by Lisa Lace
Avren’s voice sounded so guilty that it brought me out of my haze. “It’s not your fault. I’m the screwup here. Well, me and Jayne both. I’ve made mistakes. Now I have to pay the price.�
“I could have hidden it, and no one would have known.� He dropped onto the couch beside me.
“They would have known when the baby was born.� Acknowledging the child’s existence out loud felt strange. Our daughter might never enter the world.
“What will Father do? You were so happy with her.�
I tilted my head, looking at my brother. “Was I?�
He nodded. “I’ve never seen you ecstatic before. I was too young to remember Mom when she died. But I can’t forget the sadness I saw in you and Dad. I don’t remember you ever acting as you have during the last few weeks.�
“It’s not your fault. Someone would have discovered it eventually. In time, Father would have found out, too. The tech was the one who accidentally revealed sensitive information. You did me a favor by telling me before Father sprang it on me unexpectedly. That would have been a sticky situation. Now that I know, I’m sure everything’s going to be okay.�
Avren seemed convinced, but I wasn’t sure at all. I didn’t know if anything was ever going to be okay again.
“If you say so.� He rose to his feet. “I’m sorry about this, Arnon. I hope everything works out with Jayne.�
The sound of her name felt like a punch in the stomach. Had she hidden this from me? Why would she do that? Had she actually been after me for my family’s wealth? The idea seemed so far from what I knew of Jayne that it was laughable. But the fact that she had hidden something from me tainted all aspects of our relationship.
I suddenly felt like I didn’t know her at all. She had acted betrayed when I had told her my secret. In reality, she was hiding something just as big. What a hypocrite. I felt my heart hardening toward her.
Maybe our marriage wasn’t going to work after all. Secrets, lies, and deception were no foundation for a union.
Avren said it looked like she had hidden something. I hadn’t asked what he meant. I got up to follow him down the hall before he went too far away.
When I opened the door, my father stood in front of me, hand raised and about to knock. “My formerly steadfast and level-headed son. You’re just the person I wanted to see.�
“Hello, Father. Won’t you come in?�
He gazed at me. “I see that your brother’s told you already.�
“We talked before you arrived.� I hadn’t spoken to my Father since he had insulted Jayne and said that she wasn’t good enough for me. I wondered where our conversation was going to lead today.
“I assume you know that she’s a carrier of the gene.�
“Yes.�
“You won’t be able to divorce her, but there are other options. We can set her up on the island.�
“I’m not following your train of thought.�
“She can live at the summer house, and you can live at the palace. We’ll find another woman for you.�
“For what? My harem?�
“You won’t be as happy as if you had a proper relationship but it will be better than nothing.�
“Are you suggesting that my wife and I live apart?�
“You can’t have temptation sleeping in your bed.� He wasn’t looking at me.
“And other women, who weren’t my wife, would carry my children?�
“Of course! Don’t stay with her now. It is a pointless exercise to producing children with biologically impure females. What would people think if the crown prince himself wasn’t following the rules?�
Finally, I understood. Father was afraid of looking bad. “I’m not divorcing Jayne.� A moment earlier, I had been wondering how I could stay married to her. But I couldn’t let her go like that. We had both lied. We could admit it to each other and begin again. We wouldn’t have to give anything up without giving love a chance.
“Of course you are. If you don’t, I shall have to change your mind.�
I stared at him, wondering what had happened to the man I thought I knew.
“Are you threatening me?�
“Call it what you want.�
“So you want me to abandon Jayne and get over her? That’s a good idea. How’s that going for you?�
He froze.
“Have you forgotten Mom yet or met someone new?�
He dropped the mask from his face. I saw raw pain in his eyes as if it were only a moment ago when he discovered Mom was dead. Our staring contest didn’t last long as he quickly averted his gaze.
“No. I’ve never stopped thinking about your mother.�
“How can you tell me to do something that you can’t? I’m not going to forget Jayne if you send her away. Do you want me to end up like you?�
He lifted his head, eyes blazing. I thought he was going to tear into me for insulting him, but he chose this time to surprise me once again.
“I don’t want you to be anything like me. If you were, you would know how miserable I’ve been since your mother died. I’m not a monster.� He sat down slowly on my couch.
I felt like I didn’t recognize him anymore. “I don’t think you’re a monster.� I sat next to him.
“I don’t believe you. In some ways, I am a terrible person. But everything I do is for the good of Auxem. I must save our people, Arnon. They’re all I have left.�
I glared at him. “I’m right in front of you. You have five sons who would like to have their father back.� I choked up a bit and felt like I had when I was a little boy, wishing someone would comfort me when I learned my mother wasn’t coming back. “You might be a grandfather soon. I bet those kids would love to meet the man who was my hero until Mom died.�
He stared at his clasped hands. “I don’t know if that man exists anymore. I think he died with her.�
“I don’t believe that.� I pressed my lips together in dissatisfaction.
He looked up at me, and I watched as my father disappear, replaced by my king. “That’s beside the point. You can’t have children with a woman carrying the gene. You know that.�
“Isn’t there a way to work this out?�
“I don’t see any possibilities.� It looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. “We’ll get her set up in a separate suite tomorrow. When we get to Auxem, she can live at the summer residence while you remain at the palace. Problem solved. I’m sorry, but it’s how it has to be. I warned you that nothing good would come from marrying that girl. We’ll find you another woman in the next shipment.�
I couldn’t fight against my father when he appeared to understand me. When he was an asshole, resisting him was easy. But he had made himself vulnerable to me for the first time in years. How was I supposed to go against him?
I couldn’t abandon Jayne, but I wasn’t allowed to stay with her either.
He walked out the door and as it began to close, I called after him. “We’re not finished, Father.�
As the doors slid shut, I heard his answer. “Yes, we are.�
JAYNE
I had been so busy that I hadn’t checked my BioScan in days. All of the women were supposed to do daily checks and upload their information immediately. I should have set a good example for everyone, but I had been remiss. The damn thing
had been beeping off and on for the past day. I had ignored it, having other, more important things to do.
It was one of the most advanced health monitors in the galaxy. I hoped it had made a mistake this time because now that I had finally checked myself, I couldn’t believe the results. I tapped frantically at the display as my information began uploading into the networked computers, hitting the Cancel button. Nobody could know about my results.
At that moment, Arnon walked in. “I have some bad news.� He kept his distance from me. I had bad news too, but what else could have gone wrong?
“That seems to be the theme for today. What’s happening?�
“Someone made a mistake when they tested you. You carry the H4T7 gene. My father says we’ll have to separate. You’ll have a living space on the other side of the ship. We won’t have any more contact. We’ll still be married and bonded, but apart from each other.�
“That sounds worse than divorce.� I stared at his wooden face. “You wouldn’t have any offspring. What about fulfilling your duty to save your race?�
“We will have other women impregnated with my seed. What I want to know is why you were hiding this from me. I understand that you wanted to get into the program, but was there something special about me? Were you just a gold digger after all?�
“Do you think that I married you for your money?� I felt so flabbergasted that I couldn’t even be angry.
“That’s how it looks, don’t you think?�
“It didn’t take long for this perfect marriage to fall apart.� A feeling of bitterness was quickly overtaking my shock.
“I guess not,� he said coldly.
“We’re over then? Just like that?�
“Can you give me a reason why we shouldn’t be?�
I swallowed hard. Was my marriage ending only weeks after it began? “I’m pregnant,� I blurted out.
I didn’t intend to say anything. In fact, in the back of my mind, I had already contemplated leaving and never telling Arnon that I was carrying our child. I didn’t have any clue about how to handle an adolescent in agony because their wings were coming out, but that was a problem for the future. I just needed to get through the next few minutes.
He had been expressionless before, but that changed quickly. “What?� His voice sounded demanding, and his eyes blazed with fire.
“I haven’t done my scans for a while. I finally got around to doing one today. It says I’m carrying a baby.�
“Fuck.�
“That’s a lovely sentiment.� I felt a rush of anger even though he was only expressing the way I had felt the moment I saw the results on the screen. I was in no mood to be magnanimous or understanding. “What are we supposed to do?�
“How far along are you?�
“Only a few days.� I wasn’t sure where he was going.
“Maybe we can find a surrogate to carry my baby for me.�
“I thought this was our baby.�
“How would a child from Auxem survive on Earth by themselves?�
“They wouldn’t be alone. They would have me.�
“And what good would that do them when it’s time to teach them to fly?�
I stared at him as his hurtful comment sunk into my brain and ripped up my heart. Did he think I couldn’t take care of this child because I didn’t have wings?
“Are you suggesting that I give up my child to you and another woman?� I had to have everything spelled out for me.
He faltered, looking miserable, guilty, and angry all at once. “You don’t have to get upset. I only suggested it as a solution to the problem.�
“The baby isn’t the problem. You are. You and your planet.� I squinted at him. “I can’t believe this is happening to me.�
For the first time, he stepped toward me. “Jayne.� But I didn’t want him to touch me.
“Are we still together?�
“My father’s arranging some things for you.�
“And you’re letting him.� I stared blankly at the man I had once loved, feeling like he was a stranger.
“I don’t think I can stop him.� He held my eyes for a moment before he left the room.
Arnon was not who I had thought he was when I married him. And now I was in trouble without any help or support.
I lifted my chin. I would get through this. I would raise this winged baby alone. I was a Lynch, and I was strong. But I wished I didn’t have to be.
Chapter Eighteen
ARNON
“You suggested she could have the embryo implanted in a surrogate?� The expression on Ayrie’s face confirmed my worst fears. “I don’t know everything about Jayne, but I’m sure she wouldn’t have a good reaction to that suggestion.�
“I was going crazy. I couldn’t stop thinking about how Jayne kept information about the gene from me. I was confused about my conversation with Father. I should have stood up to him, but I didn’t, and I wasn’t thinking clearly. I thought I was going to figure out what we were going to do together.�
Ayrie folded his arms across his chest and shook his head. “You ended up telling her to give up her child, leave you, and go home?�
“Yeah. I didn’t think I would say that.�
He came over and put a hand on my shoulder. “I’d like to point out that you didn’t have total confirmation that Jayne was intentionally deceiving you. You need to calm down. You’re not going to let her go, are you?�
“What else can I do?�
“The solution seems obvious to me. You can tell Father no.�
“I don’t think so. I’m the crown prince. I have to agree with him.�
“Not this time. You said yourself that Father understands what it will be like for you to live without her. He’s the one who has to give in this time. Otherwise, you’re going to lose her, Arnon. If you live apart from her that will be the dumbest thing you’ve ever done. We all agree that Jayne is right for you. Don’t blow it.�
“That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have to go head to head with Father over this.�
He made a dismissive motion with his hand. “I challenge him all the time. It’s not as hard as you imagine.�
I sighed. Ayrie didn’t understand that it wasn’t merely difficult for me. It was impossible. I was powerless to stop him from sending my wife away.
JAYNE
I needed help. Someone who never followed the rules, and didn’t care about authority. If they happened to be a pilot, that would be nice too.
Anders.
It took a few minutes of searching on a computer, but eventually I found him in the public lounge on level four. He was sitting by himself, drinking and watching a monitor.
“Can I talk to you privately?�
He gestured toward the seat beside him at the table. “What can I do for you?�
“Can you help get me off this ship?�
He froze for a second with a bottle halfway to his mouth, then deliberately put it down. “Maybe you should start from the beginning.�
I explained everything as quickly as I could, and he began to look uncomfortable. “I don’t know. I don’t think this is a good idea.�
“No one’s going to force me to give up my child. Are you going to help me?�
“I’m sure they wouldn’t make you do anythi
ng. You’re putting me in a tough position.�
“All you have to do is pilot a ship and program it to use the autopilot back to Earth. I’ll call Arnon and explain. I won’t mention that anyone helped me.�
“Unless you took a year of flight training, everyone will know you had assistance.�
“Will it matter? They’re going to separate us, anyway. But this way, I can negotiate a settlement on my terms, and they won’t be able to take my baby.�
“Who is they, by the way?�
“Arnon and your father.�
“You think he wants to steal a child from his wife?�
“That’s what he said.�
Anders stared into my eyes. At that moment, he looked so much like his brother that I blinked in surprise. “It’s hard for me to believe that anything you’re telling me about my brother is true.�
“Why wouldn’t you believe me?�
“You wouldn’t know it, but Arnon was different before he met you. He never used to smile. He was always so serious that he wouldn’t even laugh at my jokes. I’m the funny one in this family. Now it’s like he is a different person, and the person is someone I remember from when I was a boy.� He smiled so sweetly that I could hardly believe he was supposed to be a troublemaker. “Why would he give that up? He loves you.�
“He might have loved me once. But he’s acting differently now, and I don’t know if I can trust him. He didn’t mean to tell me about the pain that comes with your wings.�
Anders’ face went white. “You know about that?�
“If I didn’t before, it’s certain now, thanks to you. I saw Arnon putting them away, and he told me everything.�
“Well, that changes things a little bit. You know what? Maybe you’re right. It’s a good idea for you to go. I’ll even help you. Is that okay?�
I frowned. I had thought Anders would protest a little more, but he had agreed to help me. I needed him.
