It was three days since she'd seen her new gerion.

When they got back to their home planet, Eleya had sent Xaven away to Briolina's warrior academy. The entire mess was a nightmare, a hyperbole gotten out of control.

General Castalen was gone, replaced by a new warlord, as she'd predicted. Eleya didn't rejoice in death, but she was glad that the Titanium had a strong leader again. She'd already met the new general to officially give him the position he'd already earned with the sharp blade of his spear. Bormen looked like a capable warrior with a quiet intelligence, which was perfect for a Brion general.

The Galactic Union thought of them as fools with muscles of steel and Brions had kept it that way for centuries. It suited their purposes best to have the rest of the galaxy still underestimate them after all those years.

Xaven was the only loose thread from the situation. Word had gotten out – because of course it had. All the generals spied on each other, as did she. The galaxy would have been shocked to find out exactly how quickly word moved between the fifteen mighty flagships and Briolina.

So Eleya had did the best she could to cover it all up. No one wanted to start a snowball of disobedience on the flagships. She was certain the generals would restore order in no time, but it was better to avoid the loss of great warriors. Times were as troubling as they always were in the Union and Brions needed to be ready.

The official stance was that Eleya had pulled a talented captain away from the Titanium to see if he would be a good fit to become a spear master in the academy. Training young warriors was one of the few reasons why any active member of the army would ever leave a flagship.

That, and becoming the High Senator, Eleya added in her mind.

Xaven had accepted, on the condition that he didn't have to actually do it. Reluctantly, Eleya had agreed to authorize his return. She'd find a place for her gerion that kept the troublemaker away from anything that might damage the Brion battle-readiness.

Secretly, Eleya was impressed. It took some skill and stubbornness to have that kind of an impact in a warrior world where no two egos fit in one room.

A flash of emotion shot through her when Xaven entered her lounge in the High Senator's palace. It came as a surprise and Eleya wasn't entirely sure whether it was a pleasant one or not.

She'd hadn't expected to miss the man, just a little.

"My gesha," Xaven said, the wide smile on his face accentuating his handsome features.

He was coming in for an embrace, but Eleya took a step back, placing a hand on the warrior's armored chest and stopping him.

"Xaven," she said shortly, ignoring the call of her body. "It's good to see you."

It was harder to concentrate around the man than anticipated as well. Eleya hadn't lacked for male company after the death of her gerion, but she tired of them quickly. It was hard to hold her interest and most of the warriors she'd allowed in her bed were trying too hard.

Xaven wasn't doing that. Perhaps it was because he was her fated, but Eleya didn't think that was it. The captain simply was who he was and it appealed to her.

The fact that her body literally couldn't resist him was definitely helping, but Eleya was an expert at dealing with that.

Contrary to popular belief, she felt the desire and the pull in her failed bond. Eren had been her gerion and with every day when she refused to acknowledge that, the bond had tugged at her harder. It had made no difference to her, as Eleya had found. Her morals and her beliefs held, but there was no denying it had been hard.

She'd seen the man executed. It had been like someone had cut her heart in half, but after that, the relief had gradually set in.

Eleya was free. At least she had been for a long while.

"It's good to see you too," Xaven said, the tone of his voice making it abundantly clear he was intending to mock her formality.

Eleya gestured to the table by the balcony that opened into the cool and breezy Briolina night.

"Tell me about your trip," she said, taking a seat and ignoring Xaven's attempt to turn them into something they were not.

"The academy is what it's always been," Xaven said, pouring some wine for them. "Full of young upstarts and cannon fodder. They're the same as they've ever been."

Eleya leaned back and observed the captain. She couldn't deny the man was more handsome than she would have believed possible. The loneliness in her heart wanted to reach out to him, pull her fated close to her as it was supposed to be and let him heal her. Years after Eren had brought her physical comfort, but not the mental one. It was very possible to be completely alone in the midst of so many people.

Xaven was already proving himself to be an antidote for that. For example, Eleya had barely noticed that Towaren had accompanied them back from the flagship. She hadn't registered him boarding her cruiser, but when she sent her gerion away, her aide was there. Smiling, like he knew something she didn't.

For all that, there was something that rubbed her the wrong way about Xaven, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"We are all upstarts," she pointed out. "We are Brions. This is how we make our way in the world. No one gives us anything. We reach out and take what we want."

"I agree," Xaven said. "That's why I've always forged my own path, not followed others. You weren't the first person to suggest to me that I should be a general. I'm just not interested in it. All those young warriors trying to vie for the position."

The captain paused for a moment, looking at her seriously.

"You remember how it was," he continued. "I know you've killed idiots who thought they could take you on. Being a female general, I imagine you got more challenges than the men."

"True," Eleya allowed freely. "At first. After a few times my warriors learned the lesson that it wasn't just a fluke. From there on, the challenges were mostly serious. But I will admit, every year there are a few who imagine they can become a general straight out of the academy."

Xaven laughed.

The sound was deep and rich and melodic. Eleya had rarely heard someone laugh so... honestly. Most people she knew used laughter as a weapon like everything else. Given, those days she primarily dealt with politicians and generals. A sense of humor was a rare sight. Xaven's laugh told her that the captain was truly amused.

"Exactly," the warrior said, lifting his cup to toast her. "I don't know where it comes from. I met some of my old tutors when I was there. They haven't changed a bit and I remember them telling me that natural skill was only a part of a warrior's strength."

"That," Eleya replied, smiling to him, surprising them both. "Yes, I remember. My spear master used to tell me that he was constantly surprised by the arrogance of young warriors. In other species, it's sometimes hard to tell who the true champions are. All Brions look powerful to the Union, for example.

"But we have the valor squares. It's not like they're unnoticeable. They're designed for the opposite. In any situation, the person who has more crystals than you is bound to be better, or so the logic goes at least."

Xaven's eyes flashed with an idea he didn't voice yet. Eleya noted that, but didn't comment. She was intrigued despite her better judgment. Her gerion was unlike anyone she'd ever met before. It was refreshing, if not anything else.

"It seems elementary math is hard for our species," Xaven said, chuckling. "After all, even Diego Grothan has been challenged. That should say all you need you to know about Brions."

Eleya laughed, noticing how smoothly she had adopted the real laughter from him.

The joke had been a good one, after all. Diego Grothan was the most feared general in the history of Brions. It had taken the Galactic Union years to figure out that grothan wasn't his real name, but a title bestowed upon all young warriors, meaning "undefeated". He was the only one to never lose the title. It was an incredible feat, considering Diego kept his name by never losing a single fight, no matter how big or small.

"You have more valor squares than I do," Xaven pointed out then, bringing Eleya out of her musings.

She'd been staring at him, she noticed. With such a short period of time, she had learned every inch of the warrior's handsome face. If she had a gift for drawing, Eleya was pretty sure she could sketch him perfectly from memory.

"Naturally," the High Senator said. "I was a general. I fought many wars and I have more experience than you. We are the same age, I believe, but a general sees considerably more action."

"I have an idea," Xaven said, leaning forward and setting his cup on the table.

"That is the most ominous thing I've heard today," Eleya replied. "Go on."

Xaven chuckled.

"I want to duel you," he said. "I want to see how I would fare against you."

There it was. The reason why Eleya liked him so much even though she tried to keep the distance between them as big as possible, preferably insurmountable.

Xaven had as little care for propriety as she did. Life on Briolina went by under the flag of strict rules and regulations and customs. She of all people knew how very slowly their species changed, if ever.

The captain's proposition was preposterous. She should have denied him outright, sent him away again, but she didn't. Eleya wasn't entirely sure if she could, either. The Senate didn't rule like other worlds in the Union were ruled. They led. And only people who allowed that could be led.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I want to make a wager," Xaven said. "On myself. I only ever bet on myself."

Eleya supposed that was fair. She wasn't in the habit of trusting anyone else but herself either. So far everything she'd found out about him was proof that they were made for each other.

She wondered if fate was right this time. She wondered if it was too late.

"And what would you get if you win?" she went on.

"A kiss," Xaven said. "For starters."

Eleya eyed him coldly.

"You don't have to blackmail me," she stated, a bit hurt. "I know what the fated bond implies. And I don't find you unsuitable for me. It's coming. But not because you think we need to tick off some boxes."

Xaven's expression didn't falter for a moment.

"Is that why you think I want this?" he asked, taking a step closer to her and pulling Eleya into his strong arms. "For propriety's sake? To prove to some unseen force that we are the real thing."

The captain shook his head.

"I know your life has treated you badly, but I do not know why you're playing the fool with me. I know you're smarter than this. Everyone knows.

"I want you because I want you."

Eleya wished she knew what it was about. Not having all the answers wasn't how she liked to live her life. She stared at the captain, judging him wordlessly.

It would have been so easy to throw herself at him exactly the way she'd sworn not to. In theory, Xaven matched her in every way. He was as headstrong as she was, determined, powerful... not to mention gorgeous. It wasn't a necessity, but it sure helped. Eleya wasn't going to deny she'd had a harder time falling asleep than usual when Xaven was away at the academy.

She'd stayed awake, imagining what it would feel like to have a warm body sleeping next to her through the night. And still be there in the morning, hers and hers alone.

The nagging little doubt held her back. There were people on Briolina who enjoyed puzzles and riddles, but Eleya wasn't one of them. Her interactions with others got considerably more careful when she couldn't figure them out and Xaven was one such.

The bond was blinding her, that was the problem. Usually Eleya could zoom right in to the aspect that she had an issue with.

"I believe you," she said. "I just don't know if I want to play a game with something so important."

Xaven smiled at her. The sincerity of emotion caught Eleya off guard.

"You of all people should know that the bonds are nothing but a game," he said. "You take two hearts, set them on a board of life and see how they fare. And blindly, we jump into it, open ourselves up to another person in a way no one else in the galaxy understands. We do it, hoping that we win the ultimate prize, risking everything for it. How is it not a game?"

That was all true. Eleya hesitated, but Xaven knew her too well. Being a public figure came with the obvious drawbacks. The captain knew that as an ex-general, she couldn't back down from a challenge like that.

"Very well," the High Senator said, unable to keep the smile off her face.

That always happened when she was faced with the rare opportunity to practice what she loved most.

"For a kiss?" Xaven asked, the flame of desire surging skywards in his eyes.

"For starters," Eleya promised.