"He'll be back in time for the Sunflower Day Ball," she added.
"But he won't be with us during the ceremony will he?"
"Daddy!" she responded to the complaint in his voice.
"Sorry, honey. Matthias is a very good person. A political liability, but he's the right person for you." He folded his hands together on the desk top. "We've got about ten more minutes. Tell me about this brilliant idea of his."
He was a loving father - they were a close family - but they never had that much time to be together. Her and Doc's life together was going to be that way, too. She hated it. With a burning passion.
"Since we've been at war with the Hajim our defense spending has risen, but our medical relief service hasn't had a rise in budget for three years. We are constantly in need of emergency relief - and we do try - but our resources for helping those who've suffered from Hajim attacks is dwindling."
"The Navy, which your Marine, Matthias is officially part of, is in charge of planetary relief."
"They don't have enough ships, staff or resources. Doc ran the numbers, and I checked his data. Things are going from bad to worse, dad. And it isn't just trouble from the war. Natural disasters and biological threats need more assistance than they've been getting since the war started. Doc wants to put more emergency medical ships in Imperial space. Put this effort under the direction of Major General Raven and he'll get the military to support it instead of complaining it takes away from the defense budget."
"And how will he do this?"
"With my help."
"You are an excellent diplomat, my dear."
"Thank you." She thought she'd been off her game a bit lately, but always accept an imperial compliment, as they don't come that often.
"And as much of my work is done far from Terra," she went on. "I intend to make the flagship of the Medical Relief Corps my headquarters. I can live and work on board this ship with my bondmate. I'll have my staff, a security force and diplomatic shuttles as part of my own set-up. The majority of footage on the ship will be given to medical facilities, emergency supplies, shuttles and whatever else is needed for aid missions."
Her father looked at her calmly. He was good at that. Yet she could feel his temper snap. "Absolutely not," he said after a considerable silence. "I will not allow you to paint a target on your back again. You are the heir to the Empire. You have been put in a dangerous, vulnerable position once. It will not happen a second time. I will take Matthias's idea under consideration. I dismiss yours out of hand." His gaze was hard as stone. "There will be no discussion."
"Yes, sire." She stood and bowed with the utmost polite propriety. She was very good at concealing her emotions as well.
Anger seethed through her like wildfire.
Her position as Porphrgyia was a prison. She had accepted this as her duty all her life. She had believed it an honor to serve the Empire.
What was her reward for serving her people? Why could she have nothing she asked for?
Prisoner. Always a prisoner.
She did not accept being separated from her bondmate. She did not accept not being allowed to become less of a technologically enhanced person. She did not accept the hostility aimed at her bondmate because of his association with her.
She would do what she must to protect him.
Now she knew what she would give Doc for Sunflower Day.
Zoe wore yellow. Almost everyone did on Sunflower Day. Yellow or some combination of yellow and brown. Gold shining like the sun was also popular. The Empress was wearing a gown gold tissue, while Zoe had opted for a buttery pale shade. Her jewels were fire opals.
Looking out over the great plaza Zoe couldn't help but smile at the sea of brightly dressed people. She wondered where the couple they'd talked to on Santorini were seated. She could trace their ticket purchase if she wished, or use several other methods for finding the information. But she wasn't using her data implants today. She'd used them as little as possible the last several days. Soon she wouldn't have to deal with them at all.
Free. She and her bondmate were going to be free.
Making a public abdication announcement on Sunflower Day was not a diplomatic way to resign from being a princess. It was not kind to the people, or to her family. It was the only way to make sure her decision was irrevocable.
We are free, sweetheart.
The voice was Doc's. But had it been him, or her conscience acting on her imagination? In the last few days since making her decision, she'd been plagued with so many questions and considering possible dire repercussions. Her mind spun so much she'd been plagued with a permanent headache.
Zoe put her concerns on hold by looking around, focusing on the ceremony. She was seated at the back of the high stage above the plaza. She and her parents chairs were front row center, and ornate and gilded. The sun shone down on all, but their places were designed to make it look like the gold light from above bathed the Imperial family in protective rays. She wished for a hat and her eye shields activated. Instead she dutifully did not squint.
Zoe smiled and pretended to be comfortable. No discomfort could ever be allowed to show.
Any member of the Imperial family could be quite successful on the stage. Perhaps she would take up professional acting once she was free of her titles and responsibilities.
You love having responsibilities, sweetheart.
Her family, officials, and guests occupied tiers of seats set high enough that they could be seen. Of course, a production team worked hard to make sure the stage was also available to be seen on huge digital screens and holographic projections. Everyone in the plaza had a good view of the stage. She tried to concentrate on the musicians currently performing. As fond as she was of this band, they couldn't hold her attention.
How she wished she could be with Doc right now.
Same here.
Her smile turned genuine. That had definitely been Doc's caressing voice in her mind. They were supposed to meet at tonight's ball. She could hardly wait. Then, again, she might not be invited to the ball once she was done with her speech. Pity, as she had chosen a backless blue gown designed to blow Matthias Raven's mind.
I can hardly wait to see it. Mind blowing is something you are very good at.
She chuckled, and all her nervousness and lingering doubts melted away. We'll be together forever, she thought.
Sooner than you think.
The band was done. The applause had ended.
"You're up, kid," her father, the Emperor of the Byzant Empire, said.
Zoe gave him a regal nod and rose to her feet. Her long yellow skirt swirled around her as she walked toward the front of the stage. She paused at the center of the stage, long enough for her name to be announced. Thousands of people in the plaza rose to their feet.
She took a step, and was halted by a collective gasp from the audience. The effect hit her like a windstorm. Her gaze started up to the holo projector. But the familiar touch of the hand that grasped hers told her all she needed to know before she looked.
Zoe whirled, all flowing skirts, flashing jewels and utter joy. Her arms went around the big male in full dress Marine general's uniform.
"Doc!"
He held her close and kissed her. She was surrounded by his hard-muscled, protective, warm embrace. His lips were as sweet as they were demanding.
Somewhere there was a tsunami of sound rushing up to roar over them. Before the wall of cheering hit, Zoe realized--
He was standing in the full, naked light of Terra's yellow sun.
She would have screamed in panic if his mouth wasn't firmly covering hers.
Why aren't you on fire?
Who says I'm not?
"Or aren't you talking about needing to get you in bed right now?" he whispered in her ear.
Zoe hoped the sound techs hadn't picked up and projected his words. Multiple billions of people were watching this.
Which meant she had to get the situation under control right now.
<
br /> And you have hair, she couldn't help but think.
Just a little. The media consultant says it'll make me look less threatening.
You're a Marine, of course you're threat -- media consultant?
While she shared her consternation with her bondmate, Zoe took him by the hand and they walked together to the front of the stage. She finally became fully aware that the noise was from applause. Many in the crowd were shouting as well. Most of the shouting was happy.
Since when did you take advice from our media staff?
I finally listened to the people of the Empire. Took what was said on Santorini to heart. So should you. We can't hide in the shadows.
You need to--
Look at me, darling. Doc lifted his face to the sun. I can't be out here for very long. The daylight drugs are just starting to work.
So that's what he'd been doing at the suprahuman medical facility on Mars.
But your Clan doesn't use the daylight drugs.
Doc gave the faintest of mental, and physical shrugs. Zoe had a great many more questions, but she took her cue from the way he was looking at the sky and addressed the people of the Empire.
"I have my own sunflower to celebrate the rebirth of the human race in all our many forms. This protector of the Empire is the best present any of us can ask for. And all I could ever want. Ladies and gentlemen, my husband and bondmate, General Matthias Raven!"
More applause.
Any second now, hon. I'm starting to heat up.
"My parents are very happy I married a doctor," Zoe added.
They joined hands and left the stage to laughter and more applause.
As soon as they got safely indoors Doc took her by the shoulders. "I do not appreciate what you were about to do."
She winced at his anger. "How do you know -- because we're bonded, right. But I was doing it because of the bond. It seems like the only way for you and I--"
"You are too responsible to blame the bond for anything. Especially trying to get out of responsibility by abdicating. You and I both know that you love who you are. I love you as you are." He took her in his arms. "You are the most responsible person I know. You love the Empire more than anyone else possibly could. I remember when you almost threw yourself off a cliff thinking it would be good for the Empire."
"You wouldn't let me."
He caressed her back. "Damn right. If you can try to kill yourself for the Empire, the least I can do is walk in the light. My Clan will adjust," he added. "And the Empire will adjust, because you and I, Prime and Porphrygia are together, forever."
Her body relaxed against his as she sighed deeply. "My hero."
"Always, my heroine." He lifted her chin so that she looked him in the eye. "I will put this bluntly. We need to get you some help. Psychological help."
"What?" Anger flashed through her. She shook his fingers away.
"We spent months locked in an underground prison. It was bad on everyone there, but on you worst of all. When we escaped you made sure there were therapists for all the other prisoners to talk to. At no point did you or I talk to anyone but each other - and you may have noticed we don't discuss it that much."
"We were debriefed," Zoe said. "There's no reason to discuss it. It was bad. Let's move on."
"Do you think you'd be willing to give up your right to the throne if you hadn't transferred your fear of being trapped and a prisoner to the thing you love the most? After me?"
"You are not a shrink, Doc Raven." But he did make sense.
"I'm not. And I'm sorry I let you down by thinking all we needed was each other."
"That's not your fault, Matthias," a man said as he came up to them. That he'd come through the invisible security cordon surrounding them meant that Doc had authorized him to be there.
Doc turned her to face the newcomer. They kept their arms around each others waists. "This is Dr. Casmerek. He's been the Primes physician for a very long time."
"A very, very long time." Dr. Casmerek bowed. "Unlike you, Porphrygia, I am a cyborg. I am very happy to meet Matthias's bondmate."
"He's supervising my daylight drug treatment."
"And I have asked permission to talk to you both about the effects of bonding. The psychic connection between you is not a feedback loop," he added to Doc. "My apologies for suggesting it might be."
Zoe vaguely remembered Dr. Casmerek's comments from eavesdropping on Doc's memories. "We knew it was a bond," she said. "Your apology is accepted."
"Thanks, Zoe," Doc said. "Besides, if you had his head chopped off, he'd just keep talking."
"My head is beeping and warning me I'm needed elsewhere. Are you sure I don't want the implants out, Matthias?" Places to go, things to do, people to talk to. She hated it.
"What you want, need at this point, is to be alone with your bondmate," Dr. Casmerek said. "It is best for a bonding pair to spend some time in seclusion. You two haven't had that chance. You've been rescuing people, chasing down bad guys, attending patients and working for the Empire. You are under too much stress from not being together. Admirable as your hard work might be, you need two weeks alone."
"How I would love that," she and Doc said together.
"It isn't a suggestion," Casmerek said. "It is a prescription - from the Empire's leading medical expert of suprahuman lifeforms."
Zoe loved hearing all she wanted couched in formal terms. The Emperor liked that sort of talk.
She looked at Doc. "We get to have a honeymoon?"
"We sure do, sweetheart," Doc said. "But first I want to dance with you in your sexy blue dress tonight."
By Sun and Candlelight is a short sequel to the Vampire Primes (Vampire Bookclub) novel, DARK STRANGER. DARK STRANGER is available as an ebook and as a mass market paperback.
Books in the Vampire Primes series.
I BURN FOR YOU
I THIRST FOR YOU
I HUNGER FOR YOU
MASTER OF DARKNESS
PRIMAL HEAT
PRIMAL DESIRES
PRIMAL NEEDS
DARK STRANGER
PRIMAL INSTINCTS
PRIMAL CALL - available in ebook format
PRIMAL CRAVINGS - available in ebook format
BY SUN AND CANDELIGHT - available in ebook format
Upcoming exclusively in ebook format Vampire Primes books:
CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT, YOU'RE GROUNDED
FIREBIRD
DON'T BLINK
Send an email to join Susan Sizemore's mailing list for updates on all her books to [email protected]
"By Sun and Candlelight" was inspired by this poem. It is the most pure expressions of love I have ever read.
How Do I Love Thee?
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, -- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! -- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
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