by L. A. Casey
“Nova!”
I jumped when my name was called, and a glance over my shoulder showed me that Envi was heading towards me with a bright smile on her face. She had on a long pleated hot pink skirt and a tightly fitted black sleeveless top that showed not only her midriff but also her cleavage and the side of her breasts. It was a beautiful outfit—bold but beautiful.
I smiled at Envi but quickly lost my smile when two huge males suddenly blocked her path. They both had daggers strapped to their muscular thighs, and one of them even had a small sword in the centre of his back. There was some sort of device on his skin that the sword stuck to.
“Make way,” Kol’s suddenly spoke. “She is allowed to speak to my female.”
The two males parted instantly, placed their fisted hand over their chests, and bowed to Kol … and me. Envi swallowed, looking back and forth between the two males before she quickly dart between them to reach my side.
“That was weird,” she whispered.
I snorted. “Tell me about it.”
“I was just going to a cleansing room when I spotted you.”
“I’m heading there right now. Walk with us.”
Envi flushed scarlet as her eyes flicked to Kol, who was glancing around, his eyes flying to every being close by as if waiting for them to step out of line.
“Envi,” I began. “This is … Prince Kol. My husband, or as the Maji say, my mate.”
At the mention of his name, Kol turned his focus to Envi, and he grinned at her attempt at curtsying to him.
“It is wonderful to meet you, Your Majesty.”
Kol looked down at me. What does that mean?
“It’s just a title used when addressing human royalty,” I explained quietly to him.
He nodded and looked back at Envi. “Hello, Envi. Welcome to Ealra, and welcome to Maji society.”
“Thank you very much, Majesty.”
The poor girl was crimson. I smiled, and after a moment’s hesitation, I held out my hand and was glad when Envi quickly grabbed it and moved closely to my side. Kol placed a hand on my lower back and guided us both into the large building that turned out to be the Sorting Centre, a place where Maji enlisted for jobs they wished to do. The Maji didn’t work for a wage; they worked to provide for one another. Each job the males and females worked at provided or contributed to the Maji society, and I fucking loved that.
On Earth, credits were the only thing that could keep you fed, healthy, and safe, so without credits, you were on your own. Just like I was before the Maji came into my life and saved me from a helpless fate.
When we reached a vacant cleansing room, Kol checked every corner of it before he let me enter. It took a five-minute conversation for him to relent and wait outside while Envi and I relieved ourselves. When he assured me he’d be right outside if I needed him for the tenth time, he finally closed the door. I exhaled a deep breath and shook my head.
“He is very … protective of you.”
I turned to Envi. “That’s putting it lightly.”
She giggled then went into a vacant relief pod stall, so I entered the one next to her. When I finished, I left the stall and walked over to the large sinks to wash my hands. I coated my skin in water, pumped some gel from a tiny dispenser, and rubbed my hands together as I waited for Envi.
“Wise men say,” I softly sang as I washed the lather from my hands. “Only fools rush in, but I can’t help falling in love with you.”
I exhaled a deep breath, wiping away the water droplets from my hands with a hand towel to my right, all the while feeling sorry for myself.
“I have never heard that song you were just singing.” Envi frowned as she exited her stall, the sound of the relief pod still flushing. “Who sings it?”
I glanced at her through the mirror before us. “Elvis Presley.”
“Who is Elvis Presley?” she asked.
I stared at her, certain she was playing a joke on me.
“You’ve nearly heard of Elvis?”
Envi shook her head. “Is he from before our time?”
Long before.
I nodded. “He is a singer from the 1940’s. I know that’s a very long time ago, but he was an icon while he lived and a legend after his death. My father played his songs all the time when I was little then when music was no more, he would sing them to me.”
“How old was your father to know about a singer from the 1940’s?”
“My father was born in the 2060’s, and he died seven years ago. He knew of Elvis because back then, the world was not in that much chaos. Papa said they had something called the internet, and that contained lots of information about pretty much everything in history.”
“I’ve heard of that too; I wish we were born long before aliens were discovered by humankind.”
I leaned my hip against the sink. “You and me both, Envi. I can’t imagine Earth as anything but a wasteland in chaos. It must have been nice to walk by people and not fear they would attack. I can’t imagine a time where you could just say hello to a stranger and not expect them to attempt to take your life or goods. A whole without murders, imagine that?”
Envi became silent.
“Hey.” I nudged her leg with mine. “Are you okay?”
Envi looked down as she whispered, “I'm a murderer. I ... I killed a man.”
I widened my eyes at her shocking admission. “You did?”
She nodded, her head still downcast.
“He … he tried to rape Echo … seven years ago when we were eleven,” she choked out, making sure to keep her voice low. “It was our birthday, and my mother left our shelter to get us some chicken. She saved up all her credits and wanted us to have something nice to eat to celebrate. Our four brothers, older sister, and my father died in the Great Illness the year before, and we were the only ones to survive it. She … adored us. We were all she had left, and she put us first over herself. She thought no one saw her leave the morning, but he did.”
I instinctively reached out and took Envi’s hand in mine. I didn’t speak; I just held her hand as she told me of her ordeal. She didn’t look up or flinch. Instead, she gripped my hand and held on tightly.
“He was a mutant,” Envi said, her voice thick with emotion. “He didn’t look very human anymore. He had been exposed to a lot of radiation, and it made him look like a monster. He entered our hut and tore it apart until he found me and Echo in our makeshift basement. We hid down there when we were left alone so no one could find us. He knew we were in the hut somewhere. He told us he saw our mother leave on her own and that he’d find us. He did. He grabbed Echo when she put her body over mine to protect me.”
I gave her hand another squeeze as her voice grew tight with emotion.
“He stripped her of her clothing, tore it from her body, and forced her legs open. I screamed so much that he punched me when I smacked his back to let her go. The force knocked me to the floor and caused me to pass out for few seconds. When I opened my eyes, I found my face was throbbing, but that the man was undoing his pants. He was over Echo one second then on the floor beside me the next. I heard my mother’s voice then.”
Envi sniffled. “It was a blur of activity when she returned home. She was screaming, and I remember hearing her hands smack against the man’s flesh as she punched and slapped at him. She tried … so damn hard, but he was just so much stronger than she was.”
Oh, no.
“He broke her neck,” Envi choked. “He didn’t even have to try. He just broke her neck and let her body slump on the floor. I looked at her face, and her eyes were still open. It was like she was looking right at me … right through me.”
My heart broke for Envi and Echo and what they had been through.
“I can’t remember how, but one second, I was on the floor next to my mom, and the next, I was beside the man with a knife in my hand. He was just about to hurt Echo in a way she would never truly heal from, so I used every ounce of strength I had to ram the blade into his face.
It went through his right eye and got stuck in his head. We started running then, and we haven't stopped since.”
Tears fell from both of our eyes.
“Envi,” I said, clutching her hand tightly. “You’re the bravest person I have ever met.”
For the first time since she started speaking, she looked up at me, tears streaking her cheeks.
“What you did was fight for your life and your sister’s life. What your mother did was fight your sister’s innocence and both of your lives. She died a hero, and you ended the life of a waste of space. You’re so brave.”
Without another word, I stepped forward and hugged Envi tightly.
“I’ll always have your back,” I told her firmly, and I meant it with every fibre of my being. “Things will be different here on Ealra; it will be nothing like Earth.”
She whimpered. “Me and Echo, we’ve only ever had one another. We’ve never had a real friend.”
“Me either,” I admitted, “but we’ll figure it out together. All I know is you are my friend. Echo too. I haven’t done a lot to show that, but that’s going to change. I’ll earn your friendship, I promise.”
We remained in each other’s embrace, and that is the visual Kol walked in on when he opened the door. Two human women hugging and crying in the middle of a cleansing room. We separated as he literally leaped towards us, startling us both.
“What is wrong?” he asked, panicked.
He seemed to forget Envi was in the room as he focused solely on me.
“Nothing,” I replied, wiping my face clear of tears. “We just had a really personal talk and had a cry. It’s a normal thing for women to do, Kol. At least my father said it was.”
He looked like he didn’t believe but didn’t want to voice his doubt.
“We’re fine,” I assured him. “Truly.”
He nodded slowly, watching me carefully as if I would burst back into tears at any given moment.
“Do we have to stay at the feast much longer?” I asked Kol. “I’m so tired.”
He scratched his neck. “The feast ended moments ago, but my father wants all his family to gather in his main living area in the palace so we can formally welcome you to our family.”
Shit.
“Does that take very long?” I questioned, hoping I didn’t sound like a brat.
Kol shook his head. “Not long. They will understand you need plenty of rest. You did just travel through space to get here.”
“Okay then,” I said, relieved. “Let’s get to that.”
I turned to Envi. “Do you think you and Echo would want to come to the palace tomorrow, or do you guys want to rest?”
She gnawed on her lower lip. “I’m going to guess we’ll be resting; I’m exhausted from the journey here. The next day we’ll come by for sure, though.”
Kol hooked an arm around my waist. “I will arrange it.”
He looked over his shoulder, whistled, and a second later, a muscular, tall, bald male with white scars all over his green face entered the cleansing room. The male didn’t make a sound, and I was certain he didn’t so much as blink.
“This is Evra,” Kol said, his voice firm. “He will escort you back to your sister, Envi, and then guide you both back to your homestead.”
Envi’s face was red as she bid me and Kol farewell before leaving the cleansing room with the silent, but watchful, Evra. Kol wasted no time in guiding me out of the cleansing room then out of the Sorting Centre. Like the journey to get to the feast, Kol talked me into getting back into the death vehicle with the promise that Nero was not going to be driving. I didn’t sit in one of the grabby seats; I remained on Kol’s lap. While my stomach still got queasy, the journey to and from the feast was a breeze compared to travelling with Nero at the wheel.
When we exited the vehicle, night-time had fallen, and for the first time in my entire life when I looked up at the sky, I could see stars. I sucked in a deep breath, gripped Kol’s arm tightly, and simply stared up at the wonder of space. Kol looked from me to the sky and then back at me. I thought I caught him smiling out of the corner of my eye, but I wasn’t sure.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured to me.
“What’s beautiful,” I began, “is this spectacular view. I have never seen anything like this.”
“Nova.” Kol chortled. “You just had to look up on Earth for the same view … with one less moon, of course.”
“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “Air pollution is so bad on Earth that a permanent smog exists in the sky that only that rays of the sun can break through. It has been like that for as long as I can remember.”
There was a pregnant pause.
“You’ve never seen stars before now?” he asked, shocked.
“I saw some through the viewing pane on the Ebony but not a backdrop like this,” I replied, staring up into the unknown. “I want to stare at it always.”
“When you’re fully rested in a few days,” Kol spoke softly, his thumb strumming my forearm. “I’m going to take you stargazing … just the two of us.”
That sounded like absolute heaven.
I looked at him, and I hated that I felt hurt when I found that his eyes were glowing.
“Shiva,” he murmured, brushing strands of loose hair from my face, “what saddens you so?”
That you didn’t come to love me on your own.
“It’s nothing,” I said, brushing it off with a dismissive wave. “I’m just tired. After I get some rest, I will be okay.”
“Come,” he beckoned, moving towards the palace entrance. “The welcoming gathering will not take long; everyone is waiting for our arrival.”
I followed Kol, and I noticed male after male guard as we passed by. There were so many of them, but I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised. There were a lot of royals to protect, not to mention the ridiculously large palace that needed constant guarding. Guarding against who, I wasn’t sure. All the Maji were obedient and followed orders without hesitation… but Mikoh did mention, back on the Ebony, that disloyal Maji were amongst the people.
Maybe that was who they were protecting the royal family and their residence from.
I wanted to ask Kol if that was the case, but I was simply too tired to hold a steady conversation with him. I felt exhausted, even more so now that I had a tummy full of delicious food. If Kol allowed me to do so, I would have curled up like a kit on the floor and slept the night away.
“Ah,” Kol murmured. “Here we are.”
I knew we were still on the first floor of the palace, but I just wasn’t sure exactly which part of the building we were in. I wasn’t paying attention. I simply allowed Kol to lead me and followed him without question. I didn’t have a chance to prepare myself for a gathering of Kol’s whole family because my impatient mate pushed open the door to the Revered Father’s living area and tugged me into the room after him.
“Kol,” Surkah chirped when she noticed us enter. “Nova, welcome.”
I gripped Kol’s left arm with both of mine when the gravity of the people’s presence I was in dawned on me. The Revered Father and Hailed Mother stood, along with Kol’s nine brothers, sister, cousin Nero, and male and female whom I had yet to glimpse before that very moment. After some thought, I figured them to be Nero’s parents, Kol’s uncle and aunt-in-mate, and after Kol introduced everyone to me, it confirmed who they were.
“I am delighted to meet you all, and those of you who I have already met, I am glad to see you again.” I smiled. “Forgive me if I seem out of sorts, I’m afraid the weight of the journey from Earth to Ealra has suddenly registered with my body and pushed me towards exhaustion.”
“Kol.” The Hailed Mother frowned. “Bring your female to your wing and allow her rest. This gathering need not continue any longer. She has met our family and will have plenty of time to get to know us all.”
The Hailed Mother was awesome.
“If I may, brother,” Ezah’s deep voice suddenly spoke. “I wish to e
scort your female back to your wing of the palace. I regret my behaviour and hurtful words towards her. I seek your permission to make amends with her as soon as possible.”
Kol was silent for a long moment, and just when I thought he was about to deny Ezah’s request, he said, “Granted.”
I wanted to thump Kol for not consulting me before he answered.
“Son,” the Revered Father then spoke to Kol. “Come and give me your statement of the day Surkah was discovered aboard the Ebony before I decide her punishment.”
I had to be escorted by Ezah alone? Fuck!
Kol kissed my temple. “I will join you very soon.”
I could only nod as he crossed the room to his father. I tried to catch Surkah’s attention, but she was stood next to her father, her gaze down as he spoke to Kol and Mikoh. I swallowed when Ezah approached me and offered me his arm. I took it with a forced smile, bid everyone a good night, and left the living area with my brother-in-mate. For a whole minute, we walked in silence as we climbed up stairs to the second floor.
I had a really bad feeling, so I had to address it.
“You didn’t offer to escort me so you could apologise,” I said, warily. “Did you?”
“You’re more attentive than I gave you credit for, human.”
I came to an abrupt stop and dropped my hand from his arm.
“If you do anything to me, I’ll call for Kol through our mental link, and he will hurt you. You know he will.”
Ezah chuckled, gruffly. “You need not fear me, Nova, or call for my brother. I just want to talk to you.”
I looked up at him. “About what?”
“Kol, of course.”
I nervously wrung my hands together. “What about him?”
“You have dishonoured a prince of the people by agreeing to be his mate.”