With her skirts in her hands Adelina rushed down the hall. She ignored the looks, the whispers, and the vying for favor as she normally did. She slowed down when she reached the corner and made a sharp turn. “Oof!” Adelina slammed into something hard and immovable.

Prince Nash grabbed her before she could fall and as she looked up into those mesmerizing aapoak eyes of his, she knew fate played a cruel trick on her. It was as though she couldn’t avoid him no matter how hard she tried and how large the palace was.

“Princess,” he said coldly. Then his gaze flicked to her cheek and the red sparked in his eyes. Nash tensed and the muscles in his neck strained. “Who did that to you?” he asked calmly, so calm Adelina felt a shiver of fear.

That tone of voice set off every warning bell and instinct she possessed. Nash was ready to tear someone to pieces with his bare hands.

She touched her cheek where her mother had slapped her. It still ached and she hadn’t had a chance to see if her skin was marked. Gods, was there a bruise? Her anxiety struck and Adelina took out her simulcast, using the reflection of the plas-glass to examine her face. Oh goddess help her it was right there for all to see; dark and purple. The embarrassment burned deep and bitter.

A small part of her wondered if Raena hadn’t reminded her to use the healing salve on purpose. It wasn’t something her sister would have done six months before, but now Adelina wasn’t so sure what her sister would or wouldn’t do.

Adelina slipped her simulcast back in her dress pocket and tried to slip around the massive male.

He stepped in front of her, too smooth and graceful. “I asked you a question, Princess,” Nash said.

She couldn’t bring herself to look up into his face. How could she have forgotten? There hadn’t been enough time for it to heal on its own, and Elara hadn’t been there to remind her. “No one did this to me,” Adelina managed. “The punishment was deserved.”

She needed to get out of the hallway before anyone else saw her, especially the recorders. “Please move.”

Nash was a mountain. He took a step closer and she shied away. The Queen’s solar wasn’t far; she could make it back there before anyone else came down the hallway if he wouldn’t let her by. Adelina made to turn and his hand gripped her arm harder than he probably intended.

“Don’t run away from me,” he hissed. “You’re telling me you somehow deserved to have someone strike you? For what, forgetting to curtsey precisely?” His voice started to grow louder as his anger could no longer be restrained.

Adelina looked around in panic, praying to Mala to keep any other courtiers or nobles away. “Let go, you’re hurting me,” she snapped.

Instantly Nash released her, but his fury remained.

Adelina’s laugh was bitter. “You would never understand.”

The servants’ hidden hall was also nearby. She could take those stairs to the underground labs. Adelina would have to keep her face to the left wall to hide the mark until she could repair the damage. A step to the right and Nash matched her. He wasn’t going to simply let her go.

Finally Adelina glared up at him. “Move.”

He bent down with a vicious grin, not trying to touch her, but still closer than she wanted him to be. “No, not until you explain to me why someone is somehow allowed to strike you hard enough to bruise with absolutely no consequence.”

Her hands shook. Each second that passed increased the risk that the recorders would catch their little drama, or Raena would find her alone with him. Maybe a noble would see and gossip which would put them both at risk as they were currently alone in the hall. Anger swelled up and mixed with her fear, making her volatile and desperate.

“You say my people are weak and too peaceful to survive, but you would coddle me like a precious flower that would crumble under the weight of rain,” Adelina hissed. “My culture demands atonement for a wrongdoing. I knew the rules and I broke them. What I did, and why is none of your business, Prince,” she spat.

Adelina was so sick and tired of him bristling at the ways of her people. “So trust me when I say I knew what would happen and I did it regardless. Simply because you do not understand or approve gives you no place to question me. Now move,” Adelina commanded. “I will not allow Raena to think I am violating her decree.”

Nash stared at her with his mouth open in shock, disbelief, and outright fury. He stepped aside as the dark scent of her jasmine twisted around him and demanded he obey. Adelina watched with detached interest as he looked at her in confusion. Nash hadn’t realized he’d moved until she walked past him. Adelina refused to look back as she turned into the small doorway behind one of the many tapestries.

She slipped into the servants’ hallway and then leaned against the wall inside the narrow space. She slumped to the ground as she tried to catch her breath and calm the fluttering of her heart. The panic was ready to take over; waiting for her to crumble and remind her why she’d been so submissive for so many cycles.

It would take a long time before she would forget that look of rage on Nash’s face.

He meant well, but he couldn’t, or wouldn’t understand the ways of her people. Adelina knew they had differences in culture, but he was on Draga Terra. He had to follow their ways whether he liked it or not.

She took one last shaky breath and thanked Mala for giving her a moment of peace to gather herself without witnesses. Adelina stood. She would have to trust Giselle to manage on her own. Her control was shaky and precarious at the moment. Her sister would be fine without her. None of them actually needed the coddling.

Tomorrow her sister would leave Draga Terra and Adelina envied her.

Adelina took the servants’ stairs down four flights until the first sub-floor opened up before her. The panic still waited, the whispers reaching her no matter how careful she was about the mark. It was too much. She rushed by until she reached Ian’s door. She slapped her hand to the wall and the scan couldn’t identify her quickly enough. The door slid open and she rushed in, letting it close behind her before slumping against it with her hands covering her face.

Goddess, how could she have forgotten?

Tea hadn’t lasted long enough for the mark to disappear and her mother and sister never said anything as a reminder. Was it on purpose?

“Lina, what’s wrong?” Ian’s soothing voice reached her before his warm hands did. She felt him checking, looking for the damage.

She didn’t want to move her hands from her face. He would see her cry; those traitorous emotions of hers.

Ian held her wrists gently. “Please, Lina,” he begged. “Let me see.” Adelina allowed him to pull her hands away but she couldn’t look her brother in the eyes. She was so ashamed.

The mark was not as bad as the tears on her face. Goddess bless Ian, he pretended not to notice. “Let me get the spray,” he murmured.

Nadyah pulled Adelina farther into the lab, settling her on the couch and wordlessly going for a pot of hot tea.

Ian’s gentle voice reached her through the fog of shame. “Let me take care of it,” he said softly, taking her hands in his again. “Don’t worry about the tears. We all have difficult days.” Ian sprayed the healing serum on her cheek and instantly the dull ache disappeared.

He wiped the wet salt from her face with a thumb. “There you are, perfect once more.” Ian kissed her on the cheek and then stepped back to allow Nadyah to put a cup in her cold hands.

She shook her head as the scene replayed in her head over and over. “I ran right into the prince. Quite literally.” There had been courtiers before him. “No doubt someone noticed the mark on my face, if not the argument with Nash.”

Ian brought a small glass over and she downed the alcohol. It burned her throat but Adelina was grateful for the warmth in her belly. “Thank you,” she murmured. Ian always took such good care of her.

Nadyah grimaced at the idea of the gossip they would have to deal with later. “Hopefully if anything was recorded, the monitors will cut it out before it hits the livestream. You couldn’t help being alone with him in that moment, but I am rather irritated Alpha was not by your side.”

Adelina sipped at the tea and set it down. It wasn’t as good as the alcohol but there was still so much more she had to accomplish that day which she couldn’t do inebriated.

Adelina had her seal to receive and the design to finish for Raena. “Alpha’s schedule has changed since I came of age,” she explained.

Nadyah snorted in disagreement. “Until Raena’s attention is no longer focused on you and her reign is secure it seems prudent to be extra careful. I will speak with your guard on the matter and see if he can be stationed based on your schedule.”

It took effort not to roll her eyes in exasperation. Instead Adelina focused on her brother. “Did you manage to get some sleep, Ian?”

The bags under his eyes were a testament to how hard he’d been working. Ian gave her a rueful smile. “I managed a nap before your courtesan came barging in here.”

Adelina gave Nadyah a look. What could she have possibly needed from her brother?

The beautiful woman shrugged without an ounce of guilt on her flawless face. “I had samples he needed to take before they were contaminated.”

With an eyebrow raised she turned back to her brother. “Samples?”

Ian stood and set his shreve on his desk. With a double tap, a three dimensional display popped up over the device. A few more motions with his fingers and the display was projected to the center of the room. Another wave of his hand and the lights darkened. Adelina had no idea what she was supposed to be looking at.

“Now I’ve studied my own genetics, but courtesans are notoriously secretive with their medical files. They train their own physicians and seal the records. As a result of this I’ve never been able to identify exactly what each marker in my genetics stood for. Even with samples from my mother Elara, I could not cobble enough together to get an accurate analysis.”

Ian came up to the display and it cast an eerie green glow across his face. His long finger flicked and the image changed. “This is a side-by-side comparison of my genetic workup, Elara’s, and Nadyah’s. With two full-blooded courtesans I was able to pin down the rest of the analysis. Here is the marker which is currently in the ‘on’ position for both Elara and Nadyah.” Ian frowned and shook his head. “It appears Elara’s mate marker has been activated which means she is either father’s mate, or mother’s.”

Adelina’s jaw dropped open in shock. She had suspected something of the sort, but to have it confirmed?

Ian continued on, ignoring her and Nadyah’s reactions. “When it’s compared to Nadyah’s you can clearly see the difference. As for my own genetics, it looks like I have the marker for a mate but it hasn’t been activated.” He sounded oddly sad about it. “Which means P’draic is most definitely not my mate.”

Ah, Adelina understood now. Ian loved P’draic and had for cycles. What he would do now though she wasn’t sure, but she only hoped he would be careful with his heart.

“For your information, here is father and mother’s genetic analysis next to Elara’s and my own. As you can see there are a few differences marking the subtle changes in our humanity, enough to make us two different races despite being the same species. With a further comparison, this is what a Corinthian human looks like next to a Draga royal.” Ian pulled up a fifth analysis and placed it next to their father’s.

Nadyah shifted and Adelina looked at her sharply. “Is that Prince Nash’s analysis?” she asked.

“It is, Princess. I gathered it today.”

That was why she’d rushed to Ian’s lab. Adelina did not want to know how it was acquired. The anticipation and nerves started to build as she realized they would finally have some answers. Information she desperately needed.

Ian looked to Adelina with a question on his face. She nodded for him to continue since she didn’t want to press the matter.

“This is your genetic analysis, Adelina.” Ian shuffled the six different workups so that she was placed between father and Ian with Elara on her brother’s other side. He highlighted the different markers with her name glowing underneath.

None of it meant anything to her, but the patterns started to emerge and…

“What in all the hells?” Adelina muttered as she leaned forward to get a closer look.

“Essentially my own reaction.” Ian highlighted more patterns and finally it became clear.

“By all the gods, how is this possible?” Adelina exclaimed. The nerves made way for panic as her entire world shattered. She was not her mother’s child, but she wasn’t Elara’s either.

Somehow she was both.

“Can this be real? Elara and Adele, they are both my mother?” Adelina felt dizzy and she sat back with a hand to her forehead. It was slick with cold sweat. No wonder they’d kept it a secret, she was some kind of hybrid monster. “What does this even mean?”

Nadyah shook her head. Her skin paler than Adelina had ever seen it. “They created Adelina in a tube then?”

Suddenly she felt sick. Adelina was a tube baby, a human considered less simply because she wasn’t a natural creation.

Her brother didn’t look disgusted as he considered the information before him. “I assume so, but I couldn’t say for sure. Somehow they managed to mix the DNA of the two females and fertilized it with father’s DNA.” Ian looked to Adelina. “You are still a true Draga, but you are also something else, something a little bit more.” He cocked his head. “It’s fascinating really and explains your lack of dominance.”

Her brother moved quickly with excitement, flipping through more data before he landed on what he wanted. “This is a magnification of your markers and I’ve noted what each is and what it does. It appears your coloring was selected to ensure there was no suspicion of another heritage. You have the marker for a mate, but they’ve placed it in the ‘off’ position which I assume is to ensure you were never accidentally mated.”

Breathing was difficult.

It was too much, but her brother didn’t stop.

“As part courtesan your dominance is ever-changing, unlike mine. You are what others need you to be, Lina.” Ian looked at her, eyes bright with understanding and the satisfaction of solving a puzzle. “You are truly submissive, but it seems it’s only around the royal family. There are too many dominating personalities so your genetics have been attempting to balance the rest of us out your entire life.”

It made too much sense. A true submissive was rare, but a Draga submissive? That was unheard of. “So…I can be dominant?” Adelina asked, her voice wavering as she tried to process.

“You are a natural dominant as a royal Draga,” Ian clarified. “But only when it is required. Your scent was chosen to ensure you do not smell like cactus blossoms as all courtesans do which would have been an obvious tell. I’m not sure if your scent can change throughout the entire spectrum from jasmine all the way to the darkest rosanera, or if your natural jasmine changes as the cactus blossom does.”

Ian stared at the data with a wondrous look on his face. “You’ll have to let me know,” he said softly.

Adelina could barely move as she tried to absorb all he’d said. A true submissive, but she was also a true Draga dominant? Then somehow, she was a child of both Elara and Adele. Elara had to know about it. It would explain the extra attention she’d received from the courtesan her entire life.

“Are you okay?” Nadyah asked. She frowned with concern and Adelina couldn’t stop looking at the floating data long enough to reassure her.

“My mate marker is off?” she finally managed. This was why she’d asked him to do the workup in the first place. It would be prudent to ensure she knew everything she could about it.

Ian shrugged. “Yes, you are capable of being mated if I was to flip the switch, but that would be up to you.”

She shook her head. “No, leave it off. It simplifies things.” It meant she wouldn’t be mated to Nash if anything were to happen between them. Not that it mattered now with him absolutely furious with her. “I do wonder though, could a scan still confirm whether someone is a mate or not, even with the gene inactive?”

Her brother cocked his head as he considered. “I suppose so, but would it matter if you intend to leave it off?”

Adelina didn’t respond. She tapped her sharp nail against her thigh as she contemplated. Part of her wanted to know if Nash was her mate, to see if that was the explanation for the strange draw she felt to him. The more logical part told her the answer would only make things worse.

Either Nash was her mate and she would have to marry someone else knowing this, or he wasn’t and then she would have to come to terms with the knowledge her attraction to him did not make him her mate. What if she did end up marrying him one day despite the almost non-existent chance? In the back of her mind she would constantly wonder who her mate really was, and what it would have been like with them.

“No,” she finally said. “Don’t scan Nash’s DNA. It doesn’t matter as you said. I will have to marry whoever Raena deems fit. It would be better not to complicate that more than it already is.”

“What about Nadyah?” Ian asked.

Adelina looked at her courtesan and the two of them considered each other. A courtesan was less of a complication. It would be as easy as hiring her as her constant lady-in-waiting, like Elara. If that was something they both wanted she could make it work, and Nadyah would know that if the two of them were mates – then Varan was not Nadyah’s.

“If Nadyah agrees, then so do I,” Adelina said, looking into those deep, sapphire eyes.

Nadyah looked relieved at her response. “Please, I would like that.” Her throaty voice was quiet, but strained. This was just as much for her to deal with as it was for Adelina.

While Ian worked, Adelina tried to settle all the new pieces in place. Her simulcast chirped, but she was simply not ready to deal with whatever it was.

“We cannot be late to the Master Sealer,” Nadyah said softly.

Yes, Adelina had nearly forgotten about her appointment to have her seal placed on her palm. It would hurt worse than any punishment she’d ever received, even the caning from her grandmother. Thankfully Kalan genetics allowed them to manage pain far better than most other human races. It was a necessity actually when it came to their culture.

“Well, the two of you aren’t mates per my analysis,” Ian declared. “I fashioned it after the one in the House of Kismet, so it’s accurate.”

Nadyah looked down at her hands and shrugged, a small smile playing on her lips. “I didn’t expect us to be.”

Something about the way she said the words, Adelina didn’t quite believe her and she felt it strike a strange chord deep inside, mourning for what would never be. Nadyah was so much more than her courtesan, but the goddess didn’t see fit to have their path continue together after the camerraleto was completed. It made Adelina wonder at what would befall the two of them in the next cycle.

As long as they both survived and were happy Adelina would not complain. She stood and crossed the room as Ian brought the lights back up. A kiss on her brother’s cheek in thanks and then Adelina smiled. “Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you in return,” she said. “I’m happy to know I share more blood with you than originally thought.”

Ian chuckled and brought her in for a quick hug. “As am I, little sister.”

“Please, just keep this quiet until I decide whether to talk to Elara or not?” Adelina requested. “If I am a tube baby and the people found out I don’t know what would happen.”

Ian’s face grew serious as he nodded. “I can destroy the data. No one has to know your true genetics except the three of us.”

“Keep it for now; let me know if you learn anything new.”

“Of course, now go receive your seal and become a true royal adult,” Ian said with a laugh, pushing her out of his lab.

The door shushing closed behind Adelina was loud in the awkward silence between her and Nadyah. Adelina almost wanted to apologize for the fact that she was not the courtesan’s mate, but it was not something she could control.

Nadyah had said courtesans were naturally more empathetic, bred to feel the emotions of another person so as to properly respond. She wondered if the feeling she had in her chest like a weight wasn’t her own, but Nadyah’s. It left her eyes burning as she tried to keep the tears at bay.

Adelina took Nadyah’s hand in her own and drew the tall female towards her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around Nadyah’s waist and resting her head on the courtesan’s chest.

There was a hitch in her courtesan’s breath and then she squeezed Adelina tight. “I’m grateful I get to have you for the camerraleto at the very least,” Nadyah said, her voice thick. “And we will always be close friends. I’d rather know you in this way, than not at all.”

She pulled back and kissed Nadyah gently. “I am excited to learn all you have to teach me.”

The courtesan smiled and then pulled her towards the royal study. “As soon as you receive your seal we will begin.”

Adelina followed after the flawless female. To know she loved Adelina, wished she’d been her mate – Adelina would never forget it. The knowledge gave her courage and made her heart swell. She would do anything she could to make sure Nadyah found her actual mate.

* * *

They walked quietly through the palace to the lift. The family wing on the fifth floor was where Adelina was supposed to meet the Master Sealer. He would set up in the study as he had for every royal before her. The Master was practically ancient, even older than her grandmother.

Nadyah didn’t say a word as Adelina greeted the male, following protocol precisely. He may not outrank her but he was more dominant by his orange blossom scent. He was also one of the most respected males in the galaxy. No one else could integrate the gold into human skin with quite the same skill and precision.

He waved, indicating she should sit and Nadyah fetched them both tea and cakes from the waiting platter. Then she was a silent shadow next to Adelina as the Master inspected her right palm. He muttered under his breath as he made notations.

She had always wanted a tattoo from him, but as a princess such a thing was not accepted. The gold would be stunning, but only the king and queen had gold marks tattooed into their skin indicating their rank and status. Asher had received the only other tattoo allowed on his back. It had caused a stir, but he’d taken the punishment willingly.

The Master Sealer cleaned her palm and indicated she should get comfortable. He reminded her of Calix, not a man of many words. It seemed he barely tolerated other people. The old man went straight to work rather than chit chat with her.

After the day she’d had, Adelina was completely fine with that. She watched closely as he set up the laser pen with the proper amount of gold. The seal that was created for her at birth was laid out on a small table for reference.

Then the pen touched her flesh.

It was like sticking her hand right into a roaring fire. Instantly, sweat poured down Adelina’s face and she gritted her teeth so hard against the pain she thought they might shatter.

“Breathe,” Nadyah reminded her. “Take a deep breath. Remember your training.”

Adelina wanted to curse her for such logical words, but instead she did as she was told. She focused every brain cell on getting oxygen into her body slowly and surely, and then let it out so she could manage the sick feeling as her nerves screamed in agony.

The pain went on forever, carving into her flesh like molten lava.

Adelina closed her eyes and tried to keep her heartbeat steady. “Would you mind talking about something?” she managed through her clenched teeth.

Nadyah took her free hand and started talking in Ilashyan. “I received the list of missing ships from the borders as well as the location of the Royal Library.”

“Where is it?” Adelina gasped. The only other person in the room was male and there was no chance someone would overhear.

“It’s in the main library, but hidden. I’ll show you where the general location is when we get a moment.”

The pen made a long curve against the flesh at the base of her thumb and Adelina bit her lip to keep from screaming. It felt like the Master was carving a chunk out of her hand with a blunt knife. She tasted blood from biting her tongue so hard, but the scent of burning flesh overpowered the coppery taste. The smell sat thick and heavy on the back of her tongue.

“I spoke to Nash while I gathered his DNA,” Nadyah said in their beautifully deceptive language. “He was not pleased to see me.”

Adelina actually laughed, swiping at the sweat dripping down her neck and the front of her dress. “I can imagine. He doesn’t like courtesans. Something about the scent seems to bother him.”

Nadyah nodded. “He thought I was there to speak on your behalf.”

The smell of her burning flesh and the pain that radiated over her entire body was too much to allow Adelina to feel angry at the prince’s assumption she would send a messenger. She laid her head against the back of the chair and kept her eyes closed.

“He has strong feelings for you, Lina,” Nadyah went on. “But I don’t think he will forgive you easily for not confiding in him.”

Stupid males, they always thought they knew better. Males had such delicate pride, it was a wonder they accomplished anything at all. Now that she couldn’t be mated though, the main reason for pushing him away was gone.

Raena’s command to never be alone with him still caused issues, but if she could get him to see reason she wouldn’t have to tell him why she’d told him ‘no’ when she had desperately wanted to say ‘yes.’

Another dig into her palm and Adelina thought she would faint.

“It is finished,” the Master said.

Adelina’s breathing was too quick, but she sat up with relief. Her skin was clammy and sweat poured down her back. With a shaky hand she reached out and pulled herself up. Her palm was face up on the table and Adelina leaned in closer to inspect the gold seal. The delicate work was inflamed but she could still see the detail and it was absolutely gorgeous.

The Master sprayed a healing solvent over her hand and instantly the swelling and pain disappeared until it looked as though she’d always had such a mark. Thank Mala a crown brand was much smaller otherwise Adelina didn’t know how her parents survived the pain.

The queen had said childbirth was a thousand times worse than the seal. Adelina had no idea how that was even possible.

“Once the gold has set there can be no damage done to the seal. Ensure nothing mars my work for the next twenty-four hours and it will never need to be touched up or replaced.”

Nadyah made a noise of admiration as the Master Sealer stood and bowed before leaving without any additional fanfare. Adelina couldn’t look away from the shimmery gold on her palm. She was finally completely of age and would be allowed more independence. She had no idea what she would do with it, but it was nice to know it was there.

“Are you going to speak with Nash now that you know the truth?” Nadyah asked as she helped Adelina stand.

Instantly she sobered, tucking a few damp strands of hair back and considered the new truth she’d been thrust into. Adelina didn’t want to speak with Nash. She wanted to talk to Elara or her father and find out more about her creation. Why only Adelina and not any others? What was the purpose of creating her?

“I’m not going to tell Nash why I refused him. If he cannot accept that I need no other reason than I was uncomfortable with it, we truly are not compatible.” The gold shimmered and it caught Adelina’s eye as she waved her hand for the door to open. It would take some time to get used to.

Nadyah looked down with a small smile. “You are finally learning to be who you really are, I’m proud of you for that.”

The courtesan still looked sad so she linked her arm in Nadyah’s and grinned up at the gorgeous female. “Only thanks to you and now we can truly start our camerraleto.”

Nadyah stopped in the hall and looked down at Adelina. She cocked her head and the smoldering fire in her eyes made Adelina’s knees weak. “Would you like to begin now? I believe we’ve put it off long enough.”

Instantly a heat started in Adelina’s belly and pooled between her legs. “As long as we mind the seal, I believe – I believe I would like that.”

Nadyah grinned and held out her hand. “Then come with me, Adelina, and let me show you all that I know.”

Her hand trembled as she reached out for the courtesan, accepting the offer. It felt as though she’d waited her whole life for this moment, and now there was nothing holding them back.