“I do.”
She leaned forward and kissed his arm. “Did I make it better?”
Saf laughed at her. “Yes, you did, princess.” He bowed to her. “Thank you.”
“Safir!”
He winced at his father’s angry call before he glanced back to Maris.
Maris kissed his cheek. “You better go before he decides he likes Dray better.”
Saf snorted. “I defy him to do that… especially after the way I kicked Dray’s rank ass for what he did to you. Bastard’s still limping from it. Trust me, he won’t ever be after you again. I made sure of it.” He hugged Maris. “Love you, Mare-Bear.”
“Love you, too.”
Saf inclined his head to them then left.
Hauk frowned at Maris. “I thought only Darling called you Mare-Bear.”
Maris laughed. “What can I say? He taught Saf all kinds of bad habits.”
Sumi set Kalea down so that she could return to playing. “In spite of what your father said, I can’t imagine you angry and disrespectful, never mind bitter.”
Maris passed a knowing look to Hauk. “You didn’t meet me until better days. I’m not the same person I was when I was a commissioned officer in the Phrixian armada.” He moved to take Ture’s hand. “I like this Mari a lot better than that one. This model actually has a sense of humor and a most smashing wardrobe.”
Ture cleared his throat.
Maris swung Ture’s hand between them. “And the best hubby ever.”
Sumi laughed. “Not that Ture isn’t wonderful, but I think you’ll find a room full of us who would argue for that title.”
Desideria snorted. “You know what my mother always said? The first two years of marriage, you’ll want to eat him up. After that, you’ll wish you had.”
They laughed.
Sumi looked at Shahara. “You agree?”
“At times, yes. Remember, I’m the one who lives with a mad scientist, who loves to experiment on things.”
Zarya snorted. “Yes, but yours never wrapped himself up in explosives and threatened to blow up an entire city and his royal guard corps.”
Hauk let out a low, teasing whistle. “And on that, I’m out. But before I go, I will say this. Yes, my brothers are extreme, but I like them that way. Besides, there aren’t that many men in the universe who would kick down a League prison door, raid an assassin base camp, or start an intergalactic war to protect their spouses. Bat-shit crazy works for us.”
Sumi wrinkled her nose at him. “And crazy looks good on you, baby.”
“This is one of them times where they usually smooch and make noises,” Lillya whispered loudly to Kalea.
Hauk groaned as he looked to Desideria, who was blushing profusely. “FYI, you and Cai really need to move your daughter’s room farther down the hall.”
“Apparently so. Gah, I’m going to kill my husband.”
Zarya shifted Cezar in her lap. “Am I the only one who lives in stark-raving terror of the stories our children will one day tell about their parents?”
Hauk snorted. “Honestly? My fears are the stories about them that they won’t dare allow us to know.”
Hours later, Hauk lay naked in bed with Sumi in his arms. She’d fallen asleep on his chest. Her breath tickled his skin while he listened to her heart beating and fingered the small bruise on her arm from the shot Syn had given her. He’d tried to sleep, too, but that was an elusive bitch who had no use for him tonight.
In truth, he was afraid to close his eyes and lose his vigil. He had a bad feeling in his gut that nothing would shake. He had too much to lose now, and it was slowly making him crazy.
“El,” he whispered. “Show me Kalea.”
His monitor came on instantly to show her asleep in her bed in the next room. There were two Andarion guards stationed at the foot of her bed. They sat quietly playing a game of squerin. Meanwhile, two more were stationed outside her door, and another dozen patrolled his yard.
And still he was unsettled.
Sighing, he wrapped a strand of Sumi’s pale hair around his finger and prayed for everything to work out tomorrow. For Syn’s medicine to cure her, and for her to beat Dariana into the ground.
Actually, that wasn’t true. He bore no ill will toward Dariana. Not really. He just wanted to be free of her treachery and schemes. Why she’d refused to move on and find another husband, he’d never understand.
But then, she hated him.
Shaking his head, he pushed Dariana out of his thoughts. He didn’t want to dwell on that when he had such a beautiful woman on top of him. He lifted her hand to his lips and nibbled the soft skin on her palm. Nyk was right. She’d tamed the fury inside him that had driven him the whole of his life.
He had no desire to ever leave her arms. She and Kalea were an integral part of him now. The best part. Their smiles and love filled the ache that had been there for so long, he hadn’t even paid attention to it anymore.
Sumi sighed in her sleep and rubbed her face against him. His body hardened instantly, causing him to smile. He should be well sated for at least a month or more, given how long they’d made love after dinner. But there was something about her that always left him hungry for her.
Closing his eyes, he tightened his arms around her and let the warmth of her silken body soothe him. Tomorrow would decide their fate.
Forever.
In that moment, he wanted to run with her. To leave behind everything and everyone. But that would put them in even more danger. They were at war with The League and Kyr. On Andaria, Sumi and Kalea were royalty. No one would dare touch them.
On any other planet, Sumi was a League fugitive with a death sentence, and Kalea was a weakness to be used against her. And while he’d fight to his last breath for them both, he knew he couldn’t always be with them.
It has to be done.
He wanted to believe it would be fine. But deep in his gut that feeling of dread persisted.
Something was coming for them, and it would be lethal.
“How dare you!”
Darice didn’t speak as his mother glared at him. He merely continued playing his game as if she wasn’t there.
Until she snatched it from his hands and threw it on the ground. “I want you in the transport. Now!”
“No.”
She backhanded him. “You will do as you’re told!”
Darice wiped the blood from his lips before he stood to glare at her. “I want no part of your schemes. You’ve lied to me, and you’ve hurt Dancer for too long. I will never again sleep under the same roof as you. Not until you make this right.”
“You would side with a human-loving giakon?”
He slid his gaze to his mother’s best friend, who stood silently, watching them. “Funny you should use that word to insult him.”
His mother slapped him hard and shoved him back. “Careful what accusations fall from your lips, boy.”
Curling his lip, Darice stiffened. “I’m not a boy anymore. I’m an adult. I can legally make my own choices.”
“And I can disown you.”
“Go ahead,” he challenged her defiantly. “You might as well, since you can’t use me to tie my uncle to you anymore. That is the only reason I was born, isn’t it? And it’s the only reason you’re pregnant now.”
Before she could answer, the door opened to admit his gre yaya.
She drew up short at the sight of her unexpected visitors. Her gaze went to Pera first and then to him and his mother. “Dariana… to what do I owe this honor?”
His mother turned her head to peer at his great-grandmother over her shoulder. “I came for my son. His place is with me and my family, not here with you.”
She frowned at the sight of Darice’s face. “You hit him?”