A Mate for the Senator (Brion Brides Book 9)
A Mate for the Senator
Brion Brides
Vi Voxley
Contents
A Little Taste…
Copyright
1. Eleya
2. Xaven
3. Eleya
4. Xaven
5. Eleya
6. Xaven
7. Eleya
8. Xaven
9. Eleya
10. Xaven
Epilogue
Also by Vi Voxley
Zar: Alien Raiders' Brides Excerpt
About the Author
Thank you for reading!
A Little Taste…
"I have an idea," Xaven said, leaning forward and setting his cup on the table.
"That is the most ominous thing I've heard today," Eleya replied. "Go on."
Xaven chuckled.
"I want to duel you," he said. "I want to see how I would fare against you."
There it was. The reason why Eleya liked him so much even though she tried to keep the distance between them as big as possible, preferably insurmountable.
Xaven had as little care for propriety as she did. Life on Briolina went by under the flag of strict rules and regulations and customs. She of all people knew how very slowly their species changed, if ever.
The captain's proposition was preposterous. She should have denied him outright, sent him away again, but she didn't. Eleya wasn't entirely sure if she could, either. The Senate didn't rule like other worlds in the Union were ruled. They led. And only people who allowed that could be led.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because I want to make a wager," Xaven said. "On myself. I only ever bet on myself."
Eleya supposed that was fair. She wasn't in the habit of trusting anyone else but herself either. So far everything she'd found out about him was proof that they were made for each other.
She wondered if fate was right this time. She wondered if it was too late.
"And what would you get if you win?" she went on.
"A kiss," Xaven said. "For starters."
Copyright © 2017 Vi Voxley
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
A Mate for the Senator
Brion Brides
All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be used, reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means by anyone but the purchaser for their own personal use. This book may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of Vi Voxley. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.
Cover © Jack of Covers
1
Eleya
As her small cruiser approached the gigantic warship, High Senator Eleya was fully aware of the bitter welcome that awaited her aboard the Titanium.
For a warrior species capable of conquering any world in the galaxy and winning every war they declared – a fact they'd proved countless times – the Brions were more trouble than they were worth.
And that was coming from a Brion.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, High Senator?" her aide Towaren asked, standing respectfully a few steps to her right.
Eleya gave the young warrior a cold look. Her eyes drifted to the battle spear on the man's back, a signature weapon of the Brions. The familiar ache shot through her, right on cue. It seemed the curse of longing for the comfortable weight of her own spear would never leave her be.
"General Eleya," she said sharply. "To you, I'm always the general. No matter what those fool Elders made of me."
Towaren looked horrified at the informal and admittedly disrespectful way she addressed the rulers of their people, but Eleya didn't care.
She'd fought her battles with the Elders. She'd lost. They had taken her flagship from her, given her army to another warrior and made her the de facto ruler of Briolina, the home world of the mightiest race in the Galactic Union and all the known universe.
When she said it like that, it didn't sound so bad. The only problem was that the Elders were Brions too. Even in their cryosleep, sharing their consciousness and waiting for a time when their people needed them, the Elders knew the truth better than anyone.
Eleya wouldn't have traded her spear for the rule of the entire galaxy.
That was all theoretical, of course. The Elders were the wisest of Brions, their revered leaders and obedience to them ran in Eleya's blood along with the fierce, stubborn, undefeated spirit of her people.
She might have been stripped of her former title, but Eleya had sworn she wouldn't let her former second-in-command address her as anything other than his general.
"My questions remains," Towaren said, ripping her back to the real world and away from her regrets.
"Yes, of course I'm sure," Eleya said, adjusting her long green gown marked with the symbols of her office. "Have you ever known me to do anything without consideration?"
"No," her aide admitted. "You think everything through to the last detail and then attack the task like you used to do with your enemies."
Eleya frowned at the young warrior, but the soft smirk on Towaren's face told her that her aide was trying to put her at ease with an ill-advised attempt at humor.
"Don't try to be funny," she told the warrior. "You know I don't like that."
"I wonder if that was part of the consideration for making you the High Senator," Towaren continued, knowing that he was allowed to push her buttons from time to time. "Only a completely humorless person could deal with fifteen Brion generals and the rest."
Eleya sighed, a small smirk playing at the corner of her lips. Towaren amused her. And the fact that he'd given up a captain's position to follow her out of loyalty, abandoning the glory of warfare, said a lot about the warrior. It earned him some freedoms Eleya wouldn't have permitted in the case of anyone else.
"Let me tell you a secret," she said, as a soft lurch told her the cruiser had landed in the flagship. "It's only managing the generals. Compared to them, the other forty billion uncontrollable warriors are a ball."
Towaren laughed as the door began to open in front of them. Eleya cast a quick look at the reflective wall next to her, judging her appearance.
It was her first time returning to the ship that had been taken from her. She'd successfully managed to avoid it for years – or better to say it had managed to avoid her.
Her image greeted her. Eleya was tall, born to a warrior race and having the skills to fight herself to the very top. She had long dark hair tied behind her head, falling almost to her hips. The tight green dress hugged her body – the most ridiculous piece of clothing she'd ever worn, or so she always thought until another dress was thrust into her life – and her sharp blue eyes observed herself critically.
The valor squares beamed on her neck. They were the only thing that remained with her after her demotion. She'd been assured it was the opposite, but Eleya had never seen it as such. She was glad to be able to keep her honor. The squares were small crystals implanted into the neck of a Brion warrior. At once, they spoke of victories in battle and helped the warriors communicate better among themselves through a language of their own.
The ramp descended and Eleya was shoved from reminiscence into the job she frankly hated almost as much as the bastards who'd forced it on her.
All of that was gone when Eleya stepped aboard the Titanium, holding her head high as she met General Castalen. Towaren followed at a distance.
>
"High Senator," the general greeted her with a quick nod. "It's a rare honor to have you visit one of the flagships."
The look on his face said something entirely different and Eleya was the reason why. Luckily she was very good at hearing between the lines and if her ears weren't deceiving her, the general had just told her to turn around and go home.
She observed the man seriously.
The fifteen Brion generals ruled the fifteen gigantic flagships and with them, being nigh indestructible and larger than some moons, everything they saw. With iron fists and razor-sharp blades, Brions had taken part in every war the Galactic Union had fought since they joined. They were always on the front lines and they were always victorious.
Eleya missed it more than she could possibly put into words.
Castalen fit that image to the teeth with his massive build and harsh features. She could have counted the wars he'd fought by the scars on his face.
"I'm sure you're delighted," she said, raising her voice just a little to be heard by everyone present in the landing bay. "Can we talk in private?"
Castalen glared at her. She was just as unwelcome as she'd assumed, but that had never stopped Eleya before.
That was the problem, right there. The Elders hadn't demoted her as a punishment and Eleya knew that. She was right where she needed to be.
"I was under the impression this was going to be a quick visit," Castalen said.
"It is," Eleya replied. "But not so short that the engines of my ship haven't had time to shut down yet. Private, General, or I will speak my mind here."
Castalen turned on his heel and marched away, Eleya following.
"Have the captain summoned," she told him quietly, continuing before the general could argue. "Now, before I tell everyone of the last time a general couldn't control his own damn ship. I'll spoil the answer for you. It was never."
The look in the man's eyes told her that she was quickly climbing the list of people the general considered his enemies. An occupational hazard as it was, trying to manage a bunch of intergalactic warlords.
Castalen led Eleya into a small room, an observation parlor with a view of the stars around them. They waited in silence and it gave her a chance to observe the general. It was odd that such a strong man hadn't solved the problem himself. Eleya hadn't been sure how that was possible, but now she had her answer.
"This captain," she said. "Xaven. He refuses to obey, he disregards your orders, he causes enough trouble to make it echo to me... Why have you not dealt with him?"
"He hasn't challenged me," Castalen replied tersely.
Eleya stared. In the Brion armies, no one was truly promoted. Warriors took the position they wanted. As a general, Eleya had fended off several, leaving the hopeful fools dead in her wake.
"Then why haven't you challenged him?" she demanded. "You can't have a man like that on your ship."
Castalen didn't answer, finally confirming Eleya's suspicions.
The general didn't want to die.
That was a terrible quality in a Brion general, but Eleya wasn't concerned. From time to time, one such managed to con their way into the position by killing an older general before the others had a clue. The type was big, strong and stupid. Those generals never stayed long, because it took more than the ability to win one duel to rule Brions.
After her visit, the rumors were bound to be circling the ship already. She had no doubt there would be a challenger for Castalen soon and then he had the chance to prove himself, or pay for his weakness.
Brions lived a very straightforward life.
The door opened and Eleya prepared to see the cause of her latest headache. She'd come to kill the man herself and let Castalen be dealt with by his own captains, or find a way to solve the problem without bloodshed. The latter had seemed unlikely to her.
Everything changed the second the man at the door looked into her eyes.
Eleya saw the flash of recognition there, just like she had seen it many years ago in the eyes of her last fated mate, her first gerion.
Captain Xaven stared at her, the emotion behind his deep blue eyes indescribable. He was the most gorgeous man Eleya had ever seen in her life, strong and lean and powerful, and she was personally acquainted with every general the Brion armies had to offer. One look was enough to tell her why that man managed to scare his general into shame. She was looking at a born champion. Everything about Xaven spoke of confidence and skill. His short black hair framed his noble features, a bright, mischievous flame burning in the captain's eyes.
"High Senator," the warrior said in a deep voice that sent thrills down Eleya's spine. "I was ready for this being the day that I died, but I had no idea it would be the day when my life begins."
The captain crossed the floor with long strides. Eleya couldn't get a single word across her lips. It was the first time in her life that she'd been speechless.
Xaven smiled at her. His hard features were even more handsome like that. She could feel her body reacting to him, the way a gesha was supposed to feel near her gerion, but all Eleya felt was her own rapid pulse.
"You are mine now," Xaven said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. "And I am yours."
It all sounded familiar.
Brions mated for life. Their fated bonds were eternal and unbreakable and flawless, at least that was how the theory went. The emotion Eleya should have felt was elation. Every Brion looked forward to the moment when they met their other half, but she had already gone through that.
It had happened to her already. And it had gone so, so wrong.
2
Xaven
His gesha.
Ever since he first consciously perceived the world as a system full of meaning, ever since he was told of the eternal bond that was waiting for him, Xaven had been waiting for her. His gesha, his true heart, the woman who would be his companion for life.
The captain had a reputation for a rash, quick temper and a sharp tongue. Having patience wasn't something anyone would have expected of him, but Xaven was patient where it mattered. For years, he'd waited for the recognizing moment all Brion men experienced.
Now, swept away by the rush of emotion, Xaven knew he'd never even gotten close in his imagination.
Eleya wasn't just the most beautiful creature he'd ever laid his eyes upon. She was a vision, a being of pure magic for him. The long dark hair looked soft and the captain couldn't wait to bury his hands into her curls, pull at them as she screamed his name in pleasure. Bright, clever blue eyes spoke of her intelligence and a spirit that couldn't be tamed. Her body was fit like a warrior's, strong but still undeniably feminine.
He knew who she was, of course. Never in a million years could Xaven have predicted that his gesha would be the ex-general who ruled Briolina.
Xaven knew about her past, too. Everyone did. She took his breath away nonetheless, perhaps even more because of that.
Eleya took a deep breath. Her pink lips curled into a smile, but there was some reservation there.
"I see," she said.
The tone of her voice didn't match the enormity of the moment, but Xaven supposed it was understandable. His gesha's first fated, Senator Eren, had been one of the biggest traitors in Brion history.
Even that paled compared to what had gone down between the fated couple.
For years, for most of their history in fact, Brions had believed that the fated bonds were indisputable. That the gods or fate or whoever ran their lives knew what they were doing.
Eleya was the first one to speak out against it. She was the first to publicly admit she'd denied the bond, refused to accept it because the man fate had chosen for her was unacceptable to her. The High Senator had spoken about it, as much as she could manage, to give courage to others who were in a similar situation.
Xaven had always admired her for her courage. The traditions about the fated bonds ran back millenniums.
"You don't vi
sit the flagships often, High Senator?" he asked.
"No," Eleya admitted, casting a hard look at General Castalen. "Only when my hand is forced."
"I have to assume you're here to kill me, then," Xaven said, unable to keep the smirk from his lips.
The cold, calculating look Eleya gave him, turning her attention back to him, made his body stir in desire. His cock pressed against the inside of his armor and every inch of his flesh ached to feel her naked, tanned skin against his. Xaven had always dreamed of a female who would be a match for him, but Eleya was so much more. She was one of the few women who he actually believed could give him an honest duel.
There weren't many others. The general staring at him, despite his gender, certainly wasn't one of them.
"I was," Eleya admitted.
Xaven's smile spread wider on his face. He couldn't describe in words how his gesha pleased him. All Brions enjoyed challenge and Eleya was the hardest he could imagine. The female had shown she had a mind far beyond the rest of their species. She was independent and fierce and strong – and clearly not afraid to do what was necessary.
"Considering the circumstances, I no longer think it's appropriate," Eleya went on, not a hint of humor on her face although it was obvious she was joking.
"Hmm," Xaven agreed. "I have to agree. So what now?"
Eleya looked at the general again. Castalen was staring at them both like they were personal insults to him, which was utterly true. Xaven couldn't imagine how anyone could have respect for the man. Castalen was powerful like a bull, but that was it and his strength wouldn't carry him forever.
"You can't stay here," Eleya finally said. "If you don't intend to challenge General Castalen, I will remove you from the flagship altogether."
Xaven looked at her, nodding slowly. He understood, after all. Brion flagships ran on honor and duty and he was throwing a wrench into the works. It was just impossible for him to obey the commands of someone who didn't deserve to be obeyed.