by M. A. Church
“You should be used to him by now,” Takeo said.
“Well, here goes nothing.” Jolak gulped the liquid. He pressed his hand against his stomach. “I am never doing that again.”
“Drinking or taking that?” Malk asked, holding his glass.
“Both.” Jolak shuddered.
Neo tapped his glass against Dale’s. “Here’s to Ti’s hangover cure, where we’re not sure if the cure is worse than the hangover. Best of luck. I’d say guzzle it because I’ve heard it tastes like ass.”
Dale and Neo upended their drinks. Dale gagged once he was done while Neo manfully fought to keep it down. “Fuck, that has to be the foulest thing I’ve ever put in my mouth,” Dale said.
Once everyone had swallowed Ti’s hangover cure, he served first meal. Pretty soon everyone felt better, and after a round of hugs, goodbyes were said. When they were alone, Neo mentioned he was going to take a shower and excused himself. He seemed a little down, and that troubled Hamza. Everything was okay between them; at least, he thought it was.
The shower turned on and ran. And ran. And ran. Worry turned into concern, and finally Hamza knocked on the door. “Are you okay in there?”
“Yeah.” The shower turned off, and Neo opened the door. He held something in his hand. “Sorry. I was wasting water, wasn’t I?”
“Well, yes, but that’s not what’s worrying me. What do you have there?” He had a pretty good idea, though.
Neo held his hand up, the package clearly visible.
Hamza was right. There was no mistaking that shiny birth control blister pack, especially since he had one of his own. Hamza carefully kept track of both his and Neo’s estrus, but still, he had to ask. “It’s your estrus. Is that the problem?”
Neo fiddled with the package then put it down on the counter.
“Neo, what’s going on?”
Neo sighed. “We need to talk.”
His stomach dropped. “How about we do this in the bedroom then?”
Neo followed Hamza out. Hamza sat on the bed and patted the place next to him. “What do we need to talk about?”
Neo plunked down by him but wouldn’t make eye contact. Instead, he glanced all around the room—anywhere but at Hamza. “Did you hear Dayo and Szin earlier?”
So that wasn’t much of a hint. “I heard a whole lot of moaning about how they felt.”
“Yeah, they were talking about how they needed to swing by the Royal Nursery and pick up their young.”
Floundering, Hamza tried to figure out where Neo was going with this, and he was getting nowhere. “Okay…?”
“When we talked about young, it was always at some future date. But….” Neo shrugged.
Ah, he finally had a clue, although it wasn’t what he was expecting. “Are you saying you want to have a young?”
“I do. I do want a young with you.”
Hamza gulped. He wasn’t sure what to think. The thought simultaneously thrilled and scared the crap out of him.
“Listening to Szin and Dayo got me to thinking, though. Everything revolves around a young, and it should. I mean, I want to be a good dad to our young, you know? There’ll be so much to teach him, because he’ll be the heir to the crown. A crown you just claimed.” Neo bit his lip. “But you’ve lost your dabba. We’re mourning. Jolak lost his mate, and he’s trying to adjust. We’re at war. War! Everything is so unsettled right now. Plus, I’m trying to adjust to my new position as king consort. I just—”
“Love, I never said I was ready right now to have a young.” Hamza smoothed his thumb over Neo’s bitten lip. “What’s brought this up?”
“Well, we’re at war. You might have changed your mind about exactly what that means to you, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’re going into a battle with the Ne Reyn. What if you’re killed? Gods, I don’t even want to think about that, but you have no heir. I may be your mate, but I don’t have royal blood. I can’t rule, nor would I want to.”
“And you’re concerned the crown could pass to someone else outside of my line?”
“You saw how many family members were there at the crowning.” Neo played with the edge of the blanket. “I really want the crown to stay in your line, but I feel now is not the right time.”
“As do I, and having a young for that reason isn’t what I want, either. When we decide to, it’ll be because we want one, not because of duty. I also agree that now is not the time. Taking on the duties of King are overwhelming. Just as yours are. That alone would be enough to make me want to wait.”
Neo nodded.
“But I’m still struggling with my anger over Dabba’s death. That hasn’t miraculously gone away and probably won’t for a while yet. I locked my emotions down from the moment he was killed and refused to deal with them. The night before my crowning was the first time I actually let myself cry, did you know that?”
Neo met Hamza’s gaze. “I wondered.”
“I’m also still struggling with my grief. Then add in the war—and the heartache and pain involved with that—and I honestly don’t know that I can handle one more thing. We’re not ready. I’m not ready.”
“Thank the gods!” Neo threw his arms around Hamza. “Listening to them got me to thinking, then I saw the birth control pills, and I knew estrus was coming—for both of us—and things got all scrambled in my head, I guess.”
“Everything is kind of scrambled right now, you know? But last night was the first night since all of this started that I felt comfortable in my own skin. It’s the first time since my dabba died I actually forgot who I am and had fun.”
“I’m glad.”
“Dale might not have intended to get us all drunk off our asses, but it was exactly what we needed. What we all needed. I finally put my grudge against the Ne Reyn to bed, and I wasn’t uncomfortable around Kia and Laken. All of us hung out together and laughed and joked like we used to.”
“I’ve missed it, to be honest.”
“So have I. We were, as we used to be before life got in the way, one big family. I needed that. I needed to remember who ‘Hamza’ the male is, and where I came from. We’ll be getting everybody together like that again, trust me. So, are we okay?”
“Yes, we are.” Neo sat back. “I just had a moment.”
“You can have as many moments as you want, as long as those moments are with me.”
“Same goes.” Neo’s laugh was a little watery but strong. “All right, I’m going to attempt the shower again.”
“I’d join you, but I want to comm Jolak about our circlets. I’ll shower after you and then we can spend the afternoon trying to figure out what we want. Just us.”
“I’d like that. I’ll make this fast so we can get started.”
Neo left for the shower, and Hamza returned to the living area. Sitting down on the couch, he commed Jolak.
“Well, hello, my young. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you again so soon.”
“Yeah, this morning was interesting. But actually, I had a question. Your and my dabba’s circlets are yours. I need to have ones made for me and Neo, but I have no idea where to begin. Can you help?”
“Of course. I’d be happy to. The first thing you need to do is contact the Crown Jeweler. He’s part of your Royal Household and is responsible for the maintenance and security of both your crowns. He’ll have any number of books with many and varied ideas for circlets. Or, after you look at those, you can take what you like best and design your own.”
“Huh. I like that idea. So, I just contact him?” Was it really that simple? “Do you happen to have his comm? It would save me a trip to my office to find it.”
“Just a unit second—there. I sent it. He’ll be thrilled to help you. His name is Tellix Hunsay. He’s one of the few remaining pureblood Tah’Narians and was appointed by your dabba when he became king. He’s been the Crown Jeweler for a long time and was a friend of Duran’s. Treat him well, my young. He’s a good male.”
“I will. If he earned my dabb
a’s friendship, he has to be a male worthy of respect. Thank you. There was also something else I wanted to discuss with you. Your private gardens outside of the royal quarters—that’s a personal space you created. Have you decided if you want to stay in my and Neo’s old quarters? Or would you like to pick another place in the palace?”
“I’m perfectly happy where I’m at. It’s big enough for me, and I’m close enough to you and Neo without being underfoot.”
“Then in that case, I’m going to send a construction crew and bots to start on your place. We never had an outdoor area there, and I know that’s important to you. Decide where you want a door leading outside to a private garden.”
“Oh, Hamza, that’s not—”
“But it is. I have a lot of good memories of you, me, and dabba in that private garden of yours. I want to give that to you. When that’s done, I’m going to have royal groundskeepers and gardeners dig up every plant you have and move it to your new spot. If you need it, they’ll help you design a new layout, or you can copy the one you had. Whatever you want, let me know.”
Jolak sniffed into the comm. “Have I told you lately what a good male you are?”
The sniffles bothered Hamza, but the happiness in Jolak’s voice settled him. “No, but I could probably stand to be reminded of it, if I lose my way again.”
“Dark times, my young. Those were dark times.”
“I’m afraid there are more dark times to come.” Even though he swore he wasn’t going to let the upcoming war taint the unit day, he couldn’t seem to get away from it.
“Ah, but a wise king is one who learns to share his burdens with his mate. That way you will never truly be alone. Neo will help you through the dark times.”
“Yes, he will, won’t he?” Hamza swallowed. “And we’ll help you through these dark times. I love you, Atat.”
“I love you and Neo also. You’re my main reason for holding on. Now, let me know when you send the construction crews and bots, or if you two want to run ideas for your circlets past me.”
“I will. I’ll talk to you later.” Hamza disconnected the comm. He mulled his atat’s words. He sincerely hoped as king he could always share his burdens with Neo. He activated the comm again and sent a message to the Crown Jeweler.
Their conversation was brief and moments later, his comm buzzed with links to a private site where he and Neo could get ideas for their circlets. He was flipping through the various pictures, but there was one he kept returning to.
The bathroom door opened, and steam drifted out. “Hey. I’m finished.” Neo, dressed in soft pants and a shirt that were golden in color, joined Hamza on the couch.
“I spoke with the Crown Jeweler—which I didn’t even know I had—and he sent some ideas.” Hamza handed Neo his comm. “I’m going to shower also. Take a look at what he sent and tell me if you see anything that appeals to you. I’ll be right back.”
“Gimme.” Neo took the comm and started going through the pictures.
Just as he shut the door, he heard Neo make a soft sound of pleasure. He wondered which one had caught Neo’s attention. He showered quickly, dressed, and hurried back to the couch.
“You know, we didn’t talk about whether we wanted to have matching ones or not. Your dabba and Jolak didn’t.”
“What do you think?” He tried to peek at whatever Neo had pulled up on the comm, but Neo kept moving it.
“I guess it really doesn’t matter to me, but I will tell you I found one I like. A lot.”
“Oh? Let me see.” Hamza waited as Neo turned the comm to Hamza. He laughed softly. “What do you know? That’s the one I liked best too.”
“Really?” Neo turned the comm back to him. He pursed his lips. “I don’t know. You don’t think it’s too fancy for everyday wear? There’s a lot of crystals on it.”
“Nothing’s too good for my King Consort. Or me.” The one they both liked was called a crystal circlet made of small round Tah’Narian crystals, beads, pearls, and silver metal filigrees. “Yes, it’s fancy, but it’s the only fancy crown I’m going to get to wear. I mean, did you see my formal crown? I was so jealous of yours. I like shiny as much as the next Tah’Narian.”
“You don’t think we should keep looking? We get one shot at this.”
Hamza studied the crown. “I don’t know about you, but I know what I like when I see it. What about you? Did you see anything else?”
“They were all very pretty, but I kept coming back to this one. There’s just something about it.”
“I agree. So what do you think?”
“I think if we both like it, then that’s what we should get and stop looking.” Neo bumped shoulders with Hamza. “Wow, that went faster than I thought it would. If only all decisions could be made that easily, right?”
“Unfortunately, I’m afraid they won’t be, not with what we have coming up. And I don’t want to talk about that. Today is for us. I think we both deserve it. Tomorrow will be soon enough to resume our royal duties.”
“Then comm the Crown Jeweler. What was his name?”
Hamza took his comm and sent a message informing Tellix what they wanted. Then he snuggled up to Neo and activated an old Earth movie on the entertainment viewing screen. He told Neo not only about the Crown Jeweler but his idea about moving his atat’s private gardens. They spent the rest of the evening making plans for what they would put there and enjoying a nice evening together.
Chapter Twenty – Neo
NEO’S ALARM buzzed, and he slapped the machine silent. Yawning, he rolled over into the empty place next to him where Hamza should’ve been and buried his face in the cool pillow. He grumbled softly. He wanted to wake up with Hamza, but no, his mate had been up before the two suns even broke the horizon, full of energy.
Unfortunately he didn’t get to put that energy to use. Hamza, determined to get to his office and go through the information on the Ne Reynian civil war before calling a meeting with Gibor, Keyno, Doc, and Malk, hadn’t tarried in bed.
Seeing there’d be no morning fun, Neo offered to go with him, but Hamza suggested he sleep in, then meet him at the office for first meal. It’d been a while since Hamza was so invested in something, so Neo didn’t try to entice Hamza to stay in bed.
He showered and dressed, then left for Hamza’s office. While they ate, Hamza sent a request for his warlord and blood generals to meet. When it was almost time, Neo arranged for coffee, since most of them drank it, and a flaky pastry thingy to go with it. He fixed juice for himself. There was a table in the office, so Neo set everything up there. He’d just sat down when a knock sounded.
“Enter,” Hamza called. Keyno, Doc, Malk, and Gibor strolled in. “Have a seat, and please, help yourself.” Hamza motioned at the goodies on the table. He kept the talk light until everybody had finished snacking. “I asked you here because I wanted to discuss the Ne Reyn. I’ve mentioned they’re in the midst of a civil war and that I’m going to continue sending aid. Kia made a good point that really stuck with me—that the best revenge was to help the resistance overthrow the females in power.”
“It was all Kia could talk about.” Malk leaned back in his chair. “Laken doesn’t recognize the significance of what’s happening, but that’s not surprising. He was raised on Aploi, surrounded by friends. He was loved. He never lived through what Kia did.”
“He knows in theory.” Neo sipped his juice. “We’ve talked about it. But I agree, knowing and experiencing it are two different things. I don’t know if you could say he was raised privileged, but he sure wasn’t raised like Kia.”
“And thank the gods for that,” Malk growled. “No one should have to live like that.”
“Now that my anger no longer clouds my compassion, and I fully understand what Kia went through, I’m going to try to stop it.” Hamza steepled his fingers under his chin. “Soon it’ll be time for Tah’Nar to send aid again. And I am, but I’m also sending our fleet and warriors this time. We’re going to end this. If Princess Dos
si and other females of the court have had a change of heart, then that’s who I’m willing to back as a seat of power. Thoughts?”
“What information do we have on Princess Dossi and Grand Lady Impur?” Keyno asked.
“Dabba had notes, which I read over this morning before you arrived. It appears the younger generation didn’t like the way things stand. I guess falling in love with their males opened many a females’ eyes.”
“Amazing, isn’t it, what the power of love can do.” Doc pondered the liquid blackness in his mug. “For the longest time, the Ne Reyn were bogged down in antiquated tradition based on the cruelty of slavery. But a few males managed to bring the winds of change.”
Keyno shot a grin at Doc. “Now where have we seen that?”
Gibor waved his hand at himself, Doc, and Keyno. “Prime example of how love can change archaic constructs. Thanks to Dale, the harvest changed from something humans feared to something they could volunteer for if they wanted. They had a choice. Hell, it changed Tah’Nar’s whole culture. One little human did that. And now another male is doing the same for his world.”
It was amazing, but change oftentimes wasn’t easy, and Neo was afraid this would be no different.
“I’ve also learned the Ne Reyn have hired Blishue mercenaries, which is interesting, considering how they feel about males in general,” Hamza said. He calmly broke half of the pastry he’d been eating and put part of it on Neo’s plate… like he hadn’t dropped a bomb in the middle of their meeting.
“Blishue,” Keyno snarled. His ears laid flat on his head.
“Fuck.” Gibor slammed his mug on the table. “Does anybody know why?”
“Officially, no. But the communications I—well, my dabba—received was Princess Dossi started speaking out. It seems she’s charismatic and a persuasive speaker, whereas Queen Ogill rules with an iron fist and through fear. Princess Dossi’s cause picked up momentum, and others, like the grand lady, joined her. What it boils down to is Princess Dossi stood against her mother, the queen. That was the first fracture in their power structure.”
“Queen Ogill is cruel and sadistic,” Malk added. “Kia has said so.”
