by Alyx X
I lifted my head, focusing my thoughts away from her. Far away, out to the horizon, out to sea, trying to control myself. Then I gave myself a mental shake. I didn’t have time to stand here contemplating the help while deliberately not looking at her. I was a busy man. I had things to do. The human had been purchased to enable me to do those things, not to add troubles to my already full plate.
I cleared my throat and she looked at me, something between uncertainty and fear caught in her eyes. I almost softened my expression, but I was King, and I softened for no one, especially not staff.
“I have a very busy day planned.” I released my hold on Vike, and he immediately scurried to the nanny’s side, clutching her leg.
She dropped her hand, searching for his, and wrapped his fingers into her palm.
“I…” I hesitated as I glanced at my son, his thumb in his mouth, his hand in that of this new alien. The one who was familiar but completely strange. “I hope you have familiarized yourself with all aspects of your contract.” My words came out flat and instructional as I allowed my gaze to merely rest on the stranger in our midst. Somehow I was able to regain control of my thoughts. I hoped I looked suitably bored, yet commanding. Her expression changed at my tone. It became that of the human I’d seen at the auction—as if she believed herself superior than me.
She nodded. “Absolutely,” she murmured. “I have read a lot of information about your expectations in a very time-consuming presentation that was loaded onto my ident.”
I wasn’t a fan of her slightly condescending tone, and Jari glanced at me as if gauging my reaction. I checked the time. I didn’t have enough time to reprimand the exact level of insolence this human was displaying in my own home.
“Follow me.” I turned and walked away. I used the same tone I had before, so she’d know who she was working for.
As I pushed the front door to my home open, I gestured to my maid Gabby to take Jari and Vike to the sitting room. The children followed her obediently, and Gabby kept her eyes trained to the floor as she walked away.
“I just need to run through a few things with you before I can leave.” I looked at Tessa, but she was gazing above her at the crystal chandelier cascading from the high ceiling.
“It’s like standing under falling water,” she murmured. “Incredible.”
“My office is this way,” I said.
I started to walk away, but I didn’t hear her footsteps behind me, so I turned around. She’d spun in place and was looking at the artwork on the walls. It depicted scenes from all over Hydronia.
I cleared my throat to get her attention. Her head whipped back to me.
“Sorry.”
She didn’t look it.
After two more steps, she stopped again, this time studying the gleaming tiles under her feet. They were deliberately made to look like the scales of a dragon in the way they interlocked. They shimmered from the sunlight streaming through the large windows.
“When you’re ready…” I nodded at the open door of my study, my emotions caught somewhere between amusement at her awe, and impatience for how little value she placed on my time.
When she finally stood in my office, I closed the door with a firm click. I needed all of her attention focused on me.
“There are some rules,” I began, and she met my eyes square on—audacious. “And these rules…” I dropped my gaze to the paper where I’d written them down. Damnit. I hadn’t meant to look away first. “These rules are—” I sucked in a breath and tried to stare her down. “One. Schedules. Adherence to schedules is very important. You will find your personal schedule waiting for you in your room. And the children have a daily schedule that they follow very closely. This is important because adherence to routine promotes good discipline, and because their personal safety is paramount. Both I and their bodyguard need to know where they are and what they are doing at all times..”
She nodded, looking like she might roll her eyes.
“You are restricted from certain areas of the house.”
She tilted her head, but still didn’t speak.
“You are of course allowed in your room, the children’s rooms, the sitting room, the nursery, the library, and any rooms the children are aware they may move freely between. However, you may not enter my private rooms, including but not limited to this office and my private wing. We have a chef to provide your meals, therefore you don’t require access to the kitchen. If you have any questions, your permissions should be on your schedule…”
“Will that be loaded onto my ident?”
I stopped. Her what?
She flashed her wrist at me, and a memory niggled at my thoughts. “May I see your wrist?”
She placed her wrist in my hand, and as soon as her skin met mine, blood surged between my legs. I dropped her wrist like it was a brand and retracted my hand, burying it in my pocket.
I cleared my throat. “You were… I was supposed to ask to see a face?”
“Oh.” She gave me a quizzical glance. “This?” She moved her bracelet aside, and a small electronic face shone from her skin. “It’s a Terralink Adaptor Chip.”
“I’m aware of that.” I used my best disinterested tone, but I didn’t really know what the so-called adaptor did or why I’d needed to see it. I made a mental note to ask a Terran rep about that and her bracelet where she seemed to want me to send her information.
I glanced at the golden cuff. It looked more like a manacle.
“Let me introduce you to Dyan.” I beckoned to the children’s bodyguard as he walked into my office. “He’s the bodyguard for the children, and he’ll also be your bodyguard for as long as you take care of them. You’ll also have a driver to take you anywhere you need to go.”
Dyan walked closer, taking up all the space with his ridiculous air of bodyguard authority. Tessa glanced at him before her cheeks reddened and she looked away. A growl lodged in my chest at his apparent effect on her, and I checked the time again. I really did need to leave for a meeting.
“Lastly, I will be giving you weekly performance evaluations. If you fail any, you will be terminated from your position, your offer of employment withdrawn, and you will be returned to the Terran Program for redeployment.” I made that last part up. I didn’t know what the Terran Program would do with her if I no longer required her services.
Her jaw tightened like she wanted to say something disrespectful, but she was deliberately keeping the words inside. She then flashed a grin so big it had to be fake, and her voice came out a little too sweetly, “I absolutely won’t let you down, Your Majesty.”
Strangely, my title also came out sounding like sarcasm, but I ignored it. I didn’t have time to dig down into human issues.
I nodded. “Gabby, the maid currently with the children, will show you around the house. I have work to do.” I opened the office door to signal I was finished talking to her, and she followed Dyan out.
Blowing out a small sigh, I glanced over my shoulder at the portrait of Lyra. Then I closed the door and locked it behind me. I didn’t usually bother with locks, but we had a stranger in the house, and I still knew disturbingly little about humans.
“I sent her to join Gabby and the children,” Dyan muttered when he returned a moment later. “Fuck, that human smells good.”
He had stated it so simply, but I shrugged like I hadn’t noticed. “Really.” I didn’t even make it a question. A statement ended a conversation. It didn’t invite more. Dyan pressed on anyway, “You saw the resemblance to Lyra, right? I mean, you had to have noticed.” He lowered his voice. “Is that why you bought her?”
I shivered. He made it sound so sleazy. “It was just a normal transaction with the Terran Program. The organization comes highly recommended.” I tried to act disinterested.
Dyan whistled low. “Looking at that human, I’m sure they do. I’m sure they fucking do.”
Dyan was really the only one who got away with such free cursing in my presence. He was also excus
ed from addressing me as Sire or Your Majesty. We’d known each other long enough for that, which is why I had to look away as I lied.
“I hadn’t noticed any resemblance.”
“Liar.” He spoke just the one word, and I cut him a swift look. “Okay.” He sighed. “Liar, Your Majesty.”
I shook my head. This wasn’t a road I wanted to go down, but if Dyan saw my reluctance, he ignored it. He was good at that.
“I call bullshit. Of course you saw it.”
Well, two could ignore each other. I kept walking. Then I thought again, and I stopped. “Keep a close eye on her. If you see any sign—any, Dyan—that she isn’t a good fit, or it’s not working out with the children, you let me know.” My voice became low and urgent as I thought of my children in the care of a stranger. I needed eyes on the ground.
He coughed a laugh. “Seriously, Izon, like I wouldn’t? I am all over that shit.” I turned to walk again, but he grabbed my arm and leaned closer. “And if you’d drop the no fucking the staff rule you have going on, I’d be all over her. I’d be on top of her too, if you know what I mean.”
My dragon rumbled through my chest, letting loose a growl I hadn’t expected. Dyan just laughed and stepped back, nodding his head like he knew something I didn’t.
“I thought so,” he murmured.
I shook my head. I didn’t have time to try to unravel Dyan’s train of thought right now. I was already stealing time from my next meeting. “I need to find my children so I can say goodbye.” I spoke the words, but I didn’t expect an answer from Dyan as I strode toward the sitting room. When I entered, Tessa was already cradling Luka, patting his butt and swaying. She was sitting in a close huddle with Jari and Vike, apparently telling them something very interesting as they leaned toward her with wide eyes. I paused for a moment, my heart stuttering at a sight I had apparently been longing for.
Then I cleared my throat. She wasn’t Lyra. But I blinked, trying to make a copy of that exact image to keep with me forever.
“Dad!” Jari ran to me and grabbed my hand. “Come here! Tessa’s telling us about Earth. You’ve got to hear this.” She tugged me toward their little huddle.
“I can’t.” I stopped moving and she turned toward me. “I’ve got a meeting.” I hesitated. “I’m already late.” The familiar words fell easily from my lips, although maybe not as easily as usual.
Jari’s eyes filled with tears, and guilt gripped me.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I really have to go. This is the job part of being King.” I pressed a kiss to her temple, breathing in the sweet smell of her skin.
She dashed the tears away with her fists. “I know,” she growled, the sound fierce.
Tessa stood up and approached us, adjusting Luka on her hip. His little fist grasped the fabric of her shirt. She wrapped an arm around Jari. “Come on, Jari. Let’s sit back down. Want me to tell you about the Smog City next?” She met my eyes over Jari’s head, but Jari pushed her hand away and stomped to the other side of the room.
“I don’t want to hear it. Give Luka to me.” The child was certainly demanding.
I cleared my throat and spoke at normal volume but with the usual false enthusiasm I summoned whenever I needed to leave. “Okay, Jari, that’s enough. Try to be nice to Tessa while I’m gone please. You know how to behave when I’m not here. Be kind and make me proud.” I approached Vike and kissed his cheek, then Luka and did the same to his plump baby face. I dropped an extra kiss into Jari’s hair, but she ignored me.
As I crossed the room toward the door, I met an unexpected vanilla scent. I cleared my throat again and blinked a couple of times striding from the room, not looking back. I really hoped things with Tessa worked out. Initial signs looked good, if the scene I’d walked in on was any indication, and my kids really needed a consistent female figure in their lives.
Don’t mess this up.
4
Tessa
After King Izon left I talked to the children for a few more minutes, reveling in the fact that I’d received such a lucky assignment, all things considered. When I felt someone new enter the room, I looked up. It was the children’s bodyguard. He was another impossibly huge guy, and although I tried a tentative smile he gave me nothing in return. His mouth didn’t twitch, his cheeks didn’t lift, his eyes didn’t crinkle at the corners. Nothing.
In fact, he looked more like he might snap me in half, given the chance. He folded his arms across his very broad chest and stared at me, his red eyes almost glowing. Forget dragons, this planet seemed to be a home to demons. I hadn’t seen even one person without red eyes, not that I’d seen very many people for comparison.
I looked more closely at him. Although his eyes were red, his hair shone a deep midnight blue, and the scales shimmering down the side of his neck were the same shade. Part of me wondered how far under his collar those scales extended.
When I thought about the scant research I’d conducted, I realized I knew next to nothing about Hydronians. Fuck their eye color, that was the least of my worries. I knew nothing about how their bodies functioned or what they ate. The research I’d tried to do before I left had been brief.
Dyan watched me for an uncomfortable length of time, not saying a word. Perhaps all the guys on this planet were giant and hot, but prone to brooding.
Finally, he jerked his head. “I’ll show you to your room, then Gabby will come by to complete the tour and your training.” He reached his arms out. “I’ll take Luka. You follow me.”
For a moment, I hesitated. The feel of the baby snuggled in my arms was the only familiar sensation I’d had since… I couldn’t even remember. But his weight, his warmth, his baby smell… something about him relaxed me.
Without needing further instructions, Jari took Vike’s hand. “Come on, Vike. Let’s go to the library and work on your letters.”
I handed the baby to Dyan, and he rested him in the crook of his arm, his hand holding Luka’s foot. Then he bounced him a little as he looked at me again, making the whole movement look incongruously informal and business-like. “Come with me.”
I didn’t need telling a third time, and I followed him as we left the sitting room. I caught my breath as we passed beneath the beautiful chandelier again. Each crystal droplet sparkled and shone like it held its own personal rainbow.
“Gabby will show you the main stairway; I’ll show you how to access your quarters the other way.” Dyan didn’t look at me as he spoke. “The King and I don’t expect you to use the main stairs unless you’re with the children or directly accessing their rooms.”
I gritted my teeth at the way he spoke, but I was used to being an unseen servant. The new rules weren’t that much of a change from what I’d been doing on Earth. “Got it.”
He led me to a narrow set of stairs, all the time bouncing Luka on his arm like he pulled babysitting duty a lot.
He walked me to a door in a fairly utilitarian hallway. It could almost have been a typical office back on Earth, with neutral tones and carpet made for wear and tear. The room was certainly nothing the families I cleaned for on Earth would have ever allowed in their homes. I almost smiled at the difference in The King’s family spaces versus his staff quarters. Still, it was warm and clean. I couldn’t ask for very much more.
Dyan indicated a set of double doors just beyond the door he’d stopped in front of. “These doors lead to the children’s rooms.” Then he nodded at the door in front of us. “And this is where you will sleep.”
I squashed my wry grin. It wasn’t even my room, it was just where I’d sleep.
“When Luka lets you.” Dyan followed up.
I swear I almost saw a twitch of amusement on his lips.
“You take a look around, and I’ll fetch Gabby.” He turned smartly and headed back to the staff stairway, and I tried the handle to my room.
It opened easily, and I stepped into a space bigger than the one I’d had on Earth in the home Mom and I had shared. The first thing I notice
d was the window. It faced the sea, and the beauty of all that water stole my breath. Of course, most places on this planet probably had a sea view. I couldn’t help myself, and I stepped closer to my window to see more.
I craned my neck, taking in the different angles of the house as well, noticing that some of the rooms had balconies. Suddenly desperate to smell the air again, I flicked the catch and lifted the window open about an inch. A refreshing breeze poured through the gap, bringing with it the tang of salt and the same floral perfume I’d smelled before. I leaned my head against the cool glass and sighed. I wished Mom could see this.
With another sigh, I pushed myself straight again and tensed my shoulders. I had ten years to get through. I couldn’t turn to a pile of homesick mush on the first day. I walked over to a door in the wall.
It opened to reveal a closet. Seven identical outfits hung on a rail, and two identical pairs of plain white sneakers sat beneath. Seems my life would be full of uniforms, but at least this one was preferable to the one that marked me as Terran property.
I brushed my hand over the crisp fabric of the clothes, and the roughly woven surface snagged against the pad of my thumb. Maybe they’d soften with wear. Each outfit had a white shirt, a pair of pants that looked like they were similar to jeans, and a different colored cardigan—each in a pastel shade. I would look like I’d been made in a candy factory.
I glanced at a pile of papers on my desk. Paper was rare on Earth—only the wealthy could afford it. It came from something called trees, and I’d only seen those in images.
I touched the paper reverently, moving each sheet aside carefully as I read the finer details of my contract. I’d covered my travel here, and I didn’t know how many credits I had left on my ident, or even if I could spend them in Hydronia. It looked like I didn’t need to. King Izon would provide everything I needed—food, room, uniform—although it would be a long ten years in the same clothes every day.
