Zander, too, looked at Lamira. She didn’t move, didn’t blink, but her wide green eyes pleaded.
With a frustrated gesture, Zander turned to one of the guards. “Show them to guest quarters.” To Rok, he said, “We’ll see what Daneth finds out from the Ocretion government. Then we’ll talk.”
Rok wanted to smash the colorful walls of the well-appointed palace. He didn’t have time to wait. Lily was speeding to her death as they stood there. But what else could he do? Gnashing his teeth, he stalked out behind the guard, knowing courtesy demanded he bow first but not giving a veck.
“Rok.” Zander called him back.
He stiffened.
“The crystal bath will be made available to you if you need it.”
This time, he forced a stiff bow, though he couldn’t bring himself to thank the male. His body did crave the crystal light, though. Just being in the palatial pod, where the crystals were embedded in every skylight, made his body hum with energy and vitality.
He made his way straight to the crystal bath, stripped his clothes off, and lay down on one of the beds, absorbing the rainbow light. He closed his eyes, allowing the color to permeate his skin, to recharge his life force. He wanted Lily to see this room. Though before, he’d hated that he had to come here, seen his need for the light recharge as a weakness, now he imagined it through her eyes. She would find it beautiful. He would feed her chocolate while she lay in a bed beside him and… What?
What was this ridiculous future he was imagining? Did he think he’d be living here at the palatial pod with Lily and her family? As if Zander would have him—a smuggler with three warrants out for his arrest and a ragtag scrappy crew.
And yet, he knew for certain that if—no, when—he got Lily back, he would never want to let her leave his side again.
Veck.
~.~
Lamira watched Zander pace the length of the Great Hall, his muscular shoulders tensed into hard knots. The rest of the gathering had exited, leaving them alone in
the lavish hall. Her plants grew in pots all around the room—banana plants, tomatoes, peppers, fig trees. So many incredible rare varieties of Earth-based food-bearing plants grown from heirloom seeds. She would plant these on Zandia, when they recovered the planet.
Zander stopped and scrubbed a hand across his jaw. She knew his affection for her was clashing with his singular purpose in life—to take back Zandia. Giving up six airships to a probable death mission would not only hurt his chances, but if his involvement was linked to it, it would endanger his position as a recognized ambassador and his chances of mounting an army against the Finn—the species who had taken over Zandia when he was a boy.
“Lamira, you know I want to help…” he began.
She stiffened, sensing the but that was sure to follow.
He stopped speaking, regret washing over his face, probably at her expression. He had not always been so in tune with her emotions. When he’d first purchased her for breeding, his inability to decipher her human complexities had angered him and resulted in many misunderstandings. But he was learning. He blew out his breath.
“Tell me, have you foreseen this? Any of it?”
She sucked on her lower lip, debating what to say. She had once hidden her claircognizance from him, but now believed she was destined to use it to aid in his purpose—regaining Zandia.
She, too, saw danger, even death facing the warrior Rok and his mission. But if he had Zander’s full crew as part of the mission...well, she didn’t see the outcome, but the energy felt enormous. Powerful. As if great things might happen.
But it would be hard enough to convince Zander to give Rok six ships. For him to throw in his own life, and the lives of his best warriors as well, would be an impossibility. Especially when this was not his battle.
She dropped a hand to her abdomen, sensing their baby’s peaceful energy. Could she gamble that little life in order to save her sister’s?
The baby seemed to agree.
“Rok will be successful,” she said. It was not a lie. A misdirection, perhaps, but not a lie. He would be successful if everything fell into place. But in order for that to happen, she would have to force Zander into action.
Chapter Seven
Rok slipped into the pilot’s seat of Zander’s gleaming state-of-the art battleship, and his cock nearly grew hard at the power he felt.
How he had convinced Zander to let them take the craft, he still wasn’t sure. He had a feeling the prince’s little human mate had a lot to do with it. After his luxurious crystal light bath, and Mierna’s disastrous one—she had asked to try it out and had become violently ill, throwing up for the rest of the planet rotation—Zander had informed them that Daneth’s request had been denied and he would grant them four ships. Rok had argued again for six, but Zander held firm. Clearly, he thought they wouldn’t return.
Veck him.
Rok had a date with his vecking destiny, and her name was Lily. He fired up the engine, closing his eyes to savor the ferocious purr. He flicked all the switches on, adjusted the controls, and eased out of Zander’s hanger. Touching the control on his collar, he established communications with Gaurdo, Depri, and Mierna, his other pilots. Janu and Jaso had split to ride with Depri and Gaurdo, respectively.