Prelude to Retribution

Chapter Eighteen: Iron Sharpens Iron

Star System: Renda Noth

Location: Shuttle route between Paragonis IV and Renda Noth

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Tyaal smiled as he held his beloved Taleinia in his arms while they rested in the shuttle passenger compartment. He gently moved his fingers through her long dark hair while basking in the special moment he shared with his fiancé.

She shifted her position in the seat and gazed at him. She kissed his cheek and tightened her embrace around her man.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep while you were talking earlier, sweetheart," she said, gazing into his eyes.

He took her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. "It's okay, my love. I enjoyed holding you while you slept."

She laid her head on the headrest and locked her gaze on him. He did likewise and peered into her beautiful brown eyes. Sometimes, moments like these were a close second to their kissing. The instances of looking into each other's eyes carried them out of the reality of life and into an ethereal realm where nothing existed except for their love for one another. In the permeating silence, they didn't have to verbally remind each other of their love. They spoke volumes about their special bond by keeping their eyes focused on one another.

Since the Marisala family owned the shuttle, they had most of the passenger compartment to themselves. A few rows up from them, Miriam Marisala slept in her seat, oblivious to the romantic encounters her sister and Tyaal were enjoying.

"What's on your mind, darling?" Taleinia asked softly. "You can tell me."

He brushed a few strands of hair from her face. "Where do I start? I have been having nightmares for a while now. I am walking in a dark landscape next to a ghastly river of souls flowing like water. I am full of pain and seeking vengeance. I despise it because I feel so empty and lost."

Taleinia reached out and lightly touched his face. "They are just nightmares, baby. Don't let them affect you."

"I wish I could pass them off like that. But I can't," he replied, touching her face. He ran his fingers down her jawline. "I don't feel any love in those moments. And I don't sense you in those dreams either. I feel like I have lost you when I am in them."

She leaned in and placed her lips on his. Everything around them disappeared as they embroiled themselves in a passionate kiss. Veriss moaned as emotions soared in and through him while he enjoyed the experience of her closeness.

This woman's touch could send me across a million galaxies at once without a single slingdrive jump. He thought as they continued to seal their faces in unison amid their passion. She is not just a part of my life. She is my entire life.

When they parted, she kept her face close to his. She placed her hand below his jawline. "I will never leave or abandon you, Tyaal. I want to become your wife, have children with you, and grow old by your side. I am yours forever, sweetheart."

He admired her beauty while pondering how such a gorgeous woman could also be a trained killing machine underneath the black armor of the Maynerian Dynasty. He wasn't very different himself. He was also a killing machine for the Maynerian Dynasty, except his battles mainly came in the air. He could fight it out on the ground if need be. But he was born to sit in the cockpit of a fighter. And miraculously, all those qualities within them disappeared when they were in each other's arms.

He shook those thoughts and moved in for another brief kiss. "I know, my love. But I will admit that I have been anxious about your duties for the Queen. I feel a sense of danger for you."