Page 35 of Kranow (Brides of the Mylos #4)
She was back in the secure medical suite. This time, she had no visitors save for the doctor. She knew it was all part of the ruse, but it still led her to stop and think of just why she was doing this. There was Charlotte and the other victims, who deserved to have justice served. There was Melissa and Junrig, who she ’ d wronged personally, and all the other brides, actual and potential, and their families who ’ d she ’ d helped hurt by her participation in the propaganda machine that was The Human Right. Those were all the reasons why she did this, she knew, but these were not things that burned within her, giving her the fortitude to withstand this trial. No, that was Kranow and the nascent life within her, the physical representation of their love.
She thought back to one particular morning on Barra. She ’ d fallen asleep spooned against Kranow. His arm had held her close, his palm resting against her heart. She ’ d blinked awake, suddenly acutely aware that Kranow was also awake and had been watching her sleep. She ’ d turned her head so that her ear could hear his heart beat, strong and sure within his chest. She could feel their hearts beating in unison and from his expression, she knew he did as well. Neither said a word, instead savoring the experience. It was a perfect moment that seemed to speak volumes the two lovers, each heart beating for the other, keeping perfect time.
Then he ’ d breathed her name and the spell expanded to include a gentle meeting of the lips that turned into an aching desperation. The sun had risen, bathing their curtainless room with brilliant reds, blues, oranges and purples. Their hands and legs found each other and twined, their bodies engaging in that primal dance that was as old as time. It ended only once the world shattered about them, and they both fell back into an exhausted state, Kranow once more spooning her as they tumbled once more into sleep, their heartbeats and breaths synchronized once more.
They ’ d spent hours walking along the beaches, discussing nursery ideas and names. They ’ d made dreams of a future and it was a future she felt worth fighting for. Their family ’ s future and by extension, the larger family they had as members of the Mylos Bride Fleet. She reminded herself of this while she sat in the sterile, white room without company and unsure of how much time was passing. Time blurred, at first meaningless, the here and now only becoming paramount the moment the doctor brought her this day ’ s third meal. The smell hit her hard, her hunger now a roiling pit. He backed out startled with the food as she rushed to the small bathroom and emptied the meager contents of her stomach into the bowl. He returned moments later, to check on her, eyeing her sympathetically.
“ Ah, I believe the sickness has come, ” he said. She rolled her eyes at him. Really? She hadn ’ t noticed. Nope, she ’ d just been doing a close inspection of the interior surface of the toilet bowl, was all. He ignored her sarcastic reaction. “ It will pass and despite the persistence of the human brides calling it ‘ morning sickness ’ , it is not confined to making itself known only in the morning. It typically goes away around 14 weeks. ”
“ So I have nearly two months of this to look forward to? ”
“ Yes, roughly. ”
“ Oh joy. ”
“ I ’ ll get you some crackers and a selection of fruit that should appeal, ” he informed her. “ Let ’ s just get you back into bed first. ” Her legs were shaking so she was glad for his help but she couldn ’ t help wishing circumstances were different. I should be in our quarters with Kranow helping me. Yet another thing that ’ s been taken from us thanks to all the bullshit. She hoped fervently that it would all end soon and that she could go home to be pampered by her mate.
He came back in moments later, placing a tray onto over the lap table. She eyed the fruit. It was all Earth fruits, slices of apples and pears with a few red and green grapes sat arranged on a plate next to a spread of plain saltine crackers. A glass of water completed the simple meal. “ Thanks, ” she said. “ I think I can manage this. ”
Dr. Litrelp nodded. “ I think you ’ ll want to see this, ” he told her. “ Xeranos, please play this morning ’ s “ Live with Jackie O ’ Hannigan ” .
A section of the wall flickered as the inbuilt viewscreen came to life. The show ’ s intro played and then the screen resolved to show Jackie O ’ Hannigan sat in an armchair inside guest quarters.
“ Hi, and thank you for tuning in. Usually, we ’ re live in front of a studio audience, but I ’ m still in outer space playing the part of a super duper journalist space trooper, ” Jackie said, making a silly face. “ Okay, okay, probably not as funny as that sounded in my head, but hey, truth is stranger than fiction, am I right? ” The sound her cameraman agreeing with her could be heard. “ See, my staff agrees with me. Anyways, you might remember that I first left Earth to cover the story of the woman who tried to kidnap one of the Mylos Fleet brides right before her wedding when, in an astonishing move, the bride and her husband, the commander of the Bride Fleet, and the Mylos government itself decided to accept an apology as proof of contrition and allowed her to apply for a Bride Scholarship! ” Jackie gave a dramatic pause.
“ We were all astonished to find she had a match among the Mylos Fleet! All seemed well, the only clue that it might not be smooth sailing was a lack of proof. No wedding invitations came our way, and for good reason. As we found out, the supposedly perfectly matched couple only actually celebrated their nuptials with a human style wedding two weeks ago. But let ’ s back up. Only several days prior, a popular family eating venue exploded immediately after Miss Marley left it. It killed a young elementary school teacher who had befriended her, as well as killing one of my staff while maiming another. Several brides, their children, and restaurant staff were also injured or killed. ”
Jackie stood up and crossed to a viewscreen that gave the appearance of being a window that looked down on Earth. She looked ‘ out ’ and began speaking once more. “ Coincidence? Perhaps, but witnesses place her with a known member of her former terrorist group during her honeymoon. Suspicions regarding her involvement are mounting, as her friends turn their backs on her. Indeed, this was the scene just three days ago. ” The viewscreen flickered, the Earth window now showing a clip depicting her visit to her classroom.
Jackie turned to face the cameraman once more, holding up her hands in supplication. “ I know, I know. It ’ s still only conjecture at this point, though it seems there is pretty solid intel behind it, as the woman with me was Commander Gundar ’ s own mate. As for where our number one suspect was taken away to, I ’ m reliably informed she is under the watchful eye of Fleet Security in what they will only say is a secure location. That certainly sounds like a cell of some kind to me. The big question I ’ m sure we all have is, “ Will the Mylos actually charge her this time and lock her away? ” I hope so, as the other option is to let her go free again, to plot more terror. I ’ m sure we ’ re all grateful that she didn ’ t go on a spree while back on Earth. ” The camera zoomed in on Jackie ’ s face. “ This has been a special report from Jackie O ’ Hannigan on the Bride Murders. Please tune in next time as we continue to update you with more updates as they come in. ”
Marley stared at the viewscreen. This was bad. This was very, very bad.