Exit Strategy Read online

  “You are probably correct in that conclusion.” He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed.

  Once in the chapel, it took only a few minutes to hammer out the contract between Ahlgos and Yna. She didn’t want money or property, just her occupation and the right to name any children that they had, though given that they were different species, children were unlikely.

  Ahlgos wanted any children to have the Ikato name and his share of the family property if he predeceased her.

  She signed, he signed, and both contracts were witnessed, and the seals were set.

  As attendant, Nialloa handed her the ivy in between each clause of the contract. It was for effect, but after an hour had passed, it was a welcome distraction.

  The moment that the final seal was set, Ahlgos turned to her and kissed her. Yna went up on her toes, and her gown changed from the black lace to a brilliant aqua silk that flowed around her, hugging her curves.

  She held tight when he would have pulled back, and their kiss grew savage. He tried to bend her back, but she wrapped her leg around his hips, and his distraction was complete.

  The ladies cheered, and she finally drew back. “Happy wedding day, Ahlgos.”

  “Do you have an exit strategy for this as well?” His eyes were dazed.

  She chuckled. “I don’t think I am going to need it; now, let’s let Li get married so we can begin wrecking her enemies.”

  Chapter Seven

  The family gathered around and watched as Li and Groven worked out their wedding contract.

  The give and take were fun to watch. Nialloa and Huknos stood, leaning together, and Yna and Ahlgos did the same.

  Srevesh looked around at the happy couples, including his parents, and shook his head.

  The moment when Groven rescinded his family name was one that made everyone tear up.

  “I don’t need anything but you and our family, Likiada Ikato. I will be proud to carry the family name.”

  The door to the chapel burst open. “Groven, cease what you are doing. You don’t have our authorization to wed that woman.”

  An angry couple stood in the doorway, and it was the woman who spoke.

  Nialloa cleared her throat. “Set the seal, magistrate.”

  The magistrate looked down at the melted wax and followed the order.

  Groven smiled at Li before turning to the intruding couple. “I am afraid that your son is no longer here.”

  Miett turned toward the intruders. “If you don’t mind, my daughter is getting married, and my new son-in-law is all I could have wished for her. Please leave, or we will make you leave.”

  Srevesh stepped toward them, and the couple backed out.

  Groven smiled. “Time for final signatures.”

  With a few strokes of a pen and a line of witnesses, Likiada and Groven were finally, legally, allowed to have the child she was carrying.

  Tears pricked Yna’s eyes, and she leaned against Ahlgos. “This was a pretty eventful day.”

  “You are not kidding. I am amazed you are still on your feet.”

  She laughed. “I am made of stern stuff.”

  “You are. Do you have strength for the party?”

  “Do I have to change my gown back?”

  He grinned. “No.”

  Nia sighed happily as the last contract was completed. “Okay, folks. I have a very nice party and dinner going on. Why don’t we head over there and enjoy my family’s hospitality?”

  The Ikatos headed out as one, laughing and enjoying the enormous amount of change that they had just embraced. There would be time for justice for those who had attacked Li and Yna. Tonight, was a party.

  Yna jerked awake with an arm draped over her, resting on her thigh. Her back was warm enough to let her know that the contact between them wasn’t recent.

  She tried to still her thundering heartbeat, but it was difficult.

  The moment that the hand started to move, it took all of her concentration not to cover herself in Masuo.

  “I am glad you are awake. I was beginning to feel a little like a pervert.” Ahlgos kissed her shoulder.

  “Um, why am I naked?”

  “Because you told your Masuo to take the night off. It was our wedding night after all.”

  She was nervous. “Did anything happen?”

  “You tackled me and promptly fell asleep. It was the most fun I have ever had in this bed.” He chuckled and stroked her arm.

  Yna blinked. “Anything else?”

  “You snore a bit.”

  She hissed. “You know what I mean.”

  “Ah, that. No. I thought it would be best if we waited until we both wanted something of that nature. Frankly, I was exhausted as well.”

  She smiled. “In that case, now that the wedding is over and your sister is safe, how long until we can return to Balen?”

  “Two more days? There are still some celebrations, and I don’t often get to visit.”

  Yna nodded. “I can deal with that.”

  “Good. Now, time to get up. Breakfast will be ready soon.”

  She nodded and waited.

  “Yna, you aren’t getting up.”

  “I only need five minutes. You go first.”

  He sighed and rolled to his feet.

  She watched the play of light on the muscles that he kept honed for the Guard. She could do worse when it came to men in her bed. He was graceful right up until the moment when he stubbed his toe on the way to the bathroom. He cursed, paused, and limped slightly into the bathroom.

  She smirked and waited her turn.

  When he came out, a towel around his waist, she went in and used the sonic pulse to take the blood off her skin. She could still smell it.

  Clean and with the makeup from the previous day eradicated, she triggered her Masuo into a day dress and sandals and walked into the bedroom.

  Ahlgos finished fastening his loose trousers and buckled his belt. “You are dressed alrea—oh, right.”

  She twirled and smiled. “So, do I have to wait for you or can I beat you to breakfast?”

  He shrugged a loose tunic on and did up half the closures. “I am dressed. Let’s go.”

  She grinned, and they headed to the dining room where a huge buffet had been assembled for the newlyweds. All three sets of them.

  Miett and Agruen were seated, and they gave a warm welcome to the new arrivals. “Morning! You two look better than you did last night.”

  Yna wrinkled her nose and went to get some food.

  Ahlgos put his hand on her shoulder. “I will gather your meal. Fruit heavy?”

  She gave him a thumbs-up and took a seat at the table.

  They were nearly done with their meal when Li and Groven arrived. The lovers sat together and fed each other from their own plates.

  Yna looked to Ahlgos, and he looked bewildered at the strange gesture.

  “Don’t worry, Ahlgos. We eat in a commissary; defending your own meal is the primary concern. Mind you, the trouble my species has at first is absolutely ridiculous. Nothing digests properly.”

  Miett looked interested. “Really?”

  “Sure. The first few weeks that one of my kind is out and about on an alien world, we are in hell.”

  Agruen frowned in concern. “How are you now?”

  “Oh, fine. There were enzyme treatments and blood balancing. A whole bunch of invasive procedures that let me travel with a larger menu available to me. It wasn’t easy, but it is very manageable.”

  Miette looked at them and cleared her throat. “Yna, if you are that different, do you think you two can have children?”

  Ahlgos shrugged. “If we do, we do, if we don’t, we can have fun trying.”

  Yna felt her blush climb into incendiary proportions.

  Li chuckled. “Did you learn anything new last night, Yna?”

  Yna took in a deep breath and nodded solemnly. “Yes. I did.”

  Miett asked, “What was it?”

  She looked to her husband and b
ack to her mother-in-law. With all the gravity that the situation called for, she announced, “I snore.”

  The games and celebrations were for the populace. The imperial family was celebrating getting one of its bossiest daughters married. The relief went hand in hand with the joy.

  In two days, the Lafui family lost all its saleable assets. There was no painting, antique, or coin left in any of their family seats. The startling thing was that all the thefts occurred during daylight with servants on duty. It was definitely a mystery.

  Two weeks after her visit to Remuyan, Yna was still debating removing her facial markings. She kind of liked the way she looked.

  The family had wanted her to get the marriage markings right away with the other girls, but Yna claimed that her physiology required special inks.

  Wearing the mark on her face made their wedding so very... permanent. They hadn’t consummated it, and she didn’t know if they ever would.

  Ahlgos had been sent off world the same day that they returned. His marriage markings hadn’t even healed before they had him off and risking his life again.

  Because of their connection, she had been given a link to the Balen roster. When he returned, she would be able to see it.

  Yna sat in the dining hall and sipped at her tea. Veera slid into the empty chair across from her.

  “So, you got married.”

  She sipped her tea. “Yup.”

  “And he is a Guardsman.”

  She sipped again. “Yup.”

  “And you don’t know where he is or when he will be back.”

  Another sip. “Nope.”

  “So, why are you here?”

  “This is where I work, Administrator.”

  “Funny. I could send you to him.”

  “You know where he is?”

  “Of course. Mind you, you might not be able to see him. There has been an uprising against aliens where he is. He might be a little busy.”

  Yna tensed. “Uprising?”

  “Yes, parts of the government were asking for assistance with crops, and other portions of the population decided that the aliens had brought the blight. Since your husband specializes in plants, he was sent in.”

  Yna set her cup down. “Administrator?”

  “Yes, Specialist?”

  “When can I go?”

  Veera smiled. “The shuttle is waiting. It will take you there and help you connect with him. Do you need anything?”

  “Five minutes in medical. I need the wedding marks.”

  “He’s waiting with the program. Go, and for the love of all that’s holy, have a proper wedding night for your own sake.”

  Veera flapped her hand and dismissed Yna. Fixit raised his wings and screeched.

  It was a vociferous dismissal if ever there was one.

  * * * *

  Ahlgos and the others hunkered down, unwilling to injure the locals, even with the bombardment of artillery around them.

  He sat back and looked at the scientists from four different worlds who had come to help with the blight. “I am afraid that this isn’t good.”

  “Have you heard from the Sector Guard?”

  He shook his head. “We respected the request for radio silence that Jurata requested. They blew up my shuttle, so we are on our own.”

  The rocking blasts were getting closer. His cover of vines and brush was not going to last much longer.

  Two days on Jurata had been normal, and then, everything had begun to go to hell. Now, two weeks in, he wished that he had told Yna that he had tried to follow the ship that she had been taken away on the first time he saw her. His superiors had his own men haul him off to see how far the corruption went. It had turned out, Peacekeepers had been bribed to look the other way and encourage trafficking, but her life had nearly been the true price.

  He had fallen in love at first sight; her defiant expression had tugged at his heart. The fury he felt when she was taken away was genuine and agonizing. Even learning that she had survived had its own pain. She had hated him and blamed him. While he was fairly sure that her emotions had turned a corner, he had never heard it from her lips.

  That was something he was really going to miss.

  An explosive charge got much closer to their position, but it was something else that made the walls shudder.

  He watched as the dirt wall bowed toward them before it broke. A muddy face with a bright smile emerged from the hole.

  He wasn’t sure what he was seeing, but he pulled Yna from the ground and kissed her heartily.

  * * * *

  Yna enjoyed the kiss for a moment before pulling back. “Dude, I made a hole. It is reinforced and should last for a few hours. Let’s go, and we can discuss our relationship and just how much I have missed you in the shuttle home after we drop off your scientists.”

  The scientists were all for it. They were in the hole and moving as fast as they could toward the other end.

  Yna gestured for him to precede her, and when he hesitated, she winked. “I just want to admire the butt that I am saving, now move!”

  The shelling continued, so they got moving.

  Two hours of dirt, collected energy supports, and staring at Ahlgos’s butt later, they were on a hillside near where she had landed her shuttle.

  It was sealed, but there was an exploration party heading straight for it. She did what any woman would do. She formed her Masuo into a blade, and she ran toward the men, screaming and waving her weapon.

  Her feint got the scientists to her shuttle and scared the scouting party over the hill. With a grin, she shifted her suit to a frictionless surface, and she slid down the hill to her shuttle.

  They got inside and sealed the door as the first shots were fired.

  Humming to herself, Yna ignored the explosions and got to the pilot’s seat. She took off calmly as if the air wasn’t filled with deadly particles trying to break her ship apart.

  She got them out of the atmosphere and made her report.

  “Six scientists and one Guardsman, ready for deposit at the debriefing station. I am jumping to a safe location, so confirm the destination when you can.”

  She set the ship for the nearest jump point and went to look at her passengers.

  She did a head count and confirmed that she had six plus one. When she finished that bit of math, she grabbed her plus one and kissed him soundly.

  “Um, Guardsman Ahlgos? Who is this young woman? Is she another Guardsman?” One of the scientists seemed to need to know who was molesting their guardian.

  “Ah, Dr. Himian, this is my wife, Yna.”

  Yna grinned, “Pleased to meet you. Pardon my affection, but we are newlyweds, and he was sent out here the day after we got back from our wedding. This isn’t the type of circumstance one normally envisions.”

  Ahlgos wrapped his arms around her waist. “I will take you any way I can find you.”

  She smiled. “I am very glad. We have some things to discuss, but this isn’t the venue.”

  He paused and stroked her forehead and brow. “You have the wedding marks.”

  “Well, I intend to remain married to you indefinitely, so we need to figure out how this works. Wearing the marks seemed a good second step.”

  He blinked. “What was the first step?”

  She grinned. “Marrying you. I thought it was the best place to start.”

  He laughed, and the scientists looked sheepish and pleased at what they were witnessing. It was more affection than most horticulture involved.

  Yna sighed. “Now, let’s wash up and have something hot to eat. I am pretty sure that it will be an excellent use of our time.”

  Ahlgos whispered, “I can think of other uses.”

  “Then don’t delay next time. I like my heroes prompt.” She winked and led her hero into the galley of the ship with her guests trailing behind.

  Declarations of love could wait. They had the rest of their lives together, after all.

  Epilogue

  Yna set t
he shuttle down and triple checked her documents on her data pad.

  Ahlgos poked his head into the command area and asked, “Are you ready?”

  She nodded. “I am. I have all the proper forms filled out and authorized by the imperial house.”

  “Good. Let’s go.”

  “Do you have the bag?”

  “I do.”

  “Excellent.” She got up and passed him, stroking his chest and shoulders as she moved along the hallway, brushing against him. “What is taking you so long?”

  He shuddered and followed her, his free hand seeking out her hip and the curve of her butt.

  She chuckled and armoured her backside, thickening the Masuo.

  “That’s cheating.”

  She grinned. “We have been married for a year and you are only catching on to my cheating now? You are very slow for a Guardsman.”

  They left their shuttle and walked across the tarmac with long strides, heading for the customs office.

  It took them less than an hour to make it through customs with their new import, and then, they were on their way to the Ikato property.

  Yna looked to her husband and his care with their gifts. A slight smile played around her lips as she flew them across the landscape to the vineyard.

  The moment that they landed, they knew why their visit had been given priority standing.

  Srevesh came out and removed the ear protection. “Do you have something that can help?”

  Yna reached for the bag that Ahlgos was carrying. “We are assured that this will do the trick.”

  The contents of the bag shifted, and Yna headed for the centre of the house where the plaintive wails could be heard.

  Li and Nia were both pacing, each trying to sooth a newborn who was unhappy with the press of minds on it.

  “So, where are my niece and nephew?”

  Both new mothers turned to Yna with relief.

  “Sit on the floor, and I will give you the treatment for this problem.”

  The new mothers didn’t sit, they collapsed.

  Yna walked in and settled on the floor between them, opening the bag.