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Tharon had seen Mia’s captors close in on her, and the thought of losing her from the brutish way they were handling her drove him to the brink. He nearly crash-landed in the opening of the forest, leapt from the small craft, and ran to tackle one of them. In the commotion, Mia was able to get free and hit another man while a third tried to restrain her again.
Tharon snapped the neck of the soldier and started in on another. While he wrestled the captor to the ground, Mia struggled to stay out of the grasp of the one remaining soldier and found a small branch on the ground and hit the attacker repeatedly. The bastard grabbed the limb from her just as Tharon subdued his enemy.
Before the attacker could swing at Mia, Tharon was by her side and grabbed the branch from the attacker so forcefully that he ripped the attacker’s arm off. With Mia safely out of the way, he shot the mercenary and picked her up in his massive arms. He cradled her all the way back to his spacecraft and buckled her into the passenger seat.
On his way home, he arranged for the newly assigned security detail to protect Cian and Triat at their friend’s house so they could stay for another night. He wanted to care for Mia tonight and make her feel loved. He didn’t want her to feel like she needed to worry about anything or anybody else for a night. He owed her that much.
As they arrived home, he took a deep breath. He had to say something to her, or he could lose her forever. “Mia, I am so sorry you had to go through all this. We will spend this evening with just the two of us but with a contingent of my men surrounding the house. I will give you all the time you need to relax and get washed up while I prepare a meal for the two of us.”
“Are we and the children safe now?”
“Yes. I wouldn’t rest until it was so.”
She nodded, remaining quiet.
He spent the next few hours preparing a planetary delicacy with a slight Earth twist to help Mia feel more at home and comfortable. He set the table for two with a few lit candles around the room and on the table. Then he knocked on Mia’s door as softly as he could manage.
“Mia … dinner is ready if you are ready to eat.” He opened the door to see her sitting in front of her makeup mirror in a full-length green gown that added a certain glow to her skin. “Wow … You look beautiful.”
“Since it is just the two of us this evening, I wanted to make it a bit more special than just a small dinner at home. I hope that is okay.”
“More than okay. Shall we?” He moved his arm in a sweeping motion toward the door and held out his other for her to take. They walked arm-in-arm down the hallway toward the dining room. He pulled the chair out for her to sit. “For you, madame.”
“Tharon, this meal looks and smells delicious. Did you make this all yourself?”
“Mostly from scratch except for the noodles. Nobody makes those from scratch anymore.” He pushed her seat in after she sat and seated himself adjacent to her. He wanted to be as close to her as he could. They ate in candle-lit silence for a few minutes before either one of them tried to start a conversation.
“I just …” they both started to say at the same time.
“You go first. After all, you did make this wonderful meal for the two of us and saved me from dying today.” Mia was happy to hear his voice again.
“I thought I had lost you … forever. When I realized you had been abducted, I never thought I would see you again.” He chewed on his food for a minute before continuing. “The second I knew you were gone, I started to look for some sign of where you had been taken. I also looked into the security detail to figure out how this could have occurred.”
“I noticed that some of your men were missing at the time of the attack. I’m not sure if you tracked them down or not, but I feel like that would be an important detail for your investigation.”
“As it happens, I did track down what happened to them. One of my military chiefs had been working against me with Kiek. He had some of my men reassigned from security to some bogus mission halfway across the planet. That chief is currently under arrest, and the men he sent away have received paperwork.”
“I’m sorry to hear the men are being punished, but I am glad you found out how the limited security detail was created.”
“Discovering that helped me figure out that Kiek was the reason you were gone. That’s the only reason I was so close by the time you set off that GPS beacon. If I hadn’t been on my way already, I’m not sure what would have happened to you. Also, don’t worry about the men. Their punishment pales in comparison to what the chief will endure for the betrayal of his post.”
“I understand how you feel. I was so scared that I would never see you or the children again. I cried the entire way. It wasn’t until we got there that I finally pulled myself together and found a way to get away from those attackers. Once I was away from them, I knew I had to find a way to get a message to you, and luckily, I found a way.”
They sat there for another few minutes enjoying the food before he moved his chair close enough to hold her hand. She lovingly returned the small embrace and stared into his eyes. “I never thought I would get to see those eyes again,” she said softly.
“Nor did I think I would get to see yours again, but I am glad I am looking into them now, and I hope I am able to look into them for as long as we both live.” He spoke in as soft a tone as he could in return.
After they finished eating, he cleared the table, and they retired to the family room. He sat there next to her while they listened to soft music and enjoyed each other’s company.
“I, too, hope we can remain together for as long as we both live. I have enjoyed my time here so much, and the more time I spend with you … the more I fall for you.”
Mia didn’t want to ruin the moment, but the attack she had just gone through had her wondering. “Do you think we can get past your customs and someday make this relationship a fully recognized one? I don’t want to push, but I don’t want any reason for us to lose each other.”
“Honestly, I have been pondering that myself. I really don’t want any reason for us to be separated ever again, and I have been thinking that might be the only way to ensure we will always have each other.” He waited to tell her, but it had been on his mind since he rescued her from her attackers. “When I manage to find a way to make it happen, you will be the first to know.”
He lifted her chin to allow their lips to meet and was happy to find her welcoming kiss in return. “I want to share many more of those with you and a lot more of these little quiet moments together.” He held her in his arms, and she returned the embrace until they both fell asleep.
TWENTY
