Page 43 of Swept By The Alien Pirate Prince

“That’s true.” I smiled. “Either way, I can assure you that I will never behave like Amada did. I’m not a jealous person by nature. Although, I’ve never really been in a situation where I needed to feel jealous.”

“Amada was dangerous in her envy,” Cyburn agreed. “And the drug problem didn’t help. I am sorry that I was in denial about it for so long. I thought she was clean. That’s why I never mentioned it to you. Or maybe my brain just refused to believe it until it was too late.”

“There’s no need to apologize,” I told him. “You’ve been through a lot, and you’re still standing.”

Cyburn laughed. “I’m still standing becauseyouare holding me up.”

“That means a lot to me that you would say that,” I offered. “I realize that your trust issues are a little bruised right now, and I’ll do my best to cater to your needs. I promise to be gentle with you. I am not expecting you to leap into trust with me right away. If you need time and space, I will give it to you. Ofcourse, I also understand that I’ll need to prove myself to not only you, but to the rest of the crew too.Especiallythe crew.”

“Silver will have an eye on you too,” Cyburn said with a handsome grin.

“Oh, I have no doubt she’s going to be watching my every move from now on.”

“It’s only because the betrayal is still fresh in her memory.”

“It’s a stain onallour memories right now.”

“Time heals all wounds,” Cyburn noted.

“Always.” I leaned up and kissed his lips, and when he reciprocated, it was with a hungry possessiveness that ignited a fire that blazed through my bones.

I was grateful that we’d been able to talk constructively with each other. Our argument had only been mild and had quickly been fanned out with the love and respect that we had for each other. Deep down, I knew we would be alright.

“I’m here for you,” I resolved and held eye contact with him. “For whatever you need, and for as long as it takes.”

ChapterFourteen

CYBURN

Isat with my crew, clustered in a huddle underneath one of the beach tents. The protective netting attached to the four sides whipped in the wind.

The rain came pelting down on the top of the tent. Whenever a squall of wind gusted through the tent, it sent the rain spraying horizontally across the netting that was meant to protect us but fell short and flimsy in the task. The downpour was too torrential.

“I’ll keep this short,” I advised, shouting to keep my voice above the roar of the storm. “Since the weather is deteriorating so rapidly.”

I stared into the grim faces of my exhausted guards, soldiers, engineers and officers. Their mouths were pressed together, their jaws clamped tight with angst.

They wore hollow expressions, and their eyes were blank, their cheeks gaunt from lack of a proper diet and exhaustion.

“The purpose of this meeting is to discuss our next steps, get ideas for any tactics that might help speed up the process, and to share my thoughts about what we should be doing and focusing on from here.”

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on me. Hope began to flicker in their eyes. They were like tall statues, standing proud, honored to be part of this mission regardless of the fatigue and mental stress that drained them on a daily basis.

“I know tensions are high,” I confessed. “If anyone has any issues or qualms that they want to discuss with either me privately, or address to the group, I’m open to hearing them.”

I scanned the crew. They exchanged apprehensive glances with each other. No one wanted to be first to speak.

“Bear in mind that your opinions will be received without judgement,” I added as a further encouragement to get them to start talking.

I had a hunch that I knew what they were going to say, but I wanted to hear the words come out of their mouths. They wanted to complain. I could see it in the grimaces on their faces. This was their opportunity, their one chance to vent aloud.

“Now is the time to speak your mind while the option is given,” I advised and took a deep breath, straightening my posture. I braced myself to get an earful, but most of the guys still seemed hesitant.

“Speak now or forever hold your peace,” Nix said, a man of very few words himself, and one who would always stand by my side no matter what life threw our way.

I called him my ‘brother’ for a reason. He’d earned the title of Second in Command, and even though he was a family man, he rose to every challenge I laid in front of him.

There started to be a corresponding chatter throughout the group and the trend was set on Amada.

---