Page 13 of Wrath

I stared at him for a few moments, a million thoughts firing in my mind. My chest tightened again thinking of what could have been, might have been, with the endless string of what ifs that never solved anything. And yet, if I hadn’t accepted Kevin’s request for a date, I would have joined Linette on Khepri three years ago. Today, Kevin might still be alive, I’d be happily married to Wrath, and we’d have a couple of brats running around. Instead of staring at Myriam and Dread kissing their children goodbye, Wrath and I would have been doing the same with our own. But even that wouldn’t feature in our future.

“What thought just crossed your mind?” Wrath asked with a concerned voice, snapping me out of the somber thoughts that were threatening to engulf me.

I refocused on him, looking for a lame excuse to deflect the subject. But his gaze suddenly lowered, and an air of understanding descended over his beautiful features. Confused, I followed his gaze, and I felt myself blanch, realizing my hand had unconsciously wandered to the large scar next to my navel.

“That is not going to be a problem,” Wrath said in a gentle voice.

“Excuse me?” I asked, recoiling.

“The file the army transferred to us included your medical file,” Wrath explained. “It is standard to assess your readiness. Otherwise, you would have been required to pass a full medical exam upon your arrival. I am aware of the wound you have sustained. It is not a problem.”

“As in you don’t mind that I can never have children?” I asked bitterly.

“As in if you want to have children, and I hope you do, there will be no problem for us to have as many as you want,” Wrath said in the same soothing voice.

I froze, wondering for a split second if this was some sort of a sick joke. And then it dawned on me. “Victoria? The Vanguard’s Chief Medical Officer could fix me?” I asked.

The Vanguard had the most advanced medical technology in all the known universe. If there was a way to mend me, surely they would.

“Technically, yes,” Wrath conceded with a bit of agitation, making me frown. “However, Victoria has not offered it to you because it won’t be necessary.” He smiled at the sight of my confused expression. “Did you notice the black scales around Myriam’s neck and shoulders?”

I nodded, a sliver of understanding seeping into my mind.

“It is what we call the mantle that the bride of a Dragon or Xian Warrior receives once the bond between them is complete,” Wrath explained. “It is not just aesthetic, but it also signals the other non-visible changes that have occurred within. At the time of bonding with one of us, we inject our mate with our mating fluids. It will lengthen your lifespan to match ours, meaning that you will maintain your current appearance until the age of 150 years old at which point you will start aging normally. It will strengthen your immune system, make you less sensitive to diseases, and allow you to heal faster. And above all, it will modify your reproductive system to make you compatible with me. As is, humans cannot reproduce with us. Whatever damage you sustained during the accident will be naturally repaired once we are bonded.”

I stared at him speechless, an odd mix of joy and guilt battling within me. It was silly for me to feel bad about this wonderful news, and yet it felt like a betrayal to be counting my blessings.

“You really think this is going to happen between us, don’t you?” I said, more musing out loud then asking a real question.

“In due time, yes,” Wrath said, matter-of-factly.

“I hope you’re patient,” I mumbled before taking another large gulp of my now fairly cold coffee.

Wrath gave me a Mona Lisa smile before putting down his utensils on his empty plate. “I still have 135 years left. It’s really up to you to decide how young you want to look for the next few decades,” he deadpanned. “But now, duty calls. I hope we’ll have breakfast together again. The next time, I promise there will be no heavy subjects, unless you so choose.”

I nodded and followed him while carrying our empty trays back to the kitchen.

Chapter 5

Wrath

The rest of the trip was uneventful. However, it provided ample opportunities for me to get to know my mate a little better. Kwan still kept me at a distance emotionally, but she seemed to increasingly appreciate my presence. She was opening up more and relaxing around me. But she still wouldn’t speak much, if at all, about her former relationship with her late fiancé. I strongly believed that she needed to face it head on to shed the sorrow festering inside her.

Still, I was grateful to Varnog for the wonderful dream walk sessions he had organized for us over the two weeks of our trip to Narjin. However, with our destination less than an hour away, my romantic interests needed to take a backseat so that I could focus on the task at hand. A part of me worried about what we would find inside that base. I didn’t know how Kwan would handle the situation if things got ugly.

My mate had shown grace under fire and great resilience during the simulations orchestrated by Varnog. But those were make believe, as she had been well aware. Her military records also showed her to have done well, even after recovering from her trauma. Therefore, I had no reason to think she wouldn’t be able to perform if things went belly up. But I was hoping to ease Kwan into the Vanguard, not throw her into the deep end.

Then again, maybe taking the bull by the horns was exactly what she needed.

I was donning my suit, intent on calling a final meeting to prepare the team once we had landed, when Myriam’s voice resonated in my head.

“Wrath, we need you on the bridge immediately,”Myriam said, her psychic voice thick with tension.“Long range scanners are picking up the signature of a Coalition ship on the surface of Narjin.”

“What?”I exclaimed, a bad feeling immediately washing over me.“Are they showing any signs of distress?”

“No,”Myriam replied.“We haven’t received any distress signal, and our scans do not indicate any signs of damage, at least none detectable from this great a distance.”

“Noted,”I telepathically responded.“I’m on my way. Do not hail them.”

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