“Of Skye? Not the Cavars?” I ask, my eyes going wide.
“I’m still a Cavar. I’ll always be a Cavar, but now I’m a ranking member of Skye as well. Skye controls all branches of the Rafe military: the Cavars, the Armada, the Air Brigade, Infantry and all the distinct branches of intelligence.”
“Like a defense department?” I ask.
“That’s right. I’ve been assigned to lead the Special Operations Command in our defense department—in Skye.”
“So what will your job entail?”
“It’s covert ops, Kricket, but because it’s part of Skye, I’ll have every branch of the military and intelligence community at my disposal—not just Cavars—it’s joint component command.”
“Inter-service coordination?” I ask.
“Yes.”
“Where would an Alameeda priestess fit into all that?”
“Special reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, unconventional warfare.”
“Which all fall under—”
“Special Operations Command.”
“Which you help lead?”
“Which I help lead,” Trey affirms.
A little of the fear I’ve been harboring dissipates for a moment until I remember Kyon. His eyes had been filled with pure malice after I stabbed him. I know that look—it promised revenge. “You don’t think Kyon is dead? You’re sure that I didn’t kill him?”
“You didn’t kill him.” Trey answers slowly. “You were so brave, trying to face him on your own—with a knife. What were you thinking, Kricket?” Trey’s face is a mixture of pride and distress.
“I saw what would happen. I tried to warn them, Trey, but Manus wouldn’t believe me,” I explain, my voice cracking. “He thought I was lying to him when I told him that Kyon was coming tonight to kill him.”
“Shh, it’s okay.” Trey rubs my back soothingly.
My throat feels raw. “No it’s not! Those people died tonight because of me.”
“No, they died because the Alameeda want to start a war and will go to any lengths to do it.” Trey wipes the tears from my face with his thumbs. “You were caught in the middle of that and the valor of your actions speak volumes.”
“No, I did everything wrong,” I whisper.
“Aella told us what you said to her—how you practically begged her to leave for the night and take as many people from the palace with her as she could.”
“Aella said that? When?”
“We tracked Aella and she told us what you said to her. That information warranted the immediate mobilization of troops, mechanized weapons, and constant surveillance of the palace as well as the airspace surrounding it.”
“How did they get through your defenses?” I ask, overwhelmed by what he’s telling me.
“They have priestesses, Kricket,” Trey says softly. “They can find holes and make holes with misdirection and the power of persuasion. But, they didn’t realize that we knew they’d be there. We were able to engage their troops the moment they hit the ground. Otherwise, it would’ve been a complete massacre.”
Seeing that I’m on the verge of an emotional breakdown, Trey picks me up again. He moves toward a door on the far left of the room.
“I need you to say your name,” Trey murmurs in my ear.
“Why?”
“Because I can’t open this door to your quarters, only you can do that,” he answers, kissing my forehead.
I frown in confusion. “This is my room?”
“Yes,” he smiles.
“It’s attached to your apartment,” I state the obvious.
“It is,” his smile gets broader. “I hope you don’t mind, but I gave you my personal liaison’s quarters. I want you close to me. ”
The thought that he wants me near chases away some of the chill I feel inside. “Kricket Hollowell,” I say in a strained voice. The door immediately opens for us. As we enter the other room, it looks almost exactly like the one we just left, only on a smaller scale. Turning toward a metal staircase, Trey carries me up to the loft above; it has a balcony overlooking the same view of the moon as the floor below. Laying me on the enormous bed, Trey snuggles up beside me, pulling my face against his chest and letting me cry my heart out to him.
**
Waking up in bed, I look over and see Trey asleep on the pillow next to mine. My heartbeat picks up as I memorize his perfect face looking so peaceful. I watch him for a long time. At the first blush of dawn, I lean forward, brushing my lips gently against his.
When he opens his eyes, he pulls me closer. He leans down to kiss me, and my heart pounds against the wall of my chest. His lips meet mine, teasing my lower lip with his. A soft gasp comes from me as his fingertips skim along the bare skin near the curve of my breast. Heat coils in my belly at his gentle caress.
“How come I’m naked and you have clothes on?” I murmur against his lips, smiling despite my disadvantage.
“Your dress looked uncomfortable, so I took it off of you.” Trey is completely unapologetic.
“How did you get it off without waking me up?” I gaze into his violet eyes. “There were, like, a hundred clasps on it.”
His large hand comes up to cup my cheek, stroking it with his thumb. “I noticed…so I cut it off of you,” he replies, his lips deepen our kiss.
“Was it hot?” I ask between kisses. “Cutting it off me?” I stroke his rough cheek with my hand, feeling the growth of the last few hours.
“Hot?” he asks, his brows drawing together like he’s confused. “I wouldn’t describe it like that…it was…hazardous and delicate…I’ve had easier times disarming explosives…” he trails off for a second, kissing me and causing thrilling heat to creep through my entire body. “All that lace and…skin…” he mutters against my neck, in a tortured groan.
“You don’t like the undergarments that I ordered?” My smile grows by the second. “You should know that trying to describe garters and stockings to someone is really difficult and bras are almost impossible…”
“Undergarments…is that what you call those polar little monsters?” He nibbles on my earlobe.
“Mmm,” I nod, more to cover my shiver of pleasure caused by his lips grazing my shoulder than to answer his question.
“They’re cruel, Kitten. They creep into their victim’s soul and make it almost impossible for him to get any rest…just remembering what they looked like on you will occupy whole rotations of my time.”
“Before you cut them off? Because they had hooks…”
“Yes…I studied them afterward…we should send for your other undergarments…for later and then you can demonstrate for me how they work,” Trey says thoughtfully, his finger tracing my collarbone.
“Instruction?”
“Practical application,” he replies, his smile growing.
“That sounds like dangerous work,” I nibble on his lower lip. “You might put in for hazard pay,” I smile.
“I might...Something for after our commitment ceremony…Baw-da-baw.”
A fembot voice from above startles me, causing me to flinch a little as she says, “Kricket Hollowell, your presence is requested by Skye in the High Council Arena.”