“No, that was the first prince she saw. The first path she crossed belonged to this man, this ten nai, this tiger man.” An turned to him. “You were in the city beyond the mountain palace, where you not? You walked the streets before you saw Mei, before Mei saw the Song prince.”
Jarek nodded. “I did walk the streets.”
“There, you see. He walked in one place. Mei then walked over where he had walked. She crossed his path.” An grinned. “I find it a pretty simple explanation. There is no riddle in what I said.”
Mei’s rounded gaze turned to him. Jarek felt hope rising in his chest. If An wasn’t transparent, he would have grabbed her in a hug. The woman smiled over the living, clearly savoring her moment of brilliance.
“How do you know?” the empress demanded. The emperor came to her side, touching her arm. The gesture didn’t stop her. “You have no way of knowing whose path she crossed. You speak nonsense, old woman. Leave my daughter be. This decision is for the living. It’s bad enough that you wanted to send her across the Satlyun, but what you say now… How will… Where will she… You would send her to the stars where we can’t protect her? See her?”
The emperor pulled his wife’s arm, and she looked helplessly at him. Jarek felt a sting as the woman openly rejected his suit of Mei.
“I know,” An declared. “Besides, she should marry the father of her unborn child.”
It took Jarek a moment to realize what was being said. Mei gasped, her hand flying to her stomach. The steps became deadly quiet for a long time as they all stared at Mei.
“My love?” he said softly, touching her stomach. “Fea?”
Mei bit her lip, looking as stunned as he was. Pleasure filled him at the thought. Mei with his child! Surely her parents could not protest their marriage now.
“Way to go, cap!” Rick yelled suddenly, breaking the awkward silence. “You sent off some straight shooters right up the old—”
“Rick,” Dev growled, reaching to grab the man and shut him up. He shook him violently, jolting him like a rag doll.
“Ow, let go,” Rick cried. Dev released him. “I didn’t knock her up.”
“You insolent little...” An began, turning on Rick.
“Whoa, easy there, ghostly sweetness,” Rick said, grinning at the older woman. “You’ll get your chance at me. No need to call Dev names.”
An’s figure shuddered with light and her face tinted with the lightest of pinks. Furious, she pointed at him, “I will teach you respect, little man. You will bow in the presence of my greatness.”
Rick paled. “Hey, now, I was just joking around. Things were getting a little tense, and I was just trying to save the captain from everyone’s anger. You know, lightening the mood with humor.”
“Do not make me curse you,” An warned.
“Rick, I’d listen to her and say no more,” Evan said.
“Easy, don’t get your, uh, gown in a twist,” Rick said, ignoring Evan’s sensible words. “No need to threaten us with whatever mojo power thing you have.”
“What does that mean? Twisting gown?” Mei whispered. Jarek shrugged, not knowing.
“Ah, so you think you are funny,” An said. “Let’s see how humorous you and your friends think my power is.”
The crew glared at Rick for getting them in trouble with the spirit. Jackson hit his arm. An’s eyes glazed over with white. Jarek took a step forward to protect his men. Mei pulled him back, shaking her head.
“She predicts their future. No physical harm will come to them,” she assured him.
“Together you travel, and together you’ll remain. Tied and joined like the five elements of our people.” An’s voice took on an ominous quality. “The road to happiness is very rocky for all of you.”
“What does that mean?” Lochlann whispered.
“Is she telling the truth?” Jackson questioned.
“I don’t know,” Evan said. “I can’t read spirits.”
“Great going, space cadet,” Jackson nudged Rick.
An’s eyes cleared, and she smiled vindictively, clearly knowing something they all didn’t. “You will find your love hidden within the mystery of the five elements. One element for each of you. The corresponding element will hold the secret to your future happiness. But fate is not clear. If you do not recognize it, you will lose it and be forever alone.”
“Elements?” Lochlann uttered. All five of the crewmen looked horrified and enraptured at the same time. “What elements?”
“Yes. The secret of your future is hidden in the five elements—metal, water, wood, earth and fire.” The ghostly ancestor grinned wickedly.
“Which one am I?” Jackson asked.
“And I?” Lochlann questioned.
“That is for you to figure out.” With that, An disappeared, blowing away on a sudden gust of wind.
“How does predicting what will come curse us?” Rick asked, frowning in confusion.
“She just gives us enough to consume our thoughts,” Evan said. “Trust me, knowing only a very small piece of something will drive you mad. The thought will creep into our heads and make us crazy.”
“Metal, wood...” Lochlann began, frowning.
“Water, earth, fire,” Evan finished.
“Dev’s got fire, that’s easy,” Rick said. “And I must be metal because my body is rock hard with muscles.”
“I think the elements refer to the ones we are meant for,” Evan said. “Not who we are.”
“She didn’t say that,” Rick protested. “I’m metal, I know it.”
Seeing his men were unharmed, Jarek turned to Mei and touched her stomach. He was so happy. Nothing could bring him greater joy. His princess carried his child.
“Mei,” he whispered, awed. His heart soared with hope.
“Jarek,” she said. “Qin ài de!”
“No,” the empress denied. “Mei, please, reconsider.”
“It is her choice,” the emperor decreed. “Zhang An is right. We assumed she meant Prince Lok. If this is not so, we cannot deny Prince Jarek anymore than we could have denied Song Lok. Haun has said the Song prince showed no interest in her as a wife. Fate has willed it and it appears as if our daughter has accepted her true fate. She has accepted Prince Jarek of the Var.”
“Mei?” The empress stepped forward, her face pleading.
“I choose Prince Jarek,” she said, grinning up at him. Jarek yelled, unable to contain his happiness as he picked her up and swung her in his arms. Mei kissed him, moaning that she loved him into his mouth as he spun her in a circle.
When he set her down, the empress said, “You are going to leave us, my little one, aren’t you? The day you were born, Mei, I knew that you would be the one to leave us as soon as I looked into your eyes for the first time. When I heard that your future was with Song Lok, I was happy that it was not as bad as I feared. Across the Satlyun would keep you close to us, closer than the stars.”
Mei let go of him and went to her mother. “I will come back. I promise.”
Haun was the first sibling to come forward. “Mei has always been like the wind, and we have kept her trapped for too long. Prince Jarek speaks wisely. To understand what is out there will only make our reign more secure. Her knowledge will help us in the future. It must be so. Fate has chosen wisely.”
A tear slipped over Mei’s face. Jarek stayed back, letting her have a moment with her family. He motioned his crew to leave. They did quietly, still stunned by what had happened with Zhang An. Evan was right. Already Jarek could see the questions on their faces. Later, they’d be punishing Rick for making the spiteful prediction happen.
“Congratulations, meimei,” Haun said to his sister. There was an air of sadness to him, but he nodded once at Jarek. “You have made a fine choice.”
At his words, the other Zhang siblings rushed forward.
“Yes, Mei,” Fen said, tearing up. “But I will miss you. You must send transmissions often. Promise? And make sure you include pictures so that I ma
y see what you see.”
“I will,” Mei said.
“The palace will not be the same without you.” Fen grabbed her, hugging her tightly.
“Ah, little one,” Shen said when his sisters parted. He grinned, hugging Mei before stepping aside.
“Many blessings, sister,” Lian said. “I believe fate has done well for you.”
“Yes, many blessings,” Jin added.
Lian reached for Jarek, shaking his hand. It prompted the other brothers to do the same. Jarek clasped their palms in his, nodding gratefully for their support because he knew it would mean a lot to Mei to have her family behind her decision. And if she were happy, it would mean a lot to him as well.
The emperor came forward, looking down at her stomach before slowly nodding. “This is always your home, Mei. I, like the others, have known that you would someday leave us. Your eyes have always been turned away from this place, and your spirit has always been too free to confine within the palace walls. Go with my blessing.”
“Xièxie nî,” Mei said. “Thank you.”
“But, you do not need to leave us yet,” the empress said in a rush. “There is no reason why you can’t stay for a wedding. It would be wise to do it quickly because of the baby.”
“We are already a little married,” Mei said, quickly adding, as her mother frowned, “in Jarek’s culture. It’s called life mating, and it is very binding.”
Mei looked back at him and smiled.
The empress looked at her husband.
“We will say she was married by foreign custom,” Emperor Zhang said. “That way there will be no talk of the baby being created before its time. It will save any scandal.”
“But they must still make an offering,” Mei’s mother insisted. The emperor nodded in agreement.
“Prince Jarek, please accept our hospitality for you and your crew. There is no reason to run off right away.” The empress touched her daughter’s cheek. “We will have a banquet to honor your marriage and to recognize you as our son.”
“I would be honored.” Jarek didn’t care where he was, as long as Mei was his. And she was. She was his wife.
“Come,” the emperor ordered, making his family leave. “Lian, go and find where Prince Jarek’s crew has gone. Invite them to dine with us.”
Lian did as he was ordered. The others left at the emperor’s prompting.
When they were alone, Mei squealed and jumped into his arms. “I never dreamed that I could be so happy, qin ài de. I...”
Her words trailed off as she kissed him, wrapping her legs around his waist.
“Ah, fea,” Jarek growled. “I’ve missed being alone with you, wife.”
“Wife?” she repeated softly as if awed by the word. “I like you calling me that.”
“Ah, sweet, beautiful fea.” He lightly kissed the tip of her nose. “I love you more than there are stars in the galaxies.”
Mei smiled, her whole heart shining in her expression as she looked at him. To Jarek, Mei was perfection. Leaning in for a kiss, she whispered against his mouth, “And I love you an infinity past that, my pirate husband.”
26
Var Palace, Planet of Qurilixen
Two Months Later…
Mei took a deep breath as the docking plank slowly lowered on Jarek’s home planet of Qurilixen. They were outside the Var palace, literally on the bottom of a long row of steps leading to the back entrance. After spending time with her family, they’d finally left Lintian so she could meet his. Though she was nervous about meeting his family, he’d assured her quite thoroughly that they would love her. Already he’d told her of some of their customs, which helped to prepare her.
Mei glanced at Jarek as he neared, holding out his arm. The crew was still onboard, shutting down all the systems. Her cat-shifting husband was excited to be home and had been too anxious to be of much help to them. Just seeing his pleasure intensified her own.
When she had dressed that morning, Mei wasn’t sure what to wear and had gone through almost every stitch of clothing. Jarek wore a tight tank shirt with cross laces down the side from under the arm to his hip. His pants were the same style, showing peeks of flesh as the cross laces worked down his hip over his upper thigh. The material was soft, not like silk, but a fuzzier soft that made her want to press her face to his chest and cuddle. With the combination of her overly excited pregnancy hormones and his sexiness, Mei had him out of his clothes and on the bed within seconds.
After they’d made love, Jarek had helped her pick a simple red and black dragon silk gown that she tied around her waist forming a low-slung skirt, along with one of Viktor’s better linen shirts. The slender man’s clothing fit her better than anything else that was available. She wasn’t as nicely dressed as she would’ve liked, but Jarek assured her she was beautiful.
Mei looked around. Qurilixen was hardly like Lintian in landscape or in style. Whereas Lintian had a civil elegance, Qurilixen had an untamed feel—from the tall palace to the forest with overlarge foliage, to the fact that the entire planet consisted mostly of virile male shifters. Even the air seemed to fill her with excitement and energy, which pumped in her blood, exciting her whole system.
“It smells so sweet,” she said. “And I suddenly feel as if I have a ton of energy.”
“The blue sun,” Jarek answered, pointing toward the blue-green sky. The unique hue of the planet’s atmosphere was due to the three suns, two yellow and one blue. They cast the planet in constant daylight, with the exception of one night a year when everything aligned perfectly, and darkness fell over the land. “Remember I told you only about one in a million of Qurilixian births are female?”
Mei nodded.
“It is because of the blue sun. Its radiation gives us a long life and vitality. Over the generations, it has altered our genetics, so we create only strong, large boys.” He smiled, touching her stomach. “Like our son. I believe that your visit here will be good for you and him.”
“I don’t want him getting too big,” Mei protested, her thighs clamping shut automatically at the thought. “Not until he comes out.”
Jarek laughed. Mei didn’t think it was too funny, but let it pass. There would be plenty of time to worry about the size of Jarek’s child inside of her. A breeze stirred around her, making her shiver with a chill. Mei smiled, closing her eyes.
“Do you hear something?” Jarek asked in full acceptance of her gifts.
“It says everything will be fine with this birth,” she said.
“Mm, good wind,” he said, pulling her closer. “Does it say anything else?”
“Um,” Mei twisted her mouth in thought. “That you’re the sexiest man it’s ever seen.”
“Really?” He gave her a cocky grin.
“Mm-hmm.” She lifted up on her toes to give him a kiss. Jarek slid his arm around her back and held her steady, supporting her weight. With a light sound of contentment, she pulled back when he deepened the kiss. “When I told you that I was easily excited these days, I wasn’t kidding. If you want to see your family anytime today, you’ll stop doing that.”
Jarek groaned but pulled back. Offering his arm, he led her up the stairs. Mei tried to focus on the landscape, anything to take her mind, and her hands, off her gorgeous husband.
The forest, which Jarek had asked Rick to fly over so she could see it, was gigantic in size. The trees were so big around they looked about half the thickness of Jarek’s ship. When he told her his twin brother Reid had built a house within one of the trees, she wasn’t surprised. Their red bark was an interesting shade, one she’d never seen before in plant life. Yellow ferns dotted the ground, contrasting with the red dirt of the planet’s surface.
Closer to the palace, the yellow fern didn’t grow, but it seemed the stone that constructed the palace had. The castle-like structure stretched high into the sky, with tall pillars and square turrets that reached up into the blue-green heavens. She lost sight of some of it as they walked down the plank to the bottom
of the stairwell. Jarek held her arm, walking extra slow.
Her husband was really protective now that she’d started to show in her pregnancy. It was just a little swell, but it made him nervous about her well-being all the same. Mei refused to put up with his constant over-protective streak. Every time he made her mad, she’d just disappear into the grates in The Conqueror’s ceiling. It would take a while, but she planned on exploring the whole area. Already, she’d found some fascinating things up there, like an antique taser that had to be at least a hundred years old, and a woman’s shoe. None of the men had seen the style before and by the layer of dust caking it, it had to be old.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“Not bad for a bunch of tiger men,” she said, grinning.
“We’re not all tigers.”
“Oh?” Mei asked in surprise. “Do you mean the dragon-shifters? You have them here as well? I thought you didn’t get along with them too well.”
“No, the Draig own the northern half of the planet. We rule the southern section. The Draig are all dragons, but we Var are cat-shifters. Reid and I are tigers. Quinn is a cougar, Kirill is a black panther, and Falke is a white tiger. It’s really a toss-up about what kind of cat a child will become.”
“When do they usually shift for the first time?” Mei asked, suddenly realizing what was inside her. Though, if the baby looked like his father and had his traits, it wouldn’t make any difference to her.
“Within the first year. Each child is different, and normally the shifts are for small periods of time. They’re really adorable, though, just ornery little balls of fur.”
Mei laughed. As long as they didn’t come out like that, she’d be all right.
When they finally made it to the top, Mei smiled as she looked up. A long, wide walkway led to the Var palace. It looked as high as the Honorable City was long. Artfully, getting out of Jarek’s hold, she hurried to the railing to better see the city they’d passed before landing. It stretched out in a valley beyond the front palace gate. The homes were constructed of gray bricks, contrasting to the red earthen streets, which were formed like a bustling maze throughout the village. Stunning woven rugs and blankets hung outside in the sun, drying on lines. Clay pots sat outside doorsteps, some with flowers and other native plants. The walls were decorated with tiles.
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