Star Crossed Teaser

By nightfall, Edward had encouraged me to soak in the bathtub while he prepared us some dinner. I didn’t want to be away from him, but spending all day in bed and the litany of tears and sadness, the idea of a long bath felt ideal. After an hour in the tub, I dressed in one of Edward’s shirts and nothing else, walking down to the kitchen. Edward was also freshly washed, obviously having taken a shower in the downstairs bathroom. Edward had made something called pizza and garlic bread. “With as emotional as the past few weeks has been, comfort food cures all ills,” he said, slicing up the pizza. “This was my go-to for comfort food when I wanted to forget all of the shittiness of the world. There was a pizzeria in Seattle, Serious Pie, which made my favorite pizza. I did my best to recreate it here. I even made garlic butter dipping sauce.”

“Sounds heavenly and smells even better,” I said, sitting down at the breakfast bar. “And what’s this?”

“It’s an Earth alcoholic beverage. It’s called beer,” Edward said, putting a glass of amber carbonated liquid in front of me. “It’s the only thing that goes with pizza. If you don’t like it, thought, I’ll get you whatever you want.”

I reached for the glass and took a tentative sip. I expected it to taste sweet, but it wasn’t. There was a sweetness in the after taste, but the flavor that exploded on my tongue was almost sour. It wasn’t unpleasant. After a second sip, I found myself enjoying it more. “This is good.”

“Excellent. While I finish up the pizza, enjoy some of the cheesy garlic bread. We’ve got about ten minutes until I can pull out the pizza from the oven,” he smiled, moving back to the large bowl filled with various greens, vegetables and some more cheese.

“Ti’ane, thank you for being there for me yesterday and today,” I whispered, nibbling on the cheesy garlic bread. “Your support and love has made this most difficult time a lot easier.”

“Bella, I’d do anything for you. I’m so sorry that it was a member of your family that informed Alliance of your father’s whereabouts, ultimately causing his death,” he frowned, tossing some more veggies into the bowl. “Please take some solace that Liannette and Caius will pay, ultimately, for their crimes. The Alliance has vowed to not come to Cygnari space and from what my father has told me, may not be in existence for very much longer.”

“I think my father chose you for me,” I smiled sadly. “You are exactly what he would have wanted for me. Someone strong, smart, handsome, funny and an effective, amazing leader.”

“I’m all that and I love you more than my own life,” Edward said, taking my hand in his. “I can’t wait to start the next phase in our relationship, Nirabelle. I want to put this ugliness of the war and the battles behind us. I want only good things for you, for me, for our people.”

“You have no idea what it means to me to hear you say that,” I breathed, looking up into his vibrant green depths.

“What? That I love you?” he asked, his mouth quirking up into a crooked grin.

My favorite grin.

I leaned forward kissing his lips, giggling quietly. “I do love hearing that, but hearing you call the Cygnarian people as our people,” I explained, tracing my fingers along his pink lips. He kissed me again, growling deeply from inside. I moaned and deepened our kiss. I was growing more aroused and I wanted to beg him to take me on the counter when the oven beeped. We broke apart, panting heavily. “To be continued, ti’ane?”

“Oh yes,” he smirked, turning to take out the pizza. He set it atop the stove and let it rest while he finished assembling the salad. A few moments later, he cut me a slice and we ate our meal in a comfortable silence, speaking mentally and teasing each other sexually with our minds. Once dinner was done, we worked to clean up the kitchen and placed the leftovers into the refrigeration unit. As I was washing the dishes, Edward slid behind me and his arms wrapped around my waist. “You are a tease, Empress.”

“So are you. Walking around without a shirt on,” I giggled, pressing body back to his bare torso. 

Star Crossed Blog Only Teaser

“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.”

Star Crossed Blog Only Teaser

“Okay, stop manhandling me,” she grumped. “How could I hear Charanel in my head? And why do I feel like crawling out of my skin when I can’t see him? What the fuck?”

“My dear little sister, Charanel is your mate,” Edward said, patting her head.

“But, I met him. At your mating ceremony. I didn’t have this freaky head thing,” Elizabeth said.

“You didn’t because he wasn’t that,” I said, pointing to my brother. “He had the mind of a child when you met him. Now, his brain is fully formed and your minds and bodies have connected. You are mates.”

“What do I tell my boyfriend?” she asked, giggling nervously.

EPOV

“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.”

Harry

Update will be coming up on Thursday! :-) 

Star Crossed Teaser: Blog Only Teaser

I sat on my throne, glaring up at the rafter that became N’essie’s final resting place. The throne room, after it had been thoroughly investigated, was now clean. The pirna wood floors were now shining in the mid-morning sun. It all looked too innocent, but what we found in that room will forever be burned into my memory. Even in death, N’essie was terrified. Her yellow eyes were open and her mouth was caught in a silent scream, portraying her absolute fear. They would pay for what they did to her. All of them will feel the fear that she endured for her entire life and that ultimately ended it.

I was so angry. Somehow, N’essie had been transported off the Enterprise and down to the surface, tortured and murdered. On top of that, Counselor Marcusi’s life hung in the balance. Aro and Caius had him abducted from his home, disappearing into thin air.

How did they get off the planet?

How did they get N’essie off the Enterprise without causing the alarms to go off?

How could any of this happen and how did I not know about it?

Blog Only Teaser

“Edward, you’re going to wear out the bulkhead,” Mom chided. “Your mate is fine with your father. This conversation is a long-time coming.”

“Dad’s actions were very inconsiderate, Mom,” Elizabeth snickered. “Opinions are like assholes. We all have one and they most definitely stink.”

“Bolians don’t have assholes,” I whispered, looking down at the glittering green and blue orb below us. “Their bodily waste is reabsorbed into their bodies and excreted in the form of a gas.”

“Thank you, Emperor Smart Ass, for that wonderful biology lesson,” Elizabeth deadpanned. “Now, I know why my Bolian roommate from university always smelled like shit.” I shot my sister a withering glare. “Don’t look at me in that tone of voice, Edward Anthony.”

“You’re such a pain in the ass, Elizabeth,” I grumbled.

“Edward, stop it,” Mom barked. “Apologize to your sister.”

“Sorry, Lizzie,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

“And Elizabeth, stop goading him. He’s got enough on his plate without your sarcastic remarks,” Mom chided.

“Sorry, Edward. I didn’t mean to give you shit,” Elizabeth said, walking over to me and leaning her head on my shoulder. “What’s our next plan of attack?”

“I don’t know,” I sighed. “I feel more confident about a fight knowing we have the Imperial Fleet.”

“I’m shocked that the Council of Elders didn’t inform you or Nirabelle of those vessels,” Mom scoffed.

“The Council of Elders are entrenched in this coup, Mom. I honestly don’t trust any of them,” I growled. “Even Counselor Marcusi has his own agenda, but Counselors Aro and Caius may be behind this. To what end? I don’t know and it’s incredibly frustrating. We need to pretend like we are unaware of their involvement, but they could be in contact with the Remans or Alphans.”

Elizabeth Cullen

Update will be coming on THURSDAY! Keep your eyes peeled! 

Teaser...

“We’re planning on breaking orbit,” Captain Picard said. “Would you like to join me on the bridge?”

“I’ll be there momentarily, Captain,” I answered. “Thank you for letting me know.”

“Understood. Picard out.”

I picked up the tablet with the information about the Reman ship, Charanel’s calculations about the thalaron radiation trail and my mother’s research regarding who attacked first: the Alphans or the Cygnarians. I left my quarters, walking to the Enterprise bridge. Arriving at the bridge, the crew stood up as if I was more important than I felt. I sat down next to Captain Picard. “Have you tracked the Reman vessel?”

“According to the astrometric data, they are traveling at high warp. They should be here within eight hours,” Captain Picard answered. “Additionally, there are two Alphan cruisers outside of the H’Nan system. Long range sensors register those along with a few other thalaron signatures that are not that Reman vessel that captured Empress Nirabelle.”

“When are we breaking orbit and joining the fleet?” I asked.

“We’re leaving now and will be arriving within a few hours. Have you had a chance to look at the repairs for the Volvo?” Captain Picard asked.

I grimaced. My ship had a laundry list of damages. It wouldn’t be space-worthy for roughly three weeks. It was orbiting Forx while my crew worked tirelessly to make the necessary repairs. “I can’t believe that we didn’t have a jump core breach. The containment field was barely functional and the matter/antimatter reaction was fluctuating dangerously.”

“At least the marchesian stones that were confiscated from Norex’s private accounts were used for good,” Captain Picard snorted.

“I was shocked that the Council of Elders and the Assembly of Nobles approved the trade to the Federation,” I chuckled anxiously. “Those stones should have been held as evidence against Norex and Liannette. They should not be used to refuel my dilithium matrix. It just seems wrong.”

“You are the Emperor. You could have said no,” Captain Picard smirked. “But, I understand that you were in a tight pinch. You wanted to act as a Galaxy Fleet captain. As a captain, you’d be forced to say no. As the emperor, you’d be compelled to say yes. I understand why you took a leave of absence from Galaxy Fleet. You couldn’t do your job, either one.”

I looked at one of my mentors and heroes growing up. “You didn’t see the disappointment in your father’s eyes, Captain,” I muttered.

“Edward, your father is so proud of you. He was not disappointed. He knew that it was coming, but he didn’t want to you to have to choose,” Picard whispered, placing his hand on my shoulder. “You have become one of the most decorated captains in Galaxy Fleet history. And you’re barely thirty. There are cadets in the Academy who joined to work with you.”

“I didn’t quit, Jean-Luc,” I said, arching a brow. “I’m just taking some time off. Who knows? I will probably come back. I want to. Forx may be my home now, but I will always want to travel amongst the stars. They call to me.”

“As they call to all of us, Captain,” Picard smiled. 

Blog Only Teaser

In the school room, Charanel was working with his tutor. He was working with paper and pencil, drawing feverishly. “What’s he doing?” I asked.

“Charanel may be developmentally delayed, but he is an amazing artist,” Bella replied, threading her fingers with mine. “We tried to get him to work with computers, but he loved to sketch on paper with pencils, making some of the most beautiful pieces. The small picture in our bedroom, the one of my father? Charanel drew that.”

“The picture of you, Charanel and your dad?” I whispered. She blushed, nodding. “I thought it was a commissioned piece.”

“No. Charanel drew that from his memory. It was from one our favorite summers down in Ch’ich. We spent the day playing on the pink sand, making sand castles and frolicking in the waves,” Bella mused, her voice wistful. “That was what Charanel remembered and you can see that we were all so happy.”

Charanel must have heard us talk about him. He put his pencil down, looking up to see the two of us. He pushed back from his seat and ran to Bella, enfolding her into a loving hug. “Nirabelle! I missed you,” he said, crushing her to his body.

“I missed you, too,” she said, rubbing her hands along Charanel’s back. “It’s been too long since we’ve had a picnic. Why don’t we have one today?”

He beamed, nodding excitedly. He let Bella go, running back to his table, where the tutor was sitting with a warm grin. Charanel picked up the picture he was working on, galumphing back to where we were standing. He clutched it to his chest, his spots deepening in color as he blushed. “Ed, I have something for you,” Charanel said, his words jumbled and hard to understand. Shyly, he handed me the picture. Drawn in perfect detail was a picture of me and Bella. The love radiating between the two of us was clear as day. My hand was cupped on her cheek, caressing her skin with my thumb. She was on my lap, smiling softly, her mouth so close to mine. Her fingers were tangled in my hair at the nape of my neck just above my uniform. My other hand was wrapped around her tiny waist, holding her close to my body. “You love my sissy.” He clumsily repeated the Cygnarian phrase, “Te-atée miru, ti’ane miru, sa-ahari.”

“I do, Charanel,” I murmured, just staring at the perfect picture. “This is so beautiful.”

“You and Nirabelle are beautiful,” he said, standing next to me and pointing to the picture. “It’s a present for Hisnari. I know it’s late.”

“Charanel, this is the best gift I’ve ever received,” I said honestly. “This will be framed and put on my desk. It means so much to me that you drew this.”

“I only draw for people I love, fei’rene,” Charanel admitted quietly. “Norex got no pictures.” His eyes darkened and he growled lowly. “Only Nirabelle and Father. Norex called me yanhesh. Norex hated me.” He frowned deeply, so angry.

“Norex was wrong, Charanel. You are so special,” I said, placing the picture on the table next to me before I hugged him. Charanel gripped me so tightly, his sobs breaking my heart. “Te’une fei’rene. Always.”

“Te’une fei’rene,” he replied, his voice deep and raspy. “You are my true brother and my family.” 

Star Crossed Picture Tease

Marcusi stood up, pouring some c’amuu, a strong liquor, for both of us. We sipped it and I sighed. “Empress, I think it would be best for you and your mate to go someplace other than the Imperial city. Take him to your childhood home, away from all of this. It’s far enough away that you can heal, but close enough that we can transport you back if you’re needed.”

“Do you think that it’s wise for us to leave?” I asked. “I do not want my people thinking that we are acting like cowards.”

“Nirabelle, you have acted with decorum and strength. You gave the families of the colonists their H’aaruune ceremony and have provided them with that closure. Now, it’s time for you and Edward to focus on yourselves. I will make arrangements for a transport to take you to Ch’ich.”

Star Crossed Blog Only Teaser

“I think this is a trap,” he replied, his eyes darting around the narrow and cluttered hallway. “Why would they commit suicide and allow us to board their vessel? It does not make sense, unless it’s to lure us into a false sense of security and destroy us…”

I nodded, agreeing with his statement. “Let’s proceed with caution,” I whispered.

“Agreed,” Data said as we found Emmett and Victoria, along with Data’s tactical officer, Commander Felix Volturi. “Report.”

“From what we could gather,” Emmett began, “it’s heavily shielded. It does not look like it’s Alphan technology, though. I can’t identify it. Neither can Commander Volturi or Commander Braxas.”

“Have you attempted to disable the shields?” Data asked.

“I advised against it, sir. This technology is experimental for the Alphans and based on the amount of dead bodies on this ship, this may be a booby trap,” Commander Volturi explained. “I’m afraid that if we attempt to disengage the shields, we’ll cause the auto destruct to begin we’re all stuck here, joining the Alphans in their final resting place.”

“I could try and disable the shields around the cloaking device,” Data said. “I’ve tapped into their computer systems. The shields for the cloak are heavily encrypted but not indecipherable.”

“Let’s get everyone off this ship. Only you and me, Captain,” I said. “We could work together and get this shield down faster.”

“Sir, no,” Victoria said, her brows furrowing. “You’re no longer just a Galaxy Fleet captain, you’re also a husband and the Emperor of Forx. You should go back. I’ll stay with Captain Data.”

“Agreed,” Data said, looking at me. He tapped his communicator. “All crew members aboard the Alphan vessel, please transport back to your respective ships and raise shields.”

“This doesn’t feel right,” I growled, my frustration mounting.

“Go, Edward,” Data said quietly, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Your commander is correct.”

“I want to know,” I said. “Yes, I’m being stubborn. We will maintain an open comm link to the Volvo and beam out at the first sign of trouble.”

“The first sign may be the last sign,” Data countered. I gave him a stern look and he sighed. 

“Commander Volturi and Lieutenant Morgainne, please go back to your ships.” They contacted the Intrepid and Volvo, respectively and beamed out of the cloaking room. Data walked to the computer access panel. He tapped a few controls. The screen lit up. He began working quickly, his fingers flying over the screen. Victoria had asked the Volvo to move to a safe distance, but remove shields in case we needed to do an emergency beam out. I logged every moment with my tricorder and downloaded the specifications for the shields and cloaking device.

Data worked on the computer terminal for five minutes, the shield not dropping. However, he keyed a sequence of codes and the room filled with a thick fog. Victoria and I began coughing, our lungs burning. I could barely understand what Data was screaming at me as my vision clouded and I wavered on my feet. Stumbling, my cheek came in contact with the wall before I fell onto the floor. My eyes drifted shut as I felt the tingle of the transporter in my body. 

Star Crossed Teaser

“Welcome back, Captain,” Lieutenant Morgainne said, waggling his brows. “Congratulations on your nuptials.” He smirked at Bella. She just grinned.

“Emmett, we need to focus, but thank you for your congratulations,” I snickered, sitting down. My father strode into the conference room, making all of us jump to our feet.

“That’s power,” he laughed, sitting next to Bella. “At ease. I’m merely an observer. Pretend I’m not here.”

“It’s a little hard, sir,” Commander Braxas said wryly.

“Try, Commander,” Dad smirked. He nodded to me and I took over.

“We are en route to the H’Nan system. The Intrepid left for there earlier today due to some issues with the Alphans. Our job is to provide back up and to see if a cloaked vessel is in orbit. Commander Braxas, have you had an opportunity to test your gamma radiation theory?”

“Sending omichron particles will negate gamma radiation, but we still don’t know if that’s linked to the cloak,” Commander Braxas said. “Commander Whitlock did send me some more information, but until we can see the vessel or not see it, I guess, we won’t know.”

“Do you think that the vessel doesn’t exist?” Bella asked, looking at Commander Braxas.

“It exists, Empress. There were four ships following you after we pulled you out of the Alphan capital. When we were fired upon, the fourth ship disappeared, went away but where? The only guess is that it was cloaked,” Commander Braxas said. “The technology is out there. The Remans, distant relatives of the Turulians, use it. Perhaps they sold their technology to the Alphans.”

“An interesting theory,” Dad murmured. “Too bad the Remans are not a part of the Federation. We could contact them regarding the cloak.”

“The Turulians must have information,” Lieutenant Morgainne piped up.

“I’ll contact Commander Laurent,” Dad nodded. He got up, padding out of the room.