Out of the Ashes

by L. A. Casey

  Hated. It.

  “Princess Nova.” The Revered Father smiled, revealing a small indent of a scar curved around the right side of his mouth. “Welcome to our family.”

  I did the arm over chest thing everyone did when they encountered Kol and Surkah, and with my head bowed, I said, “Thank you very much, Revered Father. I am honoured.”

  “So respectful,” the Hailed Mother beamed. “I adore her already.”

  When I stood upright, the Hailed Mother surprised me by hugging me once more, which made everyone chuckle. When we separated, she came to my side, and to her son, Ezah, she said, “Greet you sister-in-mate.”

  Ezah didn’t move a muscle.

  Kol’s smile slowly slipped from his face, and a frown replaced it.

  “Brother,” he murmured. “What is wrong?”

  “You mated outside our species,” Ezah replied. “That is what’s wrong, brother.”

  Kol blinked. “You … you have a problem with my mating?”

  “Yes,” Ezah quipped. “I do.”

  I expected Kol to growl, shout, or at the very least agree with his brother, but he looked so shocked, all he could do was stare at him, unblinking.

  “What problem do you have?” Surkah demanded.

  “He is royal,” Ezah snarled, looking at me as he answered his sister. “He cannot taint his bloodline with … with … it.”

  Fuck you too, buddy.

  “Ezah!” the Revered Father suddenly barked. “Cruel words harm females!”

  Ezah dropped his head and said, “My apologies, Father.”

  I felt Kol’s anger spike, and I just knew he would attack Ezah, so I shot forward, and wrapped my arms around him, hoping to contain him before he exploded with rage.

  “Don’t!” I screeched.

  He viciously growled, but I didn’t release him.

  “Nova,” he snarled. “Move aside.”

  I squeezed his waist tighter. “I hate it when you fight. Please!”

  “Ezah! Look what you have done!” the Hailed Mother bellowed. “You have ruined our first meeting with our daughter-in-mate. I am very disappointed in you, my son.”

  Ezah didn’t reply to his mother, and a peek at him told me he didn’t really care what she had to say, which I knew was a big deal because everyone heeded the Hailed Mother and Revered Father’s words, even their children.

  “Apologise!” Kol demanded of his brother. “You have hurt her feelings. I feel her pain as if it were my own!”

  Still, Ezah remained mute.

  Killi suddenly rounded on me and Kol, coming face to face with Ezah, and growled. I heard them conversing in hushed tones with snarling mixed in-between. Killi grunted when Ezah suddenly shoved him back out of his space. Without a word, the big guy turned and stormed up the steps of the palace entryway, taking the steps three at a time. We all watched him go, and after he had disappeared through the palace doors, all eyes fell on Kol.

  “Shiva,” he said to me as he glared up at the palace doors. “Get acquainted with my parents. I must go and speak to my brother.”

  I didn’t want him to leave me, but I understood that he wanted to resolve things with his brother as soon as possible. For my sake and for his.

  “You go,” I said, giving his arm a squeeze. “I’ll be fine.”

  Without another word, Kol took off up the steps, taking them three at a time like Ezah. When he was no longer in sight, I turned to his parents and smiled nervously.

  “Well … your home is beautiful.”

  “It is your home now too, Nova,” the Hailed Mother exclaimed happily. “Come, we will give you a mini tour while Kol and Ezah converse.”

  I smiled when she hooked her arm around mine and led me towards the staircase with a spring in her step. A glance around and the visual of smiles on everyone’s face, even Mikoh’s, told me the bust up like what just happened with Ezah and Kol was a normal occurrence … but in the back of my mind, something told me a quick chat with Ezah wouldn’t change anything.

  The male seemed to hate me, and I doubt even Kol could talk him around.

  So much for a big happy family.

  Fourteen living rooms, sixteen cleansing rooms, six kitchens, six servant quarters, nineteen stairways that led to the second floor, ten stairways that led underground, twelve relaxation rooms, eight sun rooms, six libraries—each were full of textbooks!—and four rooms that were made for pets, but the pets, I did not see. Thank Almighty. What I also didn’t see was the rest of the first floor because my feet began to ache so badly that the ‘mini tour’ had to be halted so my little legs could take a break.

  Surkah commented that we had barely made a dent in exploring the palace, and that blew me away.

  I didn’t think the palace would ever do anything other than wow me. It was huge. Like, fucking huge. If I ventured off on my own without food and water, I could easily die before I ever found my way to the outside. It seemed to be massively big just for the sake of it. Nearly all the rooms we entered were empty, except for servants who were dusting and cleaning with smiles on their face.

  The servants were dressed better than any of the wealthiest people I had ever encountered on Earth, so that told me the Maji looked after their own, and I liked that. I liked that a whole lot. I didn’t get why the palace needed to be so big, but I wasn’t going to question it. I would roll with it and pray to Almighty that I never found myself wandering the hallways alone.

  “Nova?”

  I flinched and jerked my gaze to the Hailed Mother when she spoke my name.

  “Yes, Hailed Mother?”

  She smiled, dimples creasing her cheeks. “You may call me Mother.”

  I knew better than to politely reject her because I would most likely end up offending her without meaning to, so I simply smiled in response.

  “You are very beautiful,” she continued. “My son is very lucky.”

  I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. “Thank you … Mother.”

  The Hailed Mother, who had my hands in hers and was playing with my fingers, asked, “Do you think you’re pregnant yet?”

  I felt my jaw drop at her question, and for once, I was at a loss for words.

  “Mother,” Surkah quietly chided. “You cannot ask her questions like that. Humans are not as bold as we are when it comes to such topics.”

  The Hailed Mother clicked her tongue. “There is no need to shy away from such topics. What is more natural to converse about than pregnancy?”

  Surkah shot me a look that said Sorry, I tried then she shrugged her shoulders at her mother’s question.

  “I, um …” I cleared my throat. Twice. “I do not think I am pregnant … Mother. Kol and I … well, we, um … we just had sex one time when we mated.”

  “But you mated days ago!” the Hailed Mother exclaimed. “I mated with my mate over one hundred times by our fifth mated day. Why have you not mated my son more? Is the sex bad? Does he not bring you pleasure? I can have my mate talk with him if he needs tips to pleasure a female.”

  Almighty.

  “Mother!” Surkah scowled. “Look at how red her face is. She is embarrassed.”

  The Hailed Mother rolled her orange and silver eyes heavenward. I had found myself staring at them more than a few times since I noticed them. The colour combination was so unlike anything I had ever seen. It was unusual but also absolutely gorgeous. A thick ring of shimmery silver wrapped around the blackened pupil and an ombré effect began as the silver blended into vibrant orange. They were captivating.

  I shook myself out of my trance and focused on the Hailed Mother’s words.

  “She will adjust and get used to our openness.”

  I really doubted that.

  “Kol needs no lessons on pleasuring me,” I choked out, the words difficult to speak. “He is very … skilled.”

  I couldn’t believe I was telling Kol’s mother that he was a skilled lover. He would be so embarrassed if he ever found out. I never planned on telling him, and neither w
ould Surkah if I had any say in the matter.

  “Then why have you not shared sex more?” she asked me, a brow raised.

  Even though I was extremely uncomfortable with the topic of choice, I could see that the Hailed Mother was not asking such personal questions because she was teasing me. It was, in fact, quite the opposite. She was genuinely interested in what she was asking. I didn’t know how to feel about that. I mean, it was her son’s sex life she was prying into.

  “Well”—I gulped—“after the first time, I was very … tender. I was a virgin, a vilo, before Kol, and he has given me space because of that, but also to adjust to being mated. I have experienced things I never thought possible through our mating, and my body is sometimes overwhelmed since I am not used to the changes. I guess … I guess he is taking it easy on me.”

  The Hailed Mother bunched her hands together and leaned them under her chin, smiling wide.

  “He is such a caring male.”

  “He truly is,” I agreed bashfully. “I am … I am blessed he picked me. I never ever dreamed of having a romantic relationship, but the one I have with your son, though it’s brand new and we have a lot to learn about one another, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the cosmos. I’m coming to love it.”

  I’m falling in love with it.

  With him.

  “I am overjoyed for you both,” the Hailed Mother beamed. “I thought Surkah would be my first child to mate, since none of my sons paid me much attention when I spoke of mates, especially Kol, but his mating to you has given me hope.”

  “Hope?” I questioned. “Hope for what?”

  “Hope for grand-offspring!” She squealed and clapped her hands too excitedly.

  Was this lady already thinking about grandchildren?

  I swallowed. “I, uh, I don’t it will happen right away … We haven’t discussed it yet.”

  Surkah raised a brow at me. “Humans discuss when they want to have offspring?”

  Doesn’t everyone?

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “If they don’t want to have offspring, do they avoid sex?” she then asked.

  I shook my head. “On Earth, if you have enough credits, you can buy birth control. There are different kinds, but basically, it is a medicine that prevents pregnancy from happening.”

  Both Surkah and the Hailed Mother sucked in a dramatically sharp breath. They even went as far as placing their hands on their chest and leaned back in their chairs with their eyes widened in shock. A glance around the room showed me the four servants cleaning inside the living room had also stopped what they were doing to turn and look at me like I had ten heads.

  I cringed. “I take it that there is no such thing as birth control on Ealra?”

  “Absolutely not!” the Hailed Mother stated. “Our population is under threat, so we would never provide medicine to stop pregnancies when what we need is more pregnancies.”

  I shifted uncomfortably.

  “What about Maji who engage in casual sex? Surely, they wouldn’t want to have a baby with someone who isn’t their mate?”

  “Of course not,” Surkah agreed. “But those who engage in casual sexual activities have methods they practice which prevents pregnancy.”

  That stumped me.

  “Like what?” I quizzed.

  It was Surkah’s turn to blush.

  “I do not know,” she admitted. “My brothers will not tell me. They told me to ask Mikoh, and when I did, it just made him flustered and demand I discuss something other than sex.”

  The Hailed Mother chuckled. “Before a male orgasms, he would most likely pull his cock out of the female he is sharing sex with and release his seed on her body instead of inside it. The seed is where life comes from, and it needs a female’s womb to take root. Nowhere else will work.”

  That made sense.

  “But,” the Hailed Mother continued, “accidents can happen. A male could misjudge his release and not remove his cock in time. I know a few females who have become pregnant that way.”

  I gasped. “Are they single mothers now?”

  The Hailed Mother reached over and patted my hand. “No, my daughter. The males who fathered the offspring mated the females. It would bring dishonour to a female to birth a child without being mated, so the males, being that they were involved in the offspring making process, did right by the females and mated them.”

  I frowned. “Are they loveless matings?”

  The Hailed Mother frowned. “No Maji mating is a loveless one.”

  I blinked. “But you said they mated just because the females got pregnant.”

  “Yes,” she agreed, “but once a male and female mate, they become the other’s world and fall deeply in love. No matter how you feel about a Maji male or female, once a mating takes place, love will follow.”

  “So matings can happen on their own but can also be decided?”

  “Yes.” The Hailed Mother nodded. “During sex, a male can decide whether he wants to bite a female and give her his essence. In some matings, the urge is so strong that a male cannot help but bite and mate a female. Those are the matings we call fated.”

  I blushed. “Kol said he believes we were fated for one another.”

  The Hailed Mother clapped her hands together. “This pleases me so.”

  “What pleases you so, stardust?”

  I looked at the entryway of the room and saw the Revered Father fill the space in the doorway. His very presence made me feel like I should get on my knees and bow to this powerful male, but instead, I did what the servants did. I stood, placed my fist on my chest, and then I bowed my head.

  “She is so respectful. It makes me very happy,” the Hailed Mother gushed.

  I didn’t look up until the Revered Father called my name. I saw he had crossed the room and stood behind the chair his mate was sat on, and he was smiling at me while he reached out and placed a hand on the Hailed Mother’s shoulder.

  “You need not bow to me, daughter,” he said, his voice warm and inviting. “You’re my family, and I request that my family not bow to me.”

  I swallowed but managed to nod my head in acknowledgment.

  “So,” he said with a grin as he rounded the chair and sat down, tugging his mate onto his lap, “what pleases you so?”

  He was speaking to the Hailed Mother, so I remained mute.

  “Kol said he believes that he and Nova are fated mates”

  The Revered Father widened his eyes as he looked from his mate to me.

  “That is wonderful,” he said happily. “You have my congratulations.”

  I had no idea why he was congratulating me, but I smiled and thanked him nonetheless.

  “Father.” Surkah spoke. “Where is Mikoh?”

  The Hailed Mother squealed, and it caused Surkah to roll her eyes.

  “I’m only curious,” she informed her mother who was still giddy with delight.

  “He is with Kol … calming him.”

  I looked at the Revered Father and swallowed.

  “Is he okay?” I asked, my voice low.

  “He is.” He nodded. “He is just frustrated with Ezah. Their conversation did not go well, and they fought.”

  I gasped and jumped to my feet.

  “Is he hurt?” I asked, panicked.

  Everyone smiled at me.

  “She is so caring,” the Hailed Mother praised me to her mate.

  “I see that, moonlight,” he murmured and kissed her cheek as she rested her back against his chest. “And to answer your question, Nova, he is fine. Fighting is normal amongst the people … Kol mentioned it scared you, though.”

  I slowly retook my seat.

  “It scares me.” I nodded in confirmation. “I guess I’d prefer every other option before fighting becomes a possibility.”

  Running away and hiding to be exact.

  “That is worrisome.” The Hailed Mother frowned. “Brawling is very common amongst our males.”

  “I know.” I sighed. “I
guess I just have to get used to it.”

  Along with everything else.

  “All will be well,” the Revered Father hummed before he nuzzled his mate’s neck.

  The Hailed Mother grinned and made a rumbling sound that sounded similar to the one Kol made when he wanted to have sex.

  Oh, shit.

  “Nova,” Surkah suddenly said. “Let me escort you to your wing of the palace so you can rest up before the feast this eve.”

  Surkah to the rescue!

  I practically jumped to my feet. “I’d like that very much. Thank you.”

  My parents-in…mate turned their attention back to me, and they smiled.

  “We’re overjoyed to have you as a part of our family,” the Revered Father said. “We will take great pleasure in getting to know you.”

  I bowed my head slightly. “And I you. I am very happy to be here.”

  Surkah took that as our cue to leave, but her father calling her name halted our steps when we reached the doorway of the living room that the servants were not exiting, no doubt to leave the king and queen to their privacy.

  “Yes, Father?” Surkah said, without turning around.

  “I will discuss your punishment with Mikoh before the feast.”

  I resisted the urge to laugh when Surkah stomped her foot on the ground and spun to face her parents.

  “But Father!” she complained. “Mikoh already punished me. He swatted me five times … it hurt, and I cried. A lot.”

  “Surkah,” her father said, his voice dropping an octave. “I have decided you will be punished for your actions. You put yourself in incredible danger, and I will not stand for it, nor will I stand for your disobedience.”

  “But Father—”

  “Surkah,” he cut her off, growling now.

  I widened my eyes and dropped my gaze, feeling uneasy.

  “Mother, please, aid me!” Surkah implored.

  The Hailed Mother clicked her tongue, but other than that, she didn’t respond.

  “Do not speak to me ever again, Father!” Surkah exclaimed before she grabbed my arm and all but dragged me from the living room.