Blood Law

by Dominique Adair

  Counselor Boock stepped forward and elbowed the short man out of the way. “Come, Prince Zane, let us indulge in refreshments and discussion.” He gave Zane a broad smile. “Your reputation in the galaxy is legendary and together we might be able to rectify this dreadful situation.”

  Without a backward glance at Ilsa, Zane followed the flowing brown robes of the Counselor. Finally, he’d get straight answers.

  * * * * *

  Ilsa had never felt more unwanted in her life.

  For the first time ever, her advisors were ignoring virtually everything she said. Granted, she’d barely been able to squeeze in a word as Zane was throwing questions at them left and right. Every time she opened her mouth, she’d received a cool response with as few syllables as possible.

  On one hand, she couldn’t blame her Counselors for adopting a dismissive attitude with her. If she’d sent one of her Corporals on an important mission where thousands of lives were at stake and they’d screwed it up as she had, she’d strip him of his rank faster than he could repeat his name and military number. After that she’d ship him to the Vineria, the farthest outreaches of their lands where he’d be charged with tending herds of fuzzy Caseis, the goat-like creatures that provided wool for the Shanart weavers.

  But that didn’t change the fact that she was the Queen of the Shanart, their leader. They should at least listen to her.

  “So you’ll contact your brother about sending forces to help us regain control of our lands and stop these invasions?” Counselor Shadras asked.

  Zane nodded. “I’ll contact Loren immediately and we can have a legion here in two days, three at the most.”

  “We would be most grateful—” Counselor Rachmin spoke.

  “What I don’t understand is why didn’t you contact us before now?” Zane asked. “We could have sent assistance months ago.”

  “We did,” Ilsa broke in. “We petitioned the Unified Council more than a star year ago and received no response. We sent multiple holo-messages then resorted to messengers…men who never returned from their missions.”

  He shook his head. “We never received any communications from your planet.”

  “Then what happened to my messengers?” Agitated, Ilsa rose from her chair and began to pace. “Who could have intercepted them? We sent at least a dozen messages to the Council and several to your brother in particular. I don’t understand how this could have happened.”

  “Ilsa.” Zane rose and stepped in front of her. “I’ll look into it personally.” She shivered as his pale blue gaze moved over her face. “You can trust me. I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  She swallowed hard, suddenly exhausted. Ever since the first Mengalor attack months ago, she’d been working long days and had been terrified half out of her mind more often than not. For a moment, she wanted nothing more than to hand the responsibility of the welfare of her people to someone else for a change. Let them worry while she took a long nap. Zane’s broad shoulders would fit the bill perfectly.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Their gazes met and a slow tingle ignited low in her belly. Heaven help her, she still wanted this man.

  “We still have another issue to settle, Prince Zane,” Counselor Rachmin interrupted.

  Ilsa jumped and her cheeks burned. What had she been thinking? Zane’s expression was unfazed and he caught her hand and raised it to his lips. A shiver ran down her arm when he kissed her knuckles.

  “What might that be, Counselor?” His gaze didn’t leave hers.

  “The matter of our pregnant Queen,” he said. “You’ll have to marry her. It’s the proper thing to do.”

  Stunned, she pulled away from Zane and shook her head. “There’s no need to marry now. Prince Zane has agreed to help us and he’s an honorable man. He’ll do as he’s promised—”

  “You’re still pregnant with my child,” Zane said.

  “But you don’t want to marry me,” she said, desperate to stop the looming disaster. “You don’t even like me.”

  “It doesn’t matter what I want, does it, Princess? You took this decision away from me the moment you drugged me and stole my ship.” His expression turned hard. “You’re pregnant with my child and I’ll not allow him to grow up with the stain of illegitimacy on his soul.”

  “What if it’s a her?” she shot back.

  He leaned toward her and his tone was silky. “Then I hope she doesn’t have your temperament—”

  “Not to mention the fact that your child,” Counselor Boock interrupted, “is the future ruler of the Shanart, Queen Ilsa. In order to assure a smooth ascension to the throne, you must marry Prince Zane. Without that binding contract, one of your cousins is sure to challenge the succession. The Laws of Blood as laid down by the UC are very clear on this matter.”

  “You must do it for the sake of the royal family,” Shadras spoke. “Your family has ruled for over a thousand years and it is your duty to protect that legacy for future generations.”

  Inside Ilsa wanted to start screaming and never stop. All of her life she’d been schooled to do her duty and never shirk her sacred responsibility. She and her family had sacrificed everything, even their lives for their clan. It struck her as being unreasonable that she was being asked to sacrifice yet again when it wasn’t strictly necessary. The Prince had promised to help them…

  Her head swam and her knees wobbled and, for the first time in her life, she thought she might just faint.

  Zane took her arm and she could hear him speaking, though she had no idea what he was saying. Before she knew it, he’d ushered her into a chair, then unceremoniously shoved her head down between her knees. After a few minutes, the shaking had passed and she began to feel better. She raised her head.

  “Are you okay?” Zane leaned against the Council table, his arms crossed over his broad chest. While his posture was relaxed, his expression was anything but.

  Ilsa tipped her head back against the chair. “What do you want from me, Zane? We’re virtually strangers and I’ve wronged you terribly. What would be an acceptable arrangement to you?”

  “We’ll marry. I’ve informed your advisors and they’re procuring a cleric to perform the ceremony. Once that’s complete, I’ll contact Loren and we’ll move to deal with the threat from the Mengalors.”

  Her eyes filled with tears and she looked away. She didn’t deserve this…didn’t deserve his kindness. She’d treated him badly from the beginning and he was riding to her rescue.

  She sniffed. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “How about yes?” His tone was amused. “I won’t lie to you, Princess. We’re strangers to each other in all but the most elemental sense. There’ll be plenty of bumps in the road ahead, but we’ll work our way through them.”

  Ilsa gave him a watery smile, then scrubbed her cheeks with her palms to dry them. She was lucky she’d kidnapped a man with a soul, as a cruel man could have taken advantage of her in this untenable situation.

  She forced a bright smile that she didn’t quite feel. “I guess the answer is yes, then.”

  Chapter Five

  Something wasn’t quite right.

  Zane watched the Counselors as they assembled for the wedding. The three men stood in a row on the right side of the room. Counselors Shadras and Boock were smiling and chatting as the room filled with members of the royal household. Counselor Rachmin looked as if he’d just swallowed something unpleasant. His gaze was contemptuous as it moved over the crowd.

  Next to him was an armed guard and the Counselor leaned toward him and made some sort of hand gesture that was partially concealed by the voluminous sleeve of his robe. The guard caught the movement and gave the Counselor a quick nod then exited the room as if his heels were on fire.

  The back of Zane’s neck prickled.

  He cursed his weapon-less state. For proprieties’ sake, both Shadras and Boock had insisted his sidearms be removed for the duration of the ceremony. Propriety be damned, his warrior�
��s instincts had never led him wrong and they were telling him something bad was brewing. He wouldn’t relax until he was fully armed and had dispatched the message to his brother.

  Ilsa stood by his side, relaxed for the first time since they’d met. She was smiling as she chatted to a dark-skinned Algehi woman dressed in red silk from head to toe.

  When Zane turned, the stranger offered him a formal curtsey. “I wish you happiness in your marriage.” Her voice was low and sensual and she gave him a bright smile when he bowed in return.

  “I thank you, Mistress, for your good wishes.” He took Ilsa’s hand and rubbed his thumb over her fingers. Her skin was cold.

  A short man dressed in the gray and black robes of a cleric rushed into the room, his cheeks ruddy from his haste. “Excuse me, Your Highness,” he panted. “I was administering to the ailing this morning and it took a while for the messenger to find me.”

  Ilsa gave the man a soft smile. “It’s fine, Father Bregard, no harm is done. The sick must come first.”

  He swiped his sleeve over his forehead and fairly beamed at his Queen. “Well said, Your Highness.” He bowed. “If you’ll permit me, we can begin immediately.”

  Ilsa glanced at Zane and he nodded.

  “Please, whenever you’re ready, Father,” she said.

  Father Bregard opened an ancient, black leather book then motioned for the spectators to quiet down. As he chanted the familiar words of the marital ceremony, Zane forced his attention away from Counselor Rachmin and onto the little cleric. Within a few minutes and with little input from either he or Ilsa, they were bound, married in the eyes of the Shanart people, Universal god and, most importantly, the Unified Council.

  Shouts sounded as he touched his lips to hers. He felt her smile against his mouth and slid his arm around her waist to give her a quick, one-armed hug. A sense of rightness descended upon him.

  She’s mine.

  Before he could fully grasp that thought, the crowd surged forward to congratulate them. In the next few chaotic moments, Zane was thumped on the back so many times he thought he’d be bruised come the morrow.

  He accepted a glass of Dryian wine and out of the corner of his eye he saw the guard that Counselor Rachmin had spoken to enter the room. He made a beeline for the Counselor’s side and whispered something in his ear. Counselor Rachmin nodded and, for the first time, he smiled and Zane’s skin crawled. The guard handed the Counselor a small wrapped bundle, which he quickly secreted within his robes.

  It was time to move.

  He caught Ilsa’s hand as Father Bregard tried to pull her to the side. He dipped his head and whispered in her ear, “We need to send that message to my brother.”

  She smiled at the Father and gently removed his hand from her arm. “Of course. We can go through here.”

  She led him to an arched doorway. The guard standing in front of the door opened it and saluted as they passed.

  “The communications center is down here—”

  “Queen Ilsa!” They turned to see Counselor Shadras bustling toward them. “I’ve just been informed that the communications system is down. They’re having some sort of intermittent electrical problem. It could be a storm in the upper atmosphere.” He shrugged. “They said it might take the rest of the day and evening to fix it.”

  Over his shoulder, Zane caught sight of Counselor Rachmin hovering in the background. The Counselor’s eyes widened when he realized Zane watched him and he quickly masked his surprise. With a false smile pasted on his homely face, he gave Zane a small nod before he moved out of view.

  Something definitely wasn’t right.

  * * * * *

  Given the hasty circumstances, Ilsa was impressed with the wedding banquet that had been prepared. She and Zane sat at the head table that was piled high with dirty dishes. Zane had supped on only a single glass of freeze-dried, reconstituted blood while she’d gorged herself silly on roasted fowl, fresh greens and roasted baby potatoes.

  She ran her hand over her abdomen and a tiny thrill snaked down her spine. They were so close to ensuring the safety of her clan. This had to work…it just had to. Before her, the members of her household celebrated the marriage of their Queen and for the first time in almost a year they were optimistic about the future, thanks to her new husband.

  Husband.

  Her stomach gave a nervous twist. During the time they’d been planning this mission, she’d never given ample thought to actually being married at the end of it. Married…her.

  She looked down at the simple gold band on her finger. Now all they had to do was contact his brother and he’d send the legion, and her people and lands would be safe. Hopefully the Mengalors would realize her people now had skilled protection and back off without starting a war. If they persisted in their attacks and a war began, many more lives would be lost.

  She shuddered and shot a glance at her handsome husband. He was silent beside her and his dark gaze never stopped scanning the crowds as if he were looking for something or someone. She saw nothing out of the ordinary. Her people were feasting, her advisors were at their accustomed table and Counselor Rachmin looked as sour as ever while the other two were as drunk as most everyone else in the room. All was as it should be with the exception of the communications glitch. That was unusual but Counselor Shadras had assured her that it was being worked on. She wouldn’t rest easy until that communication was sent—

  “Ilsa.”

  Zane’s lips brushed her cheek and she turned toward him.

  “Can we send a communication from my ship?”

  She frowned and started to pull back, but he caught her chin with his hand. “Whatever do you—”

  “We’re being watched.”

  She leaned closer and her hand came up to cover his. To anyone in the room, it would appear as if their King and Queen were sharing a private word.

  “Explain yourself,” she hissed.

  “Not here. Can we send a message from my ship? Is the communications system working?”

  She nodded. “It will be once I fix it.”

  “How long will it take?”

  “About an hour, maybe less.”

  “I think we need less.”

  Her pulse jumped and he released her. Their gazes met and she saw he was as serious as she’d ever seen him.

  “Let’s go then.” She started to rise and he stopped her with his hand.

  “Kiss me,” he hissed then rose to his feet.

  She stood and her breath caught as he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into his arms. His mouth descended and she lost herself in his masterful touch. The crowd roared as he possessed her mouth, their tongues tangled, and she leaned into him, her knees suddenly weak.

  Without warning, he broke the kiss and swept her up into his arms. As her feet left the floor, she heard several loud, bawdy comments being shouted from the men and she blushed. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her from the room and into the corridor.

  The hall was deserted and Zane whispered, “Which way?”

  “Left, then right.”

  He swung her to her feet and took her hand, and together they headed down the corridor.

  “You realize they’ll think we’re ravishing each other.” She laughed.

  “That was my plan. I figure I bought us a few hours at least.”

  She struggled to keep up with his long-legged stride. “What’s going on, Zane?”

  He slowed to match his gait to hers. “How much do you know about Counselor Rachmin?”

  She shrugged. “He was one of my father’s trusted advisors and he’s been around since before I was born.” They turned into the corridor that led to the landing bays. “Why?”

  “I believe he’s behind some of what’s going on with the Mengalors. I think he’s the one who’s been hampering your communications to the UC. There might also be someone on the inside of the UC who’s giving him a hand. Call it a feeling, if you will.”

  “I find that hard t
o believe. I mean,” she placed her palm over the palm scanner and the door to the bay opened, “he’s been around forever. What would he have to gain from hurting the people he advises?”

  “You tell me.” As they entered, Zane pulled one of his sidearms from its holster. “Just keep your eyes open as we send the communication. Once the legion has arrived, we’ll see what he’s up to.”

  * * * * *

  It took almost two hours to restore the communications system in the Merry Chase. The moment Ilsa pronounced the system up and running, Zane took the helm. Seating himself in the Captain’s chair, he punched in the coded IS address of his brother’s personal communicator before turning on the mini-cam to record a holo-message. When the green light of the mini-cam flickered on, he spoke.

  “It’s me, brother. I don’t have time to explain, but I need a legion of warriors dispatched to the planet Verison in the Gamma quadrant. There’s an overthrow being planned by the Mengalors against the Shanart and they’re in dire need of assistance. Also, I think there’s someone filtering your messages. Queen Ilsa has assured me she’s sent numerous missives and messengers to ask your support yet none of these messages have gotten through.” He glanced at Ilsa. “Is there anything you wish to add?”

  She gave him a faint smile, her eyes were awash with tears. “Thanks?”

  Zane laughed and pulled her into his lap and in front of the tiny camera. “Brother, this is Ilsa, my wife. Say hello, Ilsa.”

  “Hello, Ilsa,” she parroted with a big watery grin.

  “Watch your back, brother.” Zane hit the STOP button and the camera light switched off.

  “It’s really done, isn’t it?” she whispered.

  “As soon as we send it.” Zane pointed to the SEND button. “Do you want to do the honors?”

  “I’d be honored.” She reached for the button when a voice sounded behind them.

  “I wouldn’t do that, Queen Ilsa. Someone has a blaster pointed at your pretty head.”

  Zane cursed under his breath and swiveled the chair around. Counselor Rachmin stood in the doorway to the Nav Deck. Beside him was the guard from the wedding. His fission blaster was trained on Ilsa.