Chapter 6
Sharon stared at the closed door after Commander MarIK had left. The room had gotten hot while he was there and now suddenly felt very cold without him. The other warriors were inspecting the room, but she couldn’t help but think about the first time she locked eyes on the commander.
Earlier, as soon as they had reached the interior of the trading post, she had seen him remove his helmet out of the corner of her eyes, but she hadn’t been paying attention. When she had finally gotten that damn body suit off and removed her own helmet, she really saw him for the first time. Their eyes had locked on each other and she felt a zap all the way across the room. It nearly took her breath away. Her knees wobbled and she had to lock them so she wouldn’t fall.
After she heard how Lieutenant Commander LazAR spoke down to MarIK and then found out that MarIK had lost his mate, she felt a sudden protectiveness for a man she had just met. How devastated he must have been to lose a mate.
Sharon had seen mates on Katiera and how close they were. They would do anything for each other. So many of the women that she had traveled to Katiera with were now settled down and happily mated with children. She had been the odd man left out, so to speak.
Life was ironic, wasn’t it. She was ready to head back to Earth and give up her grand adventure. Then she managed to get stuck in the middle of this crazy battle between the Katierans and these rebels. It would be just her luck that she would come to the most dangerous part of the galaxy and finally meet a male who made her heart skip a beat.
“Sharon?”
She blinked as she realized that TanAR had been asking her something. “What?”
“Are you ready to go next door to change and get ready for the banquet? Our warriors have already inspected it and secured it.”
“Yeah, guess so. Not really feeling up to a party, though.”
Lieutenant Commander LazAR spoke up. “You could remain here with several of our warriors and remain safe.”
She snorted, “Like I told you on board the transport and the shuttle down to the lunar surface, I’m not hiding and taking cover while others are put in danger. I know what I’m doing.”
“You swore that you would follow my every command.” He looked angry.
Glaring at him, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Not your every command.”
TanAR cleared his throat. “Sharon?”
She turned and followed him out of the room. She probably shouldn’t have riled LazAR up like that but sometimes he could be a real prick. Except he didn’t act like a prick toward his warriors, no...just toward her. It seemed like he hated her.
“He doesn’t hate you,” TanAR said as the entered the second quarters.
Fuck!She must have mumbled that last part out loud. She waited for him to shut the door behind them, giving them some privacy. “It seems like it to me.”
“He’s just worried this is going to end badly and that not only will his mission fail, he’ll also lose lives, including yours. He’s got a lot of pressure on him right now.”
“So what you’re saying is that I should give him a break?”
“Maybe a small one.” TanAR held up his fingers, pinched closely together to prove his point.
Sighing, she gave up her anger, “Fine.” She walked around the quarters, which looked almost exactly like the other one. The accommodations had an open space with a couch and chairs, and two open doors that she could see led to one bedroom and a bathroom.
“Why would a trading post have apartments and bedrooms?”
“Those running the trading posts lived here. Of course, there would be living quarters for them. I would expect that the nicer quarters are reserved for OrIN.”
She laughed. “He does think highly of himself. Did you hear him call himself the prime leader?”
TanAR rolled his eyes. “I almost laughed right in his face. It took all my effort tonotdo that. He thinks he’s above everyone else, which makes him unpredictable and extremely dangerous.”
“What do you know about OrIN?”
“I didn’t know him but we did an extensive study of him after we found out he was head of the rebels. Our interrogators questioned those who knew him, but his family ties were few and far between. OrIN had once been an upcoming commander on Katiera, but he was known to be very ambitious and often neglected the care of his warriors to make himself look like the hero. Those warriors under him were interviewed and they said that he complained about the ruling primes, all except Prima AriELa. He had an obsession with her.”
“OrIN treated the other primes as if they were holding his spot. He grew increasingly angry and resentful toward them. His disagreements with the primes grew and grew until he overstepped his bounds with Prime Commander KydEL. He got into an argument with the Prime Commander and was stripped of his command.”
“When did that happen?”
