by Sadie Carter
“This woman injured my igglewood,” the man complained.
Injured? What was he talking about?
The igglewood let out a loud burp before returning to munch on his bucket of feed.
“Yeah, he looks real injured,” Zoey said skeptically. Around her the crowd laughed and the man’s face turned a deep shade of purple. That wasn’t a good sign. Beside her, the dark one tensed and she could feel his watchfulness. Seemed he understood how close that fool was to blowing up. But if Zoey felt any hint of impending doom, she didn’t show it. She simply crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot. “How exactly did she injure it?”
“She stood on his tail.”
“Who wouldn’t stand on that tail? It’s freakin’ huge. Honestly, is this thing part dinosaur or what?”
“What is going on here?” a new voice demanded.
Oh, stars. Nassir swallowed heavily, her breath coming in fast pants as she spotted a member of the Royal Guard coming through the crowd. Loven was the main city on Maalika and was where the Emperor resided, so all of the guardians of the law were members of the Royal Guard.
“This female attacked my pet. He is a very expensive animal and she injured him.” He pointed a chubby finger at Nassir who wished she could just slip away. Even if she could get away from here without being arrested, drawing all this attention to herself was not a good idea.
“And then she hit me!”
“After you grabbed her,” someone in the crowd spoke up in her defense, surprising her.
“And then you shoved her to the ground,” someone else added.
“And that pet thing of his isn’t really injured at all,” Zoey said, pointing to the igglewood. “Unless it’s trying to eat away its pain. I do that sometimes. Once, after a boyfriend dumped me, I ingested three tubs of ice cream. By the end of my binge I felt so ill I thought I was going to die. But I had totally forgotten about the break-up. Of course, the next morning I woke up with a killer ice-cream hangover and about five pounds heavier so it’s really not worth it.”
The Royal Guardsman stared at Zoey for a moment, he blinked then shook his head. “Who are you?”
“I’m Zoey.” She smiled brightly. “Who are you?”
Stars. Nassir stiffened. Did Zoey have no sense of self-preservation? Did she not realize this was a member of the Royal Guard? For all that the Maalikans treated their prisoners quite well, they still had the power to lock them all up and throw away the key.
Five more members of the Royal Guard pressed through the crowd. Oh, this wasn’t good.
“I am a member of the Royal Guard. What is your business in this?”
“This woman here is my friend.” She pointed at Nassir.
Nassir shook her head. No. Didn’t she understand what she was doing? Nassir looked over at Zoey with wide eyes. She needed to walk away. Now. It was too late for Nassir, she had no doubts that she was on her way to jail. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad place to die. But Zoey didn’t deserve to go there with her. And where was her mate? Why had he allowed her to go out with only two guards? Especially when she didn’t know when to stop talking.
“I demand this female be arrested. She injured my pet and she assaulted me.” The round male pointed to his bleeding nose.
The Royal Guardsman turned to her as his fellow guardsman started pushing back the crowd. He studied her with disgust. She knew what he saw, her ripped and dirty clothes, her filthy face.
She was in such trouble.
The guardsman stepped forward, reaching for his cuffs.
Nassir braced herself, knowing running was useless. Even if she had the stamina to outrun him, there was nowhere for her to go. The crowd was thick around them, there was no way she would get through and free.
Maybe she should have just given him her mother’s locket.
Suddenly, Zoey stepped in front of her. What was she doing?
“Surely you’re not going to arrest my friend without asking for her side of the story. There are witnesses here who will attest that this man grabbed her, then slammed her into the ground. And really, does that over-sized pig look like it’s injured? Gosh, I almost sound like a lawyer. I always did think I would make a great lawyer. Like Erin Brockovich.”
“Pig?” he asked, looking confused. “Erin Brockovich?”
She pointed at the igleewood who was currently yawning.
“That pig-like thing he says is injured, but really isn’t. But I’ll take the high road and be the mature person in all of this.”
“High road?” the guard was looking more and more confused and Nassir didn’t blame him.
“I’ll give this lovely man enough credits to have his pet examined by a vet. Will a hundred cover the expenses?” she asked.
“It will not!” the short, round man blustered, spittle flying from his mouth.
“Gross,” Zoey said, wiping her hand over her face.
“Do you know who I am? I am Ernstn Salang. I am a personal friend of the King of Maalika! I demand that both of these females be arrested!”
He pointed at her, then Zoey. Oh no.
“Oh stars,” Zoey’s other guard muttered. “The Emperor will be very unhappy if you get arrested, Empress.”
“Don’t panic, Zillion, I’m not getting arrested.”
“You are both under arrest,” the Royal Guard pronounced.
“Or maybe I am.”
Boris pulled Zoey back, pushing her behind him as the Royal Guardsman stepped forward. For once, he cursed his vow not to speak. But his race took vows seriously and they could not be broken without the wrath of the Gods descending. And so, he was stuck in silence while a small incident turned into a giant mess.
“What are you doing? Let her go immediately or you will be arrested as well,” the guardsman said to him.
Boris didn’t look at him, his gaze was on the other five guards gathering close to them. He could take them all easily. But if members of the crowd decided to join in then there was going to be a problem.
If she was arrested, they might as well arrest him also because he was not allowing her out of his sight.
Someone needed to talk the guardsmen down. Now. Because Zillion was right. Dex would not be happy if they allowed Zoey to be arrested.
“Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to do that.” Zillion stepped forward and gave the guardsman an arrogant look. More Royal Guardsman stepped through the crowd and Boris tensed. This could end very badly. “Boris and I are her guards and if she gets arrested then her mate is going to kill us. Very slowly. Very painfully.”
Nassir made a pained noise beside him and Boris quickly glanced down at her. He couldn’t see her face beneath that hood, but he hoped she regretted getting Zoey mixed up in her mess. Not that much stopped Zoey once she decided to get involved in something.
“That is of no concern of mine,” the guardsman replied stiffly. “If her mate did not wish her to get into trouble, then perhaps he shouldn’t have allowed her out of his sight.”
“I am certain that thought has occurred to him a time or two.” Zillion turned to give Zoey a quelling look. She scowled back and went to move forward, but Boris held her back.
“This is all my fault,” Nassir said quietly, stepping forward. Finally, she was going to take responsibility for her actions. “I was the one who assaulted him. It has nothing to do with Zoey. Just arrest me and let her go.”
“Only because he grabbed you. If anyone should be arrested, it should be him.” Zoey pointed over at the fat man.
This was fast growing out of control.
“Quiet, all of you!” the Royal Guardsman yelled. Then he pointed over at them. “Arrest them all!”
Chapter Three
Nassir felt so ill it was all she could do not to vomit. Lack of food and sleep, combined with an adrenaline drop had her feeling light-headed and nauseous. She opened her eyes and looked over at where Zoey leaned against the side of the shuttle, her forehead puckered into a frown. Her furry companion lay next t
o her, a guard on each side. Nassir was on her own across the shuttle.
It made her feel unwanted. Alone.
She nearly laughed. Wasn’t that exactly what she was?
Yes. But for some reason, this was the most alone she’d felt since her parents died.
Zoey sighed. “I’m in such trouble.”
“Yes, you are,” the blond guard said to her, his irritation clear. “Why must you involve yourself in things that are none of your business? Now we have all been arrested. Who knows how long it will be until someone finds out where we are. Do you know what could happen to us in that time? We will be separated from you, we will not be able to guard you which is our primary objective. How do you think the Emperor will react? Our only job was to protect you and we have failed due to your inability to cease talking. Foolish female.”
While Nassir agreed that Zoey was reckless and that she shouldn’t have interfered, she didn’t like the way the other male spoke to her or how she shrunk in on herself. Suddenly, Boris leapt over Zoey, shoving the other male back. He growled at the other guard menacingly.
The other male held up his hands. “Now, Boris, I was not threatening her.”
“Boris, it’s okay.” Zoey reached up and grabbed hold of his arm. “He’s not saying anything that’s not true. I could have handled that so much better. Like an Empress. I should have channeled Liula. Now what would the old...” she looked hastily over at the blond warrior... “um, woman have done?”
The blond warrior scowled at Zoey and Boris growled again. Nassir shivered at the threatening sound. It was bad enough when she drew his cold glare, if he started making those sorts of noises at her then she was pretty certain she’d faint from fear. His purple gaze narrowed in anger. Thick muscle rippled under his dark skin. His long black hair was pulled back from his arresting face, falling down his back. Earlier, under the sunlight, she had caught hints of purple and blue in its black depths.
“Perhaps you should tell them you are the Empress of Zerconia when we reach the Royal Guardsmen headquarters,” Nassir suggested, trying to ignore the deep throbbing in her hand. All she wanted was some pain inhibitors, sleep, food, and a bath. Was it really so much to ask for?
The guardsmen hadn’t been gentle when they’d locked these cuffs around her, and she’d nearly fainted as red-hot agony had shot its way through her wrist. It had only just started to dull.
“They probably won’t believe me.”
Boris had pushed Zoey into a corner of the shuttle, far away from the blond warrior. Her pet was pressed up against her other side.
“Few would,” the blond one muttered.
He was really starting to annoy her.
Zoey gave her a smile, but Nassir could tell it was forced. And the dark one, Boris, she had to remember to call him Boris, was so tense he looked close to exploding. His stern gaze missed nothing as it roamed the shuttle
“You obviously don’t like me, Zillion. Why don’t you just tell me what it is about me that so offends you.”
“This is not about like or dislike, foolish human.”
Nassir’s eyes widened and she tensed. Either this male was challenged intellectually or he had no sense of self-preservation, but he would be best to stop insulting Zoey. While the dark one had not moved, it was more than obvious he was growing incensed. His gaze had not moved from the blond warrior.
“This is about who is fit to rule our planet and it is obvious you are not. You are impetuous, rash, lacking in grace, and worst of all, you are human. You are not fit to be our Empress.”
“Wow, Zillion, tell me how you really feel. Don’t hold back.”
Nassir did not believe he had held back. Or if he had, then she did not think they needed to hear the rest. But she didn’t look at Zillion or Zoey, no her gaze was set on the most dangerous creature in the room.
The dark one.
She could sense the menace rolling off him, and if Zillion couldn’t, then he was a bad choice of guard for Zoey as well as a horrid person.
“Don’t worry, Zillion, as soon as we’re out of this situation, I’ll be certain to make sure you’re never on my guard duty again.”
“Good. I have more important things to do than follow you around as you aimlessly shop. A proper Empress would be meeting with the King of Maalika and fulfilling her royal duties.”
Nassir moved her gaze to Zoey, feeling sorry for the other woman who looked pale and stressed.
“I apologize that you became mixed up in my mess, Empress,” she said quietly. “If I had just given that awful man my locket this could have been avoided.”
Zoey’s gaze softened. “Call me Zoey. He was a jerk. You weren’t giving him anything. Don’t worry, we’ll get this sorted.”
“Will the Emperor not be angry?”
Zoey seemed the least likely empress Nassir had ever encountered and she had met a few. But then, Nassir wasn’t a typical princess, was she? Not many princesses were homeless, hungry. And now she had been arrested. Perhaps she could begin a new trend. Somehow, she did not believe it would take off.
“You should have just walked away,” Nassir said quietly.
Zoey gave a half-laugh. “Walk away? Me? Not in my vocab, babe.”
She didn’t know why Zoey was calling her a small child, but she did not question her. Right now, that was the least of her worries. What would happen once they got to the Royal Guardsman headquarters? How could she make certain that Zoey and her guards weren’t arrested?
“I didn’t seriously expect them to arrest us, though. Putting cuffs on Giz was kind of over-kill. What are these for? Children?” Zoey pointed to the small cuffs locked around her pet’s paws.
“I believe they had a problem with goblins at one time. They have small wrists,” Nassir explained.
“Goblins? Seriously?” Zoey looked startled then sighed. “Never learned about goblins during my Alien Studies classes.”
Zillion made a disparaging noise in his throat, and Boris narrowed his gaze. Nassir tensed, uncertain what she would do, if anything. The blond warrior didn’t even look at the dark one. Did he not sense the fury aimed his way?
Zoey reached up and grabbed Boris’s arm, her skin pale against his. “It’s not worth it. Not now,” she whispered.
Not now?
If Nassir was the blond warrior then she would be watching her back.
“I’m glad we found you again, Nassir,” Zoey told her. “I’ve been worried about you.”
She had? Nassir gave her a startled look. Even though Zoey had been kind to her, she hadn’t really expected the other female to give her much thought.
Zoey smiled. “I wish you hadn’t run off that night. It doesn’t look like you’ve been having an easy time of it. Have you been eating?”
Nassir felt herself blush with embarrassment, aware of how terrible she looked.
“From the smell of her, it appears she has forgotten to bathe,” Zillion stated, giving her a disgusted look. She shrank down before she realized that was exactly what he wanted. And while she was not a princess anymore, she once had been. She straightened her shoulders and gave him her best haughty look of disdain.
“At least I have not forgotten my manners.”
A stain of red filled the warrior’s cheeks and he glared at her angrily.
Probably not the best move, Nassir.
As the shuttle came to a jarring stop, Nassir bit back a cry of pain. She had her legs curled up to her chest, cradling her sore wrist between her stomach and her thighs, but she still couldn’t stop her wrist from jolting.
“Well. Seems like we’re here.” Zoey smiled. “Time to join the party, boys and girls.”
“Foolish human,” Zillion muttered.
Boris snarled.
Chapter Four
Dex greeted the King of Maalika by placing his hand on the other man’s forearm and squeezing. King Rohan did the same with his arm. They squeezed hard and for so long that the King’s aides started shifting around uncomfortably. Fin
ally, Rohan roared with laughter and slapped Dex on the shoulder. Dex grinned.
“Ah, I see you have not changed much, old friend,” Rohan said, waving away his aides then gesturing to the couches. Dex took a seat and Rohan poured them some Sola. “Still as stubborn as ever.”
“And you are still as loud as ever,” Dex said back.
Rohan sat on the chair across from him, which creaked.
Dex raised an eyebrow. “Have you increased your weight, old friend?”
Rohan patted his stomach. “What? I am as solid as I ever was. Muscle. Pure muscle.” He leaned forward. “I can still take you in a Maaxa match.”
Dex felt his lips twitched as he relaxed for what felt like the first time in weeks.
“No time for Maaxa games, I am afraid.” Both Rohan and Dex had been champion Maaxa fighters in their youth. Rohan’s father had been good friends with his father. They were some of the few visitors allowed to enter Zerconia and Dex and his father had sometimes visited Maalika. But he had not seen his old friend in a while. “I wish I was here purely for a social visit.”
Rohan grew more serious. “I know. I am sorry to see you again under these circumstances. You said you brought your mate with you?”
“Yes, she is shopping today. I have not told her what is going on.”
Rohan’s eyes widened. “I did not think you would. This is no business for a female. There would be no need to worry her.”
Dex smiled. “You have much to learn about being a mate.” At one time, he had thought like Rohan, that a female must be sheltered from things that might upset her. But he knew differently now. Zoey was his partner in many ways and while he would always insist she obey him when it came to safety, he had a lot of respect for her strength and loyalty. Which is what made keeping this from her so difficult. It did not sit well with him and had made it difficult for him to be around her this last week. To his shame, he had been avoiding her, using work as an excuse. And in his preoccupation, he knew he had spoken to her more harshly than he’d intended.
“Oh well, when I find a mate perhaps you will have some advice for me.”
