship. That's the only thing that makes sense. One of the Hareema convinced them to board the flagship, then said something that made my ship break formation and head off somewhere. Probably the home world."

His frown couldn't mar the perfection of his features.

Brook wanted to sigh at his physical beauty. He was an incredible creature, and she felt her desire for him rising. He'd already made her climax repeatedly, but she wanted more.

She struggled to pay attention to his words and not his body. "But why would they take our people but not us?"

"That is the question. Maybe we were chosen to be imitated. There's probably an Ontarii and a Captain Brooklyn on the flagship as we speak. Although they'd have to have figured out a way to fool the charge test into thinking they weren't shapeshifters." His brow furrowed. "There are so many loose ends in this mess that it's impossible to unravel it."

She stood close to him, patting him on the shoulder. "We'll figure it out before the end, handsome. Don't worry." Her smile was painted on, but she hoped he wouldn't notice.

He gave her a laugh, and it was only filled halfway to the brim with bitterness. It was a start.

"You know," he said, turning to her, his expression serious. "I think we should take this opportunity to talk about us."

"Us?" This was a surprising turn of conversation.

His face closed up. Maybe he was nervous. The thought made her heart beat faster.

"Yes. As you know, the mating frenzy has taken hold of me. If I do not mate my chosen female, I will die." She nodded. He'd said that much before. "It should be obvious by now who my chosen female is. All that remains is to mate you."

Brook swallowed. When he said it like this, it made it all seem so clinical. Where was the passion he exuded? It was entirely missing from his demeanor.

"If I am able to truly mate with you and release my seed, you will become my mate for life. I will not be able to take another - ever." He tilted his head as his eyes scanned her face.

Brook wasn't sure how to respond to his words. How did this make him feel? Happy? Disappointed? His expression gave no clues. She nodded, but didn’t respond. Staying silent seeming the most prudent course of action.

His eyes tightened. "I could just mate with you, release my seed to ensure that I will not pass away from the frenzy, and we could go our separate ways."

Those words hit her like a punch to the jaw. She could appreciate practicality in most things, but in a conversation like this, she hoped for at least a little romance.

"What if there's a child?" She thought the question a valid one. If he released his seed, couldn't it take root?

"That isn't very likely. We aren't the same species after all. This could all be a quirk of nature, something that happens once or twice in a hundred thousand times. The chance of offspring resulting from our union is slim, I would think."

Brook wasn't a biologist, so she didn't know if his words held water. It was more the tone of his words than their actual content that bothered her. He was aloof, slightly cold, and calmer than he'd been earlier.

Did this mean that he thought the wham, bam, thank you ma'am was the best solution? Love her, then leave her?

"Ontarii," she began, ready to lay all her cards on the table. This was her chance. If he rejected her, she could still thrive on the knowledge that he'd wanted her bad enough once to drive him into a frenzy. If he didn't reject her, if he felt like she did, then they would be able to plot a course into the future together. "I think you should know something. I—"

A buzzing sound came out of one of the consoles near them, interrupting her words. The ship jolted, and Brook stumbled.

"We must be reaching our destination," Ontarii said, grabbing hold of her to steady her.

Brook bit her lip. She'd just been about to profess her feelings for the handsome alien, and now she wouldn't have the chance. It was time to find out exactly where they'd been brought.