The Space Empress He Craved

Chapter 74

POV: Lyra

Orion made sure he held my hand tighter, intensifying the neural sparks for this next phase. He cleared his throat, his pathways pulsing with anxiety. "The Kyltons are a distinguished family. And they have been close allies of the royal family for generations. But for the longest time, their heir was a male. When the most recent Kylton was an heiress, my father had this insane plan to... pair us."

I shifted in my seat, my skin immediately cycling to defensive grey as I averted my gaze. Orion pressed his lips to my fingers while still holding my hand, sending comforting pulses through our bond as he continued, "My mother, being the compliant match that she was, supported it without question. When I confronted my father about the... issue, he told me that I'll grow to understand why he was doing what he was doing. It was all about consolidating as much power as possible for him. When I went to my mother and begged her to persuade my father to recalibrate his decision, she just... told me that everything was going to be optimal. That the... engagement was not going to be a negative thing, that things would eventually work themselves out."

I was biting my bottom lip at this point to cope with the feelings of unworthiness flooding through me, and Orion stroked my hand tenderly, trying to assure me through our bond that his consciousness had only ever been given to me. "Star-heart, hey."

I still couldn't bring myself to look at him.

I felt uneasiness tingling in my chest and subconsciously placed my free hand over my primary pump [heart], like I was shielding it from getting damaged. The sight made Orion's inner Lyrokan whimper through our connection. It felt like I was shielding myself from him. He felt the helplessness from the previous night cycle all over again.

Cautiously, he kissed my fingers deeply as he transmitted through our private channel: Lyra, I don't agree with what they did. I never have. It felt wrong from the very start. I've never loved anyone the way I love you. Please, star-heart, look at me.

I took a moment, swallowing the obstruction in my throat before meeting his pained gaze as I whispered, "So what happened next?"

He managed a sad smile when he saw how strong I was trying to be. "Granpa Brock threatened to sever all Blackfur corporate ties with the Imperial Claws if my parents kept insisting that I was to bond with someone I didn't want. The Blackfurs dominate many industries, mainly interstellar shipping and transportation. So to keep the amount of power and influence that my father had already accumulated, the late Emperor grudgingly gave in."

Orion's pathways darkened as he looked at our joined hands. "But things were never the same between my father and me after that. He never masked his anger and disappointment when we were in the same chamber. Christian and Aunt Reida were the only beings I turned to at that time. I even stayed at their habitat for a while because my own home became too... hostile. The Blackfurs supported me and looked out for me when even my own mother couldn't see, or didn't want to see, that what I wanted wasn't what they wanted for me."

He watched me, giving me a moment to process the data before I asked in a small, doubtful voice, "So, after that, the Kyltons just... left?" I recalled Christian saying that the family hadn't been in contact for over two decades.

Orion nodded ominously. "But not without transmitting a lot of threats at the Blackfurs, especially at Granpa Brock, saying how much they were going to regret destroying their plans."

I nodded in response before whispering in worry, "Did anything negative happen to Granpa Brock or Aunt Reida after that?"

Orion chuckled at how I was more concerned with the well-being of his cousin's family than my own state. Humor filled his pathways. "No. It was an empty threat from the start. Granpa Brock's systems shut down peacefully from age deterioration. Aunt Reida's termination came from cellular malfunction. On Granpa's most boastful cycles, he would even flaunt how his threat to my father was the best thing he had ever used his power for."

I managed a smile, my skin shifting to relieved blue. "That's good."

He returned my smile. "He would've loved you. Aunt Reida was his favorite offspring because she always transmitted her thoughts, exactly what you do. Well, you do it with more poise and grace. Aunt Reida couldn't care less if she transmitted remarks like a malfunctioning unit."

I chuckled, making Orion's consciousness pulse with joy through our bond. He added, "Granpa Brock himself was very merciless with his words when his mood destabilized, calling my mother 'mindless Vera' even after she became Empress."

My smile faltered and my posture went rigid in shock. Orion chuckled lightly. "Like I said, star-heart. He would've loved you. I can imagine his satisfaction if he had the chance to watch you take down Greg, the Cummings, Whitlaw, Caunterberg, Langford and even the Kyltons, all three of them at once. You would probably be the next thing he'd boast about to the beings around him."

My posture relaxed and my lips curved upward. I gave a slight shake of my head. "Well, it's comforting to know that I would've been accepted by one of the late elders of the family."

Orion knew exactly what I meant through our bond, so he firmly insisted, "You really don't have to think about my late parents, Lyra. If you saw what everyone sees in you, you'd realize that the late Emperor and Empress are not worthy of your acceptance. You're too good for them. You've accomplished more in your cycles than they have in both their lifetimes combined. I'm rather relieved that you don't have to meet them, to be honest. They wouldn't have respected you or treated you well. You might have rejected me after you've met them, and I don't think I could blame you for that."

I chuckled, my skin shifting to amused gold. "It's impressive how well you know me when it comes to that." I teased as I emptied my hydration cylinder.

He grinned, pathways blazing bright purple, and got up to lean across the table to press his lips to my cheek before declaring in a deep voice, "I love you."

I looked at him shyly, skin flushing pink. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me, star-heart. Tell me you know that I love you." He insisted as he pressed our foreheads together, our neural patterns syncing.

I shifted to deeper pink as I uttered, "I know."

His smile widened as he kissed my forehead. "Good." He then came around the table to my side before holding out a hand. "Come, we should move on to our next destination."

When he was helping me up, I asked, "Where's that?"

There was a glint in his pathways and he whispered into my ear, "It's a surprise."

At the opposite end of the café, a being wearing optical dampeners and a concealment cap looked up from the holo-news he was pretending to read. He watched Orion and me as we left through the automated doors. When we were out of sight, he sent out an encrypted transmission to his comrade, and finished his synthetic coffee before leaving five minutes later.