by Jade Waltz
“I just need to be left alone to think.”
He nodded and stepped away. “Good night, Sire. Let me know if anything comes up.”
“Erlyn.”
“Yes?”
“I want you to know that I’m sorry for making things harder on you,” Idris sighed. “I’ll work to be a better friend in the future.”
“We may have our ups and downs, but I am not going anywhere.” Erlyn smiled. “See you in the morning.”
Idris waited until the doors closed before he sank down onto his sand bed and lay back, bringing both hands up to cover his face. His heart still pounded, despite the last thirty minutes of calm and sanity. He could feel adrenaline still surging in his elevated pulse from their dance of skill.
He moved his hands up to rub the base of his horns, only to freeze. Aydin’s scent still lingered on his palms.
He didn’t want to believe that he had fallen into a blind lust—that he desired the human male and had challenged him into a courting dance. He wasn’t foolish. Something about the human male called to him, the familiarity making some part of Idris feel as if Aydin could be his—was his.
Why was he so protective of this human male when they had never met before? Did humans have a biological signal, like a mating pheromone designed to lure potential mates that could be influencing him?
Neither species didn’t know any biological details about the other, including whether they were capable of producing hybrid offspring. Idris suddenly needed to wash the tantalizing scent from his body. He hoped it would clear his mind of thoughts of the fragile male.
He stripped off his cape and black pants, letting them fall upon the floor as he entered the stone shower. He stepped underneath the waterfall and let the steaming spray rinse his day away. Gathering a few soapberries from the wall garden, he lathered up his hair, taking in their strong fruity smell.
Grabbing a few more berries, he worked his way down his chest, allowing the water to rinse out the suds from his long mane. The lower he scrubbed, the more his mind wandered, conjuring forbidden thoughts about the male he was trying to forget.
I wonder how his cool, soft hands would feel on my cock . . .
Idris shook his head and tried to stop picturing Aydin on his knees, with his pink lips wrapped around the golden head of his sapphire cock. But no matter how he tried, the image kept resurfacing.
He admitted defeat to his desires.
With a handful of lust berries in his hand, Idris sat down onto the stone shower bench and leaned back, letting his head rest against the wall.
He began to lather up his hardening cock as he gave in to his fantasies, hoping he could cleanse the dirty thoughts out of his system before the morning came.
No matter what Jaiya did, she couldn’t forget the way Idris had looked as he challenged her to that duel. Something about him had shifted, bringing to light a male she didn’t know.
It seemed like everyone within the hangar knew something had happened between them; it was evident in how distant the prince acted compared to the previous days. He barely spoke to her.
He couldn’t even meet her gaze.
Something was wrong, and she didn’t know how to fix it, or if she even should.
Jaiya watched the tractor beams pull in the transport ship, their green magnetic rays guiding it onto the landing pad beside her fighter.
Idris directed the welcome party to spread out as they waited for the vessel to unseal its door, which lowered to the floor as a ramp.
It felt strange, being a part of the welcome party, for once not on the opposite side.
The ramp slammed to the ground, silencing the hangar bay’s occupants. Five robed figures descended the plank.
“I welcome you to the Azophi Starbase,” Idris greeted in perfect CTA Common. “I am Prince Idris, standing leader of this starbase and diplomatic representative for the royal family.”
The five cloaked members introduced themselves. Jaiya couldn’t care less who they were, as long as they signed this treaty.
She never paid attention to the names of politicians and diplomats, unless they did something interesting enough to merit remembering, which was usually not a good kind of interesting. The fact that she didn’t recognize their names meant they weren’t involved in any recent scandals.
“It’s been an honor to be able to work beside Diplomat Lian,” Idris continued. “With his help, we were able to draft an agreeable peace treaty. All it needs is our signatures to move forward.” He stepped forward, beginning to lead them to the war room, where the treaty was already set up and ready to be signed. “We have prepared a mid-day meal for you—”
“That would not be necessary, Prince Idris,” a snooty female about her age interrupted. “We are to sign the treaty and take Aydin back home with us.”
Alarm bells rang in Jaiya’s head. This female was aware of her true identity and was making a point of letting her know.
“Senior Representative Kaela Dias, we’ve prepared everything based on the itinerary planned and presented between our species’ leaders. Changing the day’s activities after my people have spent time preparing for them is—”
“Fine, we will have it your way, Representative Idris, and follow the itinerary.” She shrugged. “It’s not like lunch will change the day’s outcome.”
Dias.
Kaela Dias was Rear Admiral Dias’s youngest daughter.
Jaiya remembered Aydin complaining about her. She was always on a power trip, taking advantage of her father’s influence. His daughter dearest believed she was untouchable and made sure everyone knew it.
Her presence here meant her father already knew what Jaiya had done and must have sent her in his place.
Jaiya followed behind Idris and Dias as they made their way to the war room. She tried to act oblivious to their conversation in CTA Common but failed.
Erlyn kept finicking on his tablet on one side of her, while Raizxl walked stoic as ever on the other. Both appeared to be focused on the prince, whether or not they could completely understand his words.
“You have such lovely hair, Prince Idris,” Kaela beamed as she reached over and stroked it. “I heard all about your species hair, and I finally get to see in it in person. I can’t believe that yours is so long and beautiful compared to the others.” She shot a glare at Jaiya. “Don’t you think so too, Aydin?”
Jaiya placed her hands placatingly on the shoulders of the two males beside her, both of whom were shifting hands towards their weapons in response to her tone. They needed her signature on the peace treaty—otherwise, she would have loved to watch the two unsettled males beside her defend their prince’s honor.
“She isn’t worth it,” she hissed in Dzexet. “The female has some vendetta against me and wants to get a rise out of us.”
Jaiya released her grip on their shoulders and smiled sweetly at the female and spoke in CTA Common. “I wouldn’t know.” She shrugged, smiling sweetly. “But perhaps you can ask Prince Idris about his hair care products. Rumor has it you are losing yours and will probably be balding soon, like your father.”
Kaela hissed, but before she could do or say anything, Idris cut her off.
“Diplomat Aydin was an ideal model of how respectful and hardworking humans can be.” He gripped her wrist, causing her to flinch, releasing his hair. “But you have shown nothing but rudeness since you’ve arrived. I hope this isn’t a sign of what is to come in our species’ combined future.” He dropped her wrist and approached the war room’s door, opening it. “We have arrived at our destination. I am excited to have lunch with you all, so we may get to know each other a little better.”
As soon as Idris disappeared from view, Raizxl stepped into Kaela’s personal space. Her eyes turned wary as he loomed over her and growled. “You are lucky that my prince wishes for peace enough to look past your disrespectful behavior. If you do it again, there may be consequences, if not by him, then by me. This is your only warning.” He backed away, his eyes
locked on hers, daring her—or the other representatives—to say anything.
None came.
The three of them passed Kaela, dismissing her as they entered the room.
Jaiya stood to the side and watched the rest of the CTA representatives file in, with Kaela taking the lead.
After yesterday, Jaiya didn’t know where she should sit. Her loyalties had changed; she didn’t feel as if she belonged on the CTA side of the table with the humans anymore. And yet, the way Idris was acting this morning, she didn’t know if she was welcome to sit near the Daextru.
She didn’t trust Kaela’s behavior. Diplomats of her rank should know about how sacred their hair is to the Daextru and the honor symbolism it stood for. She was being arrogant with her bold advances, and treating this meeting like a game, seeing how far she could take things.
What is her motive? Did she really believe angering the Daextru is going to solve anything?
Erlyn leaned over and whispered something into Idris’ ear, who nodded in reply.
“May I have your attention, please?”
The room fell silent.
“It seems as though my sister, Ushyaz, has asked for permission to warp into the Azophi space. She will be here later this afternoon. She has requested to take my place signing the peace treaty when she arrives. Until then, we can eat while the CTA representatives take their time going over the document.”
“You got on my case when I requested a change to the itinerary, and now your sister wants to change it when she isn’t even here. How is that fair?” Kaela demanded.
“She is the true leader of this space station—I was only filling in while she was away.” He smirked. “Plus, she is my sister. I can’t disobey her.”
“When will lunch be served?” One of the four other representatives asked.
Idris glanced at Erlyn, who typed a few things on his tablet. “In about an hour.”
“Is it possible for us to save time and read the treaty while we wait?” A different representative asked.
“Yes, that is possible,” Erlyn answered as he approached a table standing off to the side, upon which sat two drafts of the treaty in two languages. “As you can see, with Diplomat Lian’s help, the treaty was able to be translated into both CTA Common and Dzexet so both species may have a copy in their native tongue.”
Erlyn stepped away as the five representatives gathered around the documents, discussing something with their heads down in hushed tones.
Raizxl stood guard at the door, looking bored. Erlyn and Idris fell into their own private conversation on the opposite side of the room. Jaiya didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t a real diplomat, and other than the enjoyment of getting to know the males around her, the meetings that had taken place that week had been boring.
She wished that she had bartered for some type of fighter wing shadow training or some provision that would allow her to stay here on the space station. Outside of her brother and wing, she didn’t really have anything waiting for her at home, and if Kaela's behavior was any indication, she could expect harsh consequences when she returned.
“Prince Idris, would you please come here and explain this section of the document to us?” Kaela asked, a little too sweetly for Jaiya’s tastes.
Idris shot Erlyn a look before heading over to the representatives. Erlyn walked over to Raizxl and started speaking to him in hushed tones.
Jaiya hovered near the table, just in case Idris needed help explaining something in CTA Common. She didn’t understand why Kaela was being petty and not asking her about the finer parts of the document. Kaela couldn’t ignore that she had helped create the treaty, no matter how much she tried.
“Prince Idris, you see this section right here?”
“Which one are you talking about?”
“This one, way up here.”
Something about Kaela’s tone of voice sent chills down her body. She snapped her head in the direction of the table.
Two of the male representatives held beamblades in their hands, as the other two loomed behind them, staring in false fascination at the paintings on the wall while they blocked the two Daextru males’ view of the prince. Kaela was reaching into her robe with one hand as she was leaning over the table, distracting Idris with her chatter.
Jaiya saw red.
There was no way she would let these humans ruin everything she’d worked so hard to build. For whom and what reward, she didn’t care. The prince’s life was paramount.
She moved swiftly to pull her beamblade from its sheath, activating it right before it sunk into the back of one of the equipped males, narrowly missing his spine. She yanked her blade out, pushing the dying male into the two art-gazing morons, knocking them to the ground with his weight. Hoping that she’d gained Raizxl’s and Erlyn’s attention, she focused on the other armed male, who took advantage of her distraction and stabbed her side before she had a chance to defend herself.
Jaiya reared, stumbling forward into the prince’s body and pinning him against the table with her weight. But she wasn’t going down without a fight, honor be damned. She kicked the human male’s crotch—hard—and thrust her beamblade straight through his neck. He, too, fell on top of her, pinning her arm to the table’s surface.
“You are making it easier for me to take my trophy,” Kaela purred as she leaned over, holding all of Idris’s hair in one hand and her own purple beamblade in another. “You can witness your—”
Before she was able to finish her monologue, Jaiya found the strength to yank her beamblade from underneath the male and swing, aiming for her heart.
She gasped mid-sentence, dropping the prince’s hair. Jaiya’s blade had landed true.
“You little bitch!” Kaela spat. “If I’m going to die today, you are, too.”
Jaiya was too weak from blood loss; she couldn’t free her beamblade in time to block Kaela’s answering blow.
Pain erupted through her chest, and her lungs burned like an inferno. She gasped for air as her vision blurred, and her body gave out.
“For honor . . .”
“Prince Idris!”
“Sire!”
He closed his eyes, resting his head on the table as he willed everything to disappear.
This has to be a nightmare. There is no reason for this to happen. We have come this close, for what?
No matter how hard he tried, the throbbing that refused to go away told him he was living in reality. He jerked his head, wincing from his failure to free his hair from Kaela’s grip.
The crushing weight continued to pin him against the table. Each passing moment made it harder to breathe. He tried to lift himself from the table, only to fail.
“Get me free!”
Footsteps surrounded him, and the pressure eased.
The heavy body slowly dropped, leaving a trail of their wet and sticky blood on his back as they fell, pinning his tail to the ground.
Idris shoved himself off the table, growling as he flung around to see who had him pinned. He yanked his tail hard, freeing it from underneath the toppled body.
Collapsed on the floor, unconscious in a bloody heap, was a familiar caped figure.
His anger froze as an icy chill coursed through him.
No. No. No. No.
He dropped to his knees, not caring about the crimson puddle pooling underneath him as he reached for the body’s shoulder, flipping him over.
Aydin laid unresponsive, his eyes closed. Idris placed a shaky hand in front of his parted mouth, barely able to register a breath.
Erlyn knelt across from him, peeling back Aydin’s hood. “He saved you . . .”
Idris shot a glance at him. “Page for Qatszo! I need him here. Now!”
He returned his focus to the male who he had gotten to know over the past week, laying him gently onto his back. Idris unclasped his cloak and ran his hand along the fainted male, searching for any hidden injuries. His fingers skimmed over something wet, covering them in thick red. Scanning for its
source, he found a similar deep cut across his side.
“How much longer?” Frantically, he returned to Aydin’s chest wound, and pulled the fabric from around the wound, hissing from the discovery of the depth of the blade.
“It’ll be some time—”
“Then be useful and put pressure on his side,” he ordered Erlyn, wincing from the harshness in his voice. Now wasn’t the time. Aydin’s life was in danger, and he was going to do his best to stabilize him.
“You aren’t going to die on me. I command it!” Gripping the fabric hard, he ripped open Aydin’s bodysuit, baring the space around the beamblade. Idris lowered his face to the wound, licking the sweet crimson blood from his chest. He needed to seal it as much as possible with his saliva before he made any attempts to remove the beamblade from him.
Idris refused to give up. He owed Aydin his life.
Only the beamblade remained. Sighing, he sat up and wiped his mouth off with his shoulder scarf. He needed scales and fast in order to be successful.
The larger scales on his tail were the only ones reachable and wouldn’t be an issue if he removed them. They would take longer for him to regrow than the others on his body. It would leave any scaleless spots on his body vulnerable to severe damage if struck—but it was the risk he will take in order to save Aydin’s life.
Curling the end of his tail to his mouth, he bit into it, ignoring the self-inflicted pain. What he felt couldn’t be a fraction of what Aydin must have felt from the fight. One by one, he tore off the small collection of scales needed to heal both of Aydin’s wounds.
“Raizxl, I’m going to need you to slowly pull the beamblade from his chest to prevent the least amount of damage. My goal is to seal it as fast as possible by using my saliva as the binding agent for my scales.”
“But Sire, he’s a human—”
“I don’t care!” He glared at the emerald male. “Help me or find someone who will.”
Raizxl rushed over and sat across from Erlyn, carefully gripping the weapon sticking out of Aydin’s chest. His face scrunched grimly, as he glanced between Aydin’s paling body and the prince.