by Judy Mays
“I doubt that they did much sleeping,” Meri answered dryly.
Brianna gaped. “Meri! Whose side are you on?”
“Yours. That’s why I’m here.”
Brianna’s shoulders slumped. “Well, it sure doesn’t sound that way.”
Meri picked up Brianna’s hand and squeezed it. “Were you a virgin with Char?”
Brianna wiped tears from her cheeks with the other. “You know I wasn’t.”
“Then how can you hold his past against him?”
She sniffed. “I’m not!”
“Then what would you call it?”
Brianna jerked her hand free. “Damn it, Meri. He kissed her. Right in front of me.”
Meri sighed. “Brianna, you’re on Drakan. It would have been rude of him to just ignore her.”
She rose to her feet and began to pace. “He could have just said hello!”
Meri smiled. “She didn’t give him much of a choice.”
“Well, he didn’t have to enjoy it so much.”
Meri gaped at Brianna. Then she started to laugh. “Would you listen to yourself?” she finally gasped between hiccups. “Not enjoy it? Exactly how would you react if a handsome man kissed you?”
Brianna stopped pacing and stared at the wall. An image of Mel Gibson leaped into her mind. Finally, her lips began to twitch. “I guess I did overreact a little.”
Meri nodded. “Maybe a little.”
She sank back down onto the bed. “So I made a complete fool out of myself.”
“No, you made yourself perfectly clear. Now, though, the last thing you want to do is hide in your rooms and give Singy the idea that you won’t fight for Char.”
Brianna clenched her teeth then growled, “Fight for him. Meri, I shouldn’t have to fight for my own husband.”
“Wow! Earth must really be different. Men and women there never chase after people married to someone else?”
Cheeks warming, Brianna ducked her head. “They do.”
“I thought so. You are human, after all. Remember, Brianna, this is Drakan. Even if Char isn’t interested, other woman will still chase after him. You have to make your claim to him very clear. I’m speaking from experience.”
“Char should make it clear himself that he’s unavailable.”
“Honestly, Bri, there are women who won’t believe him. There are still women Ademis won’t go near unless I’m right next to him. The prospect of an angry Medirian wife will give any woman second thoughts. And you’re one of the family now.”
Rising, Brianna gave in to the demands of her stomach and lifted the lids from the plates on the tray. The food smelled delicious.
“What’s so intimidating about being Medirian?”
“Our assassins, of course.”
The lid Brianna was holding clattered to the floor.
“Assassins? The kind that kill people?”
“Of course,” Meri answered nonchalantly while she picked among the various plates of food.
“Why didn’t you tell me about them before!”
Meri glanced up at Brianna’s face, surprised at the shocked expression she found there. “I didn’t think it was important. Is it?”
“Yes… Well… Of course… Oh, I don’t know!” Brianna babbled as she sank back onto the bed, her now weak knees refusing to hold her. “I mean, assassins kill people!”
“Doesn’t anybody kill people on your planet?”
“Well, yes, but…”
Meri raised one eyebrow.
Brianna’s stomach growled again, but she still stared at Meri.
“Brianna, the entire population of Mediria isn’t made up of assassins. I don’t even personally know any of them. They’re simply an extension of the palace guard.”
Brianna relaxed. The palace guard? Like the Secret Service? That must be it. There must be something in the translation that was mixed up. There was probably no equivalent for the Meridian word for royal guards in English, and assassins was just the closest fit. That was it. Meri and her family were wonderful. They were not cold-blooded killers.
“Brianna, you really need to eat something. You have a big night ahead of you.”
“What?”
“Xdana is having a dinner to introduce you to the clan elders.”
“Tonight?”
“You really want to sit around and worry about it?”
“No, but…”
“So eat. Xdana wants to give you a tour of the house. Then you’re going to have a nice long soak in the tub. Then we’ll pick out what dress to wear tonight. You carry the Alalakan heir, Brianna. There’s nothing the clan will not do for the mother of its heir, and you’re going to make sure they remember.”
Two hours later Brianna gratefully sank into a comfortable sofa next to Meri. After touring the house and its immediate buildings, her feet were killing her. “You have a beautiful home, Xdana.”
“Thank you, Brianna. It’s all yours now.”
“What?”
“As mother of the heir, management of the household will be your responsibility.”
Brianna paled. “Me? But…”
Both Meri and Xdana laughed. “You don’t have to take charge today. We’ll all help you.”
Xdana glanced at what Brianna assumed was a watch and frowned. “We’ll have to save introducing you to the staff for another day. Meri said you wanted a nice long soak. You’ve got three hours before dinner. Enjoy yourself.”
Meri grabbed Brianna’s hands and pulled her to her feet. “Come on, Bri. Let’s go pick out a dress for you to wear.”
With a groan, Brianna followed Meri. She’d really rather take a nap. And where was Char? If he thought she was going to let him carry on with that, that woman, he had another think coming!
* * * * *
While Brianna toured the house with his mother, Char reviewed paperwork with his father. The Alalakan clan controlled a vast business empire, one that would now become his responsibility.
“So there have been no real problems since I’ve been away?”
His father shook his head. “None. Things have been running so smoothly, I was beginning to worry.”
Char grunted and wished he could say the same about his marriage. Would Brianna react the same way every time a woman kissed him? “Everything looks fine. If you don’t need me for anything else, I have some errands.”
A troubled expression appeared on Jamiros’ face. “Char, I won’t meddle in your marriage, but Singy…”
Astonishment leaped onto Char’s face. “Father, surely you don’t think I would crawl into another woman’s bed with my wife in the same house?”
Jamiros smiled sheepishly.
Char grinned back. “If you haven’t noticed, my wife has a temper as fiery as her hair. And, I am not a stupid man. I’ll see you at dinner.”
Char left his father’s study through the patio doors. Earlier, he’d gone to the trouble of finding out exactly which guest room Singy had. He planned to stay as far away from it and her as possible. As walked through the garden, he shook his head. He still had to figure out a way to keep Singy away from him.
Movement off to his left caught his eye.
Ban lounged against a statue as he gazed out over the huge lawn.
Halting, Char stared at his cousin. Then he smiled. Having Ban around might not be such a bad idea. “I have a job for you.”
Ban’s eyebrows rose. “Oh?”
Char grinned. “Singy.”
* * * * *
Kahn stepped in front of the woman who appeared in the corridor. “You may not pass.”
“Move out of my way,” Singy snapped, her tone and attitude condescending.
Kahn’s tone became more patronizing and pompous than Singy’s. “These are the private quarters of Alalakan dem al’ Brianna, Princess Hardan. She has not requested your presence.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “I’m not here to see her. I want to see Chardadon.”
“No.”
“You have no right!”
Kahn simply flexed his muscles.
Singy took a step back.
“Problem, Kahn?”
“No, Prince Bandalardrac.”
Singy turned and stared at Ban. A crafty look appeared on her face. “Ban, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you. We must talk…somewhere private?”
Ban grinned. His gaze traveled up and down her body.
She preened for him.
Reaching out, he clasped her hand and lifted it to his lips. “Lead on and I will follow you anywhere.”
“But your room is so much closer,” she purred.
“The suite is off-limits to everyone except immediate family. Your room, however…”
She snatched her hand away. “As if I’d go anywhere with a base half-breed like you!”
Kahn stiffened.
Ban smiled.
Singy whirled around and stomped away.
With noncommittal shrug, Ban nodded to Kahn and let himself into the suite.
Kahn did not fail to note the pain in Ban’s eyes.
* * * * *
Brianna took a deep breath and gazed into the mirror that hung in the sitting room. She and Meri had collaborated a long time on the proper gown to wear. They’d decided on a flowing, floor-length green shift the color of spring leaves, one that left her shoulders bare. With her rampant dragon in full view, there would be no doubt that she was an Alalakan.
Two bands of golden ribbons circled Brianna’s body, one immediately above her breasts and one immediately below. The rest of the green dress flowed from the supple, gold support band underneath Brianna’s breasts. Ribbons of dark green and gold fell from the center of the band. Rather than trying to hide her expanding stomach, the gentle draping of the dress’s silky material emphasized her pregnancy.
She took another deep breath. If only the butterflies in her stomach would settle down.
“You grow more beautiful every day,” Char stated from behind her.
Brianna stiffened.
Char had appeared approximately half an hour earlier and disappeared into the bathroom for a quick shower. Now he was dressed in another white uniform.
She met his eyes in the mirror. Anger tinged her voice. “What did you do all day?”
“I reviewed paperwork with my father and completed some errands,” he answered as he lifted a box from the table. “I have a gift for you.”
“If you’re trying to bribe me…”
A hint of exasperation appeared in his eyes, but he kept his voice contrite. “Please, Brianna, take it.”
She took the box he held out to her and opened it. Her eyes widened with surprise. “Char! They’re so beautiful.”
Inside the box lay earrings to match her wedding ring. Though women on Drakan did not wear earrings because they had no earlobes, Char remembered the golden studs Brianna had commented on losing when she’d first been brought on board his ship.
Two cascades of red diamonds fell from delicate, red-gold wires. Slipping them on, Brianna sighed with delight as she looked in the mirror. She wore her hair loose, its waves flowing down her back. The earrings fell almost to her shoulders, their sparkling, inner fire highlighting her auburn hair.
Before she could say anything else, however, Char was behind her, gently placing a pendant about her neck. From a delicate chain of yet more red gold, hung a single fiery diamond. Fastening the clasp, he looked into the mirror and met her gaze. His hands came forward and followed the sturdy chain to where the diamond lay on her breasts. “It’s the only thing I could find that came close to matching the sparkle in your eyes, my love,” he said softly.
He spun her around and swept her into his arms. Lost their mutual passion, it took a few minutes for the pounding on the door to penetrate their consciousness.
“What…” she stammered, her eyes unfocused.
Char rested his forehead against hers and chuckled, “I got the doors fixed. No one will walk in on us again.”
Brianna’s equilibrium returned rapidly. “No,” she said with a laugh, her earlier anger gone, “they’ll just pound and disturb the entire house until we let them in.”
Char’s answering chuckle was downright wicked. “But we don’t have to let them in if we don’t want to, do we?”
Laughing, Brianna turned to unlock the door, but Char clasped her arm gently. “You have more presents. Open them, I’ll get the door.”
She looked at the two boxes that still lay on the small table. In the first were two intricately woven bracelets of even more red gold and diamonds. Placing them both on her left wrist, she held them up to the light. Red sparkles lit the room.
When Bandalardrac got a good look at Brianna, he let out a slow whistle. She was certainly beautiful, but he wondered if she realized how much all those red diamonds were worth. “You certainly don’t stint when it comes to your wife, Char.”
“No one will doubt the worth in which I hold her.”
Brianna turned at the sound of voices and smiled when she recognized Ban. “Was it necessary to break down the door, Coz?”
Ban barked with laughter. “That would take a battering ram. Didn’t Char tell you that it’s a new door?”
Char grinned also. “I told her no one would get in unless they were invited, and you damn well know why.”
Even though she blushed at the memory of Ban’s appreciative perusal that day on the launch, she joined in their laughter.
“You still have one more present,” Char reminded her.
She grinned ruefully. “I’m almost afraid to open it. The only thing missing is the crown.”
Brianna opened the final box. It wasn’t a crown. Holding up the net of finely spun gold and red diamonds, Brianna sighed, “It’s breathtaking Char, but what is it?”
Ban answered for him. “It’s a Medirian bridal net,” he replied in an awed tone. “You wear it over your hair like this.” Taking the net from her hands, he placed it on her head, adjusting it carefully. When he finished, he turned her to face the mirror. An almost silent exclamation escaped when Brianna saw her reflection.
A woven band of gold fit over her head and behind her ears like an ordinary headband. A very loosely woven net of gold thread and diamond dust fit snugly around her head. Long, shimmering bands of gold and diamonds fell from the sides and back of the net to flow with her auburn tresses. The effect was dazzling. No matter how Brianna moved, sparks of red fire jumped and shimmered about her.
Ban stepped back as he finished adjusting Brianna’s hair. Shaking his head in wonder, he said to Char, “How did you ever find someone to do such delicate work?”
Char admired his wife. Gattan red diamonds were absolutely perfect for her coloring. He was more than pleased to put the collection it had taken him years to amass on display, especially when the setting was his beautiful wife.
Brianna sighed to herself in the mirror and turned to face Char. “I feel just like a princess.”
Ban snorted as he took her hand. “You are a princess now, Coz, remember?” Escorting her towards the door, he stopped in front of Char and held out Brianna’s hand. “Yours, I believe.”
Char winced. How could Ban say something so stupid!
“I am mine, Alalakan don al’ Bandalardrac, and don’t you forget it!” Brianna snapped imperiously snatching her hand from Ban’s.
Ban locked his gaze with Char’s and winked. “Said the wrong thing, didn’t I?”
Char nodded and held out his hand to his wife.
With a haughty glance to Ban, Brianna placed her hand in Char’s. “I chose to marry of my own free will. I always had a choice. If you treat women like they’re possessions, it’s no wonder you can’t find one to love.”
Turning her back on Ban, Brianna tugged her husband towards the door.
Glancing over his shoulder to his cousin, Char winked back.
* * * * *
Head high, Brianna stomped down the hall. “‘Yours, I believe.’ Does he really believe that horseshit? What an ass!”
>
Char chuckled. “I tried to warn you.”
Cupping Brianna’s elbow, he slowed her progress. “Easy. You don’t want to fall down the stairs.”
She sniffed. “I will not fall.”
Pulling her arm free, she placed her hand on the railing and descended the stairs carefully.
Ban caught up with Char at the top of the stairs and flashed a smile. “Singy doesn’t stand a chance.”
Because Ban’s remark still rankled, Brianna sailed down the stairway much less intimidated than she might have been by rooms full of people who were all taller than she. That in itself was a unique experience. She was used to being taller than almost everyone else, especially the women. Standing in the receiving line with Char and his parents, Brianna, for the first time in her life, felt short.
As Char and Brianna received their guests, Ban wandered through the crowded house. Char’s bride was the main topic of conversation. Everyone was very curious about her, especially those unmarried women who had been hoping to be in that position themselves. Singy had spent most of the afternoon belittling Brianna in every way she could to everyone she met. Most of the guests, however, had taken one look at Brianna’s exotic beauty, her challenging dragon, and the fortune in red diamonds she wore and had known that Char was more than content with his wife. Singy was a fool if she thought he was still interested in her.
“That should be everyone, Char,” Xdana said. “Find Brianna a comfortable sofa.”
Sighing, Brianna made herself comfortable. “My feet are killing me.”
Meri cocked her head to the side. “What?”
Char leaned over. “Do you want me to get you something?”
Brianna waved him away. “No. Go mingle. Everyone will think you’re afraid to let me say anything without your approval. I’m more than a setting for valuable jewels.”
Char grinned. He should have known that anyone who could face down the Dowager Hardan queen would have no trouble with his relatives.
Meri immediately made Brianna stand back up so she could get a closer look at her bridal net. “I have never seen such delicate weaving,” she said with wonder. She herself wore her own bridal net, an ancient net of silver and pale emeralds that had been handed down from mother to eldest daughter in her family for generations. “Whoever did this weaving for Char could make a fortune on Mediria.”
