Chapter 25-1
981 Words
Chapter Twenty-Five
Saber ran his fingers down along Taylor’s flushed cheek. His eyebrow rose when she snorted in her sleep and rolled onto her side, hugging his pillow. He closed his eyes when she wiggled back against him and tucked the curve of her ass against him.
“You are a very, very dangerous woman, my Amate,” Saber whispered, leaning forward to press a kiss against her bare shoulder. “I am the luckiest warrior in the world to have you by my side.”
Taylor mumbled in her sleep. It sounded suspiciously like ‘you bet your ass, old man’. Shaking his head, he pressed another kiss to her shoulder before releasing a sigh when he heard a chime at the outer door. Rising from the bed, he grabbed the towel and wrapped it around his waist before stepping over to the door and pressing his palm against the panel.
“What?” he asked in aggravation.
Hunter glanced up and down before his gaze moved to the dim room behind him. “I’m warning you now, Saber, you better not break Taylor’s heart again. If I don’t kill you first, you’ll wish I had after Jesse and Jordan get a hold of you,” he bit out in a quiet, menacing voice. “Get dressed. We have a meeting with Commander Atlas and Razor.”
Saber nodded and started to pull away. “She wears my mark on her,” Saber replied quietly. “Once we are back on Rathon, we will complete the ceremony. I will not turn her away again, Hunter. I understand the gift I have been given.”
“It’s about time,” Hunter muttered.
Saber palmed the door shut, but not before he caught Hunter’s muttered statement. A soft chuckle escaped him. Yes, it was about time. He glanced at where Taylor was peacefully sleeping. Drawing in a deep breath, he shook his head in exasperation. He didn’t want to leave her for fear that she would disappear.
“No one ever told me just how hard it was to have an Amate,” he muttered.
He quickly pulled on the set of clean clothes that Taylor had picked up when she heard that Maridi had gone to retrieve him and the others. He didn’t bother with his leg brace. The power was depleted on it. While it would still give him support, he figured he would not need it until later.
By then, he hoped he could find a way to recharge it. His gaze swept back to Taylor. She had rolled onto her back. Her right arm was now thrown up over her head in relaxed abandon. If anyone knew how to recharge it, Taylor would, he thought with a sense of pride. Refocusing on the task at hand, he turned toward the door once again.
Two minutes later, he was striding back to the lift from hell with Hunter. He turned and faced the front. A grin curved his lips when he saw Hunter grip the hand bar.
“Taylor loves this thing,” Saber shared with a sigh.
Hunter chuckled. “I can understand why. Do you remember when she learned how to ride the air bike?” he reminded Saber.
Saber’s face twisted at the memory. “She scared the hell out of me,” he murmured. “I love her, Hunter. I’ve known that since I first saw her, but I never realized how much until she walked out of the door the night after….” He paused and drew in a deep breath as the lift started to slow. “When I found out she had been captured, it was like someone had ripped out my heart.”
“I know what you were going through, Saber. It was not always easy for Jesse and I,” Hunter responded with a weary sigh.
Saber nodded to the other men as they entered what looked like the main control room. In the center was a huge holovid with troop movements. He noticed Hunter’s mouth tightening as he stared at the classified information. It was obvious that Razor hadn’t shared everything about the mission.
“What is going on, Razor?” Saber asked, looking around the command center. “This wasn’t built in the last six months. A command center this large must have been under construction for a number of years.”
“True,” Hunter growled with a glare at his older brother.
Razor sighed and nodded. He glanced at Commander Atlas. The commander gave him a sharp nod to continue.
“As you know, a new star system joined the Alliance a few years ago. There was concern voiced by many within the Alliance council of their acceptance due to their technological advancements,” Razor began.
“I hate to tell you this, Razor, but the Trivators are not without our own advances,” Trig interjected dryly.
Razor shot Trig a heated look. “I’m well aware of our advancements, Trig. The Kassisans and the Elpidiosians are slightly ahead of us in certain areas. Still, some of our more recent advances in weaponry, including the signal disrupter we are using, are because of their willingness to share. Before joining the Alliance, the former ruler of Kassis and their present ambassador, Ajaska Ja Kel Coradon, was suspicious of increased hostile activities that were taking place within the star systems, both under the Kassisan protection and ones that were considered off limits due to their lack of intergalactic space travel. Those hostilities have increased since their incorporation into the Alliance Council.”
“Define hostile,” Dagger demanded, leaning against a table near the center map.
“They tried to assassinate my sons and myself,” a deep voice said dryly. “I consider that hostile.”
“Lord Ja Kel Coradon,” Commander Atlas greeted.
“Greetings, Commander… High Chancellor,” Ajaska said with a slight bow of his head.
Saber stared at the Kassisan ambassador with a growing sense of concern. This wasn’t a typical diplomatic meeting on a planet torn apart by civil unrest any more than this was a typical rebel base. There was more going on than he or the other warriors had been told.
“Can someone please tell me what in the shewta is going on?” Ace finally asked from behind the group.
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