Laughing so hard, he vibrated inside her, Laroc said, “Well, I'm a little limited here, love.”
She smiled up at him. “You just said it.”
“What?” He frowned. Then his expression shifted. “Oh! Love? You want me to call you love?”
“It's better than Rinnie.”
“As my lady commands.” Laroc bent his head to kiss her while drawing out of her body, but only to slide slowly back in.
In and out, Laroc moved within Rinna, taking her ever upwards, into the sky, though they never left the ground. She was looking forward to a future full of this kind of flying. Rinna Jass, the wild one who was untamable, had finally given away her heart. Not that she didn't believe in love. She was simply waiting for more than a tingling feeling or butterflies in her belly. Rinna wanted real love. The kind that would carry her away from a battle, risking a prison sentence for desertion, just to keep her safe. Love that told laws, reason, and entire armies to go fuck themselves. Love that only Larocran Ader could give her.
Rinna had finally found what she was looking for. With Laroc braced above her, his body drawing pleasure from hers, she was glad she had waited. Unlike those who gave their love casually, over and over, Rinna was doing this once. As far as she was concerned, her heart was gone, out of her chest, never to return.
Thank convergence for that.
Chapter Ten
Vor
The next morning, Vor woke and sat up to stretch. He looked down at the couch he had spent the night on, and then at the open door to the bedroom. From where he was, he could see Lena, still asleep in bed. Holy fuck! She had left the door open.
With a happy sigh, he shifted his feet to the floor and pulled on his boots. Vor was fully dressed, but it was yesterday's clothes. His trunk was in the bedroom closet, but he always took a fresh change of clothing out before he went to bed. He quickly changed, pulled on his boots, and went to the locked main door. Casting one more look over his shoulder at Lena, he left the room and locked the door behind him. The key hung on a chain around his neck. He tucked it into his shirt, thinking that one measly lock wasn't enough to protect such a treasure.
The old Commander Vor would never have left a suite to use public facilities just so he wouldn't wake up a sleeping woman. He wouldn't have had a woman in his bed at all. But the new Vor cared more and more about this woman with every passing hour. Lena was a light sleeper, and he knew that merely walking past her might wake her up. He didn't want that. She needed her rest.
As he strode down the hallway to the public bathrooms, Vor recalled the night before. Lena had been terrified, even after he assured her she had nothing to fear from him, and he hated that. He hated himself for doing this to her. But he knew sacrifices had to be made for their future. She was meant to be his. He just needed a chance to convince her.
Entering the bathroom in a daze, Vor handled his morning needs, washed up, including a quick splash to his face, and went in search of breakfast. Not just for himself. He needed a tray made for Lena and himself. Vor didn't care what needed attention outside of that suite; he was determined to share every meal with her. She had been quiet for the first week, speaking only when he insisted upon an answer, but last night she had finally had a full conversation with him, and Vor knew it was because he spent so much time with her. He hoped it also had something to do with all the stories he'd shared about his life. But she hadn't remembered the farms, and he knew he'd told her about them. Vor scowled, maybe things weren't going as well as he thought. A week just to get more than a two-word response from her? That wasn't much of a victory.
But it was something. It was more than they'd had the day before, which gave him hope that they'd have even more tomorrow. And the day after, and the day after. Vor's scowl quickly shifted into a smile.
“Commander! I was just on my way to see you.” Lieutenant Commander Zucar came striding up to him. “They're planning something, Commander. They've been quiet all night, scurrying about. I'd like to deploy a unit to do a quick raid. Maybe we can get some information.”
Vor nodded and started walking again. “Good idea. I'll join you after breakfast.”
“I can have a plate brought to the command room for you.”
“No, I'm dining with my guest. I need to earn her trust.”
“Sir?” Zucar gaped at him.
“Do not make me repeat myself, Zucar. I've already told you several times how important she is.”
“Yes, Commander, but I still don't understand. She's not part of Paradefense, is she?”
“No, she's a civilian.” With a sigh, Vor stopped and looked at his second-in-command. “Did you hear her last night?”
Zucar blinked rapidly. “Uh, you mean the singing?”
“You heard her.” Vor nodded, smug. “So, I shouldn't have to explain myself. You felt it, didn't you?”
“I'm, uh, not sure what I felt.”
“I'm guessing you felt something in your chest. As if a bird lived within you and was suddenly unfurling its wings. And all your tech parts vibrated into alignment, didn't they? It was as if hearing her voice tuned them.”
“Great Tech! I thought I was imagining it.”
“You weren't. I'm certain that every Nethren who heard her felt something similar. Lena Drask embodies the surface world, and the surface offers balance. When the Medeans and Aethari trapped us underground, they cut us off from the balance that's our birthright. Living so close to the Source of Technology has turned our hearts cold and our minds into machines. We hold reason above all else, and that has weakened us.”
