by Lara LaRue
All the males at the table just stared at me silently. I couldn’t tell if I was making valid points or if I’d numbed them into speechlessness. This last part was the most difficult. I swallowed before continuing, but I held my head high. “And, if my new home will be Juhl, I’ll need to say good-bye to Ivy and her kids, Laura and Amber, and a couple of other people I care about.” Finished, I took my coffee cup and sipped the now-tepid brew.
The males all sat in their silence for a moment more.
Raevu was the first to speak. “I believe that most of that can be handled promptly.”
Baelon interrupted, “My lady, if I may ask, if you didn’t think you’d be making your home on Juhl, where did you think your home would be? You did understand you were signing up to see if you could be compatible to breed with a male of our race, did you not?”
“Yes.” I frowned as I thought this through. “My briefing left out many details. It wasn’t clear to me whether I would be going myself or simply donating ova. I knew I needed to help the people of Juhl. I knew I needed to sign up and pass all the screenings. If asked, and no one did, I think I would have said that the women who passed would all live together in barracks-type housing, be a type of soldier for the cause, and we’d get furloughs and visits home. Honestly, I didn’t think about the ‘breeding’ part. I thought I was an experiment, so I guess I believed I’d be artificially inseminated. I never thought past the experiment part of it.”
President Maeda coughed quietly. “It seems that I must apologize again for the severe mismanagement of this project. Who are the names you mentioned, Ms. Knight?”
“Ivy gave me a place to stay after I couldn’t stay at the Children’s Ward any longer. I’d been her babysitter for a few years, so she knew me.” I spotted T’ral’s open mouth and guessed at his question. “People can hire from the Children’s Ward for a small fee for certain jobs like babysitting, yard work, or trash cleanup. We don’t get the funds, but we get out of the Center for a while and get to meet people. I was good at babysitting, and Ivy couldn’t afford regular child care.”
T’ral nodded and sat back.
I continued, “Ivy’s husband passed away when she was pregnant with Jaylynn, her youngest daughter. That’s when I started helping out. She has four children, Trevor, Mark, Josephine, and Jaylynn. They’re all under twelve years old. My friend Laura has a daughter, Amber, who is the same age as Jaylynn. None of us is related, but they’re the closest I have to family.”
Now T’ral spoke up. “These supplies you need, my lady? Can you make a list? And possibly calculate how much of each you’d desire for some set amount of time?”
I nodded. “Sure.”
Maeda smiled. “Raevu, we stand by our trade agreement. You will send an official ambassador here to establish an embassy. We can then start making regular trading missions between our two planets. We can exchange more than information: trade goods, livestock, plants, medicines, and, of course, genetics, if more women than Ms. Knight are compatible and amenable to the exchange. So, you won’t need to stock up on quite so much as you might believe.”
The President turned to me. “I’m hoping you, Ms. Knight, will agree to temporary ambassadorial status until we can get someone appointed and moved to Juhl.”
The whole conversation was beginning to make my head swim. “Of course, Mr. President, sir.” Me? An ambassador? Wow.
T’ral said, “We can put out notices for doctors interested in applying for the position. And—” he turned his attention toward Raevu. “Sire, the needed elixir has been made ready and is on board our ship.”
That caught my attention, and I opened my mouth to ask about this “elixir,” but what Baelon said next distracted me.
Baelon cocked an eyebrow at him. “And what of Geoffrey?”
T’ral smiled smugly back at Baelon. “We get to take him with us. Thank you, Mr. President.”
President Maeda dipped his head in acknowledgment. “Actually, you’re doing me a favor. The computer programmer in charge of keeping up Geoffrey’s maintenance has been clamoring for something to do, a new challenge to oversee. Adapting Geoffrey to your technologies was a challenge he couldn’t resist. He’s packed and ready to go whenever you are.”
I was quite pleased to be able to “keep” Geoffrey. He’d been more than helpful so far; he’d been a godsend.
I had about used up my energy for the morning. My head was pounding. I pulled the soft white cardigan I’d draped around me closer about my body. I could feel the chills and aches creeping back into my muscles, and I was reminded that I hadn’t had my painkillers since getting up. I took a couple of mouthfuls of water and tried to focus back on the conversation around me.
Raevu stood up abruptly. I followed him with my eyes.
“Excuse us. I believe Ms. Knight may be feeling unwell, and I need to speak with her a moment.” He walked over to my chair and helped me push it back from the table.
As I stood, he placed a hand on my elbow. I could feel the electricity in his touch even through the layer of clothing between us. He kept a sturdy hold on me as he walked me back to my sitting room.
I lowered myself into one of the chairs. Not as comfortable as the brown chair across from my bed, which I was already fantasizing about, but it would do until I could get back into my room.
“Please sit,” I requested of him. “You’re very tall, especially from this angle.” I hoped my tone came across as calm and not cranky.
“First, I’d like to apologize for the overbearing manner in which I asked about your mark yesterday evening. Its origins are important, but I believe you when you say that you know no one explicitly put it there.” Amazed that a king would apologize, I nodded my acceptance. “Secondly, I need to speak with you about this illness of yours.”
His voice, as usual, sent a shiver of need down my spine. It settled deep in my belly.
“Yes? What about it? I’m usually quite healthy. I’ve never had flu symptoms this long. But I’m sure I’ll get over it quickly enough now with rest and fluids.”
“No, I’m afraid you won’t.” His golden eyes stared into mine. “The mark and the illness are connected. The mark appears on the royal heir’s life mate when she comes of age. With it comes illness of sorts, fatigue, chills, upset stomach.”
Troubled, I began making a list of questions in my head, but I nodded for him to continue.
“The illness remains until the mating ceremony is completed between the two life mates. There is an elixir that will help ease the symptoms, but it has side effects.”
“That’s why suddenly I’m your betrothed?” He nodded. “And why I’m no longer part of the Peace Opportunity Program?” He nodded again. “What is this mark?” I demanded.
“It is the royal family crest. If there is more than one possible heir to the throne, it appears on the rightful one’s chest. If the royal heir has not mated by a certain age, when his life mate comes of age, it appears on his life mate in precisely that spot, according to our histories.”
I nodded slowly, my eyes widened.
“Some heirs and kings have refused to take a mate until the crest has appeared on their special one, their life mate. Some have not worried about it. So many of our kings had taken mates before a crest appeared, so we had almost forgotten about this tradition. For the last several generations, the number of females has diminished, so there were fewer to choose from. They all seemed to have chosen well.” He quirked a half smile at me.
With my fingertips, I traced the mark on my neck and shoulder. I stood and went to a mirror, pulling my clothes aside to study it. It was an intricate pattern of loops that were raised up out of my skin. It was also slightly darker in color than the skin around it, like a tattoo.
“How did I get it?” I asked.
Raevu came up behind me and studied my reflection over my head.
“It’s not definitive. We do know that it was my DNA you were injected with, and you are already of age as you are over the
age of twenty-four years on your planet. We are life mates.” His eyes looked hotly into mine. “I think we can both appreciate the benefits of that.”
I blushed slightly at his reminder of our shared dream, but I refused to look away. “What is this elixir? Can I start taking it now?”
Raevu shook his head. “It’s made from the Sopu nut, the same tree under which our ceremony must take place. It’s on our ship. As soon as we are underway, you may begin taking it.”
“Why do I have to wait?” I spat out. “Is this how you convince me to leave immediately? ‘You’ll stay sick until we go?’ That’s pathetic! I can’t believe you’d use my illness against me like that!” I began to storm off, intending to find something to throw at him, when he clasped my arm.
“No,” he said simply. I stared daggers at him. He sighed. “We cannot give you the medicine until we are underway as the side effects are slightly unpredictable. We’ll need you in a secure place where we have easy access to more of it, your protected quarters, and only those most trusted by me and you.”
I looked coldly and pointedly at his hand on my arm. He removed it. I refused to acknowledge how my skin tingled where he’d touched me.
“Please, Eva. Yes, I want to get you home. To our home.” I could hear the earnestness in his voice. “But not for selfish reasons. The last thing on my mind when we started this program was my own life mate. I looked only to the continuation of my people. But now, seeing you? You, my life mate, are constantly on my mind. I want you well, happy, and safe. I want to help make sure you are all three. There’s only so much of that I can do until we have the mating ceremony.” He lowered his head slightly. “And if you are on the medication and you are kidnapped again and kept from me, it could be disastrous. Trust me, there is no other ulterior motive.”
My demeanor must have softened. He reached a hand toward me, stroking the back of his fingers down my cheek. I let him.
“Your skin is as soft as it was in my dream of you. You are so much lovelier, though, in person.” He stepped closer to me. I could feel the heat of his body through his suit. Unconsciously, I leaned toward his warmth.
He turned his hand over and cupped my cheek. The whole side of my face fit in his large hand. I turned my head, slightly brushing my lips against his palm. He smelled…deliciously male. I could smell the soap he used; there were lingering traces of lemon, orange, and patchouli. But underneath those surface smells was warmth. I didn’t try to explain to myself how a smell was warm. I just breathed him in.
He tilted my face up toward his and leaned down. His lips brushed across mine once, then once again.
“So soft,” he murmured.
He pressed his lips firmly to mine and slid his hand around to the back of my neck. I kissed him back, and I couldn’t explain why, but it felt…right.
His other hand moved to the small of my back, pulling me into the hardness of his body. This alien was the epitome of virile.
I moaned. He took advantage of my slightly opened mouth and traced his tongue along the edges of my lips. When I cautiously skimmed my tongue against his, he pulled me in tighter and plundered my mouth with his tongue. His kiss was demanding, forceful. Swept along, I returned his passionate kiss.
Suddenly, he pulled back from my lips but held me close in his arms, for a long moment just staring into my eyes before he eased away.
Tracing one thumb across my bottom lip, he said, “We will take this slow. Besides, there’s only so much we can do until we have the mating ceremony.” His voice was husky and deep.
I nodded shakily. “I understand. I’ll be ready to leave within the week.”
Chapter 17
Raevu
Despite her and my best efforts, Eva was not ready to leave by week’s end. I couldn’t really blame her. I felt her pain and fatigue acutely, but although she moved more slowly as the days progressed, she refused to show any signs of weakness, and she pushed on. She was doing her best, even though I suspected she didn’t entirely trust me yet.
I did manage to get her to lie down a couple of times a day, usually after meals. When we were alone, she freely shared bits about her past, and sometimes our bonding time turned into moments of us kissing and caressing each other. But I refrained from going any further, which was starting to drive me mad.
I wondered what she would be like once the elixir had taken hold. Part of me was filled with dread at the temptation I would have to resist.
Maeda and I hammered out the duties and requirements we had of ambassadors, after which he and I both interviewed several candidates he thought had potential as ambassadors for Earth on Juhl. We finally agreed on one, who accepted the appointment. It would take almost a full Earth year before he and his family could make the trip to Juhl, however, so Eva would have to be well-versed in the responsibilities of her role as temporary ambassador, but she seemed more than willing.
While I held T’ral in meeting after meeting with me, I called my Seneschal down from our ship to handle Eva’s affairs. M’kir was quite small for a Juhlian, but he was still taller than Eva. He was second only to T’ral in keeping details and figures straight in his head, but M’kir was in charge of our household’s daily routines.
I felt Eva’s frustration when she butted heads with him day after day. He questioned her every decision, not because he thought her unintelligent, but in order to place that decision in its proper position within all the other details organized in his head. If he’d not been born a eunuch, he would’ve made an excellent war strategist. As it was, even his highly organized mind couldn’t get Eva ready to leave before the week was out. She just wasn’t well enough, and we kept running into complications.
M’kir quickly obtained the supplies that Eva desired to bring with her and even calculated a rough estimate of how much she would need before a trade ship could bring more. He also thought to ask her about her favorite foods and delicacies, so he could lay in a supply of those things as well.
He went to something called a nursery where he picked up some plants she described as pleasing, as well as a large variety of seeds to test in our soil. After each accounting, I shook my head in wonder at the ideas that hadn’t occurred to me.
I watched and felt her sorrow and pain when we took her to collect her things and say her good-byes to her adoptive family. There in front of those small, crying children, she extracted my vow that transmission packets could be sent from her to them and vice versa with recordings of their images. Her manipulation of me both irritated and pleased me greatly. There was no fear in her of me or my stature, which was as it should be as she was to be my queen.
M’kir began the selection process of a fertility specialist. Many who applied he crossed off the list as he said they were “more interested in getting off planet than in taking care of your lady.” Maeda had his men look more carefully at those doctors’ private doings. Once Maeda had it narrowed down to three, he had them come to our suite for an interview with Eva. Her selection was a Theodore Mackelroy, whose manner seemed a bit abrupt to me, but his history and ideas were quite sound. Eva felt pleased because she felt he’d be honest with her and not “sugarcoat” anything she needed to be told. He would be able to come in with the first trade ship, in about six Earth months, which would be roughly three months after we arrived home and had our ceremony.
Finally, it appeared everything was in order. Our bags were packed, and we headed to the shuttle to our ship. I was more than ready to go home.
Chapter 18
Eva
I’d never been so nervous in my life. Raevu had agreed for us to leave first thing after breakfast, when I had the most energy, but I could feel my usual drive being drained away by anxiety of the unknown.
I’d never even been on an airplane. How would I manage a shuttle to a spacecraft? I’d never been more than ten miles away from the Center. How could I live hundreds of light-years from Earth?
We stepped out of the car and into the bright sunlight. M’kir had told
me that the Juhlian sun was much hotter and more blue than Earth’s yellow Sol. I lifted my face up to its cheerful rays and whispered a good-bye to it as well.
All the Juhlians and the little, skinny man who was Geoffrey’s creator hustled to get on board. I walked at a steady pace. Each breath I took in was deep and slow. I let the air out unhurriedly. I kept my gaze moving, trying to ignore the headache gnawing at the back of my eyes.
The clouds moving across the bright blue sky fascinated me. Had I ever paid this much attention or appreciated their intricate shapes and shades?
I heard birds trill and chirp, dogs bark, and wondered to myself what kind of animals I would find on Juhl. I’d never asked. It seemed like a strange omission, not to think of animals before. I would miss birds, cats, and small dogs. I always enjoyed other peoples’ pets.
Despite my hard life here, I would miss Earth.
We reached the shuttle’s stairwell. Resolutely, I gripped the handrail and marched up the steps. At the top, I took one last look around. I felt my eyes well with tears that I refused to shed. I turned and ducked into the shuttle’s cabin.
After he made sure the buckles on my seat were fastened securely, as they hadn’t been made for someone of my small size, Raevu took my hand and kissed my palm. His gold eyes stared into mine. Without a word, he moved to his own seat to pilot the shuttle. It was time. I was leaving this world and journeying to my new home, and I wondered if I would ever see my family or friends again.