by Nia Mars
Chapter Six
TIAM ESCORTS ME BACK to my room, then leaves me with, “I’ll be right back.”
I go to the window and look out at the garden, stare without seeing. I wonder where Uthan and Dason are, grateful that they’re not here.
Krek Uthan and Krek Dason.
They each oversee an entire territory consisting of several solar systems—not just a country, not just a planet. I’ll have to keep that in mind. It’s not like entertaining me is their full-time occupation.
When the door opens behind me, I turn. Tiam walks in with a smile, carrying a silver uniform that matches his. “We’ll pretend you’re one of my captains. So you don’t end up on the news as the Oath Forger.”
“Thank you.” It’s not like I wasn’t pretending already. I accept the uniform and head toward my bathroom, but as I reach to the neckline of my fancy dress, I stop. “I’m going to need my assistant.”
Taly sealed me into my elaborate gown earlier, and I need her help to peel me out.
Tiam hesitates. “We need to consider palace gossip. It would be better if nobody knew that you left the palace with me.”
His words give me pause. “Am I not supposed to leave the palace?”
“Not without a full security detail. Which would draw media interest.”
I definitely can’t handle media attention at the moment. I set the silver uniform on the nearest chair, then reach to the back of my neck, tug at the slippery fabric of my dress. “Can you help?”
“You would let me?” Tiam sounds halfway to breathless.
Do I have another choice? I need to get out of here, if only for a few hours. I turn my back to him and drop my arms. “Please.”
Taly pinned up my hair earlier, so at least it’s not in the way. Tiam’s fingers softly brush against the back of my neck. The way he touches me is almost... reverent. As if he considers it an honor to be allowed to touch me.
I can feel his touch through the material as he works the snaps down a straight line over my spine. I can feel the heat of his body on my back. His warm breath moves the tendrils of hair that escaped at my nape.
The last snap is over my tailbone. His hands hesitate there. Then he draws his fingers up, slowly parting the fabric. He hesitates again on my shoulders, and, with each passing second, I grow more breathless.
The most physically perfect man I have ever met is undressing me. Not for that, I remind myself. Tiam is just helping.
He doesn’t hurry as he pushes the straps down my arms. He lets his palms drag along my naked skin, leaving fire trails behind his touch. Then he reaches my elbow, and the dress slips to the floor on its own.
Tiam draws a ragged breath.
My underclothes are like second skin, a pale, silky fabric that molds to my body and leaves little to the imagination. The only saving grace is they aren’t see-through.
Tiam mumbles something under his breath that could be either a curse or a prayer—a word I don’t quite catch.
Then he shifts even closer, his hands settling on my hips, his long fingers curving around me. “Accept me, my Ava.”
Okay, I can see how I led him on. We’re in my bedroom, and I asked him to undress me. I know that he wants me. I shouldn’t have let things get this far. This isn’t fair to either of us.
“I’m sorry.” I try not to let my voice show that he has a definite effect on me. I don’t want to make things worse.
“I can put on the uniform by myself,” I tell him. I assume captains don’t have assistants. The snaps should be on the front.
His hands fall away. “You wish me to leave?” His tone is hoarse, protesting. “I do not like leaving you alone, my Ava.”
“I’m not your Ava,” I whisper. Please move away.
“You let Koah call you that.” Now he sounds hurt.
I squeeze my eyes shut. “You can stay, if you stop calling me your Ava, and if you turn your back.”
His shoes scrape the floor as he obeys.
The tension that fills the air around us is different from the tension that comes among the four men when they’re all in the same room at the same time. This different kind of tension makes my fingers tremble as I dress.
Of course, the uniform is a perfect fit. Clearly, Tiam had paid plenty of attention to the shape of my body.
I push that thought away. “One more thing, then I’m ready.”
I hurry to the bathroom. Only when the door is closed behind me do I realize that I could have changed in here. Why didn’t I? Maybe the truth is I don’t want to be away from Tiam either.
Maybe here, in the Oath Forger’s palace, in her bedroom, the whole Oath Forger thing is real. Maybe I’m feeling what the Oath Forger is supposed to feel. Maybe there’s a bond building.
I shake off the thought as I take down the elaborate braid turned into the shape of a crown on the top of my head. I comb my hair out quickly, then twist it into a plain bun at my nape that goes much better with a military uniform.
As soon as I leave the bathroom, Tiam’s gaze snaps to me and heats. He doesn’t say the words my Ava, but they pulse through the air between us, nevertheless.
When I smile at his self-control, his shoulders relax. Then he smiles back, as if any other reaction was impossible. Which begs the question...
“Is there a compulsion?” I stop in my tracks. Oh God. Why haven’t I thought of this before?
He shoots me a questioning look as he walks up to me then escorts me from the room.
“A compulsive attraction,” I qualify. “Is liking me a choice?”
“As opposed to what?”
“I don’t know. A natural uncoerced reaction. Is the kreks’ attraction to me a built-in reflex to the title? Some kind of evolutionary hormonal reaction?”
“No compulsion.” His tone rings sure. “You are a beautiful woman. You are kind. You have courage. You agreed to sacrifice the rest of your life for your people and for the Federation.”
Now that I’ve been here for a full day, it seems less of a sacrifice than it did yesterday. Living in a palace with incredibly handsome men who all vie for my favor isn’t exactly torture.
Then again, maybe Roax will hate me. I save that thought for later.
“The Five do dislike each other,” Tiam says. “We have been at war against each other for too long. But we all love our people. And you bring peace. You are hope personified.”
“But see what that means?” I slow my steps and look at him as we reach the door at the end of the hallway. “You would like anyone in my position, no matter who it is.”
He stops and turns to me. “You think I like you?”
Doesn’t he? He acts like he does.
I nod, uncertain.
Laugher lights up his gray eyes, but it’s a pained amusement. “You have a lot to learn—” He bites off the my Ava.
He opens the door, and we pass by the double guard outside. They touch their fists to their chests, looking straight ahead. Tiam doesn’t respond, so neither do I. We go down a narrow set of stairs.
Tiam taps something on his wrist, under his sleeve, and his silver pod pulls up immediately.
We get in. This time, I pay closer attention. The only other time I’ve been in here was when he brought me to the palace from the hospital. I was so freaked out that the palace staff would somehow know I was an impostor, I barely noticed my surroundings.
There’s nothing inside the pod but seating: two plush, comfortable seats facing each other. This time, I can see outside, but when we were outside, I couldn’t see in. I think the entire curved wall is a screen, showing the view from outside cameras. Tiam commands the route, and I understand only half of the words. A woman’s voice confirms, coming from nowhere and everywhere, then we gently lift into the air.
“How about a slow circle around the city?” he asks.
I don’t respond, because I can’t look away from the sight. There’s a crowd in front of the palace. My throat is nearly too dry to speak.
“Why
are those people here?”
“They hope to catch a glimpse of you.”
My gaze snaps to his. Anxiety makes my fingertips tingle.
He points out the other side of the pod. “Look. The Tebrida.”
I turn. We are now over something that looks like a medieval castle made from nothing but gray rock.
“The first colony ever built on this planet,” he explains. “Now it’s a museum. If you wish, I will take you there another day. I can have it closed to the public, so we’ll have privacy.”
He’s read all the books in the library and wants to take me to a museum for a date. He’s definitely a nerd. For some reason, the thought makes me relax. It makes him more normal, more approachable, less of a ‘king of the universe.’ Not that he acts like that. Tiam acts pretty much like an ordinary guy. He’s definitely not an egomaniac.
I take in the Tebrida and the people going in and coming out. “Does all life come from the same place? Everyone I have seen so far looks similar to the people on Earth.”
“As far as we know, all humanoid life formed on a single large planet. The planet’s sun was growing cold, but they had thousands of years of warning, so they left in time and populated the universe. Some of the refugee ships went farther than others. They tried to find places where organic life already existed in some form, at least plant life, if not animals.”
I nod, distracted again by the view. I can’t believe all the buildings here, all standing tall and straight, and all the green spaces between them. How clear the air is—no pollution, no sandstorms. I hope the Federation will help to restore Earth.
The deep longing that fills me for that alternate reality is staggering. It’s a dull ache that fills my chest cavity to the point that my lungs and heart feel crowded.
Do The Five feel the same longing for peace?
Does that longing transfer to the Oath Forger? To me? Is that why they want me? For what I represent? I’m back at the same disturbing questions all over again.
If I stay and become the Oath Forger, there will be peace here. And then the Federation can help me help Earth. As I turn my gaze on Tiam, he begins to look like hope to me.
Maybe there is a change in my expression, because he leans forward. His voice is a ragged whisper. “Oath Forger.”
He slides out of his seat, and then he is on his knees in front of me, his hips between my thighs. He reaches up and cups my face. He is tall enough that he has to bend down to me a little.
His mouth brushes over mine, and I don’t stop him. My mind is lost in a fog of confusion. I don’t know what I am supposed to do. What would happen if I gave into him?
I can’t deny that there’s a pull. But is that something that comes with the Oath Forger title? I don’t know for certain where my need for him comes from, and that tells me what I need to know.
“Please. Not yet.” With my hands on his shoulders, I push him away.
Tiam sits back on his heels and stays there for several moments, looking at me as if I just tore his soul out of his body. He draws a deep breath, gives a nod, and moves back into his seat.
“I am sorry for pushing.” He does look sorry, among a million other things. Then he flashes a half-smile. “You are difficult to resist.”
“So are you,” I admit.
The half-smile turns into a full one. “There is hope then.”
He makes no move to force the issue. He puts no pressure on me at all, which I appreciate.
He points at something outside again.
I look at the enormous glass building, a perfect cube, reflecting the clouds. “What is it?”
“Our water factory.” And then he launches into an explanation of how it works. If he wasn’t krek, he could be an engineer.
I can’t help grinning at him. Tiam, the sexy nerd.
THAT NIGHT, I go to bed thinking about my day in the city with Tiam. We had lunch in a rooftop restaurant—out in the open, without face masks. There’d been no sand in the air.
I’ve never seen people move this freely outside of old movies. Tiam told me all about the city and the planet’s history. He didn’t try to kiss me again. By the end of our excursion, I wasn’t sure if I was glad or disappointed by his restraint.
I lie in bed alone. The room seems too large. The glass dome above me shows too many stars, a universe too enormous. I didn’t noticed so much last night, when Koah was with me. Now I look from star to star, wondering where he is, worrying how he is. I can’t sleep.
A scratch at the door draws my attention. When it slowly opens, Dason appears in the gap. “Oath Forger?”
He is the only one who didn’t immediately call me ‘my Ava,’ didn’t immediately try to claim me. Maybe that’s why I feel comfortable with him. Or maybe it’s because he is younger than me. He doesn’t have Koah’s alpha warlord vibe, nor is he the warrior scholar that Tiam is.
“May I come in?”
Because he asked instead of assuming and simply striding forward, I nod.
He sits on the floor next to the bed and rests his head on the mattress, looking at me. Since I’m lying close to the edge, he is within reach, but he keeps his hands on his lap.
“I missed you today,” he says. “I was wondering all day what you were doing with Tiam. I was jealous.”
I smile at the artless admission.
His frown immediately smooths out. “May I sleep here?”
And because I know he means the floor, that he would never demand anything from me, I say, “You can sleep on the bed.”
You’d think I made him king of the universe. He leaps to the other side and climbs in, staying at a respectable distance from me. “Thank you, Oath Forger.”
He lies facing me. I turn to face him. There is approximately a mile of empty bed between us. Nothing about him is threatening. He looks at me with utter awe, worship, and adoration.
He hasn’t asked me to accept him.
Could I?
He is just as handsome as the others, maybe even more so, in his own boyish way. He is built like an athlete. I can see the shape of his muscles under his shirt.
“Did you like the city?” he asks.
“It’s impressive. Its wholeness is startling compared to Dallas. Where I come from on Earth.”
“So you like it?”
“Yes.” He grins, pleased.
When Koah is in bed with me, the sexual pull is undeniable.
I can imagine something similar with Tiam.
With Dason... I’m not feeing it. He feels more like a younger brother, or a really good, unassuming friend, who is just wholeheartedly there.
I relax. It would be nice to have just a friend in The Five. Koah said I didn’t need to accept them all. As long as I accepted most, the Oath Forger thing would still work. What’s most out of five? Three?
Koah. Tiam. Uthan? Or maybe Roax? Since I’ve never met Roax, it’s difficult to judge. And Uthan is a dark star. He is mysterious and unknown, perhaps unknowable.
Because Dason is looking at me as if he is trying to guess my thoughts, I close my eyes. I don’t want to talk right now, especially not about the other men. As much as they try not to pressure me, the expectation is always there, shimmering between us, a weight.
Predictably, when I wake hours later, it’s to the noise of Uthan and Tiam bursting in.
Chapter Seven
MORNING LIGHT FILTERS THROUGH the glass ceiling. Dason is once again at my feet. From the way he blinks up at me, sleepy and surprised, I have a feeling he isn’t quite sure how he got there either. Maybe he’d moved in his sleep toward the comfort of touching.
“Why is he in here?” Tiam asks softly, but nobody would mistake the words for anything else but a command. His jaw is stiff, his gray eyes hard.
Uthan, next to him, doesn’t look any happier, although, he does look very clean-cut. His head is freshly-shaved. “This is going to be a difficulty,” he says.
“What?” I’m working up to a good, righteous anger. Haven’t I told them
that there would be no more bursting in?
“You, showing favor to one of us over the others.”
“I can’t spend every minute of the rest of my life with five people all at once,” I snap.
Uthan’s shoulders relax. “Yes. I can see how that would also be difficult.”
Can he now? I glare at him.
“Perhaps if the...one-on-one time is by mutual agreement?” he suggests.
“You mean I have to ask permission for spending my time with whom I want?”
Tiam glares at him, probably sensing that I’m getting angrier. “The choice is always yours, Oath Forger.”
I snap at him too. “I appreciate that.”
Uthan raises a hand. “It’s just that you spent your nights with Koah on his ship on the way to Merim. Then you spent your first night here with Dason in your bed. And the next one with Koah. And now it’s Dason again.”
Understanding dawns on me. “You mean you and Tiam haven’t gotten a turn.”
“Tiam spent the whole day with you yesterday.”
“So you think it should be your turn.”
Uthan’s answer is an unequivocal, “Yes.”
“No.” I glare. “I’m not a bone between dogs.”
His head dips into a small bow. “Forgive me for offending you, Oath Forger. That was not my intent.”
He looks so sincerely apologetic that my anger leaks away.
I sit up against the headboard and draw the cover up to my chest.
Tiam and Uthan look at me with a ridiculous amount of longing, as if they want nothing more than to climb into bed, too, all together like a happy family. Dason lies motionless where he is, as if trying not to draw attention to himself, hoping that I’ve forgotten all about him, that I won’t send him away.
“Any news from Koah?” I ask the other two.
Uthan looks out to the garden. Tiam shakes his head.
“Isn’t that unusual?”
“Until your appearance, we were enemies. It’s not as if we are used to regularly checking in with each other.” He hesitates.
“But?”
“I’m surprised he hasn’t checked in with you.”