"And why would she do that? Especially for my True Mate when I was the one that refused her request for protection."
"But you didn't leave her unprotected. You gave her one of your blades. Trust me, from what you've told me, she is going to understand why you did what you did. She is also going to understand and sympathize with my need to return to Earth."
"You believe she too has a sister?"
"That I don't know, but what I do know is she isn't going to want another female to go through what she did."
"With the Ganglians?" Treyvon questioned not understanding.
"Well that too, but I was referring to her having to present her offspring without the assistance of a healer from Earth."
"You want to tell them about Mackenzie?" He couldn't hide his shock.
"Of course not! Then they might wonder just how many females from Earth there are in the Kaliszian Empire and we don't want that."
"No, we don't. So what are you planning?" he asked because he could tell she was.
"To tell her that I'm with offspring and need her help."
"What!" Treyvon roared and Jen found herself in Treyvon's arms with him staring down at her intently. "You are with offspring?" he asked hoarsely.
"No!" She felt the shudder that went through his large frame and could have kicked herself, she hadn't thought how he might react to her words. "Goddess, Treyvon I'm so sorry. I never meant to make you think..."
"You are sure?"
"As sure as I can be. I mean I still haven't had my cycle and I'm not on any type of birth control, so I guess I could be, but I don't feel any different."
"I want Luol to scan you."
"Alright." She readily agreed because she was suddenly filled with the same anxiety that Mac had been trying so hard to conceal since she had learned she had conceived.
"And if you are, we will not be going to Tornian."
"If I am, then we definitely have to go," she said contradicting him as she framed his face with her hands. "I'm going to need that healer too, Treyvon. I'm going to want him, not that I don't trust Luol, but he's not going to be familiar with what Earth females go through when they've conceived. Shit, I don't either since I've never conceived before."
"Luol is confident that it won't be that different than what a Kaliszian female experiences."
"I know but there are going to be differences. We already know that the length of the pregnancy is shorter. That's going to have an effect on our bodies."
"You think this shorter period might be harmful?" Luol hadn't said anything about this.
"It could be, I don't know. That's why we need a special healer from Earth."
"Special Healer? What do you mean?"
"We have special healers on Earth called OB/GYN. They deal exclusively with females and what they experience once they conceive."
"Then we need to get you one."
"That's what I've been saying. So we need to go to Tornian."
"I will contact Liron, and if he agrees, he will contact Wray and arrange a meeting."
"He can't tell him why," Jen insisted and saw his confusion. "It needs to be vague. Maybe something about you wanting to make sure the Empress is okay. If he knows it’s about finding Earth, he may not agree to meet with us."
"Wray would not appreciate me coming for that reason, but I'm sure Liron will know a reason that will work."
"And the other females?"
"I will inform him of your concern."
• • • • • •
It didn't take Liron long to make his decision. He had listened intently to Treyvon, making no comment that Jen was sitting across her True Mate's lap as he spoke.
"I agree the females might need the reassurances from other females, ones from their own planet. My concern is that they would be so close to the border between our Empires."
"Wouldn't it be the last place they would look?" Jen asked.
"This is truth," Liron agreed. "I will have the ship immediately alter its course and will have extra food supplies included along with what will be needed to build another structure."
"And that won't raise suspicion?" Jen asked.
"No. All the Empire is aware of the massive ground storm that occurred on Pontus. It will be thought that the building supplies are needed because of it."
"And word still hasn't spread of the life here on Pontus?" She found that hard to believe, after all it had been moon cycles.
"We have been restricting all transmissions from Pontus, Jennifer," Treyvon told her.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"And our going to Tornian?" Jen turned her attention back to Liron.
"It is a valid request, although I will need to come up with a good reason for Treyvon to go there. There is also the matter of having another ship take over protecting Pontus."
"Why?" Jen asked not understanding.
"The Defender is my personal warship, Jennifer. To arrive on anything else would raise suspicions," Treyvon told her.
"Oh."
"Treyvon, you will need to decide what ship you want replacing the Defender and get it to Pontus while I contact Wray and arrange the meeting. I will get back to you as soon as it is done." With that, Liron ended the transmission.
• • • • • •
Time seemed to crawl, as far as Jen was concerned, as they waited for Liron to get back to them. Not that there wasn't a lot going on. She'd managed to convince Treyvon that Luol didn't need to come to their quarters and scan her the minute Liron had ended the transmission. But she only held him off until the next morning. They were both disappointed and a little surprised that she wasn't with offspring. After all, they'd been Joining for moon cycles now. Luol wasn't concerned though. He believed that once her body fully recovered from what it had been put through, she would conceive. That seemed to satisfy Treyvon.
The ship carrying the women had arrived and she had been surprised to discover it contained nearly twenty women in all different sizes, shapes, and ethnic backgrounds.
Had the Ganglians traveled all over the world taking a female here, a female there, so they would go undetected as Treyvon said the Tornians had done?
No.
At least that's what she learned from one of the women named, Aeriela. It seems all twenty women had been at a company retreat for team building. There had also been men there, but when the Ganglians attacked, chaos had ensued and no one knew what happened to them.
This wasn't going to go undetected, not with this many being taken, and not if there were survivors.
Treyvon had decided that there would be two ships taking the place of the Defender. There was a great deal to protect on Pontus now and he wouldn’t take any chances with it. They arrived the day after the women.
Finally, three weeks after they contacted Liron, he got back to them.
"Wray has agreed to meet with you on Tornian, in Torino, five days from now."
"Why does he think we are meeting?" Treyvon asked.
"To discuss the new Lord that has been put in charge of Vesta, Lord Callen Nizer."
"He is the one replacing Reeve?"
"Yes. He is the first of his bloodline to be made a Lord. It will seem appropriate that you are concerned."
"Truth. I will make final preparations here, then we will leave immediately."
"May the Goddess be with you, Treyvon," Liron's gaze on the screen moved to Jennifer. "And you, Jennifer."
"Thank you, Liron," she told him.
• • • • • •
Jen wasn't sure what she thought of 'space travel'. Granted traveling in comfort on the Defender was an entirely different experience from being in a cage on a Ganglian ship. Still it felt strange looking out the viewing ports and seeing streaks of light passing by and knowing they were stars. Maybe it was how people felt the first time they sat in a train and watched the landscape go by so fast.
Still she had to admit it had its upsides. With nothing to do, as there was no kitchen on the Defen
der for her to work in, she got to spend all her time with Treyvon.
Every day she wore one of the beautiful coverings that kept arriving on Pontus for her. She had only been wearing them in their quarters, while they were sharing Last Meal back on the base because, she didn't want to ruin them in the kitchen. But here on the Defender, they were all she wore and she could see how much it pleased her True Mate. She would have to make sure she wore them more often once they returned to Pontus.
The last four days had truly been some of the most enjoyable ones of her life. Treyvon had taken the time to show her every inch of the Defender and they'd found some very interesting places to Join in. She smiled at just how many of those there'd been. Now she watched as the planet that held the key to her future grew bigger and bigger. She startled slightly when arms suddenly went around her, then relaxed back into Treyvon's arms.
"What is wrong, my Jennifer?" he murmured into the hair she had left down because that is the way he liked it.
"Nothing. I'm just nervous, I guess. As much as I prayed that I would get the chance to go back to Earth, to see Kimmy again and making up for everything I did wrong, I never really believed I'd get to. I don't know what I'll do if this Wray doesn't tell us what we need to know."
"If Wray refuses then we will go to Luda and plead our case directly to Grim and his new Queen. From what I've heard, King Grim denies her nothing." It was something Treyvon wouldn't have believed, not before meeting his Jennifer. King Grim was the strongest and most feared Warrior in the Tornian Empire, and for good reason. Not only was he the blood brother to Emperor Wray, but he had never been bested in battle, not even the one that left him so scarred. If Grim loved his Queen half as much as Treyvon loved his Jennifer then he would help them.
"Luda is where the other Earth females are? The ones the Tornians took from Earth?" It still enraged Jen that they had done that. It was bad enough that the Ganglians were stealing females, but for the Tornians to do it too? They were supposed to be a race of fit and worthy warriors. She'd always believed it was how you handled yourself during the hard times that revealed who you really were, deep inside. She had failed that test and so it seemed had the Tornians.
"Yes, I know it upsets you, Jennifer, but we cannot interfere in what has happened here. Not yet at least."
"Those women shouldn't be forced to Join with a Tornian, Treyvon. Not if they don't want to."
"I agree, but we can only fight one battle at a time."
"Alright. How much longer?"
"We will be there in less than an hour. In two, we should know where your Earth is."
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Treyvon kept a strong hand on the small of Jen's cape-covered back, guiding her along the wide corridors of House Torino, making sure he adjusted his stride so she wouldn't have to run to keep up.
They were surrounded by Wray's Elite Guard with Veron, the Captain of the Guard, personally escorting them. Veron hadn't been pleased that Treyvon refused to lower the hood on Jennifer's cape, but he had no authority to force Treyvon to.
"The Emperor will see you in the Receiving Hall," Veron said, stopping before the doors. "You will relinquish all your blades before entering."
"I will not," Treyvon growled. "I am General Treyvon Rayner, Supreme Commander of Kaliszian Defenses. I am here representing my Emperor. Now open the doors."
Jen stood silently beside Treyvon, the tension among the warriors surrounding her becoming almost unbearable, as Treyvon and this Veron continued to just glare at each other, neither willing to back down.
"If I wanted your Emperor ended, I would have done it on Pontus and there would have been nothing you could have done to stop me."
Veron stiffened at that because he knew Treyvon spoke truth. Turning, he opened the doors and led them to his Emperor.
• • • • • •
Wray sat in the large, overly ornate chair that every Emperor from the dawn of the Empire's existence had used. Beside it sat an empty, smaller version of the chair for the Empress. He preferred the chairs in his private chambers where things weren't quite as formal, but this was General Rayner, and there was nothing informal about this meeting.
It appeared the General felt the same way, as he arrived dressed in his formal uniform, which wasn't that different from his daily one except that it was white instead of black.
"General Rayner," Wray acknowledged him.
"Emperor Vasteri," Treyvon responded.
"It is my understanding you are here to discuss the new Lord of Vesta."
"It is a vital position to those in my Empire, Majesty. So you can understand our concern since you were unaware of its previous mismanagement until we brought it to your attention."
"What in the universe makes you think you have any say in the way we manage the resources of our planets, General?"
"The same thing that makes you think you have any say in ours. We have what you greatly need, Majesty."
"As we have what you need," Wray fired back.
"Truth, but..."
"Oh give it up!" Jen exclaimed, shoving back the hood that had been covering her face. "What is it with you males?!! Do you really think all the Known Universes revolve around you?"
"You are an Earth female!" Wray exclaimed in shock.
"Wow! And you're an Emperor?" she sneered at him. "Must not take much."
When Wray reared back, snarling at her insult, Veron and the other Elite Guard pulled their swords and began moving forward. Treyvon immediately pulled the blades from his arms and put himself between her and the rest of the room.
"Sheath your swords!" Wray ordered, glaring at his warriors. They quickly did as he said and his gaze turned to Treyvon. "And your blades, General."
Treyvon waited until the other males had moved away then slowly returned the blades to his arms and growled. "I will end the next male that tries to harm my True Mate."
"True Mate?" Wray's gaze went from the beads in Treyvon's hair to the ones in Jennifer's.
"Yes," Jennifer told him. "I am his True Mate."
"I want this chamber cleared!" Wray ordered.
"Majesty?" Veron questioned, stepping forward.
"You heard me, Captain. Clear this room including you."
"But, Majesty, your safety!" Veron protested.
"General Rayner and I may have had our differences, but he is an honorable male. He is not going to attack me. Now leave!"
"Yes, Majesty," Veron agreed bowing to his Emperor, but he was obviously not happy about it. Then spinning on his heel, he followed the guards out of the room, closing the door behind him.
"Now tell me," Wray ordered. "How did you came to be here?"
"Certainly not on a ship full of women that you stole from Earth and abused!" Jen fired back, angered by his highhandedness. She didn't care that he was an Emperor, didn't care that she should be making nice with him because he had information she needed. It was because of males like him, like the Ganglians and Zaludians, that she'd been taken from Earth, that Todd had died, and that her sister was alone and probably scared. She and Mac had spent hours with the women from the Ganglian ship. They were mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, and girlfriends who'd had their lives ripped from them. And this Tornian Emperor had done the exact same thing.
Treyvon looked down at his Jennifer, somewhat surprised at her words and her anger. But then he realized he shouldn't be. If anyone had the right to be angry it was his Jennifer. She had endured so much, had suffered so greatly, but still she rarely lashed out or said a harsh word. Now she was standing before a male, Emperor or not, that was doing the same thing to other females. She would not be silent on that.
"We have abused no females!" Wray roared back.
"What do you call stealing them from their home? What do you call forcing them to Join with males they don't know or want!"
"That hasn't been done," Wray denied.
"Not for lack of trying," she fired back.
Wray couldn't argue with that for if
it hadn't been for Lisa, Grim’s Queen, then what this female was accusing him of would be truth.
"Who are you?" Wray demanded.
"Jennifer Rayner, True Mate and Ashe to General Treyvon Rayner." The pride in her voice was unmistakable. "And formerly from Earth."
"You know Earth's location?" Wray's gaze clashed with Treyvon's.
"Why did you order your Guard away?" Treyvon countered.
"Because no one, other than myself and King Grim, know Earth's location and it has to stay that way!"
"Why?" Jen demanded.
"Because I don't want warriors going to Earth and stealing females! I vowed to my Empress that wouldn't happen!"
"But you already have," Jen argued.
Wray ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "It was the only way to stop an outright rebellion once it became known that my Empress had conceived. If the Assembly of Lords had its way, we would have found Earth and conquered it, taking every female."
"That still doesn't make it right," Jen said but much of the heat had left her voice.
"That is truth," Wray agreed. "Now you understand why I had the chamber cleared. If word gets out that the Kaliszians know Earth's location..." He looked to Jen. "And are claiming females there as their True Mates when they have compatible females of their own... it could mean war."
"We don't," Treyvon told him quietly.
"What? But how is she here then?!!" Wray gestured to Jen.
"My name is Jennifer and I'm here compliments of the Ganglians."
"The Ganglians," Wray murmured paling. "You were..."
"No, she wasn't abused as your Empress was," Treyvon reassured him.
"Thank the Goddess," Wray's relief was obvious. "But why not?" he asked, his gaze running over this Jennifer. Her features were pleasing to look at, very pleasing. But his Kim was still the most beautiful female he had ever seen.
"You would prefer I had been?" Jen challenged.
"Of course not! But the Ganglians aren't known for mercy especially with a female."
"They believed my Jennifer to be a male."
"How is that possible?" Wray demanded because there was no way he would mistake her as anything other than a female.
"She was taken with a group of males and because of that, they assumed she was also male."