Alien General's Bride (Brion Brides 3)(33)

“He lies,” he said, trying to get her to understand.

“Of course he lies,” Isolde agreed. “But I don’t have a choice. We must try, or all of this will be over just like that. You can send Deliya and Narath with me, can’t you? They’ll protect me. And there are others who are on our side, aren’t there?”

Two guards against whatever Eren has up his sleeve on Briolina, Diego thought, gritting his teeth in rage. It made sense for Eren to want to shield himself behind Isolde. While Diego wasn’t around to protect her himself, he was powerless. Even his allies would hesitate going after Eren, knowing Diego would show them no mercy if they got Isolde killed.

“I cannot let you go,” he said. “If something happens to you…” He couldn’t finish that, the idea alone was unbearable. Sending her to Rhea was different, but sending her to Eren… “I told you, I can only protect you when you are with me.”#p#分页标题#e#

“If he tells them, it’ll all be in vain,” Isolde said. She looked so scared, but her determination reminded Diego of Brion stubbornness. It would have made him smile if he hadn’t been out of his mind with worry. “I have to go. We have to try. There is so much at stake.”

She was right – Diego knew that – and braver than he had given her credit. Considering how obvious her terror was, the fact that she’d still want to go was amazing to him. A Brion general could face danger calmly, because they knew they could handle it. Isolde had no such hope. She’d rely entirely on… the guards he’d provided her. Once again, it showed the trust she put in him. Diego hesitated, unable to disappoint her, unable to dash what little hope there was left for him.

Of course they had allies on Briolina. Diego also knew for a fact Eren wouldn’t be stupid enough to simply kill Isolde without reason. He would have to fight hard not to give that reason to the scheming senator. No, Eren would simply hold on to Isolde until the Elders emerged, otherwise there’d be no place for him left in the galaxy for killing an innocent guest to their planet.

Playing it safe. So Diego had to play it risky. He gritted his teeth.

He turned to Eleya, groaning in frustration. “Protect her,” he ordered. The former general nodded, eyes alight. This one wanted a fight to happen, but Diego hoped the only fight would be his.

As they made their way to the shuttle waiting for Eleya, Diego couldn’t help but feel that Isolde was being ripped out of his grasp. It was true, after all. He could not protect her from a distance, but until he could deal with Eren, they needed the senator to keep the secret.

Deliya and Narath would be there too, but they were still so few. A thought crossed Diego’s mind as Isolde’s hand never left his while they walked. Eren hadn’t caught on to their lie. Eren, with all his nigh-psychic skills, hadn’t caught on. Diego had expected the senator to taunt him with that, but he hadn’t said a word.

Isolde’s hand shook in his, her eyes never leaving him, holding on to him as if she could somehow draw in his presence to take with her to Briolina.

The fight was getting near, he had to prepare. He had to find someone to keep an eye on Isolde as well. Someone he trusted, like Faren or Atren. While he fought Crane, Isolde was as good as helpless. He had expected to let go of Isolde when they came to Rhea, but here it was, his hand was forced. Keep her close now and risk everything she was taking such pains to fight for – not to mention he was fighting too, for all Brions – or risk letting her go now and still having a chance they’d both come through it all alive, and without Isolde hating him.

They stopped before the doors of the shuttle. Neither of them seemed to find the words to say. They rose to Diego’s lips, but somehow none seemed enough, or appropriate, none to encompass all he was truly feeling. Isolde stayed speechless as well, tears brimming in the corners of her eyes as she kissed him desperately one more time before stepping away. Diego only thought of one thing – had Eren not caught on because it was no longer a lie?

“Do not die,” he said at last, his voice hoarse. “You are,” – Everything – “my gesha, no matter what comes. Even if we are never one, I am always yours. Yours alone.”

Isolde’s hand slipped from his grip. The shuttle doors slid shut.





CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Isolde



Had Isolde Fenner been presented with a space travel brochure before taking off to the stars, she imagined it would have described Rhea as one of those secluded, untouched by civilization beach paradises. If gods or fate or whatever had taken her for its amusement ever let her reach her original travel destination, she might even see if all of it was true.

She was thinking umbrellas in a cocktail glass, wild alien nature around her, a glimmering blue sea, mineral-rich mountains ready to help the galaxy behind her. She was also thinking of Diego wearing practically nothing, but that was a whole other thing altogether.

If Isolde Fenner had been presented with a space travel brochure for Briolina… She imagined it would have used very pretty words like “developing society”, “unique and rich culture”, “don’t walk alone after dark” and so on. All the things people working in travel used so as not to exactly say they wouldn’t touch the place themselves if someone paid them, but still make it sound exciting so the tourists would jump on the opportunity of something new and fun.

The shuttle sped through the atmosphere, taking Isolde to her first alien planet. Not the one she was supposed to be on, the one she had bargained for – no umbrellas for her – instead of her team, surrounded by enemies and on her way to more.#p#分页标题#e#

It would have been unjust to say she felt panicked, but as the Brion home world grew larger on the screens mounted on the shuttle walls, Isolde felt a trepidation she hadn’t felt since she’d seen her transport ship leave without her.

Unwilling to give in to despair, she focused on the positive. There wasn’t much of it, so it was easy. Narath and Deliya had been permitted to come with her, standing protectively at guard, giving her at least some comfort. The only other person in the room Isolde was less certain about.

Senator Eleya stood proudly by one of the screens, hands crossed behind her back, reminding Isolde of Diego. The thought of her general was almost impossible to bear. Isolde longed to be back in his arms, take back everything stupid she had ever said and simply give him all he wanted. What was death compared to dying inside? She might as well be on her way to be murdered in her sleep and she never, ever got to know what it would have felt like to have Diego truly, utterly to herself. Oh, but at least she could be proud she never gave in, right? That would be such a comfort…

Her misery must have been palpable, because the senator turned to her.

“You must be terrified,” she said.

I applaud your pep talk skills.

She nodded, unwilling to let her shaking voice give Eleya any satisfaction. The senator motioned for her to sit and when in leisure, barely looked evil any more. Isolde had to give serious consideration to the idea she might not be a traitor.

“I promised Diego I would keep you safe,” she said, stating it as a fact. “I understand you are scared, but do not consider yourself dead already.”

“A bit hard,” Isolde said, “with a whole planet out to get me.”

Eleya laughed, catching her off guard.

“Do not be ridiculous,” she said, making Isolde frown. “Briolina itself is no threat to you.”

“I thought you… didn’t like outsiders. And the whole Rhea thing. And… I thought you wanted me dead.”

Eleya shot her a look of pure womanly amusement. “Your gerion naturally thinks you are the center of the world, but that is hardly so. Briolina is not… well, we are not great at making friends, as the GU situation shows. We are hilier – Deliya, you speak her language better?”

The warrior woman thought for a moment and offered, “Hotheaded?”

Despite everything – being in the midst of an intergalactic dispute, having survived a murder attempt, and being away from Diego, which hurt most of all – that made Isolde snort.

“Yes, you are,” she confirmed. She thought better of adding the word hardly did them justice.

“Indeed,” Eleya said. “We are Brions. We keep what is ours. I wanted to keep Rhea too, but I see why we cannot and why we should not. Not at that price, at least. Our most important concern is our people and their survival. If the choice is between Rhea and all Brions, it is no choice at all. We are fierce, human, but we are not vicious. Killers, not murderers. Most of us, that is.”

Isolde considered it for a moment. “You’re a great demagogue, you know that?” she said, smiling, indicating it was a joke.

Eleya allowed it with a sweep of her hand. “I am trying to console you, yes. But it is true, Briolina is beautiful and deadly, but we do not kill everyone we see. You are Diego’s gesha. That is how most of Briolina will see you and welcome you. They do not know about Rhea, never have – not even the Elders could keep a whole planet silent. They think Diego comes home to show off his fated to the Elders and to make a show for you by challenging Crane.