Raven's Sphere

by Melissa Koberlein

  “You may think I’m heartless and pompous because I’m a princess. But I’m not. You think I commanded the attack on Mythos, but that was not my choice. My brother commanded the attack. Now, here I am, looking at the last of a race, and he’s just a boy.”

  I glance at Garren wondering just how old she is. If Emery is a boy, then what is she? Cadmarians are said to age differently than Zetians because of their lifestyles and eating habits. They believe for every single Zetian year, a Cadmarian ages only eight months. Personally, I think that’s crap. “I don’t wish to insult you in any way, Your Majesty, but you don’t look a day over twenty-five.”

  “I’m forty-two.”

  “Shut the hell up” slips from my mouth, Zetian style.

  She grabs me by the throat. “You dare challenge me, Zetian?”

  I pry at her unmovable hand. Whoa, she’s strong. I put up my hands in surrender, my voice squeaky from the pressure she’s applying to my windpipe. “Princess, my apologies. I meant that as a compliment, that you look amazing for your age. Sarcasm is common on Zeta. I swear.”

  Garren narrows her eyes but releases me. “Zetians are so abnormal. You insult to make a compliment. Control yourself.”

  I cough and clear my throat. “Again, my apologies.”

  “Anyway, the point is that I’m unable to have children of my own. But now, this boy appears before me. But not just any boy, a Mythosian boy. The only one left of his kind in the galaxy, thanks to my brother’s greediness.” She pauses and studies Emery. Finally, she declares, “I’m moved. I will take responsibility for him and become his guardian.”

  How fucking magnanimous of you, your highness. My instinct is to slap her beautiful face silly. Tell her she can’t have him. That he’s mine. He belongs with me, not her.

  But I can’t.

  The truth is I’m probably going to be executed or imprisoned soon. There’s no escaping that. If she means what she says, Emery would be the most protected person in the galaxy. She won’t harm him because of the sphere. He wouldn’t have to run or be afraid. He would have his heart’s desire and want for nothing. How can I deny him that because of my selfishness?

  So, I do what I promised Emery and the one thing I haven’t done since the day I lost my arm—I do what’s right.

  Well, sorta.

  “I suppose that would be in Emery’s best interest,” I say, “but he will never leave my side willingly.”

  Before Garren can respond, Emery, as if sensing my torment, is by my side. “What’s wrong?”

  I embrace him, telling myself not to cry. This is what’s best for him. I should let him go.

  “Raven?” he presses.

  I look to Garren for an explanation, and she acquiesces. “Emery, how would you like to spend a few days here with me?”

  “Can Raven stay too?”

  Her lips tighten as she thinks about his proposition. “I think that might work. Raven must be guarded at all times, of course, and I will only be able to keep her here for three days at the most. After that, I can’t promise anything.” Then, to me, she asks, “Are you agreeable to these terms?”

  Do I have a choice? I look from Emery’s pleading eyes and back to Garren. I bow my head. “Of course, Your Majesty.”

  To my surprise, Emery says to Garren, “Thank you, Your Majesty. Raven is my family.”

  My heart fills and twists simultaneously at the mention of being part of a family.

  “Guard, please show Miss Nevar and Mr. D’Grath to their rooms in the royal fortress and post a guard outside both.” Then to Emery, she says, “This is just a precaution for your safety, all right?”

  He nods.

  Garren stands and faces me. She leans over, out of Emery’s earshot, and whispers in my ear, “Don’t even think about trying anything. You’re going to trial no matter what. But if you so much as sneeze wrong, I’ll snap your neck without blinking an eye.”

  She leans back and smiles like an angel.

  I return her fake smile, admiring her mental and physical capabilities. If she wasn’t holding Emery and me hostage, I think I might actually like her. Then my conscious slaps me upside the head again—Snap out of it. Princess is a total bitch. Get your mind out of her pants!

  Right. So even though she confuses me sexually, we are not on the same side. Not by a long shot. She’s turning me over after three days for my trial and sentencing. I’ll be facing some pretty steep smuggling charges, not to mention theft, assault, wait…did I kill anyone on Cadmar? No, that was Emery. And some other stuff I probably won’t even remember.

  Try something? Nope. I’m good. I’m happy to stay in her fortress-like palace with Emery.

  She looks at me expectantly.

  Oh, right. I give her my best curtsy, if you could call it that—more like a dip of the knees and bob of the head. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

  Fucking curtsies and royalty. I hate this planet.

  17

  Fortress

  After a restless night’s sleep, I wake, feeling the same as I felt before I drifted in and out of consciousness—miserable. I have only three days with Emery. After that, I won’t see him—or anyone, for that matter—again. I grumble and rise from the bed. My feet touch floor, and I head directly to the massive floor-to-ceiling window of my room, no doubt fortified and alarmed. The royal fortress is made up of many small buildings, most of which are homes for the workers and suites for guests, perched on stilts in the shallow waters, just off the beach. The buildings form an intricate web connected by sturdy walkways made from Zetian composites and shells extending across the water. At the center is a large building that houses a dining hall, theater, and various sparring and meeting rooms.

  It’s a beautiful day as usual. The sun shines with nary a cloud in the sky, glimmering off the blue-green water as far as the eye can see. Cadmarians, both adult and their children, wade in the shallows around the buildings of the fortress, the heat from the sun warming their cheery, tan faces. They are workers for the Geldians. Of course, today is Saturday, a day of leisure. They will, however, be expected to prepare an evening meal.

  A knock on the door draws me away from the mirth outside.

  I press a comm panel next to the door. “Yes?”

  A smooth feminine voice answers, “You have been granted permission to be outdoors. Young Emery has requested your presence. There are clothes and swimming garments, should you choose to wear one, in the dress closet. You’re to meet Emery at the royal pier in thirty minutes. It’s the one with the flag of the Geldian family crest. That is all.”

  I turn back around and lean against the door. Dress closet, huh? I smile. Time to take full advantage of my host. Let’s see what Garren’s got this place equipped with. I slip out of my under armor and check out the state-of-the-art bathroom facility, complete with styling system. I’ve read about them but never thought I’d be able to use one. Honestly, I alternate between Uncle Teagan and myself to cut my hair. Teagan does a far better job than me.

  I shower first and enter the styling chamber. On the wall is a touch screen console. The first page is for hair removal. Hmm, okay, let’s give that a try. I select all the parts I want to take care of from an image of myself.

  “Place protective eyewear on,” a computer voice says as a pair of goggles appears on a shelf in front of me.

  Okay, no problem. I put the goggles on and tap a green start button. Lasers appear from the sides of the chamber and go to work. Two minutes later, the same voice says, “Hair removal complete. You may remove your goggles.”

  I skim my hand across my calf. Smooth as a baby’s rear and no pain.

  Okay, what’s next?

  The next page on the console is options for massages and facials. Yes, please, all of the above. Mechanical arms reach out to knead my back and shoulders as wands spread goopy creams on my face and finish with warm, moist towels. I lean into the treatments, my usually taut muscles relaxed. I’ve never had a massage before. So this is what all the fus
s is about.

  Finally, I get to a page for haircuts, styles, and color. I glance in a mirror at my short blue hair. Goodbye, blue. Time for something new.

  I scroll through the options and settle on a dark brown shade, close to my natural color, but much longer and braided down my back. Finally, options for makeup. I opt for a simple tinted sunscreen, some temporary eyeliner tattoos, and lashes that won’t wash off in the water. I leave the chamber and retrieve a red swimsuit with crisscrossed straps from the closet. I turn and look at my reflection in the mirror.

  Other than the obvious fake skin covering my bionic arm, I look kind of pretty, sexy even. Cole drifts into my mind. I kick at the base of the mirror. What’s wrong with you? Forget about him. He’s a traitor.

  I grab a pair of sun visors and head out of my room with a guard in tow to meet Emery at the pier. Along the way, I try to forget that Cole Mason ever existed.

  Emery is beaming when I reach him. “Raven, look at your hair! It’s so long and the color of chocolate. You even plaited it.”

  “And look at you too. You’ve got your natural silver hair and eyes back. Fantastic.”

  He kicks off his shoes. “Let’s go swimming.”

  “Put those back on. Those are water shoes so you don’t cut yourself on anything at the bottom.”

  He looks up at me oddly. “Oh, Raven, I’ve never been swimming in my life. Let’s live a little.” He leaves his shoes off and jumps off the pier.

  Yeah, kid, I better, because I’ve only got three days.

  “This feels wonderful.” He splashes around in the water. “Come in.”

  Leaving my water shoes on, I lower myself into the water next to him. It’s warm and comforting. My hands cup the water and push it back and forth. The water comes up to my waist at this depth, but Emery’s submerged to his chest. There are some spots that can get deeper but not this close to the shoreline.

  Breathing deeply, I can’t help but imagine a different life. What if I wasn’t a criminal? I could spend the rest of my life looking after Emery.

  But it isn’t my life. This is a small reprieve before I’m sent off to prison or my death. Regardless of my sentence, I’m planning on the latter. I still have the pill my uncle gave me safely tucked away in a secret pocket in my under armor. I’ll use it, just as he suggested. There’s no way I’m willingly going to a Cadmarian prison. It’s not the other prisoners to worry about. It’s the guards.

  We swim, we eat, and we play. Emery has a soothing effect on me, and I forget about what lies ahead. It’s the best I’ve felt since I left my old life on Zeta. The only time I’m reminded of my current situation is when Garren joins us. She asks Emery lots of questions about his life on Mythos and appears to be genuinely interested in him. But she never misses an opportunity to remind me that my stay is temporary. I’m not part of the equation.

  Later, after another light meal of fruits and cheese, I exit the dining hall for some air, and who do I run into but Cole. Garren already explained that he’s being granted immunity for his “service” to Cadmar.

  Of course he is. And why not? Because he’s such a saint? Please.

  We stand on the walkway a few feet apart, staring one another down. I’m still wearing my red swimsuit with a light gauze wrap around my waist. He’s wearing his blue battle suit, sans weapons of course.

  “You look beautiful,” Cole says, his blue eyes measured, traveling up and down my length.

  My cheeks flush under his gaze, my body betraying me yet again. “Go to hell, Cole. You don’t get to look at me that way. You’re a traitor.”

  “If you will let me explain…” He moves forward, his eyes pleading.

  But the guard next to him grabs him by the shoulder, holding him back.

  Cole shrugs off the guard but stops moving. “Raven—”

  “Save it.” I purse my lips and look straight through him. “There’s nothing you could say to make this right.” I move past them and continue down the walkway. I mean every word, but I feel something else too, something I’ve been fighting against.

  I’d let my guard down with him. The one thing I’ve always been good at is reading people. With Cole, I’d let him in, even though I knew there was something wrong, something he wasn’t telling me. So, what did I do? I let him feel me up and then toss me to the wolves. So stupid. My chest aches, and my eyes fill with tears.

  Stop it. Don’t let him do this to you. You’re being weak.

  Behind me, I hear his voice again. “I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

  Oh, no he didn’t.

  Self-deprecation be damned. I whirl back around to face him. “Oh yeah? When exactly will that be? Before or after I’m hauled off to be sentenced? And just in case you’re wondering, I’ll be dead before I ever see the inside of a prison cell. Will you recover my body and take me back to Zeta? Thanks, I’m sure Uncle Teagan would appreciate that.”

  Before he can reply, I head back down the walkway toward my room.

  Day two in the fortress on Cadmar.

  I may be down, but I’m not out. While I’ve come to a certain level of acceptance of my precarious situation, I haven’t ruled out an escape. I’ve been casing the fortress since we first arrived. If an opportunity presents itself…well, I might just have to take it. The only reason I haven’t done so already is because of Emery. I have to make sure he will be safe here first. Honestly, he seems to like Garren, and he hasn’t wanted for anything.

  But I don’t trust her. I get that she wants me out of the picture, but what’s her real plan for Emery? Use him to wield the sphere to gain more power in the galaxy? Emery would never hurt people for her.

  Tonight, I’ll find out her end game. Emery and I are meeting her for dinner in the large dining hall. When I arrive back at my room in the afternoon, there’s a formal dress laid out on my bed. It’s a long, strapless, sapphire gown, the same blue as my hair when we first arrived. I grasp my long braid, missing my short blue locks. But that’s not the point. Garren picked this dress, not because it reminded her of my hair color but to remind me of who I am with blue hair—a wanted criminal. Well, if that’s my role to play, who am I to deny her? I slip into the dress and look in the mirror.

  Look at me. All dressed up. The waist and thigh to ankle are see-through.

  I groan and slouch my shoulders. I look ridiculous—just like one of them. Doesn’t anyone here wear spandex or latex? What about pants, for god’s sake? Turning toward the door, I think about taking it off, but then I’d probably not be permitted to have dinner with Emery and Garren. I look back in the mirror one more time and tell myself, “All right. One more day of freedom. Enjoy it.”

  I get to the dining hall early, hoping to spend some time alone with Emery, but instead I find what I can only describe as a male version of Garren wearing a formal Cadmarian suit the color of sand. I stare at him, the same sensual stir in my belly that I experienced when I first met Garren. His wheat-colored hair is pulled back and tied at the base of his neck, and he has the same cat-like emerald green eyes and high cheekbones. But that is where the similarities end. He’s at least a foot taller than me and ripped with muscles the likes I’ve not even seen in a hologram. Starfire, why are these Cadmarians so damn good looking?

  He strolls casually over to me and extends his hand. I place mine in his, and he bends to kiss my hand, letting his mouth linger a few seconds on my skin. “You must be Raven.”

  I wet my lips and search for my voice. “I am.”

  “I’m Garrick Geldian.” He looks up at me through veiled lashes.

  I yank my hand from his and fight the urge to sucker punch him, checking my desire at the door. This ass wad killed all of Emery’s people.

  Garrick narrows his eyes and purses his lips. “Have I wronged you in some way?”

  Tread lightly. Control your emotions. I try my best to smile. “No, Your Majesty, I’m simply not used to being touched in that manner.”

  He recovers quickly, his smile returning. “
Ah, of course. I forget that you’re Zetian. Your people are stand-offish, aren’t they?”

  Keep the insults coming, asshole. I smile even bigger through clenched teeth. “Yep. We like to keep our distance.”

  He arches his left eyebrow as his eyes run up and down my body, finally settling on my chest. “Perhaps I can change that, starting with you.”

  That’s it! I ball my bionic hand into a fist. Before I can pop him in the mouth, a masculine arm encircles my waist.

  “There you are,” Cole says, nuzzling my neck familiarly.

  I whip around, my eyes like daggers. I mouth, What the hell?

  Cole ignores me and looks over my head at Garrick. “Your Majesty.”

  Cole Mason, you’re a dead man. I turn back to face Garrick, who is no longer smiling. Instead, he looks a trifle irritated. Yeah, well, join the club!

  “I didn’t realize the two of you were intimate.”

  I open my mouth to reply that I wouldn’t touch Cole if he were the last man in the galaxy, but once again Cole beats me to the punch. “Yes, we’ve known each other since we were kids.”

  He tries to encircle my waist again.

  I slap his hands away and smile up at Garrick. “Cole, knock it off. Can’t you see that you’re making His Majesty uncomfortable?”

  Garrick tilts his golden head, seeming to assess us and the situation. Resolution occurs within him, and he waves us off. “No, not at all. Enjoy the beautiful evening.”

  “You aren’t dining with us?” I ask, hoping to never set eyes on this genocidal maniac ever again.

  “No. I’ll speak with my sister, and then I have other important business to attend to.” He turns and walks out of the dining hall.

  “That guy is a real piece of work,” Cole says, behind me.

  I turn back around, my eyes cold as ice. “Yeah, well, so are you. Stay away from me.”