by Emma Dean
Sweat dripped down Adelina’s back and the heat of the summer sun was oppressive. She wore the lightest spidersilk she could without the dress being sheer and it had a cut that allowed her to remain as cool as possible. The halter let the wind dry her back and multiple slits in her skirts helped her legs breathe.
Nash didn’t seem affected by the heat at all. She studied him subtly and watched him tense. He knew she examined him and she blushed with embarrassment. “I apologize,” she said. “I was simply wondering what the climate was like right now on your homeworld, but I realized the question is in poor taste due to the circumstances.”
He turned to her then and his large frame dwarfed her completely. Adelina flinched as he blocked the sun and she was lost in his shadow. His large muscles intrigued her, but she also knew how strong they made him. He could easily overpower her if he wished. She shivered at the idea, liking something about the power he held in his body alone. He didn’t need his title to get someone to bend to his will.
The traditional Kharan leather pants were nearly ridiculous in the Draga heat. He had to be sweltering but personally she liked how they accentuated his ass. Adelina shook her head a tiny bit to redirect her thoughts. He wore a light shirt that looked like a normal citizen’s if it wasn’t made from the most exquisite fabric she had seen other than spidersilk. It was light and airy, with a small ‘v’ in the front displaying a mark she suspected was part of a larger tattoo hidden from view.
“It is not as warm as it is here, but as we are close to the Corinth sun it can get quite hot.” He ran his hand through his short black hair.
Adelina felt so inadequate. She was supposed to keep Nash company and entertain him, but she had no idea how to do that with the knowledge of his fate on her shoulders.
He seemed bored and aggravated. “Would you like to see the spider farms?” she asked.
Adelina was sure he had never seen the sacred spider farms before. Outsiders normally weren’t permitted, not even outside royalty. She could make an exception this one time though.
There was a spark of interest in his eyes. “Would that be allowed?” Finally, there was a bit of life in his voice and his eyes seemed more green than red.
“Come with me,” she said, beckoning him to follow. Adelina walked swiftly through the palace to the lift. The spider farms weren’t close, but they had the time to visit them with a cleared schedule. They rode in silence to the main floor. The footman opened the door for them and she strode out of the lift. The enclosed space had her skin tingling from the lost prince’s proximity and scent. Her sandals clicked against the marble floor as she quickly made her way through the main level.
Servants smiled at her and mentioned how the set up was going, a few stopped and asked if she could come by later and check the arrangements. One of her favorite footmen bowed low and asked if she liked the red roses he had picked from the gardens. He was always so sweet and polite. Adelina smiled and then smelled the bouquet he held out to her. “It’s wonderful, Liam. I love these.”
She pretended not to notice his blush as she continued out towards the back of the palace. The gardens smelled wonderful in the sun and the trees provided shade. No one said anything about the silent, hulking male next to her. As she quickly made her way down the stone steps to the fields, she glanced over her shoulder at Nash. She almost stumbled when she noticed how intently he watched her.
Adelina paused at the bottom of the stone stairs and checked the area before stopping completely. There was no one around. The stables were quite a bit further and the stable hands normally didn’t come this close to the palace except during meals. Asher usually rode his galina in the afternoon so they wouldn’t run into him either.
Nash slipped his hands into his pockets and came to a stop before her, staring down at her in a way that made Adelina feel like a tiny bug. “Is everything all right?” she asked, trying to get a sense of him without looking up into his eyes. Her instincts screamed at her he was a dominant, but his scent was too different and strange. She wasn’t quite sure how to act around him.
“Do all the servants talk to you like that?” he asked.
That was all? Adelina wondered how the servants in the Khara Prime palace acted for him to be so shocked, it had been too long for her to remember. She turned back to the mountain and walked at a good pace. It would do her good to walk so far, as Nadyah suggested. She needed to work off her extra energy as much as possible so she could gain control of her body’s desires.
“They do talk to me when I am needed. I should be helping them, directing and planning, but I handed over my documents to the housekeeper. I trust him. He does an excellent job.”
The winding path turned to dirt and the trees hung over them, creating a soothing shadow. The mountain seemed to loom heavier and heavier as they came closer. Some found it oppressive and dark compared to the bright light of Kala. The obsidian stone sucked up the light in a way that disturbed most.
There were a million questions Adelina wanted to ask Nash but most of them would be considered insensitive. She gave it a chance regardless. “What kinds of activities do you enjoy doing?” she asked him, attempting to keep her voice light. Adelina’s mind kept going back to Nadyah’s acts of subtle seduction. She should practice the arts, but she didn’t think now was the best time. Who knew how Nash would react? He wasn’t a Kalan and despite their common human heritage, the centuries had made them different enough to be foreign.
“Princess, I appreciate what you are trying to do, but I do not wish to make small talk,” Nash said in annoyance, finally fed up with her friendly attempts. “You are here as my chaperone to ensure the terrifying Corinthian prince doesn’t kill a second royal family while my reports are being vetted across the galaxies. You do not have to pretend to enjoy my presence.”
Adelina stopped abruptly under the shade of a massive leaf. “I asked to be given this assignment,” she snapped, her polite and proper mask slipping. She could have said more but she was too angry so she kept her mouth shut before she said something that could shatter his trust in her.
Nash’s eyes widened at the sudden shift in her attitude. “I thought you were a submissive.”
She waved her hand in irritation, dismissing his words. “I am, but that does not mean I cannot think for myself. If you are going to live among us, educate yourself with facts and not speculations. Being a submissive does not mean I cannot stand up for myself or say no. It simply means I serve. I am serving my future queen by escorting you safely through our home. I am ensuring your life remains intact as any fanatic assassin wouldn’t dare hurt their princess in any foolhardy attempt to murder you.” Adelina inspected him from his head to his toes and she couldn’t keep the appreciative look from her face, her mask completely gone in his presence. It was almost freeing in a way. “Not that you couldn’t take care of them yourself, but this way there is no incident on royal soil that could potentially mar Raena’s ascension during such a precarious time.” She crossed her arms and glared at him, daring him to deny any of what she said.
The prince held his hands up in surrender, eyes still wide and the yellow in them flashed under the sun. “I apologize for assuming you did not care.”
The goddess help her, he had intellect as well. Adelina decided not to respond and continued down the path to the belly of the mountain at a quicker pace. Nash had to jog to catch up with her.
“I did not mean to make you angry.”
Still she said nothing. It wasn’t his fault he was preoccupied. Or that he was male.
“Adelina, please look at me.” The almost pleading tone in his deep voice and the personal use of her name gave her pause.
She stopped and turned to him once more, neck craned up to meet his eyes. Why did he have to be so cula’ting tall? He was too beautiful and this was too dangerous. She never should have asked to escort him. Six months ago, she had thought Alpha was her true love, and she could not have been more wrong. Why would this be any different?
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“Will you tell me why?” he asked, shoulders hunched as though he knew how uncomfortable his height made her.
She couldn’t decide if he intimidated her, or if she wanted to climb him and wrap her legs around his waist. Adelina cleared her throat delicately. “Why I wanted to escort you?” she asked.
He only nodded. Nash didn’t waste words when he didn’t have to it seemed.
She sighed and tugged at a piece of her hair. “I know you did not murder your own family to become king.” Every muscle of his seemed to relax at those words. “I do not need proof to know this as we were friends once, or at least I’d like to think we were.” Adelina shrugged and looked away. “I want to help, but I have no idea how. It is not in my position to do anything about it, so I thought perhaps if I could talk to you…” she trailed off, not sure what else to say without sounding like a naïve fool.
“You owe me nothing,” Nash stated, eyeing her suspiciously.
The goddess give her patience, this male was actively trying to infuriate her. “I have my honor,” she stated frostily. “I have read the treaty and the alliance my grandfather made with your people over two hundred cycles ago. Because we have lived in peace it has never been tested, but I would not be a true Dragan princess if I abandoned a sworn ally in their time of need.”
She had to move. Adelina walked toward the entrance of the mountain farms briskly, leaving the prince to trail after her.
Suddenly she whirled around and jabbed her finger into his chest. “How dare you assume I have no honor?”
He winced as he removed her sharp fingernail from his chest. Nash bent down and brushed a soft kiss against her cheek. “Thank you princess, it gives me hope to know you feel so strongly on the matter. I only wish your father felt the same.”
Adelina was so shocked she could barely do more than pull away. The shadows chilled her skin and she shivered. That pull towards him worried her and she had to at least warn him. “Father and Raena are not going to grant your request,” she whispered, preparing for another change in his moods. Adelina hated having to tell him. “You will have a week before you must leave; they were going to tell you tonight after dinner.”
His sharp intake of breath was his only reaction, and then Nash let out a long, slow breath. “They are?” he asked.
The hot summer air choked her as she nodded. Adelina kept a firm grasp on her control and kept the tears from her eyes. “I do not agree with their choice, but I am nothing more than a pawn.”
His eyes sparkled as he studied her. Adelina’s cheeks flushed with heat and she knew they were red under his scrutiny. “Why are you telling me this?” he demanded.
The trees provided much needed shade and the crescent of the mother moon shone her purple form over the ocean. Adelina studied her birthright and finally met the prince’s eyes. “I will not lie after everything they are going to do to you. The chance is high you will not survive on the run no matter the tech you possess.” Her voice dropped so low he had to bend forward to hear her. “I do not want you to die.”
Only the goddess knew why she felt such a strong connection with him. Perhaps it was that she saw so many similarities between her and Nash. Without her family, she would be lost as well, but at least the prince had training as a warrior.
He traced her lips with his rough fingers, barely there and teasing. “I do not deserve someone like you. I will only bring you harm as I did with my own family.”
Adelina grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Think about my words, Prince Nash. I can help you if you let me. We can try to find a way for you to stay, but in the meantime, I can help you get what you need. Just think on it for now.” She tugged him towards the huge cavern under the mountain and then dropped his hand.
The farmhands gave her a nod of respect, glanced at the prince and turned back to their work. Adelina pointed out the massive webs covering the caverns and the fat little bodies against the glittering white threads, changing the subject before she said too much. “Here the spiders are cared for and kept for their webs.”
Prince Nash looked up and jerked back as a web directly over them housed a particularly large queen spider about the size of Adelina’s hand. He practically dragged her back before she could extricate her arm from his.
She tapped the invisible force-field and it sparked against her nail. “We can’t disturb them, and they won’t disturb us,” she promised. Adelina smiled to know such a large warrior was afraid of harmless spiders.
“I thought you wanted to see the spiders?” she teased. Adelina led him slowly into the cavern, careful of his instincts.
Nash gave her a side-long glance. “I did not expect them to be so large and so close,” he said, keeping close to her. “Are they poisonous?”
Adelina enjoyed his nearness. His arm hovered around her waist, but didn’t actually touch her. Every inch of him was a warrior on edge, ready to remove her from the danger. His protective instincts were triggered by her presence. She was intrigued and glad they weren’t so different from each other after all.
“The queens are,” she told him. “You can tell which ones are queens by their size and the purple color of their abdomens.” Adelina pointed at the round body of the queen above them. It was a rich aubergine that reminded her of Raena’s eyes. “The rest are not, but they all have beautiful webs. The farmhands swear the queens weave the strongest threads and reserve them for us to choose from.” She ran her hands over her skirts, knowing how much work went into each of her dresses.
“How are the webs harvested?” Nash asked as they walked slowly through the winding caverns, lit by dim purple lights.
“The spiders are moved into an empty cavern to start again. We leave the nursery alone though, and the farmhands wear special gear to protect them and the spiders.” Adelina stopped in front of a smaller cavern connected to the underground tunnels. It was naturally warmed by the hot springs below and the hanging sacs looked peaceful in the dim light.
Nash pressed to her side as a spider crawled sedately over the force-field directly in front of them. “How are they moved?” He shuddered as he considered the prospect.
“A non-toxic mist of mint and a slight sedative are used to make them sleepy. They do not like the smell of mint and move away from the area to a new one, leaving the webs free for us to harvest.” Adelina continued on the main path and the light turned to orange. Thousands of farmhands harvested caverns empty of spiders and she turned down a smaller path.
The path took them through occupied caverns and then out into the spidersilk factory. “The spiders need the cool darkness of the mountain so once the webs are harvested we take them here to clean them, spin them into silk, dye them, and then weave them into bolts of fabric.”
The main floor of the factory dyed the fabrics and she walked straight through with Nash by her side. None of the workers looked up. Adelina made her way to the floor manager at the other side of the factory. The woman bowed and checked her work shreve. “Princess, how may I help you?”
Adelina clasped her hands before her and turned to survey the massive floor that went on for acres. “I would like to see the quarterly reports if you don’t mind?”
The manager raised an eyebrow at her, but Adelina’s visits weren’t unexpected. The spider farms were one of her favorite tasks. “Would you like to go through my shreve?” She handed the metal and plas-glass device over to the princess and left the floor for her connecting office.
Adelina scrolled through the accounting documents and the standard contracts. Nash was a constant, silent presence she ignored for the time being. She sent the documents to herself to look over in more detail at a later time then went into the manager’s office with a tiny bow. “Thank you, mistress,” she said in deference to the woman’s dominance. “I appreciate you accommodating me.”
“Would you like to see some of the newest creations, your highness?” the manager asked, swirling a cup of tea before taking a sip.
Adelina brightened at th
e idea and then glanced at Nash. She doubted it was something he would enjoy. “Perhaps another time, mistress, but I appreciate the offer.”
Nash nudged her. “Go, we have nothing pressing to attend.”
She shook her head. “I can’t leave you,” Adelina said with a small shrug of apology.
He gave her a rueful smile. “It will not kill me to look through fabrics. It will be enlightening after that rather terrifying tour.”
She couldn’t help the laugh that spilled out. A warrior who openly admitted his fear of something so much smaller than him was rare indeed. “All right, let’s take a look prince, perhaps you will see something I might miss on my own.”
They took the open platform to the third floor where the dyed silk was woven into bolts. The entire floor was full of looms and men and women hard at work to the rhythm of the music playing over the amplifiers. Adelina stopped to inspect a young girl’s piece; she couldn’t have been much younger than Adelina herself. “This is wonderful,” she said as she passed, tapping the frame in appreciation.
The girl beamed at her, then looked surprised to see Nash follow behind. “They weave the silk by hand?” he inquired, looking doubtful.
Adelina bent down to take a look at a male’s piece. He used multiple colors and the effect was exquisite. “We do for spidersilk, Prince. The material is too delicate for machines.” She turned to the man weaving and smiled. “Did you create this pattern?” she asked.
He nodded with a shy smile. “Yes, your highness. The floor manager filed the design for me and added the bonus to my income.”
“Very good,” Adelina said. “If you would let me know when the bolt is completed I would love to purchase it. Just have your manager send me a cast and I’ll come for it myself.”
The male stammered his thanks and tried to force it as a gift, but she shook her head. When they finally reached the back room, she took in the floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall display of spidersilk. The colors ranged from light to dark, but she loved them all. It was the lightest, most breathable fabric, and the most expensive. Very few could afford it, but the quality was worth its weight in gold.