She didn’t know how much time had passed as she held Alpha in her arms. His cold body heavy and the blood sticky by the time Varan, Kaiden, and Nash reached her. She wouldn’t let him go, screaming at them as they tried to remove him from her arms.

It wasn’t until Nash knelt before her in the blood that was everywhere, holding her face just rough enough to get her attention. “Adelina, where is he? Where is your captor? There’s no one else on this ship. We checked when we docked. Did he escape?”

His questions only made her cry harder. Adelina brushed Alpha’s hair back from his forehead and she tried to wipe a speck of blood from his cheek but she only smeared more across his face with her good hand. Her right was completely useless, but it didn’t matter.

Adelina was numb.

She didn’t feel the physical pain – only the chasm in her chest where her heart had broken. It seeped as she tried to explain to the three males who were desperate to help her, but there was nothing they could do. It was already over.

“Lina, please,” Varan begged, his voice cracking as he knelt beside her. “Please tell me what happened.”

It was all she could do to keep breathing as she stared into Nash’s aapoak eyes. “The Neprijat can upload their consciousness into someone else’s body.”

The sharp inhale of breath from all three males reminded her she wasn’t alone even though it felt that way.

Adelina pulled Nash’s hands from her face. They were alive because of the decision she’d made. She wouldn’t end up wed to the Neprijat king. The Draga Galaxy still had a future. Her people still had a chance because of the sacrifice she’d had to make.

Looking down at Alpha…she knew he would have told her to do the same. He would have told her one life was not worth trillions. Alpha would have given his life willingly if he’d been able to speak. She only wished it didn’t have to be him…that at the very least – she could have said good-bye.

Adelina kissed Alpha’s forehead and didn’t bother to wipe the tears from her face, not when her hand was still covered in his blood. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, knowing she would never be able to say it enough. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me and my family.”

It didn’t matter how bad the pain in her chest was or that she felt so broken and just…weary. Adelina was a queen now and she still had duties to perform.

“We are bringing him with us, and then I want you to tow this ship back to Hai Delta,” she ordered no one in particular. “We need answers.”

Varan took her hand and she hissed at the pain. He snarled when he saw how broken her wrist was. “We need to get you back on our ships and have a physician tend to you. Darling, did he hurt you?”

Adelina pulled out of her husband’s grasp. “No, he didn’t. Take me to the ship.”

She wasn’t ready to tell them more yet. Adelina still needed time to absorb all she’d learned – everything Drozer had told her, and then come to terms with the consequences of her actions.

Oh, how she wished she could hand over the crown to Asher, but it was too late now. It had already begun. She’d already made a choice that affected three galaxies. There was no point in handing over her power now.

Asher didn’t deserve the consequences of her decision.

The three males said nothing as they led her to their ship, Kaiden carrying Alpha’s body. They kept sharing looks, but she ignored them. She didn’t have the energy to appease delicate male sensibilities. It was a Kharan ship which meant Nash had helped. Adelina let them lead her into a chair while Kaiden gently set Alpha on the floor. Then they left her alone while they conversed with the Ravager on their way back to Hai Delta.

The trip back was a blur. Nash had a hushed conversation with Nadyah, but Adelina tuned it out as she felt her body sway with the motion of the starship. She couldn’t stop staring at Alpha’s body and wondering if he would mind having a pyre on Hai Delta or if he’d rather be shipped back to their home – the place they’d shared as children.

He probably wouldn’t mind a funeral on Hai Delta. Adelina could bring his ashes back home and bury them in the royal forest next to her father and sister. He would give new life to the trees they’d climbed as children. Alpha had declined the position of prince once, but couldn’t deny her treatment of him as one now.

If he had any family left she would honor them – but Adelina would have to find another way to keep his memory alive so that no one would forget his sacrifice.

“Adelina,” Nash whispered.

She blinked and her eyes refocused. He was kneeling before her again, but this time they were on his ship and it had stopped moving.

“What can I do?” he asked.

Varan and Kaiden stood behind him and Adelina looked up at her husband. The grief and guilt she saw there mirrored her own.

These males needed her. They desperately needed to care for her even if she didn’t think anyone could heal the pain in her heart. Only time and vengeance could do that.

“We need to warn Asher about the Neprijat snatchers,” she said. Adelina tried not to think about how flat and emotionless her voice sounded. “Then send someone to deliver the message with my acceptance of the Crown and title.”

It wasn’t what he’d expected her to say, but Nash nodded regardless. “I’ll make it happen.”

“Delphine should take the message,” she murmured, taking Nash’s offered hand and following them out of the unfamiliar starship.

“Of course, only someone we can trust,” Varan agreed, walking as close to her as he could.

Kaiden brought up the rear and she heard his wings snap open to block the wind when they walked down the ramp of Nash’s ship. “I will make sure Alpha’s body is preserved until the right time.”

The way the three of them worked together, trying to help her – it was everything she’d wanted only a few hours before. Now…there was a body in the ship of a male she’d loved as fiercely as she did her brothers.

Nothing could change that stark fact.

“Adelina!” Nadyah rushed up, but stopped when Adelina flinched away.

It was difficult to suffer someone touching her at the moment. Adelina already felt so fragile and brittle. Somehow her males knew it, because not one of them tried to touch her despite the fact that she could feel the heat of their bodies from how close they were.

She paused before the bridge, the one that connected the landing pad on Hai Delta to the Royal Eyrie. This was where Drozer had taken her. The snippets of their conversation before he’d sedated her had slowly been returning during the trip back.

“I’m fine, Nadyah,” Adelina told her courtesan. “I need to see a physician for my wrist, but otherwise I am perfectly healthy.” She turned to Nadyah and didn’t bother trying to smile. One couldn’t lie to a courtesan about emotions.

“Then let’s get you to a physician,” Nadyah said with a slight bow of her head.

Adelina could only operate as queen and Nadyah could sense that. Anything else would have her sobbing on the floor again. She yearned to comfort Varan and the others but…Adelina had to catch her breath. In the meantime she would allow them to hover.

She’d disappeared and they’d nearly lost her to the Neprijat. Even in her broken state she wasn’t cruel enough to send them away when they so desperately needed the reassurance that she was there and safe.

Nadyah led her up and into The Jasmine. Her crew and warriors stopped what they were doing to watch. They didn’t know yet, but soon they would. Adelina wondered how they would treat her when they found out she was now queen.

How many people would she lose to rank and protocol? How many more would she lose to save her galaxy and kingdom?

Physicians must have been alerted because two came rushing from the bowels of the ship. Nadyah instructed them to follow, and then she led them all up to Adelina’s personal and private suite on the top floor.

The silence was strange, but she didn’t try to fill it. Her mind was still on the body in Nash’s ship.

Adelina had killed two people.

Never would she forget the way Drozer spoke to her…despite everything he’d done there was something about him that resonated with her. His words…“His name was Drozer,” she said suddenly.

Everyone in the lift jumped at her soft voice.

“As he was dying he said to me, ‘My queen…what our people could be if we had someone to care for us like you care for them.’ What do you think he meant by that?” Adelina asked no one in particular.

The physician looked at her with concern and then dosed her with a painkiller. Instantly the agony in her wrist faded away.

“I don’t know, my love,” Varan said, voice tight. Then he sighed and stepped closer to her. “Perhaps he meant…his fate would have been much different with a different ruler.”

Adelina felt herself collapse and Varan caught her. He looked down at her with so much fear and pain she reached up with her good hand to caress his cheek. “A sedative?” she asked.

“Yes, Princess,” the physician told her. “It is best if you get some rest. You will feel much better when you awake.”

Adelina wasn’t so sure about that, but she closed her eyes and didn’t try to fight it.

* * *

When she awoke the room was dark and she was alone. Adelina rolled over and knew from the feel of the sheets and the lack of smoke on the air that she was in her starship.

Then she sensed him. “How long have you been watching over me?” she asked. Her words were muffled by the pillow and her voice hoarse – as though she’d been screaming in her sleep.

“Since you were put under,” Varan replied from the chair in the corner of the room. “The physician said it would be best and it allowed him the quiet to completely heal your wrist. But I didn’t want you to wake up alone.” His voice was thick and she could have sworn he’d been crying.

Adelina felt her heart break for him. This had been just as terrible for him as it had been for her in a completely different way. “Would you like to come here?” she asked.

Varan was on the bed and holding her before she’d even finished her sentence. He pulled her to his chest and apologized over and over for failing her. Adelina gripped him tight – feeling that bond between them deepen. Just touching him gave her relief and some of her emotional pain eased as he stroked her hair.

“It wasn’t your fault,” she told him. The knot in her throat threatened to choke her. “I should have known it wasn’t Alpha weeks ago. I am the only one to blame.”

“I refuse to let you shoulder the responsibility for this,” Varan growled into her hair, soothingly running his hand up and down her spine – such a contrast to the anger she could feel in him. “You are not the only one who grew up with him. Any one of your siblings should have noticed a difference. And even then…these Neprijat spies were trained to infiltrate and blend in until they are exactly who we think them to be. How could we have possibly known to watch for that?”

Adelina knew he was right, but it didn’t make it hurt less. She still thought perhaps if she’d made the time…but her life had been in danger and her galaxy at war. The Neprijat were crafty enough to know right when to strike – they always had. “We need to find out if there is a way to detect the Neprijat Snatchers,” she said.

“We’ll worry about that tomorrow,” Varan murmured. “How is your wrist feeling?”

She twisted her hand this way and that. There wasn’t even a twinge or a hitch to remind her of what had happened. “It’s better than perfect.”

“Do you feel up to reassuring the other two? Varan asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“They’re here?” she asked, surprised they would wait so long.

“I made them wait in the sitting room. I’m sorry – I couldn’t control myself. You were so vulnerable and my instincts were riding me hard.”

She kissed her husband’s cheek. “Thank you, Varan. It gave me time to gather my thoughts.” Adelina slipped from the bed and grabbed her robe.

There was a hitch in Varan’s breathing. “Lina…are you all right?” he asked, still holding his chest where her head had rested.

Adelina didn’t bother smiling. Varan deserved the truth. “No, I’m not. But I will be, my love.”

He nodded, accepting her answer like he did everything else about her.

Adelina opened the door. Light hurt her eyes and instantly someone adjusted the intensity. When she refocused both Kaiden and Nash were standing in her sitting room, inspecting her from head to toe for injuries or…whatever else they thought could harm her.

“Kaiden,” she said.

The massive winged warrior crossed the room in a blink of an eye and then dropped to his knees before her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his forehead into her chest – that’s how tall he was. Adelina murmured gentle words in the Ancient language and held onto him.

Kaiden was her mate and even without it being permanent she could feel it between them. It healed her even further – taking away some of the pain in her soul. Adelina had to assume the bond did the same for the dragon prince. He sighed and then released her. When he looked up into her eyes she could see the brilliance of the blue clearly for the first time.

“I have duties to attend, but I will be back in a few hours to check on you…if that is all right.”

Adelina nodded and kissed him on the forehead. “I appreciate everything you did for me,” she told him. “You were willing to die for me. I’ll never forget that.”

As Kaiden rose she was struck again by the sheer size of him. He made Nash look normal when they were together. The dragon prince briefly touched her cheek, barely more than a phantom, and then he turned and left her suite.

Then it was just her and Nash.

Adelina felt the muscles in her neck tighten. After their last conversation she didn’t know what he wanted from her now. A confirmation she was still alive?

Nash opened his mouth, but she beat him to it. “Does the fact that I am part courtesan disgust you?” she asked.

The thought hadn’t left her alone since her proposal and explanation. After everything – she was done waiting. Life was too short and precious to waste.

Immediately he closed his mouth and Nash shook his head. “No. It’s not the same with you. You don’t have that wretched scent.” The Corinthian took one step toward her and then stopped.

“Do you still love me, or did you fall in love with Kaita during your travels?” Adelina asked, studying the space still between them. “I would understand if you did. She’s truly a wonder.”

Nash shook his head and took another step closer. “No, I didn’t fall for Kaita. She is like a sister to me.”

Adelina raised her eyebrow, displeased with his half-answer.

“I still love you,” he gritted out, taking one more step. He was so close she had to crane her neck to look up at him, but Nash was careful not to touch her. “I would even say I’m desperately in love with you. The pain I’ve felt over these last few weeks only eases in your presence and I don’t know what to make of it. By all reason I should have left you when I found out about Varan and then lost the fight before I could officially challenge.”

This time Adelina stepped forward so she was pressed up against him. Nash hissed in a breath and she wrapped her arms around his waist. “You could still challenge me.”

He shook his head. “You and Varan are meant for each other.” The words contrasted with his actions as Nash trailed his hands up her arms to rest on her neck, holding her so gently. His thumb stroked her skin and Adelina felt more of her pain ease with his touch. “It would destroy you to be parted from him and I refuse to be the cause of that.”

“So where does that leave us?” she murmured, leaning into his touch.

“I have no idea,” Nash said, his voice husky. His eyes glittered and she could have sworn there was a rim of silver in them. “Right now all I know is this feels perfect and right. Anything more than that…I have no idea what the right choice is Adelina. The proposal – I can’t give you an answer just yet.”

His body language told her so much more than his words. Nash leaned down to breathe her in. “You still have a hint of vanilla,” he murmured, running his nose along her jaw.

Adelina turned her head to take his mouth. She slipped her tongue between Nash’s lips and relished in his groan. The Corinthian prince would be hers. It was only a matter of time and Adelina knew all about waiting – biding her time for the right opportunity.

Her entire life until recently she’d been powerless…and now she held all the power.

Adelina bit down hard enough to draw blood and then gently licked the wound on his bottom lip. She stepped back and clasped her hands before her. “I completely understand,” she told him. “The proposal doesn’t expire. Take all the time you need.”

Nash rubbed the drop of blood from his lip, stared at the red, and then looked at her with something close to shock – his desire clear by the bulge in his pants. Yes, she was fully aware she’d reclaimed him. The rest was up to him.

She watched him lick his lips and then he bowed. “Please, let me know if I can be of assistance,” Nash said. Then he straightened and left.

When the door slid closed behind him and she was alone once more. Adelina stared at the door for a long time.

Somehow all three males had taken a piece of her pain and she felt – almost normal. There was still the grief and the devastation she’d been too late, but…Adelina felt clearheaded and the pain wasn’t incapacitating or debilitating any longer.

Adelina wondered what else she could accomplish with all three of them by her side.

She still had to court Kaiden and get the test results from Ian for confirmation, but…there was still so much yet to do and for once Adelina didn’t feel anxious about it all. She had Varan and Kaiden and Nadyah to help her. She had people around her she could lean on – who she trusted and relied upon.

Whether Nash accepted her proposal or not – he was still hers and she still had an alliance to uphold.

Though it wasn’t just about the alliance anymore. The Neprijat owed Adelina vengeance for what they’d done and she had every intention of taking it from them.

* * *

Don’t miss Queen of Draga, the next book in the Draga Court series. Follow me so you don’t miss out on preorder and release notices.