Each medal was a tangible mark for an enemy starship that he’d shot down. He had quite the cluster. I knew he was respected, feared, and even revered in his field. He was currently at the Citadel to train our own Asterion pilots. We were good at many things, but our military needed building up. That was no secret. This Overlord was the one for the job.

But he was not the one for my wife. Not for Delle.

He came fully into the office and stood at military rest, his hands clasped behind his back. Managing to look commanding and attentive despite being technically at ease.

“May I inquire as to what is occurring here?” he asked formally.

“You can inquire, but is it any of your business?”

I answered before Drayke could. He offered a reproving look. Although the Flight Commander lacked authority over either of us, he had a high standing in the Citadel itself. It would not do to anger him unnecessarily. Certainly, it lacked diplomacy. However, if he were here for the reason that I suspected, I did not care if I angered him. Delle was mine, and no power on Earth, Asterion, Gorgathel, or the reaches of the universe itself could take my wife from me.

“I believe it is if the human female I requested is involved.”

He answered calmly, but I could hear the steel in his tone. I heard something else. Anger. Effrontery. Possessiveness. He thought putting his name on the list had secured Delle as his. He was quietly furious that he was being disrespected.

A response was on the tip of my tongue, but I was unable to give it. Delle spoke instead. I felt her fingers flex in mine, heard the intake of her breath. Perhaps I could have stopped her, but why would I? I was her husband, but not her owner. The root of the matter was her, and she made the Flight Commander know it.

“Excuse me?” She took a step towards the Commander without pulling free from me. “That human female is me, sir. And while we’re on the subject, I’m not just some human female you get to request and who gets handed to you on a silver platter. I get to make my own decisions and I get to have a say in what happens with my life and for sure with my body. I don’t give a flying crap if you requested me or not. That’s disgusting. I have a say in this, and I’ve made my decision. I choose him. Overlord Caide.”

Pride swelled in my chest at my female’s spirited defense, and even more at how she concluded her speech. She had chosen me. And she was not afraid to own it.

The Flight Commander stiffened, obviously displeased.

“What’s more,” she continued, stepping outside the shelter of my arms, “we’re married. You need to back off. There’s nothing you can do. It’s done. I’m off the damned breeder’s list.”

“Is that so, Official?” Abidah asked without removing his eyes from Delle’s face. “Are these two legally married?”

“All except the binding ceremony, sir,” Official Drayke answered.

“Then it is not yet complete.”

“It is done, except for that. I’m afraid the young woman has made her choice. The breeder’s lists will not be published until tomorrow. Until then, under Asterion law and Citadel bylaws she is free to marry whoever she wants.”

The Flight Commander did not like this. His angry gaze swung to me. I didn’t flinch. If anything, I returned his stare with an even harder one.

“What made her choose you?” he sneered. “You are nothing. You have nothing. You can offer her nothing. I can offer her protection, prestige, wealth, security.”

I couldn’t dispute that. My position as an Overlord was far better than most human males and I could offer Delle far more than they. However, in comparison to the Flight Commander, I could only offer less. Nevertheless, I felt no shame and I certainly wasn’t intimidated.

“I can offer her someone who truly cares about her,” I replied, and I meant the words. My arm circled her back, my hand going to her shoulder, resting on it, reassuring her. “Not someone who chose her off a breeder’s list. I chose her long before the breeder’s lists were made official.”

Delle hadn’t heard this, of course. She didn’t know. I saw the tilt of her head, caught the flash of surprise on her face, but she recovered well. She turned back to Abidah, raising her chin.

“I’m afraid you’ve lost this match, Commander.”

“I have lost nothing,” he growled, his fists visibly clenching. I feared we had made a powerful foe. He swung back to Official Drayke. “What can be done to terminate this farce of a marriage?”

“I, uh…” Drayke stammered, shooting me a concerned look. I shrugged one shoulder, feigning a casualness I did not feel. “You would have to get permission from the Chief Overlord of the entire Citadel, sir, and present your case to him. Even then, it isn’t likely he’ll intervene. There is nothing in Asterion laws or Citadel bylaws that—”

“Yes, yes, you said all that,” the Flight Commander growled. He half wheeled, thought again, and spun back. “Perhaps you think you’ve won,” he said directly to me, sizing me up, “but this is far from over. No one insults me like that.”

“It is over,” I stated firmly, coldly. “There was no insult intended to you. This was only about the human female I wished to marry. I will thank you, Flight Commander, to remember that and leave my wife alone.”

“Wife,” he snorted, eyeing Delle up and down. “This one’s no good for a wife, but for mating and breeding offspring. Look at her. She has hips for pleasure and child bearing, and a family history that’s promising. Otherwise, she isn’t even attractive.”

Delle stiffened next to me. “How kind of you,” she said dryly. “Yeah, that really makes me want to get into bed with you. You’re a real gentleman, Flight Commander.”

“What I am is honest,” he replied, eyeing her sternly. “Something your husband isn’t.”