“Do you think it will work?” Saia asked.
“I hope so,” Eva replied. “I have a child, so I’ll do anything I can to help avoid a war with King Xochis or Ranuit Pi.”
“I apologize for bringing your family into all of this,” Fainia said.
“It’s my fault,” Saia said. “If it wasn’t for me, no one would even be thinking about war.”
Eva rubbed a hand across Saia’s back. “Oh honey, don’t blame yourself.”
“Eva’s right, it’s not your fault. You’re just the unfortunate soul caught in Olo’s plans.”
“I wish there was a better way to solve this,” Eva said. “I really do.”
Saia shook her head. “There isn’t. I’m not the first person who must do something for the greater good of everyone involved.”
“Not everyone,” Eva muttered.
Saia gave a shaky smile. “It’ll work out, you’ll see. Taio will talk with Ranuit Pi, and who knows? Ranuit Pi may actually be nice. He might treat me with respect and honor. He might even grow to love me—someday.”
Fainia ran a hand over Saia’s hair, picking up a shiny lock. “Ranuit Pi would be a fool to harm such a delicate flower.”
Saia looked away, not wanting her mother to see her eyes misting over. “Olo has.”
Fainia turned to Eva. “Thank you for all the effort you’ve put into planning this. I am sure Taio appreciates it as well.”
Eva frowned and rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t know. He hasn’t really said a lot about it. He won’t talk to me about the party or the bonding ceremony. I don’t even know what he plans to say to Ranuit Pi.”
“He hasn’t talked to me much either,” Saia said solemnly. “We used to talk a lot, but now when I call him, he’s either not available or he can’t stay on the line for very long.”
Eva rubbed Saia’s arm. “Give him some time, he’ll come around. He’s just really upset with your father right now and you know your brother—he has a hard time dealing with his emotions.”
Saia nodded. “I understand. I’m trying my best to pretend that I’m happy in front of him. If he thought otherwise, I know it would be hard to convince him not to invade Drazlan.”
“I wish there was more that I could do.”
“You’ve already done enough,” Fainia said. “You’re helping in our plan to ensure Saia will be treated well on Syntorian.”
“How is Kiehle taking it?” Eva asked.
Saia wasn’t able to see Kiehle as much as she saw Taio. When Taio settled down on Sonis, he asked Kiehle to oversee the operation of his business, Sonis Mercenary. Now Kiehle had complete control over the company, which often kept him in distant parts of the galaxy on the first vessel Taio ever bought, The Saia. Sometimes Kiehle was so far out of reach, Saia couldn’t even get him by long-range communication.
“He wants to kill Olo,” Saia said.
“Oh, he’s taking it better than Taio, huh?” Eva smirked.
“How is that ‘taking it better’?” Fainia asked.
“Kiehle just wants to kill Olo. Taio wants to kill Ranuit Pi, Olo and anyone involved in the bonding.” Eva’s hand trailed down to Saia’s. “He doesn’t want to give up his precious little sister.”
Precious.
Saia almost laughed.
She’d been kicked, hit, slapped, pushed, punched and spit on. There was nothing precious about her.
“He can’t ignore the inevitable. Even if Saia didn’t bond with Ranuit Pi, she would eventually bond with someone. She’s no longer a child.” Her mother took a deep breath. “You are doing an excellent job, Eva. You and Saia should be able to handle the rest of the arrangements, yes?”
“We’ll be fine,” Eva replied, letting go of Saia’s hand.
“Very well.” Fainia turned to walk away.
“Where are you going?” Eva asked.
“To speak with my son. If he wants to come to an agreement with Ranuit Pi, he’ll need my help. I’m beginning to think Taio’s idea of negotiations may include a very sharp weapon.”
“Let’s pray she can talk some sense into him,” Eva murmured as they watched Fainia leave the room with a royal guard on her heals.
“Before Taio met you, I would have doubted that was even possible. But now, he is much more open to listening to what others have to say.”
“Ha! Don’t get fooled honey. Your brother is just as bullheaded as ever. He’s only different with me.” Eva looped arms with Saia and led her through the large room. “In that regard, Taio has learned to negotiate, which is a major plus in any relationship.”
“Negotiate? Is that why you and he appear so happy with each other?”
Eva nodded. “Negotiating and compromising is the key to any marriage. Luckily, your brother is learning to do both quiet well. I’ve changed. I’m not the same woman I was when he rescued me from Xenaris. He’s not the same male who I first met. We’ve grown for the better. It took a lot to learn to trust and rely on him. I’m still very much independent, but my soul belongs to Taio.”
They walked around a couple who were busy setting up decorations on a table.
“Did it take you long to change his ways? Warriors are not trained to negotiate or compromise with their mates.”
Eva tilted her head. “It was hard at first. But I didn’t set out to change him and he didn’t set out to change me. We wanted to be together and in order to do so, we both had to learn how to compromise.”
Eva stopped in front of a table that spilled over with blue, green and yellow flowers.
“What about human males? Are they taught to negotiate and compromise?” She bit her lower lip, hoping it was true.
Eva plucked a blue flower from the arrangement, rose on her toes and curled the stem behind Saia’s ear. “They are. Making others happy is ingrained in us. In order to get along with each other, we practice tolerance and acceptance. There were so many different cultures and religions on Earth.”
Making others happy is ingrained in us.
Jaybee would make her happy. She was sure of it.
Eva hummed and fixed the arrangement so the missing flower was replaced by another.
Saia decided to pry a little more. “If you had a choice, would you have picked a human mate over my brother?”
Eva stopped and looked up to her. “Why would you ask? I love your brother.”
Saia shrugged, suddenly feeling silly. “Taio is so different from what you have probably been accustomed to.”
Eva’s gaze warmed. “I would choose Taio over and over again. Yes, the courtship probably would have been smoother if I was dealing with a human, but that would have taken all the fun out of it. Taio is a warrior.” She smiled. “I’m a warrior, and we deserve each other.”
Saia sat in the closest chair she could reach. “I don’t want to bond with a warrior.” She hugged her knees together. “I’d rather have someone who would compromise and negotiate with me.”
“Oh hon, I know you must be so scared.”
“Scared” didn’t describe it. “I’m terrified. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t mate with Ranuit Pi.”
“Hey, where did all your optimism go? Don’t let it slip away. Let’s meet him and then draw our own conclusions. You never know. He may be like Taio, hard on the outside but all gooey on the inside.”
Saia snorted. “I hardly doubt Taio is gooey on the inside.”
“Oh, he would never admit it, but have you seen the way he looks at Josanis?” Eva raised Saia’s chin. “The way he looks at you?”
She thought about the look that Jaybee had given her. “Do you think Ranuit Pi will ever look at me like that?”
“Oh no, Taio looks at you like he loves you, brother-and-sister love. Hopefully Ranuit Pi will look at you with a little more hunger in his eyes.”
Saia picked at her nails. “I’ve had someone look at me like that before.”
Eva pulled back and frowned. “Really? On Drazlan? He must have balls of steel. I wouldn’t think anyone wou
ld give you a second look with your father around.”
“Um…not on Drazlan.”
Eva tilted her head in thought. “Where else have you been besides here? Wait. Was it here?” She scrunched her brows together. “Who would be that stupid—”
“Hey, Eva.”
Saia whipped around and caught her breath. Jaybee.
“What are you thinking about so hard? Your face is all screwed up,” he said.
“JB.” Eva said his name slowly.
“Ee-va.” Jaybee repeated her name just as slowly.
Saia couldn’t help but giggle. Eva turned to her and groaned.
He smiled at Saia and she smiled back, suddenly too aware that the room had become hot and stuffy.
“Eva, are you going to formally introduce us?”
Eva peered at Jaybee through the slits of her eyes. “Jaybee, this is Saia—as in Princess Saia Xochis, Taio’s little sister.”
Jaybee dipped his head. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess.”
I want to touch him. Saia stuck out her hand. “Isn’t it customary for us to shake hands?”
Jaybee smiled and grasped her hand in his. Even as he shook it up and down, she felt her skin melt into his. Every nerve in her body was aflame. Her heart beat so fast and erratic that it felt as though it would explode out of her chest. She struggled to catch her breath and even out its pace.
“You can call me Saia.”
“Uh, no, he can’t. He’ll call you Princess Saia, like everyone else.”
“But Eva, friends call me Saia. It’s quite all right.”
Eva shook her head. “No, no, no. He’s not your friend and I’d really appreciate it if the two of you would let go of each other’s hands now.”
“Right,” Jaybee said, slowly releasing her hand.
Saia clasped hers together to stop the shaking that had begun.
“I’ll call you Princess Saia, but you may call me Jaybee.”
“Jaybee,” she said, elongating the word.
“No, just J and B. They’re two letters of the English alphabet.”
“JB,” she repeated, mimicking him.
“Can I help you with something, JB?” Eva asked, raising a brow.
“No, I was bored. I came to see if you needed help with anything.”
“Uh huh, really,” Eva said.
“Sure,” he said to Eva, but his eyes were on Saia. “You know me. I’m always trying to help out where needed.” He winked at Saia and another giggle erupted.
I sound like a naïve idiot.
Eva stepped in front of her, trying to block her view of JB. “How nice of you. We were actually overseeing the finishing touches on the decorations for her engagement party. She’s bonding to Lord Ranuit Pi of the warring nation Zumagala in three days.”
“I may have heard that a time or two.”
Eva rolled her eyes. “Thanks, but no thanks. We don’t need your help. Come on, Saia, let’s check on the menu.” Eva pulled Saia to her feet.
As she passed JB, she took one last look and tripped over her own footing. Before she hit the ground, JB was there, cradling her in his arms. “Watch your step,” he whispered.
Words wouldn’t leave her mouth. She didn’t need to talk. She just enjoyed the feel of his arms around her waist, holding her. His face was so close to hers that she could hear the erratic pace of his breathing that matched her own.
“Not on my watch!” Eva yelled, pulling on her arm.
Saia’s gaze flicked to Eva.
“Get your hands off her now,” Eva ground out. “Do you know what Taio would do to you if he saw you touching his sister? I don’t want to scrape pieces of you off the floor.”
“Calm down. I didn’t want to see her fall.”
“I’d rather see her fall than risk Taio coming in here and seeing you hugging on his sister.”
“He caught me. That’s all,” she said to Eva. She ran shaky hands down her gown. “Thank you, JB.”
Eva grabbed her hand and led her away. “Bye, JB.”
Eva didn’t seem to care that she dragged her through the room, bumping into tables and chairs. While Eva rushed to get away, she didn’t notice that Saia kept her eyes on JB until they rounded the corner and he was out of sight.
Chapter Eight
He fought against his impulse and didn’t follow Saia and Eva out of the room. He’d convinced himself the sparks that flew between them at dinner had been his imagination, something he had conjured up.
Now he knew differently.
And he was sure she felt the same attraction.
He’d never felt this way about anyone—ever. While his friends talked about their first loves, describing feelings he’d never experienced, JB had always laughed it off. How could a person experience love at first sight? There was no such thing.
That was before he saw her.
He didn’t even know her. But the urge to stand next to her for eternity was overwhelming. It felt so right to hold her hand. Hold her body in his arms, to speak with her…touch her.
He understood why empires fell over women. He would gladly take on a whole planet if he thought it would make her happy. He would do anything she asked.
Just to see her smile again.
And he did.
That evening, during the meal, they only had eyes for each other.
* * * * *
The next day, JB tried to bump into her more than once, but Eva or Jess was always there, leading her away. Not being able to speak with her didn’t cool his feelings in the least. They only grew. He was more determined than ever to catch her alone.
Could he sneak to her room before the morning meal? What about afterward? Saia and Eva always seemed to be in the grand hall overseeing decorations. Maybe he could get Ship to help him lure Eva away, if only for a few minutes.
A loud snap sounded in his ear, pulling him abruptly from his thoughts.
“Snap out of it, playboy.”
JB looked at Kane. His best friend had arrived hours earlier with his mate Sa’Mya for Jess’ upcoming bonding ceremony.
Rasha laughed and took a swig of the santorilin brew that filled the mug he cradled. JB took a gulping drink of his own. The brew burned as it traveled down his throat.
“You’re looking a little glassy around the eyes. Has going without pussy for a couple of days demented your brain?” Rasha asked.
JB shook his head and took another drink. The brew settled in the pit of his stomach. For once, pussy was not what he was thinking about at all.
Taio grunted. “He will continue to do so, or else I will—”
“Hey, hey,” Kane interrupted, putting up a hand. “There will be no death threats during Rasha’s bachelor party.”
“I feel like killing something,” Taio grumbled and shuffled his cards. “This game seems too tedious and trivial.”
“That’s because you aren’t getting it,” Kane pointed out.
Kane and Taio had spent two months together on Volrais. Taio had been very instrumental in getting their crimes as space pirates absolved, and had also rallied for Kane to join the Galactic Council as a member.
As Kane’s sponsor, Taio had helped with his induction and training. They had become fast friends during that time and Kane now had the luxury of joking with Taio as Rasha did.
JB knew he and Taio would never be on joking terms. Kane had to practically make Taio promise he wouldn’t beat up JB at the party. Even with the promise, JB had come reluctantly. He liked Rasha, and he felt as if Rasha was joining his family of ex-space pirates by bonding with Jess, but he didn’t want to get throttled by Taio.
JB sat on the opposite side of him, nearest the door, which hadn’t gone unnoticed by Kane and Rasha, who jokingly swore to hold Taio back while JB made a break for it if Taio’s mood went sour again. To avoid that at all costs, JB had promised not to bring up two of his favorite topics—pussy and fucking. Which apparently, in his drunken state, Rasha had forgotten about.
“Explain
it to him again, Kane. I have the logistics of it, but I think one more explanation would help us both understand better. Clear it up, if you will,” Rasha said, shifting his cards around.
“You guys are really going to kill my buzz.” But Kane took a deep breath and explained the game of poker to both Taio and Rasha again.
They’d been trying to play for the past hour, though mostly each round ended like this, with everyone drinking and Kane once more trying to explain the game. Kane was still using the deck of cards JB had made for him on The Vengeance. JB hadn’t known he kept them. It did a little something to his heart when Kane had pulled out the worn deck with JB’s poorly etched pictures and started dealing.
Ten minutes later, they tried to play again.
“And human males do this at bachelor parties because it is fun?” Rasha asked.
JB and Kane both laughed. “No,” Kane said. “Bachelor parties are wilder. There’s usually a lot more drinking. A lot more women—”
“Naked women,” JB interjected. “And dancing.”
“Dancing with naked women?” Rasha asked, perking up.
JB shook his head. “No, the naked women are dancing.”
“Ah,” Rasha said. “Somehow I don’t think Jess would allow me to dance with naked females.”
“Not if you want to keep all your male parts in working order,” Kane pointed out.
Rasha shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
The night went on until they’d emptied the entire case of santorilin brew. JB knew he’d had more than he should have, downing mug after mug. The moment he realized everyone at the table had not only found their mates, but were allowed to bond with them, reality set in.
He’d most likely spend the rest of his days lonely, sleeping with random women, trying to fill the empty void within him.
“Time to call it a night,” Kane declared.
“Right.” JB rose to his feet. The room swam and dipped. “Shit.”
Kane caught him as JB leaned precariously to the side. “Come on. I’ll help you to your room.”
JB shuffled his feet as Kane led him out the door and down the hall. For some reason he couldn’t get his feet to walk in a straight line. “I’m not going back to my room.”
Dangerously His: 4 (Loving Dangerously) Page 7