Raevu

by Lara LaRue

  Reynauld had two bland-looking male underlings with pads in hand accompanying him. They were industriously tapping and poking at their screens.

  Before he got to me, I sat back down at the dining table, putting it between the two of us. The man was barely as tall as me, and his whole face and neck seemed covered in nervous sweat, but harmless-looking or not, I instinctively avoided letting him get too near.

  “Am I interrupting anything?” asked Reynauld. “I thought I heard voices.” His voice was blandly polite, but his little eyes searched my face closely.

  I smiled primly as I picked up my mug. “I was speaking with Geoffrey.”

  “Oh, yes. It’s here for your convenience. Whatever you might like, please let it know. It is supposed to make sure you get it.” Reynauld rubbed his hands together. “Now, on to more important matters.” He smiled unnervingly, and it didn’t reflect in his eyes. “Your fiancé will be here in a matter of hours.”

  I just stared up at him as he stood across the table from me, not taking a seat. “Fiancé?” Wait one goddamn minute. I was supposed to meet these alien guys and talk the whole thing over. How did we go from that to, boom, I’m engaged to some alien I’ve never met?

  “Yes, you shall be married to the ruler of Juhl. That’s whom our Peace Opportunity is centered around. Hopefully, you can produce offspring for their sitting king, and the success will buy us more time to—umm, improve relations between our two people.”

  “Contract? Alien king? None of what you just said makes sense,” I said.

  Geoffrey’s rich voice chimed in. “Ma’am? Sir? I have an incoming transmission from the Juhlian ship. King Raevu would like to speak with you. Do you have a moment?”

  I felt terribly overwhelmed and confused. Who are these people? I knew I had signed up to help the Peace Opportunity Program and apparently, the Juhlian people. But suddenly, nothing made sense, and I just wanted to lie down and sleep again, alone. I needed time to process all this confusing shit.

  Reynauld replied on our behalf. “Yes, Geoffrey. Connect us.”

  I crossed my arms, giving him a dirty look, but the asshole didn’t seem to notice.

  The wall in front of the low couch faded, blurred, and transformed into a projection screen. On that monitor, I saw several men. They were all handsome in an exotic way and definitely fit, but one in particular caught my eye. He was in a business suit similar to Reynauld’s, but much better fitting. He was quite striking, even among the other gigantic men.

  I let my eyes roam over him while he and Reynauld spoke. He seemed very tall. His suit was well-fitted and classically suited to his muscular physique. He was broad-shouldered and slim-hipped, and my eyes traveled up his body to his face. He was fascinating, and I couldn’t look away from him.

  His skin was a deep blue. He was completely hairless, either naturally or through shaving. The mix of his bald head, powerful body, and strong features seemed dangerous and enticing all at the same time. He had brow ridges that were dominant and expressive—over eyes as golden as a cat’s. I suddenly wanted to run my fingers across his ears and over his scalp. Could it be as smooth as it looked?

  Behind him, I saw movement and heads bending toward each other. They were chatting together about us. I smiled to myself, more than a little relieved by that very human behavior. Only, their words were not quite audible, yet I could understand a word here or there.

  How is that possible? This was an alien language. I was human. I had never had contact with this language or culture before. I couldn’t understand their words, could I?

  I sat quietly, watching and listening, trying to learn as much as I could. From Reynauld and this enticing male, I was hearing an argument of sorts, the meaning of which grew clearer as I started to understand more of the alien language.

  They were tossing terms back and forth, the delivery of something, a bad experiment, death and sickness, and agreements being dishonorably broken. As for the muttering behind the really hot alien male, I heard at least two different sorts of opinions.

  One seemed to think I was a “beauty” who would “help them grow” and “give them hope.” And the other was disparaging, “ugly” and “fruitless” were the kindest words they had for me. I couldn’t tell which words were coming from which gathered heads. But I did notice one thing, their leader, the man in the suit, snarled back over his shoulder whenever anyone said anything negative about me, and the belittling voices quickly went silent.

  Suddenly, the man defending me locked eyes with me. I felt an electric warmth run through me again, and I remembered the feeling of being watched, back in the bathroom. This is him, I realized suddenly, my cheeks going warm even as I felt myself start to get turned on. The person I put on that little show for.

  “How do you say your name?” His voice was deep and almost gravelly. He smiled faintly for a moment, and I crossed my legs, suddenly very glad that I was sitting down.

  “Eva. Long 'ee' at the beginning and soft ah sound at the end,” I replied, trying to keep my voice calm.

  “Interesting.” He looked at me thoughtfully. “Your name means ‘dawn’ or ‘hope’ in the language of my ancestors.”

  “I know…” I said. But I didn’t know where that knowledge came from. “What is your name?”

  “Raevumon, but most just call me Raevu.” His mouth twitched at one corner. I had to wonder if he was pulling my leg or not. He was devastatingly attractive, but his nickname sounded a little…silly.

  “Raevumon. It’s a very nice name. I’m glad to meet you,” I said politely as I nodded a quick greeting. I didn’t stand. I still didn’t trust my legs to hold me up just yet.

  “I look forward to meeting you in person, Eva. We’ll be there in less than four of your hours.” That deep, smooth voice sent a small shiver down my neck and back. The gleam in his eye reminded me again of the little performance I had put on for him the day before, and the shiver turned into a long shudder of need.

  Holy shit. What is going on with me? My toes were curling in my shoes.

  “Ma’am, alarm! Alarm!” Geoffrey’s voice broke in, tinged with urgency, and I looked around, startled.

  A loud rumble sounded from the hallway. I could smell smoke filling the chamber as a cloud of dust rolled in and swelled through the room. The four of us immediately started coughing as the noxious waves hit us.

  On the screen, I could hear Raevu barking orders at his men and underlings. I continued to cough and blink my eyes against the roiling smoke. Through the now open doors, I saw several figures in black rush into the chamber. One of them held up a small device and pressed a control. Immediately, Geoffrey’s alarm bell and voice stopped sounding. That couldn’t be a good sign.

  The smoke was making me very weak. I heard someone yell, “You won’t take our women, alien. We won’t let you. They’re ours, you fucking freaks.”

  Rough hands picked me up, tossing me over a shoulder. I kicked and made contact with a sensitive spot, if the man’s curse was any indication. Good. You fucker!

  I lashed out, scratching his skin with my nails and trying to get the mask off his head. Surely, the cameras were recording, and they’d be able to identify him. I felt the rubber mask and filter slide off his face and heard him swear. I fought being carried and manhandled, but the smoke burned weirdly in my lungs, and I quickly grew weaker. I continued struggling before everything went black.

  Chapter 6

  Raevu

  And now, on top of everything else, the humans have allowed my mate to be kidnapped from right under their noses!

  I could sense the warriors around me feeling just as agitated as I was. With more control than I thought I had, I held calm and kept myself still. We stood at the top of the ramp, waiting for the signal that we had finally landed and could lower the doors and descend.

  I was not looking forward to speaking with Ambassador Reynauld in person. That squat, bumbling idiot had made a mess of everything so far. I made a note to have T’ral review the
treaty and find a way to get Reynauld replaced. He had been in the suite when Eva had been taken, and he had done nothing to protect her. He was less than a man in my eyes. He was a coward.

  I felt my anger rising again and went through some breathing exercises to calm myself down. In a moment, I would have to deal with humans who were unused to Juhlian tempers. It wouldn’t do to scare the fools to death when I needed their help to recover Eva.

  I also would be calling a friend from our transport vehicle. Ken had been a minor state official on my very first visit to this planet. His job had been to show me, the Juhlian heir, around, to make sure I had fun, and to keep me out of trouble. He’d done his job well, unlike the idiotic ambassador. After that, Ken and I had formed an instant friendship. I’d heard he’d moved up a few steps on the bureaucratic ladder, and I was tired of going through official channels. The humans had already botched everything. It was time to start calling in favors and dropping names.

  I felt the almost indiscernible thump of the airlock regulating. The hiss of the opening doors cued us to move forward into the sunlight. I’d had the captain open the viewport screens before coming to a full stop, so our eyes would be accustomed to the yellow light from the sun when we emerged. We strode out as a unit.

  A group of humans waited for us. The one in front was not Reynauld. Good. I will not deal with that one any longer. Inept fool.

  This man was almost as tall as my warriors and me and easily as broad. He also wore a “power suit” as crisp and tailored as my own. He held out a hand in greeting. Remembering T’ral’s advice and our previous journeys here, I clasped it with my own and shook it once.

  “Derek Willoughby, sire, at your service. I’m here to take you straight to the president.” He fell into step beside me. I heard a grumble or two from my warriors about how close he was standing. Could he be a threat? I stopped walking.

  Willoughby turned to look back at me. “Sire? President Maeda is waiting.”

  My eyebrow rose. “He is a president and will be replaced. I am a king and irreplaceable. He can wait on me. I haven’t seen your President Maeda in quite some time. I have been dealing with your Peace Opportunity Program Ambassadors for months. Why is your planetary president finally getting involved now?”

  Willoughby had the grace to look a bit discomfited. “We believed we had placed the breeding program in the most capable hands, sire. Reynauld was given extremely good references. He had the scientific background to handle executing administration of the Peace Opportunity Breeding Program, and he understood the science behind it as well. Unfortunately, we were wrong to trust him with this program, as both he and the medical director in charge are now being investigated for mismanagement.”

  I stared at him. “Now that Eva has been kidnapped right out of his hands?”

  “Yes.” He lowered his gaze slightly, and then looked back up at me firmly, his manner remaining calm and polite. “All of the details have been brought to our attention, and we have every intention of getting Ms. Knight back safely.”

  “I do not plan on sitting through endless meetings, Willoughby, while your bureaucrats debate what actions to take. My warriors and I will be taking action immediately. Take me to Eva’s quarters, so we can start tracking her. Maeda can meet us there.” I started walking again, heading toward the limousine Willoughby had motioned to when we started out.

  There were a number of vehicles in the motorcade. I stopped several feet away and gave a hand signal to Baelon. Our squad separated on cue, each warrior heading for a different vehicle.

  “What are they doing?” Willoughby asked me.

  “Inspecting,” I retorted.

  “Inspecting for what? These vehicles have been thoroughly searched and vetted by our mechanics and security personnel.” Willoughby seemed more confused than anything.

  I snapped, “And now they will have been thoroughly searched and inspected by my security personnel. So far, Earth’s government has done little to earn my trust—and an appalling lot to lose it. So I’m sure you understand when I say that we will take no more chances.”

  Willoughby swallowed and then nodded slowly, seeming to understand that I would not tolerate any further problems.

  I moved forward again at Baelon’s all-clear. I knew Baelon’s search would be thorough and complete. Willoughby lengthened his stride to beat me to the door and open it for me.

  I was surprised President Ken Maeda himself was already seated inside the vehicle. He was on the shorter side, like the ambassador, but slender and fit. His hair was a mix of black and silver, interestingly with more silver in it than the last time we’d met.

  He gave me a small, polite smile and inclined his head. “I figured that’s what you’d want to do. Take action. So, that is what we will do,” he said dryly.

  I relaxed slightly. “Ah! Your presence here saves me from making a call to you. I grow tired of the embassy channels. They have made a mess of things. I had already decided to go straight to the man in charge—you. This will be dealt with today, Ken.”

  ***

  I reintroduced Maeda to Baelon and T’ral. All of us had actually previously met Ken before he had been elected to his current position of planetary president. I hadn’t been aware of just how much of a promotion my friend had achieved, so he had managed to surprise me pleasantly despite the tense circumstances.

  The ride to the local Center didn’t take very long. Baelon, T’ral, Maeda, Willoughby, and I used that time to discuss Eva’s abduction.

  “We’ve reviewed the hallway footage of the attack, sire.” Willoughby put in. “No group has claimed responsibility as of yet or asked for ransom for Ms. Knight. Of course, it has only been a few hours since she was taken, but sometimes terrorists move quickly with their demands. We were hoping to have more information by the time you arrived.”

  “That’s what I was hoping as well. My warriors are also trained trackers. We will find her,” I stated. I would accept no other outcome.

  Maeda broke in with his quiet, yet firm, voice, “There are a few restrictions we will have to place upon you and your warriors while you are here, Raevu. You can’t have free rein to dispose of these radicals any way you desire. I won’t have innocent citizens endangered.”

  My eyes narrowed. “This female bears my family crest, Ken. She will be my life mate and my queen. These ‘radicals’ have not kidnapped some ordinary woman off the street. They will be dealt with accordingly,” I insisted.

  Maeda nodded. “Yes, but if you go for a full-force extraction, she and innocent civilians might get hurt or killed. I don’t believe her captors see her as anything other than a pawn in their game against the government and your race. Expendable. I’m not sure if it would be better to keep them in the dark, or to let them know the true value of their hostage.”

  I exchanged stares with my two most trusted advisers. We had discussed this same idea in the time before landing. “We believe they should not be informed of her importance as of yet. Let us…what do you say? ‘Play our cards close to our vest’ and use our information as the secret weapon it can be.”

  Maeda nodded in agreement. “Absolutely. That’s the answer we were hoping you’d give.” The fleet pulled up smoothly to the entrance of the Center’s ambassadorial guest quarters. Grand columns held up an entryway, and several doormen moved as one to start opening car doors. My warriors were out of the vehicles and surrounding my limousine before the doormen could get close. We stepped out, and the men surrounded us, escorting us inside the building.

  After just a few short corridors and turns, we came to the rubble that I was informed was once the entryway to Eva’s quarters. A security detail stood at the entrance of the hallway that led up to the suite, but they moved aside silently when they saw us and stepped back into place on guard after our passage.

  My warriors fanned out, making their way over bricks and shattered paneling littering the floor. In our tongue, they quietly shared information of what they saw, keeping only with
the facts at hand.

  I stepped into the room and looked around myself. I knew T’ral and Baelon were accumulating the data and would come to conclusions we would discuss when the survey was complete.

  In the middle of the conversation area, a silk scarf patterned in green and pink caught my eye under a small side table. When Eva had asked my name, this scarf had been at her throat.

  I bent over and picked it up. A whiff of scent drifted to me. I breathed deeply. I couldn’t identify it, but somehow, I knew it was hers. Now, I had her scent.

  Four of my men moved back out into the building. I knew they were going to canvass the Center’s nearby entrances and exits. They would interview any people they saw, no matter the person’s rank, to discern if the person had been a witness or not and bring that information back with them when their task was finished. Knowing the job was in the best possible hands, I asked sharply, “Ken, why was her room right off a public-access plaza? Surely, a visiting diplomat receives quarters more secure than this.”

  “That’s a good question. One we need answered. We put too many details under Reynauld’s authority,” Maeda replied. “He’s in custody, as are his assistants. Anyone involved in the Peace Opportunity Program is under surveillance.” He coughed into his fist. “The device they used to deactivate the security system makes it clear that they had help from the inside.”

  Brusquely, Baelon inquired, “You, the president’s aide. You never answered my king’s question. Why did you step into this matter now and not before?” T’ral cleared his throat. “No, T’ral. I want to know. I won’t ask it in a more polite manner.”

  I glanced over to see T’ral shake his head.

  Willoughby answered, “Reynauld called our office in a panic after the attack. He was in over his head. When I reviewed the communications and records of the program, it was obvious that when he interviewed for the job, he faked several of his references and commendations. I’ve taken over. The program will now fall under the oversight of my office.”