CHAPTER 27

Nitiel couldn't keep his wings still. Every single feather of his was on edge. Were his need to keep Loe's hand in his not stronger than his anxiousness, he would be pacing this foyer of the Commander's quarters like a caged animal.

The space looked like a cage as it was, enclosed between two walls of smooth silver, the door he and Loe had come through, and the black door they were waiting to be opened. There were no windows and furniture in sight.

Nitiel had to hold on to Loe as well as to the code. He had strayed so far already, but if he didn't keep his possessiveness at bay, he would hit rock bottom by raising a wing against Commander Siriniel.

Soft fingers squeezed his. He looked down to his Loe.

She was giving him a warm smile. Coupled with her messy curls, rosy cheeks, and rumpled dress missing its bodice, she looked good enough to eat. That only added to his anxiousness of what was to happen, but she had insisted they talk to the Commander as soon as the rescue shuttle brought them back to the station. She believed that would ease Nitiel's guilt. She also believed that if she looked disheveled for the meeting, Siriniel wouldn't want anything to do with her; he would even be happy that his Subcommander was taking the improper lady off his hands.

Nitiel didn't have the lower heart to tell Loe her looks didn't matter. If anything, they would infuriate the Commander further: his female looked and smelled thoroughly claimed by the male he had entrusted with her protection. Still, Loe was right to think that postponing this meeting would be needless torture for Nitiel.

He had contacted Commander Siriniel upon arrival to request a meeting and had been granted one, yet here they were with Loe, standing in front of a closed door for at least twenty minutes. The rescue shuttle's pilot had confirmed there had been no attacks on the station and extra patrols had been dispatched to guard the perimeter. So, what urgent matters were keeping the Commander from opening the door?

A mystery. Just like the one why Siriniel had not met with Loe from the very start. But Nitiel thanked the Goddess for that, because had the meeting taken place, he and Loe would never have become one. Whatever happened now, at least he had been gifted with a niela for several planetary rotations.

"Nitiel, you're tickling me. Again."

"Sorry." Not only couldn't he keep his wings still but he also couldn't withdraw the wing he had tucked Loe under. She was his to protect, if only for a little longer.

She gave his hand another squeeze. "You have to calm down, niel. If the Commander is as decent as you describe him to be, he will understand. Honor is honor, but love doesn't follow any codes and rules."

Nitiel scratched at the base of his horn nub.

"I understand you fear losing your job, but being someone's rep on Earth can"t be your only option, can it? We can make it work together, as cheesy as that sounds. Right?"

"Loe…" He scratched some more.

"I'll get my accounting position back and keep it until we're financially stable. Turning my hobby into a full-time job can wait a bit longer. If Shayla hasn't given up on me yet, she won't now. Especially once she sees you, she will fully understand." Loe snickered, but her mirth died out as she saw him scratching again. His wings were fluttering uncontrollably as well. "Nitiel, is there something you're not telling me?"

He closed his eyes on a deep sigh. Perhaps it was better to tell her now rather than during the meeting. It wasn't like they didn't have time to spare.

He turned to face her. "I do not fear losing my job on Terra, Loe. For what I have done – touching another's niela – I face a harsh punishment."

Loe gasped. "What are you talking about?"

"Exile. As far from the wronged couple as possible."

She went wide-eyed. "Nitiel, that's–No, that's bullshit. They can't. You didn't touch me against my will, I chose you."

"It doesn't matter, Loe." He tried to soothe her with his wing, hating the fear in her beautiful gaze. "The ASI has matched you to another. I broke the sacred law."

"But we agreed the ASI can suck it!"

"The law is the law. Commander Siriniel has the right to send me to another star system."

"Like hell!" Loe stepped away from him, anger filling her gaze. "Why didn't you tell me this before? We could have thought of something, anything! You can't give up on us!"

"I am not giving up, niela. I'm doing what's right this time: you need to meet Siriniel and see how you feel toward him. If afterward it's the Goddess' will that I should lose you and be exiled, then so be it."

She shook her head in disbelief. "I told you I love you, Nitiel! I did not say that lightly. How can you expect me to ditch you for another several hours later?"

He sighed. Loe still couldn't understand how quickly the bond between a niel and niela could click into place.

"And you said living without me would tear you apart. How about that, hm?" She crossed her arms over her chest, a stern look on her face. "We will run. Steal a ship and go somewhere your stupid law can't reach us."

Nitiel caught her by the shoulders, suddenly afraid for an entirely different reason. "Loe, no. Running is not the answer, my niela. It's… That's what killed my parents."

Her arms went slack. "What? You told me your parents died in a space crash!"

"They did. But it was while they were running away from the authorities with me."

Nitiel sighed once again. He hadn't planned on telling Loe this story, at least not in this uncertain moment, but he had to make her understand. His wings wrapped around her instinctively as he continued.

"My mother was linked to a male when she encountered my father – an alien from a species considered primitive, even beastly. He stole her, or so I was told by her parents. She came back changed, claiming he was her fated mate, but no one believed her. They thought her brainwashed. They wouldn't let her go back to him. In those years, the ASI was still being developed, and Gaenthian females were too few for someone to believe they could be nielas to another species. Surely the Goddess was keeping them for Gaenthian males, they thought."

"Of course." Loe linked their hands again and gave him a soft look. "What did your mom do?"

"She was forced to stay with her male, under guard. She eventually gave birth to me, and my unnatural color and lack of proper horns told them who my real father was. My grandparents on both sides wanted my father dead." Nitiel wrapped his wings tighter around Loe. "He still came for his beloved female and child. They ran away together under the cover of night, leaving countless guards dead. While running from the authorities, their ship was destroyed. I survived only because I was in my crib at the time, and the clamshell closes in case of a hull breach."

"My God, Nitiel." Loe's hand moved tenderly along his chest. "I'm so sorry."

He placed his hand on top of hers over his upper heart. "I learned of this much later. The military were the only family I knew for a long time."

"What about your grandparents?"

"They wanted nothing to do with me. When my mother ran away with me and my father, they considered her dead to the family. Clan-less."

"Sheesh, what a loving bunch." She winced. "Sorry."

"It's okay, Loe. I feel nothing for them. I became what I am thanks to my own efforts, not my origin." He ran his thumb over the back of her hand. "Do you understand why I don't want to run now, niela? It's not a life I want for you. More importantly, I can't take you away from your chance at happiness."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm not entirely without honor. I must let you discover if Siriniel is your fated mate. I know you're mine, but you must see if you still consider me yours after you meet him."

She growled and poked him in the abs. "I'm not choosing another and I'm not letting you be exiled. Feathers are going to be plucked in there if Twirly Horn so much as mentions separating us."

Nitiel couldn't help it. He cupped her face and pulled her up for a kiss.

She moaned and dug her fingers into his pecs. Her tongue sought his, and he met her stroke for stroke. His wings brought her flush against him. His hand slid down to her backside to squeeze the rounded flesh and bring Loe even closer–

Someone cleared their throat.

Nitiel and Loe froze and looked to their left.

The black door was open. Revealing a worried-looking Vrixiel.

"Lady Hloe. Subcommander. Commander Siriniel of the Swirling Horn Clan will see you now."