by Emma Dean
The room inside was a reflection of Varan’s personality. Adelina stepped in and studied the space. The first impression was rugged comfort, minimalistic style, and then as she looked closer she could see the pops of his personality.
The massive bed in the center of the room was the focal point. It was piled high with fluffy white pillows and a comforter she could drown in. Adelina wanted to throw herself on the bed but then her eye caught on the wall full of books.
“Your library wasn’t enough?” she teased. The shelves downstairs had displayed thousands of books like the treasures they were.
“These are books I don’t want people to touch,” Varan explained. “First editions, signed, banned, or the original before a revision was done to suit delicate sensibilities. I also possess books the courtesans don’t know I have and I intend to keep it that way. Then there are a few from the Hai Galaxy, and prints of digital copies from the Khara Galaxy. Anything you could possibly want that might be considered taboo, rare, or illegal.”
Adelina laughed and went to inspect the various titles. “When we redesign our suite in the palace I’ll make sure to add plans for your books.”
Varan grinned and caught her hand, spinning her around so quick she gasped as she was pressed up against the shelves. “I love when you talk like that.”
“Like what?” she breathed.
“When you talk about our future together with so much joy – even now. It reminds me how fortunate I am that fate pushed us together. I am the luckiest male alive.” Varan buried his face in her neck and breathed deep.
Adelina’s eyelashes fluttered as his winterflower scent permeated her whole world. She had to shake her head to regain her senses. Every day they were together it became more difficult to resist him.
He growled in frustration and whipped around, adjusting the obvious bulge in his pants. Adelina didn’t bother to hide her pleased smile. He wasn’t the only lucky one. Raena holding her marriage rights could have ended very, very badly. Instead she had Varan and was given the gift of his love.
No one was luckier than she.
“Let me get cleaned up and out of these work clothes,” she told him. “Then you can show me the surprise.”
Varan nodded and waved his hand at the washroom. It took only a few moments for Adelina to wash and change into the spidersilk gown she’d brought along. When she came out Varan stood inspecting the books on his shelves.
When he heard her he smiled and turned from the bookshelf with a box in his hand. It reminded her so much of Nash’s carved, black-wood box that there was a pang in her chest.
Her smile faltered. Adelina hoped Nash was alive and accomplishing everything he’d set out to do. With a bit more luck she may even see him in the Hai Galaxy. That reunion also made her anxious. Would he accept her proposal? Goddess, she hoped he did.
Nash – the usurped prince of Khara. The last Corinthian prince. The male Adelina had been forbidden to love, but went against her sister’s orders anyway.
“Lina, Lina,” Varan murmured. He pulled her down to sit on the bed next to him. It was as soft as it looked. “Talk to me.”
She shook her head. “Nothing is wrong. I’m simply worried about Nash.”
Varan pulled her in and held her tight. “I know you are. I wish I had word on him.”
Adelina kissed his cheek. “We will try and contact him once we cross the border. It’s the best we can do at the moment. Now what is in that box?”
“Adelina, thank you for agreeing to become my wife,” Varan said, holding it out for her.
The plain black wood was so like Varan. Innocuous and unassuming. She took it from him, holding it softly as though it might break. It wasn’t heavy which surprised her. Varan always managed to find the heaviest jewels – precious and unmatched.
When Adelina opened it she admired the black velvet that was a touch darker than the wood. But it was what he had nestled inside that took her breath away. A bracelet made of black gold with a dark, purple opal set in the band so it was nearly flush with the thick metal. She brought it up close and inspected the strange piece of jewelry.
Nothing about the purple opal was simple, but the design was elegant and minimalist though the gold was a bit thicker than it ought to be for the size of the jewel. Her expert eye found the seam and she skimmed her nail along it. The bracelet hissed and popped open. The inside was lined with glowing tech and Adelina looked up at Varan in question.
“Your Prince Nash gave you more than just schematics for a faster ship, darling,” Varan said with a heart-stopping smile. He took the bracelet from her and inspected the perfect work inside. “I commissioned the piece from Guild Master Calix. He knew what I needed and designed this. Then I gave it to Roxy. She adjusted some of the Kharan tech and put it in here.” Varan closed the bracelet and gently took her right hand. He slipped the bracelet over her wrist and snapped it in place.
Adelina stared at it in wonder. It was made to fit her wrist perfectly, no space between her skin and the gold. The jewel sat on top and winked in the sunlight. Then Varan pressed his thumb against the underside. A purple light burst from the gold and then settled against her skin, fading into nothing. But she could still feel it, tingling.
“It’s a shield, and also a weapon. All you have to do is activate the tech and a screen will pop up.” Varan took her other hand and pressed her thumb to the underside. Then he molded her right hand into a fist. A display popped up. “Wiggle your fingers, and flip through the holos to see what’s available. You can fire plasma energy at enemies among other things. There are ten shots in each selection and then it would need to be recharged. Full disclosure, I had Roxy put a tracking device on here as well.”
Adelina stared at the hologram in wonder and flicked her fingers, scrolling through. There were so many options. Then she brought her closed fist up and pointed it at the door. The sound of energy charging filled the room. Varan wasn’t nervous or concerned she would destroy any of his things. He let her play. Then she shook out her hand and the weapon deactivated.
“Place your left thumb on the bracelet. You must say ‘deactivate.’ Nothing else will turn off the shield and it’s coded to your voice only.”
Adelina did as he instructed and she shook her head, a rueful smile on her face. “I have to say that I actually don’t have anything like this.” Somehow Varan had still managed to give her a gift – a useful one she could never have anticipated, and yet it was still gorgeous and unique. “How did you and Roxy have the time for this?”
Varan shrugged and leaned back on his forearms. He looked every inch the sex god. Adelina had to stand and fix her skirts before she broke their agreement. “Despite Roxy’s bad attitude she had the design ready to go when I asked for her assistance. Her mind truly is a wonderful, irreplaceable thing. Seems she doesn’t dislike you as much as she pretends to.”
Adelina turned her wrist back and forth, watching the way the reflected sunlight glittered on the walls. She would have to thank Roxy when they got a chance. “I invited her to the wedding.”
Varan sat up straight at that. “And?”
“Per tradition I am required to have three maiden attendants. She will be in the wedding along with Veri and Nadyah.”
Varan burst out laughing. He laughed so hard tears streamed from his eyes. Adelina gave him an exasperated sigh. “It’s really not that amusing.”
“Oh my goddess Ladra, save us all. And she agreed to this?”
She glared at her soon-to-be husband and prince. “She did actually after I told her the dress was already made to her measurements.”
Varan laughed and shook his head. Then he grabbed her hand and tugged her down onto the bed next to him, turning them both so they lay on their sides, facing each other. Adelina stared into his emerald eyes, so green and dark and full of love. For her.
“Do you like your present?” Varan whispered, tracing a finger along the line of her jaw.
It sent a spark through Adelina and she l
icked her lips, breathing in his air. “I adore it. Where did you find black gold? It’s so rare even I have difficulty acquiring it.”
Varan’s eyes twinkled. “I paid a lot of gold to all the wrong people. Don’t worry though, it was legally purchased.”
His expression grew serious and that wandering hand moved to trace her lips. Varan’s eyes dropped to study her mouth and Adelina’s breathing sped up as anticipation filled her. “I was willing to pay anything to keep you safe. I swore to you and the goddess I’d do everything in my power to protect you. I did not take that oath lightly. But if you don’t like that there’s a tracking signal I can have it removed, though I am the only one who has access to it.”
Adelina ran her nails over his side and up his arm to his neck. “No, it is a good idea while we are traveling. Just in case. But I want one for you as well, for Roxy, Nadyah, and Joslynn. Will you share your supplier with me?” she asked, her lips brushing against his.
He inhaled sharply at the slight touch, one hand clenching tight on her hip and the other gripped her chin hard. There was just a twinge of pain and it was delicious. Instantly Adelina felt that fire in her belly, the tingle between her legs, and the ache for him to fill her.
Kissing him was the last thing she should do if she wanted to hold onto that last shred of control, but Adelina didn’t care. She wanted to taste him. Her tongue ran over his bottom lip and he immediately took her mouth, opening to taste her as she did with him. It was hungry and passionate, deep and burning.
Adelina wanted him to devour her.
Varan pulled away suddenly, breathing hard as he sat up. He ran his hand through his hair and gave her a look. “Don’t tempt me, darling. You’re testing a very thin amount of patience. But for that kiss? I’ll share whatever supplier you want.”
Adelina touched her lips, still swollen and tingling from his rough kiss. “Have them send it to the ship and I’ll repay you. It will fill Roxy’s time while we’re traveling.”
Her fiancé got to his feet and then tugged her to hers. “I need to get you back to the palace before I rip this from your skin,” he rumbled, one finger trailing the underside of the thin strap of her spidersilk gown.
Adelina shivered at the promise in his voice. “Yes, I’m sure Elara and Adele are wondering where I am.”
“We both have tailors to see.” Varan offered her his arm. “And then tomorrow you will officially be mine.”
Chapter Two
Adelina
Royal Study
Draga Royal Palace
Planet Draga Terra
Giselle glared as Adelina entered the royal study. “Where have you been? Have you seen this?” Her sister and queen shoved her shreve at Adelina and crossed her arms over her chest.
Adelina glanced at Elara, her father’s mistress and Adele’s mate – and Adele wasn’t her only mother now. Elara was as well. They both looked concerned about Giselle’s attitude, but not overly worried.
Adelina glanced down at the shreve and saw it was a vid. With a tap of a nail she played it. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized what she was seeing. It was Adelina, the night before both her father and sister died, speaking out to every pirate and rogue in the Draga Galaxy, asking them to fly the royal flag and protect the people during the evacuations. Varan stood behind her in a show of solidarity, a predatory gleam in his eye when Adelina gave permission for the royal privateers to loot any pirate who did not fly her flag.
“This has been on repeat on the livestream since your interview this morning. Journalists have been clamoring to get another word with you. Everyone from the nobles to the scullery maids are talking about this.” Giselle’s finger jabbed at the shreve and then she ripped it out of Adelina’s grasp, but not before Adelina slipped an invisible piece of spy tech into the access port.
Oh, Adelina would kill Varan. She knew it was him as he was the only one who had a copy. Anger rose up, uncurling like a sleepy galina, and Adelina shoved it back down as hard as she could.
Then she shrugged one shoulder and raised an eyebrow in question. “And what exactly is the problem?”
“I never sanctioned this!”
Adelina turned her back on her sister, the muscles in her shoulders tightening as she felt her sister’s fury and indignation rise. Gracefully she crossed the room and sat in her favorite chair, crossed one leg over a knee and adjusted the grey mourning gown, her two purple bracelets clacking together against the new one Varan gave her. “You have been queen for one day, when would I have had the time to ask you? It was sent out before Raena…died.”
Adelina refused to believe her sister had killed herself. Raena wanted to be queen. So it was logical to assume someone had wanted the crown princess dead and was close enough to her to know how she would have killed herself. Which meant they’d been around since the Neprijat took Khara. Perhaps even before if Adelina’s suspicions were correct.
If she was right, whoever had poisoned her father with an incurable disease also murdered her eldest sister and made it look like a suicide.
“And you cleared this with Raena?” Giselle asked, still fuming.
Adelina purposefully broke eye contact with her sister and stared out the window – ignoring her for all intents and purposes. She would show Giselle her teeth. No one would bully Adelina ever again. She was done.
“Raena would have been pleased,” Adelina murmured, feeling a tinge of sadness polluted with a tiny bit of fear. Her deceased sister would have loved the vid, but could have punished her for it just to show her dominance and power.
Raena had been a volatile ruler, but she’d still been the sister Adelina loved. Reconciling the two sides of Raena would never happen. Every pleasant memory, every wish and yearning for her sister would be tainted with the fear Adelina had felt over the last month.
Giselle scoffed. “Mother?”
Adele looked up from her tea. Adelina studied her mother in her peripheral. The Queen Mother looked physically and emotionally exhausted but her face was hard, stern. “Giselle your sister did the right thing to protect our people. Either thank her, or move on to the next problem at hand. We do not have time for this pettiness.”
Adelina almost laughed. Things had changed so quickly in the last full rotation of Draga Terra. Adele had become who she’d been hiding all along. With Grandmother out of the palace and in her own estate, it had allowed her mother to open up and flower. At least Raena had done that for them.
Adele no longer tried to hide her relationship with Elara and the people loved it. They spoke on the streets how the king had been so lucky to have a wife and mistress who loved each other. Adelina felt nothing but joy for her mother. Elara would help her through the grief of losing Orion far too soon.
And Adele had no patience for Giselle any longer. Giselle made everything difficult. Being queen didn’t come naturally to her and she hated the meetings and attention. If Giselle could be nothing more than a soldier for the rest of her life she would be happy. But that was not the case. She had an entire galaxy to run and care for, acting as though such trivial things were important when their people were being slaughtered was asinine.
That she found Adelina a disgusting hybrid creature not worthy of her existence seemed to have triggered Adele’s protective instincts. After cycles of a tenuous, surface relationship Adelina was important, though it could have something to do with her new status as heir.
“And how is being queen?” Adelina asked Giselle, leaning forward to fix her tea. “Have you decided which armies you’re going to deploy and where?”
Giselle glared. “If you’re so curious then you should attend the war council today. Enjoy your wedding plans.” With that, her once favorite sister turned on her heel and left the study.
Adelina sighed and regret replaced the anger. It hurt more than she’d ever let herself admit that Giselle of all people hated her because of something she had absolutely no control over.
But at least Adelina had been able to plant a s
pycast on her sister’s shreve. The information would be sent out each night just before dawn. Because no matter her personal issues Adelina needed to be prepared, she needed to know everything she could to help her people survive what was coming. Her sister would never know and Adelina would be able to do what needed to be done.
“You look like you’ve lost weight,” Elara said quietly. She fixed a plate from the spread on the low table before her and then stood to bring it to Adelina.
Her newly discovered biological mother leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. A few rules had gone out the window after Raena’s shocking death. Adele and Elara had shown her more affection and love during the rushed wedding plans than they had her entire life. It made Adelina happy, but it was bittersweet.
Adele seemed resolute not to waste precious time with her remaining children. She’d even made a point to watch Asher train his warriors, visit William in the barracks, and check on Ian in his labs. Their mother had always been so busy, but as the Queen Mother her obligations were far less. She would guide Giselle, but that was all that was required of her.
Adelina ate to ease her mothers’ concerns. “The dress?” she asked.
“Nadyah has been working with the seamstress non-stop to alter the dress to perfection,” Elara told her.
It was the only item Adelina refused to take from her sister. Using her sister’s wedding plans was horrible enough and the original dress had been burned with Raena regardless. Adelina’s design couldn’t be more different and she’d done that intentionally.
Then Nadyah and Gwendoline swept into the royal study with endless fabric in their arms. “Are you ready to try on the gown?” Nadyah asked with a sad smile.
They hadn’t been able to continue the camerraleto since—everything had happened. Adelina hated it, but there were other things they had to focus on. Soon she would be able to continue and complete the training while they travelled.
Adelina finished her tea and set it on the table, smiling at her mothers. Grief hung over them all, but life never waited for one to come to terms with the new typical. It flew right on by, dragging everyone along with it whether they wanted to or not.
