The storm was over.
I dressed quietly and left the bedroom. When I stuck my head into Bella’s room, she was awake and sitting up in bed, staring at a picture book.
“Hi, Papa!”
“Hello, meena.”
She climbed out of bed and skipped over to me. I picked her up and kissed her soft cheek before taking her to the bathroom. Once she was finished, we went to the kitchen and Bella made a little squeal of delight when she saw the sunshine pouring in through the window.
“Papa, light!”
“Yes, meena,” I said as I set her in her chair at the table.
She lifted her hand to the beams of light, her smile widening. “Pretty.”
“Yes,” I said.
She stared at me, her little eyebrows drawing down. “Papa sad?”
I didn’t reply and she reached out and took my hand. “Papa no sad, okay?”
“Okay, meena,” I said.
My tablet was on the table and it buzzed with a new message as Court walked into the kitchen. He bent and pressed a kiss against Bella’s cheek. “Hi, Bella.”
“Hi, Uda. Look – light!” Bella grabbed his hand and put it in the beam of sunlight.
Court smiled at her. “Yes, light.”
Her brow furrowed again, and she stared at Court and then at me. “Uda sad too?”
Court touched the top of her head. “No, meena. We are not sad.”
I grabbed my tablet and read the message. My stomach churned, and I glanced up at Court who took one look at my face and said, “The king?”
I nodded. “Yes. They are coming for her this afternoon.”
Court’s face twisted and his hands turned to fists. I waited for him to bring up his plan to leave again. My panic and dismay made me think it might actually be a good plan, but he only said, “You need to reply back to them.”
I shut off my tablet. “Not now.”
“Bran, you can’t -”
“Not now,” I repeated. “They are coming whether I reply back or not.”
“Hi, Evie girl!”
Court and I turned to see Evelyn standing in the doorway. She crossed the kitchen and bent and kissed Bella’s cheek. “Hello, baby.”
She smiled at us and pressed a kiss against both of our cheeks then walked to the window to stare out of it. She lifted her face to the sun and basked in its warmth before turning to us. “They messaged, didn’t they? That’s what you were talking about when I came in.”
“Yes,” I said. “They will be here this afternoon.”
Her lips pressed together and for a moment, it looked like she was going to cry. She took a deep breath, pinched the bridge of her nose and pasted a smile on her face. “All right.”
She crossed to Bella and picked her up, resting her on her hip and smiling down at her. “I love you, Bella.”
Bella grinned at her. “Bella loves Evie girl.”
“Do you think after breakfast we could go outside for a little bit? If I borrowed some warmer clothes from you or Court? I would love to get some fresh air,” Evelyn said.
I nodded. “Yes. It is still very cold out, but we could go outside for a while.”
“Good.” She kissed Bella’s cheek. “Are you hungry, sweet girl?”
“Yes! Bella wants poffin bread and juice!” Bella shouted.
“Then you’ll have poffin bread and juice,” Evelyn said with a small smile.
* * *
“Bran, something must have gone wrong. It is almost ten.” Court paced the living room. “Check your tablet again.”
“I just checked. There has been no further communication,” I said.
“Do you think the king has changed his mind?” Court asked.
“Doubtful,” I said.
Evelyn walked into the living room, rubbing her hands over her thighs in a nervous gesture. “Bella is asleep. Any word?”
“Nothing,” Court said.
“This is weird, right?” she said. “Maybe they couldn’t get out of the castle? I mean, there’s been a lot of snow. If they don’t have those automatic digger machines that you and Court used this morning to clear the snow from the front door and yard, then…”
She sighed and shook her head. “I’m being stupid. Of course, he would have those. He’s the freaking king. But something had to happen. I mean, why haven’t they messaged us to say they’re running late? God, it’s so rude to not let us know they’re running late. What kind of king is he? He doesn’t have any manners whatsoever and… oh my God, I can’t stand this.”
Court crossed the room to pull her into her arms, giving her a kiss as the tears streamed down her cheeks. “Shh, sadora. It is all right.”
“I hate this,” she said. “I hate this stupid waiting around. It’s awful and -”
My tablet buzzed and the three of us stared at it like it was a poisonous wracken. It buzzed again, and I reached for it. I scanned the message, relief washing over me as Court said, “What does it say?”
“They are not coming today,” I said. “Tomorrow. They will be here tomorrow afternoon.”
Court let out his breath and hugged Evie against him as I tossed my tablet on the couch and stood. I joined them and Evie put her arm around me, leaning her head against my chest as I stared at Court.
The relief on his face matched my own, but he knew as well as I did that this would be our last night with our sadora.
Evelyn raised her head, the shine of tears still on her cheeks. “Take me to bed,” she whispered. “Take me to bed right now and make me yours.”
I rested my forehead against hers, my tail joining Court’s around her waist. “Yes, sadora.”
Chapter Nineteen
Evelyn
“Why you sad, girl?” Bella patted my cheek with her hand.
I cuddled her a little closer. “I love you, Bella.”
She giggled and pushed away from me to slide off my lap and sit on the floor of her room. “Come play with me, Evie girl.”
I stood up from her bed and joined her on the floor, holding the doll she gave me as she sang a tuneless song under her breath. I wanted to check the time again but didn’t. What did it matter? We had no real idea what time they would be here, only in the afternoon.
I studied Bella’s dark hair gleaming in the sunlight. I had braided it this morning and it hung down her back. Her purple skin glowed in the light and more tears threatened. I blinked them back savagely. I would miss Bella as much as I missed Court and Bran. The thought of never seeing her again made me feel sick to my stomach. I took a deep breath. I was going to be freaking queen. I would demand that the king allow me to at least hologram with Court and Bran and Bella. If he didn’t, I would… I dunno…withhold sex until he did.
My stomach turned lazily, and I swallowed down the bile. By tonight, I would be in the king’s bed and he would be touching me. More bile rose in my throat and my esophagus burned as I struggled not to throw up. The idea of sleeping with the king, no matter how kind he was, made me want to run screaming.
Bella suddenly stood with her little head cocked to the side. “What that sound, girl?”
My heart lurched in my chest and my mouth went dry when I heard the vehicles. The sound cut out, and I climbed to my feet.
Court stuck his head into the room, his copper coloured eyes wide and filled with a mixture of panic and anger that made me nervous. “Court?”
“Stay here,” he said.
“I can’t,” I said.
“Stay in the house,” Court said. “Bran and I will speak with the king first.”
“You’re going to get yourself kil -” I glanced at Bella, “hurt. Don’t do anything foolish, Court.”
“Stay here,” he said, and shut the door.
I paced the room as Bella studied me. “What wrong, girl?”
“Nothing, honey. Nothing’s wrong.”
“We go outside?” she said.
I hesitated before crossing the room to Bella’s closet. I pulled out her cloak and a warm pair of boots. “Yes.
Come here, baby.”
She let me wrap her snugly in the cloak and boots and I carried her to the front door. I could hear the faint sound of voices as I grabbed Bran’s extra cloak and threw it on before stuffing my feet into Court’s boots. I picked up Bella and set her on my hip and then opened the front door and stepped out into the sunshine.
The cold took my breath away and I checked to make sure Bella’s cloak was secure around her. She was staring at the Draax who were standing in front of her father and her uncle, and my stomach dropped. There were so many of them and all of them carried swords.
Sabrina was standing next to the biggest one and weirdly, holding his hand.
“Where is the human named Evelyn?” The biggest Draax said.
Neither Bran nor Court replied, and a Draax with bright blue eyes scowled at them. “Your king has asked you a question.”
They remained silent, and the Draax stepped forward, raising his sword. “Answer your king, or -”
“Here, I’m right here.” I pushed my way past Court and Bran. Bella clung to my neck, staring wide-eyed at the Draax in front of us. I licked my lips nervously and took another step forward before I was pulled to an abrupt stop by Bran and Court’s tails around my waist.
I held Bella closer to me as Bran and Court moved until they were flanking us. I stared up at Bran and then at Court, my gaze wavering from the tears. I had to leave. I had to leave them, and it would destroy me.
Faintly, I could hear the soft murmur of Sabrina’s voice and the deeper pitch of the Draax beside her. I paid no attention, continuing to stare at my two Draax as they glanced at each other over my head.
Before I could tell them not to do anything stupid, Sabrina ran forward and grabbed my arm.
Bran immediately reached to push her hand away and all of the Draax drew their swords at once. A voice rang out over the ringing sound of the swords. “Touch my queen and I will remove your hand, farmer.”
Bran’s hand paused over Sabrina’s, and the three of us stared at her. She rolled her eyes and turned to glare at the Draax. “Quill, stop. It’s fine. Just give me a minute.”
She turned back to me and studied Bran and then Court before giving me a large smile. “You love them, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I said. I didn’t care that the king was standing right there. I would not deny my love for them.
To my surprise, Sabrina let out a whoop and threw her arms around me and Bella. Bella made a small squeak of surprise and then giggled as Sabrina hugged me tight and kissed my cheek with a loud smacking noise.
“I don’t understand what’s happening,” I said.
Sabrina grinned again. “Girl, you’re about to be as happy as I am. Come on, let’s get out of the cold, and I’ll explain everything.”
* * *
I stared numbly at Bella. She was sitting on the king’s lap in our small living room. Her colouring book was propped up on her knees, and she held a fistful of crayons in her hand. As I watched, she grinned up at the king. “Quill, hold crayons.”
The king held out his big hand obligingly, and she dropped the crayons into his left hand before putting one in his right hand. “Quill colour with Bella?”
She gave him her most charming smile and the king grinned before beginning to colour.
“No, Quill!” Bella nudged his hand to another part of the picture. “You colour this part. Bella colour trees.”
“Evelyn?” Sabrina touched my hand, but I turned to stare at Court and Bran who were standing by the fireplace with identical looks of shock on their faces.
Most of the other Draax had stayed in the land vehicles, but two of them had joined us. The one with blue eyes stood next to Quill’s chair and the other stood beside Sabrina who was sitting next to me on the couch. Both had sheathed their swords, but they kept their hands clasped loosely around the handles.
“Galan? Can you stand back a bit?” Sabrina said. “Give me and Evelyn a little breathing room.”
Galan hesitated and glanced at the king who nodded. The Draax moved back, and Sabrina smiled at me. “You okay?”
She’d just spent the last half hour explaining everything to me, Bran, and Court, but I was feeling a little shell-shocked. I glommed on to one of the last things she’d said. “So, you’re pregnant with the king’s baby, even though you’re not breeding compatible?”
Sabrina nodded and patiently repeated how it had happened. “Yes. So, the test looks for a certain gene, right? I have that gene, but it’s a different genetic variant of it. The test looks for the actual gene sequence and because I have a variant of it, the normal test didn’t pick up on it. Sigan, he’s the king’s doctor, adjusted the test and rechecked for the gene and bada-bing, bada-boom, there it was. And that’s why Quill could knock me up.”
She pressed her hand against her stomach before smiling at me. “Listen, I would apologize for sleeping with your guy, but,” she glanced at Court and Bran, “I’m guessing that you’re not that bothered by it.”
My giggle was only a little hysterical. “No, not at all.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “So, we can just switch places? Won’t we get in trouble with the agency?”
Quill looked up. “I am king and what I say, goes. Sabrina is my mate. I will kill anyone – human or otherwise – who tries to take her from me.”
His voice was low and powerful, and Bella frowned up at him before gently pressing her fingers against his mouth. “Quill, no talk. Quill colour with Bella, please.”
Bran turned pale green and took a step forward. “Bella, leave the king and come to me.”
She scowled at him, her tail flicking out into the air to point at him. “Papa, hush. Bella colourin’ with Quill.”
Bran closed his eyes for a moment. “I apologize, my king. She is a strong-willed child.”
Quill laughed and glanced at Sabrina. “I do not mind.” He tickled Bella lightly. “Come, meena, we will finish colouring our picture while my queen and your nanny talk.”
She giggled and kicked her feet as Sabrina made a soft sigh. “Oh my God, I didn’t think I could love him any more than I already did, but I was wrong.”
She took my hand and squeezed it. “Look, I know this is weird and strange, but things worked out for both of us, right?”
I nodded and Sabrina lowered her voice. “You really are happy with them? You’re okay with not being, uh, queen?”
“Yes.” I stared at Court and Bran. “I love them both and I want to be their mate. I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about being queen.”
Sabrina look of delight made me smile. She hugged me tight. “It worked out for both of us then.”
I hugged her back. “Yes, it did.”
“My mate, we must return home now,” Quill said. “You need to rest.”
Sabrina shook her head but gave me a little smile. “I swear, since the moment we found out I was pregnant, he hasn’t stopped hovering. It’s kind of… sweet.”
She stood and I stood as well. She gave me another hug. “Hey, feel free to say no thanks, but do you think you could visit me at the palace from time to time? Maybe we could even hologram?”
“Yes,” I said. “I would like that.”
“Good.” She squeezed my hand. “Thanks, Evelyn. I know you’re going to be as happy as I am.”
“I will be,” I said as I watched Quill kiss Bella’s cheek before handing her to Bran. The king held out his hand to Sabrina and she took it. He kissed her knuckles, and Bran and Court bowed when Quill turned toward them.
“Both of you are welcome at the palace with your mate and your child, anytime you wish.”
“Thank you, my king,” Bran said.
Sabrina gave my hand another squeeze before she and the three Draax headed toward the front door. “We’ll talk soon, Evelyn.”
“Okay,” I said.
Bella squirmed out of Bran’s arms as the front door slammed shut. The land vehicles started up and as the low rumble of their engines faded into the distance, I stared silently at C
ourt and Bran.
Bella was singing and dancing around the room, and I took a step toward my two mates as she danced by me.
“Did that just happen?” Court said.
“Are you really ours?” Bran said.
“Yes. Always,” I said. “I love you.”
Identical grins broke out on their faces, and Bran glanced at Court before turning to me. “We love you too, sadora.”
* * *
Please enjoy an excerpt from “Rebel”, Book Three in the Draax Series.
Rebel
(Draax Series Book Three)
Copyright © 2019 Elizabeth Kelly
Galan
Krey flipped the switch to auto pilot and sat back in the seat. “Another couple of hours, and we will be home.”
I stared at the black nothingness, my stomach still churning from our trip through the jumpgate. Space travel always made me sick, and I stared at the blinking lights on the dashboard of the ship as I shifted in the co-pilot’s seat. “You put in the correct coordinates for home, did you not?”
Krey laughed before grabbing the apple he’d bought from the market on the way back to the ship. I did not care for the taste of most Earth food, but Krey loved it. He bit into the red fruit and wiped away the juice from his chin.
“Yes, Galan. I will return you home safely. Besides, we are in our own solar system, there is no fear of getting lost.”
I rubbed at my roiling stomach. “The Idalia system is one of the biggest in the galaxy. It would be easy to lose our way.” I indicated the lights on the ship. “For all I know, we could be in a completely different solar system all together.”
Krey took another bite of his apple, chewing noisily before swallowing. “The ship’s navigation system has not failed, Galan. We are in Idalia and,” he tapped a light on the dashboard, “headed straight for Draax. I promise.”
I closed my eyes, waiting for the nausea to settle as Krey said, “You know, if you traveled more by ship, the space sickness would not be so bad.”
“I do not like traveling by ship,” I said.
Rule (The Draax Series Book 2) Page 22