Giselle glared as Adelina entered the royal study. “Where have you been? Have you seen this?” Her sister and queen shoved her shreve at Adelina and crossed her arms over her chest.

Adelina glanced at Elara, her father’s mistress and Adele’s mate – and Adele wasn’t her only mother now. Elara was as well. They both looked concerned about Giselle’s attitude, but not overly worried.

Adelina glanced down at the shreve and saw it was a vid. With a tap of a nail she played it. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized what she was seeing. It was Adelina, the night before both her father and sister died, speaking out to every pirate and rogue in the Draga Galaxy, asking them to fly the royal flag and protect the people during the evacuations. Varan stood behind her in a show of solidarity, a predatory gleam in his eye when Adelina gave permission for the royal privateers to loot any pirate who did not fly her flag.

“This has been on repeat on the livestream since your interview this morning. Journalists have been clamoring to get another word with you. Everyone from the nobles to the scullery maids are talking about this.” Giselle’s finger jabbed at the shreve and then she ripped it out of Adelina’s grasp, but not before Adelina slipped an invisible piece of spy tech into the access port.

Oh, Adelina would kill Varan. She knew it was him as he was the only one who had a copy. Anger rose up, uncurling like a sleepy galina, and Adelina shoved it back down as hard as she could.

Then she shrugged one shoulder and raised an eyebrow in question. “And what exactly is the problem?”

“I never sanctioned this!”

Adelina turned her back on her sister, the muscles in her shoulders tightening as she felt her sister’s fury and indignation rise. Gracefully she crossed the room and sat in her favorite chair, crossed one leg over a knee and adjusted the grey mourning gown, her two purple bracelets clacking together against the new one Varan gave her. “You have been queen for one day, when would I have had the time to ask you? It was sent out before Raena…died.”

Adelina refused to believe her sister had killed herself. Raena wanted to be queen. So it was logical to assume someone had wanted the crown princess dead and was close enough to her to know how she would have killed herself. Which meant they’d been around since the Neprijat took Khara. Perhaps even before if Adelina’s suspicions were correct.

If she was right, whoever had poisoned her father with an incurable disease also murdered her eldest sister and made it look like a suicide.

“And you cleared this with Raena?” Giselle asked, still fuming.

Adelina purposefully broke eye contact with her sister and stared out the window – ignoring her for all intents and purposes. She would show Giselle her teeth. No one would bully Adelina ever again. She was done.

“Raena would have been pleased,” Adelina murmured, feeling a tinge of sadness polluted with a tiny bit of fear. Her deceased sister would have loved the vid, but could have punished her for it just to show her dominance and power.

Raena had been a volatile ruler, but she’d still been the sister Adelina loved. Reconciling the two sides of Raena would never happen. Every pleasant memory, every wish and yearning for her sister would be tainted with the fear Adelina had felt over the last month.

Giselle scoffed. “Mother?”

Adele looked up from her tea. Adelina studied her mother in her peripheral. The Queen Mother looked physically and emotionally exhausted but her face was hard, stern. “Giselle your sister did the right thing to protect our people. Either thank her, or move on to the next problem at hand. We do not have time for this pettiness.”

Adelina almost laughed. Things had changed so quickly in the last full rotation of Draga Terra. Adele had become who she’d been hiding all along. With Grandmother out of the palace and in her own estate, it had allowed her mother to open up and flower. At least Raena had done that for them.

Adele no longer tried to hide her relationship with Elara and the people loved it. They spoke on the streets how the king had been so lucky to have a wife and mistress who loved each other. Adelina felt nothing but joy for her mother. Elara would help her through the grief of losing Orion far too soon.

And Adele had no patience for Giselle any longer. Giselle made everything difficult. Being queen didn’t come naturally to her and she hated the meetings and attention. If Giselle could be nothing more than a soldier for the rest of her life she would be happy. But that was not the case. She had an entire galaxy to run and care for, acting as though such trivial things were important when their people were being slaughtered was asinine.

That she found Adelina a disgusting hybrid creature not worthy of her existence seemed to have triggered Adele’s protective instincts. After cycles of a tenuous, surface relationship Adelina was important, though it could have something to do with her new status as heir.

“And how is being queen?” Adelina asked Giselle, leaning forward to fix her tea. “Have you decided which armies you’re going to deploy and where?”

Giselle glared. “If you’re so curious then you should attend the war council today. Enjoy your wedding plans.” With that, her once favorite sister turned on her heel and left the study.

Adelina sighed and regret replaced the anger. It hurt more than she’d ever let herself admit that Giselle of all people hated her because of something she had absolutely no control over.

But at least Adelina had been able to plant a spycast on her sister’s shreve. The information would be sent out each night just before dawn. Because no matter her personal issues Adelina needed to be prepared, she needed to know everything she could to help her people survive what was coming. Her sister would never know and Adelina would be able to do what needed to be done.

“You look like you’ve lost weight,” Elara said quietly. She fixed a plate from the spread on the low table before her and then stood to bring it to Adelina.

Her newly discovered biological mother leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. A few rules had gone out the window after Raena’s shocking death. Adele and Elara had shown her more affection and love during the rushed wedding plans than they had her entire life. It made Adelina happy, but it was bittersweet.

Adele seemed resolute not to waste precious time with her remaining children. She’d even made a point to watch Asher train his warriors, visit William in the barracks, and check on Ian in his labs. Their mother had always been so busy, but as the Queen Mother her obligations were far less. She would guide Giselle, but that was all that was required of her.

Adelina ate to ease her mothers’ concerns. “The dress?” she asked.

“Nadyah has been working with the seamstress non-stop to alter the dress to perfection,” Elara told her.

It was the only item Adelina refused to take from her sister. Using her sister’s wedding plans was horrible enough and the original dress had been burned with Raena regardless. Adelina’s design couldn’t be more different and she’d done that intentionally.

Then Nadyah and Gwendoline swept into the royal study with endless fabric in their arms. “Are you ready to try on the gown?” Nadyah asked with a sad smile.

They hadn’t been able to continue the camerraleto since—everything had happened. Adelina hated it, but there were other things they had to focus on. Soon she would be able to continue and complete the training while they travelled.

Adelina finished her tea and set it on the table, smiling at her mothers. Grief hung over them all, but life never waited for one to come to terms with the new typical. It flew right on by, dragging everyone along with it whether they wanted to or not.

Nadyah pulled the privacy screen into place and Gwendoline pushed Adelina gently behind it. “It was made to your specifications, Princess,” the older woman reassured. “Mistress Nadyah did have a few suggestions I took into consideration.”

Adelina nodded and peeled off the dress she currently wore. Then she stepped into the wedding gown. The soft spidersilk felt like a dream against her skin, but Adelina couldn’t help feeling sad and wistful. This was something both Raena and Giselle should have been a part of.

Nadyah arranged the trailing skirts and lace and silk while Gwendoline tightened the corset bodice. It pushed up her breasts and held them nicely. The beautiful off-the-shoulder sleeves completed the picture, but they were useless when it came to holding up the dress. No, the corset and boning held the dress up and framed her small waist. Adelina hadn’t looked in a mirror yet because she wanted to see her mothers’ reactions first, and then decide for herself.

Tears lined Nadyah’s eyes and her courtesan kissed her cheek. “You look absolutely stunning,” she whispered in Adelina’s ear. “Amora, the goddess of love, could not hold a candle to you.”

Adelina blushed. A pleasant warmth filled her all the way to her toes and fingers. Then she took a deep breath and stepped out.

Both Adele and Elara cried instantly, jumping to their feet so they could hug her, touch the gown, kiss her cheek…and then they both froze.

“When did you get that done?” Adele demanded, her eyes glued to the golden mark between Adelina’s breasts, obvious thanks to the deep cut down the front that she’d requested.

“The Master Sealer did it for me,” Adelina told her. “As well as the piece on my back that I designed based on Asher’s.”

When she turned to face the mirror and inspect the dress, Adelina watched her mothers share a look. They didn’t say anything though, as Elara must have sensed Adelina had no interest in discussing her decision.

“It’s a new time, and a new future is before us that we didn’t plan,” Adelina murmured, adjusting her breasts in the corset while Nadyah tightened the laces just a bit more. “This is who I am and I want them all to know.”

Elara nodded and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “The pieces are stunning. The Master Sealer’s best work I believe.”

Adele was too drenched in tradition and protocol. She gritted her teeth but nodded. “It suits you, sweetheart. And the varying shades of pink in the gown make your skin glow. It is almost red in places.” Adele adjusted a bit of the skirt and smiled ruefully. “It’s a brilliant design.”

She let them fuss and talk and adjust the dress. Adelina didn’t have anything to say or to add. The dress was absolute perfection. As she stared in the mirror she studied the females in her life and couldn’t help but notice the grief that drenched Adele.

“Mother?” Adelina asked, watching her through the mirror.

It was as though her voice and unspoken question shattered the illusion. Tears ran like rivers down her mother’s cheeks and her smile was apologetic. “I can’t help but think how your father should be here to walk you down the aisle.”

Another tradition that was as broken as her family. Adelina squared her shoulders and ignored the urge to weep. She couldn’t afford to think about her father missing out on this of all things. He used to speak of it as though it would be the best moment of his life. Adelina only hoped the Three-Faced Goddess would allow his soul to witness the event.

It wasn’t just her father either, it was Raena as well. The tragedy of their early deaths cast a shadow over the happy event, and it made Adelina feel ashamed. Ashamed and guilty that she was happy when her sister was the one who should be in her place, marrying Alock. Adelina was chagrined that her sister had been sent to the goddess long before she was due and still she found such love and happiness with Varan.

Then there was the war. Was a wedding really appropriate after such events? It wasn’t like it had been with the coming-of-age party and the Games and the Choosing Ball that would never happen. War had been a far off concern, a blip on the radar. Now they’d been betrayed by Treon and their alliance with the Neprijat and then those monsters had slaughtered so many on Seprilles.

A formal declaration of love and a public union seemed crass after so much death.

But the royal line had to continue. The very real possibility of more royal deaths required the next generation to start as quickly as possible, though Adelina had no intention to start a family just yet. Not when there was so much that was still unknown.

There was a traitor among them, she knew it.

Adelina watched her mothers regain their composure and she wondered if there was a way she could help Adele, even if she was unable to do anything for anyone else at the moment. The possible Drakesthai alliance was little more than smoke and ash and desperate hope.

She cleared her throat. “I would be honored if you and Elara would walk me down the aisle. Together.”

The smile on Elara’s face was worth every bit of heartache. It would be the first moment in her life she could take her place as one of Adelina’s actual parents. No one would know the true meaning behind her presence, but Elara would.

“You truly want that?” Elara asked, glancing at Adele as if this request might not be real.

“If Adele agrees,” Adelina said, glancing at Nadyah.

Her courtesan kept her head down but there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Adelina had kept the majority of her emotions at arm’s length to get through the next few days. If it wasn’t positive she ignored it. Once they were in space she could mourn properly. So instead of letting tears fall that she knew would never stop, she blinked them back and smiled.

Because this entire wedding…it was Raena’s dream wedding. Adelina had switched out a few details here and there but every touch reminded her of her eldest sister, from the silverware to the rosanera bouquet.

It was…difficult not to see her sister everywhere, not when the bath in her suite was still stained with blood. Adelina wanted to rip out the whole thing and burn it clean. It made her small bit of relief and happiness abhorrent when she let the thoughts of Raena seep in.

“We would be proud to walk you down the aisle,” Adele murmured. Her mother couldn’t hide the pleased smile on her face.

At least Adelina had been able to give them that after so much grief and tragedy.

“The food is being prepared and will be ready by tomorrow,” Nadyah said, adjusting one more fold of fabric and then stepping back. “The ballroom is set up for the reception. The ragna have been left alone and are still up as you asked. The temple outside is being decorated now. Everything will be perfect. There is also no sign of rain.”

Adelina pulled Nadyah forward and kissed her on the cheek. “It’s not the Summer Solstice, but it will be a day to remember regardless. Hopefully it eases some of our people’s worry and fear. I couldn’t have done any of this without you.” And she made sure Nadyah knew she didn’t just mean the wedding. The trip to the Hai Galaxy would have been impossible without her assistance.

The door chimed and Nadyah went to answer while Gwendoline checked the hem of the dress. Adelina glanced over her shoulder when she heard Nadyah’s voice rise in protest.

“No, you can’t come in yet. Stay right there. Don’t you dare try to peek!” Nadyah shut the door so quickly she nearly snapped off Varan’s finger.

Adelina smiled and stepped behind the screen once more. It took a few minutes for Gwendoline and Nadyah to remove the dress without ruining it, but once she was free of it Adelina felt like she could breathe again.

As she stepped back into her grey mourning gown she felt her anxiety and nerves flare at the sudden thought of how permanent and unending marriage was. Her hands froze halfway to her neck and she couldn’t move as she wondered if this was the right choice.

Yes, she loved Varan. And he seemed to love her. But war was waging on their borders and Varan had an entire court of his own to look after. How would they make this work and bring their two worlds together?

“Lina?” his warm voice filled the room. Nadyah must have let him in after Gwendoline had stuffed the dress into a black bag to preserve it.

Quickly she hooked the back of her dress around her neck and adjusted it. Her concerns were groundless. Varan was an efficient male who never did anything without thinking it through first. No doubt he’d already come up with some plan before he’d ever officially danced with her at her coming-of-age party.

Adelina stepped out from behind the privacy screen and crossed the room gracefully. She held out her hands and Varan took them with a smile. She kissed his cheek and when Adelina stepped back she fixed the golden hair that had been ruffled by the tailor.

“How did your fitting go?” she asked, leading him to the couch so they could sit beside each other.

“As well as can be expected. I might even end up prettier than you,” he teased.

Adelina couldn’t help but laugh as she took the tea Nadyah had fixed. Varan was always so attuned to her. He knew without her ever having to say anything when she was sad or anxious or angry. He just knew. Then somehow he said something perfect to snap her out of it. It was a true gift.

“Perhaps you will,” she acceded, sipping the iced tea as Nadyah handed Varan his.

It was strange to see him in the royal study spending time with her family as one of them – to have Nadyah serve him. But Nadyah wasn’t a servant; she was Adelina’s courtesan and lady-in-waiting. So she made her own tea and then sat in Adelina’s usual spot.

Adele asked Varan about anything other than his work as a thief and Elara’s eyes gleamed with curiosity, but she didn’t ask the real questions. It was fluff talk that Adelina normally hated, but for once she enjoyed watching and listening. Varan fit in so seamlessly.

When she looked to Nadyah her courtesan smiled and nodded. She saw it too. Somehow, through all the chaos and fear something good and wonderful had come out of it all.

“I ran into Giselle on the way up,” Varan said when there was a break in the conversation. “She mentioned a war council?”

Adelina sighed and set her tea down. “Yes, would you like to come?”

The predatory twinkle in his eye made her grin. “I would be delighted.”

“Then walk with me outside for a bit before the meeting starts. I have a few things I’d like to ask you.” Like why he’d shared the vid to the pirates without speaking to her about it first.

To his credit Varan looked wary. He stood and held out a hand. Adelina took it, but only because others were watching. She kissed both of her mothers on the cheek and then gave Nadyah a nod on her way out.

Her courtesan knew why she wanted to talk to her fiancé alone, and she would be at the war council also, hidden where she could do the most good. After weeks together the two of them knew the other so well they hardly had to speak. Part of it was the courtesan genes and part was familiarity. Mistress Jael was the real genius. Her pairings were impeccable.

“Come Varan, let me show you the private royal gardens.” Her smile was sharp and the nails on her upturned hand were just a titch longer than normal.

To his credit Varan didn’t balk or hesitate. He took her hand and tucked her arm under his. “As you wish, my love.”