Rena’s male never ever made an appearance. However, the second male who paid her union price had been very young—much younger than her. Perhaps he had been decent as well, but she had not lingered long enough to find out. She had seen him only once, but well recalled the entire day of grooming she had endured before being presented to him.
In contrast, the male who waited for her now was not young at all. He was decent in most things, so far as she had seen in her time with him. The Siren’s worse flaw was he was more arrogant than any male she had ever encountered on Ethos.
As if her thoughts about his nature had asked for evidence of the understanding, she watched as Ji snubbed the still seated suzerain. He rose from his seat of honor and strode out to meet her as if it were common practice to do so. But what amazed her most was Ji seemed to completely ignore the laser weapons of the suzerain’s guards pointed at his back as he did so.
Seta had no choice but to stop walking when Ji stopped in front of her, blocking her progress forward.
“Have they fed you yet?” he demanded.
Despite being emotionally touched by the fury in the unexpected question, Seta snorted in disbelief that Ji could be so inane at such a critical time. “You should not have come here. The purpose of the union suite is to extort all the funds they can from the suitor with no real promise of any return. They might still refuse your offer for me.”
“Aye, I got that impression. However, the bad bargain is mostly done and the suzerain will honor our agreement if he values his life. Now answer my question,” Ji ordered.
“If you must know before moving out my way, I will tell you. Wearing these garments is the price I paid for food. Yes, I have eaten and so far managed to keep my uniform as well,” Seta replied calmly.
“Good. Then no one has to die yet,” Ji said calmly in return, watching a flash of red pass over her eyes. “Why don’t you let me hold your uniform if you’re not going to wear it. I think I could safeguard it best.”
“Brave words for a male with at least seven laser weapons pointed at his back,” Seta declared. When Ji didn’t move, she sighed and handed over her self-made pack. “Fine. Here.”
Ji inclined his head slightly, not quite bowing, but at least acknowledging her compliance. He didn’t want to appear too deferential with Suzerain Trax watching their interaction so closely.
“I think the steep union price I have promised your sire is sufficient to ensure my life will continue for quite a while longer. The transfer of funds from Rylen will take approximately one Earth week. I have at least that long to convince him of the wisdom of accepting. Perhaps your mission for the suzerain will be completed by the time my account with him has been settled to his satisfaction.”
Seta snorted. “Since I no longer consider my life for sale or barter to any male, you have made a poor exchange for your wealth, Siren of Rylen. In the end, you will have no female to show for what you have paid, regardless of the suzerain’s decision.”
Ji inclined his head, his Siren blood dancing in response to her challenge. “The deal is outside of our control, but I am thinking it worth the expenditure of funds just to see you adorned in something so purely female once more. Though I wish you were covered from the eyes of these bastards, I confess I am enjoying your Ethos attire. It has been a long time since you wore such clothing, Seta. I believe the last time was on the mission to Lotharius when I was not allowed to enjoy the sight of them.”
Seta tilted her head up until she met Ji’s gaze. His gaze on her clothing was admiring, but the concern she saw made her stomach flutter in mild concern. Instantly her thoughts scrambled and collected into massive worry for Ji’s well-being. What if her father learned of her genuine fondness for the Siren? What if he killed Ji just to get even with her?
She raised her voice and stepped away from him. “Why are we wasting so much time discussing my clothing? Step aside, Siren. I must present myself to the suzerain.”
“I block your way because you need to calm down first, Seta of Trax. It is not wise to stir up that power within you until you intend to use it. I learned that lesson from Captain Synar’s glowing eyes,” Ji whispered.
Seta frowned and lowered her voice again. “What are you saying?”
Ji lowered his voice and bent closer. “Your eyes, Seta. Your eyes are glowing red with the power that lives in you. Now pretend you are not glad to see me so I will not appear to be a liar about the friction between us.”
“That’s what I was trying to do,” Seta yelled. She reached out and used one arm to physically move Ji out of the way, but he remained firmly in place. Apparently, Zorinda only helped when she wanted to help. Lesson learned there. The demon liked the Siren.
She raised her voice again. “Step aside, Siren. I am no more willing to have you now than I was on the ship. And since when does a Siren have to buy a mate?”
As she walked around Ji, Seta saw her disrespectful words made both the suzerain and Chief Arghane glare at her. The caustic comment was meant to offend so she was surprised when Ji laughed loudly instead of yelling back at her like she thought he would.
“I agree. Buying a mate is highly unconventional. However, offering your sire a fair union price will make a highly entertaining story to tell my parents when I introduce you to them,” Ji said loudly in reply.
He turned toward Suzerain Trax who was now watching them both with a sharper gaze and bowed his head at the male’s laugh. Then he turned back and glared down at the woman who had captured his heart.
“There are many other ways I could obtain your full compliance, Seta of Trax. This way amuses me—for now.”
Seta snorted at a bravado she knew was only half pretension in Ji’s case. Path now free of his obstruction, she started walking toward the suzerain again. When she was the proper distance from his seat, she knelt and placed her forehead on the floor and waited to be acknowledged by him.
Above her prone body, she heard Ji hiss and draw in a breath at her actions, but she couldn’t concern herself with his disgust of Ethos protocol. She knew the rules of the suzerain’s canton. Ji didn’t. And she would follow the rules for as long as it suited her own deception.
“You may rise and speak to me, Seta of Trax.”
Seta climbed to her feet and lifted her chin. “Greetings, Suzerain. Your guard’s hostile reception delayed my arrival. I failed to convince Chief Arghane of the importance of our immediate communication.”
“You were detained solely because I wished it, Seta of Trax. I still haven’t forgiven you or your dual-birth sibling for running away from my canton. Many others have tried to do the same since you and Rena managed your desertion. You live today only because I have an important task for your Peace Alliance skills however much your warrior training insults my sensibilities. I am contemplating letting you continue to live after you have found my treasure if the Siren’s wealth is not a lie. A union with him may turn out to be in your best interests and mine. You might want to speak cautiously to the male who has decided to pay your very steep union price.”
“No male concerns me other than you, Great Suzerain. As to my future, I prefer that you honor our original agreement of allowing my direct family siblings to choose their own union mates. It would vastly improve morale among all your offspring to allow them choice in the matter. To acquire good will and favor among your progeny perhaps would require less management in the long term than retrieving and punishing defectors.”
Seta bowed her head after her speech, but raised it quickly to see his reaction to her bold words. Her sire leaned back, saying nothing as he stared at her, no doubt pondering how to punish her nerve. Ji wasn’t the only one with leverage though. The very fact she hadn’t been slapped to the floor by one of his guards was proof he really did need her help.
“And you would naturally want to exercise this power of choice over your own situation I suppose.”
Seta shook her head. She had Zorinda. That was the only power she intended to use.
/> “No. I choose not to exercise it because I have no wish for a union with the Siren. But I understand you cannot keep such a promise to me while losing honor in your bargain with him. To make up for the loss of funds from my union price, you may have my death in exchange for keeping your word about the others. You may credit my deceased dual-sib as the reason for my sacrifice. I’m sure my dead body hanging in the canton’s sports arena would serve your needs more than adding a few additional credits to your coffer. As a female who detests being touched, I am of little use to a Siren anyway. Ji knows I would kill him in his sleep if he ever touched me. He wants me because I’m the only female who has ever resisted him.”
“You jest. Have you ever really killed a man in his sleep or otherwise?” Suzerain Trax demanded.
“Yes. Several. After killing my original mate for what he did to me and Rena, I have since developed a talent for taking life. I spared Chief Arghane’s life today as a show of good faith between offspring and sire. His wrist may need medical attention to heal though. I think I broke something in it when we fought.”
Seta felt Ji stiffen beside her as the suzerain leaned out to look at Arghane in surprise. The male in question quickly stopped rubbing and dropped both hands to his side. Snorting, her sire turned back to her.
“I see the reports about the state of your mind were not exaggerations after all,” Suzerain Trax declared, rubbing his chin. “But the Siren’s money is in transit and I would hate to disappoint such a good customer. He has already refused any substitutions. The deal is for you or it is null and void.”
Knowing better than to respond, Seta lifted her chin.
“I cannot promise what outcome I will choose for you, but if you are successful, I will keep accord as pertains the rest of your family and siblings. But we must shelve the discussion of rewards until you have retrieved my property. After its safe return to me, then we will discuss options again. My word will be final and you will do as I command concerning the Siren.”
Seta bowed her head, let it hang for a moment, and then raised it again. “Despite my reluctance to be bound to the Siren, I have to admit no finer warrior exists, Suzerain. I ask your permission for him to accompany me on my quest. We have been on many missions together and you know I will need male protection.”
“I had intended to send Arghane with you. He has asked for privileges. Why should I not grant him those?”
Seta stared back, not blinking. “If you wish Chief Arghane dead and me gone again, then by all means grant Chief Arghane privileges. The Siren is the only male I promise to let live—and the only one whose bed I am willing to share in any manner.”
“Be grateful I need your help, my errant daughter. How about I send both males with you? My treasure is quite valuable and I am in a generous mood. As a show of good faith, the Siren can have you for a temporary time,” Suzerain Trax declared, smiling about his solution.
Seta glanced at the male rubbing his wrist again. Arghane would provide a buffer between her and Ji. “If that pleases you and moves this discussion forward, then I will agree,” she said, bowing her head again.
Suzerain Trax clapped his hands and Arghane rushed to his side. “Get that wrist taken care of and pack. Take what you need and two armed secondaries to watch your belongings. Return Seta’s and Siren Warro’s weapons. They might need them where you’re going.”
Arghane sputtered in shock. “But Sire—Seta is to have a weapon? She’s female.”
The suzerain looked at his surprising offspring who waited stoically for his answer. Then he looked back at Arghane. “I don’t wish her killed before she finds Endara, so she is to have a means of protecting herself that doesn’t require fighting hand-to-hand. This trip will give you a chance to make amends for your cruelty, Mot. I prefer to keep you alive in the long term so try to earn my offspring’s gratitude before you return.”
Seta saw Arghane glare at her before releasing a breath. He nodded to the suzerain and then left the gallery. She returned her gaze to the detestable male who sired her. “I am ready now to hear about your treasure that needs finding.”
“The treasure’s name is Endara. I betrothed her to a rock-mining suzerain, but he paid far too little for what he received. You know how I feel about being cheated out of my profit. I want Endara returned until he has paid for her true value.”
“Are you sure the child still lives? Perhaps her new mate has tired of her and put her to death to spite you. That has happened before,” Seta said.
“Yes. But I am sure that is not the case with this arrangement. Endara wasn’t of age to service males and won’t be for quite some time. It was a special situation. My optimism that her absence would prompt her female sire to want another offspring proved to be a bad decision.”
Seta swallowed the bile in her throat. She had been only fourteen Earth summers old when her father had given her to his Chief to initiate. The question she needed to ask stuck on it’s way out of her throat. “How old is the child?”
“Endara is twelve zans. Wait that’s rude of me. Common language calculation—she is four and half Earth years old.”
Seta’s eyes widened no matter how much she tried to stop her emotional reaction. “Four? What possessed you to accept a union price for a four-year-old child?”
She heard the suzerain snort.
Seta dipped her head in what appeared to be apology. “Forgive me. I do not know your reasons and I should not judge your wisdom in business matters.” She closed her eyes and tried to fight feeling so much revulsion. It was hard to bite back the insults she wanted to rain on his head.
She felt Ji’s stroking hand between her shoulder blades and quickly stepped away. Comfort—any comfort at all—would reduce her to a puddle.
She raised her head finally. “I will also have to ask you to forgive me this question as well, but I need the information in order to plan our search. What is the child’s value to the one who paid for her?”
She waited patiently for an answer and grew highly irritated by the way the suzerain squirmed in his chair.
“I would rather not say at this time. Just know Endara is special, highly valuable, and must be returned to me so a more equitable bargain can be struck,” Suzerain Trax stated.
“We cannot go blindly out to retrieve a person you bargained away without knowing what perils we might be facing. Why would a mining kingdom buy a child from Suzerain Trax? If this quest is important to you, then tell me the truth of the matter.”
“Very well—the child talks to rocks, including all gems. Her female sire was an off-planet female that I bargained for on special trade. Endara’s talents are common on her female parent’s world, but I was not aware of this when I accepted the mining suzerain’s union suite.”
“Is her mother still in your corral?” Seta asked, tense with concern for someone she had never met.
Suzerain sighed and stared off at a far wall. “Ineid is no longer in the zenana because she is broken. Ineid is kept sedated so she will remain calm. The chances of getting her to conceive again are slim. Healers tell me her spirit has mostly left her body already. That process began long before Endara though. The female was melancholy when her former mate traded her to me for a younger, fair-haired female. Even with restraints and many days of medical assistance, it took me several weeks to get Ineid to conceive Endara. Then to make matters worse, she did not fare well once conception was finally achieved.”
Counseling herself not to show her feelings about her father’s vile admission, Seta nodded tightly. “I wish to talk with Ineid. If she is not Ethosian, I would like to understand what she is before I set out to find the child.”
When her sire had the audacity to look put out by her request, a dark vicious hatred rose inside her. She felt Zorinda’s power straining toward the male she stared at as stoically as possible. In her mind, she created an image of an invisible cord wrapped around Suzerain Trax’s neck, choking the life from him. Before her gaze, the detestable man started sweati
ng and clawing at his throat. Several of his closest attendants rushed to his aid when they noticed what was happening.
Could it be the demon bringing her thoughts to life?
Zorinda—stop, she ordered, sending the mental command. It is not time for his death. Not yet. I command you to stop—for now.
Suddenly free of his choking fit, Seta watched the suzerain wave away all those around him.
“Get away from me, fools. Can’t you see I am fine? My clothes are too restricting. I obviously chose poorly when I dressed this morning—that’s all.”
Seta watched his attention shift to her.
“Arghane can take you to see Ineid, but I doubt you will get any helpful information. She refused to tell me no matter what luxury I promised her. You’ll be lucky if the female even acknowledges you at all. Her mate lied about her species because I had her blood tested.”
Seta nodded that she heard the challenges he ticked off, but lifted her chin as her gaze met the suzerain’s again. “My intuition has been sharpened by Peace Alliance training. I wish the Siren to accompany me as a witness.”
“Easily granted and wise. A lone female cannot be seen roaming about unattended anyway. If your Siren values you as much as he claims, it would be wise for him to remain with you at all times while you are on Ethos.”
Seta saw Suzerain Trax turn to his administrator and motion the staid man to his side.
“Put out the word that Seta and the Siren have free reign of the canton. They are to be allowed any liberties they choose for the purpose of the task she is performing, provided they are accompanied by a canton guard at all times.”
The man bowed his head and glanced warily at her and Ji.
Though Seta had not made contact with her unwelcome suitor much, awareness of Ji was a constant whenever he was nearby. She felt the Siren’s energy resonating inside her almost as much as she felt Zorinda’s power. In some ways it was a comfort because his presence meant she wasn’t going to be alone with unfriendly males. At least Ji was an ally when it came to dealing with the Arghane types on Ethos. Who knew how many of her father’s men Zorinda would have to kill to protect her if Ji wasn’t here?
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