Chapter 7

As Cronan carried Unity to bed, his mind warred with his body. The soft curves of her body nestled against him were almost impossibly tempting, especially with his body still responding to the memory of her mouth under his, sweet and willing and responsive. She looked even more delicious tucked into his bed and for a fleeting moment he considered doing her.

No, he told himself sternly. He would not take advantage of her and there was still work to be done. He couldn"t let his desire cloud his judgment. But as he drew a blanket over her he couldn"t resist stroking the delicate, tempting curve of her neck before he forced himself to leave.

He returned to his study, the silence pressing in on him despite the faint crackle of the fire, The firelight cast flickering shadows on the walls as he sat back down at his desk and wearily regarded the documents scattered across it. He intended to follow the trail Unity had discovered but it would not be a rapid process.

A soft knock at the door broke the silence, and he called out, "Enter."

Barthar strode in, a heavy frown on his scarred features. The scars stood out even more against his deep bronze skin. He was several years older than Cronan but still a formidable warrior. He had proven his loyalty time and time and Cronan trusted him completely.

"We"ve received two calls from ships asking to land today."

Cronan returned his frown. Normally ships only landed once or twice a month.

"Do you think their arrival is connected to Ulmat"s death?"

The other male shrugged, striding restlessly over to the fireplace.

"I don"t know. They would have to have been close in order to arrive so swiftly. Ulmat may have had more off world connections than we suspected."

"He may have been more heavily involved in the slave trade as well."

He handed Barthar the documents with the suspicious transactions Unity had discovered. His second scanned them quickly, his face darkening.

"Fuck. How deep does this corruption go? We need to be prepared for another battle. The loss of this kind of income is going to make someone very angry."

"Agreed. Double the watches."

"And the ships?"

He hesitated, considering the matter.

"It could merely be a coincidence and we"ve agreed that increasing contact with the rest of the Empire would be beneficial. Allow them to land but monitor everything they do."

"Very well." Barthar shot him a curious look. "How did you recognize the connection so quickly?"

"I didn"t," he admitted. "Unity was the one to figure it out."

"The slave?"

He hadn"t discussed Unity with Barthar earlier but of course, his seance knew about the situation.

"The former slave," he corrected.

"So she says. You don"t find it suspicious that she just happened to discover the connections?"

"No, I don"t," he snapped. "She is the victim here. I want you to ensure that she is protected, no matter what happens. I won"t have her caught in the crossfire."

His jaw tightened when Barthar hesitated.

"Is that a problem?"

His voice was low and deadly and Barthar gave him a cautious look as he responded.

"We don"t know much about her. She"s a stranger, and you"re… indulging her."

"Indulging her?" He slammed his fist on the desk and everything jumped. "I"m protecting her, Barthar. She"s been through hell, and she deserves our care."

Barthar raised his hands.

"I"m just saying, be cautious."

He glared at his friend.

"You"re starting to sound like Grabon. "Females are dangerous."I thought you were better than that, Barthar."

The rebuke struck its mark, and Barthar"s face darkened. Their eyes met, both of them blazing, the air thick with tension. Then Barthar sighed, giving him a thoughtful look.

"As you wish."

After a brief moment of strained silence, Barthar cleared his throat.

"The eastern provinces are requesting increased trade, and the southern provinces are requesting additional troops to deal with the bandit problem. both appear to have accepted the transition. I am more concerned about the Western Isles, simply because we haven"t heard from them apart from that one call. Hopefully Grabon will be able to provide additional information before the ship we sent arrives."

He nodded, noting additional items for his list as Barthar reported. They spent the next hour discussing strategies and deployments before Barthar finally stood, his eyes glinting as he studied Cronan"s face.

"You need rest, Cronan. You"ve been pushing yourself hard lately," he said gruffly.

He nodded, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Aye, you"re right. I"ll try to get some rest."

Barthar nodded and left as Cronan sat back in his chair. He knew he should find somewhere else to sleep, but his feet seemed rooted to the spot. And when he finally rose, he found himself heading for his bedroom. He told himself he"d just check on her, make sure she was comfortable.

She was curled in his bed, her dark hair spread across his pillow. As he stood there watching her she whimpered in her sleep, a soft, plaintive sound that tugged at his heart. He couldn"t resist going to her, running a soothing hand down her back. When her body relaxed under his touch, his resolve crumbled. He lay down beside her, pulling her gently into his arms. She snuggled against him, all soft curves and sweet, fragrant female.

He closed his eyes, telling himself he"d leave in a minute once he was sure she was peaceful. Just one minute. But as he held her, his exhaustion caught up with him and he couldn"t find the energy to move. Unity stirred a little, her hand coming to rest over his heart, and his arms tightened around her, holding her secure. His last thought was that he should get up, find a separate bed, but it was too late. Sleep claimed him, and he fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.

Sunlight on his face woke him. His arms were still wrapped around Unity and he was shocked by how well he"d slept, how peaceful he felt. It was a foreign sensation, and he laid there for a moment savoring it. But peace wasn"t the only thing he felt. His codix throbbed demandingly, reminding him just how long it had been since he"d taken a female. He tried to ignore his unruly body, but he couldn"t stop the warm tide of arousal that swept through him.

He started to extricate himself, careful not to disturb her, but her eyes opened as soon as he moved. A sleepy smile spread across her face, a private, intimate smile, and his chest suddenly ached. Without thinking, he leaned in, his lips gently brushing against hers. She hummed happily and snuggled closer. He could feel the stiff points of her nipples against his chest and his control weakened.

He deepened the kiss as his hand slid down to cup her breast, soft and heavy in his hand. He found a plump nipple and gently tugged it, reveling at her sharp intake of breath and the way it stiffened even more under his touch. He pulled back a little, watching her expression as he continued playing with her nipple, learning what she liked. When he tightened his grip her cheeks flushed and she arched into his hand.

He was on the verge of lowering his head to see if his mouth could bring her as much pleasure when some measure of control finally returned. He pulled away, his breathing ragged, and she gave him a teasing pout.

"Good morning," she whispered, her voice husky.

Cronan cleared his throat, attempting to compose himself.

"Good morning," he replied, his voice a touch gruffer than he intended. "I should...get up."

He hesitated, his body still thrumming with desire, and her mouth twitched.

"It seems as if you are already up."

Fuck, he wanted to kiss her again. Instead he stood, his movements unusually stiff .

"I need to get going," he amended.

She sat up, watching him curiously.

"Where are you going?"

"The training room. I go every day."

She tilted her head, her expression thoughtful, and he did his best to ignore the tempting curve of her neck.

"Can I come with you?"

He hesitated, about to refuse, but something in her expression stopped him.

"Why?" he asked instead.

"I want to learn to defend myself. I don"t want to be helpless again."

His hesitation disappeared. How could he deny her that?

"Very well. You can join me."

His chest ached again as her face lit up and he gave him a radiant smile. She scrambled quickly out of bed, almost tripping over her skirt, then laughed.

"But I think you"d better find something else for me to wear first - unless you"re like the ancient Greeks and train in the nude."

She laughed again when he almost tripped over his own feet.