Joined: Book One

by Mara Gan

  His hand shot out and grabbed Perseus’s wrist. Perseus spun into the grasp and whirled behind Lovec, grabbing his wrist as he went and flipping him to the ground.

  Perseus stood, arms akimbo, looking disgusted. “You have got to be better than this.”

  Lovec flipped to his feet and swung both arms at Perseus, growling. Perseus ducked backward, limbo style, and hit Lovec squarely in the center of his chest.

  Perseus shook his head. “You should be embarrassed. Actually, I think I’m embarrassed that you’re the one sent after me.”

  The bounty hunter glared at him. He fired a series of punches faster than I had ever seen anyone move before, but Perseus deftly blocked each.

  Lovec, breathless, swung his fist directly for Perseus’s face.

  Panicked, I was about to scream—

  When Perseus caught the fist midair, twisted underneath Lovec’s arm, and pinned it behind him. He kicked the back of Lovec’s knees, making him kneel. A dagger materialized at Lovec’s throat.

  “Now,” Perseus breathed softly, mouth near Lovec’s ear, “is there a bounty on your head, or did I do this for fun?”

  Lovec glowered, out of breath. “Kill me quickly.”

  “I’d rather not,” Perseus answered. “But then—”

  “Wait!” I cried. “Don’t kill him!”

  He glanced briefly at me. “I’m not going to kill him.”

  “Yes, you were!”

  He paused. “Yeah, probably.” Turning back to his captive, he slammed his fist into the side of Lovec’s head. Lovec crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

  “Egil,” Perseus said into his MCD.

  The device beeped. “Yes, Protector?”

  “Report to the Heir’s apartments,” Perseus ordered. “I need you to watch her while I dispose of a bounty hunter.”

  “A bounty— I’ll be there right away.”

  Perseus resheathed his dagger and stepped over the body to where I still stood, trying to appear invisible behind a wall column. I was gripping it so tight that my fingers hurt.

  Perseus extended a hand to me. “Are you alright, little one?” he asked gently.

  I stared at him, feeling shaken and wide-eyed. “Where did you learn to fight like that?” I breathed.

  He shrugged. “Lots of places.”

  “But….” I struggled to find the words. “You were so fast!”

  He smiled. “Impressed, Princess?”

  “Yes,” I exclaimed, before I could stop myself.

  He chuckled. “Have you never seen Kos fight before?”

  I shook my head.

  “You should,” he replied. “He’s the best.”

  “He says you’re better than he is, though,” I said, staring up at him.

  “Probably,” Perseus said. “But only because I’ve picked up a few more dirty tricks over the years.”

  “And you’re a precog.”

  A shadow passed over his face. “Maybe.”

  I was too stunned over the fight I’d watched to consider that shadow. “Did he even land a blow?”

  “He wasn’t that good.”

  “Have… bounty hunters been sent after you before?”

  He hesitated, clearly holding something back. “Yes.”

  “Do… do you think… more might come?” I asked, somewhat timidly.

  “I’ve been expecting it,” he answered. “But as long as they’re after me and not you, I don’t mind. I can handle it.”

  “I don’t ever want them to come after you,” I said firmly. “I’d rather they came after me.”

  “That would certainly make my job more difficult.”

  “I mean it,” I said fiercely. “I don’t want you hurt because of me.” Anxiety washed through my chest at the thought; so many people had been hurt or had died for me, and it ate at me, tearing at my soul like a lion eating a gazelle. Every last one of those deaths hurt me, and imagining something happening to Perseus gave me chest pains.

  I tried not to think too much about why, even though I knew.

  He shook his head. “There you go again, forgetting what Protector actually means. Your life comes first, remember?”

  “No life comes before mine,” I said quietly. “That will never something I can accept. I-I was worried that Lovec would hurt you. I couldn’t stand that.”

  His black eyes burned into me. “So concerned for me, Princess?” he asked softly. “I’m touched.”

  I caught my breath as I stared up at him. We were so close, locked in each other’s eyes, our bodies almost touching. I could feel the heat of his body. If he weren’t so tall, I could stretch upward and perhaps—

  Perseus turned away, looking at Lovec’s body thoughtfully, and I wondered if I had imagined that look in his eyes. He stepped around Lovec, nudging him gently with his foot, considering.

  “Why did you drop your falx?” I blurted. “You never even tried to attack him with it.”

  His eyes flicked to me. “You noticed that, did you?” I nodded and he sighed. “I hate using weapons unless I have to, Princess.”

  “Why?” I pressed. “You probably could have ended the fight sooner.”

  “I’m sure I could have.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “I know.”

  I exhaled and closed my eyes. I couldn’t stand it when he deflected questions like that. “Why do you do that?”

  “You ask a lot of questions, Princess.”

  I frowned at him, waiting for an answer.

  He sighed again. “I’d rather not kill if I don’t have to, little girl.”

  I frowned, speechless for a moment. “You… you really do hate killing, don’t you?” I asked, my voice almost inaudible.

  “Yes.”

  His emotions, although hidden, were powerful, and for the briefest of moments, one flashed across his face.

  I couldn’t be sure, but it looked an awful lot like misery.

  Then it was gone. He straightened and looked away from me, back to Lovec’s crumpled form.

  “Protector?”

  Perseus looked up to see Egil’s enormous figure hurrying toward us from the end of the corridor. “Ah, Egil,” he said, sounding relieved. “Thank you for coming. Please take the princess to her quarters while I cart our prisoner off to the brig.”

  Egil nodded. “Of course,” he said sternly. “Did you say he was a bounty hunter?”

  “Unfortunately.”

  Egil’s brown eyes flicked to me. “So the assassins are taking contracts out on the Heir now?”

  Perseus shook his head. “No, this particular bounty hunter was after me, not the princess.”

  Egil’s usually stoic face had the grace to look startled. “What?”

  “He tried to capture Perseus, not me,” I repeated, irritated. “And apparently it’s not the first time.”

  Perseus gave me a curious glance. “I’m sure it won’t be the last, either. I’ll make a full report to Kos and Synie. Just make sure the princess doesn’t sneak away, will you? With bounty hunters slipping onto the station, the last thing we need is a runaway princess.”

  “Understood.” Egil gestured for me to lead the way, and no doubt to the surprise of my Protector, I went without a protest.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Bounty hunters. After Perseus, not me.

  Sitting in my bedroom with Myrtilos, I pinched my nose and took a deep breath.

  It was kind of ironic, really; my bodyguard had, thus far, spent more time fending off attacks from bounty hunters after him than ones after me. I didn’t know much about having a bodyguard, true, but it certainly seemed like it should be the other way around.

  And it bothered me. A lot. My chest tightened in anxiety as I worried about what would happen if a bounty hunter came after him while he was asleep, or tried to use me to get to him. I couldn’t let anything happen to Perseus.

  I told myself that was just because I didn’t want anyone else being hurt because of me.

  T
hen I pinched myself, hard, to forget those other thoughts.

  Egil was sitting out in my living room, just doing nothing. Staring at the window, probably. He was so stoic that it was almost like having a new piece of furniture.

  And it was annoying. It was really weird, having someone in my apartment who didn’t really want to talk to me, but wasn’t leaving anytime soon.

  I really wanted the comforting creaminess of a Mathan Fog latte. I knew it was late and the caffeine was probably not a good idea, for either my ability to sleep or my anxiety, but it was not like I was going to sleep anyway. Decision made, I stood, grabbed a light sweater, and walked into the living room.

  “I’m going for a Mathan Fog and a walk in the Hypethral,” I called on my way to the door.

  “No.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Egil, unless you plan on physically restraining me, I’m going for a walk. You can either come with me or stay here.”

  He frowned, his black eyebrows snapping together. “The Protector won’t approve.”

  “Yes, that’s true,” I said agreeably. “But those are the choices.”

  I almost laughed at the indecision warring on his face. Would Perseus want him to physically restrain me, or should he just give in and come with me?

  Eventually he grunted and followed me.

  Now I really did laugh. I swear, everything made the poor man uncomfortable.

  I tried to make casual conversation. “So, have you been to the Hypethral much?”

  “No.”

  “How about the Mathan bar?”

  “Once.”

  “And… did you like it?”

  “No.”

  I groaned. He was even more difficult to have a conversation with than Perseus. I tried something else. “What do you think will happen with the bounty hunter?”

  Egil frowned a little. “The Protector will interrogate him.”

  My eyes slid sideways. I knew what an “interrogation” from Perseus probably entailed. “How… will he interrogate him?”

  Egil merely glanced at me and raised an eyebrow.

  I pursed my lips. “That’s not okay. We have rules about this here.”

  Egil shrugged. “Kos and Synie agreed that, when it came to you, Perseus would be given free rein to proceed however he saw fit.”

  “But this doesn’t even involve me.”

  “You were present when Lovec showed up.”

  I grimaced. Great. Now Lovec would suffer because of me.

  I sighed softly, knowing that the bounty hunter sort of had that coming, but I really hated being the cause of violence. It made me want to crawl into myself and away from the galaxy that was so polarized about my existence.

  But, of course, that was hardly a solution, so I pushed my shoulders back and changed the subject as we entered the Hypethral. As long as I was going to have a shadow, I might as well introduce him to my favorite spots.

  We walked slowly through the greenery as I pointed out various plants and trees and animals while Egil grunted, completely un-wowed. I showed him my favorite bench and my favorite flower spot first—although to be frank, I preferred greenery to flowers.

  I didn’t take him to my favorite pool, though; it felt oddly personal to me, especially after the encounter Perseus and I had had there. I hadn’t even been back to it since that night, actually, so I really didn’t want to show it to Egil. I was afraid going there would be too much of a tangible reminder of what I could never have.

  Instead I steered him toward my reading place, a cluster of towering cedars surrounded by moss and ferns. I had even named one of the trees Ena, after my nanny when I had lived on Halia. I pointed at the tree as we came around the corner.

  “Over here is—oh my god!”

  I came to an abrupt halt, jerking backward so suddenly that I tripped and fell into Egil, who had been following closely. My Mathan Fog tumbled miserably out of my hands, my one source of comfort spilling over the now-caffeinated soil. Egil reached out to catch me, one arm catching me around the waist while the other wrapped around my upper body, as if preparing to whirl me away. He froze when he realized what had startled me.

  Not five feet in front of us, just before one of my favorite places in the entire Hypethral, Perseus and Rania were locked in a decidedly passionate embrace.

  Perseus lifted his head from where it had been buried against Rania’s neck and looked straight into my eyes—and I knew I wasn’t hiding my pained expression. He held my gaze and for what felt like eons, we simply stared at each other.

  My stomach churned and my chest threatened to burst. I was never good at hiding my own emotions, and I had little doubt that my face showed every last bit of distress.

  Rania’s reaction was more exuberant. “Princess!” she exclaimed, standing and moving to adjust her clothing. Perseus straightened slowly, his face unreadable but his gaze never leaving me.

  “I’m-I’m sorry,” I stuttered, swallowing thickly. Breathe. I bit my lip and closed my eyes, trying to use all my diplomatic tools to school my expression, but all I could feel was my chest heaving.

  “No—it’s alright,” Rania said easily as she smoothed her black tunic. “I should apologize. We shouldn’t be out here in public like this.”

  Of course he would be dating Rania. Rania was the most beautiful woman in the entire galaxy. Hell, I would date Rania.

  If I were free to date, which I wasn’t.

  Perseus’s black eyes were now trained on Egil’s arms, holding me around the waist. Egil quickly set me on my feet and dropped his hands, moving them behind his back uncomfortably.

  “I see you are out for a stroll of your own,” Perseus said, expression dark. “Enjoying yourself, Egil?”

  I glanced at Egil, who shifted. “Do not blame him, Perseus,” I said quietly. “I wanted to come for a walk and told him he would either have to tie me down or come with me.” I swallowed again, my throat tight. “It’s my fault. I’m sorry. We will go.”

  Despite the pain lancing my chest, I kept my head high and turned away. Egil followed closely, both of us only too happy to escape the scene behind us, if for different reasons.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  “Princess?”

  “Hmm?” I glanced up at Synie, who had apparently been trying to get my attention for a few minutes.

  She quirked an eyebrow at me. “The Yurilian trade dispute?”

  I sighed and rubbed my face. We had finished making plans for the NTA meeting and were now mapping out a meeting schedule for the Yurilians, who were furious about grain or some other such ridiculous thing.

  I mentally pinched myself. It wasn’t ridiculous to them, of course, but right now my thoughts were elsewhere.

  “I’m sorry, Synie,” I answered, scrubbing my fingers along my scalp. “I’m a bit tired today, that’s all.”

  “It’s no problem, Princess,” she said smoothly, setting a data pad down. “Clee can handle this.”

  “Clee can handle what?” Clee asked from her side of the table. She looked up from munching on something I probably didn’t want to identify.

  “The Yurilian—”

  Clee made a pft noise and waved her hand in the air. “Already done. I gave them all the grain.”

  “Clee,” I said tiredly.

  She grinned. “Just kidding, Princess. But I did mock up a schedule for you. Here.” She shoved her data pad down the table, where it expertly skidded to a halt in front of me.

  I picked it up and looked it over, nodding, impressed as always by Clee’s attention to detail. If she could sense emotions and try to be slightly less crazy, she could do this job better than I could.

  “Great, Clee,” I said. “Job’s all yours. I’m going to bed.”

  Kenzi covered a snicker as Synie rolled her eyes. “Princess, you know they’ll only talk to you.”

  I leaned back in my chair and stretched my neck. “Yeah, yeah.”

  Kenzi tilted his head at Synie. “Why is that, again? Why will they only talk t
o the princess?”

  Synie shifted uncomfortably. “King Cepheus was….” She paused, searching for the right word.

  “A jerk,” Clee supplied unhelpfully.

  “Clee!” Synie barked. “That’s practically treason.”

  Clee shrugged. “Yep. But I already told him that to his face. He agreed with me.”

  Cepheus had a weak spot for Clee, as did we all; her tendency to tell the truth and lighten the mood at the same time was curiously refreshing. And she was right: Cepheus was a terrible diplomat.

  With another reproachful glare at Clee, who was no longer paying attention, Synie continued, “King Cepheus was less than sympathetic toward their grain dispute with us. Andromeda smoothed things over and managed to talk them down from outright war.”

  Kenzi’s eyes bugged. “They were going to declare war on us, just for some grain?”

  “Food is a common reason people go to war,” I said. “Or, rather, lack of it. When people starve, they feel they have nothing left to lose.” Perseus’s words came back to me: people who have nothing to lose, fear nothing.

  That was true on a global scale as well as a personal one, I supposed.

  “Since the princess was able to soothe their fears and concerns, in a more… diplomatic way, the Yurilians will only speak with her. They feel she is the only one truly willing to help them.” A stark contrast to the NTA, who felt that Cepheus had slighted them by making them deal with me.

  Kenzi’s dark eyes turned to me and he gave me an awed smile. I couldn’t really feel anything from him; his control over his thoughts and emotions was excellent, for which I was immensely grateful, but he was vocal about his appreciation of me. And his one-step-shy-of-adoration always made me a little uncomfortable. I really hated being an object of awe.

  I liked doing my job—a lot—and I loved helping people, but at heart, I was an introvert who wanted as little attention as possible. Just my luck, I got the most high-profile job in the galaxy.

  The door to the conference room swished open and Perseus strode in, and just like that, my chest was tight with anxiety again.

  I focused back on the data in front of me, pretending to reanalyze Clee’s expert work.