She looked up at him, her eyes full of feeling, but her lips silent. He went to her, pulling her into his arms. She was limp against him, pliant, and he took them to their knees. Then he carefully lowered her to the floor and settled in beside her.
He pulled her against his side so that her head rested on his shoulder. She turned to face him and he could feel her breath on his ear. She felt so good beside him, so right.
Ontarii ran his fingers through her soft hair, wondering if a relationship between them was a real possibility. Although not long ago he'd considered it not only impractical but impossible, when he held her like this, he could almost believe they could make it work.
"Have you ever wanted to have a family?" he asked, his voice low. It was an important question, and her eyes showed that she understood that it was.
"I'm not sure," she said, and he could hear the honesty in her words. "As a spaceship captain, I don't have much spare time. I'm either preparing for a mission, carrying out a mission, or reporting back from a mission. That doesn't leave much room for a family."
His stomach tightened. It was just as he'd feared.
"But," she said, her mouth opening in a yawn that revealed how exhausted she was. "Somehow, despite the nature of my job, I've always assumed that someday I'll find space less appealing, and I'll plant some roots. On that day I think I'd like to have a family. A husband. A child or two that I could watch grow."
Jennifer yawned again, and as he watched, those glowing golden eyes glided closed.
Ontarii was content to let her rest. She would need her strength whenever they reached their destination. Just what the destination would be, he was unsure, but he was certain that, since the Hareema were involved, it would be dangerous.
The ship could be speeding deep into space, with no course in mind, the only intention of the enemy being to get the Zantharian and human captain as far away from the action as possible. They could float there, trapped in the vessel, until they starved.
Or maybe a course had been set that would take them into the center of a star. They wouldn't have to worry about a lack of food and water when they were being burned alive.
Ontarii forced the heinous thoughts from his mind. Brooding on their destination served no purpose. They'd figure things out when they got there. If the trip took longer than another twenty minutes or so, he should be charged up again and able to put up a fight. Until then, it made sense to rest.
Sparing another glance at the woman asleep beside him, he let his eyes drift closed. He felt calm with Jennifer beside him. Although the mating frenzy forced one's emotions into turmoil, a mate could always help calm one. That alone helped him to swallow the fact that Jennifer was his mate, for good or ill. He'd never have another, so he had to seize the chance for happiness. This was all he had, and somehow it was all he wanted.
Despite his earlier reservations, he realized now what the Supreme Regent of Zanthar must have determined as well. Human women weren't like Zantharian women, but that didn't make them inferior. Anyone who said differently was a fucking moron that would get a fist to the face.
Let people talk.I'll demolish anyone who thinks they can disparage my woman. I'd fight any battle, give up everything, just to possess her. What does my career mean, in the face of feelings like these? She is the other half of my soul, and you can't just give up your soul.
You have to fight for it.
Ontarii smiled, glad that he'd reached a decision about his fate. No matter what happened, if they could get away from the Hareema, he would claim Captain Jennifer Brooklyn, the human female, as his mate.
Now, he just had to figure out how to defeat the Hareema on their home turf and get him and Jennifer back to Zanthar.
With this woman by his side, he was beginning to think they had a fighting chance.
