To Gloria

Prologue

Riddick turned to glance over his shoulder at the sound of slight movement. Laramie's small form had turned over under the blankets on the bed, eyes still closed peacefully. The covers slid down a bit to leave one shimmering, brown shoulder exposed. That small glimpse of tender, tangible skin was almost enough to send him scurrying back into bed. And that was enough to let him know what he was doing was right.

The last few months had been hectic, each day either went horribly wrong or incredibly right. The local towns people had been more than willing to help when they found out who Laramie was and why she was back. It turned out that the war on Gloria had ended with its inhabitants deciding to elect the person closest to being 'pure-blooded' Fidèles to power. It was a faulty way of building a power structure, but it was better than them killing each other off completely. Bell Hine, the current queen, had been the one to emerge victorious when the tracing of the family trees was over. However, both of Laramie's parents had been Fidèles, making her full-blooded, and also making her eligible to be queen. She was the only person alive who could bump the queen out of her throne and take over. She'd been a living legend, the pure blood queen, but they'd thought her to be no more than a pleasant illusion.

With the help of the townsfolk, and, naturally, behind the queen's back, they'd taken it before the courts. Riddick presented as evidence, the bag of books and photos that Laramie had so stubbornly tugged along for the ride. The courts approved, and were currently tracing Laramie's family tree, for procedure's sake of course. The planet was already all abuzz with talk of their myth-come-true. It'd been a week since the courts had finally considered the photos as reasonable evidence. Now all they'd had to do was wait it out. Not too long a wait, but it had managed to be long enough.

They'd finally given in to the pull between them and were bonded three-fold now. And that was the problem. All he'd wanted was a familiar person. Someone who could be his, no matter what happened. But he'd gotten more than that. Much more. He'd let her get in too close and now she was planted, unmovable, and too close to his cold heart for his comfort. People would be after him again someday, and if he stayed, they'd figure out why and go for her just to get to him. He couldn't let that happen. His first mistake had been letting her get too close. The second had been letting her stay that way. He wouldn't stick around to make a third.

He strapped the goggles over his eyes again, and looked back at her one more time. She shifted again as if she could feel the weight of his heavyhearted gaze through her dreams. He crept to the bed, boots thudding softly on the floor, and leaned in close to her, taking in one last whiff of the sweet scent of her skin. He ran his face along the line of exposed skin, hovering just above it, and brought it back up to her face to lay a soft kiss on her lips. She twisted and slid down beneath the blankets until the shoulder, which had grown cold, was once again covered. He stood upright again, casting one more glance over her sleeping figure, before turning and leaving. He made the trip to the ship bay, a short distance from the flat they'd lived in together, a quick one.

The people of Gloria were too trusting. They always left their ships unguarded. This presented Riddick with the opportunity to take his pick from a bay full of treats. The urge to turn back and close the distance between them was becoming overbearing so he hurried.

The sun was rising again when he launched, the taste of Laramie still on his lips, leaving her to wake in a cold bed with the cool sun filtering in on her face.