Mary and the Minotaur by Honey Phillips

Chapter Eighteen

Sendat frowned at the male smirking up at him. Unfortunately, Arulo was right. No matter how much misery the other male had caused, and despite his attempt on his own life, he couldn’t shoot him while he was just sitting there. His hand twitched and Arulo smiled triumphantly.

“You see?”

“You are right that I won’t shoot you—as long as you make no attempt to escape. I’m going to take you back to Kalima and turn you in.”

He heard Miri’s muffled gasp, but he forced himself to ignore it and keep his eyes on Arulo.

“Do you really think that they’re going to take the word of a murderer over that of a respected Fleet official? You have no proof.”

“Actually, we do,” Miri said quietly. “I recorded our conversation.”

Thank the gods. When he had picked up the communicator and heard Arulo’s voice, his heart had almost stopped. But despite his panic as he raced back home, he had hoped that she had remembered how to record.

For a fraction of a second, Arulo’s careless facade vanished in a scowl of rage, but he almost immediately regained his composure.

“You may be granted some leniency if you confess,” Sendat urged. “Help us put an end to this horrible practice.”

“What would be the point? Your attempts are futile. There are far too many powerful people who are tired of the new Emperor’s increasing restrictions.”

“Who are they?” he demanded.

Arulo only laughed. “Do you really think I am the kind of foolish male who would give you a long monologue naming everyone involved?”

“Then you will stand trial on your own.”

“Perhaps.” Arulo shrugged. “My guess is that it will never come to trial.”

“Why not?” Miri demanded indignantly as she took a step towards the table.

Sendat watched in slow motion horror as Arulo reacted with lightning speed, drawing his blaster at the same time as he grabbed Miri’s hand and hauled her in front of him.

No!The denial rang through his head, the scene so horribly reminiscent of when Chinit had taken her—but this time the blaster was pointed at her, not at him.

“Now, I’ll tell you what’s going to happen,” Arulo said calmly. “You’re going to hand me that recording and I might—might—let her live long enough to earn back some of the credits you’ve cost me. If you try anything, she dies first.”

His mind refused to work. All he could see was her frightened face, the weapon pressed against her temple. How could he have forgotten the Kaisarian speed?

He’d been in a similar situation once before, when a fanatical priest had taken Ella captive. That time he’d been able to bluff his way through the situation by pretending he didn’t care about her long enough for the priest to make a fatal mistake. But this was his Miri. There was no way he would be able to convince Arulo that he wasn’t concerned about her fate.

“Where’s the recording, little one?” he asked, as calmly as possible.

“No, don’t give it to him!” She winced as Arulo pressed the blaster more firmly against her temple.

“I suspect Sendat is more practical than you are. Tell him where it is.”

Frightened, stubborn blue eyes met his.

“Trust me, Miri. Tell me where it is.”

Her shoulders slumped. “Under the counter.”

“Thank you.”

Arulo’s eyes followed him anxiously as he retrieved the small device. This was the one thing he couldn’t buy, bluff, or lie his way out of, Sendat realized—the sound of his own voice admitting his guilt—and he might just be desperate enough to make a mistake.

“Here,” he said casually, and tossed the recording at Arulo.

Arulo instinctively reached for it, and as soon as he moved, Miri tried to twist away. Sendat dove for Arulo.

He had one goal, and one goal only—to get that fucking blaster away from Miri’s precious body. He didn’t care if he got shot in the process, as long as she wasn’t hurt. As he slammed into Arulo, he succeeded in knocking it free, but the other male grabbed for Sendat’s blaster instead. He reached for it too and they wrestled silently. Arulo might have an edge where speed was concerned, but Sendat was stronger.

He pried away one finger, then two, then heard a distinct click. Miri was standing over them, Arulo’s discarded blaster only a few inches from Arulo’s head. Her face was pale but determined.

“Let him go,” she demanded.

Arulo snarled and made one last desperate attempt to wrestle Sendat’s weapon away from him. In the process, they rolled against Miri’s leg and the gun went off. The shot caught Arulo right between the eyes and his body went limp. Ingrained habits made him check for a pulse before turning to Miri.

Her face was completely white.

“I shot him,” she whispered, her whole body shaking.

“He deserved it. He was an evil male who condemned many people to a short, miserable life.”

She didn’t seem to hear him. “I have blood on my hands.”

“Then let’s get you cleaned up.” He picked her up and carried her to the bathing room, ignoring the carnage in the kitchen.

He washed her hands, and quickly wiped away the blood that had splattered on him, then left her standing vacantly in front of the sink as he filled the tub. Once again he undressed her and helped her into the water, desperately hoping that it would help soothe her. Her stiffness eased a little, and some of the color started to return to her face.

“I’m going to go clean up,” he said softly.

“No! No, don’t leave me.” Her eyes were suddenly terrified.

“I won’t leave you,” he promised. “I’ll stay here as long as you need me.”

“How does forever sound?” Her voice trembled, but she managed a tiny smile.

He smiled back. “It sounds perfect.”

They sat in silence for a long time, but he made no further attempt to leave until she finally sighed and gave him a rueful smile.

“I think I’m okay now.”

“I’m glad, but I’m not going anywhere.”

“I appreciate that, but as much as I hate to say it, I’d rather not see him again.” She shuddered.

“If you’re sure you’ll be all right on your own for just a short while, I will take care of it.”

He waited for her nod, then left the room. The body he carried into the jungle. He would bury it later but he didn’t want to take the time right now. Then he returned to the kitchen and scrubbed away every trace of blood before finally rejoining Miri in the bathing room.

She was still in the same position where he had left her, but tears were streaming silently down her pale cheeks. He stripped off his clothes and went to join her, holding her as she cried.

By the timethe sun started to set, Mary was beginning to feel better. Sendat had been marvelously patient with her, barely moving an inch from her side as she wandered aimlessly, first through the house and the now sparkling kitchen, and then along the beach.

The beauty of her surroundings, the unchanging rhythm of the sea, and most of all, the comfort of his presence gradually untied the knots in her stomach. They were sitting on the veranda, watching the sunset tint the clouds pink and gold when she finally turned to him.

“Now that we have proof of your innocence, we could return to Kalima.”

“Perhaps…”

“There’s a but coming, isn’t there?”

“Yes, love. The recording would only help in the hands of the right person. To the best of my knowledge, Captain Arulo was the only one who was aware of my mission. I would have to convince another officer to listen to me long enough to take it. And what if I picked the wrong male? Arulo may have been bluffing, but it sounded as if the corruption could be widespread.”

“You could contact the Emperor,” she suggested tentatively. He had told her more about the male over the past few months and she could tell that there was a deep bond of affection and respect between them.

“I have considered it.” He sighed, frustration clear on his face. “The difficulty is actually getting the message to him. There are layers upon layers of security around him, which means that the message could go astray at any point.”

“Isn’t there anyone you trust?”

“Of course. I would trust Warnax, the Emperor’s Chief Guard, with my life. Even more, I would trust him with your life. I trust Chief Advisor Tanaca as well, although you can never be entirely certain how he will react. His loyalty is always to Emperor Karthajin and the Empire, and he would be ruthless if he thought I was attempting to harm either.”

“But you’re not,” she said indignantly.

“No,” he agreed. “I’m trying to carry out the Emperor’s wishes. But while we have the same goal, we might not have the same approach.”

Unfortunately, his arguments made a lot of sense, although she hated knowing that he was still a wanted male. “I guess that means this really isn’t a temporary home, is it?”

“I suppose not, not unless I can come up with a safe way to make contact. Would you mind that much?”

She looked around at the house they were so slowly restoring, at the beach and the wide expanse of ocean, at Sendat’s beloved face, and shook her head. “Not at all. I love it here.”

“Then it’s settled. Perhaps when Kaiyo contacts me, I can ask if he knows anyone we can trust.”

“Now that we’re staying here permanently, I want to go to the village.” She held up her hand when he started to speak. “As much as I love you, I would like to see another person from time to time. And really, how dangerous would it be? Chinit is gone, Arulo is gone. Who’s going to come looking for me?”

“Anyone who wants a beautiful female,” he muttered.

“You said yourself that the villagers are good people. I want to meet them, to go to the market and go shopping.”

“I can bring you anything you want.”

“There are some things a woman just likes to choose for herself.”

“Like what?”

Like feminine supplies, she thought immediately, even though she hadn’t needed them so far. Hadn’t needed them…

Her mind went blank.

“We’ve been here for two months, right?” she asked, her voice sounding odd in her own ears.

“Yes. What’s wrong? You are very pale.”

She ignored the question as she did the calculations. Two months was a long time, but if you added the time on the slave ship, plus their time in the city, it might even be closer to three months. Three months since she’d had a period…

“Sendat,” she said, her voice surprisingly calm. “Can two different species have children together?”

“Very rarely, although it is not impossible. One of the royal princes had a Sheraen father, and his mate has—”

He came to an abrupt halt, and now it was his turn to pale, his body swaying alarmingly.

“Sit down,” she ordered.

He obeyed, although it was more as if his legs simply gave out.

“Miri, are you trying to tell me…”

“I don’t know for sure,” she said quickly. “But it’s been a long time since I had a period—since I was… fertile,” she added at his confused look. “And maybe that explains why I’ve been getting so tired.”

“You are tired? You are not well? We need to see a medic immediately.” He sprang up, then looked around uncertainly. “I need to get you to the village.”

“Sendat, I’m fine. Just… just tell me how you feel. Are you happy about this?”

“Happy?” He sank back down, this time kneeling in front of her and taking her hands in his warm, firm grip. “Miri, I am overjoyed. I just never expected to be so blessed.” He smiled lovingly at her, his eyes intent on her face. “And you are happy?”

She didn’t even have to think about it. “Of course I am. I was shocked because I didn’t think it was possible either, but I’ve always wanted children. Children with the male I love.”

“I love you too, Miri.”

He pulled her gently off her chair and into his arms, putting his hand carefully over her stomach. “A child,” he whispered.

“Our child.” She put her hand over his and nestled closer.

How ironic that on the very day she had taken a life, she had also discovered that she was creating life. It had taken being abducted by aliens, but now she had a home, a mate, and the prospect of a child. She had never been happier.