Star Crossed Teaser

Finishing my sonic shower – I won’t miss those – I got dressed in one of my more casual dresses, braiding my hair and letting it fall loosely over my shoulder. I put on my usual circlet and jewelry, including the exquisite ring that Edward presented to me in the early morning hours overlooking Seattle. I wriggled my fingers, smiling happily at seeing it twinkle in the sunlight. No gemstone on Forx or Cygnaria Prime looked this way. I felt like I had a magic, crystal ball on my finger. I shook my head, putting my toiletries away since we needed to leave. I couldn’t spend all day staring at my ring, tempting as it may be.

Leaving the bathroom, I tossed my toiletry bag into my dark blue luggage. Edward was speaking with his father on his computer. From the tone of his voice, he sounded worried. He walked back into the living room. “Are you ready to go, Bella?” he asked, his posture defeated.

“I’m anxious to get back to Forx, but I’m worried about you,” I frowned, cupping his face. Talk to me, ti’ane.

“Once we’re on board the Cygnarus,” Edward said, dipping his head to kiss me. He picked up my bag, slinging it over his shoulder. “Cullen to Priesste.”

“Priesste here,” came the commander aboard the Cygnarus.

“Two to transport,” he replied. “And once we’re on board, break orbit and head for the coordinates I transmitted to you. The Empress and I are going to our quarters.”

“Understood, sir,” Commander Priesste replied. “Energizing.”

We shimmered onto the transporter room aboard the Cygnarus. Maralice was waiting for us, along with J’ran. “What are you two doing here?” Edward asked. “I thought you both decided to stay here, on Earth or aboard the Volvo.”

“You need your envoys. Jasper and the Volvo will be accompanying you to Reman space and he’ll take us back to Earth once we’re done with the negotiations. Admiral Cullen requested that the Volvo act as the Federation representatives,” Maralice smirked. “Now, you two look exhausted. Go get some sleep and we can all meet to discuss strategy on how to get the Alliance to sign the peace treaty.”

“My father contacted you?” Edward questioned.

“He did, Edward,” J’ran nodded. “You’re not alone on this. Now, go sleep. I’ll go onto the bridge, taking command of the Cygnarus while you and Nirabelle rest.”

“Thank you,” Edward breathed. He shook J’ran’s hand and hugged Maralice, much to her surprise. I hugged them both before Edward took me to our quarters. We stumbled inside and fell into bed. The hum of the jump drive lulling us to sleep. I think we were asleep before we reached the edge of the Terran System. 

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“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.

Empress Nirabelle's Imperial Fleet Uniform

Imperial Crest

Edward and Bella's Mating Bands

Edward's sword

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“I thought you broke up with him?” I asked, arching a brow at my sister. “You said you were. He’s a lazy douchebag.”

“I said I wanted to take a break, but we’re still kind of together,” Elizabeth argued half-heartedly, looking longingly at the door. “But, I don’t really care about him anymore. What I felt for him is nothing compared to what I feel for Charanel. Where’s Charanel? I’d really like to go to him.” She got up and started walking to the door. I guided her back to the sofa. Bella sat next to her, looping her arm through my sister’s, keeping her in the office.

“He’s getting the same conversation as you are, Elizabeth,” Bella chimed in, rubbing her shoulders. 

“Describe how you’re feeling. Don’t skip anything.”

“I can still hear Charanel’s thoughts. He’s thinking about me,” she blushed. “He thinks I’m beautiful and he’s curious to know if my hair is as soft as it looks.” She bit her lip, furrowing her brow. “I can tell what he’s feeling.” Her blush deepened. “He’s really turned on. He really wants to kiss me and taste my skin …”

“Okay, enough,” I said, cringing slightly. “I don’t need to know that.”

“Was it intense? All-consuming? Like, complete desperation to get next to him?” Bella questioned. 

“Or was it more of a warm glow that surrounded you in this perfect bubble of love?”

“Warm glow,” Elizabeth nodded, her pale skin turning a bright pink. “He’s my mate? Are we mates like you?”

They’re not like us, Edward. You had to admit, our reaction, even if it was through a view screen, was pretty intense, Bella said mentally. I nodded in agreement. “You are definitely mates, Elizabeth, but not te’atée mates. Now that you’ve seen him and connected with him, you will have to mate with him in a year or you will both die, unfortunately,” Bella murmured, her nose wrinkled. “We never separated Charanel from the females since he had that delay. Something in his mind never clicked. He just saw all as playmates, not as a romantic mate.”

“And now, since that delay has been repaired, the chemical reaction, recognizing his mate, recognizes me?” Elizabeth asked. “But, I met him. Before, at your mating ceremony. Wouldn’t I have had some sort of reaction then?”

“Did you think he was attractive?” I questioned.

“I thought he was handsome, but I knew he was delayed. Some of the nobles sitting at our table called him yanhesh, and saying some other nasty things about Charanel. I got irrationally upset when they did. I never said anything, but I had to walk away for a moment,” Elizabeth murmured. “I was going to crack some heads if they continued bad mouthing him.”

“I think,” Bella said. “I think that you were so irrationally upset about that commentary because you felt the beginning of the mating bond. It couldn’t fully form until Charanel had the damage to his brain repaired. Now that he’s ‘normal,’ you both are experiencing the full extent of imprinting. You are not like Edward and me, though.”

Elizabeth Cullen

Harry

Charanel

Cygnarus boiler room

Bridge

Shuttle Bay

Corridors

Battle Bridge

Imperial Battle Cruisers

bsh'took

dk'took

Star Crossed Teaser

“I’m still confused,” Elizabeth muttered. “Charanel is my soul mate?”

“Yes. Your souls are compatible. He loves you already, just like you love him,” Bella smiled, taking Elizabeth’s hands.

My sister pulled her hands back. “Love him? I don’t even know him! I want to know him better, but I can’t say that I love him,” Elizabeth said shortly, shaking her head aggressively. “Plus, I have to hail Harry and tell him that our ‘break’ is more permanent than I thought. I can’t very well start something new until that’s been dealt with. You know?”

“I don’t know,” Bella replied, her head cocked to the side. “I’ve only ever loved Edward.”

“Eddie, please tell me you understand,” Elizabeth whined, taking my hands.

“I do, but until you have had your mating ceremony, you and Charanel must be chaperoned. You cannot kiss until the ceremony. It begins the mating bond and it escalates. Quickly,” I chided.

“Chaperone, ugh! And no kissing,” she mumbled. She sat back on the couch, crossing her legs and pouting slightly. With an angry huff, she relented. “Got it.” She looked at me. “Will our mating ceremony happen as quickly as yours?”

“Probably not, Elizabeth,” Bella answered. “Edward and I are te’atée mates. Our souls were intertwined and needed to fuse, reunite. That coupled with his being human forced our mating ceremony to occur very quickly. According to Marcusi, if we didn’t complete the mating bond within a week after our arrival on Forx, we’d both be dead.”

“And by mating bond, you mean sex,” Elizabeth said, arching a brow. She grinned saucily.  

“Yes,” I nodded. “It completes the connection between you and your mate.”

“And with time, that bond becomes stronger,” Bella added. “You’ll have to experience the genetic enhancements like Edward to lengthen your life. It’s a simple injection taken once a month.”

“Whoa! How long do you live?” Elizabeth asked, her eyes wide.

“Between two hundred and two hundred and fifty years,” Bella replied. “And our years are longer than yours, as well.”

“My head is about to explode,” she moaned, leaning forward and massaging her temples. “I can’t …”

The door to my office opened and Charanel barreled through with Senator J’ran on his heels. Charanel sat down next to my sister and tenderly wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her hair. His spots glowed and my sister snuggled to his side, her arms sliding around his middle. Charanel whispered in Cygnarian, his fingers brushing through her blonde hair. With each caress, Elizabeth settled more. And Charanel started purring. “Do you feel better, Elizabeth?” Bella asked.

“Yeah. Not so out of sorts,” she replied, looking up at Charanel with adoration. He smiled softly, pressing a sweet kiss to her forehead. “Is it because I’m near you?”

Charanel nodded, staring into Elizabeth’s eyes.