“Had I known a punch to the jaw was the solution, I would have gladly tried that tactic. I am still upset that you pulled me from Messor.”
Lucien frowned. “So, all the talk of not returning to take the throne unless Tana went with you was a ruse? Do you have intentions of being the king or is this another game?”
Chuckling, Bellator walked back to the kill and started strapping the animal into the harness. “It appears I have no choice. The people need me. It’s time I went home.”
Bellator glanced up to Ulixes then brought his eyes back to Lucien’s.
“There are few I can trust and many that still concern me. I’ll need a confidant that believes in me. Calpion was true to Basilius to the very end, but his days as a king’s second-in-command are over. Mine will be strong enough to naysay stupid decisions without fear of reprisal, as they should. There is much to sort through. I can forgive a few of the senate, but there will be ramifications from the treatment I received. There is no way around that if I am to garner any respect from the citizens. Just promise that you will support what I need to do.”
Snorting, Lucien walked over and helped the other males attach the long poles that would help them carry the carcass from the mountain. “You have no worries from this side, Bellator. That’s your realm, not mine. Just don’t start any wars with me and we’ll get along just fine.”
Nodding, Bellator hefted the wood onto his shoulder. “Fair enough. Now. All I need to know is if you are going to go get your mate, or do I need to schedule a visit to Earth and make another attempt at ensuring Protonecis has the best queen possible? I still think that given time she could fall madly in love with me. Just drop me off on her little island and I’ll take it from there.”
Snorting, Lucien gave him his best smirk. “My mind is clear regarding that subject, Bellator. She’ll be an empress, never your queen.”
“Good then. My work is done.”
Lucien laughed and it felt cathartic. He lifted the weighted pole to his shoulder just as the heavy sadness he’d carried for days slid away. He looked up just in time to see the large smiles passed between Maxim and Ulixes.
“Maxim, I think we’ve hunted enough. Call in Keos and the others to bring their kills in. We’ve plenty of meat to share with the citizens. When we return to the palace, will you stay and assist me with something?”
Maxim glanced over his broad shoulder and graced him with a familiar grin. “Anything, my emperor. I’ll do anything for you.”
* * * *
“This is my favorite place to come when I’m in Austin. I hope you like it. We can go back to Sixth Street if you like?”
Tana looked up at the quaint sign spelling out “Red Shed Tavern” and shook her head. “No, this looks perfect, Kallon. I think I got a little overwhelmed on Sixth. The sidewalks were starting to get a little crowded.”
Kallon opened the door for her and chuckled. “Yes, I saw your eyes starting to glaze over. That’s more to Cassie’s taste, anyway. She fits right in. I thought Congress Street might be enough of a distance away from the craziness. Caelius likes to shoot pool and found this place by accident. It’s quiet enough to where you can have a conversation without shouting. They will even serve you outside if you have a need to see the stars.”
“Sounds good to me.” She was immediately impressed with the welcoming atmosphere when she walked through the door. He ushered her over to an open booth and they were quickly met by a young woman with short-cropped hair and a beaming smile. She had such an honest face Tana knew if she sat with her for more than five minutes they’d probably be best friends for life.
“Hey, Kallon, I haven’t seen you for a while. I thought you found another haunt and forgot about us.”
Laughing, Kallon patted her on the arm. “Never. Just been away, but I thought my friend could use a break and I thought of you. Tana, this is Meranda. She’s one of the owners.”
Tana received another brilliant smile and she reciprocated. “This place is great. I love the fireplace. What is that? Limestone? It’s huge. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Meranda laughed. “Good eye. Yes, it’s one of the favorite attractions here. I’m not sure if Kallon told you, but this is a renovated stone cottage. It’s been a bar since prohibition. So, there’s definitely some history going on in here. If only the walls could talk.”
Tana chuckled. “No doubt. Oh my! Is that a jukebox? I haven’t seen one of those in years.”
“Sure is. Help yourself. Kallon, you want me to bring your usual draft?” At his nod, Meranda gave her a questioning look.
“I’ll have whatever he’s having. Thanks.”
After selecting any song that was upbeat and wouldn’t make her think of Lucien, Tana plopped back into the booth. She took a sip of her draft and sighed.
“Ahh, yes. Just what I needed. Now that I can hear myself think, do you mind answering a few questions for me?”
Nodding, Kallon set his draft down and leaned forward. “Sure.”
“Sotarios said some very strange things and then suggested that you would be the best person to interpret them for me.”
Rolling his eyes, Kallon leaned back. “Why does that not surprise me? What did he say?”
Tana repeated the story of the reaction Lucien had to their first kiss, Sotarios mentioning the word Occasio, and the final mark. By the time she’d finished she was staring at Kallon’s lifted brows and wide eyes. “What? Now you have me scared. What does all of that mean?”
“This is very serious, Tana. It means that you are indeed Lucien’s mate. I’m just as shocked as Sotarios that he let you leave. Something has disturbed him enough to make him turn away from that which all of us crave to acquire.”
Heart fluttering like a trapped bird, Tana leaned closer. “This is freaking me out, Kallon. I have no idea why he’s turned me away. I’m not sure what all this mating stuff is about. Are you allowed to tell me?”
“Of course. You should know everything.”
By the time Kallon finished explaining the three mating steps and what that meant to both her and Lucien, she was the one sitting back with wide eyes and open mouth.
“Geez. I thought he was having a bad reaction to me not being one of his kind.”
Kallon’s laughter brought her out of her stupor.
“Far from it, sweetness. You’re the answer to everyone’s prayers. You’re our empress. This is a cause for celebration. Lucien has been sad for a very long time. The whole of the empire knows this. They’ll want to see him with a true smile on his face again. I’m told the last time that occurred was at Drusus’s birth and then again when his son found his mate.”
Tana snorted. “Well, obviously I’ve done something that makes him positive that I’m not the one. If he doesn’t want me, then I sure as hell don’t want him. Maybe he thinks I’m not suited to be your empress. I’m sort of rough around the edges to start with, and let’s not forget that I let my mouth overload my ass more often than not. Hell, he tried his best not to kiss me in the first place. He probably thinks I’ll embarrass all of you.”
Kallon grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Nonsense. You would make an excellent empress. The entirety of the ship was abuzz when they learned what you’d done on that damnable planet. The warriors respect you. Nothing is dearer to them than someone that is strong and capable. Lucien had to have seen that. Obviously he couldn’t resist you or he’d have never made that first step.”
Tana snorted and pulled her hand back before he felt her trembling. “It was just the heat of the moment. He was extremely upset afterward. If anything, I’m just a potential mate by accident. No, I’ve got to start thinking about getting my life back in order. I need to forget him. Just as he’s forgotten about me.”
They both sat there fiddling with the napkins under their beers for several minutes. She was pretty sure, from the look on Kallon’s face, he was mulling over the same thing she was. If someone doesn’t want you, then it’s time to move past it. It hu
rt like hell, but what choice did they have?
“Come on, Kallon. Let’s get out of here. First thing tomorrow, Cato wants to go over all the things he has to do to insert me back into society. I need to get some rest before he kick-starts the process.”
“Okay. I need to do some thinking of my own. What a pair we make, Tana. If I wasn’t gay, I would certainly lay claim to you without hesitation. Lucien is an idiot.”
Laughing, Tana patted him on the hand. “And Ulixes is a dumbass. Their loss, not ours.”
Kallon waved to Meranda as they walked out of the bar arm in arm. They were just two more people among many with busted hearts and an unknown future.
* * * *
What do you mean he wants to buy me a ranch? An actual ranch? What the hell would I do with a ranch? I don’t know the first damn thing about running a ranch.” Tana frowned when Cato just laughed and shoved a cup of coffee in front of her.
“Hey, I’m just the messenger. Just before Lucien went on the hunt, he gave me strict instructions to find out what ranch you wanted and I was to buy it. It had to have a lot of horses and land. That’s all I know.”
Luna’s laughter brought their attention to the lovely woman cooking them breakfast.
“Men. You tell them one thing and they hear something totally different.” She walked over, handed two plates to Cato, and kissed him on the cheek. “No offense, baby. You’re different.”
Cato’s smile lit up the room. “I’m glad you think that, Angeli. I almost got my feelings hurt.” He turned back and set one of the plates down in front of her.
Tana just stared at the huge, overstuffed omelet piled in the middle as the word “ranch” kept flipping around in her brain. Cato’s deep voice snapped her out of the mental merry-go-round.
“Tana, you have to try this. Luna knows how to cook an egg. Trust me on this.”
Sighing, Tana took a bite and her eyes widened. “Damn, Luna. This is fantastic.”
Luna slid into the chair next to hers and grinned. “Good. Glad you like it. I’ve made enough of them for Cato that I’m starting to become an expert. Now, tell me your theory on why you think the emperor would want to buy you a ranch.”
“Hell. I don’t know. I told him that I love horses…” Tana briefly closed her eyes at the quick image of them lying under the tree and staring at the river, and released a huff of breath.
“Oh, hell. Now this makes sense. I mentioned that I wanted to own a ranch so I could watch my imaginary horses run free. I pictured them having a place free from worry about fences for miles in any direction. I failed to tell him that in my fantasy someone else would run the damn thing. I’d just come and visit. I’m a city girl.”
Luna patted her on the arm and chuckled. “You have to watch what you say to a mated Insedi male. One day I made the mistake of commenting on a line of pretty jewelry I saw on the shopping network, and five days later a huge package showed up. Mr. Pretty over there bought the whole damn thing.”
Tana thought it was cute how Cato’s cheeks flushed and he dropped his gaze to his plate.
“Hey. I honestly thought you wanted them. I know to ask now.”
Luna cupped his chin and brought his face up. “You’re so sweet.”
He leaned in and snuggled against her cheek. “No, you’re sweet. I’m just the idiot that’s dumbass stupid over you. I told you I needed training.”
Rolling her eyes, Tana snorted. “Both of you are so sweet you’re making my teeth hurt. Cut it out and start eating before I lose my appetite.”
One full belly later, Tana leaned back and groaned. “I could have done without the homemade donuts, Luna. Stop feeding me before I pop.” Stretching, she watched Cato load the dishwasher. Geez, how much more perfect could these guys get?
“Hey, Cato. I’m ready to go over whatever you’ve cooked up to get me back into the world of the living. Did you check out that island I found online? One side of it is supposedly completely remote and I could have drifted that way from the course we were on. There’s no way I would have walked through that jungle and figured out there was a little community on the other side.”
“Yeah, I think that might be the best one that we…wait a minute. Maxim’s here.” A second later, a loud knock sounded at the front of the house. Damn freaky mind thing. She frowned when Cato looked at her and his eyebrows rose.
“Well, this should be interesting. Hold up, let me go let him in.”
She smiled when the big warrior came into sight. “Hey, Maxim. You get to play my rescuer after all? I think Ludo was looking forward to driving the boat. You might have to fight him over it.” She lost her smile at the seriousness of his expression.
“That’s going to have to wait. You’ve been called back to Insedivertus.”
Lifting herself from the chair, Tana approached him. “What does that mean?”
Maxim shrugged and glanced at Cato. “Could you have Sotarios and Kallon get her back to the vortex? I’m taking care of something for the emperor right now. Midnight would be good.”
Stomping her foot got everyone’s attention. “What the hell is going on? I can see you both talking with your eyes. You know something and I have a right to hear it.”
Maxim looked a little sheepish and shrugged again. “I’m just doing as I’m told. The reason is for the emperor to say. He’ll speak with you as soon as you return. From my understanding, it’s extremely important.”
Tana’s gut clenched. Usually blood was filling her face and this time she felt it wash away. “He’s afraid I’m going to say something about you guys, isn’t he? You can tell him that I’m not going to talk. There’s no reason for me to ever reveal anything about you.”
Eyes wide, Maxim bobbed his head. “Sure. Yes. That sounds excellent. You can discuss it with him. That should alleviate any worry the senate may have.”
There went the gut flip. “The senate? Oh, crap. This sounds bad. Uh, sure. I’ll let everyone know their secrets are safe. Hell, no one would believe me even if I did blab my mouth. Not that I’m saying I would. Shit.”
Luna saved her from making a complete fool of herself. “Tana. Why don’t we go shopping for some new clothes for you? We have plenty of time before you have to go. Cato says I don’t spend enough money, so let’s make him happy and get out of his hair at the same time. He hasn’t finished your rescue scenario yet. How about it?”
“Sure. Sounds good. I feel weird having to borrow your shirts, anyway.”
Tana couldn’t get out of the house fast enough. She didn’t know how she was going to concentrate on shopping. What if the Insedi were too fearful to let her come back and decided to keep her there? Should she make a break for it when Luna wasn’t looking? Geez, where would she go? She was, for all intents and purposes, dead.
Crawling up into a monstrous pickup, Tana tried to weigh her options. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad to live on Insedivertus. She’d definitely be popular, that’s for sure. The girls seemed to like her. Damn, this was all so confusing because one question kept flying back to the front of her thoughts. How the hell would she spend a lifetime on Insedivertus knowing that Lucien Tarquinius would be within arm’s reach, but a million miles from her touch?
Chapter 32
“Drusus! What a pleasant surprise. Please, come in. I was just coming to find you, then realized how late it was. I’m glad you’re still up.” Lucien walked back to his desk and sat down. He gestured to the chair in front of him and leaned forward.
“I was curious as to what came of Luna’s testing. I forgot to ask Kallon before he left.”
Drusus took a seat and a smile lit his face. “It’s fascinating. She’s from one of the Unfortunate One Hundred as we’d all hoped. In fact, Kallon discovered she’s from the Aceso line. She’s his distant cousin. Totally blew his mind.”
Lucien leaned forward. “This is incredible. I’m looking forward to seeing if there are others out there. Please proceed with your research. I know it’s going to be extremely difficult,
but at least you have the time available to you now. Which reminds me that I also wanted to tell you what an exceptional job you’ve done while I was away. I didn’t have anything to follow up on when I finally made it back in here. Thank you, son.”
“You’re quite welcome, but can you do me a favor?”
“Sure. Anything.”
“Don’t take off on any more missions and for Dii’s sake, will you go get your mate so I don’t have to worry about this gods damn role for another seven hundred years?”
Lucien felt his mouth fall open. Drusus’s laughter surprised him further.
“Don’t look at me like that, Father. It was obvious the second Avelina and I saw you hauling her through the foyer. You took off so fast the other morning, I didn’t get a chance to have this conversation. It became my top priority the moment I knew it was reciprocated. The second she looked like she wanted to tear my Avelina’s hair out, we knew.”
“She did what?”
“It was priceless. At breakfast, she mistook me for you and was extremely upset to see my lovely mate cuddled under my arm. Cassie called her out on it after she realized her mistake, but she denied it. So, tell me. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“You’ll have to be more specific.”
Drusus stood up, rounded the desk, and wrapped his fingers around the necklace heating his chest. He smiled and nodded.
“I knew it. Now tell me why you sent that lovely creature away.”
Lucien clasped his son’s hand and drew it to his chest.
“I’ve sent someone to bring her back. I would have gone myself, but I wanted to speak with you first. I loved your mother, Drusus, but…” He halted when Drusus began shaking his head.
Fueled by Lust: Lucien (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 27