Read Online Cherished (Intergalactic Loyalties) by Jessica Coulter Smith - Free Book Online Page A

If you’d like, you may wait in the hall just outside the door.”
    Ariana seemed to hesitate, but Lucie was curious as to what Sol could possibly want.
    “Go, Ari. I’ll be fine,” she assured the redhead.
    “All right. But if Cael comes after me, I’m blaming you,” Ari said, pointing at Sol.
    Lucie watched her leave the room and listened to the door click shut. It was several minutes before Sol began to speak. She had wondered if he was ever going to say anything.
    “I know we haven’t gotten to know one another very well since you’ve been on board,” he began, “but I’ve noticed you from the very beginning. I figured with so many warriors buzzing about you, that it was best I give you space.”
    “Why did you feel the need to stay away?”
    “As captain, I should stand back and let my men have first choice of the women we find, out of those who decide to settle on a mate before reaching home. Besides, you had so many wanting to bond with you, I figured you didn’t need one more.”
    Her stomach flipped. “I don’t understand.”
    “I think you do,” he said quietly. “I know you’re mated to your Tourmalane warrior, the prince no less, or at least you claim to be. I also know of the child growing within you, but I came to tell you that those things don’t matter to me. If you’re still seeking a mate, if you need protection while on my planet, I hope you’ll consider me.”
    “Captain --”
    “Sol,” he corrected.
    “Sol. I appreciate the offer, but the fact is I am mated to Dryxel and he will come for me. I admit, the thought of going to your world frightens me, especially now, but I can’t bond myself to someone when I’m already bonded. Would you ask me to cheat on my husband?”
    He chuckled. “Husband. I had forgotten about that human term. And no, I wouldn’t. If you are truly bonded, then I will stand aside. You do, however, still have my protection if you wish it.”
    “What I wish is to be returned to Dryxel’s side.”
    Sol sighed. “If only it were that easy. Perhaps if we knew his location, I could quietly return you, but he could be anywhere right now.”
    “Then what do I do? What happens when he comes for me? I don’t want there to be a war.”
    “No,” Sol muttered. “A war would not be a good thing right now. We’re trying to build up our society, not tear it down and lose even more lives. It’s bad enough there are so few women on our planet, but to lose seasoned warriors would be a crime right now. By all rights, those men should be thinking of starting families, not rescuing a woman who doesn’t want to be saved.”
    “Will you speak with your people? Guarantee Dryxel safe passage to your world and allow him to extract me?”
    “Perhaps we can stall landing for a bit. We should reach the Tarnan orbit within the hour and land by nightfall.”
    “It could take days, maybe longer, before Dryxel reaches me. I can’t ask you and your men to suffer that long. I know you wish to be home with your families, to get the other women settled.”
    She felt a vibration through the bed and wondered if Sol was tapping his foot.
    “I have an idea,” he said. “It’s a risky one, but it might work.”
    “What? I’m willing to try anything!”
    “I’ll contact King Razyr, Dryxel’s father, and tell him that we’re piloting a ship with you and a small crew on board. I’ll tell him where to find us and the prince can come and pick you up.”
    “And your men are going to let that happen?”
    Sol grumbled. “Maybe not.”
    “The Keshpans know how to fly a ship. What if you took them on as crew for the mission? We could land long enough for your men and the other women to disembark, and before they realized what was happening, you could take off again with just us on board.”
    Sol hummed low in his throat. “I could talk to them about it, I suppose. But if they help me, my fellow Tarnans may not welcome them with open arms. I don’t know that they’ll want to