Hello my darlings! Enjoy your new chapter and I got a beta! Everyone say thanks to Khalthar!
- Mortisha Bloodfang
Chapter 6 - Sharing
He continued to attend to her wounds in relative silence, his hands dutifully working as the various gels and shots dulled her pain and knitted her skin together. Adrenaline and blood loss gone and combated she struggled to keep her eyes open. The stress of everything fell away as she finally let herself relax.
Strong arms wrapped around her to carry her, the movement jostling her awake. She wasn't even aware she'd started to drift off.
"Rest, we're following your ship back to the Clan ship."
She furrowed her brows. "Why so slowly?"
"You need to rest." He stated gently as he entered a nearby room, showing her the code before putting her on the bed.
"I'll be fine with a good nights rest, there's no need for us to delay. Not after what I found out." Her mind starting to wake up as she thought of the evens on LB-8892.
He ignored her, just laid a hand on her shoulder and forced her to lay down.
"Rest." He reiterated, releasing her shoulder he moved to one of the chairs at the small table near a metal shield. Pressing a button he opened the shield revealing a large floor to ceiling window. Sitting down he poured himself a glass of dark liquid from a large metal pitcher and drank quietly looking out into space.
"What are you doing?"
"Making sure you rest." Tone leaving no room for argument on the matter.
Sighing she rolled her eyes undoing her bra under her tank tossing it to the foot of the large bed, pants, and socks following soon after leaving her only in a tank and panties. Climbing under the fur covers she tried to sleep, but her mind wouldn't stop running. Any thought from the mundane, like where the rest of her clothes and boots were; to how the situation on LB-8892 will effect the future.
The logs bothered her, but not as much as the possibility that something more sinister was going on in the background. Those things, she needed to know more about them. Vague recollections of images and stories would only go so far, she needed to know her enemy.
Turning on her side towards him she watched him quietly, taking in every detail. The furniture, spartan in design, seemed to scale with his size. His weathered armor seemed to speak volumes about him. Worn, but diligently almost lovingly repaired and polished. Sparsely decorated, simple elegant design that was unique and it seemed to make the eye glaze over it to focus on other things. Deadly mistake she realized she'd fallen for. Small writing on the helmet resting on his hip depicted his rank.
Arbitrator.
Despite herself she started to laugh drawing his attention to her, head tilted to the side curiously, clicks questioning.
"How could I miss that you're an Arbitrator? I should've known." Who else could have the ear of an Ancient so easily? Track her with such readiness, ease, and have the ability to pursue?
He rumbled in amusement. "You weren't looking."
Shaking her head she smiled at her own foolishness.
"How did I miss you when I first arrived?" Mentally scolding herself. She wondered if he'd been standing there in front of her the whole time.
"You were more focused on your diplomat." Tone amused as he recalled the incident.
Groaning she realized he really had been in front of her the whole time, and it didn't help that he had been witness to the almost disaster. Thinking back to her thoughts on his armor she found herself wondering something as she looked at him again. The room fell into quiet again, comfortable, but she couldn't sleep still. She wanted to know more about him, sighing she sat up running her fingers through her hair and got out of the bed wrapping the fur blanket around her and sat across from him. He poured her a glass as she sat down making her smile thanking him as they both turned to look out the window sipping the strong alcoholic c'ntlip.
"Your armor." She began once again turning his attention to her. "You designed it to force the eyes to ignore it."
It wasn't really a question, but he nodded in response anyways making her voice what she really wanted to ask. "Have we met before?"
His lack of response spoke volumes before he actually answered nodding slowly.
"How many times?" Question soft, but it rang in the room as if she'd shouted it.
"Dozens of times." His voice was far off and something else. Fond? Loving? Surprised?
Silence settled in almost suffocating. Dozens?
"When was the first?" Mandibles pulled into a small, almost imperceptible smile at her question.
"Seven years ago."
Seven years ago? The only thing that came to mind was when-
"The Elder." She gasped out. He nodded, amusement rumbling filled the quiet.
"You killed him on my watch, and left before anyone knew what was happening. I managed to catch up with you before you stole one of our ships, but I underestimated your speed."
She remembered now, she'd made it to the docking bay and tripped the alarm while trying to bypass the security clamps on one of the small singular ships. A large Yautja got there shortly after with what sounded like a few dozen trailing not far behind. The Elder had done a number on her when she'd been acquiring tactical movement information, so when she was interrupted again in the docking bay she wasted no time in releasing the clamps. The Yautja, she knew now was Cetanu, had descended on her shortly after forcing her away from the ship. The fight had been short, she'd managed to dodge his blows and pull out her sword slashing deeply across his left thigh forcing him to kneel narrowly missing his blades gutting her. Using the opportunity she'd kicked him savagely in the chest forcing him back into nearby crates. Taking advantage of his being temporarily stunned she tied him up in the crates netting before bolting back to the ship entering the entry code she'd pilfered while getting the tactical plans. In no time she'd started up the ship and left at full speed cloaked through the bypassed bay doors.
"You stole my ship." His words brought her back from the memory.
"That was your ship?" She asked incredulously, a blush creeping up on her. He only nodded making her flush more.
"Sorry." She murmured unsure what else to say, but he dismissed it laughing.
"Now I feel bad for crashing it." She confessed truly feeling contrite now at the fate of the ship.
Cetanu burst into raucous laughter, head thrown back in his mirth.
"It was new." He managed.
"That would explain the strange controls." Face flushed in embarrassment as he lost himself in laughter again.
"You must've been upset." His laughter calmed as she spoke, but he still practically vibrated in amusement.
"I was, I spent a great deal of time tracking you after that. Found you over a dozen times each year, but every two years you seemed to disappear for a few months only to reappear later."
To say she was impressed was an understatement, Deidre had been all over, her assignments and various battles had been numerous making tracking her rather difficult with the amount of moving and secrecy. For him to say he'd tracked her successfully that often, for that long was just impressive. She wasn't surprised that he hadn't been able to track her back to her planet. The only question that came to mind was why?
"Did you want to kill me that badly?" She tried to think of all the opportunities he had to take her out, but she stopped herself short. He purred to her comfortingly sensing her change in mood.
"I stopped being angry after the second time I saw you." His words confused her.
"Why? I don't understand."
"Two months after you killed the Elder, I managed to find you again on one of our colonies, you had taken it in the early morning after Paya's Light."
She remembered that incident as well. "I knew the majority of the colony would be sleeping after that."
Paya's Light was a festival that heralded the coming of their god before she left with her lover The Dark Warrior, after an entire day and night of celebrations she knew it was a great way to take control with as little bloodshed as possible since more would be incapacitated and the guards would be light. The sentries had been easy to overpower taking the colony prisoner in a matter of minutes. Her officers took great care to keep a tight rein on her men to ensure nothing happened to cause an incident. Although Yautja primarily lived on ships, many planets in their systems were dedicated to settlements due to the preference to raise their children for the first portions of their life on solid ground before they left for ships. The particular colony Deidre took over was such a settlement, but they also served to develop the fighting skills of youths before they participated in the Chiva. It's significance was not wasted on her now or then, but she wished that she had asked a few more questions before just following orders.
"It was the best way to take the colony without any bloodshed, not even the sentries died." She recalled continuing. "Orders were to take the base and I did without question."
She fell silent, falling into the memory.
She'd disarmed every one of the colonists and separated them into small manageable groups in case they decided to escape or fight back. She wasn't heartless though, they were given all the luxuries she could offer, food, water and even medicine if they needed it. Women and children remained together, even mated pairs were kept together. Deidre made sure they were all treated humanely.
"Where were you lurking?" She asked, curious.
"Started on the walls, but after seeing your treatment of them I moved closer to observe you."
"You were basically behind me the whole time?" Now that was hard to believe, but he nodded surprising her further.
"I wanted to know my prey, and if you had proven dishonorable in any way I would've torn out your spine."
She should've been afraid or even wary, but the image made her laugh. It wasn't funny, not even his words, but it made her laugh anyways. Perhaps it was his tone that amused her, but she couldn't say.
"Well weren't you disappointed." She quipped making him chuckle.
Turning serious after a moment she continued. "Did I surprise you when I disobeyed their order?"
"Yes." His answer was simple,filled with many emotions. Humbled, thankful, relieved, and so many others.
"I can still remember when they contacted me the next day. Amazed at my skill, thankful for my service, but all their platitudes couldn't make up for what they wanted me to do." She cut herself off not wanting to finish it. Taking a large gulp of the strong drink she tried to forget the eager faces of some of her men; how the women tried to shield their children as if knowing what their fates were going to be.
War was an evil thing, it turned normally gentle hearts, into twisted echoes of their former selves. Her commanders, her superiors who once were honorable fellows held nothing in their hearts now but contempt. The war had done much to twist them, and even more she knew she was unaware of with the severity of their orders.
"No one deserved that fate." She finished keeping her voice as neutral as possible.
Cetanu stayed quiet, but he hummed his agreement reaching across the table and grasped her hand in his running his thumb over her skin. "You let them go." He practically purred.
She laughed, but the sound came out joyless. "Yes, yes I did."
"They were safely relocated." He assured her, hoping to put her mind at lease.
Smiling thankfully at him she took another swig of her drink which he wordlessly refilled with his own. Quietly they enjoyed each others company as they drank, holding hands across the small surface.
The alcohol was starting to take effect and she felt tiredness seep into her almost bone deep. Her lips loosening due to its effects.
"Tell me why you want me." He turned to her in surprise clicking curious. "And don't tell me it's because I'm strong."
He was quiet for a moment, enough to make her aggravated. Was that all he saw in her?
"You are strong, but that's not all you are." He started looking at her meaningfully, "You're you."
She raised her brow at the last part making him chuckle. "You're many things, but in the end what I want is you. All of you."
That made her blush, she had expected him to list qualities he surprised her, but she was wary as well.
"I'm not perfect, Cetanu. I make mistakes, have regrets..." She trailed off watching his expression. She wasn't perfect, and she had many regrets but the one thing she didn't want was someone who put her on a pedestal. "The last thing I need is to have yet another standard set for me that I can never achieve."
Her words made him laugh puzzling her as to what was funny. She'd been serious, and sensing her confusion and rising ire he stood and brought her to him easily picking her up and bringing her to the bed again making her lay down. He didn't seemed bothered by her agitated expression, he just simply stripped himself out of his armor laying it almost carelessly on the floor before joining her now flushed form completely bare.
Forcing the fur from around her he laid it over them and used his strength to gently coerce her closer. She eyed him questioningly and he merely chuckled, mandibles pulled into a smile as he pressed her against him so they faced each other.
"I don't want General Deidre Finn." He spoke softly, nuzzling her making her calm down. "I want you, Deidre."
Deidre still wasn't sure, she wasn't sure about him, about a possible them. Could he handle her? Was he truly okay with just broken, worn down her?
Cetanu loosed a rumbling purr making her body vibrate, and it forced her mind back towards him. Gently he took her hand and laid it over one of the large scars on his chest making her trace it.
"When I was just an unblooded youth I challenged an Honored Warrior in anger. He pierced me, almost killing me with his ki'cti'pa when I charged at him."
Moving her hand to a large scar running down his right thigh he spoke again. "I lost half of my men under my first command against one of your military bases."
He moved her hand to a series of small scars across his stomach and chest that seemed to be from a type of shrapnel. "I didn't check for traps while clearing one of your captured ships."
Bringing her hand up to his mouth he rubbed his mandibles across her knuckles softly, akin to a kiss. "I have made mistakes, I still make them, and I have many regrets."
His eyes sought hers and she found them strangely vulnerable. Here he was, trying to show her he understood how she felt and to waylay her fears by revealing his failures. Revealing that he felt the same, that despite any image he has he is still fallible. With the same gentleness he showed her, she stripped off the rest of her clothes leaving herself just as vulnerable and bare as he had to her and laid his hands upon her scars revealing herself to him.
A jagged scar ran across her chest, from her right shoulder down to just a little below her left breast. "My first hunt, I failed to listen to my teacher and was gored by my quarry. I almost didn't survive."
Shifting his hand to one just above her navel it slashed across her stomach as if to gut her. "My first command, I was defending a base and didn't properly distribute my men to cover all sides. We were flanked and slaughtered, I was almost gutted by the time our backup arrived."
Moving his hand again she made it rest on two parallel scars that seemed much older than the rest on her right side. "One of my first infiltration jobs, I was interrupted when getting tactical information by an Elder and managed to kill him only to be taken by surprise on the brink of escape."
He chuckled as she smiled and shifted her hand to another scar on his thighs. "An Elder died while I was aboard his vessel and waiting for my new ship. I almost stopped the culprit from escaping." He jested right back making them both laugh.
"I guess we're not so different after all." She said as their laughter died down. He hummed in agreement bringing her closer seeming to just enjoy her proximity. Closing her eyes she lost herself in the feel of him, his skin, his warmth and ran her hands along his arms and chest as he did her arms and back. Their hands exploring, comforting, seeking solace in the understanding they found in the other. This shared moment lasting forever in her mind, she started to drift off and vaguely realized as her mind lay on the precipice of unconscious sleep that he might leave. Now that he was so close, after sharing so much, she didn't want him to.
"Don't leave." She murmured sleepily.
His body shook with purrs and checked laughter as he nodded. "Okay."