Colonial Commander (7 page)

Chapter 11

Ava ached in the best way possible when she woke up. AshOR had proved to be a thoughtful and thorough lover. She smiled and felt heat rise to her cheeks, remembering how he woke her from her slumber in the middle of the night. His mouth was on her clit, and he stroked her with his fingers over and over until she came hard. The man was so hot; maybe he was too much for her to handle? When he touched her, she forgot about everyone and everything else.

Since she’d slept in a little late, she skipped morning meal and headed toward the medic wing. She wanted to be there to help the medics when they moved the survivors to the other transport. When she walked in, however, it seemed like nothing was being done. She’d thought they would be running around getting everyone on something portable. She walked over to Zander.

“I thought that you all were being moved to the Kiljorn transport this morning.”

“It’s been delayed. The Morins have attacked another planet, and Commander AshOR took the Kiljorn transport to go after them.”

She felt woozy and had to reach out and grab hold of the bed to keep from falling. “When did he leave?”

“A few hours ago. Ava, are you all right? I can scent pain, and…” He placed his face next to hers, inhaling, and then growled. “You shared sex with him! Tell me, why did you do that?”

“I don’t have to answer to you. Who I’m with is none of your business.” She stalked away, going to check on the other survivors and giving them each a supportive smile. All she wanted to do was find a corner to cry in. AshOR could be hurt or killed. These Morins had no sense of right and wrong—they killed anything that got in their way.

She left the medic wing, pausing in the corridor to wipe her tears. She felt someone coming up behind her.

“He doesn’t deserve you,” Zander said, leaning against the doorframe.

“I’m not up to dealing with your jealousy right now. A man I care about is heading into battle, and I may not see him again.” Her voice broke.

Zander sighed and held open his arms. She hesitated for a few seconds and then went to him, needing the embrace badly.

“Commander AshOR is an experienced warrior. He knows what he’s doing. Besides, he has you waiting for him, so he’s going to do everything in his power to get back safely. I know I would if you were mine. Do you have love for him?”

“There are times he drives me completely crazy, then other times he’s sweet and makes me laugh. Plus, he’s beyond sexy. I’m falling in love with him.” She wasn’t sure why she was telling Zander all this, but he was surprisingly easy to talk to. She pulled out of his arms and looked up at him. “Sorry, I’m just a mess today. I wanted to come to help move you to the other transport, and I also wanted to talk to you about your people.”

“What about my people?”

“There are counselors on the Katieran transport. I thought I would see if one of them would go to the Kiljorn transport to help your people work through what happened to them.”

“What is a counselor?”

“It’s kind of like a medic, except for your mind and emotions.”

“I do not trust anyone else. It’s hard enough dealing with these alien medics. My people proud, and they would not accept someone messing with their minds.”

“The counselor would help your people deal with losing so much, especially your sister.”

“I do not know these counselor people, and would not trust them.” Zander wrapped his arm over his chest stubbornly.

“It would be someone like me, a woman from Earth who would care about your people.”

“Why can’t you be our counselor?”

She sighed. “Zander, I’m cross-trained to do a lot of things, but the type of long-term counseling needed in this case should be done with professionals who specialize in it. Think about your people, about your sister and what she needs right now. You may want justice and vengeance, but she needs comfort and reassurance.”

Zander glanced away, holding in his tumultuous emotions. “I will trust you to find someone to help my people.”

It meant a great deal for Zander to place the decision in her hands. She tried to think of all the women she’d met onboard the Katieran transport. She was sure there were counselors among them. Wait, her friend who was here on board the Kiljorn ship could start the process; she did part-time counseling.

“I think I know someone who can help. I’ll talk to her about it today.”

“Thank you.” Zander turned to head back inside, but paused. “I am sure that Commander AshOR will be safe and will return to you soon.” He re-entered the medic wing, leaving her alone.

God, please let AshOR come back to me.
She’d spent one night in his arms, and something unexpected had happened: her heart had opened and let him in. If something happened to him now, she would be devastated. Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision.

“Are you okay?”

Ava turned to find Lizzie, Commander TylOR’s mate, coming toward her. She quickly wiped away her tears. “Hi, what are you doing here?”

“I came to visit with the survivors. When TylOR told me about them, it broke my heart. I wanted to see them for myself and offer comfort. Why are you in the hallway crying?”

“I just found out that AshOR is going after the Morins. He didn’t even tell me before he left. I might not see him again.”

Lizzie took her in her arms and patted her back. “These males are so strong and stubborn. He probably didn’t come to tell you face-to-face because the moment he saw your expression he wouldn’t be able to leave you.”

“I don’t know about that.”

Lizzie patted her hand. “Trust me on this, I’ve been mated a little while now and I’ve spent time with TylOR and AshOR. AshOR is very similar to his brother TylOR. AshOR has spent more time with humans and has taken on some of their characteristics, but deep down he will always be a Katieran or Colonial male. They have to be strong, warriors and protectors for those who are weaker. I’ve seen him fight, and he’s really good. He’ll do everything he can to come back to you in one piece.”

Ava nodded and pulled out of Lizzie’s comforting embrace. “Thanks, I needed to hear that. I just worry about him. After last night…”

“Wait, did y’all mate last night?” Lizzie’s voice rose with excitement.

Ava moved closer and whispered, “We had sex, but he didn’t want to officially mate me until later, after he completes his mission. That could change, though. He could change his mind about me.”

Lizzie snorted. “Honey, don’t let him fool you. I saw the way he looked at you and acted during the dinner. He already thinks of you as his mate. I know him. The question is, do you want him as
your
mate?”

Ava nodded as another tear fell down her cheek. She did, she wanted to be with AshOR. “Yes.”

“Then when he returns, which he will, you need to make sure he claims you in every way possible.”

“What about his mission?”

“You can stay with him and help him with his mission. I did with TylOR, despite his bellyaching about it. Of course now that we’re expecting a baby, we’ll both go back to Kiljor together. The thing is, mates should be together.”

“I guess I could try to convince him.”

“Don’t try do. Force his hand: he mates you or loses you. He won’t take the chance someone else will swoop in and take you from him. These guys are extremely possessive, but in a good way. Now, how about you introduce me to the survivors?”

“Okay.” Ava straightened her shoulders as she followed Lizzie inside the medic wing. Everything Lizzie said played over in her head. Maybe she was right, and Ava needed to take matters into her own hands with AshOR. She just prayed she would have the chance to do that.

Chapter 12

AshOR ordered his fighters to take their warships and run interference as they orbited the planet under attack. The Morins had made two mistakes with this attack: the first was that they stayed in the same star system instead of leaving and going as far as possible from AshOR and his crew, and the second was attacking this particular planet.

At first glance, the little green planet, Balar, looked as primitive as the last, but that was only an illusion. As soon as they were in range, their leader Toro contacted them. He appreciated AshOR coming to their aid, and wanted to warn them that his own fighters were holding the Morins back.

“Sir, we’re waiting for the go.”

“Send the fighters out. Fire on the Morin transport to give the Balar fighters some cover.”

“Yes, sir.”

AshOR had to fight the impulse to get in a warship himself and join in the battle. He was a warrior through and through, but now he was the commander, and his decisions affected the entire crew as well as his home world. Not to mention how they would affect his mate.

Kitana! How he missed Ava.
He should have told her he was leaving, but everything had happened so fast. Deep down, though, he knew it was cowardice that had kept him away. If she had asked him to stay, he would have, but he couldn’t let his feelings for Ava keep him from doing what needed to be done. People’s lives depended on him. He knew leaving was the right thing to do, but he regretted not telling her how he felt about her before he left.

He faced all kinds of danger when going into battle. He had numbers and strength on his side, but anything number of things could go wrong and he could lose his life. Every warrior faced that fact each time they went into battle.

If something were to happen to him, at least she would be able to move forward with her life. He wanted that for her. She had so much to give, so much life ahead of her. He didn’t want to keep her from living it.

“Commander, the Morins are retreating!”

AshOR was about to order them to go after the Morin transport, when the alerts went off and the transport tilted on its side. AshOR gripped the console in front on him to keep himself on his feet. “Report!”

“Sir, several of the Morin warships came up behind us and centered their attack on our thrusters.”

“Damage report on the thrusters?”

“They managed to kill five of the fifteen thrusters, and two others are working sporadically. We are sending lieutenants to work on the two that are damaged but the five they destroyed will have to be replaced. All power will have to go to the remaining thrusters.”

Kitana!
He would not be able to pursue the Morins right now. Not until he had the two thrusters repaired. He punched the console top. “Contact Commander TylOR and Commander LemAN. They will have to come to us until we have repairs completed. We can’t leave the planet with the threat of the Morins still out there.”

“Yes, sir.”

AshOR walked out of the command center. His brother was going to be pissed that AshOR was returning his ship in less than perfect condition.

What bothered him the most was that they hadn’t detected the Morin transport until they were almost on top of the planet. The Morins had some kind of cloaking system that hid their presence. They had to find a way to get past that if they were going to stop them.

He went to his brother’s quarters, which was one of the larger suites, usually reserved for transporting royal families. AshOR had always used simple quarters similar to those of the rest of his crew.

When AshOR visited he often stayed with TylOR and Lizzie in the suite, but upon entering he looked around and broke out into a laugh. His new sister Lizzie was definitely making her mark on the decorating scheme.

A large couch dominated the sitting room, covered in pink and purple pillows. Where his brother got a couch, he had no idea, because most quarters had only chairs, a table, and a bed. Lizzie obviously liked a lot of color, and she had pictures hung on the wall of sunsets, and of the new young of Leader LarIS and his mate Lola. There was a picture of Prime Leader KadEN, his mate, and TylOR. Lizzie must have been the one taking the picture. There was a large picture of Lizzie and TylOR at their mating ceremony. It looked odd to see all these physical pictures; his people used digital photos. The normally stoic room was now warm and welcoming, like a home.

He walked down the little hallway to the back bedrooms. One room was TylOR’s bedroom, which he avoided since he didn’t want to invade his brother’s private space. He went to the second bedroom, which he’d stayed in before. Lizzie always insisted he stay with them when he came.

He turned the light on in the second bedroom and blinked. The twin-size bed was there, but it was pushed against the wall and pillows were lined up on it, making it look like a large couch. But what had him standing there shocked was that there was a baby crib being put together in the center of the room. From the way it was spread out over the floor, it looked like his brother was having a hard time assembling it. It made everything more real for him. Lizzie was breeding, carrying his new nephew or niece. This was no place for her; it was too dangerous. He would be having a talk with his brother about going back to Kiljor immediately.

He knelt in front of the partially built crib and picked up tools lying next to it. AshOR had learned how to build things growing up, although he hadn’t done anything like this a long time. He found it to be relaxing. A young was on its way, a miracle to his people. Images of Ava round with his young filled his mind. He had never thought of having a mate or a family for himself before. He was surprised to find that he wanted it more than anything.

“Goddess, what am I going to do about Ava?”

*****

Ava was walking next to Lizzie down the corridor going to midday meal. She jumped to the side as medics and lieutenants rushed by her. “What’s happening?”

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” Lizzie turned to follow the lieutenants as they hurried past.

They followed the men into the lift and up to the next level, and headed into a large room. A lieutenant stepped in front of them to prevent them from entering.

Lizzie glared up at the young male. “Boy, you better move your ass right now!”

“Miss, you should not be here.” He reached out and placed his hand on Lizzie’s shoulder. A loud growl from behind the lieutenant made all of them jump.

“Get your hands off of my mate!” Commander TylOR snarled.

The lieutenant jerked his hand away. “My apologies, Commander. I meant no offense.”

Ava didn’t blame the lieutenant for being scared. Commander TylOR, when angry, was ferocious. He had her shaking too.

TylOR ignored the lieutenant and looked over at her and Lizzie. His voice softened when he spoke to his mate. “Why are you here, honey? You should be resting.”

Lizzie snorted. “I’m not tired. I wanted to see what all the commotion was about. You know I’ll find out one way or another.” She showed no fear in standing up to him.

TylOR sighed. “Come in and find a seat. I don’t want you standing for too long.”

Lizzie winked at Ava as she moved past her mate to enter the room. “He worries over me doing anything too strenuous. It’s cute, but it can be a bit annoying.”

Ava held back her laugh when TylOR growled at Lizzie’s comment. Lizzie just waved at him and kept moving. They took a seat in the back of the room, out of the way, and waited. TylOR stood at the front, cutting a very imposing figure. Everyone grew quiet as they waited.

“Commander AshOR encountered the Morin transport a little over an hour ago. There was a battle, with moderate casualties. The Morins went on the run again, but due to the damage to my—the Kiljorn transport, we will be taking this transport and the Katieran transport to the planet that was attacked.”

“Was he hurt?” Ava called out. When everyone looked at her she felt herself blush. Her heart was beating double-time. “I mean—was anyone hurt?”

“There were some casualties among the warriors, and the planet that was attacked had a few fatalities, but Commander AshOR arrived just in time. The fatalities could have been a lot worse.”

AshOR was safe.
She felt like she could breathe again. Lizzie reached over to squeeze her hand. Ava had never felt so worried over anyone in her whole life. She was so overwhelmed with relief that she didn’t hear anything else that was said in the meeting.

When it was over, she stood up to leave with Lizzie. TylOR was waiting for them at the door, and his eyes went to his mate.

“Did you eat midday meal yet?”

Lizzie shook her head. “We were on our way when we saw everyone coming here.”

“Come, I’ll escort both of you there.” He held out his arm for Lizzie to take. The way TylOR took such gentle care of his mate was one of the sweetest things Ava had seen in a long time. She longed for that.

She wondered if she and AshOR would one day have the type of relationship that his brother and Lizzie shared. She wished for that: both a passionate love and a relationship with respect, a true partnership. How was she to have that with a man who would be hunting down the enemy for months at a time, maybe even years? It was an impossible thing to want. Maybe she should cut her losses, but the idea of leaving and never seeing AshOR again felt like it would rip her heart from her chest.