Cherished (Intergalactic Loyalties) by Jessica Coulter Smith Page A

freed him, didn’t you?”
    She nodded.
    “This isn’t going to go over well, Lucie. If they find out, you’ll be punished. Maybe not as harshly as some because of your handicap, but they will punish you. I’ll see if Arko can sway Rebecca to keep silent. I’m sure her part won’t go unpunished if it were discovered so that will be incentive enough.”
    The door opened and she smiled as she smelled Ari’s unique scent.
    “Hi, Ariana.”
    “Hello, Lucie. How are you feeling?”
    “Sad.”
    Ariana sat on the bed beside her. “Well, you can tell me all about it while Cael runs his errand. I hear there may be good news. A baby is good news, right?”
    “Very good news. I’m not sure everyone else will see it that way though. They won’t harm my baby, will they?” she asked, suddenly frightened for her unborn child.
    “No,” Cael assured her. “Regardless of who the father is, the Tarnans would never harm a child.”
    That eased her mind a bit. She still wasn’t sure what her fate would be though. If they knew anything about Tourmalanes, they would realize she was Dryxel’s true mate. But if they didn’t know about that? What if they didn’t know only true mates could have children on his planet? Would they still force her to bond with someone, knowing her heart belonged to someone else? Would they even care? She’d thought they were wonderful, when she’d first met them. Now she wasn’t so sure. She supposed every race had their ups and downs, but she didn’t want to be caught in the middle.
    She chatted with Ari while they waited on Cael to return, telling her about Dryxel and the other Tourmalanes she’d met. She told her how she’d been cared for, treated with respect, and called their princess. Ariana expressed her happiness at Lucie finding someone to love, and she supposed her friend was right. She did love Dryxel. She’d thought she was merely falling for the big warrior, but the more she thought about it the more she realized she’d already fallen. Would she have the opportunity to tell him how she felt?

Chapter Four
     
    When Dryxel entered his chambers, he knew something was wrong. Illuminating the space, he realized Lucie was missing. It was doubtful she would have woken and gone searching for him, not in unfamiliar surroundings, but just to be safe he would search for her. His gut was telling him she’d been taken, but how they managed it he didn’t know. They’d kept an eye on the transport chamber, expecting such an attack. It hadn’t been used since he’d brought Lucie on board.
    Gathering a few of his men, he did a sweep of the ship, not the least bit surprised when they came up empty-handed. He’d hoped he was wrong, that she had merely wandered off, but deep down he’d known she wasn’t on board. When he’d felt a pang an hour ago, he should have heeded it and checked on her, but he’d told himself he was imagining things. Now he’d lost his beloved, his other half. Without Lucie, he wasn’t whole.
    Addressing the crew, he tried to push away his anxiety and fear over her safety. He had to believe they would find her in one piece. If the Tarnans discovered she’d aided in his escape, he didn’t know what they would do to her. They would see it as a betrayal and might imprison her, or worse. What if they gave her to one of their warriors? The thought of another man touching what was his made rage pour through him.
    “Lucie has been taken,” he told his men. “If the Tarnans were smart, they hit hyperdrive and are nearing their planet even as we speak. It would be foolish to go after her right now, no matter how much I want to. We’ll return to Tourmalane and gather more warriors, more ships, then go after our princess.”
    “It will take us two days to arrive home and a good five days to reach Tarnan. Our ships aren’t designed to fold space to that destination. We’ll have to take the long way. What if something happens to our princess during that time? A week