Heir of Draga_A Space Fantasy Romance

by Emma Dean

  Because at the end of it all she would be his. Varan would always be her first husband, and there was something intensely satisfying about that.

  William exited the palace first with Roxy and Varan had to grin. His friend and adopted sister was as graceful and elegant as any noble with her stern expression and exotic beauty. Adelina had dressed her in scarlet red, so suiting for the fiery female.

  The dress colors Adelina chose were a fabulous contrast to all the black roses. There wasn’t a red one to be seen. The thick spicy scent filled the courtyard with the roses covering the palace, the inner courtyard, and placed strategically from the temple to the ballroom where they would walk after the ceremony.

  Varan couldn’t help but be impressed with all the detail after only two days of planning.

  Nadyah was escorted by Ian next in her gown of sapphire, and the two made sure to never once look at each other. Varan knew without a doubt there was something going on between them, but he would keep the courtesan’s secret. After all, she had called him her friend. And to hear it had been the icing on the cake to such a wondrous day.

  Then finally Asher came with Veri dressed in blue and turquoise. The pair was a sight to behold. So much dark power between the two of them.

  Varan felt his breathing quicken as the attendants lined up. The time was finally here. The music dipped and became more dramatic. The doors were swept open one last time for Adelina and her two mothers, one on each side.

  His breath caught and tears filled his eyes as he inspected her from head to toe.

  She wore an exquisite lace dress in pinks and creams. A pink veil covered her upswept hair, trailing to the ground and then disappearing into the palace. Diamonds glittered in her hair, at her ears, and on her wrists – adding to the glittering shine of the mark between her breasts. A diamond tiara caught the last of the fading sun and made her look like a goddess.

  But it was her eyes that caught and held him. So bright and vibrant and shining with their amethyst facets. It was the way she looked at him, burning straight through to his soul, stripping him bare before her so she could see all of him.

  And she still wanted him – needed him. Adelina loved him and Varan could hardly believe it after everything. She had chosen him to be her husband and never once would he take advantage of that or take it for granted. So easily could it have been for their paths to separate forever. Varan thanked Ladra for the luck she granted him.

  There was something heady and intoxicating about Adelina’s love and desire. Despite everything that he was, everything he knew she’d seen over the cycles in his court, Adelina still wanted him.

  Then she reached the bottom of the stairs and neither one of them was able to look away from the other. They’d barely even blinked the entire time she approached him from the palace.

  The Queen Mother kissed Adelina’s cheek and went to sit by the reigning Queen in the front row. Elara had tears streaming down her face as she hugged Adelina and Varan’s heart went out to the female. This was the first time she was able to really be a part of her daughter’s life.

  Then finally Adelina walked up the stairs, keeping her gaze on him.

  Varan held his hand out for her and Adelina paused at the top of the stairs, handing the bouquet of black rosaneras to Veri so she could take his proffered hand. Her lips quirked up in a smile when she noticed his submissive position.

  As she stood next to him they stared at each other, both of them grinning like fools as the priestess began the ceremony in the Ancient tongue.

  “This union blessed by the Three-Faced Goddess will join your two souls together – until the end of your days.” The priestess picked up the ceremonial knife from the small table before them and held out her hand.

  Without hesitation Varan offered his arm and the priestess made a long slice. Blood welled, bright and red. Then she did the same to Adelina and she didn’t even flinch.

  “Blood of your blood,” the priestess intoned in the Ancient tongue. She pressed their wrists together and then tied them with cream-colored spidersilk. The fires dyed it a warm orange-red from the glow. “As we join your souls we join your body as one. The blood and bone of your body will shield her, the blood and bone of your body will protect him. Any pain will be shared to ease the burden – physical or otherwise.”

  The priestess took a small bowl from her assistant and placed it on the table before them, handing the small acolyte the bloodied blade. A dash of powder and flames burst from the bowl. She pulled their arms forward and let the blood drip into the fire. Somehow the chemical reaction turned the fire a strange orange-purple.

  The priestess continued and her words seemed to blur together. Varan couldn’t stop staring at the female who was about to become his wife. The words were simply a formality – he was already hers in every way that mattered.

  Her Draga eyes glittered when she smiled and Varan was incredibly relieved to see how happy she was. There was no sign of regret or fear, no smell of it anywhere, only that dark jasmine that twined around him like a feline around his legs.

  When the priestess instructed, Adelina held out her other hand and Varan took out the ring he’d had made for her. The emerald-cut diamond burned in the firelight – Calix’s best and last work, or so he’d threatened. The sun was completely gone from the sky as he slipped the jewelry onto her finger.

  Adelina did the same with the ring she’d made for him, three small diamonds on the gold band. Varan couldn’t help his grin. Of course she would make something a bit flashy.

  The endless crowd of people faded away when they repeated the vows in the Ancient tongue together – more demanding and binding than any oath they could ever possibly make.

  “My body will be your shield, my heart will be forever yours, and my soul is bound to yours as the goddess witnesses. I will take your pain and replace it with joy. You are the star of each night, you are the face of my sun, and the crown of my company.”

  “You are the moon to my stars,” he told her.

  “You are the sun to my soul,” she said with a breathless whisper.

  “I am yours and you are mine. May the goddess witness,” they declared as one.

  Adelina’s sweet voice was clear and strong and Varan felt his heart swell as the words they spoke felt tattooed on his soul – his heart.

  There was a breath as they felt the oath settle between them. Adelina staring into his eyes, hardly breathing as her lips parted. The weight of it felt right against his chest. Varan grinned and suddenly sound rushed back. He realized they weren’t actually alone; the wedding still had to be completed.

  As they’d practiced Varan turned Adelina to face the crowd and raised their bound hands, their joined blood dripping down their arms. Thousands upon thousands of voices shouted and cheered and his people were the loudest of them all.

  He looked down at his wife and his heart felt like it would explode from how full it was. Varan felt as though he were about to burst with his happiness. It overwhelmed him and he swept her up in his arms, kissing her thoroughly, making her squeak with surprise.

  The cheers grew louder at the impromptu show of affection and Varan couldn’t help the tear that managed to escape his eye.

  He was too ecstatic to care. Adelina was his and she loved him. It was enough. He couldn’t have asked the Three-Faced Goddess, Amora, or Ladra for more. Somehow luck had always been on Varan’s side, but this was something else entirely.

  Breaking the kiss he cupped one cheek and stared into her eyes, thumb tracing the soft skin of her face. Varan could hardly believe she was real.

  Then she laughed and poked him in the stomach hard enough a puff of breath escaped him. “Let’s go celebrate, my husband.”

  Varan grinned at hearing those words from her sinful mouth, letting her tug him along – whether she knew how irrefutably hers he was or not, it didn’t matter. Varan’s soul was forever bound to hers – mating bond or no. Their bond was their own – special and unique and blessed by th
e gods.

  He planned to spend the rest of his life proving it to her.

  Chapter Nine

  Adelina

  Crystal Ballroom

  Draga Royal Palace

  Planet Draga Terra

  The ballroom was full of laughter and chatter and hundreds of people enjoying themselves. There’d been a few murmurs when they’d all seen her new marks, but if they disapproved they kept it to themselves. Adelina was proud of her personal Draga seal on her back, and the vine of jasmine on her front. They were a symbol – a mark to remind everyone who she truly was.

  Guests came up to congratulate her and Varan, and to comment on the rare beauty of the tattoos. It had pleased her to no end to start this new chapter of her life by ripping off the submissive, meek mask for good.

  Adelina stopped to catch her breath when the song ended and Varan grabbed two goblets of water off a passing tray without her having to ask.

  The actual wedding ceremony had been a blur. All Adelina had been able to focus on was Varan and his emerald gaze, the tears she saw there for her, and the love she could feel surrounding her as he slipped the ring on her finger and recited the words with her.

  That he’d somehow convinced Calix to make a rush order…Adelina knew without a doubt Varan was a soul mate, utterly made for her in every way. It was clear in every touch, in every look, and the way he seemed to orbit her constantly, never straying too far – as if it physically hurt him to leave her side.

  After the ceremony Adelina had greeted the guests with her new husband, accepted the gift from her queen, and then danced their first dance together as a wedded couple. With her duties complete she couldn’t help but glance at the massive floating clock in the corner, quietly ticking away the hours.

  Adelina wondered how soon was too soon to leave her own wedding ball. Her husband tempted her, and had for a while. She wanted to rip his clothes off and make him beg.

  “Are you enjoying yourself?” Varan asked. His grin was infectious and hadn’t left his face since the ceremony.

  “I am, but I do wonder when it would be appropriate to leave.”

  Instantly heat filled his eyes and they became hooded as he looked her up and down. “Five minutes?”

  Adelina grinned and sipped her iced water, feeling her skin slowly flush and tingle. She wondered what sinful things that tongue of his could do other than speak those wicked sharp words of his.

  “Princess, may I have this dance?”

  Adelina looked up and saw Alpha standing before her. It was like a splash of cold water on her face, but she nodded and took his outstretched hand, feeling Varan’s burning gaze on her back.

  As the music swirled around them, Alpha swept her into the familiar steps as he had a thousand times before when he was her learning partner and escort over the cycles. “I wanted to apologize – for not warning you about the council meeting.”

  Adelina looked over his shoulder, avoiding his intense gaze. It was a subject they hadn’t had time to discuss and she didn’t particularly want to, especially on her wedding day. “Leave it, Alpha. What’s done is done.”

  “Is there anything I can do?” Alpha asked, tipping her chin towards him gently.

  Something about his touch felt cold and foreign and Adelina pulled back, glaring at him. “Don’t presume I want you to touch me like we are as close as we once were. You betrayed me.”

  His grip on her waist tightened and then released. “For that I am sorry. I only wished to keep you safe. Had you not been there – I feared what Raena would have done.”

  “It no longer matters because she’s dead.” Again Adelina felt the hurt from Alpha’s lie of omission as if it had just happened. All his plans to keep her safe, ruining their lifelong friendship, knowing she wouldn’t forgive him for such a lie…it was all for nothing and she hated him for it.

  Alpha stopped dancing and bowed despite the song still playing. “It will be my lifelong endeavor to regain your trust, if not your friendship. But I don’t regret the decisions I made. They were all for you. No one here truly understands your value. And no matter what happens, know that my life is and always has been yours.”

  Then her once childhood friend and adolescent crush left the dance floor and the ballroom altogether. Adelina didn’t know how to feel about his words, or his apology.

  Elara saved her from more embarrassment by sweeping Adelina back into the dance. “Everything all right?” she asked, her court smile pasted on her face.

  Adelina gave her a real smile in return, relieved and happy to spend quality time with her other biological mother. “Everything is perfect. It’s all more beautiful than I could have ever dreamed. I’m very lucky.”

  “I was so afraid for you,” Elara admitted, expertly spinning Adelina before pulling her back in. “Raena – the Three-Faced Goddess watch over her soul – was terrifying in the small time she reigned as proxy, but in the end she came through for you. We can never forget that Raena gave you this gift.” Elara kissed Adelina’s tear from her cheek and tucked a curl back into her updo. “Don’t forget your sister loved you, despite everything.”

  Adelina felt more tears fall and she smiled, no longer trying to hide them. “I only wish she and father could have been here for this.”

  “They are watching,” Elara promised.

  Then Varan was there, holding her close as he led her through the final steps with such skill she barely even noticed they moved.

  “After this song I want to leave,” Adelina told him.

  Varan nodded, wiping away the wet marks on her face with his thumb. “Whatever you wish, wife.”

  At that she grinned, loving the sound of the word on his lips. It was hard to believe he meant her after everything they’d been through to get to where they were.

  The song ended and Varan bowed when she curtseyed. The cheers uplifted her spirit when her husband led her towards the sweeping staircase, the same one she’d come down for her coming-of-age party.

  They paused at the top and waved their good-byes to all the guests as well as the recorders. Adelina tugged Varan towards the lift, anxious to spend time alone with her husband for the first time without a thousand other things to be done.

  “Come husband,” Adelina said. “I’m ready to get out of this gown.” She felt a blush heat her neck and cheeks at her boldness, but Varan only chuckled and escorted her into the lift.

  “Don’t worry,” he whispered, bending down to brush her ear with his lips. “I’ll take my time removing the dress. Don’t want to ruin it after all.”

  Adelina licked her lips as she imagined the slow torture she knew he would dole out. “I don’t care if you cut the dress off me. I want my skin against yours.”

  Varan’s hand tightened on her waist. The lift doors opened onto the fifth floor. The palace was completely barren except the guards posted at the beginning and end of each corridor. They laughed like schoolchildren when Adelina picked up her skirts to run down the hall as she had when she was barely older than a tot.

  The royal wing was sealed off but Adelina’s gold mark on her palm opened the door while Varan gave the guards a sweeping bow and a wink. She laughed and tugged him into the dark corridor, lights slowly coming to life as they sensed her presence.

  But Varan tugged her back and swept her up and into his arms so quickly she gasped in surprise and delight. His strong arms wrapped around her back and under her knees. He held her tightly to his chest and stared down at her with such heat and love she shivered.

  “Allow me, darling.” Even his voice was deeper, more feral – nearly a growl as he stepped over the threshold into his new home.

  Adelina couldn’t look away from his hungry gaze. Her heart pounded against her chest and her breathing quickened as anticipation filled her. The ache between her legs grew nearly unbearable, but she had patience and control now. Adelina knew how to wait.

  From the main door to her rooms was the longest walk she’d ever experienced. Neither of them spoke a
word. It was as though they both knew it would somehow break the spell. Varan’s usual cocky smile was gone as he stared so deeply into her eyes Adelina knew he could see all the way into her soul.

  She placed her hand on her door and it opened without a sound. Once more Varan carried her across the threshold into the space they would share until his own rooms were prepared. When the door closed behind them he still didn’t put her down.

  “I can hardly believe this is real,” he whispered.

  “It’s like a dream,” she agreed. “Too good to be true and soon I will wake up alone.”

  Then Varan set her down gently. “You will never be alone again, love.” His strong, sure hands found the buttons along her spine and he took such care undoing each and every one. “I will never leave your side. My heart and soul are yours for the rest of eternity.”

  Her breath caught at his words, at his warm hands slipping the dress from her shoulders. Adelina allowed the tears of happiness – letting them fall instead of blinking them back as she usually did. Varan deserved to see all of her. She would never hide behind a mask with him ever again.

  He helped her step out of the gown and then Varan draped it lovingly across the couch. “I want you to wear this for every anniversary we have. It suits you.”

  Adelina smiled. “As you wish, my love.” It was the first time she’d been able to say it to him, and it left a pleasant warmth in her chest.

  Varan turned back to face her and he studied her from head to toe, noting the cream-colored corset and the way her breasts spilled over the top, the silk skirt that had protected her dress from her skin, and the creamy lace heels she wore.

  Adelina set her hands on her hips. “There seems to be quite a feast here,” she said, nodding towards her small dining table stacked with champagne, platters of fruit and chocolate. “As well as all our good wishes.” Gifts lined one complete wall of her sitting room. It was a bit ostentatious, but Adelina was curious what thieves would get a princess.

  “I don’t believe that’s quite the feast I’m interested in,” Varan murmured.