Pax's Emperor

by Mara Jaye

  “Then let’s run.” I open the door, sending a final request for silence to Paxton before grabbing her hand. I pull her behind me, following Kala to the launch bay. Her vessel is sleek and pretty. A lot like her, actually. Good looks run in the family. Soon, I’ll be with Daneul again with Paxton at my side. Nial will have to step down and let me resume my rule. As we run up the gangplank, Kala hollers back, “Settle in while I go to the bridge and give the command.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I reply and find a seat for Pax and me. We’re strapped in and soon, Kala’s ship’s doors close. After a hard lurch up, we’re speeding away from Ghar. Pax is stiff as I hug her but I don’t care. I’ve heard part of her protests but don’t care. We have a chance at freedom and I don’t care what Nial thinks about our escape.

  A few moments pass. My link with the imperial data system isn’t restored, which bothers me. I loosen the safety strap. I stand, telling Pax, “I need to find Kala and tell her the ship’s link to data is down.”

  The door to the inner cargo hold opens. My cousin is standing there, weapon drawn. “Finally! You have no idea how difficult these past few years have been for me. Nial is such a Fleegan, keeping you and Daneul hidden from me. Sorry about Jeul. She was an accident.”

  Paxton’s straps fall and she stands. “What is going on? Why are you aiming at him?” She comes up beside me. “You’re cousins, for crying out loud.”

  “I could tell you all about my plan to take over the empire by killing Eldan, Nial, and Daneul, but I suspect Eldie already knows.” Kala lifted the weapon, aiming at my heart.

  Light based guns make no sound other than a soft pop. I hear the sound after the light hits my retinas. Or, more acurately, before the beam hits my chest. The pain spreads throughout my body, stunning me, and deactivating my bionans for a few seconds. I sink to my knees, overwhelmed as Paxton screams. She kneels, holding me.

  “So, have you impregnated your pet?”

  “Leave him alone,” Paxton cries.

  “No, seriously. Even though I could use a shit shoveler for my charkin, I don’t mind dropping the Earther for my throne.”

  Paxton’s tears fall on my face as she sobs, “No. I’m not pregnant.”

  “Oh. All right. Rexers will be happy you’re there to feed and walk him.” Her voice is closer to me when she says, “Hmm, he looks warm still. Maybe I should shoot him again to be sure.”

  “There’s no need,” Pax sobs. “He’s already gone.”

  Crafty little wench. The pain still keeps me immobile but my bionans are already working to repair the nerve damage. I lay motionless, barely breathing.

  “All right.” Kala’s voice is receding. “You can stay with him for a while. Don’t get too comfortable. Eventually we’ll have to throw out his carcass. I refuse to let him stink up my ship.”

  “Bitch,” Paxton mutters when the doors close behind Kala.

  You know it, I send to her. I had no idea she was so rotten. She must be an honorary Vahdmoshi.

  Paxton begins crying, for real, I realize. My crafty little minx, fooling Kala like she did. I don’t move, certain security members are watching our every move. I’m going to be dead for a little while longer just to convince everyone. Feel free to cry and sell the act.

  Her body goes still before she resumes sobbing. She kneels beside me. You’re excellent at pretending to be in pain.

  “Wish I was pretending, but no, the shot hurt. I’m lucky she put the weapon on a mild setting instead of the highest intensity.

  Paxton kisses my forehead. Mild? I thought she wanted to kill you.

  Oh, don’t worry. The setting she chose would kill anyone without bionans. Any higher and I’d have a hole through me. She loves her ship too much to shoot a hole through the hull.

  Good.

  Paxton continues to hold me. Being with her feels right, like I belong. I never hoped to find another love after Jeul, and yet, I have. Before I can pull her to me for a long, lingering kiss, the ship lurches hard to the left. She’s thrown onto me with a yelp and I hold onto her. “Pless, that didn’t feel good.”

  “No, it doesn’t, even if this is all right.”

  I grin up at her. “Maybe Kala ran into a moon,” I say before both of us wince. Backlogged information floods my mind with Nial’s imperial channel having ultimate authority. Yes?

  Things are getting intense. Are you strapped in for a fight?

  Not yet. I scramble to a bolted down seat, pulling Pax with me.

  Get there, because we’re firing another shot.

  Will do. I buckle her in first before mine.

  She has the communication glaze before snapping to the here and now. G’nar is home with Daneul.

  Good, I think before turning back to a longer message from my brother. He knew someone on the royal council was working to undermine the rule but couldn’t pinpoint which sneaky fleegan it was. Not until Kala made her final move did Nial feel confident in going after her. Message absorbed, I open up the ship’s frequencies and follow the battle. Too late, it seems, and I smile at Paxton in triumph. “Kala’s shields have been knocked out and Niel has a tow beam attached.”

  The cargo bay door opens. I expect Niel but it’s Kala running into the room. “Damn you LucKrells! So fucking hard to kill any of you.” Her eyes narrow on Paxton as she steps closer. “Except,” she growls, “the women seem particularly easy to kill.” She lifts her weapon. “My ship is ruined, but that’s okay. I’ll be flying the royal yacht next.”

  A blast rips through the air as I block Paxton from the shot. There’s a stream but not from my love. I look up to see one of the Imperial guards lowering his gun. “Threat neutralized, sir.”

  Nial walks in. “Excellent. Take the Emperor back home.”

  I help Paxton out of her safety strap before undoing my own. Kala is blasted in two and I shudder. “There wasn’t a better way to do this?”

  “There were probably a billion, but this is the one that worked.” We walk with him out of the cargo area. “Sorry for the house arrest. I needed to draw her out into making a move.”

  “I can’t complain because it worked.” We hug before he and Paxton hug, too.

  “Speaking of work… Leadership is highly overrated, so how soon can you get back to ruling? I have to resume my formerly princely life.”

  I ruffle his hair. “Poor kid. Let me have my honeymoon with Pax, and then you’re free to roam the galaxy in search of the next pretty girl.”

  “Great. I’m holding you to it.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Pax

  It’s not a white dress, but it is for a wedding. The attendants hovering around me are a little annoying. But, as I stare at myself in the mirror, they’ve worked a miracle. My eyelashes are fantastic, my hair is gorgeous. I have no idea how the stylist gave it such a sheen. I turn my head first one way and then another, admiring how the strands catch the light. Someone leans in to touch up my lipstick. The pale pink matches my dress. I smile when she’s finished, wondering if Eldan will wear a 1970’s powder blue tux. Probably and hopefully not.

  “Ma’am?”

  I turn as much as a dress with a million yard train will allow. “Yes?”

  “The emperor has sent his mother’s favorite tiara.”

  The aide carries a jewelry box closer to me and the sight stuns me. Tiaras are the same across the galaxy, it seems, but these stones are far different from any I’ve ever seen before. “May I look closer before you place it?”

  “Of course.”

  I reach out, delighted to be given permission, and take the amazing work of art. Clear stones encrust the golden metal semicircle. I can’t call them diamonds because they’re lit from within. I cover a second as I would anything glow in the dark and sure enough. The light eminiates from within them. “This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” I say before laughing. “Sorry. I seem to be saying that a lot since landing on Ghar.” I give the tiara back to the assistant.

  “I understand, ma’
am. We love our planet, too.” She motions over a taller woman, giving her the tiara to place on my head.

  The ornament is heavier than I expected, which is fine. I want to know it’s safe up there. I haven’t met my new mother-in-law yet. She arrives today, and I’m nervous as hell. With the final piece of my ensemble in place, I go back to admiring my handlers’ work. They’re miracle workers for sure.

  “May I present his excellency.”

  I grin, hoping it’s Eldan. He steps into the room and I catch his reflection. He outshines me by far, wearing a uniform close to his usual clothes. Except now he’s in burnished gold, turning his bronze into a far more metallic cast. I truly am bonded to a work of art in human form. He still has the bright yellow gold piping along the edges of his clothes. “You are the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.”

  “I have to be to deserve a beauty such as you.” He lifts his hand to me and I take it before stepping down from the platform. We need to talk.

  Oh? Silently? That’s not worrisome.

  He laughs aloud. “Nothing serious, maybe. I just want to clear up a few things before the ceremony.” He leads me to a chair and mostions me to sit. I do, moving the train from hell out and around. Eldan drops to one knee. “I need to let you know all of this, the ceremony, the bonding, everything is reversible. While I can’t let you return to Earth because they’ll weaponize you if anyone believes you left the planet, I can let you have a free choice in being my Empress. Because you have bionans, you can break our bonds and refuse the union.”

  I bite my lip, trying to not chew off my gloss. He’s so serious, as if I might choose to walk away from him. Doing so is not a possibility, yet, he thinks I might take the option. “Wouldn’t leaving you hurt?”

  “I’ll ache because I love you and want to stay in our match. But, I’d rather endure pain than have you feel trapped with me.”

  I can’t help but smile. “I’m in my dress, wearing your mother’s tiara, with mascara heavy enough to keep my eyes closed, and you’re just now telling me I don’t have to do this.”

  He closes his eye. “Yes, I waited until the last minute. I should have said something earlier but couldn’t let you go. For that, I’m truly sorry and should have come to you as soon as you were given the bionans.”

  Eldan is so contrite. I lift his chin and stare deep into his beautiful eyes. “Don’t worry. I made my decision long ago to keep our union. Once I learned what a bonding was, yes, I was furious. Then, I realized I was exactly where I wanted to be.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Absolutely. I love you, Daneul, and Ghar. Thank you for letting me be your empress. I vow to always love you.”

  He presses the back of his hand against my cheek. “Thank you, too, for letting me be your emperor. I can’t help but love you for the rest of our lives.” He stands, helping me to my feet, too. “Shall we make our union official?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Author’s Note

  Oh my God. I’m writing this after a heavy writing binge, trying to get this ready for preorder. My day job is writing in a completely different genre. Dummy me, I keep thinking I can write two books at the same time. I can’t, because when I’m in a world as a character, I there. So this book is a little shorter than I had planned. That’s okay, too, because I have the idea to write a little bit of bonus material about Eldan and Paxton later this summer and offer it for free to my newsletter subscribers. Want to keep up on the news? Follow me at any of the links or email me and I’ll add you to my list.

  Please come see me at www.facebook.com/authormarajaye. Hang out at my new website, www.marajaye.com or email me at authormarajaye@yahoo.com .

  Love!

  Mara

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