by Emma Dean
“Mia vitae se tya. I swear to Amora and the three-faced goddess it will never happen again. Whatever you desire is mine to give.”
Adelina looked to Giselle and she nodded her approval. “It is done. Justice has been taken.”
Nadyah looked up in surprise and confusion. “Mistress?”
Adelina was not her Mistress. “Your fear paid the price.” She bent and kissed her courtesan softly, showing her the truth of her words. “Tonight, the price will not be paid with your flesh.” The look of shock, despair, and relief was a curious mix on Nadyah’s face as she rose. Adelina looked to her sister. Only Giselle could move this along now.
“Lina darling?” Giselle said, smiling wickedly at her sister.
Relief filled her that she could be Lina once more before the night was through. “Enough of this court nonsense, I need my favor Varan.” She plopped on the chaise next to him and gave him a playful pout as she had a thousand times before when he only knew her as the jeweler. Adelina enjoyed shedding the skin she wore as princess. “Shall we go back downstairs for your wonderful liquor and food?”
Varan frowned at her.
“Please, when I am dressed as Lina, treat me as Lina. Protocol will be invoked and made obvious if I or Giselle need to act as Princess and anything before then won’t be punished as protocol.” She sighed and made a face at Giselle who rifled through the prince’s desk.
“I agree. We leave the palace to get away from our titles Varan. Feed us or suffer the consequences.” Giselle pulled out something shiny and held it out to the light. “Is this one of Lina’s?”
Varan dove for it, but Giselle tossed it to Adelina who caught it and inspected the piece. It was the necklace part of a set with matching earrings she was commissioned for months ago. She eyed Varan. He had gone through the guild so she hadn’t known it was him. “Yes, I designed these and made them to the specifications of the order.” She handed the jewels back to the prince and wondered if he had them made for Nadyah or not, and if he had why they were still in his desk.
“I will have the servants bring up the food,” he said in exasperation. The cast went out and he stomped his foot on a small impression in the floor. The chaise moved with a panel in the floor and a table and chairs popped up in its place. “Sit, and don’t touch my things.” He glared at Giselle and she shrugged, pushing past him to the table.
“Males should know better than to withhold food from females.” Giselle took out her shreve and started playing some asinine game as she waited for the servants to arrive.
Adelina’s cloak went over the back of the chair. The night chill couldn’t reach them inside. Events had taken a turn she hadn’t expected and it left her shaken inside. Adelina knew what to do and how to act when required. She could take command even if her natural instincts were to let someone like Giselle tell her what to do.
It made her wonder about what Nash had said regarding his ‘light’ rulers. Did they have someone telling them what actions to take or could they manage on their own with the knowledge and skill they had? It would be an enormous mental shift, but the relationship between the dominant and submissive was a delicate dance. It was as she had said to Nash, she served and whether serving meant protecting or not she had to be flexible. It had to be the same on the reverse.
Adelina tapped her nail against the lacquer of the table, enjoying the clicking sound as she tried to ignore her grumbling stomach.
“I will never withhold food from you again, ladies.” Varan opened his office door with a flourish and servants flooded the room with fragrant dishes.
Giselle dug in as soon as the trays touched the table and mumbled through a mouthful her thanks to the cook. Adelina took a plate and filled it up, but let it sit untouched in front of her while she waited for Varan and Nadyah to take what they wanted. Drinks were poured and she took a small sip from her glass. Varan already knew what she wanted and needed, pressing the matter now wouldn’t help.
“So,” he said, tossing a bit of food into his mouth. The prince couldn’t stop staring at her and Giselle as if they’d grown two heads. “You two are actual royalty. Can we talk about this for a moment?”
Adelina narrowed her eyes. He was stalling. She tapped a command on her bracelet and her silver-white hair turned back to her own black. The film over her eyes ended the camouflage program and allowed her Draga amethyst to shine though. Varan’s mouth dropped open. “Satisfied?” she asked.
Giselle didn’t even bother. If Adelina looked like she did under the disguise then it would stand to reason so would Giselle. She activated her programs again and sighed. “As I told Nadyah, when we are dressed as Elle and Lina treat us as such and use those names. Keep this to yourself or Giselle will take matters into her own hands.”
Giselle grinned a rather terrifying smile at the prince and took a swig of the powerful alcohol. Her sister hated the politics and the game of power, but Adelina had always played it well. Her sister was the force of strength, and she the one to direct it.
How it had come down to trusting two relative strangers was beyond Adelina. Cycles of being careful and suddenly it seemed everyone knew their secret. She glanced at her sister, though there was one other who knew, one Giselle hadn’t approved.
“Can you get the information I requested or not?” Adelina snapped; her patience thinning.
Nadyah pushed Adelina’s plate towards her in a silent request to eat. Apparently, her attitude was thought to be caused by lack of sustenance. She wasn’t so easily distracted and Adelina needed an answer.
Varan traced the rim of his glass as he thought. “I think I could get what you need, or at least part of it. The princes and princesses of Khara are scattered to the solar winds. There is a large chance they aren’t even in the Khara galaxy anymore. What you require would be massively expensive. I would need to send out ships to every corner of the known universe. Sending men and women into the Khara galaxy, or the Hai galaxy, would be giving them a death sentence.” The thief shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, I can always find people willing to throw their lives away for the promise of the right price, but if they return they will want riches beyond their wildest dreams.”
Adelina tapped her fingernail again as she thought. She didn’t have access to the royal treasury and even if she did she wouldn’t spend that kind of gold on a fool’s errand. “You don’t have spies already in those galaxies?” she asked.
Varan took a bite and grinned at her. “Oh I do, I was simply testing you.”
The playful banter eased the tension between her shoulders and she smiled briefly in acknowledgement of the kindness. This was the man she knew and loved. “The information could be retrieved securely?”
The Prince of Thieves stared at nothing as his mind worked through all the possibilities. This was no easy task no matter how it was done. The need for gold was still there, but it wouldn’t cost as much as Varan claimed. Adelina had her personal income she could tap into and it was substantial. She would have to ask Nash if he had anything to spare.
Nadyah reached for more food and filled her plate a second time. “Adelina, if you don’t eat I will force-feed you.”
Adelina glared at her courtesan who glared right back. Not willing to test it she put a small piece in her mouth and chewed.
This was no easy matter. Say they found the Corinthian princes and princesses, how would they then get them to safety? Moving them would be a risk. The Neprijat had conquered galaxies before; they knew what they were doing.
There were whispers that the Hai galaxy had fallen before Khara, and Draga had been willing to ignore it all as long as they were left alone. Those whispers had been the catalyst that had Adelina gathering her own intel on the matter. Once she started Adelina realized how much she enjoyed it. Raena would be queen, and if she did nothing against this threat they were all doomed.
“What about the Spider’s contacts?” Adelina asked Nadyah. This was a whole new avenue she hadn’t thought she had access to. “Does
her web extend to Khara and beyond?”
Nadyah shrugged. “I only know as much as she tells me and what I can scrounge from her shreve when she isn’t looking. What she leaves for me to find is most definitely calculated. I know she has spiderlings on Khara Prime and a few of the other planets, but I do not know what became of them once the Neprijat took over. The Hai galaxy though? They’ve been under Neprijat rule for a few cycles now. I don’t know more than that, and we weren’t even aware of that until whispers started spreading like wildfire about the monsters headed our way.”
Adelina tossed back the alcohol and let the sharp burn clear her thoughts. “Great-Grandfather fought those monsters back two hundred cycles ago?” she asked Giselle. Her sister studied battles like Adelina studied the movements of their nobles.
Giselle nodded and pushed her empty plate back in satisfaction. “Varan, I may very well steal your cook for the palace.”
He glared at her and crossed his arms. “I dare you to.”
She laughed and laced her fingers over her full belly. “Great-Grandfather fought the Neprijat back to wherever they came from about two hundred cycles ago or more. He saved us from that destruction, but there are planets that still have winterflowers that bloom red instead of white. We lost so many warriors to their monsters. This is all that’s written, but so much of it was fantastical no one really believed it was as told. The monsters became legend, a scary tale to tell naughty children.”
Adelina shuddered as she remembered the first time her sisters had told scary stories at night. She couldn’t sleep for a week. “Where did they go after that? Have they been hiding this entire time? How did he get them to leave?” There were so many questions she feared they needed the answers to and fast.
Giselle frowned. “The texts don’t say, but there is a lot in that library of ours. If you’d like Lina we can make a project of it, and see what we can find. There has to be something in our history, maybe even in King Beo’s tomb or the study?”
She nodded. “We can do that.”
“I will see what I can find out from the Spider. The wording will have to be as careful as possible, though she favors you for the lost prince,” Nadyah said with an inclination of her head in Adelina’s direction.
Her face flushed with heat and Adelina had no thought to reply. Her finger stilled and she glanced at Varan who wisely kept his face blank as he ate slowly. The Spider wanted her to court Prince Nash? She was already wildly attracted to him, but doubted he felt even remotely similar. Now that the Spider was behind the idea she wasn’t so sure it’s what she wanted.
Courting Prince Nash was practically out of the question for her regardless. Raena would never approve the marriage. It was too much of a risk with his being deposed and trying to get his kingdom back…
“Then she won’t be suspicious as to my inquiries,” Adelina finally managed.
Giselle’s eyes laughed at her though she kept a straight face. Adelina gave her sister a look that warned her off the subject. This was not something she wanted to discuss, or even consider with anyone.
“I will see what I can find of the princes and princesses of Khara. It won’t be a quick matter to verify them all,” Varan warned. “The other information will be easy enough to obtain. I will be sure to let you know when the debt has been paid. A payment, after all this is said and done, may be required.”
Adelina stood. Her full plate was practically untouched. She felt too worked up and the nerves settled into a knot in her stomach. “Remember I can pay in favors as well as gold and gems.” She gave the prince a brief kiss and looked at her courtesan. “Stay and speak with him. Ensure he understands the importance of this secret,” she ordered in Ilashyan.
Nadyah nodded as Giselle stood.
“Are we going to have some fun at last?” Giselle asked, taking another drink of the liquor. Her sister smiled and walked to the door with a swagger that had no intention of going home before dawn.
Adelina wrapped her cloak around her neck and fastened it. She shook her head. “I am going to head back to the palace. I need to think. After all I have to be up when the sun rises in a few hours. I have my party to oversee.” She gave a wink to Varan and left with her sister.
Giselle hopped down the stairs with nimble grace despite the amount of liquor she had consumed. “Are you really going back to the palace already?” she asked.
The two of them left the massive courtyard, shoulders pressed against one another. Giselle walked with her to the tunnel entrance, allowing her the silence. “I need to think, Elle. There is a lot to digest. Strategies need to be made. There will be a war, and Draga is not prepared. How are we going to convince Rae?”
The stars glittered against the dark night and groups of people passed them, laughing and chatting without a care in the world. Giselle crossed her arms and stared soberly at Adelina. “I am a warrior. I will protect what is mine.”
Adelina shook her head. “I don’t doubt that for a second. But will Rae be ready and willing to protect against a threat she doesn’t believe is there? She is so wrapped up in the crown and good impressions. Mother is forcing her attention to marriage and not the safety of our people.”
Giselle sighed and hugged Adelina. “We will do what needs to be done little sister. Rae will listen and if she doesn’t we will make our own backup plans. I promise I will help.” She pulled back and inspected Adelina. “Now, rest while I work off all the wonderful food I just ingested.”
“Go, enjoy your secret lover.” Adelina gave her sister a wink and then watched her sister disappear down the street.
Giselle deserved every moment she could manage with her lover. It wouldn’t be long before war would taint everything it touched.
Chapter Twelve
Adelina
Stella di Draga
Planet Draga Terra
As soon as the street was empty Adelina looked up at the first moon. It was more east than it had been before they’d entered the tavern. There were only a few more hours until the twilight of dawn, the hour of the Wolf.
Adelina wrenched the cover open and slipped into the tunnel. She held onto the ladder and reached up to close it. Something brushed against her arm and she stilled. A chill ran down her spine and the familiar feeling of being stalked struck her. Adelina wasn’t imagining it; something was following her even if she couldn’t see it.
Quickly she closed the cover to the tunnels and then dropped the last few steps to the floor. Her boots splashed in a puddle as she landed and then she held her breath. There was a tingle on the patches of skin exposed to the air. Her wrists and neck could feel the presence. Her eyes searched the pitch-black blindly. Finally, she gave up and closed her eyes, giving in to her other senses, the senses given to her by the wolves.
Her instincts screamed there was a predator at her back. Adelina whirled around, cloak billowing behind her. It brushed against something and her hand reached out, quick as lightning. Her fingers wrapped around fabric and an electric shield stuttered. “Show yourself,” she demanded.
The shield stuttered again, lighting up the male’s face briefly before dropping them both back into the utter darkness. “You have interesting friends,” Prince Nash stated. His deep voice rumbled in the small space.
Adelina felt cold. And then hot. Fear washed over her as she realized Nash had been following her ever since they’d left the palace. He had some kind of stealth tech Draga had never managed to replicate which meant he had been able to go wherever he wished since the first day he’d arrived on the Draga Terra.
Fury rippled through her. It ran through her veins and fueled her anger. How dare he follow her? “You didn’t trust me,” she spat accusingly.
“I wanted to trust you,” he said. His voice was devoid of emotion. “But I needed the proof I could. More than just my life is at stake.”
Adelina shoved against his chest as hard as she could. He was too large for it to work normally, but it caught him off guard and he stumbled backward. �
��Adelina, please be reasonable.” Surprise colored his voice. It was too dark to actually see his face and that worked to her advantage.
Those damn eyes couldn’t entrance and hypnotize her if she couldn’t see them. “I am sick and tired of males following me!” she shrieked. “Thinking they always know better, thinking they need to protect me or hunt me.”
Those large, warm hands wrapped gently around her upper arms and held her with enough control not to hurt her, but still kept her from pushing him again. “I wasn’t hunting you.”
Adelina leaned forward until she could feel his chin against her forehead. “Oh really, you weren’t tasting my scent? You weren’t sizing up my skill and strength?” The venom in her words didn’t seem to touch him and that only infuriated her more.
Nash bent his head so his forehead pressed to hers instead and she could feel the heaving of his chest as he breathed. “Yes, I was doing all of that and more. I made sure you were safe though you didn’t need my protection. And let me tell you Lina, I liked what I saw.”
His hands cupped her face and pulled her closer. Nash’s lips met hers hungrily and it felt like he would devour her if she didn’t do something. Adelina finally gave in to the feeling, the pull she had felt since she’d first laid eyes on him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss.
In the darkness, she could feel him. She could feel the strange pull in her gut that told her she was connected to Nash in ways she couldn’t yet understand. He was the sun and she the moon. Every bit of him pressed against her and it was like a bolt of lightning. It woke her up. Adelina kissed him hard enough to bruise. She opened her mouth when his tongue licked her lips and danced with hers. The taste of him was wild spice; addictive.
Nash stood straight and pulled her up with him. He was so tall her feet didn’t touch the ground as his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. The kiss seemed to go on forever as he held her. Adelina buried her hands in his silky hair and nipped his bottom lip. She wanted more.