Many couples across the galaxy wed for reasons other than love, and many races practiced arranged marriages. Why should people die because of her?
Then there was the Galactic Council. Taio was a member and had held his seat for over fifteen cycles. It was his responsibility to be a pillar of the community and lead by example, which he had done for so long now.
He’d dedicated most of his life to improving the welfare of their species. When Olo hadn’t bothered to research the reason for their low birthing rates, Taio had sought out scientists to help solve the problem. When Olo had opened his mining company on Drazlan and “employed” his subjects without pay, Taio had opened Sonis to anyone who wanted to get away from King Xochis’ rule.
Saia understood her brother was upset over her circumstances, but she couldn’t let his emotions cloud what was best for the overall good of their species.
What she really wanted was for Ranuit Pi to break the bonding contact himself. That would legally be the only way out of it. But it was unlikely. Ranuit Pi had too much to gain from the deal.
Saia had even thought to run away for real, somewhere other than Sonis, somewhere outside their planetary system, a place where Olo would never reach her. But that was also unlikely.
Her father was King Olo Xochis, the ruler and commander of the famous Drazlan royal guards. No one would harbor her. What did she have to offer someone in exchange? She didn’t have any credits to her name to pay for passage or even to feed herself. Besides, Sonis was the farthest the transporter would take her without first getting clearance from Olo.
She visited her brother whenever she could. And with the birth of Taio and Eva’s son Josanis, coupled with her father’s abuse, she and Fainia traveled to Sonis often. It wasn’t the grand escape she wished for, but at least it would give them a short reprieve from Olo.
After exiting the transporter, the palace healing tank would be their first stop. While Saia’s injuries were minor in comparison, her mother would require extensive care. Taio could never see them in this condition. The last thing she wanted to do was have him readying his warriors for an invasion.
“No, it’s not quite time for the party, Mother. We had to come a little earlier. Do you remember now?” Saia watched Fainia with worry.
“Yes, unfortunately,” Fainia said.
Saia sighed. “It’ll all work out. Taio will speak with Ranuit Pi and after he’s done with him, I’m sure my mate will treat me like a queen.”
“I know,” Fainia said. “I’ll be sad to see you go, but at least you’ll get away from your father for good.”
“King Xochis,” Saia corrected.
Fainia looked at Saia with sadness in her eyes. “I’m so sorry that your fath— King Xochis does not treat you as he should.”
“Don’t be sorry. The fault lies with him. I came to that conclusion a long time ago.”
Fainia nodded. “I wonder if Olo will do his best to publicly humiliate me at your party. I wish we could skip this farce of a gathering.”
“We have to go through with it. It’s the only way Taio can speak to Ranuit Pi without Olo knowing. King Xochis would never allow it otherwise.”
“I understand,” Fainia said. “I just dread going to the party. And I used to enjoy grand affairs.”
Before Olo had begun to publicly humiliate them by allowing his mistresses to attend the events. It had been easy enough to ignore the presence of one mistress, but when that number grew to five or so, walking around in family heirlooms, she and Fainia had stopped attending palace gathering altogether.
She gave her mother’s hand a soft squeeze. “I know, but we’ll get through it. We’ll ignore him as we’ve learned to do. Eva said the guest list is large, we’ll be too busy entertaining to be worried about King Xochis and what he’s doing.”
“My queen, we will have the tailors make the most stunning dresses for the event,” Aria said from her place in the backseat.
Fainia closed her eyes and exhaled. “No matter how grand I’m dressed, I will not forget the purpose of the party.”
Saia looked away and blinked back the tears threatening to spill. “Taio will speak with Ranuit Pi. He will guarantee that I am treated properly.”
The transporter door finally opened. Saia released her harness. She waited patiently for Aria and Milin, her personal maid, to exit first. Once they cleared the door, she followed and waited on the platform for her mother to exit last, as was custom. She glanced around the bay. There were four long platforms where multiple transporters could dock, and almost each space was filled. Luckily for them, the normally bustling transport bay was almost empty of others.
Her mother exited the transporter. The scarf she wore didn’t properly cover her face. One of her eyes could only crack open while the other was swollen shut. She had green-and-black bruises on her cheeks and forehead. Although she was covered in royal garb, Saia knew she had bruises on her arms, legs, torso and back as well.
Saia rushed to her side and adjusted her scarf. Satisfied her mother’s bruises couldn’t be clearly seen, she hooked their arms together. “Come, we’ll go to the medical center.”
Two Sonis royal guards approached. Their stoic faces turned into frowns when they saw Saia and Fainia. She pulled her mother closer as the guards took in Saia’s bruises. “Queen, Princess…what happened? You have been injured,” one of the guards noted.
She had concentrated only on getting to Sonis and getting to the healing tank before Taio could see their appearance. She forgot about the guards who always met them when they landed.
“No. We’re fine,” she said.
The guards exchanged glances. “We will notify Taio immediately.” One raised an arm to initiate the com-link attached to his wrist.
Saia quickly stepped forward and put a hand on his arm. “No, please. We’re on our way to the healing tank.”
“I’m sorry, Princess, but I should notify Taio.”
Saia gripped him more firmly. “Please.”
“I will take care of this, Deru.”
Saia’s heart dropped at hearing Ship’s ominous voice filling the bay, coming from nowhere and everywhere. Although Ship traveled and lived in electrical currents, he could maneuver through air when it suited him. If anything was going on within the palace walls, Ship knew about it immediately. He would surely tell Taio that Fainia had been beaten severely.
“Should I wake Taio?” the guard asked Ship. His eyes wandered to Fainia. “The queen is injured. I’m sure he’ll want to be informed right away.”
If he told Taio that she and her mother had come to Sonis in this condition, he wouldn’t hesitate to invade Drazlan.
“No. I will speak with him directly,” Ship said.
The guards nodded as a sign of respect and left.
“Ship,” Saia said. “Can I please speak with you before you call Taio?” She needed to plead with him not to tell. Surely he wouldn’t want a war between the two worlds.
“There is no need, Princess,” Ship replied. “I’ll make sure you get to the medical center without crossing paths with anyone else. There is no need to start a war when you two have landed safely.”
The tension that had swiftly built began to drift away.
“But you understand that Taio will find out what has happened, don’t you?”
“Find out what?” Saia asked, trying to keep her voice even. For all Ship knew, they had both fallen or slipped down stairs. Many, many stairs.
“King Xochis sent numerous transmissions to the pilot to turn around so he could finish ‘giving you both what you deserved’. I entered your transporter, and upon seeing the extent of your damages, I knew what he meant.”
Fainia opened her eyes wide. “Why didn’t the pilot turn around? Olo will have his head.”
“I blocked the communications. The pilot never received them.”
“Ship, thank you for helping us escape, but I’m afraid Olo will be furious.”
“As soon as I ensure that you and S
aia are in the healing tanks, I will inform Olo that our systems had a glitch and it caused disruptions in the surrounding airspace. I will inform him that while testing for errors, I came across the messages he had tried to relay to the pilot.”
“But what about Taio? Can you keep this from him?”
“I don’t think this is something that should be kept from him, Saia.”
Saia groaned. “I’d hoped he wouldn’t ever have to find out. After Taio speaks with Ranuit Pi, I was going to try to encourage my intended to have our bonding ceremony immediately following the engagement party.”
“Saia!” Fainia exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me about this plan?”
“I don’t want to return to Drazlan. If Ranuit Pi wants me sooner, then I’ll leave Sonis with him.” She looked away briefly. “And take you with us.”
“Oh, my sweet baby.” Fainia grabbed her into a hug. “You know Olo would never allow it,” she said in a whisper.
“But he might, if he thought he had something to gain. We would pretend you’d only be gone for two or three lunar cycles—to help me acclimate to the Zumagala culture. I was thinking King Xochis would be so busy counting his gold and enjoying his females that he wouldn’t notice if you didn’t return.”
Fainia pulled back slowly. “I think that plan just might work.”
Saia smiled at her mother encouragingly. “See, Ship? Taio would never have to know that we’ve arrived with bruises.”
“I’m still unsure,” Ship said.
“I understand where your loyalties lie, Ship, but please think of Taio’s. You know how protective he is of me. If he found out about the abuse, there would be no reasoning with him. Taio would leave for Drazlan tonight. Think about what that would mean for Sonis and Drazlan. We have a way to avoid a war. Please, we have our worlds’ and Taio’s best interests at heart.”
Ship was silent for a moment. Then, “I agree.”
Thank the Ancients.
Fainia and Saia both let out a breath.
“Thank you,” Saia said.
“Come, we have a ways to go,” he said. “If Taio sees you now, it won’t matter what plans are concocted.”
Saia followed Fainia through the halls, on edge the entire time. But thankfully, because of the lateness or due to Ship’s involvement, there were no passersby.
Relief was the only thing she felt as they finally reached the medical center. Five white, body-size containment units were lined up along one side of the room. Stopping in front of the first, Saia began to help Fainia undress, laying her clothes across Aria’s forearm.
When the last shift was taken off and her mother stood before her naked, Saia gasped.
Not only did bruises cover Fainia’s body, but she also had long parallel welts, as though Olo had dug his nails into her skin and dragged them over her torso and legs. Down her arm, around her shoulder and over her collarbone were…
Saia caught her breath.
Bite marks.
Olo had bitten into Fainia with such force that he had torn through the skin.
How could he do this to her?
Saia’s stomach dropped. Bile rose in her throat.
As she stared at her mother, horrified, Aria moved to shield her from Saia’s view. “Here, let me finish this.” She looked to Milin. “Milin, help Saia undress.”
“No, Aria. I’ll take care of her. She’s my mother.”
Aria tsked. “You should not hold this burden by yourself.”
“I’ll be fine, Saia, let Milin take care of you.”
Saia held back tears. “I can’t…I don’t…”
Fainia pulled Saia close and held her in a brief but tight embrace. “Aria has taken care of me since before you were born. We have many secrets between us that only a queen and her trusted aide could share.”
She reluctantly nodded and did as she was told. After Saia was naked, Milin helped her into a healing tank and closed the glass top. The tank was large enough to fit one of the Sonis males with ease. She could almost fully extend her arms to the sides, but not quite. The top wouldn’t allow her to sit fully upright. When the healing tank began to vibrate and hum, Saia knew Milin had activated the regeneration sequence. There was no telling when the sequence would be complete, but one it was, the healing tank would turn off.
Exhausted, Saia closed her eyes and let the hum lull her to sleep.
* * * * *
Once finished in the medical center, Saia and Fainia made their way to the royal suite. There was no need to worry that the rooms would be occupied. Taio didn’t allow anyone else to use them.
They passed the kitchen area, through the elaborately furnished sitting room and up the winding staircase. Saia stopped at the first door, which was her room. After giving her a kiss on the forehead, Fainia continued down the hall to the double doors that led to her mother and Olo’s bedroom.
As Saia entered her room, she called out, “Ship? Are you still here?”
“I am present,” he said.
“Thank you for getting us here unseen.”
“You are most welcome.”
“I don’t want you to involve yourself anymore. I don’t want you to get into trouble with Taio.” When he didn’t answer, she said, “Ship, do you hear me?”
Her question was met with silence.
Chapter Four
Even as reality tugged on her mind, she fought to stay asleep.
She didn’t want to leave the man in her dream. The same male she’d dreamed about often. The setting always changed—sometimes they stood on a remote beach or walked through a bustling marketplace—but the male did not. She never remembered his face when she awoke, but she held on to the way he made her feel, even if it wasn’t real.
A shriek, high and piercing, interrupted her dream.
Saia woke with a start. She sat straight up and grabbed the covers to her sides.
Where am I?
Her heart gripped with fear as her gaze darted around the room, nearly empty save for the expansive bed she was in. The green curtains gently billowed as the breeze from the Singha Ocean swept through.
Sonis.
She exhaled. They were safe from Olo.
Another shriek.
Mother.
Saia pushed the light blanket aside and scampered out of bed. She ran toward the door, her heart beating at an incredible pace. If Olo has her…
Running down the hall, she followed the sounds that came from her mother’s room. She stumbled twice, tripping over the sleeping gown that draped to the floor. At her mother’s doors, she didn’t hesitate to knock. She turned the knob without breaking her stride.
And ran straight into Aria’s back, making her fall forward.
“Saia! I have told you time and time again. Princesses do not run through rooms,” Fainia scolded.
Aria, Josanis and Eva turned to watch her as she straightened.
Eva. Saia let out a reassuring breath. “It’s only you.”
Even for a human, Eva was short. She had once explained that she was “petite”, whatever that meant. Although Eva and Taio looked odd together—he tripled her weight and stood half her length taller—one could still feel the love between them.
Today, Eva wore her black hair in a braid down her back. She was also one of the few females on Sonis who wore pants. While Saia understood it was a normal custom on Earth, she’d noted many of the human females chose to wear traditional Sonis gowns.
“Well, it’s nice to see you too, Saia,” Eva said, her blue gaze on her.
“I’m sorry. Hi, Eva.” Saia went to give her a hug. “I am glad to see you. I was expecting someone else.” Saia shifted her gaze to Fainia, who was playing a game with Josanis.
Fainia mouthed, “All is fine,” behind Eva’s back.
Even just waking, Fainia looked as regal as ever. Her black hair fanned around her face and the healing tank had brought back the vibrancy of her skin tone. She looked fresh and glowing and her lavender eyes looked alive.
; “Who were you expecting?” Eva asked.
“Um, Taio.”
Eva nodded. “I’m sure he’ll be around shortly. He just returned from Volrais. He’s still trying to get himself organized.” Then she frowned. “I wasn’t expecting you two for a couple more days. Is something the matter?”
“No,” Saia said quickly. “We wanted to come early to help.”
Eva raised a brow. “Help? You mean physically help? Hanging decorations, moving chairs…that sort of help?”
Saia shrugged. “Yes, with anything you need us to do.”
Eva grabbed Saia’s hand and led her to where Fainia sat. “I was joking. You two have probably never moved a chair in your lives. Spill it, what’s the matter? Did Olo find out that Taio plans to meet with Ranuit Pi?”
“No, he didn’t,” Fainia said. “We had nervous energy and wanted to ensure everything was going as planned.”
“Hmmm,” Eva said, her gaze searching up and down Saia’s body. “Something is off with this situation.”
“Eva, please,” Fainia offered. “You are always on high alert. Relax.”
“I’ve got so many alarm bells sounding in my head right now,” Eva said. “I can’t ignore my instincts. They’ve saved me more than once.”
Instinct was indeed something Eva had heavily relied on all of her life. On Earth, she had been a lethally trained martial artist. When Taio rescued her from Xenaris’ slave auction block, Eva had been in the middle of a fight against two Tresdonians, a species whose short, thick bodies gave them the ability to withstand the hardest of blows. But it wasn’t her fight with the Tresdonians that had given her a dangerous reputation.
It was the fact she’d singlehandedly gone up against three of Sonis’ royal guards—killing one.
Now Taio let Eva train females, which was unheard of in their culture. And to prove that he saw her as a warrior, he had even given her a jango, a fighting sword warriors of both Sonis and Drazlan trained with.
Saia sat on the bed next to Fainia and Josanis. When she did, he held out his arms and she picked him up and kissed him. Although he was only one and a half birth cycles, he was a heavy child and her arms strained to hold him. He had his parents’ black hair, with one blue eye inherited from Eva, and one lavender, from Taio.
Dangerously His: 4 (Loving Dangerously) Page 4