Chapter 5
Peyton
Tahk’s enormous battleship slowly descended into Home World’s atmosphere. It was nothing like the little flyer we took to Earth. If I hadn’t been watching it, I wouldn’t have known. The floor didn’t shake a bit. I stood completely still, not even swaying.
I watched in total awe as the planet’s landscape grew closer. It was so beautiful. I had never seen anything like it. Not even close. It glowed this amazing purple everywhere. The ice was hard and very similar to Earth’s but tinged in purple. It looked like sparkling amethyst. Violet trees passed by. They were so tall and wide, their branches bunched and mushroomed at the tops. There were no leaves of any kind. Just sparkling violet ice dripping down like crystals. The buildings were stone, a lighter shade of violet. It was a glittering oasis. I had literally died and gone to a princesses heaven. I had to pinch myself―twice.
And then we docked on a large patch of ice, and I got my first look at the castle. I knew I would never be that girl living on a farm in Idaho ever again. The sight changed me on such a fundamental level my body vibrated from it.
Castle did not do the structure justice. It was amazing. Wonderful. It was by far the greatest thing I would ever see.
Covered in the same violet ice, glowing on the horizon―stars were reflected all over the castles surface. It was dark on Home World without a sun, but the toyl stone lightened it just like the ship, giving it an ethereal glow.
I had walked into a fairytale.
I hated I was by myself. If felt like a sight that needed to be witnessed together.
Viv would know, she would feel this with me.
I was staring at a piece of my father I thought I would never get back. It was the castle of my childhood.
I stifled a sob.
It was like he reached out and built it for me all over again.
I was devastated and elated simultaneously. I was a wreck.
Ryt found me like that. Staring out the window like all my greatest hopes and dreams lay out there, just out of my reach. He panicked and called for Tahk. And when he came running, I couldn’t summon a glare or word. I barely uttered a sound as he lifted me and carried me from the ship.
I didn’t feel a single bite of cold. I felt so much more than that, seeing it outside for the first time. I just stared and stared, unable to be parted from it.
Viv lost her hold on emotion the moment she stepped outside after me. “Oh, Pey.” She grabbed for me, but Tahk wouldn’t put me down. Instead, he held us both as we sobbed in remembrance of the man who would have taken one look at that castle and declared ‘You want that bean? It’s yours.’
I heard him all around me. ‘You see that, princess? I’m still with you.’
Tahk held me as the Dahk filed out of the ship, he didn’t say a word except to order a flyer to the castle to hurry along the receiving party that would be on the way to escort us. It was then I came out of my haze. The Dahk he had spoken to stood on the ice, spread his wings and flew.
I hadn’t seen that since we first met them at Colt’s gas station. Dahk were fast. They flew high in the sky, cutting through the breeze quickly and efficiently.
Moments later we could see a dozen Dahk returning with him in the sky. It was then Viv shifted away from me. “I’m going to go check in with Gryo,” she pushed the scraggly hair from my dry cheeks and pecked me once before leaving.
“Commander, the King is getting anxious. He wishes to depart,” Ryt said, eyeing me in confusion. I must have made quite the scene, falling apart. The Dahk wouldn’t understand the significance, but I had a feeling Tahk did. I had told him about my father’s castle that day in Idaho. Lying in bed, cuddled together. When I had been blissfully ignorant of the danger holding me tightly.
He proved me right when Ryt walked away to help another Dahk unload a crate. “It is as your father’s molded castle?”
“So much like it. It looks like he came here and made it himself, sprinkling it in jeweled glass.”
“He stays with you,” Tahk hesitantly began, staring in the distance. “He has brought you here as I have.”
Now, I was not a superstitious person. I believed in logic. Facts. But even I couldn’t ignore the powerful feeling of divine intervention. If I could look past Tahk taking me, put aside Earth’s perilous position, and my own mother, I would have agreed with him. How else could my father have made an exact replica of a castle on an alien planet billions of light years away? If I had been that love-sick girl I was just weeks ago, I would have looked at Tahk and told him that yes, my father brought me here. He wanted this for me. He guided me right to you, and you to me.
But I wasn’t, and I couldn’t. Whatever higher power was interfering right now, well I wasn’t the only one in need of them. It was special, but people of Earth needed saving more than I needed a childhood castle made real. I would never forget it―for my father. But I would also not let Tahk use this against me, to get me to bend to his will.
My father may have wanted me here, but he would have been disappointed in me if I let any man, alien or otherwise, boss me around and take away my freedom and choice.
I couldn’t deny the tiny curl of unfurled hope, though. Maybe my dad sent me here, but maybe it was more than that. Maybe he was telling me it would be worth it, that Tahk would be worth it. That we would somehow get past this and everything would be okay. That we would fix what was between us, just as dad and I had fixed my broken castle.
So, I looked at my Pythen and released a small smile, for the moment, for the hope. “Maybe.”
Tahk’s face lit with surprised delight, and he opened his mouth to say something else but was interrupted by the Dahk landing in front of us.
“Commander.” The new Dahk scowled at me. He was nearly as tall as Tahk but not as bulky. His head ridges were cropped close to his skull, and he wore a long flowing blue robe.
“Lieutenant Hull.” Tahk scowled and turned from the Dahk, placing me on my feet. Then he tucked me into his side tightly. “Meet, Pehytohn, my Pythe.”
“Good greetings.” Hull glowered, not at all friendly.
“Good greetings,” I returned, holding back the sarcastic undertone. This was not a good start. This guy’s disgust of me was clear. How many would be of the same mind?
“Why were you not at the landing to greet your King?” Tahk glared at Hull until he looked away from me.
“We had not expected you so soon. There were preparations to be made.”
“You did not expect to receive your King? After his brother had died?” Tahk’s tone said clearly what he felt about that. He didn’t trust this Dahk. Neither did I.
“Where is the new King?” Hull flushed and looked through the crowd unloading the ship.
“Here.” Uthyf moved our way. Regal in his bearing. There was a bleakness to the cold countenance I had known him for. He missed his brother but had stepped up into the role with determination.
“My King.” Hull bowed along with the twelve odd Dahk with him.
“I will meet with the Council immediately. See to it.” Uthyf spread his wings and without another word, lifted into the sky. Hull sputtered and followed.
“Yilt. With me.” Tahk lifted me again and bent his knees.
“Wait!” I wasn’t ready to fly! Didn’t they have little ships for us humans? Alien cars? Horse-like creatures and buggy? I didn’t care what, but I would not handle flying like this well. I’d be just fine with walking.
“We must go.” Tahk bent again.
But I shouted frantic, “What about Vivian and the others?”
“They will follow shortly.” Then he launched us into the sky.
I screamed and clutched him around the neck. Tahk chuckled. “I have you, little human.”
“Don’t you dare drop me,” I shouted over the whistling wind, staring down at the ground that was so very, very far down.
His face scrunched with affront. The cold was hitting me now. My cheeks were sore from it, and I could barely feel my fingers.
I was not wearing near enough clothes. I should have stuffed my ass more. It felt like it was going to fall off.
As cold and frightened as I was, it was still amazing to see. So high up in the air, the castle cast a reflection all around the ice surrounding it, and in the valley below on the far side I could now make out an enormous village of stone structures in the side of a tall stone hill and scattered away from it. None looked like homes, more like open shops with Dahk filing in and out. It backed up against a large mountain drop. Dahk were disappearing and appearing from there, traveling to and from the village. I wondered if that was where the homes were. Down on the other side of the cliff. When you had wings, a cliff was no big deal. But I would not be going near that deadly drop.
“What’s down there?” I shouted in Tahk’s ear.
He cringed at my high pitch but nodded over there. “Home World has a great number of mountains. They have natural caves that we expand into homes. Some choose to live on land, but it is few. We stay from the harsh climates and gravitate towards the natural warmth of the center of the planet. The toyl is too hard to mine to build much. It is easier to use the formations naturally, and it will glow lighting the cave homes. We use a fire-stone to light the way when the toyl is not naturally in place.”
I wondered why the castle was built outside, for the most part only the far-left side touched the mountain, and just barely.
As we got closer to the castle, I could see the sky beyond it and the lavender moon taking up a large portion of the skyline. It was so much closer than Earth’s was, nearly quadruple in size, with a smaller moon off to the side. Looking just behind me, I saw the third moon farther out from the rest and in the distance a flickering light. It wasn’t bright, but still full of color that hurt my eyes after staring too long. It was a swirling cloud of rainbow colors, and I could see it was what aided the toyl in lighting the planet. Not enough to heat the surface but just enough to see the way. It was the first time I realized I would likely never see anything like sunlight again.
Only darkness.
I didn’t know how to feel about it. On the one hand, it was massively depressing, on the other, I gained the luxury of seeing the beauty in front of me. I would miss the heat though, the lazy days on the beach, hard work on the ranch as the sun beat down on me. Opening the windows in the morning to flood the house with morning light.
I turned from what must be the Dahk’s dead sun and went back to looking at the castle. Dahk were flying all around, and those on the ground stopped and stared, pointing up.
Uthyf landed while we were still in the air, and I watched as they bowed to him and thumped their chest.
“Stay with me at all times.” Tahk thundered in my ear. “Do not leave my side.”
I nodded. Seeing the hundreds of Dahk between the castle and the village, he would have to pry me away. I was not safe here.
Tahk slammed down, absorbing the blow in his knees, so I barely felt it. My feet had barely touched the ground before a large Dahk was stomping over. His face was hard, slightly lined with age. His ridges curved up around his flat ears to point and arrow towards the back of his head. He was coming so fast I startled and backed into Tahk, who curved his hand around my stomach tightly to rest at the curve of my hip. I gripped his arm firmly and involuntarily flinched as the Dahk stopped barely a foot away, “Son!” He shouted and grinned wide, his fangs gleaming.
“First Father,” Tahk patted me reassuringly on the hip as he reached around and slapped his father on the shoulder.
His father returned the sentiment but held on and looked down to me. “Daughter.” His grin grew impossibly larger. I tried not to gulp as those large fangs were shoved an inch from my face. “You are strange looking but have the hips of a Xixin female! You will bear my son a strong dahkling.”
Tahk chuckled when I stiffened. Most of my childbearing hips were stuffed towels. But middle school taught me a lot. Stuffing would be mine and Viv’s secret.
“Her mammary glands are rather large as well, father, she will feed young without much trouble.”
I rolled my eyes. Tahk was bragging. Father and son were the same the galaxy over.
“So, she does.” Tahk’s father started to check me out from head to toe. I tried not to shift. “No wings, my son, she will depend on you for travel from that remote hole.” This sounded like a warning, but not at my expense. More like he was scolding Tahk.
“Yes father, I will have something more accessible placed in our home for her.”
“Good. A mate needs to escape her mate from time to time.”
“We have only just arrived, and you wish to take her from me?”
“She is my new daughter, a blessing. I wish to know her better. She will visit often, as will I, while you are away defending the kingdom.”
I would? AND TAHK WAS LEAVING ME HERE?
I glared at them both. Tahk’s father howled in laughter. “I am Haytu, daughter. Do you know of hildo games?”
“Hi,” I waved, and he looked to my hand strangely―Dahk didn’t wave or shake hands. I slapped his shoulder a little awkwardly as Tahk had. “I’m Peyton and just a little.” The Dahk played the stone game on the ship. I watched Yilt a few times before he tried to teach me. It was complicated but a lot like chess.
Haytu smiled softly and patted my hand. “My youngest dahkling, Kudeyas, used to play but she spends her time on socialites now. I am glad to have a new game partner.”
“You have a sister?” I looked to Tahk in surprise. He had never said, but I had never asked. There was so much I didn’t know about him. I had a feeling that mistake was going to bite me in the ass.
“And a brother.” Haytu scowled at Tahk. “Vyndor.”
Tahk flushed and glared at the ice below us. “An oversight.”
“How much does she know?”
“Not enough.” Tahk glared at his father in warning.
“That is a shame, Son. There is no time now. Your House is here to welcome you.”
Something super serious was being spoken about in a way I couldn’t fully understand. It was making me angry and a little worried, when all I kind of wanted to do was dance around―cause Tahk’s father liked me. He was really nice so far. I barely had to say a word, and he was trying to build a relationship. I was so relieved to know someone wanted me here, that I was pretty mad their secret conversation was ruining it.
Tahk stiffened and glared at the castle as if it had personally offended him. I had a sinking suspicion whoever waited for us was not as awesome as his dad.
Haytu sighed with clear regret. “My son is thick-skulled at times. Go easy on him, daughter.” With that ominous request, he turned and waved us towards the castle where most of our party had already disappeared into.
“Your First Mother is very anxious. She has had a room prepared for you both. The servants are beside themselves with all her demands and that of the Queen. King Aryx’s honor rites are underway, but your mam does not see this and hassles the servants for her own bidding. We must hurry and put them out of their misery.”
“How is Queen Josyd?” Tahk walked us beside his father, gripping my hip firmly. I had to rush to keep up with their long strides. I was out of breath and had nearly fallen half a dozen times on the slippery ice by the time we made it to the tall stone steps. There had to be a hundred of them. My thighs would be killing me by the time we got up there.
“She is a Queen and hides her grief well, but your mam and she have been companions for many sunrings, we see her sorrow.”
Tahk stumbled when I did on the step. He started to grin, but it quickly wiped clean when I glared at him. Instead, he lifted me and walked the rest of way up for the both of us. I was mad at him, but I had never been a fan of the stepper at the gym. Apparently, my childbearing hips suffered for it.
I might have been holding a wee bit of a grudge for that comment, but Haytu was so nice I would keep my irritation to myself.
“A shame what happened to the King,” Haytu said casually in front of the castle doors.
Tahk scoffed and let me down at the top step. “He is dead, Father. You have no need for untruths now. I know your position on his ruling.”
Haytu grinned. “He was soft. Not fit to rule. Uthyf will make a fine King.”
Had I thought Haytu nice? He seemed positively giddy Uthyf would be filling his brother's shoes.
Tahk sighed and moved us through the open doors. “Your opinions are your own. But try to keep them from Uthyf, he is grieving and not happy about taking the throne.”
“He will grow into the crown in time. He just needs to see how much his brother has ruined the good his first father accomplished in his time ruling.”
I listened intently to them but grew a little distracted by the opulence of the entry hall inside. It was so beautiful. It had large cathedral ceilings, and the walls were white that glowed a light lavender from sandy sprinkles of the purple toyl stone. Large bowls held more stone and another blue kind that were on fire. It looked like I was inside a star system with the way all the soft lights glowed through the room and the night sky showed through the large cuts in the walls. It was like a scene out of a children’s movie.
“Your Council position allows you some margin but do not speak ill of the dead King near the others.”
“Those footling rogues can do nothing, and they have their own games afoot to worry about any slights toward the dead King.”
“You offend me,” Tahk growled. Tahk respected the King, liked him even. He wasn’t taking his father’s opinions well, but it seemed a running commentary between them.
“If the Old King could have put Uthyf on the throne he would have, it is no secret.”
Tahk’s body was tense. I stifled the instinctive urge to soothe him. “You go too far―”
Tahk was cut off by a delicate laugh. “Son, you have returned.” A tall female Dahk floated down an elegant staircase in the far back of the room.
She was dressed in a long golden gown that accented the dark purple and grey accents of her skin. Her black wings were folded delicately against her back. Her claws were long and as polished as her fangs, and her ridges were tiny and spiky but short and only down the sides of her head.
Though her face was serene and filled with happiness, a hard edge entered her gaze as it snagged on me. “Your Pythe I presume.” She stopped nearly three feet from me and did not greet her son as his father had, though her fingers twitched as though she wished to reach for him.
“Mam.” Tahk grinned and left me to rush to her. He lifted her long hand and bent down to press it to his brow. “I present Pehytohn.” He held out his hand for me. I really didn’t want to go over there, but Haytu smiled encouragingly, and I figured it would be rude to refuse. But I knew, oh boy did I, this Dahk was not happy about who her son had mated. Women knew women. And she was sending me some major smack-down vibes.
“Pehy-toohn?” She wrinkled her brows and ran her eyes up and down my body. “What is she?”
“Human,” I answered and smiled overly bright. She had to have known what I was by now. I knew Tahk had informed them about his mating a while back. He wouldn’t have kept my being different from them, from his mam. “It’s nice to meet you?”
“Myrna.” She sniffed and looked back to her son. “You mated her in the old way.” Her tone was scolding.
“They had no choice, sweets.” Haytu pulled her against his side and nuzzled her shoulder.
“So, I have heard.” She was not convinced, and I was not fooled enough to believe her ire was on my behalf.
“It is a shame about King Aryx,” she told both Tahk and Haytu, leaving my greeting hanging. There would be no tea and baby Tahk pictures with her. I had a feeling Haytu had just become my only supporter in Tahk’s family. A mother had a great influence on her daughter. I would know. I squashed the reminder of my mom before I could embarrass myself. But if Kudeyas strived to please her mother like I used to, I did not envision Tahk’s sister welcoming me. As for the brother? We’d see.
“Yet, I am pleased you are home. Vyndor is also here upstairs with his mam,” Myrna said and waved us towards the stairs. “As well as Nonya.” A cruel gleam entered her eyes. I was still hung up on Vyndor having a different ‘mam.’ Was he not Myrna’s son? The Dahk divorced or renounced mates? I thought that wasn’t possible, true mating or matched. Did that mean Tahk could get rid of me?
I nearly slapped myself. This would be bad why, Peyton? Did we not want to get rid of Tahk?
I ignored the snide voice of my inner scorned woman and bit my lip. Would it be good? Based on the drop in my stomach I thought I might need to have a sit down with myself and really evaluate my feelings for Tahk.
“Myrna,” Haytu warned and smiled at me.
I looked away and back to Tahk. He kept his eyes straight ahead. If I hadn’t known better, I would say the Commander looked afraid. But that was ridiculous. I had never seen Tahk afraid of anything.
“What’s going on?”
Tahk stopped and sighed. “Give us a moment?” He asked his parents. Haytu nodded and looked worried. Myrna looked positively thrilled, and Haytu had to practically drag her away.
I stopped a few steps from the top of the staircase on a small landing. “Who’s Vyndor’s mother? Did your father have another mate before your mam? Are you younger than him? And who is Nonya?” I fired the questions at him clumsily. My bullshit meter was spiking. This whole thing smelled of all kinds of nasty secrets.
Tahk scrubbed his face roughly and then took my hand. I was so worried I let him pull me closer and wrap an arm around my waist. I don’t know how I knew, but I did, and I knew whatever he was going to say would change everything. It made me so afraid I forgot all my anger and clutched his biceps. I missed being held by him. I missed the soft look he was giving me now. The way he would have to bend so low to kiss me on the lips.
I missed him.
“I am sorry, lov―, Pehytohn. I have not been open with you about many of our ways,” he stumbled over his words and scowled at the hand I moved to his chest, clutching it tightly with his own.
“What is it?” I asked softly. He was really worried about whatever he was going to tell me. It made me want to beg him to go back to the ship and hide. I wasn’t ready for any more surprises. Any more hurt.
“My father has my mam as his First mate…” he hedged. He stopped and cleared his throat. “First.”
“Okay.” Did that mean he was the eldest brother? His father leaving his mother and moving on to another to conceive Vyndor? They seemed way more adjusted than that of humans after divorce, touchier, but it wasn’t some terrible offense to end a relationship.
To humans anyway, I reminded myself. The Dahk were very different from humans.
“This is very difficult,” he spat and shifted anxiously.
“Tahk, just tell me.” I smiled unsteadily at him. He was kind of adorable all flustered. I couldn’t help myself even as my worry mounted immensely.
“He also has another. His second.”
“Wait, what? Two Mates?”
“Four.”
I choked. “Four?” Holy cow. Dad-in-law had a harem!
“Yes,” Tahk said gravely, searching my face for something I had no idea how to give. So, okay his dad got a lot of action, if his ladies were good with it, I didn’t see the problem, or why my opinion mattered. Maybe it was just that they had no idea how I would take it? Being human and all? Man, they had no idea we had polygamy and divorces and cheating assholes. A few wives were nothing in some countries back home.
“That’s― cool?” Whatever floats your boat and all that.
“This does not bother you?” Tahk looked downright shocked. A relieved smile started to bloom across his face.
“It’s different, sure, but why would it b―”
“My Tahk! I have missed you!” A screech sounded from the top of the stairs. A willowy female flew from the top stair right into Tahk, knocking him back and away from me. My back hit the stone railing. I winced, that would leave a bruise. This must be the sister.
I looked up to see her pawing all over my Commander.
Not a sister then.
“I am in need of you,” she purred huskily, grabbing his junk. A red haze clouded my vision.
Oh, hells no.
That dick was mine.
“My mate,” Tahk called a little annoyed but not nearly as infuriated as he should have been having anyone but me touching him there. I was going to deliver the smack-down of the century. “Meet Nonya, my consort.”
Wait, what?