Sons of Lyra: Slave Princess [Sons of Lyra Series]

by Felicity Heaton

They walked into the building, saluted by the guardsmen at the entrance, and the change in temperature was dramatic. Outside was fiery hot, while in the palace it was cool and dark. He led the way through the winding corridors and across large rooms, heading into the heart of the palace and his parents’ day chambers.

  When he reached them, he realised that Sebastian had left them. He turned to Kayla and smiled at her.

  "Wait here,” he whispered, not wanting his parents to hear him and come out. “I shan't be long."

  Kayla nodded. His fingers trailed from hers as he left her. She watched him open a large arched wooden double door and disappear inside. The sound of it closing echoed down the long empty corridor. It was cold. She wrapped her arms around herself, nerves fluttering in her stomach like butterflies. Why had Balt brought her here? She wished he'd let her remain on the ship as she'd wanted to. He'd been so insistent on her coming with him.

  She looked around at the thick stone walls and the paintings of his ancestors that hung on them, and then noticed some chairs against the wall behind her. She sat down in the middle of the three and hummed to herself while she waited. It was a lullaby that her grandmother had always sung to her. Apparently it had once been the united anthem of her home world. It was a haunting melody now and she wondered if only she remembered it. How many Terrans were left in the universe?

  The minutes wore into hours until she lost all track of time. She wondered what Balt was saying to his parents. Whatever it was, it was taking a long time and she was beginning to feel uncomfortable sitting alone in the corridor. Several guards had passed her and given her strange looks.

  The door opened and she was instantly on her feet.

  "Balt?” she said as he stepped out.

  He smiled at her but there was fatigue and worry in his dark eyes. She stepped towards him, tempted to take his hand and offer him comfort, but then thought the better of it. She still wasn't sure how things stood between them. He'd shared her bed more than once in the journey here, but never had he made it clear how he felt. Until he showed her his feelings, she was going to guard hers with her life.

  "Come with me,” he said in a gentle tone and held his hand out, gesturing towards the open door and the room beyond.

  She swallowed her fear and stepped past him into the room. It was expansive and richly decorated in sky blue and gold. She waited for him to close the door before walking any further. She needed him by her. For some reason, he gave her courage and confidence when he was close to her.

  He placed his hand against her back and ushered her into the room. She raised her eyes to see a late middle-aged man and woman in front of her. The woman had light brown hair piled up on top of her head, held with shiny gold pins that had cascades of pearls falling from them, and features that said she had been beautiful when she had been younger. Her age showed in the lines of her face though, everywhere except her aquamarine eyes. There was a youthful spark to them. Kayla didn't like the look of it. To her it said that this woman could be ruthless and stubborn. The woman shifted, turning slightly to the side on the couch beside the man, and smoothed the skirt of her long sky blue dress down over her knees.

  The man was different. His grey hair was soft and wavy, his eyes dark but kind. He had a nice face, one that said he held compassion and understanding in his heart. His figure was slim, encased in a dark blue jacket and trousers that were a similar colour to Balt's flight suit. He leaned back in the highly decorative couch.

  "Mother, father, may I present Kayla,” Balt said and nudged her forward.

  She didn't know what to do so she bowed her head.

  "She has little breeding,” the woman said in an unimpressed tone. Kayla frowned at her. “I had thought more of the Terrans."

  "You must understand, mother, that she has not had an education worthy of her position ... she has—"

  "Yes, yes ... you've said all this,” the woman cut Balt off and raked her eyes over Kayla.

  She didn't look at all impressed.

  "Will you consider my request?” Balt said. “Now that you have seen her?"

  "I know we must make amends for what our forefathers did to her people, but you must understand that we cannot simply hand over a planet,” the man said.

  A planet? She looked at Balt.

  "Lyra Five is unpopulated and on the outer rim of our system. The climate is perfect for Terrans and they would be—"

  "You have said all this too, son,” the man said and then looked at her. A hard look entered his eyes.

  She got the feeling that they didn't like the idea of handing over a planet to her people. She looked at Balt, unable to contain her smile when she saw the frustration in his eyes and realised how hard he was fighting for her species. He wanted to make amends for what had happened, to repay the debt. It was so romantic and noble of him. She didn't even think about what she was doing. She just reached out and touched his hand in a light caress. He looked down at it and then at her, right into her eyes.

  There was a flicker of something and then he grabbed her hand, bringing her forwards with him.

  "Then give the planet to me and I will give it to the Terrans. When I turned thirty, you promised me something...” He sounded nervous now. She could feel his hand shaking in hers. What had his parents promised? “You swore that I could have any gift I wanted ... anything ... you swore."

  The man stood and the woman followed suit. There was shock on their faces.

  "We promised you that as a wedding present."

  Kayla's heart jumped into her mouth. She looked at Balt. He frowned at his parents.

  "It will be a wedding present,” he said in a calm and measured voice.

  She couldn't believe this. She tried to form words to ask him if he'd gone insane or if he really loved her enough to marry her for the sake of giving her species a new home but they wouldn't come.

  "Balt,” she whispered, afraid that if she spoke any louder this illusion would shatter.

  He turned and looked at her. His other hand claimed hers and he held them tightly. His eyes were full of so much emotion and affection. Perhaps he did love her enough to marry her.

  "Kayla ... I only have one way of saying this...” He removed the translator from her ear and then his own. She stumbled when he placed his hands around her waist and drew her close to him. Her hands pressed against his chest and she stared into his eyes, too stunned to say anything. “Yoi aishin."

  She didn't need a translator to know what those words meant. The horrified gasps of his parents and the tenderness in his eyes and the passion in his voice translated them for her. His kiss confirmed it.

  She leaned into it, kissing him with as much ardent desire as he was showing her.

  Someone cleared their throat and she broke away from Balt. Her cheeks blazed when she saw his parents were staring. She took the translator with shaking hands and tried to get it back into her ear. Balt smiled and helped her, his fingers brushing her cheek as he trailed them off her.

  "I love you, Kayla. Be my wife."

  He was insane.

  So was she.

  She nodded and grinned, barely containing her desire to bounce on her heels. “I love you too."

  He kissed her and there was another cough. They broke apart again and both looked at his parents. His mother looked sour. His father sighed.

  His sigh became a smile that gave Kayla the impression that he was happy to see his son in love.

  "Lyra Five is yours, to rule together."

  * * * *

  Kayla stood on the colourful tiled balcony, the warm breeze tousling her hair and the strong sun heating her skin. She listened to the waterfall thundering to the ground almost one hundred feet below her. The hills of this new world, her new Earth, stretched out before her, rising to mountains in the east and lowering to the sea in the west. This was her favourite place to be in all the world. She loved nothing more than to stand here, passing the hours and watching the ships as they came into port in the city below.
<
br />   Another freighter landed, blowing dust up into the air. It had been six months since the Lyrans had given her species this planet, and people had been arriving every day. The population was growing steadily. Settlements had been given to those who knew how to farm, and the Lyrans were instructing others on how to tend to the land and how to work metal and other materials.

  A smaller ship entered the atmosphere and passed the palace. It had been four months since she'd seen that one, and she'd been waiting every day for its return.

  She smiled as she heard quick footsteps in the room behind her and sighed when his hands claimed her hips. He always knew where to find her. He stepped up close behind her, moulding her back against his front and placing a kiss on her neck. It felt like eternity since she'd seen him. She closed her eyes and leaned into his kisses, savouring his touch and how good it felt to be in his arms again.

  His hands shifted to her stomach and he tensed. She couldn't contain her grin as he turned her in his arms and stared down into her eyes, his own full of one question.

  She placed her hands over his where they rested on her swollen belly and he smiled. She'd never seen him look so happy.

  "How long?” he said, a tremble in his voice.

  "A little over four months. I didn't realise until you were gone."

  "Why didn't you send word? I would have come home.” He frowned at her now, deadly serious again.

  She raised her hand to his face and brushed her fingers across his cheek. “It's far more fun to surprise you with these things. You get so wonderfully serious."

  "I do not,” he said, his frown intensifying. She moved her fingers up and smoothed the frown away. He smiled. “Perhaps I do ... but this is worthy of being serious."

  She shrugged and ran her hands over her stomach, staring at it. The first few weeks of knowing she was pregnant had been hard. She'd wanted to break down and tell him, wanting him to come straight back to her and tell her that he loved her like he had that day on Lyra Prime. It was more fun this way though. She did love to surprise him.

  "I think this is something to smile about rather than frown,” she teased him, a smile still fixed on her lips. She covered his hands again with hers, keeping them against her stomach. “Perfect for Terran-Lyran relations."

  He frowned again. “Our child is not an instrument of improving—"

  She cut him off with a kiss. It had been too long since she'd seen him and there was far too much talk for her liking. He kissed her a moment and then gently prised her off him.

  "Does everyone know?” he said, a little breathless.

  She kissed him again, her tongue tangling with his this time. She didn't want to talk about all the formalities of having a baby now that she was truly royalty. She just wanted to stay here in the palace with him and drink her fill of him.

  "Kayla,” he said and pushed her off him again. “Do they know?"

  She shook her head. “I wanted you to be first ... do we have to talk about this right now?"

  He looked serious for a moment and then his eyes darkened with hunger. “What would you like to talk about?"

  She grinned and pulled him back to her, peppering kisses across his cheek as she spoke. “I don't want to talk at all. I want to kiss you until the sun sets right through to when it rises again."

  He reclaimed her lips and she parted them, allowing his tongue to enter and tangle with hers. It felt so good. She'd missed this so much. She'd missed him so much.

  She sighed into his mouth and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close but so gently that she had to smile. He was treating her as though she was breakable. Something told her that he wasn't going to let her out of his sight now, definitely not until the child was born and possibly even beyond that. He would want to stay close, not just because he wanted to share the experience but because of the dangers. She'd had months to think about the things that had happened since meeting him. If the Minervans heard that she was pregnant, they would target her in their attempt to get money from Balt's parents. From now on, they would have to be increasingly careful. If their child were a boy, it would be an heir to the throne.

  She leaned back to avoid his next kiss and looked up into his dark eyes. They were full of curiosity when she stared into them for a long time, saying nothing.

  "What is it?” he said at last.

  She ran her fingers into the shorter hair at the back of his head and smiled up at him. He frowned when she took the translator from his ear. She wanted him to hear this in his own language and from her, not from some device. She removed her own.

  "Yoi aishin,” she said, a little nervous about speaking his language and getting it wrong.

  He was still for a moment, his expression unchanged, and then a smile curved his lips.

  "Yoi aishin do ... amo tatui sem."

  She frowned and put her translator back in before pushing his back into his ear. “Say that last bit again."

  "I'm always yours,” he whispered against her lips. “It was nice to hear it in my own language. Is there anything else you've learned to say?"

  "A few things,” she said with a mischievous smile. “My tutor says I am doing well."

  "Tutor? You're learning Lyran?” He pulled back, his brows raised high.

  "I want to be able to speak to you properly, without this.” She tapped the device in her ear. “Lyran is such a beautiful language ... I've learned to say so many things."

  She removed his translator and her own again, and tossed them into the room, not caring where they landed.

  "Kishia wa,” she whispered against his mouth.

  He did. He pulled her close and kissed her hard, stealing her breath and making her head spin. She hadn't expected him to react so strongly to her speaking his own language. Feeling the urgent need to breathe, she pressed against his shoulders. He released her with a sheepish smile.

  She kissed him briefly and then turned in his arms so her back pressed against him and she was facing the outside world. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and then slipped them under her arms and rested his hands on her belly. She placed hers over them and smiled as she looked out at the panorama.

  Now it was truly beautiful. With Balt here with her, it was perfect. Never in all her years had she thought that her life could turn out this way. Never had she thought she could find someone who loved her so much and made her feel as though she was a princess.

  He swept the hair from her neck and pressed a kiss to it and then one to her cheek. His breath tickled her ear.

  "Aishin ... yoi aishin ... tatui ... tatui ... wa naima.” He peppered her cheek with kisses and held her close.

  She leaned her cheek against his and sighed.

  He loved her.

  Always.

  She smiled as she translated the last two words.

  Not a princess.

  His queen.

  The End

  * * *

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