Free Alien Warrior's Mate: Sci-fi Alien Military Romance (Brion Brides Book 1) by Vi Voxley Page B

work their magic.
    “So this serves me right, absolutely,” Darien said, giving her his best smirk. “More snow. More Antanaris. Treacherous chasms, impossibly slippery ice – what more could we want?”
    “We’re Brions,” Deliya said, teasing.
    “I know,” Darien said, making a show of being hurt. “I’m not joking. Why does everyone always think I am? I’m genuinely glad for all that.”
    She laughed. It seemed like the most natural thing to do.
    The shuttle took off with them, bringing them down to Antaris once more. Battle was beating in her blood again, readying her body for the upcoming fight. Beside her, Darien’s eyes were burning, looking at her.
    “Don’t worry, my star,” he said. “Fate will simply have to catch up with us. And I will make sure it will.”
    It was a promise. A promise Deliya was sure he and the fates would keep. When she descended into battle, her mind was as calm as it had ever been in the midst of war. The fates would keep her safe. And if the fates slipped, Darien would be right there to catch her.
     

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    Darien
     
    Nothing ever remained peaceful in the life of a Brion. Darien was fine with that. Who needed the world to be in the same place every morning? It was so much more fun to wake up from a very pleasant dream – of the impossible woman who he desperately wanted to share his bed with – and find everyone running around with their hair on fire. Well, not literally, although that would have been amusing too. Especially from his, currently rather morbid viewing spot.
    Darien wasn't afraid of many things, as befit a Brion warrior. In fact, there were only two distinct things that instilled him with dread. First and foremost - Deliya showing up at his door, telling him she belonged to someone else. If gods were good, that would never happen. If they weren't, Darien was willing to make them answer for their transgressions holding them at his spear point.
    was And secondly - disappointing his commander. Given that the Triumphant was clearly on warpath meant he probably shouldn't have slept in. His com link was beeping, silenced. Darien had been adopting Deliya's method of trying to cope with the fact that fate had lost them in whatever ethereal paperwork they had going on and decided to make their lives rather more like eternal damnation rather than lifelong bliss.
    It meant training until he bled and then sleeping until the next workout, only to do it all over again. It had worked fine for them for months now. Deliya had her duties, very important ones as she gained the commander's trust as she deserved. And he had his.
    He'd silenced his com link, hoping to get some rest for the thorough beating he intended to take the next day. Of course, his commander could have overridden the program very easily, but it was rare that he exercise that possibility. There were other warriors on the ship who didn't exactly drop their spears on their foot either, so it wasn't like Darien was an essential part to untangling whatever mess they were in. Though of course Darien himself liked to think, and hope, that the opposite was true.
    That meant, however, that there were 11 messages calling him to board the drop pods when he finally deemed it time to open his eyes. Diego Grothan had a horribly morbid sense of humor, Darien knew. He was in so much trouble.
    He caught the next drop pod to the surface of Exolar. The emptiness of the bay and the looks he drew as the commander's chosen still aboard the Triumphant was punishment enough. The commander rarely needed to exercise any true form of discipline. Showing up late to a battle was a mortifying experience no one ever repeated.
    Gods. What is that woman doing to me.
    Darien felt he wasn't completely at fault. When he'd gone to sleep, they were in deep space with nothing anywhere near them that wanted to draw the attention of their commander. Apparently Exolar had outdone itself somehow. Darien promised he'd find out later,