Married to Krampus - Marina Simcoe Page 0,61
looked like it’d been in an accident.”
“It was shot down. I managed to land it just well enough to survive.”
“Oh, no...” she pressed her hands to her chest, her gray-blue eyes rounded in shock. “I had no idea.”
“It turned out the unit of fescods that attacked me was guarding the main yirzi transportation facility. Yirzi are a nomad race on Tragul. They have no country to defend and side with whoever pays them more. They had been supplying fescods with transportation for their invasion of Neron. My discovery helped cut off resources from the fescods on Neron. Which ultimately led to their defeat on our planet.”
“That was also how you earned your promotion?”
“Right.” In addition to the years of impeccable service, that operation had put him ahead of the line in becoming the Colonel of the Voranian Army.
She sat quietly for a few moments, worrying her plump lower lip with her teeth. He remained silent, too, simply admiring her profile, highlighted by the moonlight.
“You’re really proud of that video,” she said, understanding flooded her lovely face when she turned it to him.
“It was the highlight of my military career,” he agreed. “Or at least the battlefield portion of it.”
“That’s why you sent it to me. You wanted to share something so important to you with me.”
“Well, I’ve also been told I look good in it. I suppose I wanted to make a good impression on you,” he admitted with a smile.
“Oh.” She rubbed her forehead. “Of course. You do look...um, fierce in that video.”
“I wanted you to like me.” He still wanted that. More than ever.
“But I do like you, Colonel.”
Normally, he felt a pang of pride when people addressed him by his rank. Not when Daisy did it, though. Hearing his rank from her lips made him feel the distance she’d been maintaining between them more acutely.
She dropped her gaze into her lap, her cheeks took the familiar shade of pink. It happened when she felt angry, he’d learned, or uneasy. Why would Daisy still feel uneasy around him?
“I’m really happy we’ve managed to become friends after all,” she said.
Friends...
That was not what he was hoping for.
“We are friends, Colonel, aren’t we?” She gazed at him with a new intensity in her clear eyes.
“Yes,” he nearly groaned. “We’re friends.”
That was a dangerous path to take. He definitely didn’t want her as just a friend. But what if she only felt comfortable as a friend in his company?
“I’d better go now.” She rose to her feet quickly. “Good night.”
And now she was running away from him. Again.
He got up, too, listening to the sound of her light feet taking her up the stairs. Everything inside him urged him to go after her. To grab her, to press her body to his, to claim her. But he’d already tried to do that the night she’d first got here, and she’d almost left him immediately.
He couldn’t risk it again. Not now, when losing Daisy would be like ripping his heart out. There had to be a better way.
“Omni,” he called to his AI that always was around somewhere. “Get me my tablet, will you?”
He’d earned the admiration of his entire country. However, winning the love and affection of this one woman was proving to be the most difficult operation of his life.
Maybe he had been approaching it all wrong. What if he looked at it as a military battle, with a well-developed plan and strategy? In order to conquer Daisy as his wife, he needed to learn exactly what he was working with and what he was fighting against. He had to learn more about where she came from.
When one of Omni’s drones handed him his tablet, he searched for information on humans and their planet Earth. He opened a few pictures and articles on Christmas, the holiday that Daisy spoke about with so much delight and longing tonight.
Maybe he could make the celebration happen for her in Voran? Even if it didn’t win him her heart, seeing her eyes sparkle with joy once again would be a reward on its own.
He flipped through the photos and illustration of Christmas celebrations by different Earth nations. There were so many traditions. Tree decorating seemed to be a common theme, though. As were family gatherings and presents.
Most nations claimed to have a magical elderly gentleman visit their houses. Known by many names, he was considered to be kind and brought presents for obedient children.
The disobedient ones were said to be visited by Krampus, in