by Elsa Jade
With a bitter laugh, Raz waved at Nor to leave. “I suppose that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
The captain eyed him for a heartbeat then rose. “Delighted to be of assistance. Don’t make me regret giving up my life of crime. I’d hate to have to steal your ship.”
Raz snorted. “Comes to that, maybe I’ll beg you to take me with you.”
They smirked at each other.
At the stateroom door, Nor glanced back. “You’re not so bad for a duke.”
Smirk fading, Raz lifted one shoulder.
He needed to be at least as bad as a pirate.
Chapter 8
Rayna stood at the suite viewport, watching the central planet of the Azthronos system expand to fill the screen, her heart thumping with some strange dread.
“It feels like we’re crashing in slow motion,” Trixie said beside her.
On her other side, Lishelle grunted an assent. “I think I saw this movie and it doesn’t end well for the mouthy girl with natural hair.”
Despite their gloom, neither Trixie nor Lishelle had elected to join Carmen and Anne in stasis to await the Earth envoy. Trixie had initially said she wanted to “be put to sleep” but then panicked when she saw the stasis chambers which did look uncomfortably like their old glass coffins.
Lishelle had just turned and walked out.
So the three of them enjoyed the not inconsiderable pleasures of the Grandiloquence’s suites while they journeyed to Azthronos.
And Rayna tried not to think about how she could’ve been enjoying the very considerable pleasures of Azthronos’s duke.
But after she’d told him she wasn’t ready to sleep with him yet—she’d said yet!—she hadn’t seen him again.
She couldn’t believe he’d abandoned her so utterly. She’d said yet! Had he missed that part? She could’ve explained it to him, even though he’d said he hadn’t wanted explanations, but not if he wouldn’t even show up. So much for brave blood champions and avatars of oath gods.
Trixie and Lishelle hadn’t said what they were going to do about going back to Earth, but they’d limited their exposure to too many clearly alien memories that would have to be wiped. Meanwhile Rayna had spent the quiet journey to Azthronos reading about the sentient, spacefaring beings of the universe.
Fascinating. Thrilling. So much to discover. An entire universe, literally.
But she found herself summoning up data most often on Azthronos itself, the solar system and its duchy, its web of interconnection with the Thorkonos Galaxy and the other duchies, the ruling family and the people they ruled. She even found one clip of a young Aelazar Amrazal Thorkonos walking away from the duke and duchess to board a ship for his schooling years. The tone of the report had been both fond and proud—an indulgent populace wishing its future ruler well.
And young Raz was every bit as adorable as she’d imagined in his formal ceremonial uniform with his little chin high.
But the way he glanced back as the ship’s hatch closed had nearly broken her heart.
She wanted to hug that boy. She’d had enough practice lying about how everything would be okay—certainly she could’ve convinced one little forlorn alien duke.
But apparently the full-size man version (er, very full-size) wasn’t interested in anything that wasn’t sex.
Well, screw him. Or not screw him, as the case might be.
And still she continued to read, wondering.
With so much to learn, she’d only made it to his great-grandfather, who’d also been an Avatar of Azjor and a very handsome male, when the captain sent a message to the suites announcing their imminent arrival on Azthronos.
The captain had only appeared on their small view screen, but his charmingly roguish smile brightened the space. “I should warn you. We’ll be running a bit of a gauntlet at the port. Extra security at the Azthronos estate will keep your exposure to a minimum, but there is universal interest in the fate of the Black Hole Brides—Octiron Corp, the most infamous entertainment company in the universe, even wants to throw a party for you, a galactic gathering, a black hole bash, if you will—so keep your heads down.”
“Black Holes Brides?” Rayna grimaced. “I’m not sure I like that.”
“I know I don’t,” Lishelle snapped.
Trixie sighed. “I think it’s kind of romantic.”
Captain Nor swept his gaze over the three of them, and his smile widened. “I don’t know how he’ll choose.”
“Choose what?” Lishelle asked suspiciously.
Rayna stiffened. “Who’s choosing?”
Trixie ended the comm.
They both jerked around to stare at her, and she shrugged. “He’s the kind of guy who wants you to ask questions,” she said. “And you shouldn’t indulge him.” She wandered back to the kitchen. “Anyway, we’re not supposed to talk to aliens.”
Rayna wondered if Raz had decided the same thing.
But now, as the main city of Azthronos loomed, she desperately wanted to see him. Even though she suspected Trixie was right: she shouldn’t indulge her own weakness. Raz had saved her once and she shouldn’t—couldn’t—expect more from him.
Landing was smooth. Disembarking was strangely anticlimactic, like leaving a cruise ship. Getting whisked away to the Azthronos estate in a giant hovercraft was controlled chaos. And through it all…
No Raz.
They arrived at the ducal estate in darkness.
“At least we can tell day from night now,” Trixie said.
Lishelle peered out the tinted window before sitting back with a snort. “Can’t hardly tell anything else though.”
Rayna watched them both thoughtfully. “Have you decided what you’re going to do once you talk to the envoy?” She told them about her sister being instrumental in finding the data that had led to tracking down the space station, but neither of them had been forthcoming about their experiences before Blackworm.
Maybe they were all weighing the meaning of memory and the relief of forgetting.
Lishelle just shrugged. “I guess I’ll see what happens.”
“When we can see,” Trixie added.
And then the estate finally appeared.
“Mercy.” Lishelle whistled.
“It’s like a fairy tale castle,” Trixie said.
No wonder Raz hadn’t bothered pursuing her when she told him wait, not yet. He had this waiting for him.
Rayna scrunched her nose, as if she smelled something bad but really to keep the prickle in her eyes from becoming something worse. Like tears.
Not that she regretted not fucking a duke when she had the chance, but because she thought the lonely little alien boy who grew up into a sexy, charming savior would now be swallowed by the arrogance and accountability embodied in the estate below.
Huge double doors swung open, and the hovercraft dropped toward the landing pad while her heart dropped too.
Rayna descended the gangway into an expansive courtyard with Lishelle beside her while Trixie hung back uncertainly beside the two stasis pods containing Carmen and Anne.
“Incredible,” Rayna muttered as she gazed around the yard lit to almost daylight brightness with illuminated round globes of various sizes embedded among intricately sculpted greenery. It was like the Gardens of Versailles imagined by a computer programmer blowing bubbles.
“Incredible as in can’t believe it,” Lishelle agreed under her breath.
A wide white carpet spread from the bottom of the gangway across the courtyard to a fan of shallow steps leading up to the center block of a triptych castle. The two wings on either side swept down elegantly while the center soared up toward the dark sky, its pinnacles lit from below to blazing white.
“Too late to go back to sleep,” Trixie said from behind them.
Rayna gave herself a shake. “Just…pretend you are meeting the mayor of the city after you saved a cat stuck in a tree.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Lishelle grumbled.
“Oh,
and this does?” Rayna marched forward.
“Good point.”
They climbed the steps, the stasis pods floating behind them with a couple of medics in attendance. When they were almost at the top, a tall, powerful presence loomed at Rayna’s shoulder.
She glanced over, a silly smile threatening… Only to see the Grandiloquence’s captain, in the flesh.
His wasn’t the flesh she’d daydreamed of.
Maybe he saw something in her disappointed expression because he snorted. “You think you know what you want,” he said in a low voice. “But that up there is the dowager duchess, and she was born and raised to care only about the good of her realm.”
She followed the upward jerk of his chin then sidelonged a glance at him. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I wish someone had warned me that the aristos of Azthronos will rip their hearts out for the duchy. And they’ll rip yours out too” He peeled off a long step before glancing back at Lishelle. “I’d choose you,” he said, as if someone had asked.
She scowled at him. “I don’t know you.”
He laughed and looked at Trixie last. “You hung up on me.”
“I don’t talk to aliens.”
By then, they’d reached the top step. Captain Nor strode to one side, leaving them exposed. The back of Rayna’s neck prickled, and she stiffened. Maybe an evil alien abduction wasn’t so bad compared to a royal alien introduction.
Then she saw Raz.
No, now he was Aelazar Amrazal Thorkonos, Duke of Azthronos, etcetera, yada yada, and all that entailed.
He stood above her, taut and severe, in a dark charcoal uniform that reminded her of the military history she’d read of Thorkonos. The asymmetrical tunic with all its emblems emphasized the breadth of his chest, but her fingers twitched to undo the decorative latch at the top of the collar under his clenched jaw, to release at least a little of the passionate male who’d kissed her in a sea of pretend stars.
But she saw no evidence of that in the royal blue eyes that stared down at her.
Reluctantly, she shifted her gaze to the shorter, older but still imposing woman at his elbow. Had to be the dowager duchess, with her clear blue eyes and still black hair threaded with steel gray. Her straight-cut dove-gray dress evoked the same sober military look as Raz’s uniform but the edges were decorated with pale blue piping.
She listened with half an ear as Captain Nor made formal introductions with way too many honor titles. She winced as she and the others were tacked with the “Black Hole Brides” alias. Awkward. She wasn’t married to a black hole or anyone else.
She slanted a glance at Raz, but he was staring straight ahead which put his gaze somewhere over her head.
But then again, this whole experience had been over her head.
Trixie gave her a little elbow nudge, and Rayna realized she’d missed something. She took a half step forward and decided on a little bow. They’d all been given clean uniforms like the ship’s crew wore, so a curtsy without a skirt would’ve been weird.
“Your Grace,” she said carefully, knowing the other woman would have one of the universal translators she’d read about but not wanting to flub her lines. Not that she’d been given actual lines, but thanks to her dad and sister, she knew how these stuffy, quasi-martial occasions worked. “We are so grateful that you answered the rescue call. We thank you for offering us sanctuary and hospitality while we await our planetary representative.”
The dowager’s smile was practiced and beatific, but not unkind for all that, as she stepped forward to take Rayna’s hand and straighten her from the bow. “We are pleased to do our part to maintain proper decorum in an untidy universe,” she said with great dignity. “It offends our sensibilities that the iniquitous Blackworm was able to abscond with young ladies of obvious quality such as yourself and install them nearly on our doorstep in unincorporated Thorkonos space. You can rest here assured that the space station, which of course has only passing interest and value to you girls now, will be dealt with appropriately, since Blackworm himself has already been brought to justice.” She gave a sharp nod. “Indeed, the criminal should count himself fortunate that the Grandiloquence, flying under the flag of the Duke of Azthronos, did not arrive earlier lest the Blood Champion of Zalar smote him with all the might embodied in the Avatar of Azjor, God of Oaths. Nevertheless—” she waved one hand dismissively “—we pledge to continue to fight for peace and, of course, prosperity in Thorkonos by expanding our influence to include the neighboring unincorporated region and, of course, vulnerable innocents such as the Black Hole Brides.”
Rayna blinked at the torrent of words. Maybe there was a glitch in the dowager’s universal translator? “Uh, of course?”
The dowager beamed at Rayna and then the others. “Of course indeed.”
Raz stepped up beside her. “Your Grace,” he said in a low voice. “Have you started paying your speechwriters by the word, or are you recording this?”
She sniffed. “Octiron offered a premium for any and all footage. And the rest of Thorkonos needs to know we hold our territory, no matter what.” The magnanimous expression she’d held turned bellicose, and Rayna wondered which blood champion/avatar/whatever was personified in the dowager duchess.
But Raz held his ground. “Rayna and her friends aren’t pawns in your play, Your Grace.”
The dowager chuckled, “Of course they are. Anyone who isn’t titled is a pawn.” She rolled her eyes toward Rayna as if inviting her to laugh along. “I studied a bit about your Earth so we could make your stay homelike and pleasant. You’ll find a delightfully rendered chess set in your chambers, so I know you understand about pawns, dear girl, even if my son is being excessively noble in a way I certainly never taught him.”
Unsure whether to be amused or horrified by the old woman, Rayna slid a glance at Raz.
This time, he was watching her, but his expression blanked as soon as they made eye contact. “The Earth envoy will be arriving in a few days. We can work out the details then.”
Details? What details?
“Of course,” the dowager said smoothly, so smoothly that Rayna wondered if the words were being translated correctly between Thorkon and English because the old woman said “of course” and then seemed to do whatever she wanted.
For his part, Raz looked equally suspicious. “Then Rayna and her friends can wait in their quarters until the envoy comes.”
“Of course,” repeated the dowager. “They need to be fitted for their gowns anyway.” She chuckled. “Since Octiron wouldn’t want that footage.” Then she tilted her carefully coiffed head. “Although maybe…”
“Mother,” Raz growled. “Why would they need gowns? They have ships fatigues.”
She clicked her tongue. “Dear boy, you’ve been away from home too long. They can’t attend the ball in ships fatigues. How vulgar.”
“What. Ball.” Raz bit off each word.
“Why, two nights from now. Time enough to fit the gowns, do something about their comportment, get the recordings rolling.” The dowager dimpled. “It will be the talk of the universe, most particularly the investment and tourism sectors.” She paused to hold up one finger. “The Black Hole Ball.”
Chapter 9
Later that night, after settling into their luxurious quarters that echoed the sculpted, formal lines of the courtyard, Trixie refused to go to the Black Hole Ball, and Lishelle backed her up.
“Something’s not right,” Lishelle said. “They’re playing us. Not just as pawns, but fools. Like they think we were born yesterday.”
Rayna grimaced. “Not yesterday, but just last week, basically.” Had it only been that long since she broke out of the glass coffin? It seemed like a whirlwind of forever.
She knew that their troubles had been drafted into a wider disagreement of some sort that had nothing to do with them. But now that they were mixed up in it, she wasn’t inclined to let others decide their fate while they were trapped in their pretty,
passive rooms at the estate.
She’d had enough of that under Blackworm.
So when the dowager arrived the next morning with a small army of staff, Rayna sequestered her friends in the back bedroom, blocked the door, and told the old woman only she would be going to the ball.
The dowager eyed her. “You are not as appealing as the little one nor as striking as the tall one.” Her lips pursed disapprovingly, and Rayna wondered if all mothers across the universe made that same face. She wouldn’t know, since her own had walked off before she’d been old enough to really understand disappointment, regret, and sorrow.
Although she’d learned those quick enough afterward.
She raised her chin. “Maybe, but I’m all you’re going to get.”
The dowager snorted. “You are very forward for a pawn.”
“If you studied the Earth chess set as you said you did, you’d know the pawn always starts in front.”
A few short, sharp inhalations from the staff sucked a bunch of the air out of the room, but Rayna just stood there with one eyebrow raised.
After a moment, the dowager waved her people forward. “This one, then. But don’t thwart me anymore, girl. I’ve a solar system to manage, a space station to maneuver, and a son to marry off.”
Rayna stiffened. Marry off a son? Meaning Raz?
No wonder he’d been off touring the far edges of his inheritance with this old woman managing and maneuvering behind him. He’d come home to the tragedy of his father’s death and now his mother was marrying him off.
Not that it was any of her business. Even if he had kissed her with a power that would’ve awakened her from any enchanted sleep.
She forced herself to focus on the dowager. Letting her attention wander around this one was probably a good way to find herself in trouble. Maybe not trapped in a glass coffin kind of trouble, but still.
“I’ll be a perfect Black Hole Bride,” she assured the woman, “for whatever your schemes demand. Meanwhile, you swear to keep my friends safe until the Earth envoy arrives to make this all go away. Deal?”
