Page 24 of Braden

“And I guess now you’ll be paid the incentive fee for another match,” Braden added, suppressing a smile.

“There is that.” Delain admitted with a conspiratorial wink. “If you have no further need of me, I’m going to check on the wedding reception.”

“Shouldn’t it be over by now?”

“Yes, but there are always stragglers and after the situation with the best man and your mate, I think it best I appear.” He gave Braden a bow and strode away after a brief chat with Elodie.

Braden returned to her bedside. “How are you doing?”

“Shook up,” she admitted. “But relieved the Chet problem is resolved. The detectives said I’ll have to give more interviews later.”

“We’re going to handle further meetings from Ardanna,” Braden said. “That’s what our three man sidebar was about just now, making the arrangements. If you’re still of a mind to go home with me tomorrow?” He wasn’t in any doubt but he didn’t want to take her agency to decide for granted.

“Absolutely. I’d go today if I could. I’ve had all the wedding and resort planet activities I can handle.” She was emphatic. “Where are my clothes? Can we get out of here now?”

“Your dress is pretty shredded from the fall and then my talons,” he said.

Elodie laughed. “It sounds so funny but you sure did have impressive claws for a while there. You’re going to have to give me the long explanation for how you became a shifter at some point.”

“A few alien ancestors sprinkled into the family tree,” he said. “Let me find a nurse and get you a set of scrubs.”

“Spike heels and scrubs,” she sighed. “What a fashion statement.”

He shook his head. “Sorry, the shoes got lost in the fall, remember?”

“I’m trying not to remember anything about that particular event,” she said, closing her eyes as if to block out the memory. “It was a miracle there was a bush and a ledge. And you.”

* * *

The next morning Elodie and Braden reported to the spaceport to catch a shuttle to the waiting Ardannan ship. Her departure from the planet had been cleared by the police and Duke Nikko had provided his authorization as well. She and Braden had spent the day at the beach, refusing all invitations from his friends to participate in any activities, although he did go surfing while she read a book. They spent the night in his hotel room, cuddling and eating comfort food. She was a mass of bruises from the fall, although they did make love gently right before the dawn.

Her luggage and his gear had already been spirited away by robos and as she stood in line with Braden at the bustling terminal she was impatient to reach his ship and settle in for the voyage. “It was nice of Tam and Renald to send flowers,” she said.

“I’m glad the newlyweds got away on their honeymoon without the paparazzi learning the location,” Braden said. “Chet did his damnedest to ruin the end of the festivities for them but I think they’ll be okay. Are you sorry you missed your chance to catch her bouquet?”

Elodie chuckled and squeezed his hand. “No need since I have you and our future is pretty clear. Let some other girl have the good luck. Besides Tam was putting the actual bouquet in stasis and tossing a different one.”

“At least the documentary got an exciting ending,” Braden mused as their line moved forward. “There’ll be a ton of fallout from the revelations about Chet’s insider gambling and activities for Renald to deal with I’m sure.”

“He’ll handle it, or his people and Tam’s team will. I think the personal hurt over being betrayed by a man he thought was literally his best friend will take longer to heal.”

“Let’s leave all of it behind here on Resort Planet,” Braden suggested as they walked outside and onto the ramp of the Ardannan military shuttle. “We’ll take the best part—us— home to the stars.”

Elodie took a last look at the lush paradise beyond the spaceport and nodded her agreement. What had started out as an impulsive fake date had turned into the reality of her dreams with a man who truly loved her and a bright future together. She had no regrets about her decision to visit Resort Planet and take a chance on fate.

Epilogue

One year later, on Ardanna Prime…

Elodie waited on the second floor balcony of their sprawling mountain home, admiring the view as she always did. Even after her misadventure being thrown off a cliff she had no lingering fear of heights. She and Braden were going flying, which was one of her favorite things about being married to an Ardannan who could shift into another form. There were many things she adored about her life here and her marriage to the man she loved, including her job as the Royal Archivist.

The king had been thrilled to turn over the literal keys to the gigantic cache of ancient documents, scrolls and objects stored in various places throughout the castle. Elodie had buried herself in the work practically as soon as she arrived on Ardanna Prime. The royal family had given her a new facility to store the trove and to work on cataloging all of it for future study. She’d been authorized to assemble a small team to help her and had lured her two top assistants away from their duties on her former planet, as well as hiring an Ardannan or two. There were new discoveries by the hour as ancient boxes were opened and the items inside were examined and she was finding hints about the ancient alien ancestors now, in the oldest documents.

She’d needed all the distraction for the first few months because Braden had had to go on one final mission before he got permission to resign from the Special Forces. It was a job he’d been deeply involved in planning before he left for the five day date and his commanding officers refused to let him step away. The objectives were too important to both Ardanna and the Sectors. Although he’d hated leaving Elodie, she knew he’d been equally reluctant to abandon his team so she forced herself to be philosophical and try not to be too lonely or worried while he was away.

There’d been no communication for the duration of the mission but Braden had introduced her to his family before deploying, all of whom enveloped her into their lives with ease and joy. She’d spent weekends at the Hartwell mountain compound, which is where she and Braden eventually built their own house, and during the week she had girls’ nights out and dinners in the capital city with various of his sisters, cousins and nieces. For a person with no close ties to the family she had left, joining Braden’s huge, extended clan was eye-opening and heartwarming.

She also had her brief taste of interstellar fame when Tamarind’s wedding documentary was released. The holo cameraperson had been paying attention to Elodie’s adapted version of the bridesmaids’ dance performance and the holo clip of her beaming with pride and doing her steps had gone viral. There’d even been a dance craze, with people filming their own versions of her steps and sharing their holos. Elodie had gotten a few endorsement offers as a result but she’d turned them all down. Her career was as the Royal Archivist, not an influencer.