by Mara Jaye
I snuggle against him, taking comfort from his strength. “Thank you. G’night.”
“Goodnight.”
***
“Sir? We’re here.”
I open my eyes at the guard’s words being piped into the room. Eldan is beside me, his arm over his eyes as if to block out everything. The covers have slipped down to expose his torso. He’s beautiful, like a bronze statue come to life. I can see his heartbeat moving his chest ever so slightly but not as much as his breathing. His skin is smooth and if we weren’t under surveillance? I’d remind him how good we are together in bed.
“If you keep staring at me like that, I might forget we’re being watched.”
Chuckling, I hug him before crawling out of bed. “I wish. We’ll just have to find a secluded spot and make up for lost time.”
He sits up and reaches for his shirt. “Challenge accepted.” Pulling the tunic over his head, he stands while hurry to the bathroom and get dressed. I try to look presentable, like the consort of an emperor. My hair is a mess and I miss the gorgeous gown from when we landed on Ghar. Examining the plain gray clothes they gave me, it’s good enough, I guess. Comfortable and functional for a planet making the worst of Earth look like paradise.
I’ve stalled long enough and leave the bathroom. Eldan is at the far end of the cell, waiting. “Ready?” he asks and I nod. The door opens to four guards standing ready for us. Eldan takes my hand. “Good morning. Let’s get this over with.”
The four lead us out and down a long hallway. I recognize some of the ship from yesterday. Fleeg must be closer to Ghar than Earth is. Was the trip supposed to be so short, I ask Eldan via the innercom.
Not usually. Something’s off.
Oh.
He takes my hand and squeezes. Don’t worry. I’m here.
I try to relax as the cargo bay door opens. My mouth drops open when I see the landscape outside. If this is a failed colony, my planet is a cesspool. There are tall orange trees stretching up against a violet sky. Two large moons hang low over the horizon and a valley stretches out below the landing pad.
Eldan recovers from our mutual shock first. “What the hell? Why are we at the royal compound?”
“The emperor changed his mind. He wants you under house arrest here, permanently.”
“And if I decide to go back to the capitol?” Eldan growls.
“We’re under orders to shoot if an escape is attempted, sir. By either one of you.”
Chapter Thirteen
Pax
“Wait,” I say, unable to process what’s going on. “We’re on Ghar? What happened to Fleeg? Why did it take nearly two days to go where we already were?”
Eldan looks from me to the guards. “Well? Answer her.”
The one with the most gold on his uniform shuffles weight from one side to the other. “The Emperor instructed us to go half a day’s distance from here and come back.”
“And?” Eldan prompts.
“You’re being detained here indefinitely. The house is secured physically and electronically.”
“With lethal force?”
“Yes, sir. We’re under orders to shoot to kill.”
My heart leaps in my throat and I look around. The room is luxurious in a way I’ve only see on television. Like the imperial crest and colors, everything is white with gold accents. Eldan and I both look drab next to the surroundings and elite guard. “Then we’re here for a while.” I address the guard. “Are we housekeeping, gardening, or just prisoners in general?”
The group’s expressions all turn to surprise and the lead guard sputters, “No, you’re guests until the emperor says otherwise.” Eldan clears his throat and the man shifts his weight again. “Um, I misspoke. The acting emperor.”
“Are my rooms the same, or have I been booted from there, too?”
“No sir. Your wing is as ready as ever.”
Wing? It’s just now hitting me what knowing the Intergalactic Alliance’s emperor means. Without a word to them but a tilt of the head to me, Eldan heads toward a large opening in the bay. He sends to me, I suppose as far as house arrest goes, where we are is an improvement over anywhere else.
Where are we, exactly?
My summer palace. It’s cooler here than in the capitol. This is my childhood home as well.
You grew up here? I can’t wait to explore.
He takes my hand in his. Me neither.
The grandeur of the rooms doesn’t overwhelm me but I do get a sense that some of the materials are rare. Gold seems plenty but not overdone. There’s a marble inlay resembling a hallway carpet running along a hallway. I almost hate to walk on the beauty. The rooms glow as if lighting were embedded in the walls. I have so many questions but every time I try to ask for more data from my bionans, they give me an error code, citing security. As frustrated as I am, it must be a hundred times worse for Eldan. I glance at him and my heart does a flip. Are there cameras in your bedroom.
He gives me a side-glance and grins. Hell no and I like the way you think.
I grow hot all over, ready to pull him into any room and have my way with him. He squeezes my hand as the guards in front of us slow to a stop. A set of double doors are in front of us. At least, I think they’re doors because of their shape but there are no handles. What’s this?
“Here you are, sir.”
“Will you be leading me from room to room?”
“No, of course not, but you will be escorted when outside of the royal chambers.”
Frowning, he waves a hand and the huge doors open inward. Eldan strolls in as if he owns the place, which, I suppose he does. “We’re not to be disturbed until I give permission.”
“Yes, sir.”
Oh. This bossiness is rather sexy. I try not to smile as I follow him inside. The doors close behind me. I look at everything. The artwork hanging on the walls need a much more thorough examination, but later. Eldan is in the middle of the room, staring blankly out of a covered window. He can’t be communicating with anyone not in the palace but I don’t want to disturb him. Instead, I wander around, looking at artifacts while wondering more about each item. “Do you suppose they’ll lift the information ban enough for me to access basic history and cultural information?”
“I don’t know anything at this point.” He turns to me before shaking his head. “I have no idea what’s going through Nial’s brain at the moment. All I do know for sure is he’s usurped my throne for himself.” He goes to the window. “I never expected to be a prisoner in my own home.” After a few seconds, he says, “Do you want to see the rest of my quarters? I’m sure you’re curious.”
“Yes.” I go to him and he envelops me in a hug. “Although I do wonder how you endured a three bedroom apartment in Albuquerque. It must have been horribly stifling.”
He laughs, letting me go. Taking my hand, he pulls me towards a smaller set of double doors. “Ah, the change did take some getting used to, but, six rooms are much easier to care for than sixty.”
“I’m sure you do your own housekeeping.”
“Of course I do.” He holds me, my back facing him as we look at his bedroom. “I’m very hands on.”
“One of your best qualities.”
He nuzzles my neck. “I agree.”
I so want to make love to this man and not just because he has a killer home. I turn around in his arms. “What are we going to do?”
“I had plans, but now they’re moot.” Holding me close, he continues. “I need to find a way to bring Daneul here with me. Plus, this total ban on outside information can’t continue. It’s cruel.”
His idea of cruelty and mine are different, which may be why I’m so sixth world. “Is there an outside source of information? Like, books, newscasts, internet?”
“Yes, but it’s so inefficient.”
I laugh because he sounds to petulant and a lot like his son when Daneul doesn’t want to cooperate. He’s right. We do need to find a way to bring the boy here. As much as I miss him,
this has got to be horrible for Eldan. “I think we can deal as long as we’re kept informed.”
“All right. Access household controls,” he says and I do. A list of commands pop up in my head. Several are inactive but one, activate bedroom video blinks a couple of times before a section of the wall glows and turns into a huge screen. Eldan is controlling the feed. I watch as he scrolls through various stations. “I really don’t like consuming my information like this. So inefficient.”
“I’ll bet you felt sorry for all of us on Earth.”
“You have no idea. Each one of you is so limited. Yet, when I think of your arbitrary wars over nothing?”
“Like the war you’re having with Nial right now?”
“Touche’.”
I grin a little at the term. He’s going to need to detox from Earth idioms and my being here isn’t going to help. Plus, I know for sure Daneul and G’nar probably picked up slang. An orange fireball on one of the channels catch Eldan’s and my attentions. It’s rising above a city like an old time mushroom cloud. “Holy hell,” I whisper. “Nuclear war?”
He clicks up the volume.
“…by the Vahdmoshi at the intergalactic capitol. Several fatalities reported with no word on the imperial family’s safety.”
I’m horrified and Eldan lets go of me. “If something had happened to Dan, we’d know about it, wouldn’t we?”
“I don’t know.” He begins whirring through the channels, making me realize he was going slower for my benefit. He pauses for new items before continuing on.
He controls the television thingy. I don’t and can’t get access to anything else. All of this is unacceptable and he deserves to know if his son is safe. I back away, hurrying out of the chambers. Two guards are standing outside. They use their weapons to block me without a word. I try to smile but can’t. “Have you heard about the capitol?”
“Yes ma’am. You need to return to the suite.”
“We can’t get word on Daneul. Can you help us?”
They exchange a look, their eyes glazed. “Excuse me, but that’s an order. You must let Eldan know if his son is still alive.” My voice breaks on the last word. Tears spring to my eyes. “Please?”
“No, ma’am. We can’t allow you to leave or contact the boy’s guardian,” one replies as both face forward, effectively ignoring me.
I cut my eyes from one to the other. If they were Earth military, I’d say they were at rest. To hell with this, I’m going to push the issue but covertly. Instead of going back into the suite, I side step behind the two. My shoes make no sound as I ease away and down the hall. The three of us know what I’m doing, yet the other two don’t react as I move further away from them.
The passage ends and I turn the corner. A smart person would have brought yarn or bread crumbs to find her way back. As soon as I think the need for directions, a map of the home appears in my head. Ah, good. Local to the house information is still information.
I search on security and sure enough, there’s a signal block surrounding the house. There are weak spots near each window, with one being at the end of a hallway leading outside. While I don’t dare leave the building, there’s nothing preventing me from opening a door for a better signal. Eyes are probably on me, so I hurry as fast as I can to the door without running. If I’m prey, they’re hunters and we all know what running does to a predator.
As soon as I’m near the door, a flood of notifications fill my head. Most are urgent with G’nar’s standing out the most. I don’t bother absorbing the message but return his contact. G’nar, how are you and Dan? Is everything all right?
Paxton! Good to hear from you. We’re both safe. How and why was your signal off?
Long story. We heard about the attack.
As bad as it looks, we had plenty of warning and evacuated before anyone was hurt.
They said fatalities.
We managed to take out a few Vahdmoshi spies.
Are we at war?
Looks like it. Nial’s good, but he’s not Eldan. We need him back. Tell him to keep his calm and trust in the process.
Will he know what that means?
Something pokes me in the back and I shoo the touch away until realizing where I am. I turn, dreading the confrontation to find a guard pressing a gun into my back. “Would you believe I got lost?”
“Would you believe I’m not going to shoot you for disobeying an order?”
“Fair enough.” I put my hands up. “If you take me back to Eldan, we can forget all of this happened.”
“Oh, you’re going back but I doubt you’ll forget about this escape attempt for a long while.”
Chapter Fourteen
Eldan
Where. Are. You? I send to Paxton.
On my way back and I’m in trouble.
Hell yeah you are, I reply and the doors open. One of my guards has his gun pointed at her back as she shuffles in. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“If you try to escape again, the room has been coded to cause pain past these doors.”
“Amazing. A security feature I designed to keep my family safe is now being used against my bondmate.” I shake my head. “You’ve done your job, guard. Leave us.” He nods and backs out while I step up to Pax. “Did he hurt you?”
“Just my pride.” She takes my hand and pulls me to the sitting area. “I have news.”
“It better be worth the price you’ve just paid.”
“More than worth it. Dan is fine and so is G’nar.”
She’s right. This was worth the cost. “Continue.”
There’s not much else. Our friends, the Vahdmoshi attacked the capitol. None of us were killed but a few of them were taken out.
Her use of “us” warms me and I take her in my arms. Paxton snuggles against me as I say, “We’ll have to deactivate the security to escape now.”
“Like I said, worth it now that we know Daneul’s safe.”
I sigh, proud and in love with my mate. I want to make love with her as much as I want my next breath, but not while in captivity. Not unless there are no hope for escape. “Anything else?”
“No, the guard interrupted.”
I nod. Any other time, I’d be glad someone was there keeping her safe. I have a lot to think about if the Vadhmoshi were so bold as to directly attack us. We’ve been in a cold war for decades. They way is subterfuge and underhanded tricks. If there is an illegal enterprise anywhere in the galaxy, it’s a safe bet as to who is responsible. I want to ask her more, but the bell chimes, indicating a visitor. Dread fills m since I’d much rather have them ignore us than be constantly picking at us. “Yes?”
“The Princess CiaShell Kala is here and requests a visit.”
Pax chuckles. Seashell? Really? Is she and G’nar’s MacKrell a thing or what?
I frown, not understanding and filing the reference away for later examination. “Let her in, please.” I let go of Pax and stand as the doors open. She’s my cousin, mother’s side. Beautiful, of course, because she’d family, but a little shit. Kala was forever causing trouble and pointing at me or Nial as the cause. I had several punishments due to her antics.
“Eldie, I only just heard.”
I narrow my eyes at the childhood name. “Eldan, please.”
“Oh.” She focuses on Paxton for the first time. “Your pet Earther doesn’t know, does she?” Walking around my bondmate, Kala says, “Can she understand anything beyond grunts?”
“I understand everything, thank you,” Pax says in perfect Gharian.
“My! They are trainable after all. Excellent.” She comes back to me. “Do they make good kitchen staff because I have the worst luck in keeping good help.”
“They don’t. They’re the worst at being slave labor,” I reply and hear Pax say, Watch yourself, buddy, in my head. I ignore the threat and smile at Kala. “They’re too independent and tend to wander off on a whim. Trust me, you wouldn’t like the fuss.” That’s better, Pax sends and
I grin at her approval.
“Hmm.” She stops examining Pax long enough to smile at me. “Anyway, how would you like to go home?”
“I am home.”
“You know what I mean, home free and not stuck here.” She wanders over and picks up a priceless Cairn artifact. “Don’t get me wrong, the summer palace is nice, if a little secluded. I have a place on Setis Five that is to die for.” She gives a little sly smile. “Well, we will have to deactivate the nerve disruptor before your science project tries to leave. Unless you don’t mind leaving her behind?”
“She goes with me everywhere as my bondmate and enough with the insults. She’s a part of the royal family now as much as you are.
Kala whirls around from her continued examination of the heirlooms. “Excuse me? No, I’m fourth in line for the throne. This, thing, is nowhere near being Alliance royalty. Not even if you produced a litter of halfbreeded halfwits will she ever be my equal.”
I blink a couple of times. Since when has Kala been a worldist? Was she always this way and I just hadn’t noticed? I shake my head because her erroneous attitudes don’t matter. “I’d suggest you leave, Kala, before I do something we all regret.”
She sidles up to me. “Oh? What if I had a way to transport you and whosit…”
“Paxton,” I offer.
“Right Paxton. Cute name.” She waves a hand like her mother, who I never liked. “If I had a way to smuggle you back into freedom, would you listen to me then?”
I check with Paxton for her opinion. My love shakes her head before saying, “We shouldn’t. Nial sentenced us here for a reason and when he pardons you, he’ll need to know where you are.”
“True, but I don’t want to wait around until he deigns to offer a pardon.” I ignore Paxton’s silent protests in my head. “Let’s go, Kala.”
“I thought you’d never see things my way.” She tilts her head. “The pain barrier is lifted.” A faint pop sounds in the distance. “And that’s my diversion.” Alarms sound and the room goes red. “I figure we have three minutes, tops, to get spaceborne. After that, we’re toast.”
