Alien General's Baby (Brion Brides 7)(24)

Instantly, the lights in the room came on. It still left it relatively dark for Naima's liking, but it was such an upgrade from before that she barely cared.

"Thank you," she said, finally able to see her green dress uniform, neatly laid out on a sofa.

"So is this your job now? Babysitting me?" she asked, picking up the uniform and changing her clothes.

Kerven had been sort of on the backdrop of her existence ever since she set foot on the ship. However they had barely had any time to converse. In part, this was due to Kerven keeping to a respectable distance – clearly ordered by Braen. And the fact that Naima had been spending most of her time going through Brion archives and educating herself on the Fearless, what was known about the lifestone, as well as Brion culture made up for the other half of it.

Having spent plenty of time in cramped conditions on various research ships, she’d long ago lost most of the discomfort she might have felt when changing in a mixed gender setting.

"The commander has tasked me with your protection while he's attending other duties, yes," the warrior said.

"You can turn around," Naima said as she straightened her clothing, finally able to look at the man standing in front of her. "What do you mean, other duties? I wasn't aware I was one."

Kerven looked a little uncomfortable and Naima felt equally a little guilty. Brion culture was unlike anything else in the Galactic union   and she was putting the poor boy on the spot. Only in comparison to Braen could she call Kerven a boy, though. It was simply that Braen redefined her understanding of a man and no one else really came close.

She couldn't imagine what kind of rules applied to talking to the fated of the general. Naima didn't think Kerven joked when he'd said Braen would kill him for offering her a simple compliment.

Brions had a very odd sense of humor. Odd in how it was mostly lacking.

She had, however, noticed that most of the crew treated her like a highly respected, incredibly valuable… leper. No one dared come close to her or address her with anything other than messages from Braen, anyway.

The young warrior was still struggling for words. He reminded her of Braen, in a way. In a few years, the guard might come to resemble his general, but Naima doubted he'd ever be quite like him.

They had some similarities, though, like the deep blue eyes. Otherwise, Kerven looked like a spitting image of every other Brion warrior Naima had seen – built like a tank, tall like a skyscraper and stern as a statue.

"You are a Terran," Kerven finally offered. "I think I chose the wrong word. You wouldn't understand."

Hah. I guess it's a step up from Braen's "You have to understand".

"Try me," Naima said dryly.

Hearing her icy tone, the young warrior looked even more distressed. He was a strong man, that much was obvious to Naima, yet before her, the guard shuddered.#p#分页标题#e#

She knew it wasn't her that scared him so, it was the avatar of Braen, standing behind her, unseen but very much real. She didn't know every detail of Brion culture, but that much was clear. If the guard upset her, no matter who was to blame, it would be him that paid for it.

Like Braen had said, he wouldn't hurt a hair on Naima's head.

"I will try," Kerven promised, hesitant for a moment. "Yes, the general has a duty to you now, as you are his gesha–"

"That is still up for debate," Naima cut in.

Kerven, diplomatically, chose not to comment that.

"For Terrans, duty means something else," the guard explained. "It is a choice rather than something bestowed upon you. For Brions, duty is the same as destiny in many ways.

"The general is bound to you for life – no matter what you might say, Miss Jones, he is – and that means he will protect you, come what may. He didn't choose the bond, it chose him, but a gerion does choose what is best for his gesha. Always."

Well, when you put it like that, it's hard for me to stay mad, isn't it? Curse you alien hunks and your storybook conceptions of love. How am I supposed to resist that?

The answer came easily enough, though. It might have been in her best interest to have Braen around, but she didn’t think it was in his. She could never respond with the same kind of fervent, unshakable love that Braen already seemed to feel for her.

Or could she?

Naima wasn't used to promises of eternal bonds and frankly she found that it unnerved her a little. With every word that Kerven said, things that Braen had done started to make more sense to her.

Perhaps she was too used to Terran men who never experienced the world in the same way that Brions did. Gods alone knew that Isolde Fenner and all the other human geshas were happy beyond anything, and had remained that way after many years. And the generals seemed to be equally as overjoyed. Maybe things were different with these pairings?

Maybe they really could be equal…

The brides weren't just trinkets for their general gerions. Unlike the way Naima’s parents’ marriage had worked, the wife’s job wasn’t simply to hold down the fort until the husband returned.

Isolde was the Terran ambassador on Briolina now, being bonded to the feared Diego Grothan giving her words serious weight. No one wanted to say no to the woman who could summon the Triumphant to their doorstep with one word, though Naima knew that it was Isolde’s sharp mind that kept the Brions at bay as much as it was her fearsome husband’s reputation.

Aria designed and maintained whole sections of harvest worlds after her gerion killed a hive mind that threatened the whole Galactic union  .

Leiya had gone from being a singing sensation on Briolina to intergalactic sweetheart, who possibly did more than the others combined, bringing people together at a time when the union   needed unity most.

Lana had built and now ran a private squadron of pilots from Briolina, Terra and any other world whose candidates passed her rigorous testing. They made up a first responders army that dealt with disasters others didn't even want to know about. Some said she'd saved more lives than her general husband had taken.

He disagreed fervently, of course.

All that forced Naima to conclude that being a gesha wasn't objectively that bad of a deal. Both sides of the equation retained their own worth, and if modern journalism was anything to go by, had even continued growing it. They truly did seem better together than apart.

Yeah. Be bonded to one of the most powerful, influential and gorgeous men alive. Get fucked to heaven and back. Be free to live my own life, only with a Brion general to support me in whatever it is I do. I think they put people in mental wards for refusing things like that.

One thing remained, though, stronger than all of that, and more resilient than Naima's undeniable attraction to Braen.

"I understand," she told Kerven firmly. "But we Terrans are very fond of our choices. And while I appreciate the notion, I think every individual should choose whether they have the right to potentially hurt someone with their actions before allowing themselves to do it."

She didn’t finish her train of through, seeing Kerven’s expression change. Naima could tell the young warrior wanted to argue, but not a word left his lips. That was probably wise, because it was about as far as Braen had gotten. After a certain point, there was nothing else to say but to agree to disagree.

"Now," Naima said, making sure she looked decent enough not to make every warrior in the dark hallways run from her in fear of insulting the general by glancing her way. "One last thing. Did the equipment here alert you? I didn't know it was so sensitive. I thought I barely whimpered."#p#分页标题#e#

"Yes," Kerven said dutifully. "They are activated by sounds of distress. Loud noises, like screaming."

Okay, that is very nice, but can they distinguish between me screaming in pain or screaming in pleasure? I'd like to know… just in case.

Naima chose her words very carefully this time.

"I get the general's concern for my well-being," she said. "However I need my privacy, too. I think we should replace these devices with buttons or something that I can push. Sound activation really isn't working for me."

The system kept in the room to calm her senses when she slept was similar, though it had been calibrated to be a lot more sensitive. If she ever got to the screaming stage again with a nightmare, Naima was certain that Braen would be the first one in the room. For now, she’d managed to rely on Palian technology to keep her mind calmer during those hours when she was least capable of battling the Fearless for dominance of her own senses.

She was relieved when Kerven nodded.

"Very well, Miss Jones, I will take it up with the general."

Before Naima could say any more, Kerven listened to something attentively and she could hear someone's muffled speaking over a comm link.

"The general expects us," the guard said when the voice stopped. "The Chali trader ship has arrived to the agreed location. It won't approach, of course. The proxy should arrive soon."

Naima nodded, following Kerven's lead through the corridors of the Benevolent. The lights had been turned up for her sake, tracking her path. Behind her, the corridors would become dark again.

The general was waiting for them in an exercise arena, much to Naima's surprise. She'd expected a lounge or a great hall to greet the Chali trader, but apparently Braen's distaste ran deep. As they approached, the general was so focused on the mech he was fighting that he didn't even notice them.