Authors: Monette Michaels
Prime Obsession (26 page)
The ballroom of the Cejuru Prime Embassy on Tooh 2
“Whatever possessed me to pick out that dress?” Wulf hissed into Melina’s ear.
“Every man in the room is devouring you with his eyes. You’re practically naked.” His mate smiled at him, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “I told you so, but no, you had to have this dress,” she waved a hand down the front of the ivory silk dress that hugged her body like a second skin, “and no other. I, on the other hand, wanted a nice black sheath, with a back and a front—and proper underwear.”
“I should’ve insisted on seeing under the cloak before we left the suite.” He glared at an over-eager Volusian who had found the nerve to approach them. The man’s pale blue gaze fixed on Melina’s breasts, or more likely her nipples showing through the thin pale fabric. “It looked so different on the computer screen.”
“Well, I—”
“I know,” he growled, “you told me so.” He placed his arm around her waist and pulled her into his side as if he could hide her from the eyes of every man in the room. He smelled their envy. He hated them all, including his horndog brothers. “Are you even wearing underclothes?”
Snuggling against him, she snorted back a laugh, “Yes, if you can call that tissue thin transparent teddy you bought me underwear.”
He placed his lips near her ear. “I plan to take that little nothing off—with my teeth—later.” He nibbled at her lobe. She shivered in response. He smiled. She was so sensitive to his every touch.
“It’s always
later
with you, Wulf,” she whispered back, taking a nip of his chin. “I like more immediate action.”
“I’d be very happy to leave now and take care of my
gemate
’s needs.”
“You just want to leave so no man tries to ask me to dance again.” She pinched his waist. “The last man is probably still running, looking over his shoulder.” Wulf snorted back a laugh. “He did look like a scared plains hopper, didn’t he?” She mock-glared at him, her eyes betraying her amusement. “Wulf, I swear the man wet himself when you growled at him.”
He threw back his head and shouted with laughter.
The noise in the room stopped as everyone turned and stared at him.
He looked down at Melina. “Why is everyone looking at me now?”
“You don’t laugh out loud like that very often,” she explained, stroking his jaw.
“Plus, the Prime as a whole have the reputation of being humorless.”
“And are we?” he asked, his shoulders tensing. His hand rubbed small soothing circles on her bare back. Well, at least the motion soothed him.
“No, I think you just have a different sense of humor than most,” she replied. “I like it anyway.”
His shoulders relaxed. He hadn’t realized that her answer would mean so much to him.
Diew
knew his sense of humor had resurrected itself since he’d met her.
Huw and Iolyn approached them.
“Have I mentioned how much I like that dress, sister?” Huw said, his eyes roaming over her from head to toe and back again.
“Ten times, brother,” Wulf snarled. “And for also the tenth time—How would you like me to rearrange your face?”
“Damn, Wulf,” Huw said, his mouth open in false shock, “I thought you were in a good mood. I haven’t heard you laugh like that since you put hot powder in Iolyn’s swim briefs when we were children.”
“I’d be in a better mood if my brothers would do their job and protect my
gemate
from all the men in this room while I speak to Maren,” Wulf responded. “After that, Melina and I will be leaving. After all, we are still on our honeymoon and only have twenty-four more standard hours before we depart for the journey to Cejuru Prime where I’ll have to share her with the extended family and the whole damn planet!”
“We’ll protect her,” Iolyn promised. “But we want combat pay. The men in this room really would like to get close to our sister. And she tells me it’s all your fault since you picked out the dress against her advice.”
“Just shut up, brother,” Wulf growled. “Stay with her. I won’t be long.”
*
“So, brothers,” Mel asked as Wulf walked away. “Do you think I’ll ever get to wear a, um, revealing gown again in this lifetime?”
“No!” both brothers shouted, laughing.
Again, people turned to observe two Prime males laughing so heartily. Pretty soon she would have the reputation of being a regular stand-up comic if she kept making all the Prime men around her laugh so hard.
“He learned his lesson on that issue for sure,” Huw said, his eyes brimming with laughter. “Now, if we can get him to lighten up on overprotecting you, we’ll have won a major victory.”
“Yeah, he wasn’t doing at all well earlier today,” Iolyn said as he moved in closer to cut off a Prime male approaching Mel, one of the many enlisted officers and academy students pulled in to help with serving drinks and finger foods. “Huw, do you know the guy heading for us?”
“No,” Huw said, as he moved to protect Mel’s other side.
Mel looked at the man. As with most of the Prime males here, he was tall, dark, golden-eyed—and craggily handsome. He was also very intent on getting to her. He was so intent that he ignored the presence of her two large brother-kin. That was unusual.
Because of their family prestige and military rank, this lowly soldier should have been leery about making such an aggressive approach.
Separating out the many emotions in the room, Mel focused on the man approaching them.
“Uh, guys,” Mel whispered, her gaze never leaving the unknown man. “Are you armed?”
“No,” Huw whispered. “The embassy guard are the only ones armed. Maren wanted to lower the chances of someone bringing in a sidearm and shooting one of us.”
“
This
guy is armed.” Another wave of angry emotion had her looking over her shoulder. “So is the guy coming on us from behind.”
Slowly turning her head so as not to telegraph her knowledge of the imminent danger to the two predators, she scanned the room. “We’re too exposed. Let’s move toward the wall on the northern side of the ballroom. I want something solid and friendly behind my back.”
Moving slowly, as if they were taking a stroll around the room, the three of them angled their way to the wall. When they were nearly to their goal, Mel contacted Wulf.
“Wulf? We have a problem. Get the guard in here.”
Wulf’s angry bellow could be heard throughout the embassy. Mel swore it vibrated the thick stone walls that now guarded their rear.
The two men approaching them started, then grimaced and moved with even more purpose. Their weapons were drawn and aimed at Iolyn, who blocked her body from the two with his own, and at Huw.
“You called Wulf?” Iolyn asked, constantly changing the angle of his body so that none of her was exposed to danger.
“Yep.”
With Iolyn providing an obstruction for their line of sight, she moved her left hand down to the slit in her dress and slid out one of the serrated battle-knives she’d strapped there. She slipped it around Iolyn’s body, nudging it into his hand. She slid her other hand down the other leg and removed the other knife, keeping it.
“Sorry, Huw,” she whispered. “I only brought two knives.”
“How’d you manage that?” Huw asked as their backs hugged the wall.
“The guards didn’t search me because Wulf glared at them.” Both the brothers shook with silent laughter.
Mel touched Iolyn’s back. “Iolyn, when I signal, you go for the one on the left. Huw, you just get out of the way and back me up with the one on the right,” she hissed. “Go for the kill.”
“Melina—” Huw began, but Mel knew he was going to insist on taking the knife and defending her. She wouldn’t let him. She was tired of these idiots attacking her, and she needed to let off some steam.
“Forget it, Huw,” she snarled. “The other one is
mine
.” It showed how much trust Huw had in her ability that he didn’t argue the point.
Instead, he just nodded.
“Now!” she hissed.
She shoved Huw out of the way. Iolyn leapt forward at the same time.
Mel didn’t even give her target a chance to shoot. As she dove to the right side with Huw, she threw the knife. It struck him straight through an eye socket. She rolled, then scrambled to the dying man and grabbed his gun, tossing it to Huw. She pulled her knife from the dead man’s skull, stood and turned to help Iolyn.
She need not have bothered. Iolyn’s throw had been as accurate as hers.
“Melina!” Wulf’s shout reverberated in the deathly silent room.
“I’m fine, my
gemat!
” she shouted back.
The room erupted with hushed, excited whispers.
“Did you see her? She is a warrior fit for a Prime male.”
“I heard that she is a battle-mate.”
“A battle-mate? Those are just legends,” another scoffed.
“No longer. She is a battle-mate.”
Wulf reached her in several long strides, taking the bloody knife from her hand, he tossed it to Huw.
“You didn’t leave one for me,
gemate
,” he said as he glanced at the fallen men.
“You were busy, darling. I’ll save one for you the next time,” she said, breezily.
Wulf pulled her into his arms and hugged her, his face buried in the hair that had tumbled out of its intricate braid during her diving tumble for the assassin’s gun.
“I love you, battle-mate,” he whispered.
Mel wiped her hand down the side of her dress, mostly transferring the blood onto her bare thigh. The tissue thin dress had slit open almost all the way to her waist during the short fight. She grasped her mate’s face with two steady hands and kissed him.
Pulling away, she whispered against his lips, “I love you, too. I’m feeling a breeze, can I have your jacket?”
Wulf pulled away, glaring at any man in the immediate vicinity whose eyes were anywhere below Mel’s neck.
She imagined she was putting on quite a show—the teddy she wore under the dress was transparent. They probably thought she was naked under the dress.
Wulf’s gaze swept over her and grimaced. “Damn dress,” he muttered. He stripped off his jacket and put it on her. It hung to her knees.
“Thanks, darling.” She patted his cheek. He smiled at her and winked.
“Who are they, Maren?” Wulf asked her uncle.
“Two cadets from the Prime military academy,” Maren replied. “We had pressed some of the students into catering duty for this function.”
“I thought the embassy guard vetted all the help for the event,” Huw said. “How did they get weapons in here?”
“I don’t know,” Maren said, anger coloring every word. “But we’ll find out.” Iolyn and Huw flanked Wulf and Mel.
Every eye in the room was on them. Then as if someone had given a silent signal, all the Prime in the room knelt and bowed their heads.
“What are they doing?” whispered Mel.
“They are honoring you,” Wulf said. “As a returning Lost One and a battle-mate, you’re the symbol of hope for the future of our planet. You’re also the first good thing to come out of the pact with the Alliance.”
Maren added, “The synchronicity of these two events defies probability. They see you as a miracle. News will spread back to Cejuru Prime. The Council will use you, your actions here and since we reunited with you, as proof for the majority of our people that the alliance is a good thing.”
“And the rebels?” she asked. “What will they do, do you think?”
“The fanatics will remain as crazy as ever,” Huw concluded.
“And the faction behind the rebel movement will still have its own agenda,” Wulf added.
Mel sighed. “Well, no one said winning the war would be easy.”
“As always, we take each battle as it comes,
lubha.
However, I would like to be on the offensive side in the future. I’m damn tired of reacting to threats,
”
Wulf said.
“I completely agree with that point,” Mel said as she leaned into Wulf’s strength and warmth. All of a sudden she was tired and only wanted to crawl into a warm, soft bed with the man holding her so gently, so protectively.
“You are weary,
lubha
,” Wulf whispered against her ear, nuzzling her. “Let’s go back to the room and lock out the galaxy for the next twenty-four standard hours. Reality will come soon enough once we head out for the home planet.”
“Doesn’t it always,” Mel said. “Life is not a children’s tale, and I’m not a legend come to life. I’m afraid that reality is going to be all too with us for some time to come.”
“You may not be a legend, but you are my deepest fantasy come to life,” Wulf said, kissing her hair. “And I plan on keeping you alive.”
One Standard Month later, orbiting Cejuru Prime
Mel sat back and observed the interactions among selected members of her Gold Squadron’s crew and the Prime soldiers who were to trade places with them. The meeting took place in the Commander’s Board room on the Prime military space station that circled Cejuru Prime once every eighteen standard hours. The trip from Tooh 10 space dock had been less eventful than the current meetings. In fact, no one, Antarean, mercenaries or otherwise, had tried to kill her or Wulf since the night of the embassy party.
But she wouldn’t guarantee that blood might not be shed in this room.
“
Lubha,
should we referee?” Wulf’s low growl contained a tinge of amusement. “I’d hate to see the agreement between our military organizations fail before it fully commenced.”
Mel followed his gaze to the most contentious of the pairings in the room.
Galanti’
s Science Officer, Commander Ard, was in the middle of talking down to his Terran counterpart, Commander Nadia Petrovich from the
Leonidas.
Talking down was in the figurative sense since Nadia at six-foot-two-inches tall nearly saw eye-to-eye with the large Prime male, who may have had two inches on her. The heat of Nadia’s anger projected clear across the room. Lucky for them all Nadia could control her temper.
Nadia would be an excellent fit for the
Galanti
. All of the women Mel had chosen for the formerly all-Prime male ships were like Nadia—smart, strong, self-confident, and totally in control while on duty. Women who could hold their own in a male-dominated military. The Prime would crush any other kind.
“No need to intervene. Nadia will be fine,” Mel replied and would have added a word on Ard when some movement in her periphery interrupted her train of thought.
Huw had left his position against the outer perimeter of the room and moved toward Ard and Nadia. His actions reminded her of a raptor swooping to capture its prey.
“Oooh, boy,” muttered Mel.
“What?” Wulf asked, his eyes scanning the room for the cause of her concern.
Huw thrust his body between the dueling science officers and was now in Ard’s face.
Both men were yelling. The exact words of their confrontation were lost in the chaos of the large room and the multiple conversations.
“Your brother just ran interference for Nadia,” whispered Mel. “Not smart. She’ll hand him his ass for that. Nadia doesn’t need—or ask—for help in dealing with peers.” They watched the scene play out—as now did a majority of the teams in the room.
Nadia moved around Huw and got in his face. His hands went up, warding off her jabbing finger. Ard, his lips quirked with amusement, had already figured out the attractive Terran and backed away. By allowing her to handle the angry Huw, Ard displayed his respect for her abilities. A strong message had been sent to every other Prime soldier in the room who would serve alongside her on the
Galanti.
Smart man, that Ard.
Wulf murmured, “Nadia and Ard were just testing each other’s limits, yes?”
“Yes,” replied Mel. “That transition will work well.” When Nadia turned to continue her conversation with Ard, Huw turned on his heel and stalked off to the side of the room where Iolyn leaned against the wall, calmly observing his brother’s humiliation.
“Huw will be smarting for a while. The Iceberg has given another man his conge.” Mel chuckled.
“Ice Berg?” Wulf asked, his breath brushing the hair by her ear.
“That’s what my crew calls her,” Mel explained. “She has a very low tolerance for male shenanigans, as she calls them. Huw playing the gentleman mediator would fall under that classification.”
“She does not socialize with the crew?” Wulf frowned. “That would not be good for morale.”
“Oh, she’s fine while on the ship. She is cordial and respectful of her peers and would die for them,” Mel hurried to clarify. “Outside of the ship? No one has ever seen her with a male.”
“I trust your judgment,
gemate
,” Wulf said, a slightly skeptical tone to his words.
“She’s the best science officer I’ve ever seen—she’ll do fine on a ship with a mostly male crew. She’ll gain their respect quickly. She has already impressed Ard.”
“Then she is very much like you,” he whispered. “And you handled me well enough.”
“Well, there was added incentive,” she teased as she rubbed her cheek against his shoulder.
The small confrontation among Ard, Nadia and Huw seemed to have been the signal to move things ahead. The other teams had their heads together working together rather than at cross-purposes.
“The tension in the room is lessening—well, except for Huw,” Wulf laughed, “he looks as if he would like to carry your Nadia off and teach her who’s boss.”
“I wouldn’t if I were him,” Mel retorted. “Her last would-be manhandler sported his injuries for quite a while.”
The man had also been court-martialed and, after a lengthy stay in the prison ward of the military hospital, sent to the Alliance’s prison world for convictions on battery and attempted rape. Mel had confined her crew to the ship or the man would have been lynched—that was how angry they had been over Nadia’s treatment.
Wulf frowned. “She was okay? How bad was it?”
Mel shook her head. “It was bad. Nadia took months to heal.”
“All the women will be fine on Prime ships
, lubha,
” Wulf said. “Prime soldiers do not beat up on women.”
“I know.” She stroked Wulf’s hand, which had fisted on her thigh under the cover of the table. “I have no concerns about that. And all my female soldiers can handle themselves. After all, it was
attempted
rape.” She smiled grimly. “Nadia beat the shit out of the bastard and then called the military police.”
The sound level in the room decreased measurably as the teams of two finished introducing themselves to one another.
Mel stood up. All activity in the room ceased and all attention turned to her and Wulf at the head of the large oval titanium table.
“You’ve had a chance to get acquainted. In front of each of you are your formal orders. These just reiterate what you’ve been briefed on individually by either Captain Wulf or myself.”
Mel paused and swept the room with a glance. Every crew member was attentive.
The mood in the room was equal parts anticipation and trepidation. Each and every one of them understood the historical significance of this merger of militaries. The Prime had never, in their millennia of existence, allied themselves with any other planet or conference of planets. The non-allied planets of the Milky Way would watch this partnership with close scrutiny.
She continued, “You’ll have the opportunity while Gold Squadron is in space dock to visit your new assignments in the company of your exchange counterpart. We expect all exchange partners to thoroughly indoctrinate each other in the idiosyncrasies of their jobs.”
“Let us know if you have issues or questions,” Wulf added. “Captain Melina and I will be on station for another standard day before heading dirtside. Even then, we’ll be in constant contact with Captain Nowicki, who will be officer in charge while we are gone.
We will return frequently for briefings and training sessions.”
“When will Gold go back out on patrols?” Huw asked, all remnants of his former anger gone from his voice and facial expression. But Mel sensed something boiling beneath the surface. Some emotion she had a hard time pinning down.
“Once Captain Melina and I are sure the merged crews are working together in an optimal fashion,” Wulf said. “We anticipate that will take less than two standard weeks.
While Gold completes the personnel merger and the training period, Blue Squadron will cover the outer Perseus spiral, backed up by the all-Prime military ships.”
“Is Cejuru Prime going to maintain an all-Prime military presence in this part of the galaxy?” A Prime soldier unknown to Mel asked the question.
“Wulf?” She turned toward him. “Do you want to answer that?”
“Sure. The Prime military that does not merge into the Gold Squadron will maintain planet order and be used to patrol within the confines of the Cejuru solar system. We expect that to be approximately ten full units.”
“What will be our patrol duties when fully merged?” Iolyn asked.
“Gold Squadron, and if needed, any other available Alliance squadron, will patrol the no-man’s land between the central portion of the Cygnus-Orion and Perseus spirals, the populated areas of the Perseus spiral minus Cejuru solar system, and the dark space immediately beyond the Milky Way toward Andromeda,” Mel answered, then added,
“The Alliance considers the Antarean threat grave to the peace of the Milky Way.” A grunt of Prime male approval filled the room her detailing of their new duties.
“As you can tell by Gold’s duties, the Alliance takes our future existence as crucial to the defense of the Milky Way from the hostiles in the Andromeda border-space.” Wulf paused, his gaze swept the room. “The Alliance and the Prime Council also understood that Prime soldiers are needed to patrol Prime territory. No native population wants foreign soldiers camped out in their territory, telling them what to do. Any Alliance region that wishes to maintain a local military presence may do so under the treaties signed upon joining the Alliance.”
Mel picked up the thread of Wulf’s thoughts. “Over time, other Prime military units could be merged into one of the battle squadrons besides Gold if the Prime Council and Military feel that it would benefit them. Any Prime soldier who wishes can ask to be transferred to any Alliance military unit anywhere in the Milky Way.”
“For now, Gold will be the test case of the new pact. So do us proud,” Wulf said as he stood up. “You are dismissed.”
Wulf pulled Mel into his side. “Shall we follow the troops to the bar? Or retreat to our quarters for some private time?” His hand stroked down her back and settled just above the curve of her butt. “It’s your call,
lubha
,” he whispered in a low husky voice against her ear.
Mel shivered. Wulf’s thoughts were positively decadent.
But she shook her head. “Huw and Iolyn need to talk to us. Let’s head to the officer’s lounge and let them vent.”
“Damn, my brothers’ timing is awful.” Wulf snarled as he glared at the two culprits, still leaning against the outer wall of the room, obviously waiting for her and Wulf to join them.
“Just wait until they find a mate, I’ll be sure to bother them when they want to be alone with their women.”
“Hey, we need to eat sometime,” she purred. “A big man like you has to keep up his strength.”
“I see the logic,” Wulf replied, sliding his hand down over her rear, cupping it firmly as he nudged her toward the exit. “Later we will take care of this.” He patted her rear.
“Later,” she said. “Count on it.”
*
Wulf eyed his brothers as he and Melina approached them.
Brushing a kiss across the top of her head, he grunted. “You are correct—as always.
They are concerned. I’ve sadly neglected to allay my brothers’ fears about their place in our new crew.”
“Exactly,” murmured Melina.
“Huw. Iolyn.” Wulf greeted his brothers, his arm around Melina’s waist. “Would you like to join Melina and me for a drink and some dinner in the Officer’s Lounge?”
“That was what we were going to suggest,” Huw said as his eyes narrowed. “Are you reading us?”
“Yes,” Wulf said. “Melina and I are becoming more adept at picking out emotional purpose. It’s not quite reading minds, but if we know the persons well enough we can usually figure out what the issues are.”
Huw started at that information, eyeing them with askance. Wulf wondered what was wrong with his younger brother. He was awfully jumpy. Huw had always been the most placid of the three of them, but right now he was a roiling cauldron ready to explode.
“Huw—” Wulf began to ask his brother what bothered him when Melina’s sharp elbow jabbed him in the ribs.
“Not now, Wulf.”
“—lead the way,” he finished saying.
“What’s wrong with Huw?”
“Nadia is wrong. I think. Well, maybe. Just don’t ask. Let him tell us when he is
ready.”
The four of them followed the last of the exchange partners out of the room. Taking the lift to the top of the space dock’s central core, they followed some of the officers from the meeting into the officers’ lounge. The enlisted crew had their own lounge/recreation area two decks below the officer’s.
As with all Prime military facilities, the room was designed for efficiency, functionality, and ease of keeping it clean. The metal walls were silver-gray, the floors carpeted in a dark gray synthetic. The only color in the room came from the red-wood bar and the bottles of colorful liquors and wines behind it.
Unlike most Prime military facilities, some small effort had been made to create a comfortable space for officers to unwind and socialize when off-duty. To that end, pleasant music played in the background, the lighting was subdued, and comfortable black leather-upholstered booths lined the perimeter of the large room providing an illusion of privacy.
The four took a booth near the bar. The android bartender immediately zoomed over to take drink orders.
Iolyn, Melina, and Wulf gave the server their orders. Huw looked past the droid, glaring at something on the other side of the room.
Wulf followed his brother’s icy yellow gaze. “Give the droid your drink order, Huw.