by Hope Hart
He gestures at Nathan, who somehow still looks hungover.
“You’re on Harlow duty. We’re going to hit things.”
Nathan frowns. “Why can’t I hit things? Hey Rob,” he calls. “You hang out with Harlow for a while. We’re going to the gym.”
Rob raises an eyebrow as he appears. He opens his mouth and Harlow holds up a hand.
“Fine,” she says through clenched teeth. “We will all go and hit things. After that, I get to sit down and watch bad movies for at least three hours.”
“Deal.”
Korva
It may take some time before Eve is ready to forgive me.
I nod, pretending to listen as one of Varian’s advisors drones on as we all sit in a meeting room. Jaret catches my eye, a mild expression of interest on his face and I almost snort. He could likely sum up the Grivath’s recent moves within a few sentences but instead, we are forced to listen to an idiot ramble for an hour.
“Your Royal Highness?”
I jolt as Varian kicks me under the table.
The idiot is addressing me? My already dark mood grows darker.
“It’s Korva,” I growl, as the advisor stutters.
Varian is also in an even worse mood than usual, likely because he also is forced to sit here while his mate is elsewhere. The thought of him suffering even slightly brightens my own mood.
He glares at me. “You,” he says tightly “are a prince. You will act like one.”
A snarl rips from my throat at the order and Varian gets to his feet.
“Out,” he says softly, and everyone leaves except Jaret, who leans back in his chair with a grin on his face.
“In Fecax, we need to present a unified front. That means that you will pretend not to loathe me.”
“Why would I pretend? The Fecax are well aware of what you did to me.”
“You were insane!” Varian roars, getting to his feet and throwing the table into the wall.
I stay seated, unimpressed. “And instead of searching for a solution, you locked me away like a criminal.”
“You were a criminal. Arcav females were no longer born. You nearly destroyed our race.”
“Was I a criminal? Or was I insane? Which one was it?”
“Both,” Varian snarls, as I slowly get to my feet.
Jaret clears his throat. “May I make a suggestion?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “What?”
“Varian is correct. You will need to appear united against any threats or outside influences. No one would expect you to be friends, but you must show each other common courtesy and respect. And for the time being, you must allow titles. In exchange, Varian will give you something that you would like.”
Varian growls lowly. “I will not bargain with him.”
“You asked him to come for a reason. Why not give him something he wants?”
Varian looks like he is tasting something bad, and a spark of satisfaction hits me.
“What do you want?” he asks through his teeth.
There is only one thing I want.
“Eve.”
“Excuse me?”
Even Jaret looks surprised.
“If I have not convinced her to be my female by the end of this trip, I will take her and convince her otherwise.”
Varian’s mouth drops open, and for a moment he looks as if he might laugh.
“You realize that she may be mated to someone else?”
I bare my teeth at him. Let another male try to take her from me.
“I will cross that river when I come to it.”
“Bridge,” Varian and Jaret say together.
Varian shakes his head at me. “Fine. If you stupidly believe that this is the best action, then you have a deal. In the meantime, Your Royal Highness, you will fall in line.”
I grit my teeth. If Eve heard that title, she would laugh until tears filled her eyes. The thought of her laugh makes me agree to a deal with the devil himself.
“Fine.”
“I’m not finished.”
Of course he’s not. “What else?”
“If you want the support you will need for a relationship with a human, after so many of our people are still looking for their mates, you will demonstrate your support in return.”
“What does that mean?”
“Sunday dinners. Harlow says that this is what family does. You will come to our quarters once a week with your female. During this time, you will be pleasant. You will do your best to forget that you hate me, and you will make an effort to be the brother I remember.”
I grit my teeth and turn away. Am I willing to let go of my rage and hate? For her?
I am no longer the male who selfishly risked the future of our species. But perhaps Varian is no longer the male who locked me away for centuries either. He was young, untested, and new to the crown. Recently, I’ve seen him take advice from others, carefully weighing the pros and cons. Do I believe he would take the same action again today?
No.
I turn around and eye my brother. For so long, I’ve clung to the betrayal and anger I felt every time I looked at him. But never once have I questioned what that time must have been like for him. For our people to scream for my death. I blamed him for keeping me alive, but how could I expect him to put his little brother to death?
In his eyes I see a glimpse of hope, along with the certainty that I will refuse.
“I agree.”
His mouth drops open, but a cautious smile crosses his face. Jaret grins beside him.
“In that case, do as you will.”
Chapter Seventeen
Eve
I frown into the mirror as Minerva, Harlow’s maid, does the finishing touches on my makeup.
Usually, Meghan would be here, cracking jokes and trying to convince me to try her favorite highlighter or choose a darker lipstick. Now, it’s just Harlow and Amanda, who are enjoying the sight of Minerva layering cosmetics on my skin.
“How long do you think she’ll last before she shoots someone?”
“I give her three hours,” Amanda says as I shoot her a dirty look. “Actually, make that two.”
“Very funny.”
Harlow grins at me, but I can see worry on her face, so I play along.
“How do you restrain yourself from punching those idiot advisors in the mouth, Maleficent?”
Someone pounds on the door.
“Come in,” Harlow says, and Jaret rushes in, screen in his hand.
“You will not believe this.”
“What?” We all move closer, and he holds up the screen, revealing Meghan’s smiling face.
“OH MY GOD!”
“You’re alive?”
“Where the fuck have you been?”
“You are so dead!”
We’re all talking over one another, and I’m crying like a little bitch. On the screen, Meghan wipes away her own tears, until a large hand comes into view and begins brushing them away for her.
“Is that Methi?”
She laughs. “It sure is. Roax found us. It’s a long story, and I’m dying to see you guys in person. I just talked to mom, and her reaction was a lot like yours, only even more crying. Roax offered to take us to Fecax, but I need to hug my mom. And it sounds like you guys are leaving soon?”
“Yeah, it’s not going to be a long trip. Just a meeting to try to get these assholes in line. There’s no use negotiating with them until we find the Fecax Queen.”
“In that case, I’ll meet you in Arcavia. I can’t wait to see you! Oh, and check this out!” Meghan holds up her wrists, revealing silver bands.
“Wow, congratulations,” Harlow beams.
“Oh wait, it gets even better.” Meghan holds up her left hand where a metal ring sits on her ring finger. “I’m engaged, bitches!”
Amanda grins. “Hasn’t he heard of diamonds?”
Methi comes into view suddenly, and his face is somber as he stares at Harlow.
“I did not break my
promise,” he says, and she bursts into tears.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Get your ass home so I can hug you both. Thank God you’re alive.”
Jaret has a huge grin on his face as he turns off the screen and relief radiates from him. Amanda gets up and wraps her arms around him and he closes his eyes. If I felt bad for not noticing Meghan’s plans, I’m sure Jaret has felt even worse. But who could’ve imagined that the kid would’ve blindsided us all and stolen a ship?
“Wow,” I realize. “She’s eighteen now.” We all sit in silence for a moment. Meghan turned into an adult without us. I feel the weirdest urge to cry.
Even Minerva has tears in her eyes as I turn to her.
“I’m sorry,” I smile. “I messed up your makeup.”
And then we’re all laughing in relief, even as another knock sounds at the door.
Another maid appears, this one holding a large piece of what looks like plastic.
“What’s that?”
“The bump,” Harlow says grinning.
I’d almost forgotten.
Jaret kisses Amanda once more and then heads out the door.
Minerva fixes my makeup and finishes curling my hair, and I examine myself in the mirror, comparing my reflection to Harlow. As long as we don’t come across anyone who has spent more than a few minutes near her, I’ll pass.
Minerva takes the bump and I stand in front of her in my underwear, strangely nervous. It was my idea to do this, but if anyone figures out that I’m not Harlow, I could cause an interplanetary incident.
I stare down as Minerva straps it on. “It feels warm.”
Harlow moves closer and pokes it. We all watch as it sinks in a tiny bit and then bounces back, just like real skin.
“It’s supposed to feel warm. The goal is to make you look just as pregnant as me. Only without the cankles.”
“Yeah, I’ll hard pass on those.”
I pull on the long, sky-blue dress that was designated for today. All of the dresses I’ll be wearing have pockets and slits in the right places so I can easily reach my weapons. Harlow also stepped in and made sure that they all have long sleeves, keeping my wrists— and my mating bands— hidden. Unfortunately, that means no wrist sheaths. But before we left Arcavia, Jaret presented me with a specially designed thigh-sheath that’s soft as butter but still stays in place as I walk. I’ve also got my blaster in an ankle holster.
Harlow and Amanda stare at me.
“So? What do you think?”
“I think it’s a bit creepy how much you look like Harlow,” Amanda grins.
I meet Harlow’s eyes. She’s biting her lip and I narrow my eyes at her.
“It’s going to be fine. I promise.”
“I just don’t like that you’re making yourself a target for me.”
“Harlow, what do you think would happen if you were around? I’d be in the exact same position, only half of my brain would be focused on your exact location at any given time.”
“I know. I’m not an idiot,” she says, frowning at me. “Just be careful.”
“Of course.”
“One final thing,” Harlow says, and something in her tone tells me I’m not going to enjoy this final thing.
She grins at Minerva and makes a gesture over her head. The maid turns and I groan as I see what she’s holding in her hand.
“Oh hell no.”
Harlow’s grin widens. “You know, the fact that you hate this is making it a lot more tolerable for me.”
The bump I could take. The dress sucks, but it’s part of the deal. But a crown?
“Who came up with this stupid plan?”
Amanda raises an eyebrow. “I believe Blake said it was you.”
“It was both of us, and he doesn’t have to wear that.”
Minerva comes closer and I sigh, finally bending my head so she can place the crown on top. She fusses around, adding more pins and shifting it half an inch one way, only to shift it a half an inch back the other way.
I bare my teeth and a smirk dances around her mouth. She’s enjoying this.
“Are we done?”
Harlow nods, eyes dancing. “This is revenge for all the pregnancy jokes.”
I sigh. “I should’ve known you’d make me pay. On the bright side, if things get hairy, I’m pretty sure I can take this off and beat someone to death with it.”
Amanda winces and I give her a toothy grin.
“Okay. Good?”
Minerva nods, and I turn and stalk toward the door. Every woman in the room cracks up behind me.
I whirl, meeting Minerva’s laughing eyes.
“What?”
“You can’t walk like that.”
“Like. What.”
Amanda moves backward. “Watch how Harlow walks.”
“I watch her walk every damned day.”
“Yeah, but really watch.”
Harlow walks toward me, and I study her gait. Okay. She’s got her weight in her heels, and her spine and pelvis are curving as she leans back slightly. They’re right. No one’s going to believe I’m seven and a half months pregnant if I swagger around like usual.
I nod and try it again. The fake bump is awkward, but I imagine it being even heavier, with something inside poking at me all the time. I let my hips loosen, slowing down my gait, shortening my stride, and jutting my stomach out.
“Better?”
They all nod, and I blow out a breath.
“Okay, let’s get this show on the road.”
Korva
My mouth drops open as Eve appears.
“You didn’t tell me this was the plan,” I growl at Varian, who looks up. His eyes narrow at Eve and he nods at her, obviously pleased.
I. Am. Not. Pleased.
Eve is dressed as Harlow, with her hair styled the same way, and even a large stomach. She wears a glittering crown which piques my interest. I would like to see her wearing nothing but that crown. Strangely, something within me softens at the thought of her pregnant with my youngling. And then that something sharpens at the thought of her as bait.
I cannot lose her.
Varian moves forward, studying Eve. I show him my teeth as I also move closer. Anyone who knew the two women would never mistake them as each other. They definitely look similar, but I have been studying Eve’s every movement since the moment I saw her.
“What do you think?” Eve asks Varian, ignoring me.
“More than acceptable. Good work.”
She smiles at Varian and then her smile falls as her eyes meet mine.
“This is not acceptable,” I say.
“Pull yourself together,” she advises me.
“Children,” Harlow says, stepping forward. “It’s almost time for you to all go. Without me.” Her lower lip trembles and Varian’s eyes widen. He takes her in his arms and I ignore him as he whispers to his mate.
I glare at Eve. “Why would you do this?”
“If you have to ask that, you never knew me at all.”
Of course I know her. And if I had been clear-headed, I would have known she would put herself in danger in an attempt to keep Harlow safe.
“I will be a member of your guard.”
“No way.”
“You are one person short now that you will be playing Harlow.”
“We’ve already made allowances for that.”
“Enough,” Varian says, and we both turn. “You cannot be a member of the guard. Everyone on this planet knows you as the Crown Prince.”
I grit my teeth as he steps forward.
“There will be times that I will touch Eve. I may even have to hold her hand. But if you were to touch her in front of the Fecax, I would be forced to strike you down for laying hands on my mate. Can you handle this?’
I breath out. “I will not touch her.”
“Damn right you won’t,” Eve mutters.
Varian studies me and finally shrugs. “It is your head.”
Eve’s eyes widen for a moment and I look
at her. Could she possibly be worried about me? Then she shrugs, turning away as Blake appears.
“Whoa, you look great,” he sends a wary look my way. “Not great, great, you know. Just... Great.”
“Got it,” Eve snaps. “Let’s go.”
Harlow steps forward, taking Eve’s hands. “Thank you,” she says. “Remember to walk slowly. Imagine feeling like you have a football stuck between your legs, and you need to hold it in, all while your center of gravity is completely off.”
“Right then,” Eve says. “Got it. Rob and Vazta will stick to you like glue. Go watch a movie and eat some cheese, Maleficent. I’ll see you soon.”
The Fecax dock is large enough that we could land directly on Fecax, without needing to take smaller ships down. The doors open, and Eve takes a deep breath. I stroke one hand along her lower back, ignoring the warning look in her eyes, and then I step back, taking my place next to Blake.
Never would I have imagined that I would voluntarily travel as part of my brother’s court. The thought chafes, and I grind my teeth as he takes Eve’s hand and steps forward toward the Fecax dignitaries.
“Are you going to be able to do this?” Blake mutters to me, and I nod.
Varian is not paying Eve any real attention. She has her eyes on the Fecax, and I can see her taking mental notes on each of their positions, even as she lifts her eyes, obviously scanning for snipers.
Blake sighs. “She just can’t help herself,” he mutters.
Snipers. I need to get closer.
We all walk forward, Nathan and Blake stepping into position behind Eve, while I take her right side. Varian’s guard have him covered on the left, and I tune into the conversation.
“The meeting will start soon. Are you sure you would not like something to eat first, Your Majesty?”
The Fecax is small and pompous, and I do not appreciate the way he looks at Eve.
Varian shakes his head. “We have just eaten, but we thank you for the offer.”
The Fecax turns to me. “Greetings, Your Royal Highness.”
Eve shakes slightly beside me.
“Did he just?—” Blake mutters lowly.
“Yup,” Eve whispers, smirking. “He sure did.”
I bare my teeth in a feral smile. The Fecax dignitary flinches, and Varian waits until the male has walked away before he glowers at me.