by Roxie Ray
I pulled Orion aside to look at the screens. Sure enough, they had a clip of the moment that Alora first fell into my arms playing on repeat. It was always strange, watching oneself from the viewpoint of the cameras that observed all of the common areas of the ship.
It was even more strange seeing the way Alora’s body moved against mine—the way, just as Kali said, that for a moment, Alora seemed to want to kiss me as badly as I had wanted to kiss her.
“You’re still having dreams of her?” Orion asked, rubbing the back of his head as I released his braid.
“Of course.” I had confided in Kali and Orion about the dreams I had been having since Edon, hoping that it would help them understand the importance of keeping Alora safe. At first, I had been worried that they would not believe me. But to my surprise, not only did they believe—they thought others would as well.
Lunaria was desperate for a king. A true king. If the dreams proved to be more than just dreams, but genuine prophecy as I believed, then that king was me.
And somehow, all of this hinged on Alora. In the visions, she was by my side when I was crowned. If I could not find some way to claim her…
I did not think my coronation could ever take place at all.
“Is she everything you hoped she’d be?” Kali asked teasingly.
“And more,” I admitted. So much more. “But…fate is against us. You know that. Everything is. Now, come.” I beckoned Kali towards me. “It is time you met her for yourself.”
3
Alora
My new rooms were beautiful. The drapery around my bed and the portholes that gave me a view of the stars was so black, it seemed to swallow up every light that hit its surface. Woven between the blackness of the fabric were little jewels that took the light and made it sparkle like stars. The mattress was so comfy, once I lay down on it, I never wanted to get back up. As I snuggled down a little deeper into the pillows, I eyed the bathtub in the center of the room eagerly and imagined how good it would feel to sink down into it as well. Sometimes, bathtubs weren’t long enough for legs, and I had to scrunch up my knees just to fit—but this one looked practically Lunarian-sized.
It was all beautiful and luxurious, yes. But I knew that sometimes, even prisons could be full of beauty and luxury.
I’d been living in prisons like this for my entire life.
In the pocket of my skirt, my communicator buzzed. I let out a sigh as I pulled it out. Probably, it was just Knox checking to make sure the hand-off had gone well.
I answered it without checking to see who was calling and immediately regretted it.
“Daughter.” My father purred the word like it actually meant something to him as his wrinkled face and bloodshot eyes appeared on the screen. His hair was just a few wisps on either side of his head, the same tobacco-stained yellow color that his teeth had been before he switched to dentures. I caught sight of his toupee, the same dark brown color as Knox’s was, resting on its stand behind him. “How are you finding your new accommodations?”
“They’re fine.” Especially the gorgeous Lunarian bodyguard my husband-to-be sent to keep me safe, I wanted to add…but of course, I didn’t. I didn’t trust my father with a single thought in my head, let alone whatever strange feelings Ronan had somehow managed to stir up in me. Like most things, when it came to my father, I was better off keeping my thoughts to myself. “Thank you for asking.”
“Oh, Alora. That was a good try, but I don’t buy it.” My father clucked his tongue at me as he shook his head. His voice was full of disdain. “Why don’t I ask you again? How. Are you. Finding. Your new. Rooms?”
I tensed up for a second—just the one.
Just remember the stakes, Alora. Knox’s words echoed in my head and I forced myself to relax.
“They’re wonderful, father.” I pulled my lips back into one of my twenty-four-karat fake smiles. The believable kind. My voice was as sweet as fresh cherries in June. “I absolutely adore them.”
“Mm. That’s better.” My father chuckled. “Put on a performance like that, and your new husband is certain to love you. And make no mistake, Alora, I do need him to love you. With all his heart and soul.”
“Of course,” I said—but then a question came to my mind and I couldn’t help myself. “But…why?”
“Stupid girl.” Suddenly, my father looked like he wanted to spit. “Did you not read your briefing?”
“Every page of it,” I assured him honestly. “I have it memorized.”
“Then you will recall that we are dependent on Lunaria for technology—including the military kind. That should be answer enough for you.”
“You’re…” I bit my lip. “You need the military technology for a reason. You’re planning on invading someone, aren’t you?”
“Ha. Perhaps you inherited some of my intelligence after all.” My father raised his eyes to the ceiling like he was praying, but I knew better. He didn’t believe in anything holier than himself—not even the Sectarian church that I’d been raised to worship in. And he’d been the one created it in the first place. “Yes, Alora, I’m planning an invasion. Very good.”
“Who? Why?”
“That is none of your business, daughter.” My father’s voice shifted twenty degrees colder in an instant. It nearly made me shiver. “You are not a politician. You are a woman—a fertile, breedable womb and nothing more. The part you play in this is not to know my plans. The part you play is to seduce that fat fucker of an alien I’ve arranged for you to marry, seduce him, give him what he wants—so he’ll give me what I want. And if you fail me—if you fail your new king—don’t think for a second that I can’t make your life a living hell just because you’re on a different planet, Alora, because I can, and I will. Understand?”
I took in a slow, steady breath. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to call him every dirty word I knew, then I wanted to consult a Lunarian so I could call him a few in their language as well. I wanted to at least tell him that I was more than just a fucking womb—
But of course, I couldn’t.
My father was a powerful man. He’d used his power to oppress the people of the sectors ever since he first inherited the office from his father before him. He’d used it to torment my mother, right up until the moment when she drew her last breath.
He’d used it on me. Every moment of terror and abject fear I’d ever felt in my twenty-five years had come from him.
My father didn’t bluff when it came to making threats. If he said he could make my life hell on Lunaria as well, then he could, and he would.
“Of course I understand.” My voice was level. Pleasant, even.
And just like everything else in my life, save for the few moments I’d accidentally spent in the arms of my handsome Lunarian protector since I came aboard this ship…it was an act.
It was only when my father hung up that I could drop it.
When he did, a single tear fell down my cheek. Even that felt cold as ice.
I didn’t make noise when I cried. I might have once, but not anymore. Sometimes, it felt like a curse. Like I couldn’t even allow myself enough access to my emotions to really set them free.
But in that moment, it was a blessing.
It allowed me to hear a throat being cleared in my doorway across the room.
“Apologies, Your Highness.” Ronan stood in the doorway with a young woman who was probably about my height. She had human-looking fingernails and dark brown hair, but as she watched me, I saw her eyes swirl from Lunarian purple to a dull, listless gray color.
She was one of the hybrids, I realized. Half Lunarian, half human.
“I’m, um, I’m Kali,” she said. “Your new, um, handmaiden. Are you…all right?”
“It’s nice to meet you, Kali.” I nodded and drew in a breath. “Of course. I’m fine.”
“Are you certain?” Ronan moved toward me and came to a halt at the edge of my bed. He offered me one of his hands. “You do not seem fine.”
&n
bsp; “I really am,” I lied. I tucked the communicator back into my pocket, then took Ronan’s hand and let him pull me up out of bed. I was grateful for his touch. As cold as I felt right now, it was nice to feel the warmth of his skin against mine. “Just homesick. Nothing to be worried about.”
“Alora. Please, do not lie to me.” Ronan looked down at me like he could see right through my eyes into my soul.
I stiffened beneath his gaze. “How much of that call did you hear?”
“Enough.” Ronan moved a hand to my face and wiped my tear away with the pad of his thumb. “You do not deserve to be treated like that, Your Highness.”
“Thank you, Ronan.” I blinked the rest of the tears away from my eyes and put my smile back on. “I suppose at least when I’m queen of Lunaria, I won’t be.”
Ronan’s hands slipped away from me. For just a second, his eyes turned misty and gray as well.
“Not if I can help it, no.” He moved away and waved Kali forward. “You would like that bath now, I imagine. Kali will draw it for you and fetch anything else you need.”
“You’re not staying?” I knew it was a stupid question as soon as it left my lips, but that was the problem with words. Once they were out there, you couldn’t take them back.
Ronan laughed. “No. I do not think that would be appropriate. Unless…you would like me to?”
“Of course not. That was…silly of me.” I echoed his laugh. “Forgive me, Ronan. I’m sure you have other business to attend to here on the ship, and I’m obviously too tired to think straight.”
But as I watched him leave, my heart panged a little bit.
Thinking straight or not, some part of me really did want him to stay.
“Bath’s ready,” Kali announced a few moments later. When I turned my head to look at her, she made a point of looking away. But when I wasn’t watching her, I could feel her eyes on me. Staring. Tracking my every expression, my every move. “Hold still so I can get your clothes off.”
“Oh. That’s not necessary.” I shifted away from Kali just in time to dodge her hand as she reached for my skirt. “I’m a big girl. I can undress myself.”
“You’re going to be queen of Lunaria,” Kali scoffed, reaching for my skirt again. “You’re not going to be doing anything for yourself anymore.”
“Right.” I closed my eyes and nodded. That had been in my briefing—some important part of the Lunarian culture surrounding queenhood—but I’d kind of been holding out hope I’d be able to dodge it somehow. “Of course.”
Whatever sympathy Kali might have felt for me after hearing my call with my father had obviously left the building, so to speak, by the time she started undressing me. Her movements were sharp and almost a little angry as she tugged off my skirt and unlaced my top.
I didn’t know what she had against me, but I knew that if this was how things were going to be, I needed to get used to it. Everything I’d read about in my briefing on Lunarian culture, I’d spent the last few months mentally preparing for.
It was a good thing, too. It looked like my privacy was going to be pretty limited from here on out—and I wasn’t exactly going to be handled by gentle hands through it, either.
“Get in, then.” Kali grabbed me by the elbow and dragged me toward the tub. She couldn’t have been any older than eighteen or so, but for a teenager, she was surprisingly strong. “Before the water gets cold.”
“I don’t think we’re in any danger of that.” I watched the steam rise up from the water for a few seconds, then braced myself and dipped a toe in.
Yikes. It was searingly hot. I hissed and pulled my foot away, half clinging to Kali to keep my balance.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “It’s just water.”
“It’s a little too hot for me,” I admitted. “Maybe we could wait a few minutes? I think that might burn my skin clear off.”
“You’ll be fine.” Kali pushed me towards the tub again. “This is just the temperature we bathe in on Lunaria. You’ll get used to it eventually.”
“I guess I’ll have to.”
I grimaced as I dunked my foot in again. It wasn’t any better the second time around. If anything, it was even hotter. But after a few moments being submerged in the near-boiling heat, the burning sensation subsided. The water felt strange against my skin as I moved my entire body into it, like it was somehow slightly thicker than the water on Earth. Once my whole body was inside the tub, I felt the aches and pains of travel slowly ease out of my muscles and bones.
“That’s…incredible.” I wracked my brain for anything in my briefing about Lunarian water having healing properties, but couldn’t remember anything. Apparently, not everything I needed to know about Lunarian culture could be squeezed into one binder. “It burned at first, but now it feels…good, actually.”
“Yep.” Kali took my head between her hands and yanked it backwards. “You might want to close your eyes.”
“Why?”
Kali stared down at me for a second, like there was something in my eyes that caught her interest. It was the first time she’d looked at me like that while I was looking at her, too.
“Because the soap will burn if it gets in them.” Kali’s hold on my head softened a little after I closed my eyes like she’d asked. “Your eyes are like my mother’s.”
“She has green eyes?” I jumped on that detail. If this could help me connect to Kali, the only other woman I’d met so far here, then I needed to take it. As my handmaiden, she’d be by my side through everything moving forward.
I didn’t want her to hate me.
I was alone here aside from her and Ronan. I wanted to be her friend.
“I mean they don’t change color,” Kali said. Her voice was a few shades softer now, at least. I counted it as a win. “She’s human, like you.”
“Is that where you get your hair color, then? I understand it’s uncommon among Lunarians.”
“Exotic, apparently.” Kali tilted my head back and lowered it into the water just enough to get it wet. “I hear yours is exotic on Earth.”
“It’s common on Lunaria, though.” I let out a little laugh. That was kind of exciting for me. For the first time in my life, I wouldn’t be gawked at for being a redhead.
“More common than it is on Earth—but still desirable. It’s seen the same way blondes are on Earth, apparently. Like…I think you call them movie stars?”
“I’m hardly a movie star.” I knew I wasn’t bad looking. I had the benefit of my mother’s good bone structure and my father’s strong jawline, plus a good diet of high-nutrient food and plenty of time to exercise. But my looks had always been described to me as elegant—not movie star glamorous.
“On Lunaria, you might as well be.” Kali squirted something into one of her hands and started working it into my scalp. The smell of something like jasmine, only softer and more citrusy, filled the air. “It’s no wonder they’re making you queen.”
“They’re making me queen because my father, the president of the sectors, made a deal with your king.”
“Not my king,” Kali said. Suddenly, her fingers were digging into my scalp a little harder than before.
Okay. So the monarchy was a sore topic. I could understand that. If I was a handmaiden, I’d probably have a chip on my shoulder when it came to the divine right of the ruling class too.
In fact, I was the daughter of a world leader, and I didn’t exactly look on the ruling class with that much favor either.
“What does your mother do on Lunaria now?” I wanted to get back on the right track with Kali. Talking about her family had made her warm to me—and it was hard not to be interested in exactly what human women were doing on Lunaria. For all the intel I’d been given, none of it had even touched on the other humans living on the planet I would soon call home.
But to my dismay, Kali’s scrubbing only got rougher.
“She’s in prison. So is my father, before you ask.” If she worked my head over any harder, she was go
ing to end up tearing my hair out. “They opposed the king when he first started forcing women into his harem. He attacked their palace. I had a younger brother too, but…”
The scrubbing stopped abruptly as Kali’s voice trailed off.
Suddenly, the water felt strangely cold all around me, even though there was still steam coming off its surface.
“I’m sorry, Kali. That’s…I had no idea.”
“No. Don’t suppose you would have.” Kali sighed and resumed washing my hair. More gently again now, to my relief. “What did they tell you? That your future husband’s harem was a Lunarian tradition, and everyone is just thrilled to be a part of it, I guess?”
“Something like that,” I admitted. “My briefing suggested that it was considered…a great honor among Lunarian women and the humans who are sent there.”
But even as I spoke, I knew that couldn’t have been entirely true. The human women sent to Lunaria were usually coerced—either fertile women from the work camps in Sector Five, or gray-class women who agreed to be sent to Lunaria to avoid those work camps. Sure, a few women of higher classes agreed to go every now and then—especially when they saw what the Lunarian men looked like—but with few exceptions, Lunaria wanted young humans. Virgins. And not many of those were willing to be sent to an alien planet to give birth to half-alien babies—cubs.
I didn’t know why it surprised me so much that Lunarian women felt the same way.
“It’s not an honor.” Kali confirmed my suspicions in a tone like the first notes of a funeral march. “It’s unavoidable. I’ll have to join the harem too someday, when I come of age, and then—”
Kali stopped again. It was like her whole body had frozen in place.
“You shouldn’t be forced to become part of the harem if you don’t want to, Kali,” I said gently.