Rion (36 page)

Although she couldn’t see, she forced her wobbly feet under her and used the wall to balance. Blood on her hand smeared on
the wall. It wasn’t her blood—but Rion’s. By the time she regained an unsteady stance, her vision had cleared. Rion had knocked
away Erik’s weapon, and it skidded toward her.

She bent to pick it up. But Erik kicked it away, catching her fingers in a brutal blow.

But the pain in her hand was nothing compared to the pain of watching Rion bleed to death. Blood matted his shirt, made the
floor slick as it gathered in pools. She didn’t know how he could lose that much blood and still remain conscious, much less
fight.

Where were his men? Why wasn’t help arriving?

Erik had thrust Rion’s head down and trapped it against his belly, his arm wrapped around his neck. She braced for the sound
of Erik snapping Rion’s neck. But with a roar, Rion shifted into a partial dragonshape. His skin thickened. His muscles grew.
His eyes glowed golden.

There wasn’t enough room to fully shift. But the extra dragon strength gave Rion the brawn to break Erik’s choke hold. As
he straightened, Rion rammed the back of his head into Erik’s face, shattering Erik’s nose in a bone-jarring crunch. Erik
fell back against a wall and slumped, his eyes staring sightlessly.

Rion had delivered a deathblow.

But Rion was down, too. Eyes closed, flat on his back, he wasn’t moving.

And there was blood. So much blood.

If you honor and serve your people well, they will honor and serve you well.

—K
ING
A
RTHUR
P
ENDRAGON

G
uards and a physician had finally rushed into the room. They’d tried to stabilize Rion, then carried him on a stretcher to
a surgery center in the palace where Marisa now waited. The waiting area was much like those in hospitals everywhere, and
she paced, unable to sit.

Lex, Mendle, and Darian waited with her. No one spoke, all of them tense.

Sometime around dawn, a doctor came out. Eyes exhausted and lined with dark circles, his hands still covered with blood, he
spoke gently. “We repaired the nerve damage and gave the king blood transfusions. The internal bleeding’s stopped. Now we
wait to see if the blood loss compromised the brain.”

He could have brain damage? She swayed on her feet, sank against the wall. “How long until we know?”

“Not until he comes out of the coma.”

“And that will be?”

The doctor sighed. “Goddess willing, it will be soon. But you must prepare yourself. He might not ever wake up.”

She refused to believe that. She wouldn’t think it. No way could she live the rest of her life in a universe that didn’t include
him. Rion was going to wake up. He was going to survive and lead his country into the future.

Marisa squared her shoulders. “I’d like to see him.”

“Come with me.” The doctor took her arm and led her through a set of double doors.

Marisa barely recognized Rion. His skin was as pale as the white sheets. Tubes were attached everywhere. Machines that breathed
for him pumped and hissed. Careful not to displace the IV in his wrist, she slid her hand into his. So cold. Too cold.

But six hours later, the doctors thought Rion was strong enough to breathe on his own and removed the tube from his throat.

Twelve hours later, Lex brought her food, but she couldn’t eat. Aware of the food shortage, she insisted Lex give hers to
someone else.

As the door shut behind Lex, Rion opened his eyes. “You must eat.”

God, it was good to see him awake.

She grinned in delight, felt like dancing around his bed. Happy tears, the tears she couldn’t release earlier, trickled down
her cheeks.

Relief lightened her heart. Marisa leaned over him, let him see the joy in her eyes. “It figures you’d wake up to tell me
what to do,” she teased.

Marisa climbed into the bed and snuggled against him, careful not to damage his tubing or bandages. She needed his touch,
needed to feel his heat, to reassure herself that he would be all right.

“How long was I out?”

“Including surgery—almost a day.”

Rion held her against his side, his hand tracing a path up and down her arm. She wished she could stay in bed next to him,
touching him, talking to him, forever. “I don’t know how I’m going to leave you.”

“Then stay,” he said simply.

“I can’t. Now that we have solid evidence of the Unari plan to attack Earth, I have to warn my people.”

“I know. But I’d do almost anything to keep you here.” He let out a long, husky sigh.

“I should have already left.” She nuzzled his side and breathed in his scent. “But I couldn’t leave until I knew you’d be
all right.”

He smiled at her. “I’m glad. But will your people believe you?”

“Some of them will. And perhaps that will be enough to prevent what happened here from reoccurring on Earth.”

She propped herself onto her elbow so she could look into his eyes. She wanted to memorize his face, every detail. His specific
shade of gray eyes. The pattern of the green flecks in his irises. The shape of his lips.

He reached behind her head, drew her mouth toward his, his voice low and husky. “Promise me one thing.”

She lifted her eyebrow. “What’s that?”

“You’ll come back to marry me?”

A new lump of happiness formed in her throat. “I will, but I don’t know how long—”

“However long you take—that’s how long I’ll wait.”

His words bathed her in warmth. “Then yes, I’ll marry you, Rion Jaqard.”

After hearing her words, he closed his eyes again. When he awakened, she was gone.

Marry a man from Honor and you marry all of Honor.

—H
ONORIAN PROVERB

M
arisa’s days had been swamped with high-level meetings, but at night she missed Rion so much that when she finally fell into
exhausted sleep, she dreamed of him. Dreamed of his arms around her. His kisses. His smiles.

But finally, four weeks later, she’d returned to Honor, and it was better than any dream. Rion had a special guard awaiting
her arrival at the Infinity Circle, and they whisked her straight from the transporter into a vehicle.

She had so much to tell him and couldn’t wait to hear what had been happening during her absence. The driver, Mendle, opened
the door for her. “Welcome home.”

Marisa smiled at him. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Thank you, my lady.”

Marisa settled into the seat and gazed out the window.

The moment they left the heavily guarded Infinity Stones and pulled onto a road, she stared in surprise at the crowds of Honorians
lining the road. Some waved flags. Many greeted her with smiles.

“What’s going on?” she asked Mendle.

“The people are honoring their new queen,” he told her.

“They’re here for me?” Marisa got a warm hitch in her chest.

Mendle grinned. “You have many people who adore you, my lady. The king has spread the news far and wide of how you risked
your life for us. We are most grateful.”

Rion was a good man. The best. He had to be working night and day to feed his people, to set up basic emergency services,
and to create a new government. And yet he’d still thought of a way to ease her transition. To make her feel welcome—not just
to his home but to his world.

“Please, roll down a window so I can wave back.”

Mendle hesitated. He spoke gently. “Perhaps you should discuss it with the king.”

“There will always be some people who dislike me because I was born on Earth. I won’t spend my life hiding.”

Marisa rolled down the window and waved. The crowd roared their approval.

M
ARISA STRODE INTO
the room right in the middle of a planning meeting. Rion stood and rushed to embrace her. Damn, she looked good. Wearing
a new nanotech jacket that showed off her slender waist and pants that flared wide at the ankles, she was about to set a new
style on Chivalri.

Her chestnut hair was shiny and smelled wonderful as he gathered her against him. “What took you so long?”

She chuckled. “I’ve been a little busy.”

“Now that you’re here, I’m going to keep you very busy.” He kissed her mouth.

She leaned into him, then pulled back, heat rising up her cheeks. “Rion, we have an audience.”

“Oh, them.” He turned to his advisers. “There are some advantages to being king.” With a grin, he dismissed them. “Begone.”

The advisers chuckled and began to pack papers into files and briefcases.

“Wait just one minute.” She placed her hand on his chest and stepped back. “I have news your advisers will want to hear.”

Lex looked at Rion, and he nodded for them to stay. “Before Marisa left Honor, I bestowed her with ambassadorial authority
to negotiate with Earth.”

“I’ve set up several trade agreements,” Marisa began.

“Trade?” Lex asked, his tone curious. “We have nothing to trade—the Unari destroyed everything.”

“Not quite.” Marisa gestured to her clothing. “Earth didn’t have material that repairs itself after we dragonshape. So I sold
Earth the rights to use the nanotechnology.”

“And what do we get in return?” Darian asked.

“Food, seed, machinery, generators, and computers, plus tools to start up factories, and the fuel to run them.”

“You did great.” Rion grinned, his heart light and happy. Not only had she battled the Tyrannizer and helped free his people,
her treaty with Earth would help revitalize their economy.

“I may have overstepped my authority a bit,” she said with a saucy smile.

Rion raised his eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I also took the liberty of bargaining with my sister-in-law, Cael. She’s the High Priestess of Pendragon,” she told Rion’s
advisers. “They were also interested in the nanotechnology.”

“And what did you get from them?” Rion asked, a smile teasing his lips, pleased at her entrepreneurial spirit.

“A solar electric plant. And telecommunications satellites.”

Marisa was making his job easier. Righting his world. Rion’s heart swelled with joy that this wonderful woman had agreed to
spend the rest of her life with him.

“In addition, both worlds are extending us credit. And Vivianne Blackstone, head of the Vesta Corporation, has agreed to build
a spaceship capable of flying to Pentar to retrieve the Holy Grail.”

Rion whooped, lifted Marisa by the waist, and kissed her. “You are amazing.” He kissed her again, and this time when he flicked
his hand for his men to leave, amid much laughter and good-hearted teasing, his team of experts filed out of the room.

Finally he had her alone. Stars, she smelled good. He swept her off her feet and twirled her around. “I’m a lucky man to be
holding the sexiest, bravest woman in the solar system, and you have brains, too.”

She’d given him so much hope and happiness. He had never felt this way. How could he love her this much? How had he been so
lucky to find this woman, a true partner who cared about his world and his people as much as he did, and who loved him, too?

As her hair spun around her face, she stared up into his eyes and he knew they shared something precious and rare. He flashed
her a smile. “I can’t believe you’re really here. Lucan’s okay with us?”

“If I’m happy, Lucan’s happy. He and Cael sent their congratulations and a wedding gift.”

He spun her faster.

She laughed. “You’ll make me dizzy.”

“I’m going to make you more than dizzy,” he promised.

“You already have.” Cheeks flushed, eyes sparkling with happiness, she leaned back in his arms as the room spun around them.
“We’re pregnant.”

He stopped spinning and carefully set her down on her feet, then backed up to stare at her. He saw the happy excitement in
her eyes, the wonder on her face as her hand fluttered against her stomach as if she could barely believe it herself.

Having a child had been a dream of his for years. But when he’d envisioned the future, he hadn’t seen family life. He’d envisioned
working to rebuild Honor. The thought of having a family with this woman he adored suddenly seemed like too much good fortune.