The Golden Heart: Alliance Book One (Alliance Series 1)

by Jessamyne Hunter

  Absently, he touched his iridescent night-blue silk coat, embroidered with swirls of stars and galaxies. His collar felt too tight, but when he grabbed it, there was enough space to fit in two hands. He also thought his black trousers were too tight, but they were made of smooth, stretchy fabric.

  He was sure, drops of sweat ran down his face, but when he touched his skin, it felt only cold. Goddess! Why was he so nervous? He had already seen the young human, Kellan Harrison, on a picture. His smile had touched Sartak deep inside- somewhere in a place, he didn’t know. His heart skipped a beat when he noticed the music starting. A low and longing sound in the silence of the temple, it felt like a mirror of his feelings.

  Sartak shifted on his feet, he yearned to turn around now, but he knew he should wait at least until the door opened. The song that played was the Starlit Dream, a song so sad and beautiful it left people in tears. It had no need for words; no need for language to tell the story of a love destined to be eternal.

  The Daughter of the Universe had fallen in love with a mortal warrior, and when he had died in a cold, starless night, the Daughter of the Universe created the little suns and called them stars. She asked them to only light the night so her lover wouldn’t feel alone in the darkness anymore. Ever since his ghost would dance with her under a starlit sky through the universe. Whenever they had to part, a star died and another one was born. Thus the Daughter of the Universe had become the Queen of the Stars.

  The Starlit Dream was a song composed by a priest of the Temple of the Cosmos as a remembrance of the Queen of the Stars and her Starlight Knight.

  Sartak closed his eyes and listened to the Starlit Dream, feeling small and unimportant, even though he wore a coat to resemble the Starlight Knight. He found himself too big and muscular to look good in these robes. His father, on the other hand, had looked every bit like the king he was. Sartak still remembered the wedding ceremony of his parents though he had been just a child twenty-four years ago. He had never seen anything more beautiful than his kmera in a jeweled white robe as the Queen of the Stars.

  He heard the sound of someone opening the doors. The music played even louder, and when the priest finally nodded, he turned around just to find himself breathless.

  His kmera led the tiny human down the aisle. And well…those photos had been shit and fucking misleading. His husband-to-be looked nothing like the person in those pictures. Sartak had found him beautiful, with his blonde locks and his light eyes and his soft features. That had been a lie. He wasn’t blonde at all, and his eyes weren’t just gray.

  Walking down the aisle was the Queen of Stars herself in all her starlit and ethereal glory. Light shone from the pale white skin, and his beauty overshadowed everything else, even the Starlit Dream. Kellan was his name and his eyes seemed to resemble the moon, their pale gray piercing right into his soul. His full, kissable lips were a soft red.

  The silver-white robe was sheer endless, embroidered with silver ornaments and adorned with white jewels, only a few different colored jewels shone in a sea of silver, like the stars themselves. It had wing-like attachments at the shoulders- wings that were as long as the robe’s train. With every step, the long robe revealed a bit of pale leg and silver sandals.

  The young human looked at him, his face expressionless, but his eyes wide. His dark eyebrows and thick lashes gave a remarking contrast to his starlight-white curls, pinned up with diamond-studded pins.

  Sartak’s mouth felt dry, and when he checked, he noticed his lips were slightly parted. He hoped he didn’t look dumb. He really wanted to make a good impression on this ethereal beauty walking right towards him. He couldn’t wait to finally hold Kellan’s small hands. He was afraid he might accidentally break his delicate human.

  Jarvan wore a big and proud smile while his eyes seemed wet. Sartak risked a short glimpse to his father, who also looked stunned just like the rest of the invited people.

  Sartak had to revise his opinion from earlier. It didn’t matter how sorry he was, but Kellan was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, his kmera on his wedding day came now only right behind his own husband…well, he wasn’t his husband yet but would be soon.

  Both of them stopped right in front of Sartak and Jarvan gave the hand he held to his son. The tiny hand in his was warm and soft. When he wrapped his fingers around it, he felt his young human’s body tense up. Kellan wore a wary expression which hurt Sartak, but he needed to keep in mind that the beautiful small man didn’t know him. Sartak would never hurt him on purpose. His human next to him felt right; his presence felt right. Sartak sniffed the air and smiled. Yes, everything was right; this was the day he had been waiting for. He had always hoped to have a love like his parents and here the great goddess of the Cosmos showed that she had heard his pleas. This kmer was his fated mate.

  So Sartak smiled at Kellan, but when the man winced, he remembered that he had sharp teeth. Instantly he closed his mouth and cleared his throat. When both of them stood in front of the priest, they waited for the music to fade which it soon did.

  “Good people of Phy’vohran! Today we came together to celebrate the union of two planets. Today we make peace between two planets that had been at war for more than a century. The union between these two...”, Sartak had stopped listening to the priest’s speech.

  Speeches were always so boring he couldn’t quite understand why they were still held. Everyone knew why they were invited; it had been written in thick letters on the stupid card.

  Sartak suppressed the urge to snort and turn his eyes, instead, he glanced at the tiny human- the Phy’vohranian was about seven feet nine, while Kellan seemed to be smaller than five feet five.

  He really couldn’t blame Kellan for feeling intimidated by Sartak’s tall and muscular appearance. Still, he regarded Kellan while the priest wouldn’t stop speaking. And honestly…he was talking and talking, and there seemed to be no end in sight.

  When the priest finally bade them to stand to face each other and join their hands, Sartak was more than just relieved to do so. He had thought, the priest would never stop talking, but the ceremony seemed to be finally coming to an end. Everyone else was waking up too, at least Sartak could see a bunch of his friends yawning and then they smiled at him, when they noticed, that Kellan and Sartak were holding hands.

  The small human was only as high as his lowest rib; his delicate frame woke the urge to protect him. How in the name of the goddess would he be able to give birth to his child, let alone carry it?

  Maybe he shouldn’t worry himself about such things right now. Dr. Selarney had already checked Kellan throughout and found nothing to worry about. Sartak should better concentrate on the wedding because the priest was now addressing them.

  “Crown Prince Sartak of house Nexvrin of Phy’vohran- Warlord of the Phy’vohranian forces and general to the Silver-Scale-Alliance -, will you hereby take Kellan Harrison- Lord of the Earth; Prince of New Britain and the Northern Isles; Head of the New Commonwealth; ambassador of the Star-Lion-Alliance; Sovereign and owner of EVE-4- as your rightful husband and royal consort; will you love him, comfort him, be faithful to him, honor him, keep him, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, until the end of your days and beyond?“ the servant of the goddess asked him.

  “Yes, I do…and I always will,“ for him the answer was clear, so he looked into Kellan’s eyes, hoping he’d understand and see the emotions inside him.

  Nodding in acknowledgment, the priest smiled and turned to Kellan, whose small shoulders had started to shake by now. His eyes were big and his breath was shallow.

  Worried, Sartak frowned and squeezed his hands to tell him to relax.

  The priest gave him a concerned look but still continued on with the ceremony. Sartak would take his time with Kellan later. They were in urgent need of a long talk. He was afraid his young human felt uncomfortable. A wedding was a big step in life and no one of Kellan’s family was here to support him. It had to be frightening to be alone on a
foreign planet and to marry a man he didn’t know at all.

  Sartak had heard that humans needed time to adjust and even more time to figure out whether they loved someone or not. Sartak would give him the time, but Kellan would still be living with him in his quarters. He hoped his young husband would realize soon that they were fated to be together by the great goddess herself.

  “Kellan Harrison- Lord of the Earth; Prince of New Britain and the Northern Isles; Head of the New Commonwealth; ambassador of the Star-Lion-Alliance; Sovereign and owner of EVE-4-, will you hereby take Crown Prince Sartak of house Nexvrin of Phy’vohran- Warlord of the Phy’vohranian forces and general to the Silver-Scale-Alliance - as your rightful husband and be his royal consort; will you love him, comfort him, be faithful to him, honor him, keep him, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, until the end of your days and beyond?“ the priest asked again, only this time he addresses Kellan.

  Hearing Kellan’s titles a second time made Sartak realize that the young man had a lot of titles and fancy names and that his husband actually owned a planet, while Sartak would only ever be ruling over one.

  His thoughts had distracted him from the fact that an unpleasant silence had originated. Kellan’s breaths were loud and sounded a lot like the young man was falling into a panic. But then he suddenly flinched and lifted his gaze. He met Sartak’s eyes and gave him a shaky smile.

  “Yes, I do,” Kellan whispered, his gaze never leaving Sartak.

  When the priest bound their hand together with a golden ribbon, he didn’t even seem to notice it. He seemed completely paralyzed.

  “The goddess smiles upon you. She blesses your union; may you live long, happy and healthy. May your children be blessed as well and live long, happy and healthy lives as well as your children’s children and theirs,” the priest said and lowered their hands.

  Sartak released one hand, but still held onto Kellan with his left hand, the wedding ribbon hanging loosely around their wrists. Quietly, the musicians started playing the Starlit Dream again.

  “Now, you may seal the bond with a kiss in front of the great goddess,” the servant of the goddess bowed and stepped back to give them some privacy- if a kiss in front of a temple bursting with people could be called private at all.

  Kellan had dropped his gaze and was now shuffling nervously with his feet. Sartak smiled. His husband was indeed a sweet man, the sweetest thing he had ever encountered.

  Gently, he put his fingers under his newly wedded husband’s chin and lifted it slowly, so he would look at him. Sartak had to bow deep to meet Kellan’s lips, but it was worth every sweet second. The plush lips pressed against his in a chaste kiss and then he released him. He had no intention to embarrass his consort, but he would happily claim this sinful mouth anytime again if wished. He’d love to kiss those lips again before they made love and consummated the marriage.

  He hadn’t touched the wine at all. He preferred to watch the other people making fools of themselves. He also didn’t want to lose control because his fist would likely land in Kohtah’s face. Sartak really didn’t want to punch his brother who rather wanted to be a woman. Yeah…he really shouldn’t hit a girl. That wouldn’t look nice in his records. It wouldn’t be well received by any of the attending persons either. Especially not by his parents and more so by his husband, who was merrily dancing with Kohtah who swirled him around the dance floor of the great ballroom. Sartak sucked at dancing…he had the grace of a dying elephant or a newborn cow. He’d gracefully stumble over non-existent hindrances on the floor, he’d fucking topple over a table several feet away from the place he was dancing.

  So not drinking kept him calm and his mouth shut, because not only his fist would develop a life of its own, but also his mouth.

  While he sat there scowling, his brother turned Kellan around in a perfect pirouette, smiling at his husband way too friendly and appreciative.

  Actually, Sartak wanted to speak with Kellan, but when they had been alone on the way to the ballroom, no words had come out of his mouth.

  He felt stupid, so fucking stupid. He had wanted to tell him how beautiful he was and how much he wanted them to be happy. He had wanted to talk about them being fated mates and that Kellan could trust him and tell him about anything; that he would always be by his side and just all the stuff he felt and wanted when he looked at his young husband. He still wanted to, but he was plain bad with words and talking about his feeling. He hoped he’d at least not mess up while trying to show them.

  “Oh, Sari! Stop all your huffing and puffing. It doesn’t suit a prince and still less a man who got married to someone as beautiful as the Queen of the Stars. If you’re jealous, then go grab your husband and dance, otherwise, hold your horses and be a prince,” Jarvan narrowed his eyes to slits while watching him closely.

  Sartak grunted but refused to answer. Instead, he stayed where he was and tried to hold back his fratricidal thoughts.

  That insolent little ass really dared to pull his husband that close to him?!

  He felt a surge of burning, hot anger.

  He sprung up from his seat at the long dining table on the platform, his chair falling over with a loud clattering sound.

  The room promptly went silent and all eyes were on him. Kohtah and Kellan came to a halt, expressions of horror on their faces. Jarvan beside him hid his face in his hands and muttered incomprehensible words.

  Ok,…that was awkward. Everyone was watching him warily and Sartak didn’t know how angry he still looked. It was silent…maybe he should say something?

  He cleared his voice.

  “’tis late. Kohtah, I believe my husband is tired after such a long ceremony and feast. Earth does have fewer hours per day,” he spoke, his gaze darting at his brother like ice-cold daggers.

  His brother cowered, hastily excused himself to Kellan and left for the table where the twins had changed places so Kohtah could sit as far away from Sartak as possible.

  Kellan, on the other hand, stood blank-faced in the middle of the ballroom, his eyes regarding the marble floor.

  Sartak sighed and stepped around the table to fetch his husband. Nobody dared to say a word or even breathe. When he reached Kellan, it felt like it had been ages. Taking his spouse’s limp hand, he placed a hand on Kellan’s back. Sartak steered him out of the room to their chambers.

  He barely registered the guards that followed them for a while and then fell back when they arrived at the prince’s quarters.

  Kellan was awfully quiet.

  Moreover, he didn’t deign to look at him.

  When Sartak pushed open the heavy carved wooden doors to his bedroom, Kellan wiggled his hand free. He headed right for the large four-poster bed with its golden and white curtains. The blanket and sheets were also white on occasion of the wedding.

  Kellan stood in front of the bed, his back facing Sartak. His body was shaking and his arms were wrapped around his delicate frame.

  Sartak needed to find his voice, but he had no idea how to start this conversation, so he waited for…he didn’t know, for just anything he supposed.

  He knew how sex worked. Damn, he was pretty good at it and he had done it many times, but humans were different. He had asked for advice. Hell, he'd even gotten instructions on how to proceed from now on, but he still had no idea how to start or where to start. He didn’t want to just push Kellan into the mattress. So he just waited…waited for- yeah, what?- divine afflatus?

  It seemed like he had taken too much time being silent because Kellan started to undress. Firstly, his robe fell over his shoulders, revealing a see-through robe he had worn underneath. That robe was a soft icy blue with beads and crystals sewn onto its hems.

  Sartak’s mouth went dry when Kellan bent over, to open his sandals and then slipped out of them.

  His body was so lithe and fragile, he feared to break him. Still, he felt his cock stirring.

  The much smaller man got rid of the jeweled hairpins and put them on the nightstand n
ext to him. He bent over again, but this time he took off the small silken nothing that was meant to be his underwear.

  “It is time, is it not?” he heard Kellan’s quiet voice whisper.

  Swallowing, Sartak tore at his coat and tried to unbutton it with trembling fingers. His hair kept falling into his face, but he didn’t mind. All he wanted was to get naked as soon as possible.

  Kellan held his breath. He heard the rustling of clothes right behind him. Sartak, his husband, had seemed so angry before- even grimmer and sulkier when the ceremony had begun. The man had a much too serious expression on his face and Kellan really didn’t want to anger him. Still, he was angry at Kellan.

  He thought he hadn’t done anything wrong, but dancing with his husband’s brother had proven to be very wrong.

  God, he felt so naked, so vulnerable. The sheer robe was nothing; only useless fabric and no protection at all.

  At least Sartak didn’t seem to be prone to violence. He hadn’t hit him whereas Kellan would have deserved it.

  His father, Samuel, would have beaten the shit out of him for behaving like this. Kellan was sure he had behaved unseemly.

  Once when the Edean ambassador had been on their ship for a visit, he had brought his daughter with him. She’d been a child just like Kellan, and both of them had been talking to each other about the boring party. There had been a lot of adults at the table and the kids- the girl and him- had sat somewhere in the corner.

  After some more talking about boring politics, Kellan had grabbed her hand and showed her the library.

  It had been just a few bookshelves actually, but to Kellan, it had been a lot back then. He’d showed her his favorite book- The Moon-Prince; a tale of bravery, friendship, adventure, and love. The ambassador’s daughter- Chess- had been so excited about the book but she couldn’t read the earthean language. So they’d sat down on one of the plush seats together, and Kellan had started to read to her. They’d been lost within the pages of the story when the door had swung open. Seconds later, The Moon-Prince had been torn from his hands, and his father had yelled at him. His face had been red with anger, and Ambassador Cindark had tried to calm Kellan’s father down.