by Emma Dean
She nodded and was silent as they made their way to the main lift. “We may not know each other well, Sirus, but I would prefer you called me Joslynn,” she said quietly.
Sirus said nothing as they entered the lift. He pressed his palm to the wall and intoned his passcode. Her rooms were next to his on a floor only a handful of people could access. Sirus took his job seriously and he would protect the countess – no, Joslynn—with his life.
“Joslynn,” he said as if feeling how the syllables tasted on his tongue. It was a strange name, yet beautiful; like her.
He stared straight ahead but he could see her looking sideways at him as the lift traveled through the ten floors. “Is there something wrong, la—Joslynn?” he asked.
“Would you mind halting the lift?”
Her strange request made him frown but he did as she asked. As soon as they stopped moving she let go of him and faced him fully. His heart beat harder and suddenly his hands were sweaty. Sirus had no idea what she planned to do and the sensation of uncertainty was unfamiliar to him.
“I need to confide in you,” she whispered, looking about the small lift as if it had ears.
“Whatever you have to say will remain between the two of us, I swear on it.”
She took a step closer and he hissed in a breath. Joslynn halted when she heard him, but still grabbed his arm as she looked up, practically imploring him to pay attention. “My people need me to produce an heir. I have to find a husband, but…” she trailed off and bit her lip. His eyes snagged on her mouth and he couldn’t bring himself to look away. “I am afraid someone will fool me into believing they love me, when they only love what my planet will do for them. I can’t allow someone to try and wrest control from me. I am the rightful ruler of Pedranus.”
Sirus nodded. She deserved to be ruler from what he could see. “What is it you need from me, lady?”
Her glowing green eyes held his own and stared right into his soul. “I know you have your duties to your family, but if…if I can’t find someone I trust, someone I know who has my best interests at heart…would you consider something for me?” Her cheeks were pink against the milky white of her skin. She was as white as the surface of his planet, perfect and untouched.
Sirus said nothing as he waited for her to make her request, but the stutter in his heart warned him.
“You’re an honorable, handsome man Sirus. Our families rely on one another and I feel I can trust you to keep me safe no matter what happens. I ask that you would consider marrying me.”
His heart actually stopped beating for a moment as he stared at her. Breathe, he reminded himself, he needed to take a breath so he could answer her. He needed to explain why he would be a terrible husband, why he had to stay on Scyria.
You can still run the Scyrian Army from Pedranus, a small voice in his head told him. He ignored it. “You’ve heard the stories, I assume,” Sirus said wryly, keeping his tone light despite his concern.
Never once did she look away from him. It was rare a woman could meet his eyes. “I know what happened to you Sirus, and I wish I could undo what was done.” She ignored the way he stiffened when she stepped closer. “I do not think less of you because of it.”
Clearly she was not thinking straight. That had to be it. “Lady, I don’t think you understand,” he snapped, yanking his arm from her grasp to run his hand violently through his hair. “They kidnapped me for ransom and my family did not have the credits to get me back.” His hand traced the ragged scar from his hairline down to his chin. It was ugly and bisected his left eye. His family didn’t have the money to replace his eye either. None of those things were available on Scyria. Not even for the nobility. Most of their credits went to importing food. Their people could not starve so he could have another eye.
“I don’t care,” she said stubbornly. Slowly she reached up and touched his chin where the scar ended and he couldn’t help the flinch this time. “You escaped because you are strong. I need that. You would not be the worst choice for me.” Her sad smile broke his heart. “Please, just consider it as a possibility.”
Joslynn turned back to face the door and clasped her hands in front of her as if they hadn’t just had one of the most intimate moments of Sirus’s life. With her nod he started the lift again. By the time the lift reached the correct floor he had regained control of his breathing and his cool composure was back in place.
Sirus didn’t think a marriage to this woman was a good idea. She was living, breathing fire and he was made of ice.
Chapter Seven
Lucas
Family Seat
Deep in the Nova Mountains
Planet Treon
Lucas couldn’t say why he woke up in the dead of night, only that some survival instinct kicked in and suddenly he was wide awake and sitting up in bed. He searched the inky darkness but it was difficult to see anything among the shadows. Perhaps it was nothing and he’d been imagining things. A tingle on the back of his neck had him on his feet before he could think twice.
A knife whipped past his face as he dodged, following that same survival instinct. Cycles of training had his body reacting without thought. The blade still managed to nick his cheek as Lucas side-stepped. Immediately, he went to disarm his attacker, but the man wore dark robes with a deep hood over his head. It was difficult to get a good grasp on him.
The two males fought in Lucas’s room. The heir of Treon wondered how his attacker could have gotten so deep in the mountains to the family Seat. Their vast home was well protected. Someone had betrayed his family and let them in. It was the only explanation as to how an assassin managed to get into his personal rooms.
Lucas felt the blade bite deep into his side and he grunted with the pain. He lashed out and managed to get a hand around the assailant’s neck. With a carefully placed shove he flipped the man over onto his back. Lucas dove and pinned the assailant. He ripped the large knife from the attacker’s hand and yanked the hood back to see who his would-be assassin was.
Lucas stumbled back in horror and shock. “Grady?” he asked incredulously. He couldn’t believe his eyes. His own brother? Lucas didn’t know what to say or do. Grady had been at his side since his birth and they’d been inseparable as children. Lucas had always looked out for his little brother and this is how he repaid him?
“You should have listened to father,” Grady hissed. “Our plans to gain power would have gone smoothly if you hadn’t interfered.” Then he lunged at Lucas.
Lucas was so dumbfounded he made the grave mistake of reacting too slowly. Grady grappled with him and managed to regain control of the blade. His brother crouched and Lucas took a step back, hands in the air in surrender. “You tried to kill me because I disagreed with your plans to assassinate the royal family?” It seemed so absurd he couldn’t believe it.
“The new king of Khara Prime promised us our own fertile planet, not this wretched excuse of a rock. The surface is barely habitable even after terra-forming,” Grady spat. “I do not want to spend the entirety of my life underground in the mines on the fringe of the Draga galaxy in the outer rim.”
His brother attacked again.
Grady was never great at combat, but Lucas was wounded and bleeding. Lucas redirected the attack but the blade managed to make a deep slice into his leg. With a twist of his arm and a yank he held his younger brother to his side. Lucas had an arm across Grady’s throat and pulled back hard enough to cut off his air.
Grady struggled but he had never been as big or as strong as Lucas. Within a minute he slid to the ground, unconscious. Lucas stood in the middle of his room and stared down at the prone form of his brother. His chest heaved from the exertion and blood soaked his shirt. He was no longer safe in his own home. Where could he go?
Lucas sent a cast to his personal starship and any man he knew was completely loyal to him and him alone; not his family. He needed to leave and soon.
As heir, he controlled the future of Treon and if his father did not like h
is plans it seemed the lord was ready to assassinate his eldest son to get his own way. Grady was weak-willed and constantly sought the approval of their cold-hearted father, which made him a willing pawn.
Lucas packed hurriedly with one hand pressed to his side. The medic on his ship would take care of him. He only had to get there. Lucas needed to warn the royals on Draga Terra. If Treon allowed Khara Prime into Draga space it would allow the Neprijat access to the inner planets. The King of Draga had to have a strategy for when the Neprijat finally reached those inner planets.
Lucas rushed through the stone halls. For the first time, his large home deep in the mountains felt like a tomb. His own father and brother wanted him dead. Even on the run he wouldn’t be safe. It was easy to send enough gold credits to convince anyone to become an assassin.
The hangar full of starships built for war at the mouth of the mountain was quiet and still in the middle of the night. The freezing cold air hit him like a wall of ice and it made his breathing even more labored. Lucas stumbled as he crossed the wide hangar. His ship was close. Only a little further and he would be safe for the time being.
“My lord!” someone exclaimed as he stumbled again. Lucas had forgotten about the cut on his leg. The cold made his legs numb and useless. He hit the ground hard. “Draga,” he croaked. Blood seeped onto the floor from his side. “Get us to Draga Terra now.”
Chapter Eight
Nadyah
Capitol City Stella di Draga
Planet Draga Terra
Nadyah made her way through the city streets. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder, pulling her hood up further. She quickened her step and kept close to the buildings. Each circle of Stella di Draga eased into the next. The houses of the nobility, the upscale businesses, to the merchant class houses, and then the markets all transitioned smoothly like a painting.
She loved the capitol but she did not enjoy having to cross it on foot.
It was the only way she could make the trip to the House unnoticed from the palace. No one could know of this trip, not even Adelina. Nadyah crossed the street with her head down as a hov-carriage passed. Only one more city circle and she would reach the edge of the House’s property. Then she would have to make her way to the secret entrance all the spiderlings used.
Nadyah had to be back at the palace in a few hours and she was already exhausted after spending most of the day working with Adelina. They had run the length of the palace grounds twice, and then did some ai-kuda sparring. Nadyah even taught her a few moves in the courtesan’s fighting style. They still had a lot to cover, but she was convinced the princess could handle herself well enough to keep an attacker at bay until help could arrive.
Nadyah skipped over a puddle that shone with the green of the moon Vekaza. Mala’s large form hung to the west and was not yet full. The purple moon wouldn’t be full until the night of Adelina’s party and the anniversary of her birth.
Earlier that night Nadyah sat at the royal table with Elara and ate with the royal family. The honor they bestowed on her still dazzled. She had never anticipated such a rise in station even if only by association. Prince Nash had been there as well, but she suspected it had more to do with the king wanting to keep an eye on him than to embrace him with open arms into the family.
There was a definite spark between her princess and the lost prince. That Giselle would give Adelina the assignment said a lot. There was so much to learn yet, and Nadyah knew she had to tread a fine line between gathering information and betraying Adelina’s trust in her. The news of Prince Nash was reason enough to report back to the Spider and Nadyah still hadn’t decided what she would do with what she had found on the private shreve Princess Adelina kept locked away.
Adelina was a master at dissembling. The princess made herself into what she thought those around her wanted or needed. Masks came and went until even Nadyah was unsure of who the female truly was underneath them all. The skill required to confuse a courtesan astounded her. Adelina was truly submissive, but she played with that nature so well she made herself invisible to those around her, to those who only saw what they wanted to see.
Nadyah had seen the princess move through those masks like a fish through water, so seamless the deception was beautiful in its simplicity.
She shook her head; Princess Adelina was a mystery she could not wait to solve.
After dinner, Nadyah had made her rounds. The Spider had woven many webs in the palace with her little spiderlings and most of them worked together. Nadyah had personally met the Spider’s guards as well as the servants who worked for Jael. She had yet to meet the two nobles. There were other informants but they weren’t important to Nadyah’s work. They simply caught whatever tidbits they could in their little webs, ensuring nothing at all was missed about anything or anyone.
Nadyah hesitated. The street from the market to the residential area had a row of taverns between them. The biggest of them all took up an entire block and she would have to pass through its gates and through the large courtyard to the other side. This particular tavern connected with the ones on each side, and so on until they created a makeshift wall around the city. To find the next gate would add another hour to her journey and she was running out of time.
This wasn’t just any tavern; it was the Ladrole and Varan’s unofficial court. Nadyah wanted to see him because her heart was selfish, but she knew it was not the smartest of ideas. The man distracted her and she couldn’t afford a distraction. The Spider expected her within the hour and it wouldn’t do to make her wait – not with such important information to relay.
The courtesan took the risk and made her way through the gates. The unofficial guard gave her a once-over, but let her pass. She held her breath as she walked through the surprisingly beautiful courtyard. The winterflowers framed the stone and tall trees shaded the various tables and benches. It was a place to gather and enjoy company, but there was a path straight through it which allowed Varan to control whoever came and went in his territory.
She was nearly there. Only half a block more and she would be at the second gate without anyone recognizing her. Nadyah’s pace quickened as she reached the gate, but the guard didn’t open it. “I would like to pass,” she stated, trying to keep the annoyance from her voice.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice it was you in my courtyard?” Varan’s smooth voice rubbed her in all the right places. He stepped out of the shadows and Nadyah saw that it wasn’t a guard at the gate but rather the Prince of Thieves himself.
“Why would I expect you to know where I am and when I may or may not be in your territory?” Nadyah snapped. She was aggravated Varan had somehow tracked her movements. “May I ask how you knew it was me and not some other lady on her business?”
Varan leaned against the guard station and gave her a cocky smile. “I set up my scanner to recognize your retina whenever you’re within a two block radius of my court.”
She narrowed her eyes at him and ground her teeth, not sure whether to be flattered or irritated. “Why in the gods’ name would you do that, simply to annoy me?” Nadyah never thought he would add her retina scan to his tech. What purpose was there for that?
His smile only widened. “I like knowing where you are.”
Nadyah clenched her fists. She did not like being tracked no matter what she felt for Varan. “Remove me from your scanner immediately.” How in all the hells had he even acquired the data for it in the first place?
“As you wish.” Varan’s smile never faded and he pushed from the wall and moved towards her.
Nadyah stepped back and away, wary of him. “May I go?” She was still in his territory and she could only leave with his permission.
‘Prince’ was his title but he was more like the King of Thieves. No one disobeyed him. Varan was just as respected as King Orion but feared unlike the Draga king. Varan took eyes for his trophies when disobeyed and they lined the top shelves of his tavern and office.
Despite the gru
esome details of his life she was infatuated, but Nadyah knew where she was weak and had to keep her distance from him, otherwise she would give in to her heart’s desire and there was no telling what would happen after that.
Varan cocked his head and kept the smile on his face, but for the first time in cycles she saw the hard glint directed at her and felt a flash of fear. “No actually, Mistress, I would ask that you come with me.” It was phrased as a request but she knew better.
“Of course, my prince.” Nadyah didn’t bow her head. He was not above her in rank and she would not give him the satisfaction. She loved the man, but at the moment she hated him. Her eyes went to the second moon and she knew she was losing precious time.
“Do you have somewhere to be?” the Prince of Thieves asked her.
His soft touch at the small of her back directed her to a set of stairs. His hand burned her flesh through her clothes and made her shiver as she felt it pull at her, the arousal already building. They climbed silently to the third floor of his tavern. She hadn’t been to the offices of the Ladrole for a long time and she tried not to think about dragging him to an empty room one floor below where the rooms for rent were.
Nadyah had a bad feeling about his request. Their last deal had gone so well, but now he acted suspicious of her. Varan had never been told about her other profession and she had been warned to keep it that way. She glanced at the prince and from the way his jaw was set she didn’t think she would be able to keep it from him for much longer.
Her slippers were quiet against the stone stairs. Varan was as silent as ever. He was nothing more than air, a small wisp of wind that wouldn’t disturb a soul. It was what made him such a good thief. He opened the door to his office and she stepped in, pulling back her hood so she could inspect her surroundings.
Nadyah had only been in his office once or twice in all the cycles she’d known him. When she was at his court they usually spent time in the tavern at his table, laughing and drinking. This was an entirely different situation and she felt it in her stomach, heavy and acidic.