Alien General's Fated: SciFi Alien Romance (Brion Brides) (24 page)

"I will not risk your life for that."

"What are you talking about?" Aria protested. "You have the chance to kill the Host."

Ryden saw the mass of Clayors appearing from the other end of the walkway they were standing in. They noticed him too, but didn't approach. They were rushing to the Host's side. Nothing else mattered, not even the man who'd killed it.

"I will," the general assured her. "But I will not sacrifice you for that."

"Killing the hive mind is your goal," Aria said, confused. "The most important thing."

"And I will, I promise you. But it is not the most important thing for me," Ryden said. "Not anymore."

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Aria

 

It was what she'd wanted, right? It was what she'd feared as well.

Aria didn't know what to say. What
did
a woman say in situations like that?

I'm not sure I believe in fairytale love? And Ryden isn't exactly a prince.

Aria found herself desperately wishing that she'd taken more interest in Isolde Fenner, another human woman who had bonded with a Brion warrior. She figured she was the only person who could have understood what she felt right about then.

Shock
encompassed most of it quite well. It buried joy and fear and denial neatly underneath it, because a part of her refused to believe it. Living on Ilotra hadn't done her much good, it seemed. Some customs were bound to sound pretty damn unbelievable to humans. Her mind started going through all of the things it meant.

For one, it meant that her life was forever bound to Ryden's and there was no other way that could go. Aria didn't find the idea as repulsive as another girl might have, because she liked the general, but the Brion bindings were sacred. He wasn't asking her to be his; Ryden was
telling
her. Aria couldn't just accept that without protest.

She was a Terran ambassador, not someone's property. She belonged to no one. Not even this incredibly hot, powerful man standing before her, looking at her like she was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen.

It also meant that one of the most powerful men in the galaxy was hers now. Aria found
that
concept much more difficult to wrap her head around than the binding thing. While she was struggling with her natural doubts, Ryden had none. He was a Brion. The situation was as clear as day for him.

Aria knew for a fact that in one second she'd become more precious to him than anything else in the world. More than the
Conqueror
, his position, his victories, even his life.
She
was the most important thing now, as he'd said.

It was too much. Way,
way
too much. Aria didn't know how to put that into words.

I wanted to be with you
, she thought miserably.
I'm not sure I wanted an alien wedding.

The truth was, she'd guessed. The Brions didn't have relationships in the way humans did. They bonded for life and the bond lasted until one of them died.
Until death do us part
, literally.

"I..." Aria said, trying to force her mind to be one person instead of thousands, all of which were suggesting different things to her. "We should focus on saving Ilotra."

She'd been afraid that Ryden would take that as an insult to his honor, but the slight smile on the general's lips told her he was far from mad.

"Yes," he said, his deep voice rich and gentle. "There will be time after this is done. The binding shouldn't be interrupted."

Aria, who was very familiar with the cultures of the Union's many species, shuddered at that. She knew how the bindings worked. Her body didn't mind at all—merely the memory of Ryden's amazing, strong body against hers was enough to make her wet and willing. She refused to voice that emotion out loud, but judging by the look on Ryden's face, she figured the general knew anyway.

Damn Brions and their stupid powers.

Desperate to avoid the topic until she'd had a moment to clear her head, Aria asked:

"What should I do now, General? The Host destroyed my command center."

Ryden looked at her oddly, with an amused expression.

"I will not have you anywhere near the Host again," he said. "Until I've killed the hive mind, I'm sending you to the
Conqueror
."

"No," Aria protested, taken aback. "I can't run my devices from there. I'm needed here, on Ilotra. You can't send me away."

"I can," the general said, smiling as if he was doing her a great favor. "You have made sure that the defenses function without you. Now it is best that you are in the safest place possible."

His expression turned very dark, as he added, "I already made the mistake of sending you into danger. I will not repeat that mistake. You are going to the
Conqueror
."

The tone of his voice left no room for arguing. Aria stubbornly shut up, figuring it wasn't the best time to start a domestic fight about equal rights. In dark silence, she let herself be led to the nearest hangar where a small cargo ship picked her up.

Ryden came to send her on her way. Aria found herself unable to leave without speaking her mind.

"I don't like this," she said, looking him straight in the eye without fear.

It was easier now that she knew that Ryden would never, ever hurt a hair on her head.

"I don't like you sending me away and acting like you can make decisions for me."

A dark look passed behind Ryden's eyes. For a moment, Aria thought he was going to lash out at her, but all he said was, "Ilotra is under martial law. That means I
can
tell you what to do and where to go. But more importantly, Aria, you saw what happened. The hive mind wants to use you as living bait to get me. I can't let that happen again."

There was a deep emotion under his words and Aria felt bad about hers, but she couldn't back down from that argument entirely. She heard the pain in Ryden's voice. Both the pain of having to part with her, but also the pain of her not understanding his concern. She wanted to assure him it was fine, but Aria couldn't help wondering if that was what her life with Ryden would be like, if there were to be one.

Every time there was danger or a threat to him, he'd send her away, lock her up somewhere
safe
. He was a Brion general; danger was always bound to follow in his footsteps. The life of a princess in a tower held no romantic allure for Aria.

She turned from him and walked into the cargo ship without looking back.

Being seduced by a warrior lord looked so much more glamorous in movies.

 

***

 

The
Conqueror
wasn't exactly what Aria had expected. Then again, she wasn't entirely sure what she had presumed to see. Images of tall, bulky men who brawled without provocation popped into her mind. That sounded about right, Aria supposed, as she was led through the surprisingly clean and pristine corridors of the warship. She had been expecting some kind of savages.

It worked so well with the general reputation of the Brions, after all. They were a bloodthirsty species, always waging war. Aria had subconsciously expected to see blood and gore, but all she saw was weapons and a capable crew.

You know, an actual warship
, her mind provided the commentary cheerfully.

She was honestly amazed by the order she saw, evident in every detail. Even moving was perfectly coordinated, making
her
look like she had no manners, but she learned quickly. The Brions walked on the right side of the dim corridors to avoid running into each other, but even going through doorways seemed regulated somehow.

Aria watched as much as she could see with her mouth wide open. The Brion warships were legendary for the darkness that enveloped them, because the warriors mostly communicated through their valor squares.

Aria saw them flashing everywhere. There was a war afoot and no crystal was resting idly. She wished she could read them better, but at least the color red seemed to be pretty straightforward. Aria had seen Ryden's squares bathe the rooms in crimson when he was in his battle mindset.

While she was staring at the warriors, the Brions were looking at
her
even more. She wondered exactly how many seconds it took for everyone aboard the
Conqueror
to know that she was the general's
gesha
. Aria was willing to bet that it wasn't that many. News like that traveled at light speed, and her being a human only added to the mystery of it all.

She was led deeper into the ship where it was even darker, up to the point where Aria was forced to only move against the wall, finding her way by touching the surface to make sure it was there. The Brion warriors accompanying her, including Joya, noticed and the next second, a light shone from one of their bracelets, illuminating her way.

"Where are you taking me?" Aria asked hesitantly, feeling like a prisoner despite the fact that none of the warriors had even looked at her oddly.

"To the general's quarters," they replied.

Well, of course. Yes. That makes sense.

They came to a stop before huge doors that took some special code to open. Then Aria was led into some of the most extraordinary rooms she'd ever seen and left alone in her new
home
, at least if Ryden had any say in the matter. He probably did, she thought bitterly.

She looked around in her beautiful cage, wondering if after all she had done for Ilotra, she would have to spend the rest of the war locked in that room. Safe and sound, kept away from all harm, while the others were still down on Ilotra, suffering, fighting, and dying.

Aria didn't mind feeling safe. She'd been craving safety from the moment Sota told her about the Clayors, but her new arrangement bothered her. It was the injustice of it. All of those people down on Ilotra's lower levels, hiding from the enemy, were far from safe. And all that separated her from them was that she happened to be the general's fated.

She shouldn't have let him send her away. Aria wondered if her protests and pleas would have done any good. She honestly doubted it. Ryden wasn't a man who changed his mind a lot and especially not about her.

Figuring she wouldn't be allowed to leave the
Conqueror
anytime soon and dismissing ideas of a daring escape, Aria set out to explore. She walked through the vast quarters, with every room surprising her more than the last.

The flagship had caught her off guard because she'd expected savages, and apparently it applied to their commander too. Aria had thought she'd find bloody weapons and hides, but instead the quarters looked eerily normal. Except for the trophy room, of course.
That
Ryden did have, like all the other generals.

Aria walked between shelves of strange weapons taken from different enemies and had to suppress a shiver when she saw the trophy beasts. The stuffed enemies were huge, each bigger than the next. All of them had a scar somewhere, marking the place where Ryden had stabbed them with his spear.

Aria couldn't believe half of those things existed, much less that someone could kill one. But if there was one thing she was certain of, it was that Brions never took credit for something they didn't do. Ryden would never display anything in his trophy room that he hadn't personally killed.

After the trophy room, there was one more room that Aria hadn't dared to explore yet. Mostly because she dreaded how it might affect her decision about Ryden. They still had a talk coming up, she would make sure of that, even if it—and he—terrified and excited her.

When the exhaustion finally started to catch up to her, Aria gathered her courage and slipped into the bedroom.

It was as grand and imposing as everything else in Ryden's chambers. A huge bed sat in the middle of the room, covered in red linens and edged with gold, like the Brion ceremonial armor. She reached out to touch it and found it to be surprisingly soft. In fact, it made her eyelids very heavy just through contact with her skin.

She would worry about her guilt later, Aria decided. In a way, Ryden was right. She'd done much already, hadn't she? It was okay that she got to sleep a bit as well.

Aria undressed, feeling weirdly vulnerable, even if she knew that Ryden would have killed anyone who dared to spy on his
gesha
. It was something about the huge room, she thought, that made her feel exposed. Or maybe it was the absence of Ryden.

Sighing, Aria slid into the bed between the sheets that flowed over her skin. It had to be some sort of a special material, because it seemed to change its temperature according to hers. Too tired to try and figure it out, Aria rested her head on the pillows.

That turned out to be a terrible idea. The pillows, the sheets—they smelled like him. Strong and masculine like Ryden himself. Before her pride caught up with her, Aria had pressed her face deeper into the fabric, breathing in his scent, a moan escaping her lips. Her head was instantly crowded by the memories of their fucking, of his powerful body pounding into her, making her come...

This is going great
, Aria thought.
One whiff of him and I forget all of my dignity. Literally, one whiff.

But as much as she tried to embarrass herself out of it, she couldn't help rubbing her nose against the pillows, bathing herself in his scent too. It brought a smile to her lips, one that refused to leave no matter what she did. Not even the war raging on Ilotra bothered her anymore. She was warm and safe and home.

Aria fell asleep before she had the chance to chastise herself for thinking that.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Aria

 

She woke to a thunderous lack of sound.

On Ilotra, she'd gotten so used to background noise that she was noticing its absence. There were her fellow ambassadors, clerks, and attendants. In Ilotra's halls, there were always tons of people talking, arguing, laughing, and fighting. It was the way the moon worked.

And when war came to her home, the noise had only grown in volume. Aria had gotten used to that too. The explosions and clashes of blade against blade and shouting and screaming.