Prime Obsession(50)

“Damn, Wulf,” Huw said, his mouth open in false shock, “I thought you were in a good mood. I haven’t heard you laugh like that since you put hot powder in Iolyn’s swim briefs when we were children.”

“I’d be in a better mood if my brothers would do their job and protect my gemate from all the men in this room while I speak to Maren,” Wulf responded. “After that, Melina and I will be leaving. After all, we are still on our honeymoon and only have twenty-four more standard hours before we depart for the journey to Cejuru Prime where I’ll have to share her with the extended family and the whole damn planet!”

“We’ll protect her,” Iolyn promised. “But we want combat pay. The men in this room really would like to get close to our sister. And she tells me it’s all your fault since you picked out the dress against her advice.”

“Just shut up, brother,” Wulf growled. “Stay with her. I won’t be long.”

*

“So, brothers,” Mel asked as Wulf walked away. “Do you think I’ll ever get to wear a, um, revealing gown again in this lifetime?”

“No!” both brothers shouted, laughing.

Again, people turned to observe two Prime males laughing so heartily. Pretty soon she would have the reputation of being a regular stand-up comic if she kept making all the Prime men around her laugh so hard.

“He learned his lesson on that issue for sure,” Huw said, his eyes brimming with laughter. “Now, if we can get him to lighten up on overprotecting you, we’ll have won a major victory.”

“Yeah, he wasn’t doing at all well earlier today,” Iolyn said as he moved in closer to cut off a Prime male approaching Mel, one of the many enlisted officers and academy students pulled in to help with serving drinks and finger foods. “Huw, do you know the guy heading for us?”

“No,” Huw said, as he moved to protect Mel’s other side.

Mel looked at the man. As with most of the Prime males here, he was tall, dark, golden-eyed—and craggily handsome. He was also very intent on getting to her. He was so intent that he ignored the presence of her two large brother-kin. That was unusual.

Because of their family prestige and military rank, this lowly soldier should have been leery about making such an aggressive approach.

Separating out the many emotions in the room, Mel focused on the man approaching them.

“Uh, guys,” Mel whispered, her gaze never leaving the unknown man. “Are you armed?”

“No,” Huw whispered. “The embassy guard are the only ones armed. Maren wanted to lower the chances of someone bringing in a sidearm and shooting one of us.”

“This guy is armed.” Another wave of angry emotion had her looking over her shoulder. “So is the guy coming on us from behind.”

Slowly turning her head so as not to telegraph her knowledge of the imminent danger to the two predators, she scanned the room. “We’re too exposed. Let’s move toward the wall on the northern side of the ballroom. I want something solid and friendly behind my back.”

Moving slowly, as if they were taking a stroll around the room, the three of them angled their way to the wall. When they were nearly to their goal, Mel contacted Wulf.

 “Wulf? We have a problem. Get the guard in here.” Wulf’s angry bellow could be heard throughout the embassy. Mel swore it vibrated the thick stone walls that now guarded their rear.

The two men approaching them started, then grimaced and moved with even more purpose. Their weapons were drawn and aimed at Iolyn, who blocked her body from the two with his own, and at Huw.

“You called Wulf?” Iolyn asked, constantly changing the angle of his body so that none of her was exposed to danger.

“Yep.”

With Iolyn providing an obstruction for their line of sight, she moved her left hand down to the slit in her dress and slid out one of the serrated battle-knives she’d strapped there. She slipped it around Iolyn’s body, nudging it into his hand. She slid her other hand down the other leg and removed the other knife, keeping it.

“Sorry, Huw,” she whispered. “I only brought two knives.”

“How’d you manage that?” Huw asked as their backs hugged the wall.

“The guards didn’t search me because Wulf glared at them.” Both the brothers shook with silent laughter.

Mel touched Iolyn’s back. “Iolyn, when I signal, you go for the one on the left. Huw, you just get out of the way and back me up with the one on the right,” she hissed. “Go for the kill.”

“Melina—” Huw began, but Mel knew he was going to insist on taking the knife and defending her. She wouldn’t let him. She was tired of these idiots attacking her, and she needed to let off some steam.

“Forget it, Huw,” she snarled. “The other one is mine.” It showed how much trust Huw had in her ability that he didn’t argue the point.

Instead, he just nodded.

“Now!” she hissed.

She shoved Huw out of the way. Iolyn leapt forward at the same time.

Mel didn’t even give her target a chance to shoot. As she dove to the right side with Huw, she threw the knife. It struck him straight through an eye socket. She rolled, then scrambled to the dying man and grabbed his gun, tossing it to Huw. She pulled her knife from the dead man’s skull, stood and turned to help Iolyn.

She need not have bothered. Iolyn’s throw had been as accurate as hers.

“Melina!” Wulf’s shout reverberated in the deathly silent room.

“I’m fine, my gemat! ” she shouted back.

The room erupted with hushed, excited whispers.

“Did you see her? She is a warrior fit for a Prime male.”

“I heard that she is a battle-mate.”

“A battle-mate? Those are just legends,” another scoffed.

“No longer. She is a battle-mate.”

Wulf reached her in several long strides, taking the bloody knife from her hand, he tossed it to Huw.

“You didn’t leave one for me, gemate,” he said as he glanced at the fallen men.

“You were busy, darling. I’ll save one for you the next time,” she said, breezily.

Wulf pulled her into his arms and hugged her, his face buried in the hair that had tumbled out of its intricate braid during her diving tumble for the assassin’s gun.

“I love you, battle-mate,” he whispered.

Mel wiped her hand down the side of her dress, mostly transferring the blood onto her bare thigh. The tissue thin dress had slit open almost all the way to her waist during the short fight. She grasped her mate’s face with two steady hands and kissed him.

Pulling away, she whispered against his lips, “I love you, too. I’m feeling a breeze, can I have your jacket?”

Wulf pulled away, glaring at any man in the immediate vicinity whose eyes were anywhere below Mel’s neck.

She imagined she was putting on quite a show—the teddy she wore under the dress was transparent. They probably thought she was naked under the dress.

Wulf’s gaze swept over her and grimaced. “Damn dress,” he muttered. He stripped off his jacket and put it on her. It hung to her knees.

“Thanks, darling.” She patted his cheek. He smiled at her and winked.

“Who are they, Maren?” Wulf asked her uncle.

“Two cadets from the Prime military academy,” Maren replied. “We had pressed some of the students into catering duty for this function.”

“I thought the embassy guard vetted all the help for the event,” Huw said. “How did they get weapons in here?”

“I don’t know,” Maren said, anger coloring every word. “But we’ll find out.” Iolyn and Huw flanked Wulf and Mel.

Every eye in the room was on them. Then as if someone had given a silent signal, all the Prime in the room knelt and bowed their heads.

“What are they doing?” whispered Mel.

“They are honoring you,” Wulf said. “As a returning Lost One and a battle-mate, you’re the symbol of hope for the future of our planet. You’re also the first good thing to come out of the pact with the Alliance.”

Maren added, “The synchronicity of these two events defies probability. They see you as a miracle. News will spread back to Cejuru Prime. The Council will use you, your actions here and since we reunited with you, as proof for the majority of our people that the alliance is a good thing.”

“And the rebels?” she asked. “What will they do, do you think?”

“The fanatics will remain as crazy as ever,” Huw concluded.

“And the faction behind the rebel movement will still have its own agenda,” Wulf added.

Mel sighed. “Well, no one said winning the war would be easy.”

“As always, we take each battle as it comes, lubha. However, I would like to be on the offensive side in the future. I’m damn tired of reacting to threats, ” Wulf said.

“I completely agree with that point,” Mel said as she leaned into Wulf’s strength and warmth. All of a sudden she was tired and only wanted to crawl into a warm, soft bed with the man holding her so gently, so protectively.

“You are weary, lubha,” Wulf whispered against her ear, nuzzling her. “Let’s go back to the room and lock out the galaxy for the next twenty-four standard hours. Reality will come soon enough once we head out for the home planet.”