by Hope Hart
“What is it that you want from me?”
Cheryl blows out a breath. “The Arcav healers are very careful with the human brain. Depression doesn’t exist amongst the Arcav. You guys feel sad, and you may have periods of feeling depressed, but your brains don’t seem to be vulnerable to the same imbalance. Now that they’ve detoxed me from that insane brainwashing pill, the healers just encourage me to take my pills every day like nothing has happened.”
I frown. “Your medication is being checked, correct?”
She nods. “Sure. But I can’t explain to you the fear I feel every time I take a pill. Every single time, I wonder if this will be a repeat of that night. If I’ll gradually lose my mind and become erratic, and not know it. If I’ll try and kill the Arcav, and risk my girls’ lives,” her voice breaks and I glance at the girls.
The younglings are giggling to each other as they draw. One of them has created a stick figure with what look like long horns pointing jutting from its oversized head.
“You no longer trust the pills.”
Cheryl sighs. “Logically, I know they’re fine. But every time I have to take one, it’s like I’m reliving it all over again. I can’t just stop taking them. With everything that’s happened, I don’t feel comfortable with that yet. But you’re kind of known as the Arcav genius,” she says, blushing as she avoids the reason why I’m well known. “I’d hoped that maybe you’d have another suggestion.”
I frown at her, but my eyes return to her younglings. I am busy, with more work than I can handle if my plans are to come to fruition. However, this will be an interesting challenge.
Her daughters are small. They appear to be as close in age as Varian and I.
“Ask the healers to send me any information they have about you, your pills, and your condition. I cannot promise to find a solution, but I will try.”
Cheryl blinks back tears, and then suddenly throws her arms around me.
“You have no idea what this means to me. Thank you.”
“Mr. Korva?” a small voice pipes up and I turn.
“Just Korva. Is this for me?”
I hold up the picture and feel a smile curling my lips. The stick figure is me.
“Thank you.”
Arabella nods solemnly, and both younglings wave as they leave.
“You didn’t need to walk us out.”
“I must go. I just realized that I need to see someone.”
Within a few minutes, I’m pounding on Eve’s door. I don’t know why I’ve come, but the thought that she could soon be mated to an Arcav, perhaps even someone I know, fills me with fear and rage.
If this will happen, I will spend as much time as I can with her first.
I knock on her door again.
“Go away!”
“Let me in.”
“Oh great, it’s you. Go away!”
“I do not wish to break down your door, but I will if I have to.”
The door swings open, and I take in Eve’s furious face.
“So not only do you take me to the medi-center without permission, but you’ve decided to huff and puff and knock my door down?”
I frown at her.
“Should’ve known that’d go over your head. What do you want?”
“Are you… drunk?”
“I’m not not drunk. What do you want?”
Her eyes are glassy, and her cheeks are flushed. While she is not yet slurring, she’s speaking in the overly cautious way of the impaired.
“I would like to talk.”
She snorts. “You know what, come on in. Who cares what Eve wants, right?”
I eye her and she sighs. “Want a drink?”
The bottle of whiskey we drank from a few days ago is half empty.
“Do you always drink alcohol when you are sad?”
Eve smirks at me. “If that’s supposed to be a dig, you’ll need to try harder. I have had a very shitty week. You’re just one more addition to the giant toilet that is my life.”
She pours me a glass and hands it to me, then retreats to her sofa where she curls under a blanket.
“Why are you so upset?”
“Oh let’s see. Maybe because I’m suspended, or because your asshole brother refuses to let those human women go home? Or perhaps because someone is going to take my blood one of these days and then I’ll end up mated to some overgrown male with horns?”
I scowl at the thought. “I will not let that happen.”
“I doubt you can control it buddy, but I appreciate the thought.”
“I promise you.”
She looks at me through blurry hazel eyes.
“I won’t be a mate, Korva.”
“I am still the Crown Prince of Arcavia. I will not allow you to be mated if you do not want to be mated. You have trust issues, I know this. But I will protect you.”
She sighs. “I shouldn’t listen to a word you say. You know what they call you?”
I grit my teeth. “The crazy brother. The wild one. The betrayer.”
Eve nods slowly, and her eyes close for a long moment. I take the opportunity to take the glass from her hand and lift her into my arms.
“Hey!”
I ignore her pitiful struggles, and still her hand as it slides toward her weapon.
“We will sleep now.”
“I don’t need to,” Eve says, her lips forming a pout. “I just slept for two days.”
My eyes are stuck on her mouth. Her lush lower lip is calling to me.
“You heard what Kehas said. You need more sleep. I will stay with you.”
She snorts. “Is that supposed to help me sleep?”
I give her a slow smile, and her eyes widen. “Wow, I’m surprised that didn’t break your face.”
I ignore her ridiculousness and place her on her bed, immediately lying beside her and pulling her close.
“Go to sleep.”
Chapter Eleven
Eve
I’m wrapped in the warmest blanket, and for the first time in forever, I feel safe. It’s this unusual feeling that makes my eyes pop open, and they immediately find Korva’s face.
His eyes are closed. Huh. He’s such a threat, and my body is so aware of him at every moment, that I almost forgot that he needs sleep just like the rest of us.
I’ve had insomnia since my mom died. For whatever reason, I’m able to sleep around Korva, and I’m not quite sure how I feel about that.
Liam used to complain at my tossing and turning, finally suggesting that I see a therapist. Who knew that what I really needed was a seven-foot Arcav clutching me to him like I’m his snuggle bunny?
I snort softly, and Korva’s eyes open, immediately finding mine.
I wiggle against him, but he doesn’t let me go and I feel him stir to life against me.
“Korva,” I say warningly, but he takes my mouth and my lady parts immediately come to life, my breasts aching for his hands.
I push away. “I need a moment.”
He nods and finally lets me go, and I hightail it to the bathroom where I take care of business and splash water on my face. I’ve got to get it together. Having sex with Korva was bad enough. Once was a mistake. Twice is a pattern. But actually sleeping next to him all night? That’s a recipe for a broken heart.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid.”
“Are you well?”
“I’m fine.” I open the door and Korva moves back to give me some space. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
He slowly shakes his head. “Today I will spend time with you.”
“Uh, you don’t just get to decide that, buddy.”
Arcav. They’re all the same.
He looks confused for a moment, and my heart thumps louder in my chest. His hair is tousled, the gouge in his horn obvious in the sunlight, and his eyes have a bleary, just-asleep look, even as they turn calculating.
“We will bargain.”
“No thanks.”
“There is something that you want.”
/>
“I want lots of things.”
“You would like to return to Harlow’s guard.” His mouth firms as if he doesn’t like the idea, and I narrow my eyes at him.
“I’m listening.”
“You still owe me dinner,” he says, holding up a hand as my mouth drops open. “If you agree to also spend the day with me, I will talk to Varian and ask for a concession. Perhaps he will agree to cut your suspension short by a few days.”
I glower at him but don’t immediately refuse. Korva hates Varian with the fire of a thousand suns. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t piss on his brother if he was on fire. For him to offer that bargain to me is a big deal.
“Why would Varian play ball?”
He looks confused for a moment and then his face clears.
“Varian and Harlow must go to Fecax. He needs people he trusts close to Harlow. He will bargain with me.”
I feel like he’s not telling me something, and I narrow my eyes at him.
“Okay, fine. I want to be on that ship. You promise to convince Varian to make it happen, and I’ll brighten your day with my presence.”
Korva frowns, likely weighing up the idea of me being off-planet without him, but finally nods.
I tilt my head, taking him in. It’s a bad idea for me to spend any more time with him. A stupid, dumb, ridiculous idea. The last thing I need to do is catch feelings for the Arcav who’s still mourning his mate, centuries after she died. I feel a pang of jealousy that I push down, deep where it belongs. I can’t compete with a dead woman, and I don’t want to. Korva may seem like he’s sane now, and he may be playing by Varian’s rules, but he does everything for a reason, and trusting him would be a mistake.
He’s still waiting, and I raise an eyebrow. “So where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
I can get behind that. Usually, I hate surprises. But for whatever reason, I know that whatever Korva has planned is unlikely to hurt me, either mentally or physically.
“Do you need to go get changed?”
“I brought a change of clothes in my pod.”
I raise an eyebrow. “So you were planning to stay here, huh? Kinda presumptuous.”
“You had a bad day, and I didn’t want you to be alone.”
Aw. I ignore my hormones, which urge me to jump him, and my heart, which has gone all mushy.
“Okay, I need to change. Get gone.”
He frowns at me like I’ve just told him I’ll be cutting off his favorite part and keeping it in my pocket.
“I’m serious. Out.”
He scans my body, obviously taking a moment to imagine me getting naked and my nipples harden in response. Just when I’m about to throw all common sense out the window, he nods and walks out.
I take the world’s fastest shower. Not because I’m eager to hang out with Korva or excited to hang out with him. I just like showering fast. That’s all.
Who am I kidding?
I throw my damp hair up in a ponytail and find Korva in my small kitchen. I’m out of almost everything, and Korva looks displeased as he pokes around in the Arcav version of a refrigerator.
“Where is your food?”
I shrug. “Delivered tomorrow. I’m not much of a breakfast person.”
He looks at me like I’m crazy, and I laugh. “Okay, we can stop somewhere on the way to wherever we’re going. I need coffee anyway.”
I scan him, resisting the urge to lick my lips. It probably takes thousands of calories to keep that huge body up and in motion.
Korva takes a moment to scan my body again and I raise an eyebrow, pissy. “What? You didn’t say I had to get dressed up. Jeans are comfortable.”
He shakes his head. “You look beautiful. I was simply wondering when you will allow me to take those clothes off.”
My stomach clenches. “Never.”
His eyes darken as he takes a step toward me at the challenge and then he shakes his head, gesturing to my front door.
“After you.”
Arcavia’s biggest psycho is also a gentleman. Who knew?
We get in the pod, after a quick argument over who will drive. Korva wins because he knows where we’re going, and also because he flat out refuses to give me directions.
I stare out the window at the city below me as we drive above it. A few years ago, I never would’ve imagined that I could live somewhere so beautiful. The Arcav are light-years ahead of us when it comes to technology and ethics, so their environment is pristine. Even the fuel they use in their spaceships is clean.
The palace rises in the distance, a shard of glass stabbing into the sky. Its windows glisten, almost sparkling, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding as we head out of the city.
I haven’t explored as much as I would’ve liked. Arcavia is a small planet, divided into territories which are controlled by the Arcavian version of governors, all of whom report to Varian. The planet is run from the capital, also called Arcavia, and I’ve only been to a couple of other cities when Harlow had to visit.
“Where are we going?”
Korva simply raises an eyebrow, directing us toward a mountain. Arcavia is similar to Earth in a lot of ways. The grass is green, the sky is blue, but the wilderness is where you really notice the differences.
After around half an hour, Korva lands the pod in a field. I get out, grateful to stretch my legs, and stare around me. The flowers look like daisies, but each one is twice the size of my head. It feels like I’m in a Dr. Seuss book, and I shift, cutting my eyes to Korva as he moves closer.
“What do you think?”
“I think someone paid too much attention to the daisy on my butt.”
He laughs and then looks surprised at the sound. I want him to do it again.
“When I nibbled my way across your rear, I did happen to notice the resemblance to this field.”
He’s referring to the first time we were together, months ago, and I frown. I thought we were forgetting that ever happened.
I clear my throat and look away. “There’s only one thing that worries me.”
“Yes?”
“Can we expect to see giant bees?”
I shudder at the idea of a bee that big.
Korva frowns and then his face clears. “We do not have these creatures.”
My mouth drops open. “No honey?”
He shakes his head and reaches for my hand. I’m so distracted that I let him take it.
I frown. “But how do your flowers get pollinated?”
“Most plants on Arcavia do not have a mutualistic relationship. They are pollinated by birds similar to on Earth, and also the wind during the spring months.”
“Huh.”
Korva leads me through the field, stopping at one point to offer me a giant daisy. I take it, grinning, wishing I had a camera on me to show Harlow.
We walk into a forest, where, to Korva’s amusement, I keep one hand on my weapon at all times. I don’t know which animals are poisonous here. I don’t know which ones will attack, or which ones like the taste of human flesh. And I don’t want to find out.
“You are very tense. Are you uncomfortable in the wilderness?”
“Nope,” I say, scanning a bush in front of me. “Not on Earth. But I know what to expect on Earth.”
“I will keep you safe, Eve.”
I nod, eyes stuck on something moving within the bush, and Korva lets out a long-suffering sigh. After ten minutes or so, we reach a slight hill. The hill is home to a wood cabin overlooking a lake. A pink lake.
“Oh my God.”
Korva simply pulls me up the hill and opens the door of the cabin, gesturing for me to enter.
“Wow.”
The cabin is made of some kind of wood, but the entire front section is glass, overlooking the lake. Unlike the glass we use on Earth, Arcav glass is incredibly strong and dirt resistant.
“How is it pink?” I’m staring out at the lake, unable to look away.
“It’s
the type of salt in the lake. You have similar lakes on Earth.”
“Sure,” I mumble. “But not a half-hour drive from New York.”
“Come, I will show you around.”
I follow him through the cabin, which can’t really be called a cabin. It’s a series of huge rooms, each one larger and even more tasteful than the previous room. The cabin has the same comforts and technology that the Arcav enjoy, like the body-conforming gel furniture, but it also has personality, with paintings and sculptures at every turn.
I pick up a photo of two young Arcav boys. I’d recognized that imperiously lifted eyebrow anywhere.
“This is you and Varian.”
Korva nods, even as a muscle tics in his jaw.
Varian has one arm thrown around his little brother, the expression on his face making it clear that he is tolerating this experience only because he chooses to. Korva’s grin is wide and open and he’s missing one of his fangs.
For some reason, the photo hurts my heart, and I put it down as I follow Korva back into the main room.
“Is this your house?”
Korva shrugs. “Technically, it belongs to my parents. I do not believe they come here anymore. Neither does Varian.”
He doesn’t have to say why. It’s obvious. This was a family getaway. Close enough to the city for a quick weekend, but surrounded by open space, so the young princes could just be kids. Maybe it was a place that the family continued to use for get-togethers as they grew up. Maybe Korva’s mate would come here with them, celebrating special occasions.
All that is gone now. Varian and Korva can barely look at each other. While Varian has made a few attempts at clearing the air, Korva clearly feels betrayed by his big brother. According to Harlow, Varian’s mother is a wreck. Apparently, Harlow saw signs that his mom used to sit and read to Korva when he was locked up. Of course, he would’ve needed to be restrained for that to happen.
I can’t imagine how it felt, knowing that the only time she could see her son was if he was chained to a wall.
Now, she’s desperate to see Korva. Even Korva’s father has repeatedly ordered him to visit.
Korva ignores all of them.
