The Royal Mate (Space Wars) (9 page)

Stepping back slightly, Markus frowned but gave a tip of his head. Whether he was agreeing or showing deference, she didn’t know and didn’t think it mattered to the other man. Markus shuffled her out of the way when the general faced off with the man as Petr introduced them. The last thing she heard before the wall of security cut off most of the sound was, “So you are the bugger who has been plaguing us all these years.”

With his arm now around her waist, Markus pulled her to a stop a few feet from the doors. “How are you doing, little one?” His voice was thick with concern.

“I’m doing fine,” she was quick to reassure.

The admiral came toward them with a smirking General Daykin on his heels. Markus sighed and looked to Petr. “I don’t want to know, do I?”

“No, you do not. But I’m sure it can be safely said that Fintan will never, ever be invited to anything while he is on planet. He made sure of that.”

The general shrugged, then rocked back on his heels. “They asked, Petr. What was I to do?”

“You could have kept your mouth shut.”

“Now where would the fun be in that.” Rubbing his hands together, the general looked around. “I seem to recall some big shot Imarian promising to feed us. Shall we go?”

“Before you get arrested? Damn straight we are going,” Petr mumbled. He waved them to the elevator, and the security team started to spread out while they moved.

Paisley was laughing. She couldn’t help it. Markus, goodness love the man, was trying so hard not to laugh. Petr threw a look over his shoulder at Fintan. “Would you quit looking so damn pleased with yourself? They would have been within their rights to kick your ass off the planet.”

“Not really their call,” Fintan said. “Markus is now the highest positioned Imarian running around. They would have to run it past him first.”

“This is true. I don’t think that Markus would allow the general to be banned. Now, can we go get some food?”

“A woman with priorities, like my lovely Adira.” Fintan slipped his arm through hers and tugged her into the lift. “We will leave the doubters behind. You and I will find someplace on this rock to eat and have a little fun with the locals. Between the two of us, I think we could create quite the scene.”

“Hands off my woman,” Markus said. Stepping in next to her, he tugged her back into his arms. “You are in a strange mood, Fintan. It worries me. Don’t make me message your wife to tell her what antics you are up to.”

“Ahead of you there, Markus. I have already updated her on everything thus far. If I’m lucky she will finally kick him out,” Petr said when he joined them. After a few security members stepped in with them, the lift began its descent to the main floor.

“I seriously doubt that she will kick him out. She adores the man too much just as I adore my Markus.” She loved Markus and knew that Adira loved her husband just as much. “Besides, she has to have help with those adorable twins and have them help her torture him. That’s how you get back at him. Get the twins riled up and then leave him alone to deal with the fallout.”

“Paisley, I thought we had something here. Why are you helping him?” Fintan asked, looking and sounding shocked.

“That would be because the lady is smarter than you. She knows how this works,” Petr said. He threw her a wink while he turned to face the lift doors. “I think my sister could use some time at the spa. That will leave you to watch your children, Fin.”

“Perhaps we should take the children and let the general go along with his wife.” She wasn’t on any particular side, except for being able to spend some time with the children.

“We’ll take the kids,” Markus said. Petr shook his head, muttering under his breath about letting Fintan off easy. “And the admiral can join Adira and Fintan with his own wife at the spa. It would be my pleasure to watch over those two.” The lift doors slid open and, hugging her close, he followed the two men toward the vehicles. Petr and Fintan were back to arguing again about who knew what. With those two it was hard to keep track of whatever their disagreements were about. Paisley knew from watching that they loved to argue with one another. Even if the other one was right it didn’t matter. They still had to argue the point.

When they got to the vehicles that would take them to Petr’s apartment in the city, Paisley squeezed Markus’s hand tightly in hers and let herself be ushered into the vehicle. Once they were both in, the others followed suit. She didn’t fail to notice that every man there was armed to the teeth with laser weapons as well as blades.

Markus held her close when the vehicles began to move, one hand stroking up and down her arm while his lips pressed to her temple. “You are stiff, little one. What’s wrong?” he asked quietly.

“I’m just seeing all of the people around us with all of the weapons on them and realizing just how dangerous this is. I hate thinking that tensions are so thick that everyone has to wear so many weapons. This isn’t normal, or is it?”

“For the security officers, it is, when on planet and on duty. Everyone is worried about how the civilians will view this change. It’s better to be paranoid and wrong than too lax and dead. One of Fintan’s favorite sayings. He drills it into everyone’s head before they are ever allowed a security rotation. Petr is of a like mindset, obviously.”

She snuggled up close to Markus as they moved through the city. She looked at it from time to time out the windows and smiled. “This place is remarkable. It really is.”

“Quite different from Craegin,” he said. “It does have its charm, though. They have built up more than out, but from what I recall from my history lessons way back when, they have to because of the sheer number of mountains they have. Craegin is flatter with fewer mountain ranges.”

“The buildings are so much taller than any others I’ve seen before. I would think that would make it difficult for flight in the city, wouldn’t it?” She turned to look at Markus, then the other men. Seeing Petr looking at her, she asked, “Do you have fliers inside of the cities as we have on Craegin?”

“We do. The pilots are specially trained to deal with the air currents the buildings create. Only those appropriately licensed are permitted to fly within the cities. We have had some who fly between towns attempt it, but they quickly learn that the cities have challenges they are not prepared for. No deaths, I’m happy to say, but many scares and plenty of fines.”

“I would love to go to the top of one of the tallest buildings so that I can see the entire city all around us.” The vehicle slowed down and pulled to the side. Apparently they had arrived at their destination. Something to eat, maybe a nap that she convinced Markus he needed, too, and they could sit down to strategize. There was a lot still to do, but at least they’d cleared the first hurdle.

Chapter Fifteen

A few mornings later, Fintan had finally brought Adira and the twins down planetside. The twins were with Paisley, currently being entertained by an Imarian game that involved a mat that lit up and made sounds when the player got things right.

Smiling over at her when she checked on his progress, Markus tasted the soup he was making for part of their lunch. It still needed a little something more, but he was not quite sure what yet. Fintan had had the mindset to ensure Craegin spices were sent down to Petr’s apartment. Imarian foods were spicier than Craegin dishes, so while Markus was working with Imarian produce and the like, at least he was able to use spices he knew.

On the counter, he had the small vid screen playing a news channel. Glancing over when the story changed, he did a double take. He grabbed up the remote and started the story again, leaning in closer. When he spotted the same thing that had made him look twice, he pulled out his comms. “Petr, Markus here. I think I may have just found your missing male,” he said. “He was in a crowd that one of your news cameras panned over. You’ll need to run facial identification to be sure. Right, no, still have it up on the screen. See you in a few.”

He felt a small hand on his knee, then a slightly larger hand at his back. “We were just coming to see how the meal was coming along. Is everything okay?” Paisley asked while Morgan looked up at him with adoration clear on her face. It shook him to his core the way that the little girl always looked at him with pure happiness and joy. “Is that the man you told me about before?” Paisley asked. It was only a moment before Lennox was there and latching on to Paisley as he typically did when he was near her.

“The man that potentially may be Sam’s father,” he told her. Bending over, he scooped Morgan up into his arms and kissed her chubby cheek. After settling her on his hip, he passed Paisley a spoon. “Taste the soup and tell me what I’m missing, please.” Then he said to the children, “Uncle Petr is going to stop by for lunch, so I think you two need to go wash your hands, and then we can set the table. How does that sound?”

Both kids looked at each other. Then Morgan wiggled down from his arms. Lennox and Morgan linked their hands together so that they could walk to get their hands washed. Paisley accepted the spoon and took a taste of the dish before she spoke. “Sam. So you guys are going on the thought that he somehow was able to come to this place and time using science that has been long since outlawed?” She was right. Outlawing space shifting technology was something that both races had agreed upon because of the potential damage that would happen to the planets and systems all around them.

“We don’t know. Sam got here without that technology. She only had to spend nearly nine hundred of her years in space to do it. He would likely have had to do something similar to be that well aged. Or it might not be her father and simply someone who looks like him. It is possible. Either way, he was a man of power during the ruling body’s reign, which means he still needs to be apprehended.” He handed her the spice container she waved at. “One way or another we will finally have closure, for us and for Sam.”

“I couldn’t imagine how heartbreaking it would be for her if her father were actually here.” Paisley took another taste and licked her lips. “I think you need just a pinch more spice or salt. Both of them would be best,” she told him, then leaned back against him. “I happen to love when you cook for me, by the way. Just thought I would tell you that. But yes. He needs to be found, especially if he is a man who would give you any trouble at all.”

“He could potentially, like the other two still missing. They were all made rich by doing whatever the ruling body said to do. These are not the sort of people who willingly step away from their monies, or power, just because the ruling body is no longer in control.” Adding in her recommendations to the soup, he gave her a squeeze before letting her loose to go set the table and put out the tray of sandwiches. The twins came back in and offered their hands up to Paisley for inspection.

“You did very good. Both of you,” Paisley told the kids when she bent down and kissed both their palms. He loved that about her, that she spent so much time making sure the kids were happy. He couldn’t wait to see how she was with their own children. “Will you both go and take a seat at the table? Uncle Markus is almost done with our meal and then we will all enjoy it together, won’t we?” Smiling down at Morgan when she ran over, he helped her into her seat and dropped a kiss to her hair. “Lunch will only be a little longer.” A buzzer sounded right then. Heading to the door, he pulled it open to find Petr standing there.

“Something smells good in here,” Petr said, walking in. He scooped Lennox up to give him a hug when the boy ran over.

“Right on time. Grab a chair. We can talk about that other thing once the kids are fed and occupied,” Markus told him. A shared look of understanding passed between the two men, and Petr headed to the table to greet Morgan, who sat waving at him with a big smile on her face.

Paisley took a seat and Markus wasn’t surprised when Lennox wiggled away from his uncle and moved to sit at Paisley’s side.

After they ate, she ruffled the child’s hair and helped him down. “Go and help your sister get cleaned up, then use the bathroom and meet me in the kitchen, my little darling. Bring your sister with you and we will all three have fun cleaning up the dishes and kitchen.”

When the two had run off for the bathroom, Markus stood to stack the dishes. “We should do this before they get back. Smart as they are they will pick up anything we say or do.” Leading the way into the kitchen, he set everything aside, then motioned to Petr to move closer to the monitor. He used the remote to turn it on and started the segment he had saved. “There, behind the reporter’s shoulder. Do you see him?”

Taking the remote, Petr played it a couple more times before nodding. “I’ll send out men to the moon base to start searching. I should close the port, too, just to be safe. Good catch, Markus. And thank you for lunch. It was good.”

“Least we could do, seeing as we’ve taken over your apartment,” he said. Looping an arm around Paisley’s waist, he drew her in close to him. “Good luck with the hunt, and definitely let us know if it turns out to be Samantha’s father. I’m curious about this whole thing now.”

“I will. Paisley, nice to see you again.” Petr tipped her a slight bow, then headed for the door. He paused to give his niece and nephew hugs and kisses before leaving them.

Paisley stood before Markus, then leaned into him. She turned her face up to him, that expectant look showing him exactly what she needed. “Kiss me, and then the kids and I will clean up.”

“Demanding female,” he teased. Lowering his head, Markus gave her the kiss she needed, the one they both wanted desperately, and held her close. Only when he heard the sound of little feet beating a path their direction did he lift his head and lick his lips. “That will have to hold you until their parents come to rescue us. If they do. I’ll tidy up out there and get something ready to entertain them when you’re done. Call if you need help.”

“I’ll be fine,” Paisley told him and she gave him one more hug before pushing him out of the kitchen and taking the kids into hand so that they could all clean up the kitchen. He was both thankful and frustrated. Thankful because he didn’t have to clean up but frustrated because he was left to his own devices while she wrangled the children.

“I know you will be,” he called out. Unfortunately, he was not quite so sure about himself.