Jasmine of Draga

by Emma Dean

  Adelina and Nadyah followed closely behind Varan. He wanted her in front of him so he could guard her better, but between him and the courtesan she would be safe. Varan simply didn’t like not being able to see her.

  He listened to the two females talk and plan as he led the way through Stella di Draga, taking all his favorite alleys and backstreets, cutting through yards and taking shortcuts he and only a handful of others knew about.

  Within the hour they were at the docks. “Shh,” he warned them. Varan pressed against the wall of the warehouse across from his as he scouted the area. He glanced back. Nadyah and Adelina mimicked his every move perfectly. Then Varan took out his scanner and waited for the ping that would tell him the area was clear.

  “No more tails and no one unidentified,” he reported, slipping his device back into his pocket.

  “You’ve scanned everyone here?” Nadyah whispered.

  Varan nodded. “All who live and work in my territory have been scanned; keeps everyone safe.”

  He walked across the street first towards the warehouse door. It was a massive place and took up the entire block. He’d moved all his ships in preparation for Roxy’s work. He could hear her yelling from the street.

  With a grin he placed his palm against the door and it swung open to reveal chaos. Mechanics scurried about like rats in sewers. The noise was unbelievable. All three ships were gutted and parts were being replaced. Roxy had her hands on her hips, directing and watching.

  Every few moments she would go back to the large desk and mess with a few holographic 3D images, typing out formulas, and then she would go to the work table and work on a strange looking part before turning back around to yell at someone.

  “Looks wonderful, Roxy,” Adelina murmured. Somehow he could hear her quiet voice over the din and apparently so did his friend.

  She whirled around with a look of fury on her face. “You!” she said, pointing a stylus at the princess.

  Varan growled, stepping in front of Adelina, the instinct was out of his control and it shocked him. He needed to get it together; the princess didn’t need his protection in the warehouse.

  Roxy blinked at him, but her anger didn’t wane. “You said I had five days!”

  Varan glanced at Adelina. She must have sent a message ahead.

  “I was mistaken,” Adelina said. “I apologize. Is there any way you can do it? Whatever you need, I will make it happen.”

  “Can you stop time?” Roxy demanded. “Because that is the only way this is going to work.”

  Adelina’s eyes narrowed and Varan stiffened. Her wolf was right under the surface, ready and raring to go. He’d known there would be some kind of dominance tussle between Roxy and the princess and he wanted to stay the bloody hells out of it.

  “Ladies,” he said gently, stepping away from both of them. “Please remember we are on a time sensitive schedule.”

  It was the wrong thing to say.

  “Yeah, thanks to the insanity of the royal house!” Roxy screeched.

  Nadyah rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Nothing about this seemed to faze her. Varan stepped closer to her; maybe she would be able to protect him if things got ugly. As a male he would be a target, simply for having a cock.

  Adelina took a step forward, accepting the unspoken challenge. “I will not stay in the palace any longer than I have to,” she hissed. “If I have to haul parts, or clean, or do repairs I will; anything to make this happen.”

  Roxy blinked at the raw truth in the statement. “Do you even know how to work on a ship?”

  “I don’t, but I can write programs, and I’m fully capable of hauling equipment. If my skills could be used I offer them freely.”

  Roxy crossed her arms and glared, still not happy, but she wasn’t absolutely furious any longer and Varan breathed a sigh of relief. “Perhaps when we get to that part. If you need us to work day and night we will, but it will have to be in shifts and there will have to be more workers to take on the mundane tasks. I can get more in tonight, and perhaps we can manage.”

  “How is that addition to the engines coming along?” Varan asked, walking around the work table to put it between him and the females. He admired Roxy’s handiwork. It was confusing and completely foreign to him, but it looked complex and he was proud of what she was able to accomplish.

  “I’ll be done with that one tonight,” Roxy said. “Hopefully the other two will be easier. If I cannot get them finished faster, nothing will get us off this planet before they’re ready.” She shrugged and turned back to her work. “Don’t bother me and I’ll get more done.”

  “May I have a worktable nearby?” Adelina asked. “I have a few things I need to work on as well.”

  Varan studied his two favorite people. Lina knew the warehouse was Roxy’s territory at the moment and asking permission was a large step towards his childhood friend accepting that Lina also happened to be a royal.

  “Fine, but don’t bug me and the music is mine to choose.” Roxy grabbed one of her tools and went back to work, flipping her goggles down and the magnifier over her left eye. Her red hair was a stark contrast to the dank and dark warehouse.

  Roxy had always been a fire blazing in the night.

  Adelina looked to Varan and he jerked into motion. Right, he was the host. It took only seconds to activate the other worktable in the floor and then he waited, feeling useless. Varan had no idea what Adelina needed from him. Normally he could anticipate everything, but at the moment he was still numb from the council meeting and all he’d learned from his day at the palace.

  “Tell me what you need and I’ll make it happen,” Varan said. He shrugged and slipped his hands into his pockets, waiting for the princess to make use of him.

  “Food Varan,” Nadyah said. “The workers will need food; we will all need to eat. We’re hosting a countess and a lord as well as the Master Sealer. If this is the base of operations it needs to be secured.” She stomped on the ground and a chair unfolded from the ground next to Adelina’s.

  The princess set that strange case on the table and opened it with care. Even Roxy stopped what she was doing to watch. Adelina then pulled out her own goggles and pulled them over her head to hang from her neck. Without a word she began to set up delicate tools, a portable magnifier, gold, gems, and a small box with a diamond. Adelina ignored everyone as she slid the goggles on and set the fat diamond into a brace. She began cutting into it, carefully and delicately, pausing to check a note before continuing again.

  “What are you doing?” Roxy asked.

  Varan had never seen Adelina work before, but he was familiar with the finished projects. He leaned in to study the design on the note. Another love match then, she adored those. “This is for Joslynn?” he asked.

  “I’m finishing the ring Lord Sirus designed for Countess Joslynn. I agreed to do the work before Joslynn became – afraid. If we cannot rectify things today, it would be best to sever our friendship and go our separate ways outside what is required of our titles,” Adelina explained, sparks fluttering in the air as she worked.

  A ping on his simulcast alerted him of a new presence in the docks. “It looks like the Master Sealer is here.” Varan tapped out a dozen casts to a dozen people and checked his surveillance system. Three more casts and he doubled the guards in the area. Then he left the ladies to go fetch the Sealer.

  It was difficult to believe that a man such as the Sealer would come to a place like the docks for a royal mark. Varan had heard the male was nearing three hundred cycles. Asher already had a piece from him, but his seal on the palm might have to be done by one of the Sealer’s apprentices.

  “Hello there,” Varan said, grinning at the crotchety old man. He’d never seen the male in person before, but he’d heard stories.

  “Take me to the princess,” the Sealer grumbled.

  Varan offered him an arm but he shook him off and pushed past him into the warehouse. The Sealer was stronger than he looked and Varan couldn’t help
his smile. He trotted after the old man, hoping to get some answers.

  “So, why come all the way out here, mate? I’ve heard you’re rather particular.” They avoided the workers buzzing about like bees and ducked under one of the ships.

  Adelina and Roxy worked in silence while Nadyah’s face was practically glued to her simulcast. Varan glanced at the male again, wondering if he would get a response.

  The Sealer glanced at him. “A mark is more than the gold and more than the job. Adelina needs this, so I will give it to her. The marks will be a representation of what she is, and I believe the worlds need to see it.”

  Varan considered his words as they approached the tables. Nadyah stood and curtseyed but the Sealer waved her off. Adelina gave him a hug, but they didn’t exchange words.

  “Do you need somewhere private?” Varan asked. He’d never witnessed a mark being performed before, even with all his spies and programs.

  “No, if the Sealer can work here then we will be fine.”

  Servants began to fill the warehouse, carrying armfuls of food and drinks. They set up tables in the back of the warehouse and laid everything out. Varan gave them a nod of thanks as they filed out.

  He stayed close to Adelina, curious about the process. Nadyah looked concerned and he signaled for a servant to bring them a pitcher of cold water. They could all stand to be a bit more hydrated in the heat.

  When Adelina stripped off her shirt, he blinked. In front of everyone she wore nothing but a breast band and he couldn’t help himself. Varan took in every inch of bare skin and then realized he probably wasn’t the only one looking.

  Roxy beat him to it though. She whirled around and snarled at anyone not working. “Keep your damn eyes to yourself or the prince will snatch them from your head.”

  No one looked a second time.

  Varan grinned. He would gladly take any eyes Adelina asked for.

  “Is there another table?” the Sealer asked.

  Varan activated it and Adelina climbed up, lying on her back. He frowned. This must be the other mark she’d mentioned, the one that should be forbidden. It was not his place to question the princess though; it was her body as she’d said.

  The Master Sealer began his work, carving into the flesh right underneath her breasts. Only once did she flinch when the laser first touched her, melding the gold and stitching it into the skin. The scent of burning flesh was repugnant and Varan wrinkled his nose.

  Still, he angled himself to watch the work and was surprised at how gorgeous the design was. The Master Sealer didn’t work with a stencil as he’d seen other artists do with ink in his territory. The Sealer worked precisely, but freehanded.

  “Are you all right?” Nadyah asked. There was a look of concern on her face.

  “Yes Nadyah,” Adelina said. “It’s not as bad when I know what to expect.”

  The first time must have been brutal.

  Another chime on his simulcast and Varan read the messages. “The mercs were able to move up the meeting to tonight if you like,” he told the princess.

  “Yes, that’s fine. Will you sit and talk with me, Prince?”

  Varan set up another chair and tried to ignore how pleased he was with the request. He sat across from the Sealer and watched as the gold turned molten. What she endured was more than he could fathom. Adelina grasped his hand and he squeezed in reassurance.

  “It’s really lovely,” he said. “What is the mark for?”

  Those purple eyes of hers stared into his. “A vine of jasmine,” she told him. “With the goddess’s marks for strength and wisdom.”

  “You are strong,” he told her, leaning in close to keep the words private. “Don’t let anyone else convince you otherwise.” He was so close to her bare skin, but Varan held back his desire. She needed his strength not his lust.

  “You are the only one who has thought so since the first day we met,” she admitted.

  He supposed that was true. Varan never once doubted Lina’s strength and ability despite her submissive scent.

  “There are days when I hate being a submissive,” Adelina confessed.

  “You are what you are,” Varan said, knowing she would understand his intended meaning. With her genetics she could be whatever she needed to be, whatever she wanted to be.

  The Sealer worked up into the space between Adelina’s breasts and Varan couldn’t help but look. The work was perfect. The gold glittered into a point on her breastbone, framing the curve of each breast. Each jasmine was created with purple gold, twining with the yellow gold in a way he’d never seen before. Varan wanted to lick the pattern, following the curlicues and whorls with his tongue.

  “Thank you Varan, for everything,” Adelina said, squeezing his hand tight as the Sealer made a curve into her skin.

  “Anything for you, Lina darling.” As he stared into her eyes he hoped she understood the extent of his words, the utter truth of them. “I am yours.” And always would be.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Adelina

  Varan’s Warehouse

  Stella di Draga

  Planet Draga Terra

  The second gold mark didn’t hurt as much as the one on her palm, but it still made Adelina sweat as she gritted her teeth. The Master Sealer tapped her arm when he finished, and had her sit on a chair with her bare back facing him.

  The mark on her back would be similar to Asher’s – the same symbol from their signet, with the sacred wolf and the rosanera. She had added a small ragna queen and the three moons to personalize the design. It would match the curve of her back like an hourglass instead of a shield across the shoulders as Asher had.

  “You know, I was thinking,” Varan said. He showed no signs she caused him pain when Adelina had to squeeze his hand hard enough to break bones during a particularly nasty carving. “The pirates will have a field day with the evacuation.”

  “I realize,” Adelina said in annoyance. She focused on the design of the ring before her. The diamonds helped distract her while the Master Sealer worked in silence.

  Nadyah hovered nearby, but she rose and disappeared from time to time to accept shipments as they came and then redirected them to the starships.

  “What if you were to send out a wide cast, a transmission that covered the entire Draga galaxy – asking for the pirates to legitimize themselves as privateers? They could hunt the Neprijat, fight them when need be, loot what they can from our enemies, and protect the evacuees.” Varan tapped his chin in thought and then bent to watch the Sealer work.

  “You believe that would work?” she asked. It was a fabulous plan, and Adelina never would have thought of it on her own. The pirates would have to agree of course.

  Varan shrugged, careful not to jostle her. “Any pirates that find the offer appealing will fly your flag; any that don’t are free to be pillaged along with the Neprijat.”

  Adelina glanced at the prince. His mind was a beautiful, cunning, vicious thing and she admired how he used it. “Has this been done before?”

  “Long ago,” he admitted. Then Varan blushed and fidgeted. “I ah, used to be obsessed with pirates as a boy.”

  “Then became a thief instead?” she teased.

  Varan grinned. “I couldn’t afford to leave Draga Terra, so I made do.”

  Adelina felt a pang of sadness for the boy he’d been, even if she was grateful it allowed their paths to cross. Her relationship with Varan had changed. Adelina enjoyed the new closeness between them, the obvious feelings they both had though the depth was still to be realized. His attention to detail and complete support was more than she deserved.

  “We can send it out after the marks are done,” Adelina decided.

  A quick recording and a massive cast out to the pirates and rogues of her galaxy would help. It was something she probably should have asked Raena about, but it was for the Crown and in their best interest.

  After all her sister was busy preparing for the coronation tomorrow.

  Nadyah rushed
up and Adelina felt the muscles in her back tighten with the beginnings of anxiety. “Princess, the Countess is here with Lord Sirus.”

  The Sealer tapped her back in annoyance. She was ruining his canvas. Adelina breathed, relaxing each muscle. “Bring them in, and don’t bother hiding anything.”

  Nadyah nodded and went to fetch the two.

  If her gamble was right then the countess and Sirus would be good allies, people she could trust in case things went awry while she was gone. Roxy threw her a look as though Adelina were purposefully torturing her with all this noble blood.

  “They won’t touch your work, or be informed of the tech outside our ability to reach the border in a timely manner,” she promised the fiery redhead.

  Adelina breathed again and put the final touches on the ring she’d been working on for the last week. The wedding band was simple enough, encrusted with diamonds, emeralds, and peridots. The engagement ring was massive, a pear-shaped diamond with emeralds and peridots in a halo around it, and diamonds along the top of the band.

  It was some of her best work, if she did say so herself. The carvings in the gold were done by hand, and the curlicues had been particularly trying. Both rings went into the box with the romantic little note Sirus had written. Joslynn deserved to read what he’d written about her: ‘A ring to match her eyes, and to match her soul – more beautiful even than Pedranus itself.’

  She’d cried the first time she’d read it like some emotional female reading a fictional romance story, though Adelina had always loved such things.

  Joslynn’s fear had strained their friendship and Adelina hoped they could repair what had been broken. She knew it was the wolf inside that scared Joslynn. The countess had never seen a true Draga in the flesh before and everything she’d seen and read said it could be disturbing for those who had never been exposed.

  That little bit of extra the royals had been given set them apart in ways peace had made everyone forget. Everyone but the Draga royals.