Queen Tara settled onto the ground beside him. “Thanks for coming to our little party, Haden.”
Smiling at her, he responded without delay. “Greetings, Queen Tara. The general invited me and I could hardly refuse under the circumstances. Did you come to gather your little ones?”
“Yep, I was worried they might be making a nuisance of themselves.”
Shaking his head, he held out one to her. “I’m not sure younglings can be anything but perfect.”
“Has Raec been talking to you about joining a clan?”
“After what I did to his queen, I think we both know that would be a bad idea.”
“You didn’t do anything to her.”
“Only because the guards intervened.”
“That was not your fault. You were not yourself.”
“I allowed myself to be used. A strong male would have realized what was happening sooner.”
“Queen Helena does not blame you, yet you punish yourself by isolation and deprivation.”
“Do you know from that day to this, she has made me food every single day with her own hands?”
“Why do you think she might be doing that?”
Shrugging, he attempted to slide by with humor. “I am not certain. Different conflicting thoughts circle in my head. Soon flowers will begin speaking to me if I am not careful.”
“You like this new storyteller, don’t you?”
“I, like many others, am fascinated by her tales. As for the queen herself, she deserves much better than a broken battle-scarred warrior.”
“I can tell you this much: you might not see it from the way she interacts during the day, but at night she’s uncomfortable and isolates much as you do.”
“Who is making her feel uncomfortable?” Haden could hear his voice tone change and knew he was overreacting.
“I think it is no one in particular. She is a young queen in a strange land. It is difficult for us to acclimate to being among so many males, for males were few on Earth. The one drone she connected with has abandoned her.”
“What do you wish of me?”
“Perhaps if you could talk to her, and let her know if she has need of anything you will assist her. Maybe give her some pointers for being in our military, even if she is not going to be a warrior.”
“I’m certain others have offered their assistance.”
“It matters not who has offered but whether she feels comfortable with them.”
“I understand.”
“You are a good male, Haden.”
Pushing himself up from the ground he began to look around for the new queen. She was speaking with Haroc and Valic. They both had their backs to him with their wings locked together. He knew that meant their queen was standing in front, probably speaking to the storyteller. Approaching from the side, he made sure to make his presence known to the warriors. Haroc motioned for him to come closer.
“Greetings, Haden. May I introduce our queen?”
“It would be an honor.”
When their queen turned around, he saw her deep red hair and the sprinkling of red dots across the bridge of her nose. She was a beauty.
“My queen, meet our longtime friend Haden. Haden, our queen, Ember.”
Bowing his head, he murmured, “Greetings, Queen Ember. It is an honor to finally meet you.”
She smiled at him as her eyes skittered over his scars. “The honor is mine, Haden. Everyone here is so polite.”
The storyteller laughed. “Clearly, you have not met Donella.”
“The Golugua who refuses to stand sentinel? I got an ear full of her earlier. She’s pretty amazing. Dargon may not have her sharp tongue but our Golugua has adopted his own pirate persona. It’s real cute.”
A growly voice interrupted. “I am terrifying, not cute.”
The red headed queen reached out to scratch the sentinel behind the ear. “Sorry, I forget how dangerous you can be, ‘cause I love you so much.” He turned his head to enjoy the little scratch and sat panting.
The storyteller spoke softly. “Your Dargon acts nothing like Donella. She might be a little snarky but she’s incredibly well spoken.”
“I noticed that she seems more queen than sentinel.”
Venice spoke quietly as she eyed Ember’s sentinel. “Donella is from the house of Zadon.” Glancing up at Haden, the storyteller extended her hand. “I’m glad to see you again, Haden. How have you been?”
“I cut stone.” Shaking his head he tried again. “I am well. Since leaving the military I have taken a job building the new hospital.”
“I see. You cut the stone for the foundation?”
“Yes.”
“That must be pretty boring after your stint in the military.”
“It is rather boring. However, I am left to do my work in peace. There is very little chance of others being harmed if I am negligent in my duties.”
“Everyone’s said you are being too hard on yourself. You know that, right?”
“I best know my own situation, Queen Venice.”
Changing the subject, she smiled up at him. “I really liked your interpretation of the talking flowers, Haden.”
“Thank you. I’ve listened to all your stories so far. I always did love hearing you speak. The times we spent talking together in the evenings are some of the best memories of my life.”
Stepping closer, she peered up at him. “I miss those times as well. I’m amazed that drones enjoy storytelling.”
“On our home world crones went from town to town, telling fantastical stories. Since they drew from a well-known pool of literature, the only real distinction between them was the manner of the telling. You have a captivating way of speaking. The material is new and thought provoking.”
She smiled at him and it made him feel oddly anxious. Looking around, he realized the others had stepped away, leaving the two of them to talk.
“That’s really sweet of you to say. I’ve been here for days and no one thought to explain that to me.”
Shifting his stance, he tried not to fall back into the intense longing for her. “I am probably more enthusiastic about stories than most.”
“Me too. I love telling stories and it helps me feel like I’m fitting in a little.”
“Well, if ever you have need of anything at all, I wish you to know that I am more than willing to render assistance.”
“That’s what all the drones say.”
Stepping back, Haden felt like her words were a dismissal.
“Wait. Don’t go.”
Stepping back into place, he waited for her to speak.
“I was wondering if you might share some Maruvian stories with me.”
“There are many in the database.”
“I know. After looking through them, I began wishing for someone to help me pick out the good ones and maybe talk about them with me before I head up to work on the orbital platform. Since you love stories better than most, you seem like a good choice.”
“If you would like, I can order food for us and we could watch a storyteller together.”
“That would be really nice.”
“Perhaps tomorrow?”
“I’d love that. Will it just be the two of us?”
“Unless you wish to invite more people. If you do not feel comfortable alone with me…”
Chewing on her bottom lip, she replied thoughtfully, “You know I have always felt comfortable being with you.”
“What do you mean, that you feel comfortable being alone with me or that you usually feel comfortable with more people?”
“Just the two us would be fine. Sorry for being ambiguous.”
“We have a story about ambiguous queens.”
“Really?”
Shaking his head slightly, he tried to keep his expression neutral.
“You are one funny wingless drone.”
Smothering back the comment that came to mind, he stated
quietly, “If there is nothing else, I will see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow then.”
Haden broke for lunch at his regular time. The morning had flown by as he thought about his beautiful storyteller. She had stopped him from leaving. Wait. Don’t go. Her voice had seemed slightly panicked. I began wishing for someone… you seem like a good choice. Those were the words that keep circling in his head. The ones he was putting too much stock into.
Chapter 16
Date Night
~ Haden ~
Music Mix
The next day, Haden sat down with Raec for his midday meal. It was becoming the high point of his day.
Raec handed him a food box. “How goes the stone cutting today, my friend?”
“As well as can be expected. When my mind is occupied, the day goes along much faster.”
“Ahh, you are thinking about the storyteller. I saw you finally got her alone for a moment last night.”
“Her name is Venice Valentine.”
Making a screeching laugh, Raec commented, “What an absurd name. I knew her first name was Venice but the last name is odd.”
“It does seem a bit much.”
Raec pulled the lid off his own food box. “I do not believe she cares who knows her name any longer. In any event, I believe all the queens have two names.”
“This I have heard as well. I do not think they expect us to use the second one.”
His friend agreed. “It is reserved for formal occasions.”
“I am to have dinner and storytelling tonight with Queen Venice.”
“Just the two of you?”
Nodding, Haden disclosed quietly, “I feel anxious about being alone with her again.”
“You no longer have a glowing disk on your neck forcing you to do things you do not wish to do.”
“This is something I already know. I worry that… I worry that I will try to pick up where we left off. I also fear our evil queen left behind some other dark magic. What if it overtakes my better judgement once again?”
“Kabelda is long dead. My father has scanned you many times and assured you this is not the case. You must trust in his judgement. He is a healer, after all.”
Squeezing his tray in his hands, Haden growled out, “I have no wish to be dangerous to the one I love.”
“So, you do love the storyteller?”
“She is kind, beautiful and sweet. Tell me who among us wouldn’t love her if they were given half a chance.”
“Calm yourself, Haden. You are just eating food and listening to her story. What harm can come of that?”
Digging into his food, Haden turned the situation over in his mind. “She wishes to look through our archives for Maruvian stories and then discuss them with me.”
“See, you have a common interest.”
Tossing a hydrating ball into his mouth, Haden washed down the food. “I suppose you are correct. It is only for one night.”
“How do you feel about her joining our military?”
“It terrifies me. She is far safer on the ground, where I can keep an eye on her.”
“You watch her?”
“No, but I feel certain she would alert me if she were feeling threatened.”
“She thinks of you as her protector.”
“Maybe.”
“She has turned down offers and gifts from other drones.”
“You have mentioned this before. Perhaps she is not ready for such pursuits.”
“Yet she pursues you and the evidence is you are meeting her alone tonight.”
“Don’t be absurd. She seeks knowledge not mating.”
“But you are open to such, right?”
“I would never turn down her queenly advances, especially knowing she will be leaving soon. Yet, I cannot imagine her wishing to advance our relationship to that level again. She now knows I am damaged.”
“I think you underestimate a human queen’s ability to love. Many love damaged warriors. Even Arac found love with his queen.”
“Arac is a queen maker, and therefore highly coveted as a breeder. You are as well, making the both of you a poor basis of comparison for a simple drone such as myself.”
Standing abruptly, Haden stomped back over to his station. His longtime friend had little perspective on what it meant to be a simple drone with few distinguishing qualities.
I began wishing for someone… you seem like a good choice. Those words haunted him with possibilities he shouldn’t be considering. Queen Tara indicated that the new queen was not comfortable enough to sleep peacefully on their new home world. The thought of her tossing and turning all night tormented him. Queens should always feel safe and secure. If she was anxious here, how much more so would she be all alone on a battleship. Memories of her sleeping peaceably in his arms drifted through his mind. She would be contented with him, not realizing how much more so she could be with a less damaged drone. Then again, if she never gave another drone the opportunity to get close, she would never know. Haden was giving himself a massive headache thinking about it.
The rest of the day passed peaceably. As Haden mulled over what food to order and possible stories that might interest her, time got away from him. Tossing aside his gloves and powering down his heavy equipment, he rushed home.
No sooner had he gotten dressed than his door chime sounded. Whoever it was would need postpone their ill-timed visit, for he had no time to spend on unexpected guests. Prompting his door open, he was brought up short by the sight of the human queen he was supposed to be visiting. Seeing her again was breathtaking. He could see anxiety in her eyes and the cute way her nose tilted up slightly on the end.
Holding up a tiny food box, she pulled her bottom lip from her teeth. “I hope that I’m not late.”
“Not at all. I thought we agreed for me to come to you, but now that I replay our conversation, it is clear that we did not decide whose home we would be meeting at tonight.”
“We can go to my place if you like?”
“Do you have a personal preference?”
“Your place is on the top floor. Mine is on the bottom floor and everyone keeps coming to visit me.”
Stepping back, Haden gestured her into his space. “Since answering your door all evening would interrupt our meal and storytelling, my home would be the better choice.”
Stepping over the threshold, she looked around. “You have a nice place.”
“I know some drones customize their space in anticipation of finding queens. Since securing a queen was such a remote possibility, I left my walls bare.”
Looking at him curiously, she held up her gift. “I made you an Earth treat for after our meal.”
Taking the box, he asked, “Is it something to eat?”
Sitting down on his settee, she explained. “We call them cookies. They are similar to chelva.”
Sitting down next to her, he opened the box. “They do look like chelva but they are different.”
“Good different, I hope.”
“They smell delicious. Thank you for making them. It was nice of you. As you know from our time on the ship, I enjoy trying new foods.”
“I remembered that. Thanks for asking me out.”
“I had planned to come to your place, but you came here instead. I would have been the one going out.”
“I meant out on a date.”
“The multi-language bacteria is sending me images of mouth mating, holding hands and laughing together.”
“Yep, that’s what we tend to do on dates. It’s is a form of testing compatibility.”
That was twice now that she’d reminded him of their intimate time since coming see him. First was by taking the initiative to come into his space, just like she had done on the ship. The second was talking about testing compatibility. It was difficult to forget just how compatible they were. Her warm soft body taking his hard thrusts was something he’d never forget if he lived to be five h
undred.
Finally looking up at her, he took a deep breath. “I honestly thought this was just storytelling.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
“You already know that I am not appropriate for mating.”
“We can dine together and I’ll take my leave of you.”
“It would be for the best.” God knows she didn’t need to get attached to a murderer all over again. He got enough pity filled looks from his fellow drones. She didn’t deserve to be pitied for ending up with a killer. Still, Haden hated to see her rushing through her meal.
“It grieves me to disappoint you.”
“I’m used to it. Almost no one I take a liking to likes me in return.”
“I didn’t mean to imply…”
“It’s fine. You don’t have to keep apologizing. I know you’re going to say it’s not me, it’s you. I won’t be the first time a man told me something like that. I liked being with you so much on the ship that I felt that I had to try one more time to work things out with you.”
Staring down at his hands, Haden wasn’t sure what to say without offending her further. She did care for him and those feelings blinded her to his defects. He could feel his antennas wilting at the prospect of hurting her feelings, but he had to be strong and do what was best for her.
He mumbled, “I would still like to talk about stories with you.”
Her expression brightened. “I’d love that.”
She was so damned pretty when she smiled. Haden felt a surge of possessiveness well up inside his chest. He wanted all her smiles just for his own. Shaking his head, he realized he was being crazy. A drone could not own all a queen’s smiles. That didn’t even make sense.
Glancing up at his beautiful storyteller, he was hit with the image of her in another drone’s arms. It left him feeling nauseated. Unable to stand not knowing for sure, he asked casually, “Have any of our family units caught your notice?”
“Nope. You’re a pretty tough act to follow.”
“What does that mean, exactly?”
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