by Kali Argent
“Let her go.” Removing both daggers from his belt, Vane gripped the leather-wrapped handles as he crouched into a fighting stance.
The demon laughed coldly, his mottled black skin standing out in sharp relief against the snow. “Ah, but she’s the one I want.”
Not willing to stand around and trade quips with the demon, Vane flicked his wrist, launching the dagger in his right hand at the Morphling. The blade caught him in the shoulder, knocking him back a step, but he didn’t go down.
With an animalistic snarl that echoed through the night, the Morph bared his pointed teeth and charged at Vane. Black, curving talons extended from the tips of his fingers, and he swung out wildly, his claws reaching toward Charlotte.
Lunging forward, Vane dove between Charlotte and the demon, hissing when the Morph’s sharp talons ripped through the flesh on his back. Leaning forward and kicking his right foot out behind him, he caught his adversary in the chest, sending him tumbling head over ass into the snow.
He didn’t stay down long, but the distraction did break his hold on Charlotte. Gasping for breath, she rounded on Vane, running her hands over his arms and down his chest.
“Are you hurt? Are you okay?”
“Run.” Vane shoved her away from the Morph, pushing her in the direction of the front gates. “Run and hide.”
“Vane?”
“I’ll find you,” he promised just as the Morph gained his feet. “Just run.”
Thick and oppressive, the sense of impending danger hung heavy in the air, its icy tendrils enveloping Vane in a suffocating grip. Inhuman cries rose up on the wind, the sound rushing toward him the way water coursed down the side of a mountain.
White-hot pain stabbed him between the shoulder blades as he circled the Morph, and blood seeped from the three gashes on his back in sticky rivers that clung to his skin.
Holding his remaining dagger in a sweaty, white-knuckled grip, he swallowed back the pain and surged forward. The Morphling swiped at him with his claws, but Vane was ready for him this time. Ducking under the demon’s arm, he crouched low and exploded upward, cleaving his dagger through the Morph’s flesh and twisting the blade into his heart.
Dropping the unmoving demon to the frozen ground, Vane removed the dagger and swiped the blade across his thigh to remove the blood. Then he turned to find his mate, his chest constricting when a second Morph, even bigger than the first, materialized just feet from Charlotte. Long, deadly talons curved from the tips of the Morph’s fingers, and he prowled through the snow, coming closer to her with each thundering beat of Vane’s heart.
Too far away, he knew he’d never reach her in time. “Charlotte, get down!”
The moment she hit the ground, Vane flung his blood-stained dagger down the driveway, grunting when it found its mark, and the Morph crumpled to the ground. His relief lasted less than a heartbeat when a third demon stepped into the narrow strip of moonlight that filtered down through the tops of the evergreens to light the driveway.
Great galaxies, the damn things just kept coming. Like a hydra, he’d cut one down and two more appeared in its place. Panic squeezed his heart, because he knew he’d never be able to reach Charlotte, not this time. That wouldn’t stop him from trying, though.
Sprinting through the packed snow, Vane tucked his arms to his sides, yelling Charlotte’s name as his feet pounded against the driveway. His heart seized, and he almost stumbled when the Morph reached for her, swinging his claws dangerously closer to her face.
Instead of cowering in fear, however, Charlotte dodged the demon’s reaching arm and rammed her shoulder into his midsection, sending them both crashing to the ground. Then she rolled off him and hit the ground running.
Proud of his girl, but knowing she couldn’t hope to outrun the demon, Vane turned on a burst of speed, flying across the frozen ground in single-minded determination. As he’d feared, the Morph gained his feet quickly, barely sparing Vane a glance before taking off in pursuit of his quarry.
More inhuman cries rose up in the distance, echoing through the night in an eerie chorus that chilled Vane to his bones. He couldn’t worry about them, couldn’t fight something he couldn’t see. So, he turned his full attention to Charlotte and the Morph closing in on her, pushing himself harder, faster, until his muscles screamed in protest.
He wasn’t going to make it. He knew it, saw the tragedy of it unfold in his mind a split-second before it happened. Then his heart froze in his chest, and his veins ran cold as he watched the Morphling make one final leap, wrapping his arms around Charlotte and vanishing into a puff of smoke before either of them hit the ground.
* * * *
“Get your hands off me!” Charli kicked and twisted, flailing in the Morphlings arms as the demon carried her into a brightly lit bedroom and deposited her on the enormous bed. “He will come for me,” she threatened, knowing in her heart the words were true. “Vane will come, and you’re going to pay for this.”
The Morphling just huffed at her before turning to leave the room, slamming and locking the door behind him. Scared, but knowing she couldn’t afford the luxury of falling apart, Charli crawled down from the mattress and moved slowly through the room, taking in her lavish surroundings.
The four-poster bed—large enough for four grown men to fit comfortably—with the gauzy, cream-colored canopy and ivory comforter occupied the entire wall behind her. Sunlight spilled into room from the open balcony doors, warming the marbled tiles beneath her feet.
“We’re not on Nekron anymore, Toto,” she mumbled out loud.
The breeze swept into the room, carrying the faint scent of juniper and honeysuckle. Birds chirped and sang in the trees just beyond the balcony, and in the distance, she could hear the distinct roar of rushing water.
The chandelier that dangled from the ceiling in the center of the room shook, the crystal teardrops clinking together when the bedroom door opened again. Stumbling away from the approaching figure, Charli searched the space near her, looking for anything she could use as a weapon.
“Easy, child.” The stranger spoke quietly, soothingly, his yellow eyes crinkling at the corners as he offered her a kind smile. “There’s no reason to be afraid.”
“You speak English.” Probably not the most important observation she could have made, but it had been the first thing to pop into her head.
“I speak many languages, my dear.”
Good, then he’d understand when she told him to go take a long walk off a short pier. “Who are you? Where am I?”
Gliding over to the sitting area arranged in front of the empty fireplace, the stranger lowered himself into one of the plush, chocolate-brown armchairs and motioned for her to join him.
Not on your life, buddy. Charli did creep closer, but she remained standing, ready to fight or bolt at the first sign of danger. “Who are you?” she repeated.
“My name is Ezra Solar, and this, Charlotte, is the House of Lumier.”
“Okay, Ezra, why am I here?”
“Because this is where you belong,” he answered simply, combing his long blue-black hair away from his face. Lifting his right foot, he rested it on his knee, casually tugging at his dark suit pants and brushing a bit of dust from his shiny loafers. “As the last remaining member of the royal family of Atrea, this is your home now.”
“Royal family?” Charli shook her head and snorted. “I grew up in New Orleans, and I own—well, I used to own a sweet shop in Jackson Square. I am far from royalty.”
“I know it’s a lot to take in, but I assure you, there’s no mistake.”
Her nervousness threatened to bubble to the surface, but Charli squashed it down and pressed her lips together tightly until the panic had passed. “What is it you want from me?”
“I want nothing from you.” He waved his long, slender fingers dismissively.
Charli didn’t believe him. “You went to a lot of trouble to get me here for wanting nothing in return.”
“Yes, well, you we
re not an easy woman to find, Charlotte.” He laughed quietly, revealing long, pointed teeth. “I simply desire you to take your rightful place as our princess and rule your people. Nothing more.”
Charli could barely separate her whites from her colors, and he wanted her to rule an entire planet. “I’m sure there are people much more qualified.”
“There are none,” he snapped, his pupils lengthening into thin slits as his eyelids narrowed at the corners. Just as quickly, the storm passed, and he rose from his seat with a genial smile. “Now, I’m sure you’d like to freshen up before dinner.” Extending his arm to the left, he pointed to an ornately carved door with a brass knob. “The…I believe you call it a ‘bathroom’ is just there. You’ll find suitable clothing in the closet.” He nodded. “Someone will be by to collect you in half an hour.”
“I want to see Vane,” she blurted, twisting her fingers together nervously. “I mean, we are sort of mated, and if I’m meant to stay here, I’d like to say goodbye to him. If that…if that’s okay.”
Genuine anxiety seeped into her tone, making her sound more credible. She just hoped she looked defeated enough to make the lie convincing.
“Of course,” Ezra answered easily—a little too easily. “Your beau will be waiting for you at dinner.” He bowed his head again, giving her a toothy grin, and then swept out of the room.
Charli didn’t miss the click of the lock, or the grind of metal as the mechanism slid into place. “Princess, my ass.”
Ezra’s quick acceptance of her request put Charli on edge. If Vane would be at dinner, that meant he was already in the house. He could be hurt, tied up somewhere so they could use him to manipulate her. She’d let them, too. If it meant keeping Vane safe, she’d give the Atreans anything they wanted.
Her stomach twisted into vicious knots, and her eyes stung with unshed tears. She’d been strong and held herself together while Ezra had been in the room, but now that she was alone, she had nothing to distract her from her thoughts. Vane had called her brave, but she didn’t feel very courageous right then. She didn’t know what to do or how to get them both out of this alive.
Wandering to the closet on the opposite side of the bathroom door, she removed the single ball gown from his hanger and carried it over to the bed. If they meant for her to play the dazzling princess for the evening, she should at least look the part. As long as she cooperated, they had no reason to hurt Vane. The thought of saying goodbye to him, of never seeing him, never feeling his hands brush over her bare skin as he murmured her name…
No, she couldn’t think like that.
After everything they’d been through, it couldn’t end this way, it wouldn’t. She’d given up her life on Earth to journey a thousand years into the future and across the galaxies to a foreign planet. She’d been assaulted by a Crimnian, abducted by Morphlings, and held hostage by Atreans.
She’d watched as Vane had endured the searing pain of the fire whip, all because he’d dared to fall in love with a human. If she could make it through all of that, she could make it through one dinner.
Love.
Vane had said he loved her, and she believed him, but she’d been too much of a coward to say it back. In her defense, she’d never been in love.
She knew she missed Vane when he left, and when they were apart, like now, it felt as if he’d taken a piece of her with him. Her heart fluttered when he kissed her, and the idea of seeing him in another woman’s arms made her physically ill. She worried when he worried, hurt when he hurt. Wrapped in his arms felt like being home, and when she looked into his eyes, it was like she’d been wandering aimlessly, just waiting for him to find her.
They barely knew each other, though, certainly not long enough to call it love.
“Stop trying to make a thirtieth century relationship on an alien planet fit into an Earth time capsule from nearly a thousand years ago.”
The words Vane’s mother had spoken to her that day in the glider came back to her, and Charli looked down at her feet and smiled.
“My dear, when it pertains to matters of the heart, nothing is ever simple. You just have to decide if it’s worth it.”
Taking a deep breath, Charli kicked her shoes to the side and peeled her sweater off over her head. Then she pushed her pants down her hips, letting them pool on the floor around her ankles. Under different circumstances, she might have been excited to slip into the strapless, black dress.
The silky material molded to her curves from chest to hips before flaring out around her legs and brushing the tops of her bare feet. The diamond inlay along the hem sparkled in the waning sunlight, casting rainbow prisms across the marbled floor.
Charli felt nothing.
As promised, Ezra arrived right on time to escort her to dinner. Since she hadn’t been given a pair of shoes to wear, Charli followed him through the spacious corridors in her bare feet, shivering occasionally as the cold of the hardwood floors seeped into her soles.
Ezra didn’t speak, and Charli found for once, she had nothing to say, either. They made several turns, but each hallway looked exactly like the last—bare, plum-colored walls with gold-plated baseboards and mahogany floors.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Ezra led her to a set of double doors with writings in a language she didn’t recognize carved over the entryway. The heavy doors opened inward, revealing what looked more like a banquet hall than a dining room. Entering the room, Charli counted twenty-two chairs along either side of the long, glass table, but only three place settings grouped together at one end.
Another set of doors opened from the other side of the dining room, and heavy footsteps echoed off the high ceilings as Vane marched across the marbled floors. Though she couldn’t see him well from the distance, he appeared unharmed, and he even wore a smile on his lips as he approached.
Joy and relief filled her heart, and Charli beamed at the sight of him. “Vane!” Lifting her dress so she wouldn’t trip over it, she ran across the room and threw herself into his arms. “I was so worried about you,” she whispered, burying her face in his chest and inhaling his scent. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
Several seconds ticked by, and only when he didn’t respond did Charli realize he hadn’t embraced her back. Hesitantly, she removed her arms from around his waist and took a step back to look up into his eyes. “Vane?”
He looked startled, maybe a little embarrassed, but she saw no light of recognition in his eyes. “Princess,” he said, locking his arms at his sides and bowing to her. “There’s no need to be worried. Your staff has been more than gracious.” Straightening, his eyes slid past her to Ezra, and the corners of his lips curved into a warm smile. “Ezra, thank you for the invitation.”
Charli’s pulse raced, and her head began to swim as the blood drained from her face. “Vane?”
He returned his attention to her immediately. “Yes, Princess?”
Her heart sank to her stomach, and then tried to climb back up into her mouth. Morphlings stood guard at both exits, cutting off her escape, and her knight and shining armor clearly hadn’t come to rescue her.
“Excuse me for a minute, Vane—um, Lieutenant Schiva.” Rounding on Ezra, Charli took his wrist and dragged him a few feet away. “What did you do to him?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” he lied smoothly.
“Why is he acting like that?”
“Oh, that.” Ezra’s cold smile sent a shudder through her. “He’s fine, unharmed.” His smile grew a little brighter. “He just has no idea who you are.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Vane needed to return to Nekron, but when the princess had asked him to stay, he’d been unable to refuse her. His commander had sent him on a dignitary mission to greet Atrea’s new princess and begin talks of a lasting alliance. Turning down her request for him to spend the night wouldn’t advance that cause.
Or so he told himself.
In reality, he’d been mesmerized by her throughout the meal,
unable to take his eyes off her, even when his staring bordered on rude. He’d been stunned into paralysis by her wholly inappropriate greeting, but Ezra had warned him the princess was young and exuberant. Still, when she’d pulled away from him, he’d had the insane urge to drag her back into his arms.
During dinner, he’d experienced a torrid of odd emotions, ranging from anxiety to hopelessness. He had no reason to feel any of those things, and a small voice in the deepest recesses of his mind had whispered they weren’t his emotions. It made little sense, but he’d shrugged it off, chalking it up to the stress of the situation. A lot rested on his shoulders, and his people counted on him to provide a shining example of his race.
A political alignment with Atrea meant more food for the outlying villages, especially since they could only grow crops for six months of their year. Atrea also provided the iridium that powered the hyperdrives in their space crafts. Most importantly, however, an alliance with the Atreans meant an added level of security against rogue Morphlings and other defectors.
Standing in the middle of the guestroom, Vane titled his head to the side and frowned. All day, he’d felt as if he’d forgotten something, like he’d misplaced something important. Maybe the sunlight was messing with his head. After so many centuries, his body had naturally adjusted to a certain amount of darkness, and it wouldn’t be daylight on Nekron for several more months.
Unsatisfied with the reasoning, he wandered over to the patio doors and pulled them open, hoping the fresh air might help to clear his mind. Almost an hour later, he still stood in the same place, staring out over the stone gardens and shimmering wading pools, and he still felt…lost.
A soft knock pulled him out of his thoughts, but before Vane could cross the room to answer the summons, the door opened and his heart flipped over in his chest.
“Princess?”
“Stop calling me that,” she demanded, peeking out into the hallways before easing the door closed. “Vane, you have to snap out of it.”
He didn’t understand what she meant, but he’d listen to her talk until the stars fell. “Snap out of what, Your Highness?”