Petr's Mate (15 page)

“There may be a few curious
looks, but it
’
s
considered extremely rude in our culture to stare outright at any individual.
We will get a corner table, cozy in, and enjoy ourselves. I would not subject you
to anything I knew you would be uncomfortable with, Samantha. I
’
ve chosen a smaller place, but
one that will give you the full dining experience.” They got on the lift again
and went down a couple of floors, where Petr repeated the process like before.
Then they did it once more before they headed down to the lobby to leave the
building. “Where we are meeting the ruling body is only a few buildings away.
Would you like to walk it?” he asked. “If not we can take one of the
conveyances over.”

“Walk
it,
please. I enjoy the exercise
and it’s a beautiful day.” She turned her face up to the sun and sighed. “Being
on a ship is pretty amazing and you really don’t even realize that you are on
one but there is something incredible about being in the sun. Nothing can
replace a beautiful day with a light breeze.”

“You
could use a little sunlight,” he agreed. “After such a long journey, most of it
trapped inside that chamber, I’m stunned you have yet to have any issue with
being on another ship. Mine is slightly
larger,
but I would have thought the
idea of being in space after such an arduous trip would have upset you.”

She shrugged and closed her eyes
as she thought about his words. “Your ship is a great deal larger than the one
that I was on. Besides, you
’
re there and that’s all that matters to me.” They continued
to walk, her with her face turned to the sun and eyes closed. “I just want to
be close to you. That’s what I need. Aside from that, your crew has been
amazing to me and I really don’t even notice that I’m in a ship until I
’
m alone.” Which was rare,
fortunately.

“We
are like a small community on one of the cruisers. Given we house anywhere
between fifteen hundred and two thousand souls on board at any given
time,
it’s difficult to find a moment to be
alone. Unless you are an upper-ranking officer who has the privilege of private
quarters, of course.”

“It’s
like a very, very large family. Even games.” She snorted. “When a couple of the
crew get together and start to play the games they have a good-natured fight
every time. Those guys are hilarious.” Especially now that she had introduced a
few more games to the people on the crew. “Oh, and if possible I would love to
stop at a woodworker’s. I want to see if they can create a pool table for us to
go on the ship.” She had no idea where the balls would come from, but she was
sure they would figure it out. She wanted to get the pool table because the
Imarians
didn’t have anything at all like it and she was
certain they would have a blast with it.

“We’ll
find a place,” he said. Squeezing her
hand,
he lifted it to press a kiss to her knuckles. He had them cross a street. Then
they walked around another corner, and he stopped before a very elegant
building. Long and sweeping lines, lots of glass, and hundreds of trees and
flowering bushes inside.

“
Beautiful,
” she whispered, and when he
pulled a door open for
her,
she stepped in. The cool air surrounded them, and a sweet floral scent wafted
through the air.

Petr
tilted his
head
and led her over to a raised rectangular section with lots of different short
shrubbery around the edges. Down the middle of the container were the most
unusual and magnificent blooms she’d ever seen. “They are called
treshemi
,” he
told her. They had the heavy scent that was almost a rose, but there were notes
of something else. And they looked a lot like a lily but with the multiple
layers of a rose. “They can only grow under certain and specific conditions.
This is one of the few places where the public can see them up close instead of
behind glass like they are in the hothouses.”

“This is incredible.” She
reached out and touched one of the blooms. “Wow.” She leaned in and sniffed.
“Would they grow where your ancestral home is?”

“Anything
is
possible,
though they are a protected plant. If we were to put any out
there,
we would have to ensure they
had a space that was carefully climate controlled. Which is not as difficult as
it first sounds. One step at a time, little one. Let’s get to our meeting
before we’re late.”

Petr waved her toward the back
of the building, where there appeared to be two winding staircases that reached
from the main floor up to second floor. One that was quite a ways above them,
given the height of the ceiling. He put a hand on her back and walked her
around to the far one and she soon realized it was like the escalators back
home but instead of being a straight line they had them curving elegantly.

She stepped onto the moving
stairs and laughed. Her hand was on the moving banister as she looked to Petr.
“Incredible.” She was simply amazed by the wonders of this place. The
escalator-like conveyance was circular and something she had never seen before.
“Now I see why the ceilings are so high.” They were as high as two, possibly
three, stories back on Earth.

“It gives the building an airy
feeling,” he said. “A lot of our structures, unless they are military in
nature, have higher than average ceiling height. You will see that at the
apartment. It
’
s
one of the things our architects did to give us a sense of space after long
confinement on the cruisers where space is at a premium.”

“Makes sense. I also love how
the windows go from literally the floor to the ceiling. I just would hate to
have to clean them,” she said with a bit of a laugh.

“They
have an automated window cleaning system. The maintenance people lower it from
the roof, fill up the reservoirs, and set it to do the job. It doesn’t take
very long for the system to do a building of this size, and there is no need to
endanger anyone needlessly.” Stepping off the escalator, Sam waited for
Petr,
then walked with him through a set of
large double doors standing open up to a tall desk. He gave their names, and
they were asked to have a seat while they waited.

She
took a seat, then laughed when the seat molded to her body. She hadn’t expected
that, at all. “That’s weird, but you know.” She moved back and sighed. “It’s
actually perfect.” She was in awe of everything she was experiencing in this
world. It was truly remarkable, the things that these people were able to do
and had done. “Everything about this building makes me feel calm and at peace.”

Petr nodded before giving her
one last piece of advice. “When we go back there, whatever happens, whatever
they say, think but do not react immediately. Think over their words, and
choose your own wisely.”

Sam considered that while she
leaned her head back and closed her eyes, inhaling the fresh scent and letting
the calm wash over her.

Chapter Ten

Sam
must have dozed off because the next thing she knew Petr was shaking her awake.
Jerking her head up off his shoulder, she blinked at the woman standing before
them. “The ruling body is ready to see you
now
,
miss
. If you will follow me.”

Petr
shot her an amused look when he
stood
and discreetly made a gesture at the corner of his mouth. Son of a— She’d damn
well drooled!

Sam
snorted and looked back at Petr. She reached her hand out, waiting for him to
take it. God knew she didn’t want to go before them alone. When his hand was in
hers,
she smiled and gave it a
squeeze. She was stronger with him at her side. She was also more relaxed there
at his side. They followed the woman into a massive room.

Petr
squeezed her
fingers
and tucked her in closer to his side. He stopped on a circular spot of glossy
black marble, the only section surrounded by soft, white carpeting. With a
sharp
salute,
he turned a little in her direction. “May I present my soul bond mate, Samantha
Henry, formerly of Earth. Samantha, the ruling body of
Imara
,
Johann
Freitz
,
Veldor
Schalt
, and the honorable Mish-
Laen
Crooft
.”

Samantha bowed her head as Petr
introduced her to each of the members before her. “It is very nice to meet you
all.” She was polite as well as softly spoken so she didn’t piss anyone off. “I
have been learning a great deal about your culture and I have to say, your
people are truly amazing and I’m blessed that Petr found me and took me in.
Even better that he’s mine.” She couldn’t keep the emotion from her voice as
she spoke.

The three individuals sitting
behind the glossy white table all watched her. Sam could see the cunning
intelligence in each gaze and knew they were looking for a weak spot. Petr
remained silent at her side while they both waited to hear what these
individuals had to say.

“Your
manner of speech is most intriguing. We have been blessed with a copy of your
craft’s databank. Most interesting reading,” the only woman before her said.
Mish-
Laen
Crooft
had no
expression on her
face
while the two men sitting to each side of her both looked disgustingly smug.
“We have yet to complete our reading but would invite you to return after we do
to assist us in better understanding, if you would accept such an open
invitation.”

Sam
looked up at Petr, then back to the council. “As long as it is something that
my soul bond mate is willing and able to come with me I am happy to return. I
do, however, have to make sure that it doesn’t interfere with his schedule of
duties.” Because she was part of a duo now, she was more than herself. “I defer
to him in all things.” Which was the
truth?

All three gave her measuring
looks before the men turned to speak in hushed tones to the woman. Petr
squeezed her hand and, though his expression didn’t change, Sam knew he would
have smiled at her if he could. But as he’d told her previously you show the
ruling body no weakness and as few clues to your own thoughts as possible.
Speak in generalities while not being too vague as that could anger them. A
very fine line, Sam was learning quickly.

The
men settled back into their seats to stare at Sam. Mish-
Laen
tipped her head slightly. “We would insist you both returned as was permitted
by Fleet Admiral van
Jahnsen’s
schedule. Now, before
we allow you to continue with your
day,
we wish to inquire on one matter. Records shows a notification of bonding. Yet
by Doctor Henry’s people’s standards there is also a wedding required to show
you are a couple for life. This body wishes to know when the joyous event may
occur.”

Sam didn’t have an answer for
that, but Petr seemed to have been expecting it. “Samantha is still coming to
terms with her new living situation, and learning of our people and customs. I
thought it best to allow her at least a cycle to properly acclimate herself
before pressuring her for more. This, too, allows her to better know me beyond
what the bond has already shown to her.”

“Wise indeed, Admiral,” Mish-
Laen
said. “We look forward to seeing the announcement
within our records in a sensible amount of time. Peace go with you both, and
may the stars show you the path. Great spirits guide these two on their journey
in life.” All three bowed their heads. Petr tugged on her hand and they made
their way casually to the doors, which swung open to let them escape.

Once
they were out of the
building,
Samantha looked up at Petr and let out a deep breath. “Oh my goodness. It
almost felt as if they were probing the edges of my mind. Your people can’t do
that, can they? Read people’s thoughts? I just am so happy to be out of there.”
The men and woman had been intense and they had also been a bit scary as well.
“And was that a threat, them saying that they are expecting a wedding
announcement soon?”

“They cannot read thoughts, but
the atmosphere they generate has many thinking they could potentially. To what
they said…” Petr frowned when they stopped a distance from the building. “It
definitely sounded like a threat. With them one is never completely sure what
is, or is not, a threat. We
’
ll consider it is, but we won
’
t allow it to dictate how we live our lives. Now we should
find a conveyance since the seamstress is closer to our apartment than it is
here.”

“Thank you. I don’t want to
force you into anything. Besides, I’m perfectly happy right now with things as
they are. One thing that they didn’t notice in the databanks was that not all
people who were in love married. As long as they were committed to each other
that was all that mattered. Marriage wasn’t for everyone,” she said.

Once in the vehicle, and moving
to the location Petr had input, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull
her in close. “Are you saying you
’
re opposed to the idea of marriage?” he asked.

“No,
I’m not opposed to it at all. I’ve always wanted to be
married,
but I don’t want to force you
into something like that.” She shrugged and stroked her hand up and down his
thigh. “I already have you and love you like crazy and I know that you love me.
Do I want to marry you?
Abso
-freaking-
lutely
. But not because of an ultimatum from your ruling
body.”

“Then
we’ll proceed at our own pace, and if we choose to have a full ceremony, so be
it. I want to marry you, Samantha Henry. Not for them, but for us alone.” He
pressed a kiss to her
temple
and hugged her tighter. “Now then, have you thought more on what you would like
for your wardrobe?”

****

A
couple hours later Samantha had a wardrobe on order, two day dresses, some slacks,
and
a number of
blouses in boxes to take with her when they left the shop.
Shalleen
,
the seamstress, had promised everything that needed major adjustments would be
completed in three
days,
while the rest of the wardrobe would take more time. Understandable, given each
piece was to be made from scratch.

Petr tucked the boxes into a
vehicle, and they were quickly on their way to the apartment. “You look
flushed, little one. Are you okay?”

“I’m
fine. I’ve just never been a very good shopper,” she admitted. “In fact, I
really hate shopping. Back on Earth it was one of those things that I would
wait until the absolute last moment to do. Seriously, I hated it. If I
could,
I would have done everything
online, no joke.”

“Now
that she has your measurements and preferences, we can order
prior to
our arrival so they only need
to do a quick fitting. Not as efficient as your method, but the clothing does
fit you better, you have to agree.”

“And
she’s a wonderful
lady,
so that was a total
positive,
”
she admitted. “I liked her and I think that woman will give me a fabulous
wardrobe, one that befits me being your soul bonded mate.” She loved saying
that. It made her smile, which was saying something in and of itself. “And yes,
now that she has my sizes life will be good.
Hopefully,
I won’t gain weight in the
meantime.”

“You
forget our rigorous workout regime we have together, Samantha. And our running,
too,” he said. Pressing a kiss to her
cheek,
he waved her out of the vehicle when they stopped seconds later. He climbed
out
and collected her boxes before
directing her toward an elegant building that was done in warm, earthy tones
with splashes of color in the form of greenery and flowering shrubbery.

“This
is true. With you I will never have to worry about gaining weight.” She loved
their
workout routine
and counted the
minutes down between sessions. “And yes, I do also like running.”

Petr
led her to a
lift
and, stepping inside, pressed his thumb to a scanner before leaning in to let
it scan his eye. “I’ll have to put you in the system so you can get in and out
of the building even if I’m not with you.”

She
looked over the outside of the building and was stunned. “This place is
incredible. These are the apartments we will live in?” Not the whole building,
but they would live inside of that work of art? She lifted a hand to touch one
of the shrubs lightly.
“Beautiful,
”
she whispered. “I love the art that your people put into creating homes and
facilities.”

“We
have an apartment at the top.” Leaning against the
wall,
he watched her. “You should also know
that I have rarely been here, so unlike the house out in the countryside, the
apartment is less pretty. Functional, but not overly warm.”

“I don’t mind that the place is
not fully done up. It’s something we
’
ll be able to do together, creating a home for us here in
the city as well as the one we have in the country.” She hadn’t seen that home
yet, but she knew that they would eventually. Right now this was their home and
she was fine with that.

“True,”
he agreed. The lift slowed, then gave a discrete series of bell sounds before
the doors slid open straight into an entryway through which Samantha could see
a sunken sitting
area,
and beyond that, mountains.

Samantha walked to the windows
and knew that her eyes were as wide open as they could get. “Petr.” Her
fingertips touched the glass that went from floor to ceiling. “This is
incredible.” Her voice was filled with awe. She turned to him and smiled. “The
insides aren’t nearly as important with having this as our view outside.”

“Likely
why I could never decide what to do with the spaces. The view is
impressive
and quite distracting.” His
hand settled on her back. Then he took her hand in his. “I want to show you
something even more impressive.” He led her to an open staircase that she could
see through to a kitchen space. Climbing the wooden treads, she peered around,
trying to see more of the space before it was lost to sight by the second
floor. Petr led her down the hall and through a wide set of doors that stood
open to reveal a massive, raised bed on a platform. There was even a stool
sitting on one side all ready for her to use. But he didn’t stop.
Instead,
he led her to another set of
floor-to-ceiling windows. There he touched a slightly opaque panel and the
glass slid open to allow them to step out onto a large, private balcony.

She
laughed when the balcony was revealed. “Freaking amazeballs.” She was in
complete awe. “This is, I don’t have words.” She leaned back against him when
he put his hands on either side of her body. “You are a very, very lucky man to
have this as your home, and I’m even luckier because I have you.”

“The
view is lovelier because you are here now,” he said against her ear. Pressing a
kiss to her
neck,
he nuzzled at her skin. A tiny
nip
and he scraped his teeth to her skin. “We have time before we need to leave for
our dinner reservation. What would you like to do while we wait?”

“Get
naked and try out that massive bed that I walked right past?”

She
had her answer when he turned her and threw her over his shoulder. A few long
strides later and Sam was flying through the air to bounce off the surface of
the bed. When she righted
herself,
she found Petr stripping down with an intent look on his face while watching
her.

Grinning,
she leaned back and tugged off her clothes. She tossed them somewhere on the
floor. Once they were both
naked,
she reached out her hand and touched his cheek.