The answer would be awhile coming but Bekion became distracted from his questions when he found himself the target of Webber’s anger. The man pointed at Bekion and yelled at Starling. She nodded, no longer appearing angry at Webber’s raised tone.
Before Bekion could ask what caused her solemnness, Webber hugged her. Starling hugged Webber back. They spoke in low, sad tones and then Webber kissed her.
Bekion had enough. He pushed the end button on the recording as he turned away, headed for his bedroom. If his attention so upset Starling then he wouldn’t burden her with it any longer. He pushed another button on his cuff.
Vieve said, “Here, Bekion.”
Bekion asked in a gruff voice, “Is my transport ready?”
“Always. Why?”
“I’m leaving now.”
He ripped open his closet doors and entered. He needed to change his clothes. Starling’s scent covered his current attire. The smell now annoyed him.
Vieve asked, “Now?”
He snapped, “Don’t repeat my words, Vieve. I’m not in the mood.” He stripped off his clothes, not caring if he popped a button or tore the fabric. Tossing the garments aside, he chose another outfit and dressed.
“I’ll make sure everything is in readiness but I don’t think Furielle had time to prepare Starling.”
“She’s not coming.”
“But, I thought—”
“Vieve!”
“Sorry. Yes, I’ll make sure the transport is ready to leave the moment you set foot on board.”
“Good.”
He ended the transmission with his finger jammed against the button. A thought made him push it again. “Vieve, how is the progress on the translation program?”
“Starling has at least two hundred more pages. Webber started the project and is progressing faster than Starling but her explanations are more in-depth than his.”
“Good. I want to know the moment it’s finished.”
“Of course.”
He ended the call again.
Starling entered the closet. “Bekion? What are you doing?”
He glanced at her then looked away quickly. She still wore the sheet she’d donned when Webber had stopped them. Below that sheet, she was naked. Before Webber had interrupted, she’d been ready for him. Now…
He said, “I have business to attend away from the palace.”
“Oh. Let me get dressed then. I won’t be long.” She rushed past him to her clothing.
“You’re not going.”
Starling stopped sifting through her outfits and faced him. “What?”
“You heard me.” He fastened the last button on his shirt and walked out of the closet.
Webber had left. Was that why Starling had come looking for Bekion? He didn’t care. Let her mate take care of her needs.
Starling asked, “Why not? Bekion, you promised I would go with you if you ever left the palace. You promised.”
“Not this trip.”
“Is it dangerous? Will you be okay?”
“My errand is mundane. Even so, you’re not going and that’s final.” He left the room before she could say more.
Nausic stood outside the door of the outer chamber. Bekion closed it behind him. Not two seconds later, Starling jiggled the knob, trying to turn it. When it didn’t obey her, she pounded on the door and called his name.
Bekion ignored her and looked at Nausic, who appeared uneasy. “She doesn’t leave that room until my transport is off the planet. And I don’t want her bothering me while I’m gone. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Good.” Bekion almost glanced over his shoulder at the door but stopped himself. “Good,” he said in a softer voice then walked away.
Though not possible, he could still hear Starling calling to him far down the hallway. Guilt and the urge to return and apologize ate at him. He continued walking without turning back.
“King Bekion, does the day find you well?”
Bekion slowed his pace when Aurelan neared him. He wanted to see the woman least of all but didn’t show it. He wouldn’t vent his bad mood on an unsuspecting and undeserving third party. Besides, he’d abused the woman enough the day of Starling’s attack.
Aurelan had ended her blatant flaunting and started conducting herself like a normal guest of the palace. She should be treated as such.
He said, “I am well, Lady Aurelan. I am also leaving the palace for a few days. I hope you will find pursuits to distract you.”
Aurelan glanced behind them. “Where is Lady Starling? She refused to accompany you?”
“I have decided to leave her. The trip would bore her.”
“Ah. But if you do not plan to be gone long, it shouldn’t matter. She won’t have time to miss you.”
“My trip will take fifteen days, if not more.”
“Then I shall, of course, extend my stay so I am here when you return, Your Majesty.”
“Do as you please, Lady Aurelan. I must excuse myself now.” He inclined his head to her and turned the corner.
Truth be told, he hoped the woman wouldn’t remain at the palace with him gone. She might have left angry if he had told her his errand involved interviewing prospective brides.
Aurelan’s attitude toward Starling had doomed her as a bride candidate from the beginning. Even angry, Bekion wanted Starling to be happy. His pretty pet disliked Aurelan immensely. Webber didn’t seem fond of the woman either.
Bekion had never asked. He simply took it as fact and proceeded accordingly. If he found a woman worthy of being his bride, she would need to get along with Starling. Bekion would break the engagement otherwise.
That thought made him sigh over his coming task. He made it that much harder because he wanted his future wife to get along with the woman he loved.
* * * * *
Weariness to the depths of his bones made Bekion drop onto the nearest seat.
“Lady Palia and her daughter Dosfia are lovely women,” Rois said.
Bekion made a noncommittal noise. Dosfia was a beautiful girl with a lovely personality to match. She seemed a trifle on the subservient side but Bekion could simply make her his consort instead of his queen.
He didn’t want an ornament though. His wife and queen should be able to think and be unafraid to challenge him if she felt the need. She should be an individual.
She should be Starling.
He sighed.
The few jattikan women he met didn’t measure up to the little Earth woman who’d entered his life unannounced and demanded to be recognized as an equal. Despite all the anger that made him abandon her at the palace five days prior, he still wanted her…craved her. If he couldn’t have Starling as his wife, he wanted a close replica.
Rois asked, “Did you hear me, Bekion?”
“I heard you, Rois. I think you understated the situation. Lady Palia is a twit. She’s raising her daughter to be the same. Do you truly want to take orders from a woman like Dosfia?”
Rois snorted. “Honestly, no. You’re right. Dosfia will only serve her husband one way when he chooses her. But that doesn’t change the fact that you’ve shown no interest in any of the women you’ve met. Vieve searched long and hard for these candidates.”
“She should have searched far as well.”
“No matter how far she searches, Earth is not an option and never will be. Even if the Panagiotans For the Rights of Earth Humans movement succeeds, it cannot help you.”
Bekion straightened and looked at Rois.
The man stared at him with earnest eyes.
“You are on dangerous ground, Rois.”
“I know and don’t care, Bekion. You will hear me. As a childhood friend, I tell you this.” Rois placed his hand on Bekion’s shoulder and said in a low voice, “You are king and must have heirs. Those heirs cannot be had with an animal.”
Instant hot anger flooded Bekion’s body. He barely stopped himself from hitting Rois.
“You
cannot and will not throw away your crown over some silly infatuation with a thing you didn’t want in the first place. She’s exotic. That is your only interest in her.”
“Be silent,” Bekion said with warning tinging his words. He tried shrugging off Rois’ hand but the man held him.
“No. I have been through too much, witnessed too much, to allow you to go down this road. Leaving her in the palace while you make this trip is the first smart thing you’ve done since owning her.”
Bekion didn’t agree but he didn’t voice his opinion either. Anything he said would make Rois continue when Bekion wanted the man to leave.
Rois said, “I turned a blind eye and kept my council as you dallied with every willing maid who entered the palace, from lowest commoner to titled ladies. I knew once you married, such occurrences would come to an end. Or you would be more discreet out of respect for your wife.
“At those times when you made decisions that mirrored something Tinette would do, I again kept my opinion to myself. I knew you wouldn’t do something completely selfish and self-serving at the expense of your good name as king.” Rois dropped his hold on Bekion and stepped back. “I will not stay silent now. This…she is too dangerous—to all of us, not just you.”
“She is a pet, Rois. Who can she hurt?”
“You are the best king Panagiota has ever had. Every other planet in the Gorov Empire knows it and says it daily. Panagiota—both in finance and reputation—has never prospered as much as it has with you as king.”
“I know all that.”
“She can end it. She can sink Panagiota back into its murky past by tempting you into breaking Udo’s laws. Tinette has done it twice, purchasing Starling and then Webber. Luck alone has kept Udo’s soldiers from seeking your head and hers.”
“Udo doesn’t care. The poacher and his crew are dead. The pets he procured are purchased. There is nothing more to be done.”
“Except watch those who have humans from Earth who resemble jattikans so closely that the owner may forget their pet is an animal, not a potential bride.”
“Get out!”
“Bekion—”
“Leave while I’m in a mood to be generous. One more word and I’ll exile you here.”
Rois snapped to attention. He sketched a quick bow and left the room.
Bekion didn’t regret his words, because he meant them. He already knew everything Rois had said and didn’t want to hear it regardless.
Panagiotans For the Rights of Earth Humans, huh?
Giving them rights meant nothing to Bekion. Several planets and peoples made up the Gorov Empire. Each planet had equal rights as citizens but strict laws still prohibited physical relations between species for one reason or another.
Rois spoke the truth. Even if the campaign gained Supreme Emperor Udo’s approval, the laws keeping Bekion from declaring his desire for Starling would remain.
Panagiota prospered because of him. His people enjoyed what some had termed a golden age because of him. But why did the well-being of his people have to come before and then be at odds with his own happiness?
He paced the floor, trying to figure out that conundrum. No answer came to mind.
Someone knocked at his door.
“Enter,” he snapped, annoyed at being interrupted and yet happy for the distraction at the same time.
Vieve opened the door and curtsied.
Bekion raised a questioning eyebrow at her. “You’re knocking? What warrants the occasion?”
“I heard you were in a bad mood.” She grinned at him.
He snorted and beckoned her forward. Maybe he should be in a bad mood more often if it made Vieve follow the tenets of common decency.
“I knew you would want this as soon as it was ready, Bekion.” Vieve held out a tiny black cube to him.
“Is this—”
“The translation program is complete. Schel had a messenger hand-carry it here once Starling and Webber both reached the minimum needed. They are still going through the project, however, so they don’t know about this.”
“But it’s ready? It works?”
“I’ve tested it a few times and it seemed to work. I have no way of knowing for sure if the translations are accurate without involving Starling or Webber. I knew you wouldn’t want that.”
Bekion looked at his arm cuff. “I have a way. Leave me.”
Vieve curtsied again then left the room.
He sighed. He didn’t want to do what he planned but had to know for sure what they’d said. The cube would upload the information to his nanites, which would implant it and allow him to speak and read Starling’s language.
After a few false starts, he touched it to his arm cuff. The cube glowed red for a few seconds, beeped and then turned black again.
Bekion pushed the button to play back a conversation he didn’t think he wanted to hear.
Starling’s voice filtered into the room. He felt a calm settle around him. It had only been a few days but he missed her, especially at night. His last few nights had been restless.
At first, Starling’s words sounded like gibberish as usual. The minimum needed for the project must not be enough to translate the conversation. That was for the best. He didn’t want to hear it. He started to turn off the playback when the words took on meaning and made sense.
**All your fault!**
**How is it my fault he was taught humans are animals and sleeping with them is deviant? How is it my fault when his society has made same-sex pairings illegal?**
Bekion hit the pause button as confusion took hold. Same sex? Who did Starling and Webber mean? It couldn’t be him. At no point had Bekion ever given Starling cause to believe he wished relations with another man.
He restarted the recording from the beginning.
Starling said, **What happened?**
Webber snapped, **Nothing that putting my foot up his ass wouldn’t cure.** Webber sighed. **Never mind. Don’t worry about it. I’ll deal.**
**Tell me.**
**That boy is so far in the closet he’s rediscovered Narnia.**
Starling laughed and then the sound was muffled. **Sorry.**
**Glad you find that funny. It’s not.**
“What is nernia?” Bekion whispered to himself. Had the translation faltered in some way or was it a cultural reference that hadn’t been explained yet?
Rather than dwell on that question, he continued the recording and made a mental note to ask Starling about the reference later.
**But the other day…** Starling trailed off, making a sound of embarrassment.
Webber said, **You spooked him. He’s put me in his closet, of all places, and barely looks at me.**
**That closet thing is probably my fault.**
**This is all your fault!**
Starling yelled, **How is it my fault he was taught humans are animals and sleeping with them is deviant? How is it my fault when his society has made same-sex pairings illegal?**
**Damn.** Webber’s voice became subdued. **Okay, so it isn’t your fault but he was going good until you walked in. It damn near takes an act of God to get that man to put out. I almost had him ready.**
**You mean he almost had you ready.**
**Sorry, sweetness, I don’t bottom. I told you that. I go for a little finger in the ass action sometimes but that’s it.**
**You’re the top?**
Webber made an affirmative noise.
Starling laughed a little. **You’re screwed…in the non-good way, I mean.**
**Explain.**
**Did you ever stop to think Nausic has an inferiority complex? You’re shorter than him but he’s the bottom. Maybe he didn’t want it broadcasted that he’s catching from a guy he can carry with one arm. In which case, I’m sorry I put a strain on your already tenuous relationship.**
It took Bekion a moment to realize the conversation centered around Webber’s sexual relationship with Nausic.
He paused the recording and laughed as an unparall
eled joy took hold of him. Tinette had acquired a mate for Starling who wouldn’t perform because of his sexual preference.
Bekion hadn’t figured Nausic for the type. The knowledge that his guard preferred men didn’t bother him, possibly because of Bekion’s almost-relationship with Starling or because he didn’t care. Bekion would like to think Starling had influenced his opinion. He would thank her for making him more open-minded.
The amusement he garnered from that simple truth brought laughter-tears to his eyes. He’d reacted badly to the situation. “I’ll apologize to her when I return,” he vowed.
He pressed the button to listen to the rest of the conversation.
Webber groaned. **I don’t need this. Tell me something to cheer me up.**
**Let’s see…the man I love is king and if we get caught by the wrong person, he could lose his crown and even be put in jail after being publicly humiliated. How’s that?**
Bekion stopped the playback again. His whole being stopped with it.
Starling loved him?
She knew no other king. It had to be him.
She loved him.
The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. He wanted Starling’s love and wanted to love her in return. He only regretted she’d admitted such an intimate detail not to him but to Webber.
He resumed the playback.
Webber said, **Keep going.**
**Okay, the man I love has to get married to another woman because he cannot marry a human. He thinks I don’t know about the bride search, so he’s constantly acting guilty. Whenever we’re alone together he won’t touch me because of that guilt. Tonight was the first night in a long time.** There was an accusatory tone to Starling’s words at the end.
**I think you win.**
**Oh, let’s not forget the best part—the man they brought in to be my mate is gay as a lark and, even if he went straight long enough to get me pregnant, our children would be sold.**
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