Intergalactic Loyalties

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  “The seamstress should be here in a few minutes,” Lyros said. “If you need anything, I’ll be next door. I need to review the training schedule for the warriors, but I’ll gladly set it aside for you.”

  Lyros left and Roux wandered around her bedroom, pausing to peer out into the night. The moons were pretty in the night sky, and the stars were far brighter here than on Earth, but even knowing they were on the third floor of the palace, and not likely to have an intruder come through the windows, it didn’t stop Roux from worrying. It had been so long since she’d been safe she couldn’t remember what it felt like.

  The seamstress came, an elderly Tourmalane woman, and took her measurements. Roux learned that while there were no young Tourmalane women, there were a handful of older ones. She felt it was rude to ask why there were so few of them and decided to save her questions for Lyros or Vandir. She didn’t want to offend the woman in any way since she was being so kind to her.

  “I’ll have your dresses ready in a few days.” The woman smiled. “I imagine I’ll be adding to your wardrobe over the next few weeks though. I’ll send items as I get them ready.”

  “Oh, I know you have dresses to make for Seneca and Audra as well. I’m not a priority by any means.”

  “That’s for the royal family to decide and I was told that you take precedence. When Princess Lucie makes her wishes known, we follow them.”

  Lucie had said to make her a priority? But why? Roux didn’t understand why the royal family would give her special treatment. She wasn’t any different than Seneca or Audra. They had all been slaves and sold to the brothel. They were equals, equally low. It wasn’t like they had a station in life other than that of servant. Unless it was frowned upon for women to hold jobs on Tourmalane, Roux was certain once they were mated they would all three end up working in the palace or in the nearby town.

  The seamstress made her goodbyes and left Roux to her own devices. She went through her belongings and couldn’t find anything to sleep in. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin her dress, so she gathered her courage and went next door to ask Lyros what she should do. Her knuckles rapped on his door and she waited, barely breathing. Her heart raced a million miles a minute while she waited for him to answer. When the door opened, her mouth dried out and her hormones went crazy. Who knew that the prince was hiding such an impressive chest and set of abs under his shirt?

  “Did you need something, Roux?” he asked.

  Judging by the expression on his face, it wasn’t the first time he’d posed the question to her. Her cheeks warmed in embarrassment and she managed to find her wits long enough to form a few words.

  “I don’t have anything to sleep in.”

  His eyebrows arched. “On Tourmalane, it is customary to not sleep in anything.”

  She felt her face flame hotter.

  “But since that idea seems to make you uncomfortable, you may borrow one of my shirts,” he said. Lyros motioned for her to follow him into his quarters and she tried to not stare at the massive unmade bed. There was a bright light shining over a desk near the windows and it reminded her that she was interrupting his work.

  Lyros pulled out a clean shirt and handed it to her. It was all Roux could do not to lift it to her nose and sniff. If it smelled half as good as his bedroom did, then she was going to have a long, sleepless night. She thanked him and scurried back to her room. After changing into the shirt, she climbed beneath the covers on her bed and tried to go to sleep. The lights dimmed on their own and she wondered if there was some sort of sensor or timer on them. As the room was plunged into darkness, Roux felt her fear return.

  After tossing and turning for several hours, she finally fell asleep, but it was far from restful. She woke a short time later with a scream, jackknifing in bed, the covers pulled to her chin as she searched the darkness for a threat. There wasn’t anything there that she could see, but that didn’t mean her fear wasn’t justified. It might have just been a dream that someone had grabbed her foot, or there might have actually been someone lurking in her bedroom.

  The door flew open and her heart hammered in her chest, until she heard Lyros command the lights to come on. Audra rose from the foot of the bed, looking infuriated at having been caught.

  “What are you doing in Roux’s bedroom?” Lyros demanded.

  “It was a bit of harmless fun. It’s not my fault she can’t take a joke,” Audra said, placing a hand on her hip. “She shouldn’t be up here with you. She should have to stay in the same part of the palace as the rest of us. It’s not fair that she’s getting special treatment.”

  “You’re jealous.” Lyros narrowed his eyes at her. “If you’re hoping your tricks will catch you a prince, you are sadly mistaken. Neither my brother nor I will be claiming you. And from what I’ve seen of your personality so far, I think you’re going to be hard-pressed to find a mate on our world. I won’t make you leave Tourmalane, but if you persist in tormenting Roux, you will give me no choice but to expel you from the palace.”

  “She’s right,” Roux said. “I should be down there with them.”

  “You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be,” Lyros said. “Audra, do you need an escort back to your room? I’m going to assume you can find it since you made your way up here alone.”

  Audra’s jaw clenched and she stormed off past Lyros. The alien prince shook his head and moved further into Roux’s room, coming to stand beside the bed. He reached out a hand and smoothed her hair back from her face, and she couldn’t help but lean into that touch a little.

  “Are you all right?” he asked softly.

  “I’ll be fine. The darkness and newness of the room had me scared to begin with. It wasn’t hard for her to make my fear even worse. When she grabbed my foot, I thought someone was after me.”

  “They were,” he said, his lips twisting. “I don’t trust her to stay out of here tonight. Would you like me to station a guard outside your door?”

  Stay!

  Roux wasn’t sure where the thought came from, but she was scared to give voice to it. She really did want him to stay though, at least for a little while. It had been so long since anyone had held her, and she’d never shared a bed with a male before. Of course, it was her virgin status that had gotten her into this mess to begin with. If she hadn’t been walking home from that rotten date, if she hadn’t turned down Ted’s proposition, then she never would have been snatched that night.

  “Roux? What is it?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

  He was so close! She could reach out and touch him, and she found that she couldn’t resist. Her fingers brushed over his and the next thing she knew, she was folded into his embrace and snuggled against his chest. It felt safe and warm, and for the first time in her life, Roux felt like she belonged somewhere.

  “What do you want from me, Roux? You could barely stand me this morning.”

  “I was scared that you were like all the other alien males I’ve met. But Vandir explained things to me this afternoon, and I realized that you were different. You weren’t lying to me and planning something nefarious behind my back.”

  “I could never hurt you,” he said softly. “From the moment I first saw you, I’ve wanted to protect you. It would be my honor to watch over you until you find your mate. Lucie is planning an event for tomorrow afternoon. It isn’t as big as she’d hoped, but she wanted to get the three of you settled as quickly as possible. My world isn’t set up for independent women like your Earth is, and for that I’m sorry. We’re a very male-dominant race, but I can promise that the male who claims you will treat you as if you were a princess.”

  But what if she wanted Lyros to claim her? What would it take to make the prince fall in love with her? Or was it more than that… was she just not his destined mate, and that was why he hadn’t made a move? It made her nervous, the thought of meeting a bunch of alien males who were desperate for a mate. What if the one who claimed her was someone she couldn’t stand? Something to
ld her there was no such thing as divorce on this planet. If she went with one of the males tomorrow, it would be for forever. She trembled as she thought about how much her life had changed since she’d been abducted.

  “Are you scared Audra will come back? I meant what I said. I’ll post a guard outside your door if it will help you sleep tonight.”

  She shook her head. Was she brave enough to ask for what she really wanted?

  “Roux, if you don’t tell me what you want, I can’t help you. I want you to feel safe here, to get a good night’s sleep before the gathering tomorrow. What do I need to do for that to happen?” he asked.

  “Stay,” she whispered.

  “Stay?”

  “Please. I don’t want to be alone tonight. It’s scary here, and not just because of Audra. I feel safe with you.”

  She felt his hesitance and wasn’t sure what to say to keep him from leaving. She could almost feel his body pulling away from her and leaning toward the door. Typical man. Anytime feelings were involved, they ran for the exit. Not that she’d confessed her undying love or anything, but she’d let him know that she needed him, and that was probably enough to scare the hell out of him.

  He was quiet for so long that she thought he was going to leave, but he surprised her. Instead of pulling away, he released her long enough to remove his boots, then pulled her back into his arms and settled back against the headboard. Roux breathed a contented sigh as she snuggled closer to him, her arm draped over his waist as her head rested on his chest. She couldn’t help but notice how strong he was. For the first time in her life, she wondered what it would be like to be intimate with a man. Oh, she’d had dreams and read romance novels, but she’d never had a specific man in mind before.

  Roux closed her eyes and let the warmth of Lyros’ body seep into her as she breathed in his scent.

  Chapter Three

  Lyros hadn’t slept much during the night, and as he watched the suns rise through Roux’s bedroom windows, he realized that this was the most content he’d ever been. Roux was nestled in his arms and it felt so incredibly right. Not once during the night had she stirred except to move closer to him. The more he thought about someone choosing her for their mate, the more unsettled he felt. But could he doom her to a life without children if she wasn’t his destined mate?

  A talk with Drexyl was definitely in order. The sooner he found his brother and got things sorted in his head, the better. If what he felt for Roux was the same thing Drexyl felt when he saw Lucie for the first time, then he wouldn’t waste another moment and would claim her immediately. Assuming she’d have him. But judging by the way she snuggled close to him, he didn’t think it would be a problem.

  He was loathe to leave but eased away from her, making sure to place a pillow under her head, then slipped out of her room. Despite his lack of sleep, he was clear-minded and ready to face the day. Lyros took a quick shower and dressed. As early as it was, his brother was likely either still cuddled with his mate or down at breakfast. On many a morning, Drexyl would eat before everyone else so he could see to his duties.

  The dining hall was empty, but there was a used plate and cup on the table, which meant his brother had been there already. Deciding to skip breakfast for the moment, he checked out Drexyl’s usual places until he found his brother on an upper balcony watching the warriors train in the courtyard. Lyros cleared his throat as he approached to make his presence known. Startling his brother was never a good idea. Drexyl didn’t even spare him a glance, but Lyros went to stand beside him.

  “Do you think we could talk for a moment?” Lyros asked.

  “Is this about Roux?”

  Lyros looked up at him in surprise. “How did you know?”

  His brother’s lips quirked. “Because I’ve seen the way you watch her. You want her, but you’re confused about how you feel. If it helps, that burning desire you feel for her will never go away. No woman will ever be able to take her place, and you won’t even want to try. You can fight it if you wish, but you’ve found your match. She’s a little young, but I think she’s well suited to you just the same.”

  “You’ve been spying on me?”

  “Observing. Just as I know that Audra has no place here. Which brings me to a difficult position. I can’t release her onto our world to create havoc, but I can’t send her off into space either.”

  “So what are we going to do?” Lyros asked.

  “I know you want to stay here and claim your mate, but I’d like you to return Audra to Earth. There’s a race of aliens, Zelthranites, who have been working with Earth’s government to repopulate their world. I’m already in negotiations to see if there might be room for us as well. In the meantime, we have an out-of-control female on our hands and I want her gone. The coordinates for your destination are already programmed into your ship. Leave her with the humans who will meet your ship and then you can return home.”

  “And if someone tries to claim Roux between now and then?”

  “I’ll stall Lucie on the party and explain why. If she thinks you want Roux for yourself, then I know she’ll be content to wait. She likes the younger woman, which is why she placed her in the room next to yours to begin with. She was hoping Roux might become one of the family.” Drexyl sighed. “If she’s your fated mate then I could keep her from being claimed, but you know she’s not technically yours until you’re officially bonded.”

  “Your mate is devious.” Lyros smiled. “She’s certainly kept things interesting around here since she came to our world. Just how many children do you plan to have running around here?”

  “I asked the healer to give her a tonic to keep her from getting pregnant again until Adelyn was a little older. There was no point in her taking care of two babies at once, but once Adelyn got older, Lucie decided she was ready. She deserved some rest between babies, but I wouldn’t mind if we had a palace full of them. Once your mate starts giving our father more grandchildren, in addition to the ones Lucie seems intent to give him, I’m sure the palace will be overrun in no time.”

  Lyros clapped his brother on the back. “You’re a good mate. I hope I’m half as good to Roux as you are to Lucie.”

  “You’ll do fine.” Drexyl smiled. “Now, I’ve already ordered two warriors to escort Audra to your ship this morning. It’s best if you’re already there waiting for her. I know you don’t want to leave Roux, but you won’t be gone all that long. If you fold space and take a few wormholes, you should be in Earth’s orbit in two days. There’s no reason for you to linger there. Just drop off Audra and return home.”

  Lyros sighed. Taking the annoying female home was the last thing he wanted to do, but it would be better if she weren’t on Tourmalane. He didn’t want Roux to be tormented any more than she already had been. If he wanted to keep his mate safe and happy, then he needed to do this.

  “Do I have time to tell Roux where I’m going?”

  “I think it’s best if the other two humans don’t know about your trip to Earth. What if they decide they want to go with you and return home? You’d lose your mate and I’m sure you don’t want that. It isn’t like you can live on Earth with her.”

  As a prince of Tourmalane, even if Earth’s government would allow such a thing, it just wasn’t possible. Would Roux choose him over her own world? Was he brave enough to find out? He’d love for her to travel with him, give them some time to be alone during the two-day trip back home. He knew Drexyl’s word was law, but maybe just this once…

  He took leave of his brother and went back to Roux’s room. If he was going to take her with him, he’d have to smuggle her out of the palace and then contact his family once his ship left the planet’s orbit so they would know that Roux was safe. And he’d deal with his brother’s wrath when he came home. But if Roux wanted to stay on Earth… he wasn’t sure what he would do then.

  Roux was still sleeping peacefully when he entered her room. He eased onto the side of the bed and smoothed her hair back from her face. Sh
e looked even younger in the early morning light, which made him feel ancient. Lyros gently shook her awake, smiling as she blinked up at him sleepily. A smile curved her lips when her gaze focused and she reached a hand toward him, stroking it lightly down his arm.

  “You stayed with me?” she asked. “All night?”

  “I stayed all night. I did have to leave this morning to meet with my brother, but I’ve come to ask you a question. It’s a very important question.”

  Roux sat up a little.

  “If I told you that you were my destined mate, would that make you happy or displeased?” he asked, watching her intently.

  “You make me feel safe. I’d rather be your mate than anyone else’s.”

  Not a declaration of her undying love, but it would suffice. Now, for the tricky part.

  “I need to make a trip to your world. Knowing that’s where I’m going, if I took you with me, would you ask your government to save you and remain there when I left, or knowing you’re my mate, would you stay with me?”

  She nibbled on her lip as she thought it over. When it looked like she would make the tender skin bleed, he smoothed over it with his thumb. She seemed conflicted and he wondered if he’d just lost her.

  “What exactly does it mean to be your mate?” she asked.

  “Well, I’m a prince of Tourmalane, so we would live here in the palace. You’d move into my suite next door, and the day that I claim you, we would be blessed with a child.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “I’d be pregnant after one time?” she asked.