“Watch it, Princess!” Nadyah snapped as her knife nearly sliced Adelina’s cheek.

Adelina moved back just in time, the whistling of the sharp blade and the wind on her cheek a warning that she had to focus. Nadyah brought up the second blade so fast Adelina barely had time to block. She needed space to gain perspective. With a kick, Adelina performed a smooth back handspring, all those cycles of dance and self-defense lessons kept her body limber and strong.

Nadyah’s courtesan fighting arts proved more difficult to learn than Adelina had thought they would be. Alpha was a tough instructor, but he paled in comparison to Nadyah’s vicious demands.

Her courtesan spun, knives flashing in the morning sun. The whipping whistle warned Adelina just in time to dodge, and then weave. Those sharp blades nicked her practice-wear and sliced through the fabric like butter. The scent of blood filled the air and Adelina rolled just in time to manage only a scratch on her arm.

“Stop defending and attack!” Nadyah yelled. There was so much frustration in her voice and those sapphire eyes flashed. Then Nadyah moved so fast she was a blur. Adelina barely managed to keep up, her blocks all she could manage.

The sharp blade nicked her waist and Adelina hissed.

“Pay attention.” Nadyah was angry.

It infuriated Adelina. It wasn’t as though she didn’t try her best. Nadyah had cycles upon cycles of practice. With a burst of energy Adelina twisted under the next attack, bending and shoving. Nadyah flipped and landed on her back.

She didn’t hesitate. Adelina followed through and straddled her courtesan, one knife to her throat and the other to her soft belly.

They both breathed hard and glared at each other. Adelina was sure she finally had her until Nadyah’s leg came up and wrapped around her in a complicated move, and suddenly Adelina was the one on her back with a knife at her throat.

Adelina swallowed, feeling the sharpness of the blade just barely break her skin. Blood trickled down her neck. “I yield,” she gasped, chest heaving at the exertion. Adelina was exhausted after only getting a few hours of sleep and it showed.

“Sloppy,” Nadyah snapped. She stood and Adelina stayed where she was, trying to catch her breath against the hot stone.

The knives clattered against the floor and Adelina closed her eyes. A mood rode her courtesan hard. She would talk about it when she was ready, but it wasn’t Adelina’s fault she didn’t know much about the fighting style. It had only been a few weeks since they’d started.

“You need to learn control, without control you will never master the desire. If you cannot master it, you will never be in true control of yourself, and then you will be a slave to instinct.”

The sharp words felt dull against the heartache Adelina held close. She’d tried to see Prince Nash a few times after his accident, but it had been nearly impossible with Raena watching her so closely. Her only consolation was the reports she kept up with, marking his healing progress. It was so much slower than a Kalan human’s and she’d have thought he could heal himself, but perhaps not. It may be a task only someone else could do.

“Have you even been doing the breathing exercises I taught you?”

“You know I have been,” Adelina answered dully, rolling onto her stomach and resting her head on her pillowed arms. It was so nice to lie in the sun and relax.

“Then why are you breathing like a fish out of water?” Nadyah crossed her arms over her chest, midriff exposed. The woman was pure sex with her loose pants and bare feet.

Adelina cracked an eye and glared at her courtesan. “Why don’t you tell me what’s really bothering you?” she asked.

Her question created an instant change in Nadyah. She dropped her arms and her mouth opened to reply before she thought better of it and stopped. Nadyah studied Adelina and then plopped on the ground, legs crossed. With a small shrug, she inspected her nails. “It is of no importance.”

“If that is true, then it would not be bothering you.” Adelina sighed. “It’s Varan isn’t it, when he asked to escort me to the ball? I know what that means Nadyah.” She made sure her courtesan saw her look of understanding before stripping her top off and closing her eyes again. Adelina let the sun warm her skin; the private courtyard safe from prying eyes.

“And?” the question was sharp.

“And I would have to consider a marriage proposal from Varan,” Adelina admitted. “I like and know him. If Raena would accept him as a husband for me, then I would consider the possibility. An alliance with the thief would open doors to the people we’ve never had before. And there are much worse choices than Varan.”

Varan’s offer to escort Adelina was no small matter, no matter how flippantly he’d asked. It meant the prince of thieves considered asking her to dance during her coming-of-age party. The significance of that wasn’t lost on Adelina. All eligible males who requested a dance began the arduous process of asking for her hand. If she accepted then they would present a diamond for formal consideration.

No matter what she felt for Nash, Raena still held her marriage rights in her tight fist and Adelina would consider any option she didn’t detest. Varan was a friend, he was someone she knew well and had even toyed with the idea of taking him to her bed over the cycles. She’d decided against it time and again because of their work together.

There’d only been one night when she’d nearly done it, a night she was feeling particularly lonely and sad about Alpha.

Adelina looked up at the swaying palms and felt guilty for putting her friend and courtesan in such an uncomfortable position. “If Nash could propose and request my hand formally, I would choose him,” she told Nadyah quietly, throwing an arm over her eyes to hide the tears rimming them. “I will wait for as long as I possibly can before getting married. I will drag it out at every opportunity until I have no other choice, just to give Nash the time to regain his kingdom and convince Raena to rescind her order.”

If Nash could somehow make their union a requirement for furthering their alliance, perhaps Raena would concede.

“But as I have no real choice in who I marry, the proposition needs to be considered. Raena asked for my opinion once the requests come in and if Varan is among them…” she trailed off and then forced out the next words, no matter how much they felt like a betrayal. “Varan is the only other male I have feelings of any kind for, and if I could end up with a friend for the rest of my long life and not Lord Marcel, or the Neprijat King I will be more than grateful.”

Adelina had no control over her future, none at all. If she could sway Raena to a choice she could live with…it would be Mala’s miracle.

Nadyah’s sharp intake of breath said enough. “I’m sorry, Adelina. Sometimes I forget the restrictions you face.”

She peered at the courtesan and saw the same heartbreak she was far too familiar with herself. “If you love him,” Adelina said. “Get him scanned. Ask him if he would wait for you to finish out your contracts. Do not make the same mistake I did with Alpha. Had I mentioned a promotion?” Adelina shrugged a shoulder. “Who knows, perhaps we would already be engaged.”

“What about your own genetics?” Nadyah asked. “Have you gotten the results yet?”

Adelina rolled onto her back and exposed her bare breasts to Kala. The sun would turn her skin a darker shade of gold and Adelina always liked how the lack of clothing lines looked in her more daring gowns. “I have to go back to have samples taken.” She had been putting it off, terrified to know the truth.

“You haven’t even had samples taken yet?” Nadyah practically screeched.

Adelina turned her head and glared at the courtesan. “I’m not sure those in the House of Kismet heard you, perhaps you should say it louder.”

Her courtesan actually blushed. “I’m sorry, Adelina. Varan has me all out of sorts.” Nadyah crawled over and lay down next to her, taking her own shirt off to sunbathe as well. Those on Draga loved the sun almost as much as the galinas did.

Adelina couldn’t help but look at her courtesan’s large, perky breasts. Nadyah’s skin was a rare crème. It was pale enough to worry her. “Should you be so exposed?” Adelina asked. “Won’t the sun burn you?”

Nadyah turned to her side and propped her head up with a hand, smiling wickedly. “Why, am I making you uncomfortable?”

Adelina closed her eyes. “No.” It definitely wasn’t making her uncomfortable, but it did make her want to touch those tight little nipples and maybe see what they would taste like. She most definitely understood a male’s obsession with breasts.

“You need to have those samples taken today, Adelina. I saw you with Nash in the hospital, remember? I understand the attraction, believe me I do.” Nadyah’s husky voice made Adelina look once more.

The courtesan’s eyes were half-lidded with desire as she looked at Adelina, eyes trailing over her bare breasts, her belly, and lower. “Once you know the truth you can have Nash’s DNA scanned, though I am not sure if the slight differences in our races will affect the results.”

Nadyah trailed a finger down Adelina’s side and over her waist.

Thank the goddess for private courtyards. Adelina felt feverish at her touch. There was so much she wanted to do with Nadyah, but hadn’t gotten up the nerve. “Does the mate bond apply to those of the same sex?” she asked, barely breathing.

Nadyah nodded, holding her gaze as those damned fingers trailed up and over Adelina’s hardened nipples. “I will need to be scanned as well.”

“How does that work?” she asked, lips parted as she watched Nadyah’s nails caress the undersides of her sensitive breasts. “You said the seed of the male triggers the bond, but what if the courtesan is male? What if the two are of the same sex?”

“DNA is DNA,” Nadyah explained. “We usually keep this to the House library, the secrets guarded so we cannot be taken advantage of and mated before we want to be.” Nadyah rolled on top of Adelina and kissed her bare stomach. “If you were to kiss me here and swallowed my essence,” she said, shifting so she could nuzzle the small nub under the suddenly too thin fabric of Adelina’s pants. “Then your body would recognize me as your mate and you would be bonded to mw.”

Adelina gasped as Nadyah continued to rub her clit through the fabric. She couldn’t help arching her back when the lightning sensation struck her. Goddess, it felt so good. Instantly she was wet and aching. The last six months had been utter torture. Only that brief night with Alpha had she felt sated.

Every moment with Nadyah, every touch and look had teased her since their first session in the House of Kismet. Nash was no better. Her sexual desire was so strong she nearly threw caution to the wind. It was painful to hold back, to never find the satisfaction that she craved as badly as she did water or air.

Her hips bucked as Nadyah looked up, using her thumb to stroke Adelina’s clit instead. She tried to keep her thoughts straight. This was important for her to know. “If that is true then why does a kiss on the lips not trigger the bond?” she asked, breathing hard through each word as Nadyah took her time.

The courtesan stroked at an even pace, with enough pressure that the pleasure built hard and fast, but Adelina knew she wouldn’t find a release this way. This was meant to tease and torture. “The deepest part of you Adelina – as in a sexual organ. With my tongue in your vagina I would be in the deepest part of you.”

The words were so raw and explicit the pleasure spiked and it took every shred of control not to move, to allow her courtesan to continue without begging for more. Adelina’s nails pierced her palms and the scent of blood hit the air.

Instantly Nadyah stopped, removing her thumb and grabbing Adelina’s wrist. She eyed the blood dripping down her hand with a displeased look. “This is not control, Adelina. This is a weakness and a crutch no matter how quickly it can heal.” Nadyah got to her feet and slipped her top back on. “Keep practicing your breathing and I will schedule another training session with the knives. We will only continue the camerraleto after we’ve seen the results.”

Adelina’s mouth fell open in shock. Nadyah was just going to seduce her and then leave her unfinished when she was so close? “That’s it then?” she demanded. “You’re angry with me so that was my punishment?” Fury radiated through her. Nadyah had manipulated her and she hated that more than anything.

“I wasn’t punishing you, Princess. You need to learn control and hurting yourself is not an actual solution. I do not want to be a part of that. We will keep practicing the breathing, and then we will slowly integrate the different sexual techniques when it is confirmed I am not your mate.” Nadyah sounded bitter and turned to leave, the Goddess only knew to where.

Adelina looked up into the sky, absorbing her courtesan’s words as she focused on Mala. The moon would only be in the sky for a little while longer, a week or two at the most. Then she breathed in, filling her lungs with air until her entire chest and belly expanded. She held it, and then slowly let out the breath as she felt the tingling across her entire body abate a fraction.

It took a while until her heart rate decreased and the painful ache eased to something more bearable. Without pain to ground her it took longer and was more difficult. This type of training was mental rather than physical. Adelina would have to create a good foundation and only use pain as a last resort.

Nash tempted her in ways she’d never anticipated.

His ability to heal was something she’d never heard the Corinthian humans could do. That could explain their general lack of medicinal knowledge and exploration in the field of medical science. Draga prided their ability to cure and heal. Those last five diseases were a black mark they’d spent so much time and energy trying to eradicate.

Feeling calmer and the tingling sensation gone, she rolled over and slipped on her shirt. Adelina needed a shower and something to eat before she started the final preparations for her coming-of-age party.

She was still annoyed with Nadyah. The woman was walking sex, and the frustration was starting to become a real problem. It was vital Adelina see Ian as soon as possible. The sooner she knew the truth, the sooner she could look into a real solution. Adelina felt if she were sated it would be easier to control the desire that lived under her skin.

Suddenly she had clarity. The courtesans did their job not only because they liked it, but because they needed it. The more work the happier they were because they weren’t constantly on edge. The entire system at each House was set up to scan their client’s DNA. Each client signed a waiver allowing such a thing and they never thought to look twice at it.

Jael must have scanned Nadyah’s DNA against hers. So then Adelina was not Nadyah’s mate…but she could be Adelina’s because of her own courtesan DNA. It was all so confusing.

Adelina took the stone steps two at a time, the molten heat soaking into the bottom of her feet. She moved quickly from the private courtyard to the family wing. No one but a royal and their private staff had access to the various courtyards or the east wing. So no courtier could ever see her before she was ready, and thank the goddess Nash wasn’t situated in their wing any longer. No, when he’d been given his official rooms they were as far from the family wing as possible.

The halls were empty except for a few servants bustling back and forth. She nodded at her mother’s lady-in-waiting. Getting the royal family ready for the day was a feat, and now that the king was ill it required a lot more staff. It seemed an entire army of servants had been recently vetted and checked to serve in the royal wing, including the physicians and scientists working on hypomalarya.

Adelina waved her hand over the standing pad before her door. The lattice windows facing the ocean cast beautiful shadows across the marble floor of the hall. It was getting warmer and the day would soon be sweltering. She stepped into her sitting room and began to strip as she made her way to the washroom. Her rooms were empty and Nadyah’s connecting door to Adelina’s bedroom was closed. It was for the best. Adelina was still irritated with her courtesan.

Nadyah had set a dress out on the back of her vanity chair with the accompanying accessories. She’d considered the weather as it was one of Adelina’s lightest gowns recently commissioned. The gold sandals sat on the floor next to the chair.

Adelina tossed her dirty workout gear in the laundry chute and stepped into her washroom. The cool air felt wonderful on her sun-heated skin. The cold water was even better. It soothed her skin and settled her senses with the shock of it.

It didn’t take Adelina long to finish up and get ready. The mundane tasks allowed her thoughts to settle into nothing, a relaxation technique she’d worked on with Nadyah. The lightly scented oil on her skin sealed in the much needed moisture, and the breezy dress purposefully trailed the floor. The wrap-style covered her assets while allowing air to flow. Her leg peeked through the opening in the skirt and the back was low enough to help her body regulate its core temperature. The Draga heat seeped into everything and even the climate control in the palace could only do so much.

She piled her hair on top of her head and slipped on the gold belt, the gold headband, and the different pieces of jewelry Nadyah had selected. The gold collar necklace was plain, but beautifully cast. It matched the bracelet she slipped on.

A massive, black opal ring went on her other hand. It sat against the pinky ring on her right hand. A simple gold band her father had given her. He’d given one to each of his daughters and she hadn’t taken it off since she’d received it on her tenth celebration of birth. Adelina considered putting on her signet ring and tapped the black onyx thoughtfully.

A sacred wolf howled at the goddess moons with roses around him. Her initials were etched into the stone and tiny black opals covered the band. She wouldn’t need it after she received her tattoo, but it was a symbol of power, and it was the day of her coming-of-age party, afterward she would be seen differently.

All the games would have to be played differently after the party.

She slipped the signet ring onto her left pointer finger. Satisfied with her darker makeup and general appearance she slipped her sandals on, tying up the gold laces to her knees. A quick breakfast in the dining room and she should still have time to spare.

It had taken months of planning and Nadyah’s help to put it all into motion, but Adelina had slowly taken steps to recreate her image for when she turned twenty cycles. She didn’t necessarily want a marriage right away, but she did want to be seen differently. Adelina was still the quiet and sweet princess, but she was ready to be seen as someone with cunning intelligence, someone who could contribute to Draga and the Crown in ways others could not.

Jael was her competition for the supply of information, but a friendly one. Adelina did not share her intelligence with the Spider, but she used what she gathered to make plans and give advice. One day Raena would take her seriously and she could make a real difference in the way their galaxy was run.

Adelina sat in the quiet dining room. Breakfast was a rather informal affair, as was lunch. She took what she wanted from the options on the table and ate with Asher and Giselle. The three of them had a companionable silence, feeling no need to chatter about inane topics. They all enjoyed the reprieve when they could.

As Asher left the dining room, he came around the massive, carved black-wood table. He walked by Adelina and bent to brush a kiss against her cheek. “Lina, I hope you enjoy your party tonight.”

She smiled at her brother and rested her hand on his cheek in thanks. Then he was gone, off to some lesson or other.

Her plate was only half-finished when she set aside her utensils and delicately set her napkin next to the gold plate. “Please excuse me,” Adelina said to Giselle. She stood and took a final sip from her juice. She wanted to get out of there before Raena arrived.

Adelina headed to the lift. There was one thing she wanted to get a start on before anything else. She pulled out her simulcast and tapped a quick message to Ian. It chirped with a response before the lift doors even opened. Good, she could get her DNA samples taken and finally get some answers.

The palace was quiet in the early morning. Most nobles and courtiers weren’t up before the ninth hour of the day. Adelina liked waking early and completing most tasks, and then enjoying her exercise before it was too hot to do much other than study or read.

She nodded her thanks to the footman when the lift doors opened and made her way down into the deepest parts of the palace. The A.I. allowed her access and the filtered air assaulted her senses. Adelina shivered in the cool, climate controlled labs. Only a few scientists and physicians were at their tables. Adelina checked her schedule on her simulcast and sighed.

No lessons until after Raena’s coronation and the few weeks after that were blocked out as well. It didn’t seem like anything would be normal ever again. Her foreign languages were getting rusty, and now she had to avoid Nash so practicing the Corinthian language with him was not an option. Adelina would have to grab a few books to stay sharp next time she was in the library.

Her hand on Ian’s door activated the scanner. A few seconds of whirring as it processed the data and then the door slid open once it identified her prints and DNA. “Welcome, Princess Adelina,” the A.I. intoned.

Ian didn’t turn from his work at the sound of the A.I.’s greeting. His face was pressed against the microscopic viewer and he wore the same suit he had on the day before. By the state of his blond hair it looked like he’d never made it to bed. “What is it?” he muttered as he tapped out notes on the desk. The A.I. factored in the numbers and ran formulas on the side with various chemical signs and formations.

Adelina noted the subject and her heart ached. “Have you found anything new on the hypomalarya disease?” she asked, perching on the stool next to her brother. Her untrained eye noted the bacterial structure of the disease and a chill ran down her spine. “Is it contagious or genetic?”

Finally, Ian sat up, tilting his head from side to side to ease the obvious strain in his neck. “It is not a genetic disease, and even though it’s bacterial it is difficult to spread. This particular disease needs living cells. So touching will not spread it, but if father’s blood were to be injected into you then you would be able to catch it.” Ian shook his head. “What I don’t understand is how he got such a disease in the first place. Everything is scanned and there are not many people with direct access to the king, not in the way that would be required to implant this disease.”

Adelina shifted, uncomfortable. “You don’t think it was simply an accident, or rather a natural occurrence?” she asked. The idea terrified her. Who would have that kind of power and would want her father out of the picture? To the rest of the Draga galaxy his death would appear natural. The only person who would benefit from such a thing would be the heir. Unless they thought whoever injected the king could then manipulate the heir for their own benefit.

Ian made another note. “I do not think it was an accident, no. But I also have no suspicions as to who could have done such a thing.”

Ian turned to face her then, and the purple bags under his eyes made him look much older than he was. “I also think I can rid the disease from a body, but not after it has settled in the brain stem.” His eyes pleaded with her, asking Adelina to tell him a comforting lie.

Instead of lying she wrapped her arms around her older brother. Adelina held Ian until she felt his shoulders slump. She ignored the wetness she felt trail down her shoulder from his tears. “Being able to cure an incurable disease at all is a massive step, Ian. Do not despair. Perhaps the goddess has a plan for us.”

Ian kissed her cheek and withdrew from her arms. “You are far more trusting in the gods and goddesses than I am, sister. If the goddess truly favored us she would not take our king away when we need him the most; on the brink of a galactic war.”

His purple Draga eyes were so full of sadness she had half a mind to send a cast to P’draic to take care of him.

She needed answers first. “I actually came for a reason.”

Ian’s old argument that science and the divine could not coexist was a favorite they could talk about for hours, but it was nearly time to receive Calix and her brother needed to sleep.

“You are ready for me to take those samples now?” he asked, moving towards the cabinet where he kept his tools.

Adelina nodded, wondering what he would need to take from her.

Ian took out a few different vials and some shiny, sharp tools. “All I need is a piece of your hair, a scraping of skin, and a few drops of blood.” It was quick work for the first two, and a small prick in the right place to retrieve an entire vial of blood. Ian put a small dab of healing salve over the tiny wound and Adelina could feel it work instantly. In a matter of minutes, the break in her skin would be gone.

“Could I have some of this?” Adelina asked. Her hands could definitely use it, and she didn’t think Nash would be licking her any time soon. The thought made her blush.

Ian handed over a tin without question and turned back to his work. “The analysis will take a few hours, so you’ll have answers by tomorrow.”

“Make sure to get some sleep while the machines run the tests, it’s going to be a long night.” Adelina stood and slipped the tin of salve into her dress pocket. She hugged her brother once more before leaving him to his work.

Soon Adelina would have the answers to all the questions she’d had for the last six months, and the prospect terrified her.

If she did have the mate gene her entire world would be limited based on the simple fact she could be mated with anyone. Adelina didn’t even want to consider the possibilities of her parentage.

Everything she’d ever known could be turned upside down and Adelina wasn’t sure she was ready for that. She just had to get through the next day, through her coming-of-age party, and then she would sit down and deal with the consequences.