Chapter 33
“It’s over, Shaw,” Erik stood outside the cell housing his former rival. “Your trial is soon and our representatives are treating with the Ragus as we speak. It’s looking like the war you wanted won’t come to pass. Apparently they have no desire to lose millions in a war of your making.”
“Erik.” Sebastian locked eyes with him, lips pressed into a thin line, eyes a shimmering silver hue. “I hoped they would allow you to visit.”
“Of course they would. There is little doubt as to the outcome of the trial.” He agreed stiffly.
“Of course.” He sneered, “I’m not to suffer the fate of my father. Instead I shall be executed for my genius. For wanting something better for us all!” he finished bitterly.
Erik was disgusted by his attitude, “you wanted war! You intended to warp nature at its base level and pervert science to your own purposes! Millions would have died-if not more. And still you show no remorse!”
“Remorse?! For what?! Seeing exactly what we can become? Culling the herd of the weak? The slow? The stupid? There are too many of us, Erik! and far too many Ragus!” Shaw gave a disbelieving laugh. “How can you not see it? How can none of you see it?! I’m trying to save us all!”
“By pitting us against one another in an unwinnable war?”
Shaw scoffed, “it was never about the war! It was about survival! It was about the purity of our species! The best of us will survive. And the strongest will breed their brethren to make more pure Genoshians!”
Erik was appalled; he pitied the telepaths who’d had to plumb the depths of Shaws mind. “You’re insane. I can only be grateful that your sick view of the future will never come to pass.”
“Ah yes, thanks to your little mate and his friends. Our glorious future has been compromised,” he said softly, eyes shifting to winter green.
“Yes, he will be given the highest honors for his work in outing your plan and your confederates,” Erik stated proudly.
“You judge me even as you stand there utterly devoted to your mate. Any Genoshian would have done the same to claim their mate! Even you, Erik! So high and mighty! What would you have done had your little human rejected you at every turn?” he snarled defensively.
The thought hit Erik like a punch to the gut. To not have Charles by his side…it was unfathomable. The image of his parents came to mind and he sighed. “I’d have let him leave. I never would have held him against his will. If he never wanted to see me again I would do everything in my power to make that possible.” He said shortly.
Shaw pressed his palms against the glass with a weary chuckle. “To think, I lost it all because of a man you don’t even love.”
Erik was baffled by that comment. “No, you lost it all because of your inability to understand what love is. You’re incapable of it, Shaw.”
His words enraged the other man. “I love you! You’re my perfect mate only you’re too much of a fool to see it! Your bitch of a mother poisoned you against me every chance she got! And now your cold, weak excuse of a mate bears your child when you should bear mine!” Shaw yelled, throwing himself against the glass, wild eyed and savage.
Erik stepped back with a small sigh, relieved to know this would be the last time he was in the presence of this monster outside of the trial. He was even more grateful that he’d left Charles resting in their temporary chambers when he came down for this unpleasant task.
“I’m sorry you still see things that way,” he said honestly. He could only see Shaw as a man to be pitied consumed as he was by his madness. Still, he had to know. “Especially considering that your synthetic bond had a high chance of killing me since I’d already formed a natural bond.” He watched him closely for a response.
“And whose fault was that?” Shaw snapped irritably. “If you could have waited just a few more months we could be expecting our first daughter even now!”
“First? Shaw, I’m half Derrian, what makes you think I could ever bear more than one child even under the best of circumstances?” He finally asked the question that had been bothering him for so long.
Shaw smiled at him condescendingly. “No worries! I’d have kept you alive my sweet. I told you, we had all the time in the universe out there. And I wouldn’t have been stating from nothing, no! I had my father’s research to build upon.”
Erik’s blood ran cold at the thought of how horribly his life could have gone had Charles not come into his life. He looked at the other man one last time. “Goodbye Sebastian.”
“Ours will never be a goodbye! This thing between us will never end!” his screams echoed down the hall, following Erik on his way out. He didn’t look back.
~~
Erik let himself into their temporary lodgings quietly in case Charles was still asleep. He was in luck to find the other man freshly bathed and just getting dressed for the day.
“How was it? Are you alright?” Charles asked, worried, hurrying to his side. Erik felt a soothing touch brush against his consciousness and he leaned into it gratefully.
“Better now that it’s over,” he said shortly.
“I’m sure,” Charles pulled him down to press a soft kiss to his cheek. “What happens now?”
Erik pulled him to sit on the sofa and draped an arm across his shoulders. “The trial of course. That will only happen when our discussions with the Ragus come to an end. There is a chance they’ll want him handed over as part of a show of good faith.”
The telepath blinked in surprise. “Oh, would the Federation allow that?”
“It depends on how important it is to the Ragus.” He admitted softly. “As we speak, Shaw’s allies and confederates have been arrested and are being interviewed. His former fleet will be restructured and reassigned and hopefully we can learn from this and not allow it to happen again. Corruption at such high levels leads to internal instability just when we need the Federation to be strong.” He said, frowning deeply.
Charles smoothed his palm over his forehead gently, “Don’t fret. We make a great team. We’ll handle it.”
Erik leaned into his touch and pressed a kiss to the soft skin of his palm. “We will won’t we?”
Charles chuckled, “Of course! Besides, I’m sure this will all seem easy compared to raising a kid.” They shared a smile, as Erik pressed his hand to the small mound of Charles’ lower abdomen where tiny flutters were just making themselves known.
Erik looked down into those crystalline eyes, eager to begin the next adventure with the love of his life.