“Bella, you have to sleep,” Edward whispered, walking to
where I was standing in the mess hall. I was staring at the vastness of space,
looking at how the stars twinkled innocently and holding a cooling cup of tala root tea. Normally, it soothed me,
but the tea unsettled my stomach. I
wrinkled my nose, knowing that my cousin, Norelle, found her death among these same
stars. “You haven’t rested since we got the news from Captain Riker.”
“I can’t sleep,” I said, narrowing my eyes, walking to
recycle my tea. “Not with the Alliance preparing to slaughter our people. Not
with what they did to N’essie, Norelle, Marcusi. It’s overwhelming and
sickening, ti’ane.”
“We won’t let that happen and we will avenge the deaths of
N’essie and Norelle. We will hopefully save Counselor Marcusi and reunite him
with his mate,” Edward replied, turning me to face him and cupping my cheeks
with his large, warm hands. “But, in order for us to be at our best, we need to
get as much rest as possible. Once the battle has begun, we can’t sleep until
it’s over.” He ran his fingers down my spots, which continued to glow a deep
orange, the color of determination. “I’m certain that Rose can give you a
sedative.”
“No. I do not want to be groggy tomorrow,” I muttered,
shaking my head and putting my ear against his chest. I listened to the steady
thrum of his strong, pure heart, allowing the beats to calm me. It worked
better than any sedative that Rose could have administered or the tala root tea. As I snuggled closer to
my mate, my eyelids grew droopy. Edward bent down and picked me up easily,
sweeping me off my feet. I leaned my cheek against his shoulder, allowing his
warmth to continue to calm me.
By the time we got back to our quarters, I was
nearly asleep. Edward tucked me into our bed and curled himself around me,
protecting both of us from the impending battle. If only we could stay
entangled in each other’s arms, hiding away from the dangers that were awaiting
us.
“I love you,” he whispered, his lips pressing behind my ear.
His arms tightened around me and I let his strong body and his pacifying actions
to lure me further into sleep.
I slept deeply until the alarm went off, jolting us out of
our tangled heap. My heart was stammering against my ribs, terrified that it
was the Alliance attacking my world. I sprang out of bed, reaching for my
phaser and scimitars. Edward sat up, holding up his hands in peace. “Bella, Fíorghrá, relax. I can feel your fear. We’re safe.”
I blinked at him, still very confused. He
moved closer to me, placing my weapons on the nightstand and gathering me in
his arms. I squeezed my eyes shut, shuddering in absolute terror. “The alarm. I
heard the alarm go off,” I gasped, clawing at his bare chest.
“Computer, disengage alarm,” Edward said, his
hands brushing my hair from my face. “We’re okay, Bella. We’re okay. Nothing’s
happening. Not yet. We’re okay.”
“Do you promise that we’ll stay okay?” I
asked, sliding my arms around his neck and burying my nose into his neck.
“Promise me.” Please promise me that we
will get through this and live happily ever after.
“I promise, Bella. I would die for you,” he
murmured.
“No! We have to be together, Edward,” I
shrieked, placing my hands on either side of his face. I was panicking,
terrified of losing him. “Don’t say that!”
“Fíorghrá,
shhh,” he soothed, taking me in his arms. “I’m not dying. You’re not
either. The best way to go into battle is to go in without any sort of
expectations. That way, you won’t be disappointed.”
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