Before I come to the palace gates, I take a moment to rumple my clothing, bite my lips, and tussle my hair. My knives are well-concealed in the hidden sheathes in my tall boots. The money the Talvani have given me is stashed at my safe house on the other side of the Rhee River.

The gates open. I wave a cheery hello to the guards, stumbling slightly as I go. I can sense them rolling their eyes at me again, the drunk prince returning home. Instead of becoming angry at their disrespect, I feel oddly proud of myself. If I saw myself in this state, I wouldn’t respect me either.

The steward is too well-bred to do anything but stare with purse-lipped disapproval at my condition. Alazon, a distant cousin passing me in the Hall of Rubies, is not so circumspect.

He rushes up to me. “Where have you been tonight? Which girl was it who rode the life out of you?”

“A gentleman never tells, but I will say that if she rode the life out of me, I’m not sorry it’s gone.”

He’s satisfied with my answer, which frees me to make my way to my chambers. By this point, I’ve been awake for a day and a half. I’m so tired I feel like I’m sleepwalking. Just as my hand touches the doorknob, however, there’s a soft buzz from the communicator pinned to my collar. Anyone else would wait for a prince of the blood to acknowledge them. There was only one exception.

“Come down to the Cerulean Chamber, brother, and meet the present I got for you!”

I feel the familiar anger at my brother rise up again, but I push it down enough to put a drunken tone in my voice when I answer.

“I’ve been riding, brother. If I do not see my bed soon, I may die.”

“If you have no use for her, I’ll give her to the guards. You may find what’s left of her in the morning.”

Crucis’ voice sounds as cheerful as mine, but I detect a deadly serious tone underneath it. He was telling the truth. Whatever girl he had dug up for me deserves a better fate.

“If you put it that way, I’ll come and inspect the goods.”

“That’s my brother!”

Adrenaline runs hot through my veins as I head down to the Cerulean Chamber. It’s my brother and his courtiers’ favorite playground. At best, they’ve found me one of the elegant women from the pleasure quarters. At worst, he’s found an innocent girl who thinks that she’s come to the palace to be a maid and has now been stripped of everything except terror.

All it takes is a nod for the guards to let me pass. I remember to put a stagger in my step and a grin on my face.

“Brother! Welcome! Come and see what I have brought for you!”

The courtiers eye me from their couches. Part of me bridles at being their entertainment for the evening. They all fear my brother and take a vicious pleasure in having someone else be the center of his attention.

My brother greets me with a grin, but I can see something has gone wrong. There’s a dark bruise high on his cheek. He has never liked being in any amount of pain.

“Come and see. Let me present you to your bride!”

What bride?

He stands aside. An Earth woman is behind him, wearing only a thin skirt and chained to a pillar. She’s small, barely coming up to my shoulder. Black hair tumbles down either side of her face. She lifts her head, eyes wild, and something about her grabs my heart and will not let go. She’s beautiful, but what I feel is more than an appreciation for a good-looking woman. Something primal rises inside me. I’m nearly overcome with the instinct to kill everyone who hurt her and make her completely mine.

“Do you like her?”

Hearing my brother’s voice is an insult to the moment, but I drag my eyes away from the girl to give him an amused look.

“She’s not bad at all. But you must know I have a dozen women all over the planet.”

“I know you do. You’re famous for it, little brother. I thought you might be enticed to stay closer to home if I gave you something sweet to play with while you are here.”

I start to demur again, but a hard glitter appears in Crucis’ eyes. This is when he is at his most dangerous. I have to restrain the urge to rip out his throat then and there.

“She’s perfect for you, chosen by TerraMates, the best matchmakers in the galaxy. You were matched with each other. If you don’t want her, I’ll have to find something else to do with her.”

To my fury, Crucis lays his hand on the Earth woman’s bare shoulder. When he slides it down to rest on her breast, something inside me snaps and I lunge forward. I yank my brother’s hand away from her body. Before he can fly into a fury, I start inspecting the girl myself.

When I’m this close to her, the urge to touch her, kiss her, and to tell her everything will be all right is overpowering. I can smell her now, a clean and lovely scent more attractive than the perfumes of Crucis’ courtiers. She looks up, and the incandescent fury in her gaze makes me want to take a step back. Underneath the fury is fear, and the combination of bravado and fright in such terrible circumstances makes my heart ache.

I have to say something. “She has good bones. A pretty face, and of course her tits are gorgeous. Can I see the back?”

The last is addressed to Crucis, who is visibly pleased by my crude comments. Obligingly, he has her untied. While she rubs her chafed wrists, I inspect her ass and her legs. She barely flinches when I touch her upper thighs, running my hand down her legs. She’s sturdy, stronger than she looks, with a narrow waist and wide hips.

“Well, brother? Does she please you?”

“She does. Thank you for my present.”

“You should fuck her right here. Let’s see a marriage in the old way.” Crucis’ face shines with glee.

Inwardly, I shudder. There’s nothing less attractive than the idea of rutting with this poor girl in front of my brother and his friends. Outwardly, I shrug.

“Later, when I’ve broken her in and she can give you a good show. For now, I’ll just take her to bed and see what I can do with her.”

I take the girl by the hand. For a moment, she is stiff, and I think she’s going to resist. If she does not obey me I will have to prove my dominance over her. It will be brutal and cruel. I squeeze her hand twice, trying to silently caution her. To my relief, she relaxes, but she doesn’t lose the wary look in her eyes. I see my name on the jewelry around her throat, and something inside me is repulsed at the idea of making her suffer any more than she already has.

Crucis shakes his head. “She’s not one of your whores, Rasulus. You can’t throw her away when you’ve worn her out. Let’s make everything official.”

To my shock, Crucis brings us both to the center of the room, standing over us with a benevolent look on his face. The girl is terrified out of her wits. I’m wondering what my brother is planning when I recognize the ancient words coming out of his mouth.

“When Makat walked on the ground, he was alone and lonely. He lived his life in the darkness between the stars until one star gleamed brighter than the others. He chased it and found it was the eye of Isoa, the woman who walks the Milky Way. They were the first two to be married, and today we hear the echoes of their great love through the stars.”

The beautiful words of the marriage ceremony sound twisted in my brother’s mocking recitation. When he finishes, it is my turn to speak.

These will be my first words to the woman who stands next to me. “You are mine. Mine to treasure, mine to carry, mine to feed, and mine to love. Until the stars fall from the sky, until the sea returns to the stars, you are mine.”

Her gaze is sharp and searching. I wonder for a moment if I was what she wanted or expected when she signed the papers to come to Arietus.

It doesn’t matter. She’s here now, and no matter what happens, deep in my heart, I know I spoke the truth.

She is mine.