by KD Jones
KadEN was shocked the female would offer her hand, but he didn’t waste any time. He took her small hand into his own much larger one. The moment the Kiljorn Prime Leader took her hand into his, Lindsey felt unbalanced. It was as if the whole world had been standing still and then suddenly at his touch, the world started spinning. It was disconcerting and unwelcome.
RendEL and Cassie had their official Mating Ceremony. Lindsey stood to the side of the reception room pretending to listen to one of the Katieran High Council Members as he went on and on about how powerful he was with his position. However, Lindsey couldn’t take her eyes off the man and woman dancing their fifth dance together.
Chapter Five
Prime Leader KadEN was the hottest guy Lindsey had ever seen. Even better looking than RendEL that was saying a lot. The bad thing was he knew it. This made him the biggest ass in her eyes. He was currently dancing with RendEL’s beautiful cousin Prima AriELa. With her long dark hair and his shorter dark hair, they were a striking pair. It made knots form in Lindsey’s stomach to look at them.
The Kiljorn Prime Leader and Kiljorn Commander had come to Katiera to begin negotiations for an alliance. The Kiljorns proposed a Royal Mating between KadEN and AriELa to seal the alliance. It was sort of like an arranged marriage. KadEN was doing his best to sweep the young woman off her feet. It was a favored match among the High Council, pretty much a done deal. So why was he constantly looking in Lindsey’s direction?
“Miss Carelli, would you like to dance?” Lindsey looked up into the beautiful, dark blue eyes of Prime Leader RendEL. Normally her heart fluttered whenever she was near the Katieran Prime Leader, but for some reason he no longer appealed to her as he once had. Maybe it was because he was mated to Cassie now. She glanced quickly over to see if KadEN was still dancing. He was but his eyes were glued on her. She shivered and turned back to RendEL.
“Where is Prima Cassie?” Lindsey didn’t want to upset the other woman. She was hoping to build a friendship with her.
“She needed to sit and take a break from dancing. She was worried that you might not have danced with anyone and asked me to come over and see if you would like to dance.”
Lindsey blushed. She had been asked by several Katieran men to dance but she wasn’t very good at dancing. She had turned them all down. It wouldn’t be a good idea to turn down her boss though. Especially since his wife had sent him over.
“I am not a very good dancer,” she admitted.
“Come, I am just learning myself. We will stumble together.” RendEL held out his hand. Lindsey laughed as she took the hand and they approached the dance floor. She could feel KadEN’s eyes on her. She felt a shiver go through her body.
They danced two slow dances. RendEL was a much better dancer than he led her to believe. He glided them across the floor with grace and ease. As he led her off the dance floor, he pulled her to a less crowded table so they could sit down.
“I wanted to talk with you about the alliance negotiations,” RendEL said.
“Okay.”
“Prime Leader KadEN has invited my cousin, AriELa, to visit Kiljor and my younger brother, Prime Medic SydEL, will be heading up a research team. I plan to send Prime Commander KydEL to ensure the safety of everyone, but to also work more on the negotiations from Kiljor. My worry is that KydEL does not have great negotiating skills. I would like for you to go with them so that you can help KydEL with the alliance.”
Lindsey was a little confused. “You want me to go to Kiljor?”
Prime Leader nodded. “You know my brother. He lacks tact when it comes to things like agreements. I need someone I can trust that will be looking at the agreement line by line, word by word. No one does that as well as you do.”
Lindsey smiled shyly. “Thank you for the kind words and vote of confidence. If you want me to go, then I will.”
“Thank you, Lindsey.” He looked over at his mate. “I think I will see if Cassie is ready to leave early.”
Lindsey laughed at the man’s obvious intention to get his wife alone. “Congratulations on your mating, Prime Leader.” It didn’t take much more prompting. RendEL stood and made his way quickly back over to his mate. He practically swept her up into his arms. Cassie giggled, and then they kissed. Lindsey sighed. She wished she could have what they had.
“May I have the honor of this dance?” A deep male voice asked from behind her, making her jump slightly in her seat. She glanced back to find Prime Leader KadEN standing there with his dark eyes on her. He held out his hand to her. She looked from his eyes down to the hand he held out to her. There was no way out of this now.
She put her hand in his and stood. The moment their skin made contact Lindsey felt a tingling sensation all throughout her body. Her nipples hardened and she felt a fluttering in her stomach. He leaned closer and took a sniff. Did he smell her arousal? Oh, shit!
At first, they didn’t speak to one another as they began dancing. He had such strong arms. He was tall, much taller than her. He made Lindsey feel small and delicate. He held her close to his chest. His scent was of the forest right after the rain. The sent was fresh, clean, and strong. She couldn’t get enough of his smell. The smell made her a little light headed. She would be content to dance in his arms all night long.
When KadEN finally spoke, it wasn’t what she had expected him to say. “He is mated now.”
Lindsey lifted her face to look into his dark eyes. “What?”
“Prime Leader RendEL, he is mated now.”
“Yes, I was at the ceremony.”
“You will have to turn your attentions to another since he is mated.”
“Are you offering to be the one I turn to?”
“Of course not,” he denied. When she stopped dancing and started to pull out of his arms, he tightened his hold on her. He wasn’t ready to let her go. “I mean … I would be honored to receive your attentions, but I am here to discuss a possible mating with Prima AriELa.”
Story of her life. She always found herself attracted to a man that wanted someone else. She succeeded in pulling out of his arms. “I wish you luck with that, Prime Leader.” She left the ballroom with her shoulders back and head held up straight, but a heavy heart.
Chapter Six
Time seemed to fly by. Before she knew it, the day had come for Lindsey to travel with AriELa to Kiljorn. She wasn’t thrilled about leaving her father and sister behind. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” she asked her father for the fifth time.
“Honey, don’t worry about us. Prima SandELa has offered to check on us often while you are gone,” her father reassured her.
“How are you feeling? Any headaches? Nausea?”
“I feel right as rain. Those nano thingies are doing wonders.”
It was true. Ever since the Katieran Medics had inserted the nanos in her father, it was as if all his ailments had slowly disappeared. His cancer was almost non-existent—it was incredible. She was so used to worrying over his health—it was hard to stop.
“If you need me, you can request Prime Leader RendEL to contact me on board the transport.” She gave her father and sister a big hug before she picked up her bag. She headed down to landing pad eight where the shuttle awaited to take them to the Kiljorn Transport ship.
Upon boarding the shuttle, she noticed that Captain Malone was giving her the stink eye. The woman must still believe something was going on between her and Prime Commander KydEL.
The other day she had accompanied the Commander to his suite to go over a change in the itinerary for the alliance talks. Captain Malone had seen her enter the suite and assumed the worst. The Commander was to set the Captain straight but it looked like he didn’t do a good job of it. It didn’t help matters that Lindsey was sitting with the handsome Prime Commander.
The Kiljorn Commander, TylOR, was piloting the shuttle and Prime Leader KadEN was acting as co-pilot. The aisle in the middle of the shuttle divided the seats into sets of two. On one side of the aisle was her s
itting with Prime Commander KydEL, Captain Malone was with Dr. Morris, and then behind them sat two more Medics. On the other side of the aisle sat Prime Medic SydEL and Prima AriELa, then Security Liaison TarAK and Lieutenant SilAS.
Lindsey couldn’t tell the difference between the Katieran Transports and the Kiljorn Transports. Prime Commander KydEL tried to explain the difference but it really did look the same to her. When they unloaded from the shuttle, she could feel all the Kiljorn men’s eyes on her and the other women. She felt a little uncomfortable with all that attention directed her way.
Prime Leader KadEN told them he needed to meet with his Lieutenants in the Operations Room. He said that he would see them later at Evening Meal. Kiljorn Commander TylOR escorted them to their sleeping quarters.
Lindsey was sharing sleeping quarters with Prima AriELa. Captain Malone and Dr. Morris were sharing sleeping quarters. Prime Commander KydEL and his brother were staying two doors down. TarAK and SilAS were staying across the corridor from Captain Malone. The other two Katieran medics were given quarters on the other side of Captain Malone.
It was hard not to like the young Prima. She was about the same height as Lindsey, five feet, eight inches tall. AriELa was so enthusiastic about everything. There was a light in her eyes that Lindsey hadn’t seen in her own in a very long time. She had such innocence, much like Lindsey’s little sister.
Lindsey felt a bit tarnished at times. She had spent too many years dealing with politics for the EWG. It had dimmed her enthusiasm for life. Add to that one disappointing relationship after another. Men either used her for her body or used her for her political connections. For the past two years, Lindsey had put her personal life on hold. No one had held any interest for her.
It wasn’t until the Katierans came to Earth and she met Prime Leader RendEL that she actually had a relationship with a man other than her father, who didn’t want to take advantage of her, but treated her with respect. How could she not fall a little in love with him? He was a gorgeous, sexy man that was interested in her mind not her body. But that was also the problem. RendEL had never been interested in her romantically as she had been with him. She was happy that he found happiness with Cassie, but felt a deep loneliness. She hoped that by traveling to Kiljor and helping with this alliance, it would give her the distraction that she desperately needed.
Lindsey enjoyed the light conversation at Evening Meal. Prime Leader KadEN had to excuse himself early. Captain Malone didn’t come at all. She noticed that Prime Commander KydEL was preoccupied and he too left early. Both Lindsey and AriELa finished eating and decided to retire. It was the first time she got to be alone with the younger woman.
“Are you excited about seeing Kiljor?” AriELa asked.
“I guess. I would assume that it is much like Katiera since the Kiljorn people are so much like Katierans. Both nations came from the same place right?”
“The Kiljorns had branched off from Katiera many years ago. We split due to conflicts caused by a warring nation called the Morins.”
The Kiljorn Nation and Katieran Nation were negotiating an alliance that would unite the two nations against the Morins. Part of the alliance involved a possible political mating between Prime Leader KadEN and Prima AriELa. AriELa was traveling to KiljOR upon invitation in an effort to sway her favor.
“Are you excited about the mating?” Lindsey asked watching the young woman’s face carefully. She noticed a slight flinch; it was so slight she almost missed seeing it. What was up with that?
“I am open to a possible mating. So far, I have no complaints. KadEN is very handsome and charming. He would make an excellent mate.”
“It doesn’t sound very romantic to me,” Lindsey pointed out. Right before her eyes, the young woman aged years beyond what she actually was.
“Matings, especially political ones, are not always based on the romantic idea of love. To find a true bond mate is very rare. The fact that RendEL has found his is a blessing from the Goddess KatieRI.”
“What is a bond mate?” Lindsey asked her curiously.
“A bond mate is the one person destined to be yours sent by the Gods.”
“Is Prime Leader KadEN your bond mate?”
AriELa shook her head no. She had sadness in her eyes. For the first time, Lindsey felt sorry for the other woman. She was willing to forgo her own happiness to ensure an alliance for her people. Lindsey wasn’t sure she could do something so selfless.
“I wish you luck with it,” Lindsey told her before she went to wash up. She almost missed the quiet sigh that escaped AriELa. There was something definitely up with the girl.
*****
To pass the time, Lindsey and the other women spent time in the training center. It was an area just a little bit smaller than the gym back on Earth. They had something like a treadmill and ropes for climbing. There were hooks spaced along the wall used for climbing.
Captain Malone showed each of the women how to get out of various types of holds and where to place kicks. It helped ease tensions between her and Captain Malone. It was also during one of these sessions that Lindsey noticed something strange.
Security Liaison TarAK tracked them down. He was to act as AriELa’s personal bodyguard. When AriELa missed blocking a punch that Captain Malone, Jaxon, threw, she fell backwards. TarAK went a little bit crazy with concern.
“AriELa!” TarAK stalked their way.
“I’m fine. I just have to concentrate harder.” She got back up to her feet. “Can I try that again?”
Lindsey noted the way TarAK looked at AriELa as if she was spun glass that could break. He clearly idolized her.
“Absolutely NOT!” TarAK declared, running his hands lightly over AriELa’s body to check for injuries.
AriELa swatted his hands away. “I’m fine. And you are not the boss of me. If I want to keep training, I will.” She turned her back on him and faced Jaxon. “Can we do that over again?”
TarAK glared at AriELa. Jaxon offered to pick back up with the training the next day. Lindsey was okay with that. She was starting to ache all over from their strenuous work out.
“I want to get something to eat,” Kat said.
“Me too,” Lindsey agreed. “I worked up quite an appetite.” She made a mental note to question AriELa about what was going on between her and TarAK.
*****
They finally arrived in the Kiljorn Solar System. To Lindsey, Kiljor looked very similar to Earth. Blue water covered most of the planet. There were diverse areas of beaches, mountains, and sandy deserts, with a variety of flowers and plants.
She was ready to get off the shuttle. She had been sitting close to KadEN and AriELa. She tried not to make snide remarks every time the man bragged about how something was better on Kiljor. AriELa talked enthusiastically with KadEN. He was pointing and describing parts of Kiljor that could be seen on the viewing screens to her and Lindsey. While AriELa paid close attention to what he was saying, Lindsey rolled her eyes and turned away.
The closer their shuttle got to the City of Kiljor the more differences Lindsey could see. On Katiera, all the buildings were made of some kind of brick material. On Kiljor, the buildings appeared to be made out of some kind of metallic material. Instead of having a landing field like Katiera, there was a landing platform built on the top of one of the highest buildings.
When they landed, they were taken down to their suites. Lindsey and AriELa shared a suite with the other two women. KadEN had excused himself again to report to the Kiljorn High Council.
Lindsey had hoped for some time away from the Kiljorn Leader. With every meal that she had to endure his presence, made her more aware of him physically. She had to constantly remind herself the man was meant to mate with another woman. She had grown to care for AriELa as a friend.
Lindsey didn’t have very many friends. She could count on one hand the friends she had on Katiera. Her position with the Katieran Nation had required so much of her time, that there was little left for anyone el
se in her life besides her father and sister. She hadn’t spent as much time with her family as she would have liked either. After the alliance negotiations, she planned to change that.
*****
That exasperating man! Lindsey thought. Prime Leader KadEN had been dodging every question Lindsey asked in regards to the alliance details. He treated her like a weak-minded woman. He was going to learn the difference. If Prime Commander KydEL wasn’t there, she would have clobbered the Kiljorn Leader.
“Miss Carreli, perhaps you cannot understand the change we would like to make to the agreement because it is above your comprehension,” Prime Leader KadEN suggested.
“Are you saying that I can’t understand because I am female? Or that I am stupid? Or is it both, that I am just a stupid female?” Lindsey asked with a red face. She was incensed.
KadEN loved making the female mad. She would breathe hard, causing her chest to swell tight against her blouse. Her lovely pale skin shaded pink and she pursed her lips. It made him want to kiss her. He shook his head; he couldn’t allow himself to entertain thoughts like that.
“Enough! We will finish this tomorrow,” Prime Commander KydEL announced loudly ending the meeting.
Lindsey stomped her way back to the suite she was sharing with the other women. She found Jaxon and Kat sitting on the balcony enjoying the view of the nearby mountains. She plopped down on an empty seat. She didn’t say anything, just stared out at the view.
“Are there problems with the alliance negotiations?” Jaxon asked.
“That man is stubborn, cocky, self-important, insulting …” Lindsey could go on and on about the aggravating man.
Jaxon laughed and asked, “Are you talking about Prime Commander KydEL or Prime Leader KadEN?”
“The latter,” Lindsey replied with a pout. “Where is AriELa?”
“She is being given a small tour of the Kiljorn City. TarAK is with her as security. Has anybody else noticed how odd they act around one another?” Jaxon asked “TarAK and AriELa?” Kat questioned.
