Axel glared at the youth on the bed. “Why should he have trouble believing what is true? Were his ears affected by the physical merging with his artifact? Perhaps his mind has not properly recovered. We should do some cognitive testing and see what’s wrong.”
Sugar pointed a warning finger at her jealous idiot. “Don’t make me kick your ass in front of my new protégé. There’s nothing wrong with Lake’s mind. Lake saw Marta and Gina before I got here. You can guess which one he thought was a cat. Try to be a little more empathetic with his situation. He’s been through a lot.”
Axel walked around his sighing father who hated all conflict unless he was beating someone into submission. Any heated discussion he had with Sugar made his father hang his head and groan in disgust.
Axel glared at the boy on the bed for causing trouble but admired that the youth rose to his feet to face him. At least the kid possessed some measure of bravery. If his blade was anything like Sugar’s, the boy was going to need every bit of that bravado.
“We have not been introduced properly. I am Axel of Rodu,” Axel said with a tight nod.
“You’re… hey, I get it!” Lake said with real excitement as he thought about the science classes he’d hated in school.
He pointed at the first tall male. “You’re the original Rodu,” Lake said proudly. Then he pointed to the second male who was glaring down at him. “And you are—Axel of Rodu, the bigger and improved version.”
Lake smiled at his conclusion as he wrapped the cover tighter around his waist. He looked at Axel and nodded back. “I think I’m making progress. I figured out how you aliens name your clones.”
Unable to control herself, Sugar burst out laughing at Lake’s assumptions. When Axel straightened, she flung herself between the two males and put a hand on Axel’s chest.
She turned and winked at Lake over her shoulder. “Ex-nay on the one-clay thing. They’re actually father and son. Think biblical.”
“Father and son? Get out,” Lake exclaimed in genuine disbelief, his gaze going between the two men. “They look like brothers. Axel of Rodu has to be a clone. You need to get your punk story straight, Dr. Jennings. I’m starting to unravel it.”
Axel snatched the shirt from Sugar’s hand and pulled it over her head in one rough move. Sugar heard Lake snickering behind her before he leaned forward to whisper in her ear.
“Well, well, Dr. Jennings. I can certainly guess which one you’ve been shagging—I mean, having social engagements with around here.”
Sugar should have been mad, but Lake’s bold sense of humor made her giggle instead of getting angry at Axel for being so brutish. She pushed harder on Axel’s chest to back him up a bit.
Axel growled at her action and returned to glaring at the boy. “Who spoke with you about social engagements?”
“A cat woman and a goddess. Why? Is sex supposed to be a secret here?” Lake asked with a grin.
Sugar stepped closer to Axel to block him from taking a swing. Axel leaned around her to continue glaring. “If you value your life, you will keep your distance from my sisters.”
Sugar looked over her shoulder at Lake. “Marta of Rodu. Gina of Rodu. Axel of Rodu. Are you getting it, Junior?”
“Oh. Yeah. Got it,” Lake replied quickly, grinning wickedly at how much he was learning. “But I can’t make any promises about the goddess. She was spectacularly hot, and I think she liked me.”
Sugar giggled again. Damn it. She found him funny. Lake was so normal—so like her. Gina wouldn’t begin to know what to do with this immature kid, but even that was amusing. “Give up on that dream, Junior. I heard Gina shut you down before she left. You’re never getting anywhere with her.”
“It’s hard to charm someone that beautiful when you’re not wearing any clothes. I wasn’t at my best. She just needs time to get to know the real me.”
Sugar laughed again and pushed on Axel’s chest when he growled. She smiled at Lake. “Dude, she already knows everything. Who do you think undressed you?”
Lake laughed at the confession and was sorry he missed watching her face while she undressed him. “Despite you repeatedly insulting my manhood, I think I like you, Dr. Sugar Jennings. Is Sugar really your name?”
“Yes. It is her real name,” Axel said stiffly. “Why does everyone keep asking that question? No—Sugar was not named for a condiment. And do not be discussing that possibility with my sisters. They still do not grasp the colloquial explanation of her parents and their teasing, but I remain determined to correct their understanding over time.”
Lake laughed at the stilted explanation Axel of Rodu offered him about Sugar’s name. Laughing was all he could do. This place—this situation—these men—all of it was fucking surreal. “Is starving me part of the punking? I think I’m starting to hallucinate from lack of food.”
“Of course we intend to feed you. We have come to take you to dinner,” Rodu chimed in.
“Can I go eat in my makeshift toga?” Lake asked, tugging on the blanket to remind them of his most pressing problem.
Rodu grinned. “Your naïve youthfulness is refreshing. I don’t think Sugar has laughed so much since Axel brought her here. It will be interesting to discover why you were chosen to host a blade. Let me see if I can obtain you some temporary clothing. My son is about your size.”
Chuckling, Lake looked up at Axel. “Your clone looks over two meters tall. I don’t see his clothes fitting me.”
“He means Caesar of Rodu,” Sugar explained while chuckling. “Axel’s brother is shorter.”
“Oh. Right. More clones,” Lake said. “Rodu, you sure have done a lot of replicating.”
“I suppose you could call it that,” Rodu said, shoving Axel behind him before he lunged for the new Protector. “I just call them my children. I have four with Queen Nyomi.”
Lake nodded and smiled. “Your wife is the queen here?”
“Yes,” Rodu answered.
“Are you the king?” Lake asked.
“No,” Rodu said, pulling his shirt off over his head to reveal his trident to the boy. “I have a greater responsibility that requires my service. I’ve been merged with my blade for over a thousand years.”
Lake’s smile faded completely as he stared at the metal wrapped around Rodu’s massive chest. He looked at Sugar in resignation. “So there really are three of us? I think I’m starting to believe you.”
“You went to Oxford. I knew you would eventually,” Sugar said dryly, rubbing Lake’s arm and hoping to ease the shock for him. “Four blades were created, but the other blade is still missing. My theory about them is that they were created during Earth’s pre-history which I’m studying. There are only a few records from that time and what we have found doesn’t say much about them.”
Lake moved back to the edge of the bed and sat. “You know something? You were right. I can’t handle all the blade stuff yet. Let’s shelf that for a bit. Bring on the rest of the aliens before my brain explodes.”
Sugar chuckled. “Told you so.”
A grin spread across her lips when a resigned Lake met her gaze and laughed.
14
Sugar hummed as she dressed for dinner. Lake was going to meet Queen Nyomi. She hoped he didn’t make some comment that would have the Lyran female taking an instant dislike to him.
She put on her favorite blue dress that matched her eyes and looked for the matching jewelry Axel had someone make for her.
When Axel emerged from the bathroom, she looked at him and smiled. “I think I got dressed way too early.”
Axel huffed a little and went to the closet to pick out his clothes. He carried a Lyran suit that marked him as a royal to the bed. Instead of dressing though, he sat beside the clothes and looked at Sugar.
“Do you think I’m being unreasonable about the new blade host?”
Sugar chuckled. “The unreasonable question is still open, but it doesn’t bode well that you can’t bring yourself to say his name.”
Axel
shrugged. “You had to undress for him. He caused me grief. How does the boy make you laugh so much? I have tried but…”
He turned to look at Sugar who’d come to sit next to him on the bed. She was sleek and elegant, and her eyes were shining with the closest to happiness he’d ever seen her express. Joy made her irresistible. It amazed him still that he’d once thought her plain.
“Everyone can tell you are much happier now that the boy is here. I don’t understand why. Are you planning to take him for a lover?”
Sugar made a face. “No—heavens, no. Lake’s a brash, mouthy kid who has no game with women. Gina put his grabby ass on the floor today. I wish you’d been there to see it. You’d have been proud of her skills.”
“If I am incorrect about this observation, then explain to me why he increases your happiness. I am well-versed in human reactions, especially yours. I see pleasure beaming from your face.”
Sugar ran a hand over her hair as she rose to pace. “Wow. I didn’t know my feelings were so obvious. Now I’m self-conscious.”
Axel frowned. “Are you explaining yet? Because you haven’t said anything I understand.”
Sugar groaned in embarrassment. “I know I should be tougher—stronger. I should be more like Rodu. But I’m not, Axel. I’m not like Rodu. I’m younger, less experienced, and I don’t have Rodu’s Zen-like blade acceptance which he’s honed for over a thousand years. Lake is more like me. His flaws are obvious which… yes, I find amusing. That’s because I get how his irreverence is how he copes with being possessed by a blade. Lake is human in the same way I am human. I’ve lived nearly a year with you now. Lake is the most human person I’ve interacted since we learned I couldn’t live among my people anymore.”
“Interesting,” Axel said gravely, rising to put on his clothes. “You consider yourself his superior by age and experience. Can I assume he’s like a child to you?”
Sugar giggled. “Well, I am old enough to be his mother, but he’s more like a student to me. He’s got all the things to learn that I’ve been learning for the last ten months. I can already see it’s going to be very difficult for Lake to make peace with his blade. And there are going to be a lot of times, like today, where he’s going to make human mistakes with the Lyrans. He makes me feel needed instead of like the dumbest person in the room.”
“Your intelligence is undeniable. Even Mother has commented on it.”
Sugar smirked. “So are my coping skills. I’m good at fitting in. However, I’m also always freaking out on the inside. It’s nice not to be the only one.”
Axel nodded. “I see. So I’ve been jealous for nothing?”
“Mostly for nothing,” Sugar agreed, teasing her suddenly serious lover. “Lake is quite handsome. Gina was thinking about having sex with him until he yelled at her. She said he reminded her too much of you and informed him it was never going to happen.”
“She wants the boy? Wait… when do I yell at Gina?” Axel demanded, his voice rising indignantly.
“You mean like you’re doing now? When don’t you yell?” Sugar demanded in reply.
“I am a passionate man. I don’t yell. I speak loudly and with great feeling. That’s different than yelling.”
Sugar giggled. “Want to take a poll among your people and see what they think? We’ll start with your family. I know—let’s ask Caesar about it first.”
“Caesar doesn’t listen. You have to yell at him to get his attention.”
“And when you raise your voice to speak passionately to Gina, what’s that about?”
Axel frowned. “Gina daydreams. She’s always troubleshooting something in her head. She blinks her eyes at me and I have to repeat myself. I hate that. She needs to stay in the present moment and pay attention.”
“And Marta?”
“Ha! I do not yell at Marta.”
“I agree. When was the last time you saw Marta in person?”
Axel stopped fastening his pants and stared. “Yesterday.”
“Try last month. She avoids being around you, so you never get the chance to yell at her,” Sugar said as she crossed her arms. “You have only three people in your life that can handle your yelling—me, Queen Nyomi, and your Zen-like father. Your mother always has to threaten you to get you to calm down.”
Axel frowned harder as he pulled his jacket on over his shirt. “This whole discussion is illogical. Why do you bother staying with me if I’m such a trial for you to spend time with?”
Sugar giggled. “Because I love you, and the artifact gives me an edge. It knows that we have to work this stuff out if we’re going to stay together. What if one day we have children, Axel? Are you going to yell at them? I don’t hear Rodu yelling at you. He’s the calmest man I’ve ever met.”
“If our children need correcting…” Axel said instantly but faded off when Sugar smirked. He was starting to see the point Sugar was making. “What can I do to convince you that I will soon mature sufficiently for you to want to bear my children?”
“Axel—honey,” Sugar said with a sigh, grinning as she walked to him. She pretended to straighten his jacket so she wouldn’t start blabbering and making promises. She ordered herself to be honest. “You’re the most mature male I’ve ever known except for your temper. You get upset over nearly everything unplanned. Then you jump to conclusions and react before you have all the information. It’s an annoying trait, but not a fatal flaw.”
Axel held out a hand, satisfied when Sugar took it. He studied her quietly. He’d never known her to be insincere. Why should he doubt her now? Some adjustments in his approach to life would simply have to be made.
“Give me a task to prove myself. My mother does it all the time. I think my chosen mate should exercise the same rights.”
Sugar giggled at the idea of Axel wanting to prove somehow that he could be calm when he failed at it daily. “Don’t tempt me.”
“I am being sincere,” he stated, nodding to guards outside their door.
Sugar grinned. “Let’s stop by and escort Lake to the throne room.”
“No,” Axel instantly responded.
“See? You just proved my argument.”
“The boy is annoying.”
“Agreed,” Sugar said. “He needs a male mentor. From the story he told me about his father, he never had one.”
“Perhaps my father will want to serve in that role.”
Sugar grinned. “I get the impression that Rodu is done fathering. Four seemed to be his limit with patience. He’s been my friend and advisor, but he’s never tried to father me.”
“Do you require a father figure as well?”
Sugar smiled. “No, I’m good, but thank you for asking. Lake’s barely out of college. He’s a baby in Lyran terms. I don’t know what his blade was thinking when it picked him.”
Axel grunted. “What would mentoring him entail?”
“Seeing that he acclimates to life in the palace. Making sure he’s not constantly propositioning all the females. Seeing that he gets some clothes of his own so he doesn’t have to wear Caesar’s. Maybe teaching him to have patience with himself and others.”
Axel narrowed his gaze. “And you hope in teaching him that I will learn this lesson as well?”
Sugar grinned and shrugged. “Hope is too strong a word.”
Resigned, Axel nodded and pointed down the hallway toward the boy’s quarters. “Fine. Let us go escort him,” he said.
Sugar smiled moments later as she tapped on Lake’s door. “Lake,” she called. “We’ve come to escort you to the throne room.”
The door opened, and a frustrated Lake stood there in nothing but a shirt. “I couldn’t figure out the fasteners on the pants.”
Axel released a long breath. He looked down at his smirking mate. “Very well. I accept your challenge.”
He stepped through the doorway and pushed Lake backward with his sheer size. “Come, boy. Let’s get you properly dressed.”
Sugar laughed at the sheer terror in Lak
e’s eyes.
15
“So whose ass do I have to kiss to raise my creds around here? Lake Allen Wright—Sugar’s Visitor from Earth is not an impressive introduction. I have a degree. Well, I’m pretty sure I do. They were mailing it to my father’s house.”
Sugar put her arm around a fully dressed, but very quiet Lake except for his teasing. He’d come out of the bathroom frowning and hadn’t said much since. Axel had exited smiling. No way was she going to ask about what had passed between them. There were things a woman didn’t need to know.
She followed Lake’s gaze across the room and ducked her chin to hide a smile. “Gina’s freezing you out tonight, huh?”
Lake laughed at her accurate guess of his challenge. “Yes. But it’s temporary.”
Sugar laughed softly. “If you’re into cat women, several have directed interested looks your way.”
Lake shook his head. “They’re cute and exotic looking. I’m not opposed but…”
“But what?” Sugar asked.
Lake shrugged. “I forgot other women the first moment I saw her. When I’m this obsessed, I become a monogamist.”
“Glad to hear it,” Sugar said with a grin. “A good man should have some limits to his whoring.”
“I wouldn’t call it whoring,” Lake said indignantly.
“Really? What would you call your lust for every attractive woman you meet?” Sugar asked.
Lake laughed and grinned wickedly into his drink. “You’ve misjudged me, Dr. Jennings. I’m merely looking for a woman who fits me in every way. Is it my fault that the best part of that search requires establishing a physical connection to test the fitting results properly?”
Sugar nearly choked on her drink trying not to laugh. “Before I met you, I thought Axel was the worst male I’d met about using women. He actually had a stash of women’s underwear at his house that he called souvenirs. When I first went to stay with him, he made me wear that underwear because I had lost all my possessions running from people trying to cut the blade out of me.”
Mad Panther (Alien Guardians of Earth Book 2) Page 9
