Chapter 28 Callie
twenty-eight
Callie
Aga scowled at us from his seat, his arms crossed over his chest like a disapproving father. “So let me get this straight. He kidnaps you, locks you up, foils your many escape attempts and you end up marrying him?”
“Yeah. That about sums it up,” I said, nodding my head with a shrug.
We were in Rathal’s office on the security level of the palace, seated around his long oval table.
I’d spent the better part of the last few hours explaining myself and keeping Aga from lunging across the table every time Rathal quipped some sassy comment.
I was beyond exhausted and ready for this to be over.
Aga’s gaze sharpened. “And you’ve spoken with Jack already? And she just went along with this?”
I sighed, dropping my elbows to the table and cradled my head in my hands for a moment before giving him an exasperated look. “Yes! We’ve been over this already. Now, can we let it go, please? We have an Assembly to go to and a battle to plan.”
It was the truth, kinda. I’d told Jack I was safe and that I wanted to stay, but I hadn’t exactly told her I’d married the pirate king.
Baby steps.
Aga scowled so hard his eyes almost disappeared under his heavy brow ridges before he finally growled a begrudging “Fine” and stood. He eyed Rathal like a bug to be squashed. “Well? What are you waiting for? Let’s get this done.”
Rathal smiled lazily and got slowly to his feet, gesturing before him with a sweep of his arm. “By all means, Aga Ush, please lead the way. The Assembly has already started.”
Aga literally shook with the urge to snap my husband's neck.
Husband.
I smiled to myself. Who’d have ever thought a single word could create such bubbling excitement inside a person.
I kinda wanted to throw myself to the ground to squeal and kick my feet.
It was crazy the amount of warm feelings I felt anytime I glanced Rathal’s way.
He’d caught me a few times already and his face grew tender.
This time, when I looked up at him as he pulled out my chair and held out his hand to help me to my feet he leaned down and kissed my forehead gently.
“You and I need to have a quick chat before we go into the Assembly hall, darling,” he murmured against my skin before straightening.
The emotion in his eyes had my heart rate kicking into overdrive and a knot forming in my throat. “Okay,” I whispered back, rising up on my tiptoes to place a quick peck on his lips.
Aga grunted in disgust and left the room.
“How did he get on the station? I figured your security would have caught him long before his ship could dock.”
Rathal looked up over my head and chucked before looking back down at me.
“I let him in. I figured you would want to see him, and besides, later when he acts all high and mighty about sneaking onto Erral through all my security checks I’ll be able to rub in his face that it was only because I chose to let him through.
He is very good, my dear, but when it comes to security, I am better. ”
I snorted, shaking my head. This was going to be the topic of many drunk holiday arguments in our future. This family we had created was nuts. God, I loved it.
Rathal looked up over my head and chucked before looking back down at me.
“Better follow him or the twins might decide to eat him.” He tucked my hand into the crook of his elbow and led us out of the room.
The twins were indeed eyeing Aga’s backside like it might be a tasty meal and not in the flattering sort of way but if the big green menace noticed, he didn’t say anything, just stomped all the way to the Assembly hall two stories down.
Rathal stopped him before he Aragorned his way through the double doors.
“Ah, Aga. A moment, please?”
Aga’s shoulders bunched up to his ears but he turned around, though his lips twitched like he wanted to snarl.
“What?” Aga ground out.
“Callie and I are going to step into this waiting room for a few minutes. You might want to wait out here for us to return before you go in.”
Aga sneered. “I can handle five minutes alone with your pack of rabble.”
Rathal smiled. “As you say. Very well. If that’s what you want to do, then by all means, carry on without us.”
Aga grumbled some insult under his breath and slammed the doors open.
The roar of angry voices rose from a muted rumble to a tidal wave and then back again as the door snapped shut behind Aga, closing him inside.
The twins shook their heads and took up sentry on either side of the door and gave us identical droll looks.
Rathal grinned, looking at me with dancing eyes. “Som’ae is going to eat him alive.”
We snickered together before he took my hand to draw me into a small waiting room off to the left of the Assembly hall and closed the door softly behind us. He led me to a set of chairs and pushed me down into one and then took a knee in front of me, taking both of my hands into his.
My heart squeezed hard inside my chest, butterflies erupting inside my stomach. I don’t know why. We were already married. It wasn’t like he was proposing.
He took a deep breath, squeezing my hands and looked intently into my eyes.
“Callie. I would first like to start by saying that I am sorry for the way our relationship started. Had I believed I could have done this another way… well, to be honest I don’t think I would have changed it,” I snorted at that and he grinned at me before continuing, “but I am sorry I caused you distress.”
“Rathal, I—”
He held up a hand. “No,no. Please let me finish before you say anything.”
I closed my mouth and took a deep breath in and out. “Okay.”
“Thank you. Secondly, I would like you to know, though I’ve said it before already, that I am inordinately pleased that you married me. You have made me feel as if I am the happiest male in the galaxy and for that I thank you. Truly. You are everything I could ever have wanted and more.”
I swallowed around the knot that had formed in my throat, blinking away at the tears gathering in my eyes. I opened my mouth to tell him that I was happy too but he pressed his fingers to my lips.
“Ah, not yet. I’m not finished.”
I rolled my eyes, smiling against his fingers but nodded. He replaced his fingers with his lips in a quick kiss before taking my hands again.
“And lastly, because we are about to go into a battle and Goddess knows when I’ll get the chance to get you alone again once you are reunited with your friends, I wanted you to know before you go flying into a warzone simply that… I love you. Most ardently.”
The butterflies exploded into fire breathing dragons and my heart decided to go ahead and burst.
“Rathal…” I started, my voice cracking.
He interrupted me. “I don’t expect you to feel the same way, of course.”
“Rathal—”
“You have, after all, been very clear that you will need time, which I respect.”
“Ra—”
“I just wanted you to know where I stand. Which is madly, desperately in love—”
“Rathal!” I shouted, grabbing his face with both hands to stop his rambling.
He stopped, looking at me with a hopeful kind of confusion.
I was smiling, but there was a suspicious wetness on my cheeks that I was staunchly ignoring.
“Yes, my darling?” he prompted slowly, his own eyes looking a little moist around the edges.
I leaned in. “I love you too, you big idiot.”
Have you ever seen a seven foot tall Egyptian god’s jaw quiver? Well I have.
He drew in a shaky breath. “Oh. Well then,” he said, and leaned forward to kiss me. We met in the middle with me using my hands on his face to drag him to me, and him cupping the back of my head to pull me into him.
It was a clashing dance of teeth and tongue. A confirmation of our wild, totally not normal, perfectly insane love for each other that came out of left field and upended my whole life in the best of ways.
A knock interrupted just in time to stop my hands from snaking into Rathal’s pants.
He was wearing a loser fit today, almost sweat pants like, though Rathal would never wear something so bland.
No, these pants were a black shimmering material that matched the loose, yet stylish long sleeve shirt he was wearing.
Rathal laughed, grabbing my wrist. “I feel the same, darling, but we don’t have time. Save that thought for after the Assembly.”
I glowered at him but let him pull me to my feet. He stopped me again just before opening the door to hug me tightly.
“Tell me again?”
I hugged him back, tilting my head to stare up at him. “I love you.”
His breathing hitched. “Again.”
I grinned. “I am in love with you, Ra Rathal NulKal Som’Val Ra’Roshal Johnson Ramirez.”
He kissed me quick and hard. “And I love you,” he said against my lips.
A scratch broke the moment between us.
“As touching as this is, Som’ae demands your attendance,” Hassa’s voice said from the other side of the door.
Rathal blew out a breath through his nose before straightening and pushing the door open. He glowered at his cousin, but Hassa just stared at him.
“Oh alright. We’re coming.”
He kept my hand in his, threading his fingers through mine and led the way into the Assembly hall.
The noise was as loud as ever. Aliens were shouting over each other and a few fights had already broken out in the stands.
I searched for Aga, finally finding him pouting in one of the chairs inside the caged VIP area.
Som’ae patted his knee affectionately and I just knew he’d been put in his place by the three foot tall female.
Aga didn’t say one word to either of us as we took our seats but Som’ae winked her triple iris golden eye at me before standing to walk to the Speakers stage.
Once again, the noise died as she took the stand, her little claws raised.
“Greeting, denizens of Erral. We have called you here today to discuss something of great importance. Something we have all been waiting on for millennia.” She paused for effect. The atmosphere in the room grew tense enough to cut.
Her little claws closed into a fist and when she spoke again, her voice was edged with so much viciousness it actually made me shift closer to Rathal.
“It is time for us to go to war with the Unity.”
The room was dead silent for all of a nanosecond before the crowd roared in approval. It was the only time I’d ever seen these people agree on anything at all.
I tapped Rathal who leaned in close, putting his ear next to my mouth. “I thought they’d fight about going?”
He shook his head, turning to press his mouth into my ear in turn. “Never. We are refugees, remember? This is what they have been waiting for.”
Som’ae raised her hand for silence and the crowd quieted. “I have other news. News that may come as a shock, but know that I have confirmed it myself.” She swept her gaze around the hall slowly.
“The Rijitera have returned.” Shock rippled through the crowd, with people looking at each other in uncertainty.
“This is certain!” she called feverishly. “The Rijitera have contacted our Lord and promised their aid. They come for vengeance!”
The answering roar at her words nearly deafened me. Thousands of teeth bared, their eyes wild with bloodlust and renewed hope.
They were right to hope.
With Jack and her people on our side, the Unity was going to end in a bloodbath.
Rathal stood and approached the stand where Som’ae stepped aside.
It took longer for him to quiet the crowd with how frenzied they were, but eventually he was able to speak.
“The new Rijiteran Empress contacted me. She instructs us to travel to the planet Tuanov and defend them from the Unity there…”
Listening to the battle plan laid out with so many mouths frothing to get started had my own blood pumping with the pre-fight adrenaline dump.
It was finally time to get this shit over with.