“How can you ask whether I love you?” she asked, tempering her tone. “Of course, I love you. I am going to Terra with you, specifically so you can use your powers and be who you are. It is no small thing to leave my world behind for yours!”
“Maybe it’s only because of the verran,” he countered. “Maybe it’s about hunting, not about me.”
“You know better than that.”
Troy shoved a hand through his hair. “I thought I did. I’m starting to wonder, princess, and I know that’s not good. I don’t want to fight with you, but I don’t want to be irrelevant either.”
Drakina halted before him and framed his face in her hands. “Don’t confuse me with my father,” she whispered. She brushed her lips across Troy’s mouth. He shivered and exhaled, but still held himself apart from her. She met his gaze steadily. “I love who you are and what you can do. You cannot be fully yourself here on Incendium. It bothers me more than it bothers you.”
He lifted a brow. “I doubt that.”
“Do you?” Drakina challenged in a whisper. She stared into his eyes and dared to say it aloud. “Then MindBend me and learn the truth.”
Troy was visibly surprised by the invitation. “You want me to manipulate your thoughts?”
“I want you to read my thoughts and share yours with me. I want our thoughts to be as one.”
“Usually MindBending is guiding thoughts in a specific direction.”
Drakina arched a brow. “I researched your skill and found this possibility noted. Are you not prepared for the challenge of learning a new skill?”
She saw the glimmer of excitement in his eyes. “It’s supposed to come from cultivating a connection with one other individual.”
“Who better than your wife and partner? I can think of no better candidate than my HeartKeeper.”
Troy grinned. “How far into your mind can I go?”
“As far as you want,” Drakina said, although the possibility terrified her. “I am an open book to you now, for we are bound together.” She felt his anticipation rise.
“No repercussions?”
“None.”
“Even if I find a secret?”
“I have none from you. I might not be good at telling you everything, but if I have stories yet untold, they are omissions not secrets. We are one, Troy.”
“You forbade me to MindBend you once,” he reminded her, his gaze searching.
“I now think it a necessary and timely concession.”
He sobered, his gaze searching hers. “You’re afraid, princess.”
Drakina nodded, disliking the admission of any weakness. She did like, though, that Troy understood her without MindBending. “But I trust you, and you need to know how much. I cannot think of a better way to demonstrate as much.”
Troy’s hands landed on her waist. “Princess!” He understood the magnitude of the concession she made to him and would honor it. This bond would be intimate and one that could not be severed, but would strengthen the connection between them.
Drakina smiled for him. “Go ahead and MindBend me, Troy. You can even feed my desire, if you want, although it’s already burning hot.” She took a deep breath. “Remind me of the merit of slow and thorough.”
He kissed her then, his delight making her heart skip. “I was thinking fast and hot might be the right choice tonight, princess.” His voice was a low rasp against her ear and the sound made her growl with need.
“I’m yours, Troy, all yours, whichever way you want me.”
“Now there’s an invitation I can’t refuse.”
“I was hoping it would be,” Drakina whispered, then she felt his thoughts slide into her own. It was much as it had been that first time on Terra, but Troy was careful instead of stealthy. He let her be aware of him, and she welcomed that. She leaned her brow upon his shoulder and took a steadying breath, surrendering to his presence in her thoughts when her instinct was to incinerate the intruder.
“Okay, princess?” Troy didn’t speak aloud, but his voice echoed in her own mind.
She tried to reply in kind. “All yours, HeartKeeper.”
“Which creates some very interesting possibilities,” he mused. She could hear laughter in his tone, even as it echoed within her mind, and she smiled at that. His fingers slid up her spine and into her hair, his touch sending tingles from her nape.
“You like that,” he said, his thoughts a lazy drawl that tangled with her own thoughts. Drakina sighed with pleasure as the heat built within her. He threaded his fingers into her hair, moving slowly and deliberately. Drakina shivered in anticipation, welcoming the brush of his lips on her ears.
“And that.”
“You know all of this already, MindBender,” she thought. “Dig deeper.”
Drakina felt Troy’s surprise and guessed he’d discovered a little fantasy she’d been cherishing. She smiled when he embellished it with some variations of his own. He was kissing her neck and teasing her nipple when she made the fantasy much more naughty than any game they’d ever played before and she heard his laughter.
“Naughty, naughty, princess,” he chided, but Drakina wasn’t fooled. His pulse leaped and his breath caught, his body so taut with enthusiasm that she wanted to devour him.
Then Troy modified her fantasy and Drakina inhaled sharply at the allure of his suggestion. She seized the back of his neck, kissing him with a fervor that showed her approval. He backed her into the wall and their pulses raced as one as they kissed and caressed, then they fell on the bed with limbs entangled. Drakina braced her hands on either side of his shoulders and looked down at him, smiling at his obvious pleasure.
“You like this,” she accused.
He nodded. “But more importantly, I love you.”
After Drakina bent to claim Troy’s lips in a fiery kiss, no one said or thought anything coherent in the royal apartments for quite some time.
* * *
That evening, Gemma strode down the corridor to the briefing session that she’d ordered, ensuring that she arrived precisely on schedule.
It was held in her own apartment, at her command, because that was the one place she knew was secure from spies and listening devices.
Some of the party from Regalia had already arrived to prepare for the royal family’s attendance of the wedding the next day. Urbanus remained in his mother’s palace on Regalia, per tradition, so there was no chance of the bride seeing the groom. The staff from Regalia were contained in one wing of the palace on Incendium, and Gemma doubted they had the skill to circumvent the access coding on their keys.
At least not so quickly as this.
Kraw bowed when she entered the unit and Farquon saluted. Kraw was viceroy of the Kingdom of Incendium, and had been in the service of King Ouros for decades, ever since his father had resigned the same post. His mustache had been as long and elaborately curved for all the years Gemma could remember him, but now it had turned white.
Farquon was commander of the regiment assigned to the defense of the royal family. Gemma had augmented Farquon’s training herself, when she had led Incendium’s elite corps of commandos. The military assignment of a royal family member being given a military command hadn’t been a ceremonial post for Gemma. She had trained on Cumae, graduated with high honors, then returned home to serve the kingdom. Under her command, the commandos had improved their response times, stealth, and kill rates. Farquon had been her best pupil, her lover, her friend and remained one man she trusted completely. She particularly admired that their relationship had never been complicated by talk of undying love.
Farquon had made the arrangements for her pending escape, and she knew he wouldn’t reveal a syllable of her plan to anyone. Even now, he was completely impassive, commanded by Kraw to attend, and apparently without any greater bond to Gemma than any other member of the royal family. He looked slightly bored if attentive. She felt a surge of pride in his talents, then inclined her head to Kraw.
“Your highness,” Kraw sa
id with a deep bow. “Your father sends greetings.”
“Of course.”
“As well as the reminder that you need not proceed with this marriage.”
“But I must, Kraw, as my father knows.” Gemma sat down and spoke crisply. “I’m sure he smells the Seed on every messenger from Regalia as keenly as I do.”
Kraw inclined his head in acknowledgment of this truth. “You need not go alone, Highness.”
“I think otherwise.” Gemma waved a hand. “Speak to me of Regalia, please, Kraw.”
The wall illuminated behind Farquon, revealing that it was actually a large display screen. An image of Regalia appeared, undoubtedly captured by one of Incendium’s satellites. As the image grew more detailed, it was clear that the surface of Incendium’s sister planet was almost entirely covered in forest.
“A comparatively primitive world, it must be said,” Kraw declared, turning to watch the display with Gemma. She always respected that he memorized his presentations, and made it look easy to present a wealth of information in a short period of time. “Their economy is heavily reliant upon barter on the planet itself, and simple skills. Their people harvest crops, make bread and ale, supply the royal palace with tithes and other offerings. Their major exports are medicinal herbs and other plants, usually dried for transport. They have only one star station, here in their northern hemisphere, near the queen’s palace in their capital city.”
The image showed a very small star station beside an extensive palace. A large dark shuttle was parked there, with loading doors of a size suitable for loading freight. There were only three more ships, all sleek and small personal vehicles. They seemed to have the royal insignia, though it was difficult to be certain. The palace was made of silvery stone that glittered in the sunlight and there were banners flying from its highest towers.
It was quite a contrast with Incendium’s star station, where parking was always at a premium. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of small ships there at any given time, in addition to the regularly scheduled shuttles to the orbiting starport and the larger ships docked there.
“Their single shuttle leaves Regalia monthly and is an older model, somewhat prone to disrepair. They use Incendium’s starport to arrange transport of their goods to off-world markets.” He paused to look at Gemma. “Without us, they would have no interplanetary access.”
She arched a brow. “Our marital alliance could have practical benefits for Regalia.”
“Of course.” Kraw continued. “Their communication systems and general technology would be considered grossly inadequate by our standards. I fear you may have a difficult adjustment to make in your new home, Highness.”
“But they have magic, don’t they?”
“Magic.” Kraw sighed. “Yes, that is their claim. The origin of the sorcery is the royal family, specifically Queen Arcana, whose abilities are said to be extraordinary. The power to cast spells, to glean the future, to enchant others against their will into doing her desire, to inflict different forms upon others, to read thoughts, to kill with a glance—all these abilities and more are attributed to the queen by rumor and gossip. It is said that she has given individual magical talents to her sons, allowing only one per offspring in order that they would have to band together to defeat her. It is also said that she deliberately fosters dissent between them.” Kraw spread his hands. “These are the recurring rumors. There is no way to affirm which, if any, are true, and which might be either illusion or utterly without foundation.” He cleared his throat. “What we do know is that Queen Arcana has lived a very long time for a mortal woman and has not appeared to age for the past fifty Regalian years. She has borne twelve sons, and did so in rapid succession between twenty-five and forty Regalian years ago.”
“And Regalian years are only a little longer than our own, I believe?”
“Yes, Highness. Their orbit is slightly larger than ours, giving us a warmer climate, too. The discrepancy between Incendian years and Regalian years is rounded to four per cent, and beyond the notice of most.” Kraw bowed. “Certainly to an individual of your longevity, Highness, it is of little consequence.”
Gemma nodded understanding.
The display changed to show images of men. Some of them were official holograms and familiar to Gemma, while others, she had never seen before. She recognized Canto, for example, before Kraw gestured dismissively to Queen Arcana’s oldest and now deceased son. “It is unknown what magical power Canto might have had, at least here on Incendium.”
“Whatever it was, it doesn’t seem to have helped him much.”
“Indeed, Majesty. You are familiar with Urbanus, of course,” he continued and Gemma considered the official hologram of her betrothed. He was handsome, with his dark hair and blue eyes, his confident smile. “You may not be aware that he had a twin brother, Venero.”
There was a roguish quality about Venero, whose hair was lighter than that of his brother. He had hazel eyes that looked almost golden. The image was a candid one, far more appealing than an official one. He looked to be on the verge of laughter as if he had been caught at some jest. Gemma had the urge to smile back at him and wish she’d heard the joke.
“They don’t look like twins.”
“Not identical twins. There was a suggestion—” Kraw cleared his throat “—that they did not share a father, although the sexual proclivities of the queen are beyond the range of our discussion.”
That piqued Gemma’s curiosity and she felt Farquon flick a glance at her. With an effort, she remained impassive. “You speak of Venero in the past tense.”
“Prince Venero is said to have disappeared and is believed by most to be dead. It must be noted that Urbanus has always been a favorite of his mother’s. More than one observer has speculated that she wished his path to the crown to be unobstructed, particularly after the death of Canto, and that she had some involvement in the disappearance or death of Venero.”
“Do you know about Urbanus’ magical power?”
“Your betrothed, Highness, is rumored to be an expert in the making of spells.” Kraw looked stern. “It might well be that there is no sorcery involved in this, merely an understanding of the effects of certain substances upon the body of the victim. It may be science disguised as magic, to defend such powerful and potentially harmful knowledge.”
“Anything else?”
“Prince Urbanus appears to be quite involved in his mother’s administration of Regalia, and also her confidante. I would guess that she is grooming him for the succession, as is right and good. He does leave Regalia at intervals and has been known to frequent the gaming halls of Xanto.”
“He likes to bet,” she said.
“Evidently, Highness.”
Gemma wasn’t impressed by that, but then, she wasn’t going to be married to Urbanus very long if everything proceeded according to her plan.
The display changed again to an image of a heavily forested area. There was a dark spire in the middle of the forest, and it was enlarged as the focus tightened upon it. “There is new construction in the far southern hemisphere of Regalia, about as far from Queen Arcana’s palace as might be possible without entering the inhabitable zones of the poles.” Gemma leaned forward, avidly studying the structure. “This is said to be the honeymoon palace of Prince Urbanus.” Kraw turned to face her. “It appears that your betrothed, Highness, intends to keep you to himself for a while.”
Gemma’s gaze danced over the palace as the view circled around it. It was a fortress, remote and structured to be easily defended, which suited her very well. She smiled for Kraw. “It looks like a perfect place to ensure the delivery of the Seed.”
Never mind an ideal place to kill her new husband and escape Regalia without being observed. Gemma couldn’t have planned it better herself.
She glanced up and Farquon bowed slightly, but not quickly enough to hide the understanding in his eyes.
All was made ready.
Let the nuptial festivities be
gin.
Chapter One
Prince Venero didn’t attend his older brother’s wedding.
Even though it was to be a lavish ceremony and the union of the two kingdoms within their solar system was of key diplomatic importance, Venero had several reasons for missing the ceremony.
First, the vows would be exchanged on Incendium, and he had no means of getting to Regalia’s sister planet, seeing that he had been banished from his mother’s court and lost all the perks of living there.
Secondly, he hated Urbanus and had no wish to witness any joy his twin might experience.
Thirdly, Venero didn’t think much good of the bride, Gemma, even though he’d never met or seen her. Any woman who would willingly marry the crown prince of Regalia had to be either stupid, or just as vile as Urbanus. Never mind that she was a dragon shifter. Venero couldn’t imagine why any man would marry a woman who could slaughter him so easily that she didn’t even have to wait for him to be asleep.
Women should be beautiful and demure, while wives should be beautiful, demure, and fertile. He supposed that Princess Gemma might possess the third trait, but not the others.
Venero was, however, very interested in the nuptials.
More specifically, he was interested in using the bride for his own purposes. She might never know the difference if she was as dumb as he suspected. The fact that Gemma was a dragon shifter meant she was able to cover large distances quickly.
And Venero had a long way to go.
He wasn’t just exiled from the court: he’d been cursed to take another form and had his powers suppressed. Worst of all, the antidote was something Venero knew to be impossible. How could he be restored to his human form by the kiss of his one true love when he didn’t believe that kind of love existed?
Venero would solve that riddle later. First, he had to get out of the forest and back to the city of Regalia, where there were far more women—and thus more candidates for saving him.
Being a toad, however, didn’t provide many options for quick journeys. The city of Regalia was hundreds of leagues away, but toads make slow progress and this part of the planet was particularly treacherous. The forests and rivers were full of predators with a taste for small amphibians, and Venero knew that wasn’t a coincidence. Trust Urbanus to be vengeful. Venero hadn’t been able to cast dreams to anyone since he’d been cursed, which made it hard to get any help.