by Devi Mara
She felt the prince watching her and tried not to think too much of it.
“Your Majesty?” Agent Jackson said.
She glanced over her shoulder and her gaze met Edric’s for a brief moment before he turned away to follow the agent toward the Oval Office. She could not be sure, but she thought she saw a flash of resignation in his eyes. Frowning, she turned back to the guards.
Konani openly studied her. Her red hair was swept back from her face in a braid that fell over her shoulder. After a moment of eye contact, she looked at the man to her left. Abby’s gaze followed the movement to see Limek and Konani engage in a silent conversation. It ended with Limek raised one eyebrow and nodding.
“Miss Ashley,” Konani said, turning back to her. “Would it be alright if I accompanied the two of you on the tour?” She gestured to her mate.
Abby looked back and forth between the two. Limek’s face showed no expression, his sharp cheekbones and ice blue gaze giving him a severe appearance. She blinked in surprise when his lips suddenly curved up into a small smile, warmth in his gaze. She shrugged.
“Sure.”
She looked over the other guards and saw the same expression. It almost looked like fondness. She mentally shook her head. As if they would like her any more than anyone else.
Konani smiled and glanced over her shoulder at the other guards. She said few words in a language Abby could not understand and the others gave her a sharp nod. Turning back, Konani’s gaze met her mate’s. Limek raised both eyebrows, before he nodded.
Abby was not sure if she was suspicious of all their nonverbal communication or jealous of their closeness. She sighed to herself. Mostly jealous. Konani, seemingly finished communicating with her mate, headed in her direction. It was not until she stopped in front of her, Abby realized the difference in height.
Her head came to the other woman’s nose. She craned her head back to meet her gaze. Konani cocked her head to the side, simply meeting her gaze. After a moment, she nodded and bowed at the waist.
“It’s a pleasure to formally make your acquaintance, Abigail Ashley,” she said in her deep, scratchy voice.
Abby blinked at the show of respect, before quickly bowing in return. “You, too. And just Abby’s fine. Abigail’s way too formal.”
Amusement filled the other warm’s gaze. “Abby, it is. I would be happy to have you call me Konani.”
“Will do.” She peered around the other woman to see Limek still speaking to the other guards in another language.
“Is that your native language?”
“Ghad,” Konani nodded.
“It’s pretty,” she said before she could stop herself.
Konani smiled. “You are funny. I can see the draw,” she said cryptically.
Limek joined them before Abby could ask her what she meant. He stood close enough to Konani for their shoulders to brush.
“We are ready to begin, Abigail Ashley.”
She nodded and started to turn away. “Oh, right.” She looked back at him. “Feel free to call me Abby. No one calls me Abigail.”
He nodded. “Understood.”
She smiled and turned away. “We’ll start on the bottom floor.”
Even as she said it, she was not entirely sure how to get to the main entrance from where they were. She slipped the White House Tours map from her inner jacket pocket, as she led the two down the hall. At the end, she realized she was going the wrong direction.
“Well, this is the end of the hallway.” She gestured, as if she meant to show them nothing.
From Konani’s mildly amused stare, she was sure they knew more about the layout of the building than she did. Which begged the question of why they would want a tour. She frowned and turned to face them. They watched her expectantly, and her curiosity got the best of her.
“How long have you two been together, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Eighty years,” Konani said.
Abby felt like her eyes were bugged out of her face. “Seriously?”
She looked them over carefully, and noticed they did seem older than Edric. Closer to mid-forties.
“Yes. Limek approached me earlier than is custom.” She sent him a small smile. “Though he was very accomplished.”
Fascinated, Abby could not keep herself from questioning the woman. “So, what kind of offering did he give?”
Konani gave her a smile that could only be called a smirk. “He built me a house.”
Abby’s eyebrows shot up. She glanced at Limek. “Why?”
“She wanted one,” Limek said.
“Wow.” She looked back and forth between Konani’s amused face and Limek’s expressionless one. “That sure beats how we date.”
Konani let out a surprised bark of laughter. “I cannot imagine courting more than once. It seems tiring.”
Abby shrugged. “Can be.”
“Go ahead,” Konani said, rightfully assuming she had far more questions about the topic.
“Really? You don’t mind? I don’t want to be nosey.”
Limek cocked his head to the side, and she wondered if it was a gesture he had picked up from Konani or the other way around.
“There is no shame in curiosity. Please ask your questions,” he said.
She smiled. “So how did you know she was your arammu?”
She could tell by his expression, he was expecting the question. “I was drawn to her.”
“Oh.” She had expected something a little more mystical. “So, it’s an attraction thing.”
Konani laughed. “If that were true, we would court like humanity.” She shook her head. “No, it is science and math that draws the mates together.”
“Calculations?” The conversation was moving in the opposite direction of romance. Abby sighed.
“Not the kind you are accustomed to,” Konani said. She glanced at Limek and he picked up where she left off.
“We became aware of the arammu bond by accident several millennia ago. We noticed that while all of matter is composed of atoms, they do not all act alike. When the atoms in two people vibrate at the same frequency, we call them arammu.”
Konani nodded. “But, it’s more than that. We noticed the bond between the atomic particles ran far deeper. It affected the personality, making the two complement each other. It even created a system to let the male know when he had found his mate.”
“Not the female?” Abby questioned.
“That is part of the reason our society developed as a matriarchy. He asks, she accepts.” Konani smiled slightly. “I, personally, did not have the time to spend on pursuit. I was pleased to leave it to Limek.”
Abby followed her gaze to the raised eyebrow on Limek’s face. She suppressed a smile and glanced around.
“I should give you that tour, now.” She looked back the way they had come and gestured in that direction. “Shall we?”
The two of them nodded in in unison.
“Lead the way, Abby,” Konani said pleasantly.
Abby lead the way down the hallway, pausing at the doorway to the Roosevelt Room.
“This is one of the conference rooms. It’s named after both Roosevelt’s and was Theodore Roosevelt’s office in 1903.” She glanced up from her tour guide to see the two Ghadrikans watching her. “He’s my favorite president.”
Konani nodded. “Agreed.”
Abby nodded and lead the way around the corner toward the main residence.
“Do you know a lot about American history?” Abby glanced over her shoulder to look at the other woman.
“Earth history is a hobby of mine, so I know a little,” Konani said.
Limek made a sound in the back of his throat that sounded suspiciously like a suppressed laugh.
“She is being modest,” Limek said with a soft look toward his mate. “She is very knowledgeable about all human history.”
Abby looked at Konani with interest. “Really? What’s your favorite part of history?”
Konani straighten
ed her spine, making the two inch difference between her and her mate a more pronounced four inches. She sent Limek a sly grin.
“I have a certain fondness for the warrior queens of Africa.”
Abby gave her a quick once over, taking in her strong stance and armor clad body. “That makes sense.”
She turned to continue down the hallway, the other two falling in behind her. She stopped at the next doorway on her right.
“This is the Cabinet Room. A meeting room for the president and the members of his cabinet to meet and discuss business.”
She noticed the mildly disgusted look on Konani’s face at the mention of the president, but she chose to ignore it. She had no great love for the man, but she knew who was signing her paycheck.
“The Rose Garden is just out that window. In fact, we should probably go out that way.” She left out the part about how she had no idea how to navigate the interior hallways to get them to the main residence.
She led them around the long table that dominated the room and out a set of French doors. The weather was warm enough to make the stroll down the open air walkway pleasant instead of horrible. She had noticed the weather in the capital was a mercurial as the politics.
They reentered the building near the kitchen, pausing at the doorway to give the couple a chance to look around. Konani seemed interested in the kitchen’s inner workings, her eyes following the cooks around the large room.
“It is strange to see food being prepared with fire,” Konani murmured.
Abby glanced at her. “How do you cook in Ghadrik?”
Limek’s lips twitched. “She does not cook. Neither the earth way nor our own.”
Konani frowned at him, but her lips curved. “You’ll pay for that later,” she muttered, before turning back to Abby. “The particles are vibrated until they reach the desired temperature.”
“Huh,” Abby commented thoughtfully. Interesting.
She started to lead them from the room, when the same two cooks from breakfast entered the kitchen. They moved to the far wall to put away their jackets. Christian turned first, still fiddling with his apron ties. He smiled when he saw her, before his eyes slid to the couple beside her. He blinked owlishly.
Sophie turned around, her lips moving quickly. She froze when she saw the three of them. Abby frowned. Sure, they were not local, but that was no reason to stare. She found herself getting offended on the couple’s behalf. Her thoughts stalled when the two cooks quickly crossed the room and bowed.
“Gibil Konani,” they said in unison.
Abby’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Do you know each other?” She glanced back and forth between the two couples.
Konani nodded to the two cooks and after saying a quick acknowledgement of Limek, they returned to work.
“Yes,” Konani said. “Should we continue the tour?”
Abby raised her eyebrows at the attempt a changing the topic. “How do you know them?”
Konani gave her a long look and seemed to realize she was not going to let it go. She gestured for Abby to follow her out into the hallway.
“They are from the prince’s personal culinary staff,” Konani told her once the three of them had left the kitchen behind.
Abby stared at her, all the possibilities going through her mind. Her position forced her to ask, “Is the president aware?”
“Yes,” Limek answered. “It was part of a preliminary agreement.”
“What do you mean? I thought the first meeting was a week ago?” She put her hands on her hips.
“The president demanded a gesture of goodwill. The prince sent the customary gift. Ghadrikan food and drink, with member of his staff to prepare the offering.”
Abby tried to think of a way to phrase her question without being rude. “And Ghadrikan food is…good?”
Limek huffed out a laugh.
Konani smiled and nodded. “Yes, but it is better known for its regenerative power.”
“Talk about manna from heaven,” Abby muttered. “Okay,” she said louder. “So, it has healing properties?”
“It prevents and repairs the breakdown of the body by disease and time.”
Abby frowned. “And you gave it to us?”
Giving humanity an abnormally long lifespan seemed like a recipe for mass genocide and World War III. Not a choice she would have made, but she was sure the prince had his reasons. She would have offered a gift basket.
She started down the hall toward the library. She pointed out the Map Room, Diplomatic Room, and China Room as they passed them. She gestured for them to proceed her into the room.
“This room has been a laundry room and a waiting room. It didn’t become The Library until 1935,” she read from the tour guide.
After a quick walk around the room the couple returned to her and she lead them across the hall. She noticed Konani seemed interested in the portraits of the First Ladies that hung in the corridor.
“Do you have a favorite?” the other woman asked, as they stepped into The Vermeil Room.
Abby glanced down at the guide and nodded. “Yes, and she’s in this room.” She pointed to the wall left of the door where Eleanor Roosevelt’s portrait hung.
Konani moved to stand beside her, the two of them looking at the painting while Limek wandered around the room.
Abby opened her mouth to comment on the painting, when the sound of quickly approaching footsteps reached them. Limek was at Konani’s side before the owner of the shoes reached the doorway. She smiled at the two of them.
The appearance of Agent Jackson’s frowning face was enough to wipe the smile off her face.
“Miss Ashley, please take our guests to The Rose Garden. The president has invited the prince and his company to luncheon.”
He turned and left without waiting for her to answer. She shook her head. Rude.
Chapter Four
Courtship Dance
“Courtship consists in a number of quiet attentions, not so pointed
as to alarm, nor so vague as not to be understood.”
- Lawrence Sterne
He was siting straight across the table from her. In the bright sunlight, he was even more handsome. She mentally kicked herself for even thinking it.
“So,” she said awkwardly, “are we having your favorites?” She watched in fascination as his lips curved up into the sexiest smile she had ever seen. She was in so much trouble.
“A few.” His eyes nearly met hers, before he aborted the action. His eyes scanned the garden behind her. “I believe we are having chocolate cheesecake for dessert.”
She sat up in her chair. “That’s my favorite.”
He nearly met her eyes, again. “Is it?” Something about his tone made her suspect he already knew.
She could not suppress her smile.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” the president said, as he strode through the doors of the Cabinet Room.
She noticed the prince’s guards shifting in place. The Secret Service agents noticed as well, as they became even tenser. The agents watched the guards like they were rabid animals, poised to attack at any moment. Abby found herself getting irritated on their behalf.
She turned her gaze away from them to watch the president take the seat at the head of the table, the prince to his right. She looked back and forth between the two men. The president’s face held a smug half smile, triumph in every movement he made. She glanced at the prince to see his eyes narrowed at the table top.
He did not look at the president, but he radiated tension. The meeting had clearly not gone his way. She wondered why he would deal with the man if he disliked him so much. It was odd. The president’s voice cut off her train of thought.
“Your Majesty, would you mind if Miss Ashley joins us for lunch?”
She blinked at him. She thought she was already invited. Glancing at Agent Jackson, she saw him watching the prince carefully.
“I don’t mind,” the prince answered, tonelessly.
She mental
ly flinched. “I can grab something in the kitchen. I don’t want to intrude.” She started to rise, when the prince raised his head to look at her.
“Please, stay,” he said, the intensity in his gaze matching his words.
She stared at him. “You’re sure?”
He nodded silently.
“Okay.” She looked at the president. “Should I take notes?”
He was watching the prince. “I don’t think that will be necessary, Miss Ashley.”
After she settled back in her seat, the table fell into a tense silence. She occupied herself by watching the behavior of those around her. The president was definitely pleased about something. The smirk had not left his face once since he had stepped outside. Agent Jackson stood behind him on the right.
She caught him sending unreadable looks toward the guards, Konani in particular. She frowned. Konani was the prince’s head advisor. She looked at the tall redhead to see her face set in an emotionless mask. Limek, on the other hand, was showing his displeasure with an even more severe look than usual.
“Miss Ashley.”
She jerked her attention to the president, who was staring at her. She looked around to see everyone had turned to look at her.
“I’m sorry. What were you saying, sir?”
His eyes slid to the prince and back to her, so fast she thought she imagined it. “I asked if you would show the ambassador the gardens.”
Her eyes widened. “Um…” She could see the prince watching her from the corner of her eye. “I’m not sure that’s-“
“Miss Ashley,” he cut her off. “Show our guest the garden.” It was no longer a request.
Nervousness bubbled in her stomach, but she forced a smile. Alone with the prince. This was going to be a nightmare of stuttering and blushing. She rose from her chair with what she hoped was gracefulness and nodded to the prince. He smiled faintly and rounded the end of the table, falling into step with her.
“I’m sorry I don’t know anything about the gardens.”
She wracked her mind for something to say that would not make her sound like an idiot. They passed roses of every shade, bright yellows and pretty pinks, and still the prince stayed silent. It was not until they were out of sight of the lunch gazebo, he turned his head to look down at her.
