Queen's Ransom: The Golden Bulls of Minos

by Isabel Wroth

  JC6 and her brothers had bent over backward to maintain their good standing within the coalition, and to ensure all the emphrinite Minos had to offer went exclusively to the Justus Corps.

  They'd even received an additional discount on the tracking systems and thank the stars Jalia had Angel Eyes on her team to ensure no little extra features or purposefully included weaknesses 'accidentally' found their way in the programming of the satellites. So far so good on that front, everything was loaded and on its way within the belly of the Deianeira. The largest of their three battlecruisers, named after Dhega's mother.

  They were currently in a large meeting room on board the Kallisto, named for one of the previous queens of Minos, with the Euphrosyne close by should her family bring more than their one ship.

  Their new fighter pilots had taken care of every satellite orbiting the nebula, practicing their flight skills and battle formations.

  Four months and they had nearly a full squadron of pilots for each of the three ships, and to Jalia's utter delight, their best pilots thus far were female, and most of them came from Myonaea.

  Everything was going well, communications were still a little sketchy, but every territory now had ways of contacting one another.

  The ground shuttles had arrived last month, and people all over Minos were singing their praises.

  The battleships were brand new and fully armored, the flight squadrons were nearly at capacity, and warriors had come in droves to begin training and testing for rotation aboard the cruisers.

  All they waited on now were their medical suites and supplies, their in-orbit satellites for the radar tracking system, and the corresponding antennae.

  It was all on its way, but JC6 hadn't released them until Jalia had agreed to meet with her family. All of them.

  "Jalia, all this fretting is bad for the baby. Sit down, or I'll take you back home so fast—"

  On her next pass, Jalia turned and let her head fall against Dhega's chest, her adrenaline-fueled shivers easing in the warmth of his embrace, his warning cut short as he put his arms around her and rubbed soothing circles on her back.

  She took a deep breath, hoping she could somehow pull his strength into her, wrap it around her like armor to hide behind to get through this.

  "I'm not fretting. I'm preparing for the worst possible scenario and giving my hormones a stern talking to. I've been crying when I get emotional, and the very last thing I want to do today is cry in front of my father. He'll take it as a sign of weakness, and I'll accomplish nothing."

  "If he says anything to make you cry, hormones or not, I'll have Heiro blast him out an airlock."

  Jalia laughed into the soft fabric of Dhega's shirt, tipping her head back to look into his stern, solemn face. Ever since he had seen the demonstration of the dangers of the airlock, it had been his go-to threat.

  Piss off the king while he was on board a battleship? You get thrown out the airlock.

  It was kind of adorable. Except it wasn't a threat. Dhega absolutely meant it and was dying to test it out on someone dumb enough to piss him off. Subsequently, everyone was on their very best behavior.

  "I love you," she told him, loving the way her admission turned the gold of his eyes molten in response.

  "Do not try to distract me from purpose, woman. I mean it, I will only tolerate so much, and should any of your family members upset you, I will deal with it.

  “They asked to assure themselves of your health and to speak with you. They did not specify for how long." She agreed that was true, but Dhega hadn't ever been faced with the Justus crew and had no idea how stubborn they were.

  "You are a marvelous, clever, fierce, powerful, beautiful female. A queen. My queen, Jalia. Family or not, they are here at your will and have no power over you except what you give them.

  “Every warrior in this room will leap to do your bidding. When you are finished speaking, your family will leave.

  “I am here with you, and should you falter or cry, I will think no less of you. Not one bit."

  She struggled against tears right now, thankful for the way Dhega had curved himself around her so none of the warriors would see if she did let a few fall.

  "Now then, where's your crown?"

  "In our quarters,"

  "Why is it in our quarters and not on your head?"

  Jalia shrugged, nuzzling at his skin to soak him up, "I thought it might be a bit much for a semi-informal meeting."

  "I disagree. Aetion, tell Dysis to bring the queen's crown."

  "Ah, Zavir has just contacted me to say the Justus party has arrived," one of the bulls closest to them announced.

  Dhega grunted derisively with his lips pressed to her brow.

  "They can wait. Dysis. Crown. Now."

  "Right away, your majesty!" Aetion was not new to Dhega's guard, but since Nivir had been promoted the poor guy seemed to be getting the brunt of anything that displeased Dhega, as Zavir was often undertaking important tasks Dhega trusted no one else with.

  "Thank you, Aetion," Jalia called, hoping to soothe the sting of Dhega's growl.

  "Of course, my lady. Please know you have only to say the word, and we will clear the room immediately."

  With so many handsome men at her beck and call, what could possibly go wrong?

  *****

  To Jalia's left was an enormous floor to ceiling viewing window that looked out on the breathtaking beauty that was the Minoan Nebula, and if she hadn't been so nervous, Jalia could have spent hours staring at it.

  Dhega insisted she sit on the one big chair set up on a small dais, Herio and Aetion in front and to the sides of her armed with pikes, while Dhega maintained position at her right, standing there with his most dangerous look and his arms crossed over his chest.

  Tom stood within her peripheral, having come in a few minutes ago, while Zavir waited patiently outside in the hall with her family.

  The com channel was open between them all, so when her father impatiently asked what was taking so long, Jalia heard Zavir's calm, chilly response.

  "You are not the only people to seek an audience with the king and queen this day. I did ask if you would prefer to wait in the guest quarters until you were summoned, but you declined."

  "Sum—summoned?" and there it was. James Justus' big general voice, incredulous and outraged. It made Jalia shiver with memories of being called to his study and on the wrong end of another lecture in decorum and appearance.

  Any minute now he'd probably call for some MPs or shake his stars at Zavir.

  "Do you know who I am, boy?"

  Dhega grunted at her side, not amused, but Zavir handled General Justus like a pro.

  "Of course. I have been thoroughly briefed on all members of your party. You are five-star General James Justus of the Universal Coalition, age sixty-four. I am Zavir, his royal majesty's second in command, age ninety-seven by your human standards."

  "James, calm down. We're here in an unofficial capacity—did you say ninety-seven? My goodness, you don't look a day older than my youngest son!"

  Jalia ducked her head to hide her smile when she heard her mom's voice. Always fascinated when presented with a cultural or archaeological wonder. Which today just happened to be Zavir.

  "Mom, not the time," and there was Jared. He sounded so much like their dad, Jalia had often wondered if he'd been cloned.

  However, Jaclyn Justus would not be denied when the curiosity was upon her.

  "How long have you been second in command, Zavir?"

  "I have served the king loyally for nearly eighty of your human years, as third in command. My promotion was recent, as my brother Nivir was so honored to be promoted from second in command, to our first Minoan ambassador. I believe you've met him, Dr. Justus."

  Jalia looked up at Dhega, finding her husband smirking ever so slightly. Forget pro, Zavir was a master. His contempt wasn't directed at her, and still, Jalia could feel the frosty bite of his voice.

  "Wow," Jalia mouthed at
Dhega, getting a quick bounce of his brows in answer.

  "Is he here?" Jade asked, the note of hope in her voice brutally shot down by Zavir's harsh,

  "No."

  "So, you were around when Jalia became queen of your planet?" Jared changed the subject, not convinced he was being told the truth.

  "Indeed, I was."

  "How?" Jared pressed.

  "How, what?"

  "How did she do it? Did she con her way onto the throne? I can't imagine she bought her way in."

  This open com channel and making her family wait was the best idea Dhega had had yet.

  It was proving to be a veritable font of information. Jalia had known her family didn't think much of her, but man, her brother wasn't pulling any punches.

  "What does he mean by, con?" Dhega growled, clearly aware it was an insult, but not sure how bad.

  Jalia shrugged, her fingers rubbing against the gold pattern stitched into the hem of her shawl, speaking for Zavir's benefit as well.

  "He's asking if I cheated to get here. Any second now he'll ask whether or not I used my body to entice you into giving me a crown."

  If Jared had been able to see the black look on Dhega's face, Jalia wondered what he might have done or said next.

  "Open the doors when he does, Zavir."

  "My lady earned her place as queen, General," Zavir stated firmly, and as predicted, Jared just couldn't help himself.

  "Earned it how? On her back?"

  The warriors handling the doors from her side banged them open so hard, her entire family jumped with surprise.

  Even having listened to them speaking for the past few minutes, it was a shock to see them all after so long.

  They must have all be taking anti-aging treatments because not a single one of them looked to have aged a day since she'd seen them last.

  It was odd to see her dad out of uniform, wearing the plain white jacket and trousers that had been provided after the extensive security scans, he looked almost like a normal dad.

  His black hair was striped with regal wings of silver at his temples, his strong jaw clenched and raised to a proud angle, eyes narrowed in either distaste or disapproval, she couldn't tell.

  Her mom was trim and beautiful as ever, looking sleek and posh in her white dress, her blonde hair fell in a sheet around her heart-shaped face, and Jalia was truly surprised to see the way her lips trembled, her cheeks turning hot with unshed tears that seemed to make her bright green eyes shine like gems.

  Huh, dad had really sold the whole death thing.

  Jared didn't have the same dignified streaks of silver in his black hair, but he was an identical copy of their father, looking just as uncomfortable to be out of uniform.

  The twins were a beautiful blend of their parents, their features softer and more like their mother's, but they had their dad's dark hair and deep blue eyes.

  Jade was curvier than Jalia remembered, filling out her dress like it had been made especially for her. Jalia sometimes forgot how beautiful Jade was, remembering her wearing medical scrubs and lab coats, her blonde hair stuck up in a tight bun to conceal the fact it was a hip-length fall of perfect curls, hiding her emerald green eyes behind magni-glasses to help her with her work.

  Now, with her hair down and without those big clunky glasses, she looked every bit of a goddess, and it was easy to see why the twins had sent her to seduce Nivir.

  Just seeing her and knowing how deeply Jade's lies had wounded Nivir, Jalia couldn't help but do her best to cut at her sister.

  "Of course not. I hear that's Jade's new job, Jared." The way Jade turned an unflattering shade of red and shot a mortified look at Zavir, and then at their parents was immensely satisfying. Unfortunately, their parents didn't seem to be paying attention to Jade at all.

  "Oh my god, Jalia?"

  Jaclyn Justus rushed forward, only to come up short by the warriors that dropped their pikes to bar her mom from going any farther. Jaclyn looked shocked, confused as to why she was being stopped.

  Jalia thought she'd be angrier to see her mother, that the urge to tell her to take her fake tears somewhere else would be on the tip of her tongue, but it was harder than she'd thought. Maybe it was the hormones, but she found herself wanting a hug.

  "You will not approach the king and queen without permission!" Heiro barked, and it was petty of her, but Jalia couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction she got from seeing the understanding on the faces of her family.

  “They hadn't believed she was queen of anything, and Jared still didn't, even seated on a throne, a crown on her head, with Dhega standing tall and imposing beside her.

  "It's alright, Heiro, thank you. Sorry, mom. These guys are kind of over the top about security." Jalia smiled easily and got up, her stomach flipping from throat to toes as she walked down the steps to stand between the two towering warriors and hug her mom.

  It was so strange, to breathe in and smell her childhood. Jaclyn's subtle perfume made Jalia remember days spent wandering around museums, staring at the different alien exhibits and wooden shelves behind thick panes of glass, stocked full of actual books, wondering where her mom had gone.

  Jalia didn't have enough fingers to count how many times Jaclyn had gone off with some aide or curator, forgetting she'd brought her youngest daughter to work.

  Sometimes it had taken Jaclyn hours before she'd remembered and come looking, more often than not finding Jalia wandering with some group of children on a school field trip or giving tours to patrons herself.

  "Oh honey, look at you!" Jaclyn laughed now, tears streaming down her cheeks as she took Jalia's face between her soft hands.

  "You're so beautiful, and I love your hair."

  Jalia had gone with a vibrant mix of pinks, purples, and rich indigo, needing the bold colors like armor, knowing it would offend her father's sensibilities to see his youngest child—a queen no less—with the hair of a hoodlum.

  Even as her mom seemed overjoyed to see her again, this close Jalia could see the lines of grief etched deeply around her eyes.

  "How do we even know it's her? Remember that other girl who tried to pass herself off as Jalia, mom?" Jared challenged, ever the voice of practicality.

  Jalia smiled at her mom and took hold of her wrists, leveling a glare on her oldest brother she wished would actually hurt.

  "You've still got it, I see."

  Jared's lip curled as though he were looking at an insect, and not his sister.

  "Got what?"

  "That enormous stick up your ass." His eyes widened at her reply, and doubt started to creep in, "But, let's see. How do I prove to you, dear brother, I am who I say I am? Hmm? Ooh! I know.

  “When I was eight, I found mom's student aide, Anna-Lena Johannesson on her knees in front of you, with your oh so spiffy pants around your ankles in dad's office. Does he know about the shooting star tattoo you have on your ass?"

  Jared's lips pressed together in a scowl, making him look both constipated and furious at the same time.

  When Jalia raised her brows, silently inviting him to deny she was who he damn well knew she was, and somewhere in the room Jalia heard a cough that suspiciously sounded like a hastily muffled laugh.

  "Jalia," oh that tone! Her name said with such an air of disapproval.

  She looked at her father with a cool smile, "Yes, General?"

  Could she blame it on her hormones? Or had facing her fear of her father within the Maze of Two Souls given her the freedom to confront him?

  Jeremy took the opportunity to step forward, coming up short when Heiro gave a sharp grunt of warning, looking at the big bull like he'd forgotten Heiro was there.

  Jeremy seemed angry, flushed and frowning at her, searching her face desperately for an answer to a question he hadn't asked yet.

  "Where have you been all this time? Why didn't you call us?"

  "Call you?" Jalia scoffed, "Why would I have?"

  "Because we're your family, and we thought you were dead!"
Joseph shouted, every bit as angry as Jeremy, though for the life of her Jalia couldn't imagine why.

  Her mom suddenly backed up a step, looking intimidated and maybe even a little bit frightened, and a few moments later warm, familiar hands smoothed over Jalia's shoulders. She fought not to let the relief she felt show on her face.

  She wasn't ashamed to say she wouldn't have been able to face her family like this without Dhega.

  "Raise your voice to my wife again, and you'll find yourself blasted out the nearest airlock." Dhega's voice was like the strike of an ice-cold whip, lashing out to hit Joseph clean in the face, making him pale and flinch.

  "We're her family," he repeated lamely. For the first time, Jalia was glad her pregnancy hormone-fueled mood swings, finally swung the way she wanted.

  "That's news to me," she announced hotly, the surge of anger burning away any hesitation or uncertainty she'd felt toward this meeting.

  Her father narrowed his eyes to dangerous slits, his nostrils flaring indignantly as he reached for his wife and pulled her back to stand with him,

  "And what exactly does that mean?"

  Jalia wanted to rage and scream at him, the urge was right there, but the General never responded to tantrums. He liked his explanations to be rational and concise.

  "It means exactly what I said. I haven't been counted as part of the Justus family for a very long time, and none of you took pains to hide it."

  "Honey, that's not true!" her mom protested, looking wounded as she clung to her husband for support.

  "No? Odd, I thought the company you and dad helped the twins set up was called Justus Corps, six.

  “Only, oops, there's seven Justus family members. Was JC7 already taken, or did you not like having an odd number for a company name, Joseph?"

  Joseph's face screwed up incredulously, "We thought you were dead, Jalia."

  "Bullshit, you started JC6 when I was thirteen and dating Colonel Cartwright's daughter, Pamela, who told you I was a eugenics reject. I didn't vanish until sixteen."

  "What happened, sweetheart? Why would you run away from home?" Jaclyn asked, her heart in her eyes.

  "What in the world makes you think I ran away from home?" Jalia replied, wanting someone to say it out loud, to give her dad no choice but to finally tell the truth.