Page 36 of Keeping Freya (Warriors of Arracate #3)

Freya

S ilently, I sit next to T’Rak while Aneetha and O’Rec speak.

“When did you form this settlement?” O’Rec asks.

Anya interrupts his question when she enters with plates filled with different foods. My stomach grumbles when she places them before us then leaves.

Aneetha gives her a smile, before turning to O’Rec and her expression turns serious.

“It was right after Jatar destroyed your planet.” I barely stifle a gasp.

They destroyed their planet? It’s obvious I haven’t done a whole lot of talking with T’Rak apart from the whole, I hate you, I want to go back to Earth.

Shame fills me when I think about everything the others went through, and I was too angry even to care to ask about their stories.

As if he senses my distress, T’Rak slides his tail around my waist, and I lean into him. He hands me some bites from the plate and feeds me while we listen to Aneetha’s story.

The tale she tells us is a sad one. Apparently, there was a huge space battle before this immense destruction, and many Sternotheri were injured.

Also, many of them did not agree with the course taken by leadership.

The amount of hate against the Arracate made Aneetha stand up for herself and form the more peaceful fraction of their race.

She somehow convinced the High Commander to let them leave and build a life here.

The story is filled with grief and hardships, but in the end, they managed to save as many children as they could, even though their reprieve was only temporary.

Throughout the entire time, O’Rec listens quietly, holding on to his mate.

When Aneetha finishes, he sighs, suddenly appearing years older.

“As it goes with war, there are no victors here. We are tired of running, of hiding. I want my children to grow up safe, and I want the Arracate race to prosper again.” He pauses before he reaches out to Aneetha.

“I would like the Sternotheri to prosper again, in peace. Do you believe this is the right place for that?”

Aneetha looks baffled. “Thank you, King O’Rec.”

He scuffs. “Just O’Rec, please, it is still new.”

She laughs. “Okay, O’Rec. Thank you, I would very much like that as well.

This part of the jungle is relatively safe, but there are not a lot of possibilities for the future here.

I would like to let the children thrive in interaction with others and give them some perspective.

We do not need much technology, but once the boys grow into men, they need more than this little corner of the world. ”

O’Rec nods. “I understand. I believe relocation would be safer, because there are still a few space crews out there, and if they know your whereabouts, it can never lead to anything good.”

“I agree,” Aneetha says grimly.

He stands. “I will return to you once we find a suitable planet. In the meantime, is there anything you need?”

She shakes her head. “I believe we are good. ”

“There are still mercenaries at the Den,” T’Rak says.

She waves him away. “They have never been able to find us, as long as nobody knows Jatar is dead, nobody will harm us.”

T’Rak’s eyes grow vacant for a second, but the conversation is over, and he rises, taking me with him.

“We will go then, thank you for taking care of my Zarra.”

Aneetha smiles at us. “It was my pleasure. Thank you for freeing us from the chains of Jatar. I hope we will meet again.”

I smile at her. “Me too.”

Goodbye is swift, and when we exit the hut, the rain has turned into a light drizzle. Two very wet cats await our arrival, and they greet me happily.

“Will we have two extra passengers, Captain?” D’Var jokes with T’Rak, who grumbles in return. I haven’t thought about what to do with the kittens. They belong in the jungle, but I hope they can come if they want to…

In the end, there is no doubt in the matter, because when we arrive at the ship and the men lower the ramp, they dart inside before us. I shrug at T’Rak, who shakes his head and leads me aboard his ship.

The ship is nothing like the Sternotheri one we traveled on before.

We enter a long corridor and walk past several doors to the sliding doors at the end.

They open into a sleek white room, which starts broad but turns pointier towards the end.

I notice the front of the ship and am mesmerized.

I walk to the end and turn around. A long white couch lines the wall, and three big captain chairs are placed in the center.

The back wall holds another work station, and there are more sliding doors on my right side.

I grin when I see Begul and Tjregul already lounging on the couch.

“You were sick, Fr’Ya?” O’Rec asks me and I nod .

“It’s just a minor concussion, no big deal.”

T’Rak growls, and O’Rec chuckles. “If you would follow me to Medical, please?”

Rolling my eyes, I follow. I know there’s no arguing with T’Rak over this, so for once, I give in. I’m also tired and dirty and can’t wait to get clean.

O’Rec takes me through the sliding doors, which lead to another hallway. He walks through the first door on the left, and I follow him into a medical facility.

The sliding doors close and open with a whoosh as T’Rak follows us. He lifts me, and before I can protest, he gently lies me down on an examination table.

“Let O’Rec perform a scan, please.”

His sudden gentleness has me speechless, so I just nod.

The scan is over quickly, and apart from some dehydration and—okay—a medium concussion, I am fine. O’Rec administers some healing injections and tells me I should feel better tomorrow.

T’Rak lifts me off the table and walks out of the room with me.

“Put me down, big guy. I can walk.”

“No,” he growls. “I need you close and safe and with me.”

“Who will take care of my cats?!”

“Marra and I will look after them. You will get them back tomorrow!” O’Rec yells from behind me, and I grumble.

Before I can discuss the matter, T’Rak stops in front of another door. He puts his palm up to a scanner, and the door opens for him. With a sigh, he enters the room and slowly puts me down.

Curiously, I look around. The room is big enough but sparsely decorated. Next to the door, facing the hallway, the wall is lined with a big closet, and in front of us, placed against the windows, is an enormous bed. Everything is black, a sharp contrast with the white ship .

“Did you go through a goth phase, buddy?”

He doesn’t even respond, and I walk into the room, letting my fingers trail the fabric of the sheets. A mangled groan sounds behind me, and I turn around to see him looking at me with hooded eyes.

My exhaustion and discomfort immediately turns into lust, and with a cheeky smile, I lower the zipper of my suit. He stalks towards me and captures my lips in a searing kiss. One we should have shared hours ago, when we found each other in the Sternotheri village.

A sudden rumbling breaks the spell, and I pull away.

“The ship is leaving,” he says. “Come, I will show you to my shower.”

“Yeah, that would probably be a good idea. Although I much prefer that river on the planet to a sonic shower.”

He huffs. “We do not use sonic showers. Some things are better the old-fashioned way.”

Curiously, I follow him through a door on the other side of the wall, and we walk into a large bathroom.

A big sink is opposite the door, with a big mirror overhead.

There’s a small toilet on my left, and the entire right side of the room is one big shower.

A big glass door spans the whole width of the room, and I see at least three shower heads.

“This is amazing!” I call out, and T’Rak smirks.

“I will give you a minute. L’Ren is bringing some clothes for you to wear.” He walks towards the shower, opens the door, and turns on the faucets. “The shower will be nice and warm when you are ready.”

He walks away without a second glance. Weird, he almost seems shy again…

I undress and take care of business. Already, I feel so much better. Moving towards the shower, I undo my braid, longing for a thorough wash .

The water temperature is perfect, and there’s only one thing missing in this shower. T’Rak.

As if my thoughts called him, he enters the bathroom again. “Do you need anything?”

“You.”

His head snaps up, taking me in through the fogged glass.

“Fr’Ya…” My name is a strangled word on his lips. “Are you certain?”

“Positive.”

I see his form come near and hear the rustling of clothes being shed. A moment later, he enters the shower with me, and I get to see him in all his naked glory.