The Space Empress He Craved

Chapter 53

POV: Lyra

I moved to position my small body right in front of Orion's large frame as soon as he growled. His bioluminescent pathways were turning completely black, spreading like ink under his translucent skin, and he was still throwing a murderous glare at Caunterberg. The temperature around him dropped another ten degrees—his body preparing for full combat transformation.

I took Orion's face in my hands, his skin burning hot despite the cold he radiated, and I stroked his face slowly and soothingly. "Orion. Orion, look at me, please." His fists were clenched tightly by his sides, his pathways pulsing with violent black energy.

I pulled his face toward me to make his darkened eyes lock with my soft ones. "Orion, darling. Listen to me, okay? It's just you and me. Nothing else is important. Okay? Breathe. It's okay. We're both okay. Breathe. We're okay. We're okay. Breathe. Breathe."

The rapid rise and fall of his chest was slowing down. I continued to stroke his cheeks, sending calming neural pulses through every point of contact, and cooed, "Shh…I'm here, Orion. I'm here. It's just you and me. Shh…"

The black in his pathways was starting to recede bit by bit, purple bleeding back through like dawn breaking darkness. As my soothing voice and gentle touch continued to reach his consciousness through our bond, his pathways gradually returned to their normal luminescence. But his eyes were still black as they looked into mine.

His fists loosened from the tight clenches. A few moments later, his hands found their way to my waist. Orion held on to my small waist a little too tightly but I knew this wasn't the time to comment on his grip. I uttered softly, slowly and clearly, "Orion, it's okay. There is hope. We can still fix it, okay?"

When I started seeing the faint traces of purple returning to his eyes, I was internally relieved. The bond between us hummed with his gradually calming emotions. I whispered to him in a hushed tone, "There is a right way of doing this. You are better, Orion. You are more. Let's resolve this the right way. What do you say?"

Orion was silent for a moment as he continued to stare into my eyes. I let him take his time to process my words as I continued to look into his darkened orbs with a soft gaze, maintaining our neural connection. Then, one of his hands left my waist and reached for one of my hands on his face.

He gently took my hand by my wrist and moved it over his mouth. He closed his eyes and pressed a deep kiss on my palm, sending deliberate neural sparks through the contact before placing it back on his cheek as he uttered, "Okay."

I smiled and pulled myself up to press a kiss on his jaw, and half his eyes had returned to their original purple color. The black shades were still visible but I knew this would be enough for Orion to restrain his Lyrokan consciousness from taking over completely.

He pulled me into an embrace which was a bit too tight but I decided to bear with it this time. He needed this. He needed the psychic bond to stabilize himself. He held me for a moment in the silent dining facility before pressing a kiss on my forehead and whispering, "Thank you, baby."

I smiled wider and pressed another kiss on his jaw before saying, "Orion, I'm your match. You don't have to thank me for this."

He returned my smile. But his expression turned hard again as he turned to the pale-looking minister who was still rooted to his spot, his pathways nearly transparent with fear. Seriously? He's still here? He could've just fled from the hall when Orion lost control.

Orion's hand remained on my waist. He turned and looked hard at Caunterberg as he barked, "Yarrington!"

The education minister standing on the side flinched for a moment, his pathways flickering with alarm. After exchanging a fearful glance with his partner, Yarrington made his way over in quick steps. When he came before Orion and me, he averted his eyes and fell on one knee as he greeted Orion, "My Emperor."

Orion's eyes were still fixed on Caunterberg when he sternly ordered, "Stand, Yarrington." The minister on the ground looked up in fear and hesitation. He didn't recall doing anything wrong. He looked at me, and I gave him a small smile and an encouraging nod. So, he slowly picked himself up from the ground and stood before us, trying not to show how daunted he was.

Orion then made an announcement while still fixing his glare on Caunterberg, "With immediate effect, Lord Yarrington will temporarily stand in as Minister of Health and Welfare until a suitable replacement for the position can be found. No ministers or families of ministers are permitted to leave the system while we assess everyone's ethical behavior. If any complaints are made against any one of you, we will investigate the matter very, very thoroughly." His emphasis on the words 'very' had a homicidal edge, his pathways pulsing darker with each word, sending a shiver down the spines of many. Caunterberg himself was already wobbling at his legs.

Orion pressed a kiss on my temple before he turned to face the rest of his subjects. "To any Kaelari or Lyrokan who has been mistreated or harassed by any government official in the past, I am urging you to submit a complaint to Lord Yarrington's office in the next seven cycles. Your Emperor urges you to speak up. Our Empress..." he looked at me with soft eyes and I sent him a mind-touch with a small smile, 'I'll submit mine tonight, Orion.' Orion continued, "…will be submitting her own complaint tonight."

There were gasps and murmurs. Before Orion said that, only a few Kaelari knew about what Caunterberg said to me in the past because they were either my friends, or were victims to the same form of harassment. But after Orion made the announcement, everyone knew.

'Can I say something?' I sent through our bond as I looked up at him with a smile.

Orion's lips curled upward just slightly, and kissed my temple before saying, "Of course."

I took a step forward and turned to face the room, my skin shifting to authoritative silver. All eyes were on me when everyone fell silent.

I mustered my voice of authority and grace, and began, "For quite some time now, many of us have been subjected to the words and attitudes of some very powerful individuals in this room. The very people who were supposed to protect us have been the danger instead. Our Emperor is now offering us a way to seek the justice that we deserve. If you have been mistreated or harassed, I urge you not to be afraid, ashamed or embarrassed. None of what happened was your fault. Be empowered. You are now given a voice and a route to punish your assailant for what he said or did to you. Friends, urge the ones you know to submit a complaint. Partners, insist that a complaint is submitted if your partner fell victim to any form of mistreatment. We're doing this properly, so we might as well do it together."

When I stood back and joined Orion, he was smiling as he looked at me with love and admiration, his pathways glowing that soft purple-pink of affection. Then, we both noticed that the Kaelari on the left side of the hall were all staring with unfocused eyes, that telltale sign of active mind-touch. They were all communicating telepathically, but why? Orion saw that my eyes were clear and I looked confused myself, so I wouldn't know what they were saying among themselves.

When the Kaelari's eyes refocused, Commander Hale touched Commander Juan's arm affectionately before unclasping her arm from his and taking three steps out. She looked at Orion and me with a grateful smile, and said a very loud and clear "Thank you, Your Eminences" as she offered a bow. Right after her, all the Kaelari uttered the same words and bowed with Commander Hale. Orion and I bowed in return before standing with them.

The Lyrokans tried to copy their cousin species but because it wasn't properly planned among themselves, their thanks came out with less-than-perfect synchronicity, their pathways flickering with embarrassment at the disorganization.

Orion walked me out and back to my quarters right after. In my room, I got my holo-pad out and sat at the console table. Orion placed a chair right next to me. That's when I said, "Orion, it'll be easier for me to do this if I sat here alone. Could you wait on the rest platform? I'll show it to you before submitting."

He was hesitant. He wanted to see the complaint I was about to input, while I inputted it. I then looked at him with those innocent eyes of mine as I asked softly, "Please?"

He sighed in frustration and kissed my forehead before dropping onto my rest platform. He just couldn't say no when I looked at him like that. For the next few minutes, the only sound in the room was the soft hum of the holo-pad's interface.

Then, Orion's neural implant activated. He touched his temple to answer, "Yarrington, what is it?"