With that, she could hopefully buy time to find out what it was that Worgen wanted.
The general seemed to consider that.
"Gather as many as you can," he said, cutting the feed.
"That went well," Yarel said, standing a bit further away, so as not to appear on the projector.
If that was anyone else, Lana would have thought it was a sarcastic remark, but Palians had an odd sense of humor.
"Thanks," she said. "I try."
"What do you want to do, Captain?" Yarel asked.
"As he said," Lana said, smiling sadly. "Gather as many as we can. Let him look and see. Maybe afterward we can hear what he asked and start figuring this out."
"And if he finds her? The fated?"
Lana thought of all the stories she'd heard about the sacred bindings and what they meant for the Brions. She was also relieved he was still looking, which meant it wasn't her.
"If he does, there is nothing we can do."
The captain sighed, heading for the door. "I'm going to go and get some sleep," she said, but stopped right before the doorway. "Yarel."
"Yes, Captain?"
"Tell me honestly. Do you have any idea what he wants with your kind?"
The bridge commander gave her the saddest smile she'd ever seen on a Palian. It was one of heavy, deep regret.
"Many, Captain," Yarel said, taking her seat. "Each worse than the next. Go sleep. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow."
Lana wanted to stay and listen, but her body was convincing her that she needed rest. It had been a long, long day.
The old captain's quarters were a bit eerie, but that was where she'd been taken. She supposed it was fine, they were hers now. Comfortably close to the bridge and equipped with everything the captain could need. Lana figured it would take a few weird days, but she'd banish the ghost of the previous owner from the quarters.
She headed straight for the bedroom, discarding clothes as she went. All the bad emotions—grief, fear, exhaustion—threatened to overtake her, but Lana refused them. Once she let them in, they wouldn't be going out. She needed sleep and a clear head, that was all.
The coat slid over her shoulders and dropped to the floor. Lana stood before the bed, dressed only in her white long-sleeved tunic and panties, wondering where she might find clean sheets. She winced and a cry escaped her lips when a pair of strong hands slid around her.
"Did you miss me?" a deep voice whispered.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lana
Lana's body reacted faster than she did. She knew who it was, holding her in his strong embrace. But while her mind struggled to find a logical explanation for it, her entire being resonated to the scent of him. Corden's touch seemed to have an almost magical effect on her, instantly soothing all her worries, taking away her fears. Lana knew it wasn't true, strictly speaking, but she just felt safe.
Warring emotions were completely overwhelming her. The blinding relief that he was alive, the incredible pleasure of being in his arms, the hope that everything would be better.
Lana's voice shook when she finally managed to whisper: "I thought you died."
Saying that out loud allowed her to come face-to-face with that eventuality at last and she felt her heartbeat quicken. She'd come so close to losing him—even if she hadn't fully figured out what he meant to her—that seeing him again made her re-live watching the Raptor being destroyed.
Corden swiftly turned her around in his arms and Lana was greeted by the cocky smile she had missed.#p#分页标题#e#
"My gesha," he said and the word meant beloved. "I wouldn't die now that I have you."
Well, that's reassuring.
Hearing his voice, being able to touch him, was slowly driving the truth home. Corden was alive, he had never died, and that meant a world of trouble for everyone. While her body made insistent demands that she give in to the general at once, Lana's mind was starting to catch up to the implications. To keep a cool head, she wiggled out of Corden's grasp, but that did absolutely nothing to solve her problems.
On the contrary, now she could see him clearly, even if she had to crane her neck a bit to meet his eyes. Corden was a head taller than the average Brion, making her feel ridiculously small compared to him. Lana had to bite her tongue not to moan, her body immediately reacting to the sight of the amazing warrior before her.
Lana's treacherous mind was not focusing on the tactical situation like she wanted it to, instead parading image after image of increasingly hot scenarios before her eyes. What it would look like if Corden shrugged off that armor of his, what his tan skin would feel like under her touch... how good it would be to be held in his powerful, thick arms again.
The general's green eyes were watching her with amusement, but Lana didn't miss the desire burning in them. The two long braids fell over his eyes as his gaze undressed her. Lana had no doubt that it was exactly what he was doing when a low growl escaped his lips. Feral, like a beast ready to pounce.
She took a step back, although her body wanted to take several closer, much closer. What had begun as simple lust was now threatening to drown her, making every inch of her ache for the warrior. Her gerion, for God's sake.
That ripped Lana out of her daze. She wanted to say something about the matter, but her tongue seemed glued to her mouth. No words were enough to express what she felt. Hope and desire, yes, but above all, she felt like the world was not broken anymore.
The desire was growing inside her, however. Lana knew it would have that effect. The Brion bindings were always like that. The couple was pulled toward each other with unseen cords, never breaking, never easing up. It was so much worse for Corden, but Lana couldn't deny she felt it too. She whimpered in need before she could regain control of herself, but of course Corden had heard. The Brions heard a lot.
The warrior took a step closer, coming for her like a storm she had no chance of stopping. But no, he was not just any warrior. A general.
"You lied to me," Lana said, taking one more step back.
A part of her was distinctly aware of being practically naked. The tunic hanging loosely was long enough to almost reach the bottom edge of her panties, but not quite. She knew the Brions had keen senses; there was no way Corden didn't know exactly how turned on she was.
"You lied," she repeated, mostly to keep talking and distract herself from the fact that she was alone with the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen. "You should have told me."
"Told you what?" Corden asked with a grin, coming closer with slow, predatory steps.
"That you were a general," Lana said, lifting her eyes to catch his gaze. "I would have—"
"I wasn't sure I could trust you," Corden said, his voice deep and lined with passion. "Now I know I can."
That's nice, but there's still the whole lie thing.
"I could have done something different," Lana protested, lust diminishing when she thought of the Raptor. "I could have hidden you or—"
She wasn't able to continue. Corden was alive, but the pieces of her ship were still out there, floating, empty of all life.
"There was nothing you could have done to stop him," Corden said, and the reassurance in his voice was enough to make Lana listen. "He is not someone you can reason with, only bargain."
"But the Raptor, my crew..."
Then Corden knocked the air out of her lungs for the second time in a few minutes.
"They're alive," he said. "At least most of them. I sent them away before the Abysmal opened fire. I believe they were able to reach the other ships."
Lana stared at him, willing him to expose the truth, as if her eyes could pry it from him.
"How? Are you sure?" she asked, fighting down the urge to go, run, and check every ship in the fleet.
"They slipped away under the cover of the Raptor," Corden said. "The Abysmal didn't pick them up or didn't care to."
Alive, Lana thought, starting to laugh. It was a relieved, thankful, unrestrained laugh. She hadn't gotten her crew killed! The Raptor was gone, but it was only a ship. She'd miss it, but it was not a living, breathing person she was responsible for.#p#分页标题#e#
She had to sit down on the bed and catch her breath. Lana closed her eyes, envisioning her friends, still alive. When she opened them, Corden was standing right before her.
"You saved them," Lana stated.
She didn't need to ask. Worgen had dispatched another unit down to the Raptor right before it was destroyed. There was no way her crew would have been able to make the escape on their own. And if she'd guessed he was behind the Toron attack too, now she was sure. She wasn't alone.
Corden said nothing, only reached out one hand, helping her stand. Straight into his arms, of course. Lana gasped, meaning to protest, but all thoughts of resisting were gone with the touch of his lips on hers.
So far in her life, Lana's first kisses had always been awkward, slow, clumsy. Careful, most of all, like every movement was asking permission before continuing.
Corden didn't ask for anything. His lips on hers were strong, demanding, and Lana gave in like it was the most natural thing in the world. She let him in, relishing the way his tongue explored every corner of her mouth, hungry for more of her. There was no restraint, only need, and it was driving her out of her mind.
The way his arms tightened their hold around her told Lana exactly how much he had wanted to kiss her. She knew that, because she answered in kind. Her hands were clawing at the general's armor, moaning into the kiss, feeling Corden's tongue dance with hers. The need to breathe was forgotten when everything that mattered was that she get closer, deeper into the heated kiss that made her dizzy.