“You have barely opened your eyes and are already privy of the news.”
“You know how gossip works. It travels faster than light.” Valerian drank half of his glass. “So?”
Dragon succinctly recollected all the salient facts, waiting for his cousin’s prompt censure, but it didn’t come.
“You’re going to be a father,” Valerian said instead, his voice soft.
“I couldn’t believe it at first.” The conversation he had with Jade about her pregnancy was still fresh in his mind, and he probably would remember it word for word his entire life.
Valerian gave him a pointed look. “I can’t even imagine what went through your mind.”
Dragon laughed. “I was shocked.”
“That I can imagine.” Valerian laughed too, but soon his expression turned serious. “I’d give anything for a miracle like that.”
“You share my blood,” Dragon tentatively said. When earlier in the year he proclaimed that he would abdicate in favor of either Valerian or Lars, he also thought that his cousins might still have a chance to continue the Sol dynasty and the dragon race. Engineered brides were tailored to be compatible with a specific race of shifters, not just an individual.
“What are you saying?”
“That our genetic material is the same.”
“You can’t be serious,” Valerian said, his eyes suddenly shining with a brilliant light.
“Gilda might be able to carry your child—”
Shaking his head, Valerian pressed his hand against his chest. “I would give anything for it to be true.”
Their conversation was cut short by the arrival of Gabriel and Valentine.
“I’m glad to see you’re much better,” Gabriel commented, sitting in one of the vacant armchairs.
Valentine remained standing and leaned against the doorframe. “You gave us all a big scare, man.”
Valerian asked them if they wanted to partake of the smorgasbord laid on the desk, but both politely refused.
“Tell us about the ambush,” Dragon said.
After slowly stretching his neck, Valerian raised his hand to the back of his head. Dragon knew that after a long healing, the body felt stiff, but Valerian’s hesitant expression told a slightly different story. His lieutenant didn’t want to talk about the events that took place in Celestia City.
“Do you want us to come back later?” Gabriel asked.
Valerian shook his head and sighed heavily. “I’d better get it out of the way,” he said. “Lauren was at the rendezvous.”
The news hit Dragon like a cold shower, and words deserted him.
Valentine walked past him and to the desk to pour wine for him and Gabriel.
Only after a long gulp from his glass did Valerian resume his tale. “She warned the rebels that I wasn’t the High Lord. There were more than one hundred of them and ten of us. We fought bravely, but they were too many and slaughtered my men. I’m alive only because they left me for dead, lying in a pool of my own blood.” He paused to take another drink. “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw her.”
Needing a breath of fresh air, Dragon walked out of the studio and straight onto the porch where he leaned against the railing. The fresh breeze from the sea engulfed him, and he stared at the vast expanse of blue water for several minutes, trying to gather his thoughts. An elongated shadow stretching toward him announced a visitor with the softest of feet.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Gilda. “Princess,” he said.
“My Lord.” She stopped a few meters from him, resting her hands on the railing. “So, Valerian told you.”
Dragon nodded.
“I didn’t see it coming.” Gilda leaned away to face him. “We are not biological sisters but have been raised together since we were little girls. I thought I knew her, and I would have given my word that Lauren would never side with the rebels.” She laughed a bitter laugh. “If you had asked me, I would’ve said that Lauren could never do what she did. Even when I was framed, I didn’t believe for a moment that she was behind the lies, but now… What should I think?” Shaking her head, she opened her hands before her. “How did she go about living a double life when I was always with her?” Her eyes filled with tears. “She isn’t the easiest person to live with, but I loved her, and I thought she loved me as well—”
“I’m sorry,” Dragon said.
“It’s not your fault.” Gilda gave him a sad smile accompanied by a slight shrug of her shoulder. She turned toward the sea. “We are the masters of our actions. For the first time since our births, we were free to start our lives anew. She could’ve done anything she wanted, for once not weighed down by the rules of society, and what did she do? She was all about her legacy of greatness, and I can understand that, but then she disgraced herself by joining a bunch of racists. I can’t even wrap my head around that.”
Dragon placed his hand on top of hers on the railing and squeezed once before releasing it. He didn’t have any words of consolation.
“She’s such a strong woman.” Gilda let her tears fall as the breeze dispersed them. “With her connections, she could’ve done so much good in this world, but...” She wiped her cheek. “What a waste.”
They both turned at the same time when Valerian entered the porch. Dragon patted his friend’s arm and left the couple alone, heading to the basement.
4
Jade stared at the little boy as he stretched out from his mother’s hold, trying to touch her. He managed to reach down his little hand and press the tip of his fingers against Jade’s stomach.
“Baby,” Valemir repeated with satisfaction before Mirella pulled him upright again. “Love baby.” He smacked his lips in a kiss, still looking at Jade’s belly with his big, shiny, dark eyes.
Mirella and Crea laughed at the boy’s sweet antics.
“They’ll be great friends, your kids,” the lady’s maid said.
“Imagine the mischief these three will create all around the Fifth Moon System.” Mirella laughed, caressing her belly.
Jade couldn’t help but smile at the image that formed in her mind. Three beautiful children playing together, loved and protected by their parents. Whatever it took, she wouldn’t fail her daughter or son as her family had done with her.
“What’s so funny?” Dragon’s strong, tenor voice resonated from the top of the stairs. His long legs took the steps four at a time, and he was at Jade’s side soon after.
“Valemir just declared his affection for your child,” Mirella said, leaving a trail of small kisses on her son’s cheeks and nose. The boy squirmed and laughed in her arms.
“Is that so, little rascal?” Dragon tilted his head to the side, giving the boy a big smile.
“Baby,” Valemir said, nodding vigorously and sending his black curls every which way. “Love baby!”
“We’ll see about that.” Dragon laughed, stepping closer to Jade, who moved away.
The man’s presence always affected Jade. She didn’t know what it was about him that touched her deeply. When Dragon entered the scene, everyone else disappeared.
Mirella and Crea exchanged a knowing glance and smiled at Dragon and Jade.
“It’s Valemir’s bath time,” Mirella said, motioning for Crea to follow her. At the staircase, she turned and looked straight at Jade. “If you want to talk, come visit me later.”
Jade nodded, thinking for the first time that she could use a friend. As foreign as the notion was to her, in truth, during her short stay at Madame Lisandra’s, she had seen that it was possible to have normal relationships with people. Not everybody wanted to kill her. It was a revolutionary idea. And if she paused to think about it, she missed the daily interaction with the courtesans. Maybe she could give Mirella a chance.
“Jade,” Dragon called her. “Can we talk?”
“Sure.” She chose one of the small daybeds that faced the pool and reclined on it, raising her legs to the side.
“We’ll be leaving Celestia soon,”
he said, walking to the side of her daybed.
So much for her plan to befriend Mirella.
Dragon continued, “Where do you want to go?” He lowered his large frame to the edge of the pool where she had been sitting earlier.
Jade had thought about her next destination long and hard, and her conclusion was bleak. “There isn’t a place in the whole universe where the Academy won’t find me eventually.”
“Then we’ll go to Solaria.” He removed his tunic before jumping into the water.
Dressed, Dragon was a man who commanded attention. Naked, he stole her breath.
His perfect body rippled with muscles. Even the act of breathing became a study in strength as his back expanded when he inhaled before diving into the deep water. He moved with an elegance she hadn’t expected from a man of such build. Gliding without effort, he reached the far end of the pool and swam back to her. When he emerged, water cascaded down his long, blond mane in rivulets, crisscrossing his vast chest, and sliding down his thin waist to the apex of his powerful thighs. A nest of soft curls did nothing to hide that he was large everywhere.
Catching her in the act of gawking, Dragon smiled one of those intimate smiles she had seen him give her from time to time. “Like what you see?”
“I do,” she truthfully replied. “But it doesn’t mean—”
“I know. There’s no need for you to repeat that you don’t feel anything for me besides physical attraction.” He braced his arms on the edge of the pool and pulled himself up, then walked to her side. “Some would say that the chemical reaction between two lovers is where it all starts—” He grabbed the back of her daybed and dragged it around until she faced the other side of the room and the sofa where he went to sit, stark naked. “But we have much more in common than just chemistry.”
“You think I’m your soulmate.”
“It’s not a supposition. It’s a fact.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that I’ll always be yours and could never betray you.”
“You would be shackled to me your entire life? Even if your affections are unrequited?”
“The whole eternity of it.”
“It doesn’t make sense.”
“Love never does.”
“And you’d never grow tired of being with the same woman?”
“No, I wouldn’t.”
Dragon’s words affected Jade more than she would ever reveal. Especially because it became increasingly difficult to talk to him while he was naked. It was undeniable that her body reacted to his, and she fought the urge to stand and cross the distance between them. She wanted his strong hands on her more than anything else at the moment. Once, she would have followed her instincts and taken from him what she craved. As an assassin who never feared illness or pregnancy and never wanted any sentimental attachment, casual sex was a way of life. Countless and nameless encounters littered her past. They had fulfilled a temporary ache. But the fire building inside her took her by surprise because she had never spared more than a passing thought for her sexual needs. Now, it seemed that her entire being was centered on this man’s every move.
“If you’d only let me, I would start adoring you right now,” he said. His azure eyes pierced her, making her feel exposed, even though she was wearing two layers of clothes. “I would explore your skin, every centimeter of your curves, with my hands and my mouth.” His gaze roamed over her slowly, branding her where his eyes lingered.
“But I won’t let you,” she said, hoping that her voice didn’t shake.
“And as I promised, I won’t touch you unless you initiate contact.”
“Yet you keep talking about what you’d like to do to me.”
“I never said anything about not talking.” He tilted his head and showed her a dimpled smile.
It was an assassin’s skill to recognize an opponent’s superiority, and Jade couldn’t help but lower her head, admitting his advantage in the arena of seduction. She’d never had any use for something as short-lived as passion and didn’t know how to defend herself from Dragon. The only possible exit strategy in situations where she didn’t have the upper hand was to salvage what she could and flee. And yet, she couldn’t find the motivation to leave.
“You can talk all you want. It won’t change a thing,” she said.
“Then, I’ll describe second by second how I’ll make you scream my name in ecstasy.” He moved slightly on the sofa, revealing his evident desire for her. For the second time, he saw her taking a peek between his legs and smiled a big, satisfied grin that illuminated his face.
“You are going back to Solaria—”
“We.”
Jade didn’t have a reasonable argument against traveling to his planet. As she had said, one place was as secure as the next. Interstellar space wouldn’t hold back the Academy for long. Soon, her pregnancy would slow her down, and when the baby came, she wouldn’t be able to flee as easily as she had done in the past. Being under the High Lord’s protection might give her a respite from the perpetual running. And she was tired of having to look over her shoulder all the time.
“When are we traveling?”
“As soon as Glory is ready. Valerian’s awake. We learned that we don’t need to worry about Lauren any longer, and there’s nothing for us here.” His voice contained a bitterness she wasn’t accustomed to hearing from him. In the last few days they had been forced to spend together, Dragon had always shown the sunny side of his character.
“And it’s not safe for us or Gabriel’s household that we remain here longer,” he concluded.
Jade and Dragon were at the center of an intergalactic manhunt. Their mere presence endangered House Martelli’s people, who had shown her nothing but kindness. On top of an already dangerous situation, the Front Pro Humanity’s attacks had intensified all over the system.
“I don’t need to pack anything,” she said, feeling restless.
5
“Jade,” Mirella exclaimed when Jade appeared at the door of Gabriel’s gazebo where the Lobos had taken residence after fires ravaged the mansion. “I was just about to visit you.”
“I came to say goodbye,” Jade said, feeling like a fish out of water.
She definitely wasn’t cut out for small talk or social pleasantries. Uncertain if it was a good idea, she had paced the bridge connecting the gazebo to the mansion before gathering enough courage to knock on the door.
“We’re leaving, too. Tomorrow.” Mirella walked to Jade and took her hands. “I’ll miss you.”
“I wanted to thank you.” Jade gently freed her hands and moved to the side.
“For what?” Mirella frowned.
“For treating me with respect.”
Mirella chuckled. “That’s not something I should be thanked for.”
“You could’ve thought the worst of me because of my profession—”
“Sometimes, we don’t have a choice in what we are.” She waved her hand to dismiss the topic. “Come, have a seat.”
Jade followed the woman inside where an unfamiliar scene welcomed her. Valemir was in the arms of his father, playing with the stubble on his jaw as the intimidating werewolf babbled to him in childlike tones.
Lobo raised his head to greet Jade with a smile before standing and heading toward the door. “I’ll leave so you can talk freely,” he said, kissing his bride in passing. “Girls always have secrets. Remember this, son.”
Valemir laughed his little chuckle that was so similar to his mother’s.
“It’s uncanny, isn’t it?” Mirella asked, her gaze on the retreating form of her husband. Her faraway look and adoring eyes spoke louder than words about her affection for the man. “He almost looks tamed,” she joked.
“It would seem that becoming a parent changes people,” Jade cautiously said.
Mirella shook her head. “No, it just brings to the surface what’s already inside.”
The woman’s statement troubled Jade. What if she didn’t have t
he moral fiber needed to be a mother? As far as she knew herself, she was still an assassin. That wasn’t something that could be changed. And if a woman could so easily embrace a life of murder, what did that say about her? Was there hope for someone like her to be a decent parent?
“You’ll be fine,” Mirella said, startling her. “It’s normal to have doubts when expecting.”
“You were born to be a mother.” Jade regretted her words as soon as they escaped her mouth. As an engineered bride, Mirella was one of those people who had never had any choice in what she would become. “I’m sorry—”
“You have nothing to apologize for.” Mirella sat on the chaise lounge her husband had vacated. “I was created for a specific purpose, but after Valemir was born, I was worried I wouldn’t be good enough for him. I think that there isn’t a single parent in the entire universe who hasn’t been terrified at one time or another. When it comes to our children, we never think we can possibly be good enough for them because they are perfection, and we could never come close to that.”
“You are not making me feel any better,” Jade said with a choked laugh.
“You’ll get accustomed to the feeling.” Mirella laughed as well.
With a soft knock, Crea entered the gazebo. “Lady Jade,” she said, bowing slightly for Jade.
The lady’s maid had even curtseyed to her once. The gesture shocked Jade, and she hadn’t said anything when it happened, but it was time to correct the girl.
“I’m Jade, not a lady,” she said, smiling at Crea. When the girl gave Mirella a confused look, Jade explained, “I don’t feel comfortable when people treat me with deference.”
“It took me forever to convince Crea to call me by my name.” Mirella smiled at her lady’s maid.
The girl’s cheeks colored as she shook her head. “I came to take Valemir for a walk.”
“No need. Valentine fled with him as soon as Jade arrived. He’s allergic to girl talk.” Mirella patted the cushion beside her. “Sit and enjoy a few minutes with us.”
The Fifth Moon's Legacy Page 2