Chapter 21
Kat couldn’t stop thinking about the human lieutenant, and it was starting to interfere with her duties. Major Ontarii had enlisted her to help in the interrogation of the Hareema prisoners. So far, they’d been unable to garner any information from them, but it wasn’t helping that she was so damned distracted.
“Lieutenant Yarr, are you even paying attention to me?” Major Ontarii’s voice boomed. He’d been irritated all day, probably because he was forced to spend several hours away from his mate.
I’m irritated too, she wanted to shout.I drove my mate away because I couldn’t deal with the feelings, so back off.
At least, that’s what she wanted to say.
“I’m sorry, Sir,” is what she did say, trying to focus on his complicated plan for extracting information.
“Right. Now tell me, what are you to say when I tell them that we’re planning a move on their prison planet?”
Kat searched through the empty hallways of her mind but could come up with nothing. “Uhh, that we’ve already moved our fleet into position?”
“Dammit, Yarr,” he yelled, slamming his hands down on the briefing room table. “We’ve been over this three times already!”
“I’m sorry, Sir.”
“And that’s the tenth time you’ve apologized this hour. I’m beginning to think you’ve been replaced with a Hareema plant set on tormenting me.”
Kat saw the streaks of yellow starting to work their way up his skin and she shrank back. “I’m sorry!”
“Tell me what the hell is going on, or I’m going to throw you into a cell until we can make certain you haven’t been replaced.”
Kat wanted to groan. Why was he trying to force her to tell her secrets? Couldn’t he just leave her alone for Noruma’s sake!
“Answer me!”
“Fine!” she shouted, burning her commanding officer with a fiery gaze. “I’m in love with the human lieutenant.”
“I see,” Major Ontarii said, settling back down into his seat. “Well, I must say, that explains some things.”
Kat burned with embarrassment, aware that her skin was flushing orange for the major to see. “I’ve been trying to hide my feelings, to behave as if he doesn’t affect me, but the truth is, I’ve never wanted anyone more.”
Major Ontarii gave her a small smile. “I know the feeling.”
Kat had always looked to the major for guidance, but would have never imagined coming to him for romantic advice. Especially in light of her persistent crush on him that she’d only recently abandoned.
Still, Major Ontarii himself had chosen a mate, and very recently to boot. Maybe he had some insight that would help her out of the mess she found herself in.
Even if she’d already decided that she’d missed her chance.
“I understand how it feels, to be struck suddenly by love when you’ve never really given it a thought in your ordinary life.”
The major stared off into the distance, a look Kat had never seen before on his face. It was somewhere between dreamy and surprised.Awestruck by love.Her heart beat harder.
“At first, I couldn’t understand my attraction to a human. I mean, a human! One of the most backward races in the system. But the longer I spent with Brook, the stronger the feeling felt until I had to give in to temptation.”
Kat knew exactly what he meant. Although it had gone against everything she’d ever thought about the laws of attraction, she’d had to surrender the pull of the human lieutenant.
“It didn’t take long to realize that my feelings went beyond the sexual,” Major Ontarii continued, his eyes focused on a point in the distance as he reflected on his memories. “There was something about her, something special, and I’m not talking about the fact that she’s from a different species.”
The major’s smile widened. “She was beautiful, but she was also smart. Her tenacity amazed me, even as it frustrated me. She was loyal, strong, and had a sense of humor that made me remember how good it could be to laugh. How could I walk away from that?”
Kat ran a hand through the dark tendrils on her head that had been waving agitatedly for the last several hours. “But how do you deal with the rest of it? You’re both in command, with people relying on you. How do you build a life together when you’re literally worlds apart?”
Major Ontarii leaned back and crossed his arms over his expansive chest. “Our relationship is new, so we still have plenty of things to figure out and fight about. But the most important thing is that we’ve both made the decision to be together, no matter what. We put each other first, which means that, as much as I’ve always been devoted to duty, my career comes second.”
