His gesha.

Ever since he first consciously perceived the world as a system full of meaning, ever since he was told of the eternal bond that was waiting for him, Xaven had been waiting for her. His gesha, his true heart, the woman who would be his companion for life.

The captain had a reputation for a rash, quick temper and a sharp tongue. Having patience wasn't something anyone would have expected of him, but Xaven was patient where it mattered. For years, he'd waited for the recognizing moment all Brion men experienced.

Now, swept away by the rush of emotion, Xaven knew he'd never even gotten close in his imagination.

Eleya wasn't just the most beautiful creature he'd ever laid his eyes upon. She was a vision, a being of pure magic for him. The long dark hair looked soft and the captain couldn't wait to bury his hands into her curls, pull at them as she screamed his name in pleasure. Bright, clever blue eyes spoke of her intelligence and a spirit that couldn't be tamed. Her body was fit like a warrior's, strong but still undeniably feminine.

He knew who she was, of course. Never in a million years could Xaven have predicted that his gesha would be the ex-general who ruled Briolina.

Xaven knew about her past, too. Everyone did. She took his breath away nonetheless, perhaps even more because of that.

Eleya took a deep breath. Her pink lips curled into a smile, but there was some reservation there.

"I see," she said.

The tone of her voice didn't match the enormity of the moment, but Xaven supposed it was understandable. His gesha's first fated, Senator Eren, had been one of the biggest traitors in Brion history.

Even that paled compared to what had gone down between the fated couple.

For years, for most of their history in fact, Brions had believed that the fated bonds were indisputable. That the gods or fate or whoever ran their lives knew what they were doing.

Eleya was the first one to speak out against it. She was the first to publicly admit she'd denied the bond, refused to accept it because the man fate had chosen for her was unacceptable to her. The High Senator had spoken about it, as much as she could manage, to give courage to others who were in a similar situation.

Xaven had always admired her for her courage. The traditions about the fated bonds ran back millenniums.

"You don't visit the flagships often, High Senator?" he asked.

"No," Eleya admitted, casting a hard look at General Castalen. "Only when my hand is forced."

"I have to assume you're here to kill me, then," Xaven said, unable to keep the smirk from his lips.

The cold, calculating look Eleya gave him, turning her attention back to him, made his body stir in desire. His cock pressed against the inside of his armor and every inch of his flesh ached to feel her naked, tanned skin against his. Xaven had always dreamed of a female who would be a match for him, but Eleya was so much more. She was one of the few women who he actually believed could give him an honest duel.

There weren't many others. The general staring at him, despite his gender, certainly wasn't one of them.

"I was," Eleya admitted.

Xaven's smile spread wider on his face. He couldn't describe in words how his gesha pleased him. All Brions enjoyed challenge and Eleya was the hardest he could imagine. The female had shown she had a mind far beyond the rest of their species. She was independent and fierce and strong – and clearly not afraid to do what was necessary.

"Considering the circumstances, I no longer think it's appropriate," Eleya went on, not a hint of humor on her face although it was obvious she was joking.

"Hmm," Xaven agreed. "I have to agree. So what now?"

Eleya looked at the general again. Castalen was staring at them both like they were personal insults to him, which was utterly true. Xaven couldn't imagine how anyone could have respect for the man. Castalen was powerful like a bull, but that was it and his strength wouldn't carry him forever.

"You can't stay here," Eleya finally said. "If you don't intend to challenge General Castalen, I will remove you from the flagship altogether."

Xaven looked at her, nodding slowly. He understood, after all. Brion flagships ran on honor and duty and he was throwing a wrench into the works. It was just impossible for him to obey the commands of someone who didn't deserve to be obeyed.

"I will join another flagship, then," he said, shrugging.

"We'll see," Eleya said sharply. "General, I trust you have no protests about this?"

Castalen's hard eyes observed them both.

"You know as well as I do that I will be dead in two days if you remove him from my service," he said.

"Yes," Eleya said. "That is the Brion way."

The High Senator turned on her heel and left the room, with Xaven following after giving the old general one last look. Castalen's hatred followed him out to the hall and the captain could still feel it when they reached Eleya's cruiser.

"Out of curiosity, why didn't you challenge him?" Eleya asked as the cruiser was taking them back to Briolina, shining in the distance. "You have the strength to be a general. It's obvious just from looking at you."

Xaven nodded. He could sense Eleya's desire, standing so close to his gesha. Brions had incredibly sharp senses. It was said they could hear a feather drop, which was a lie – and the beating pulse of their enemies, which was true.

Eleya was as far from being his enemy as it was possible to be, but Xaven loved the reactions of her body when he was close to her. He had to strain to hear something so miniscule, but it was there. If he tried, he could hear how much his gesha wanted him.

"I never wanted to lead the army," Xaven admitted.

Eleya looked at him with a confused expression on her gorgeous face.

"You have to be the only Brion in existence who would say that," she told him, continuing after a bitter pause. "I should put you in charge of the Senate and take that old fool's job myself."

"You have done Briolina a lot of good," Xaven said, choosing his words carefully.

Eleya's disdain for the senate, her position and the generals responsible for giving her the charge was very well known.

The High Senator nodded with a sad smile.

"I know," she admitted. "It's not like I don't see the benefit of having a warrior lead the Senate. Before I took over... You remember how it was. The generals are foolhardy at best and completely impossible at the worst. I couldn't even count the number of messengers they've killed over the years if they came bearing bad news."

"Have they tried it on you?" Xaven asked, leaning against the cruiser wall, mesmerized by his beautiful fated. "I can't imagine that."

Eleya laughed. The sound carried through the room like a balm, washing over the captain like the caress of her soft hand. He fell in love with her voice just like that, in the blink of an eye. She sounded like an entirely different person when she laughed. He wanted to hear more, so much more.

Every high and low that voice could reach. For example, when moaning his name...

Xaven had to willfully force himself to calm. Just like he could read Eleya, the High Senator could read him right back. The valor squares on his neck were already beaming, reflecting his emotional state and an ex-general would have had no problem reading him like an open book.

The hidden smirk playing at the corners of Eleya's lips told him that was exactly the case.

"They did," Eleya admitted. "At first. Some sent their champions to deal with me. I sent them all back in pieces until they realized the generals had to show their faces in person. I showed the error of their ways, you could say. Now they love me. Warriors hate dealing with politicians, so I'm the messenger between them."

"I imagine getting caught in the middle is not fun," Xaven said.

"It's not," Eleya said, shaking her head. "But that is not important. Brions are important. The glory of our species and our alliance with the Galactic Union. I'm willing to sacrifice for that."

Xaven agreed.

For a moment, Eleya had relaxed around him, but as soon as he took a step closer to her, his gesha tensed up again, moving away.

"Stop," Eleya said firmly, holding out her hand.

The light in her light blue eyes was sad and a little distant, like there was a wall between them that Xaven couldn't see. He felt it, though. It was as real as they were. Eleya might as well have stood on the other side of the galaxy.

"I don't doubt you," his gesha said. "No Brion man would lie about the fated bond, but I'm sure you understand this comes as a shock to me. After Eren, I never imagined I could have another fated mate."

"Fate gives us what we want," Xaven said, taking a step closer to her. "Second bonds aren't unheard of. They aren't even a rarity."

"I know," Eleya said. "But I didn't imagine it happening to me. You know my first bond didn't work, so..."

She was silent for a long moment as the cruiser starting shaking a little, signaling that they were entering the atmosphere of Briolina.

"I suppose it's not fair to compare you to Eren," Eleya said, looking at him seriously. "You are not him and I can't blame you for any of the wounds he left behind.

"I just need you to know that I can't love. You are my new gerion and I accept that. I'm sure we can handle each other fine, but don't expect me to throw myself at you, because that will not happen."

Xaven considered her words. Every last one of them cut straight to his core, more painful than any blade. He looked at the beautiful female in front of him, perfect for him in every way, realizing only then that the beauty hid so many wounds that hadn't healed.

With Brion unflappability, stronger than the roots of the galaxy, he accepted that.

It was a tradition for all Brion geshas to fight at first. Historically, it symbolized the strength of the bond – the fated couple had to earn their love through hardships and battle. It was the only way to show that they were willing to give everything of themselves to the other.

Like all extremes, it had also been proved a myth. Eleya was a living example of the fact that sometimes geshas fought until the end and never gave in. And some females never bothered with playing coy when the love they'd waited for their entire life stood in front of them.

As for Xaven, he welcomed the challenge. Eleya was a female worth fighting for and then some.

He took her hand, pulling the High Senator into his arms. Eleya didn't resist, but the willingness of her body didn't sit well with the coldness of her eyes.

Xaven pressed his hand to her heart, loving the feel of her warmth against his flesh. Her perfect breast was soft and fit into his palm like she was made for him. A soft smile and a raised eyebrow proved to Xaven that Eleya wasn't nearly as stony as she appeared to be.

"This heart might not beat for me yet," he told her, his deep voice calm and firm, "but it will."

Eleya looked at him. She was tall for a female, but even she had to crane her neck a bit to meet his gaze.

There was a fire burning behind her blue eyes. It was the life spirit of every Brion, impossible to damage and put out before the Brion drew their last breath. It fed and nurtured every other emotion in their bodies.

Xaven saw the flare when he spoke and had to fight to keep the victorious smile off his lips.

Eleya was an ice queen, but he'd melted the first drop off the walls that surrounded her heart. The captain knew that it would be a hard task to get a woman like Eleya to open up to him the way a fated was supposed to, but it was a battle he entered happily.

Luckily for him, Xaven had all the patience in the world where it mattered.