Chapter Nine
Taryn finally managed to write out the entire set of symbols used in the Kelderan writing system on her flat pad computer screen. She might not be able to do much more than read them individually with a little bit of reminding from Evaine, but it was progress. Tackling the odd shapes of swirls and lines had distracted her for the last five hours and given her time to observe Kalahn.
Her initial observation that Kalahn was different than her brother hadn’t changed.
The princess nodded at Taryn’s work. “You’re both quick learners.”
Taryn leaned back in her chair. “Evaine is quicker with languages, but what I lack in natural ability, I make up with stubbornness.”
Kalahn smiled. “You sound like my brother Keltor.”
Not missing a beat, Taryn replied, “I’ve heard the name, but no one seems keen on discussing him with me.”
Kalahn shrugged. “He’s the heir. Talking about him could reveal a weakness and a possible threat to the throne.”
“And what about Kason? What can you tell me about him?”
“You seem to be cozy with my brother already. If you are a potential destined bride and he decides to keep you, you’ll have plenty of time to get to know him.”
“No one ‘keeps’ me.”
Kalahn tilted her head. “Your planet must be so very different from mine. I think you might actually be good for Kason. If anyone can try to change something through stubbornness, it’s Kason. He’s a good ally to have.”
“I’m sure his stubbornness hinders progress as well,” Taryn drawled.
Evaine spoke up. “If he had capitulated easily, we wouldn’t be here. I never would’ve been able to figure out this ship if we had succeeded in hijacking it.”
Taryn shot a look at her friend, telling her to keep quiet. For all of Evaine’s genius, she lacked the ability to keep a secret.
Kalahn’s eyes lit up. “I want to hear this story.”
She could see Kalahn becoming an ally. “Maybe tomorrow. This evening, I want to talk with Kason in private. Is that possible?”
“The computer’s security system is monitoring access to the door. If someone tries to leave without using a special code, the guards stationed nearby will come running,” Kalahn explained.
“Ah, but for a princess who managed to sneak onto a ship and stay hidden for over a week, bypassing that problem should be easy,” Taryn answered.
“I’m not about to risk getting into trouble for free. I have a proposition.”
Taryn had a feeling she wasn’t going to like Kalahn’s proposition, but she nodded. “Go on.”
“If I sneak you into Kason’s room without any problems, then I want you to convince him to let me join the colony.”
She raised her brows. “You seem confident that the negotiations will be successful.”
“None of the warriors will say it, but Keldera would greatly benefit by becoming allies with the Earth Colony Alliance. Kason knows this.”
“But Jasvar hasn’t had contact with Earth in over 200 years and certainly no contact with the ECA.”
“So? You are an Earth colony. That and your word will be enough to start the process.”
Taryn decided to try her luck and pushed. “Why do you need the alliance?”
“Except for Keldera, our corner of the galaxy is sparsely populated because of the lack of life-supporting planets. However, rumors have it that the Brevkan have been spotted at the edges of our star system in the last few months.”
She frowned. “Who are they and why is that important?”
Kalahn hesitated and then finally answered, “The Brevkan are our greatest enemies. The last time they visited our planet, the Kelderans and Brevkans ended up killing half of their respective armed forces.” Kalahn raised her chin. “But we were victorious in the end.”
“And now they want retribution,” Taryn stated.
“Yes. It’s not a matter of if, but when. With overpopulation, dwindling resources, and the rise of disgruntled factions, Keldera is not as unified as it once was. The warriors would never admit defeat, but I’m not entirely sure we can win again if Brevka attacked.”
“Isn’t sharing all of this with me violating some kind of law?”
Kalahn shrugged. “If Kason trusts you enough to bring you on board our spaceship, I trust you enough to share a little about our planet. The more you understand, the easier the negotiations will go.”
“And the greater the chance your dreams will come true.”
“Exactly.” Kalahn stood. “Now, do you still want to sneak into Kason’s room or not? Because we don’t have much time before he returns for his evening meditation.”
Taryn burned to ask more questions and gather information, but seeing Kason and ensuring his protection was more important. She looked to Evaine. “Will you be okay without me?”
“Do you even need to ask? As long as I can play with one of these tablet things and work on cracking the basic commands, I’m happy,” Evaine answered with a smile.
Kalahn moved to what looked like a metal wardrobe. “Then hurry up and follow me, Taryn.”
As Kalahn opened the doors, she moved to the princess’s side. “Are you really going to tell me that you have secret passages?”
Kalahn grinned. “The room next to a prince’s room always has a secret entrance for both security reasons and discretion.”
“Princesses too?”
“No. We’re to be chaste until gifted to a worthy male.” Kalahn shook her head. “Let’s hope I can leave Keldera before that happens.” Kalahn slipped inside the wardrobe, and Taryn heard a click. “Wait until I enter the security code.” The princess quickly disappeared into the other room. A few seconds later, she said, “Come.”
Taryn climbed inside the wardrobe and was soon inside a sparse room not much bigger than the one she’d come from. The bed, wardrobe, cushion on the floor and the entrance to a bathroom were the only things in the room. Nothing was personalized in any way. She wasn’t sure if it was because of Kason not wanting to reveal information or if it was the way of a high-ranking warrior.
Kalahn’s voice garnered her attention. “No one is allowed in Kason’s room except him and whomever he shares the access code with. Not even the head of security can access the logs without permission. You should be safe here.”
She moved back to the wardrobe and Taryn asked, “Are you going to share the code with me?”
“No. You need to talk with Kason and I don’t want you to back out.”
Before Taryn could do more than take a step, Kalahn disappeared into the wardrobe and Taryn heard a faint click.
She was trapped in Kason’s room.
That’s what you wanted, Demara. Taking a deep breath, she paced the length of the room. All she could do was wait.
~~~
Kason took the least populated route to his room, not wanting to run into anyone until after he’d showered, meditated, and eaten. Challenging a few other males during the practice session had released most of his stress, but Taryn was still on his mind. Her room was next to his, and the longer he ignored her, the more difficult it would be to concentrate on anything.
It might be considered a weakness, but he wanted to know how her language lessons were going. Not only that, but he also wanted to see how close Kalahn and Taryn were already. Those two together would cause trouble. He needed to figure out how to contain the pair of them.
He punched in the security code for his room and entered. The lights automatically came on. While there was nothing in sight, the hairs on the back of his neck said something was different.
Drawing the short sword at his side, Kason examined the bathroom, but it was empty. Since his bed had drawers underneath it, the only other hiding spot was the wardrobe. “Come out.”
The doors opened. He expected his sister to emerge, but the lithe form of Taryn Demara filled his vision. He switched to CEL. “What are you doing in here?”
“We need to talk.”
Confident she wouldn’t try to kill him since he was her ticket to Keldera, he sheathed his sword. “Go back to your room, human. I need to complete my evening meditation.”
“Why? Will you turn into a frog if you don’t?”
“I don’t know what a frog is, but meditation is necessary for cleansing my mind after physical activity. I recharge and can be ready for the next encounter or obstacle.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, but somehow Kason resisted looking at her plumped up breasts or he might not be able to focus on their conversation and get the human to leave. “You know, it’s hard to tease you when you can’t understand my jokes.”
“Or maybe you’re just not funny.”
“I’m quite funny, I assure you. We just need to work on your sense of humor.” She uncrossed her arms and took a few steps toward him. “But enough of that. You pretty much declared that you were going to avoid me, but we have unfinished business.”
“Oh? You’re on my ship, heading toward Keldera for talks. You are also safe and won’t be harmed.”
“But we both know that will only last another six days before you can toss me aside and wash your hands of me.”
He frowned. “You think so little of me.” He closed the distance between them and resisted the urge to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Besides, you’re the one who said you’d wait before offering your body to me.”
She placed her hands on his bare chest and the heat of her skin sent a sizzle down his spine. “Maybe I’ve changed my mind.”
As her feminine scent drifted to his nose, blood rushed to his cock. “You’re walking a fine line, human. If this is one of your little games, then you need to back off now.”
She tilted her head up, and the heat of her breath danced across his chin. “I want your protection, Kason. And if this is the only way to do it, I will.”
Her words were like a splash of cold water, and he retreated a few steps. “I said you must come to me willingly. Your mind still isn’t ready.”
Anger flashed in her eyes. “How do you know what my mind wants? And believe me, if I wasn’t willing, I wouldn’t be waiting alone in your quarters.”
“Then prove your mind is willing. Lie on the bed.”
“What?”
“Lie down. If your body responds to my touch and I can make you forget your name, we’ll complete the claiming.”
“Fine.” She muttered something he couldn’t hear as she marched to the bed. The sight of Taryn’s flushed cheeks and controlled movements stirred his cock a little more.
Then she plopped back on the bed and spread her arms and legs wide. The corner of Kason’s mouth ticked up at the sight.
The human noticed. “What are you laughing at now? Because I assure you I’m not in the mood for you to laugh at how much different my body is than a Kelderan female.”
In the next second, he stood beside the bed and stared down at her. “I have no other female in mind. You are different, yes. But I’m curious to see how different.”
She rolled her eyes. “This is definitely not how I thought this would go.”
He lightly traced her cheek. “What did you expect?”
“Honestly? Wild warrior sex.”
His finger moved down the side of her neck and down to the neckline of her dress. He could feel her heart racing. “There are times for wild sex. However, a female’s first time is not one of them.”
Heat flushed her cheeks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Dipping his fingers below her neckline, he lightly grazed the top of her breast with his nail and smiled when Taryn sucked in a breath. “It was a guess, but your cheeks give you away. You haven’t given your body to any male before me. I wonder why.” He stilled his finger. “Maybe you need a strong male to keep you in line.”
Taryn rolled to her side and stood on her knees on the bed. “Watch it, Prince. I’m this close to cutting off your balls and living with the consequences.”
“You won’t. That would endanger your people.”
With a growl, Taryn smacked his chest. “Stop being a logical asshole.”
He gripped her hands and kept them against his chest. “I’m not the one overreacting. You clearly like the feel of my fingers. Kiss me, and I’ll show you what else I can do.”
~~~
Taryn tried her best to keep her nervousness masked by anger. It was bad enough that Kason guessed she was a virgin, but she wasn’t entirely sure of what she was supposed to do.
Yes, she knew the basics. However, she didn’t have much in the way of tricks.
Kason’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Stop overthinking it. If this is how you make all of your decisions, you will probably die untouched.”
“Yes, because you’re such a spontaneous person yourself,” she drawled.
“Kiss me and I’ll show you one area where I can be.”
Between the huskiness of his voice and the heat in his eyes, she was confident he was attracted to her. Kason tro el Vallen may not have been her first choice when it came to sleeping with a man, but she was starting to think he was better than many.
With that thought, she tilted her head up. It was time to seal the deal so she could protect her planet.
Kason met her halfway and the second his warm, firm lips brushed against hers, Taryn sighed. Unlike the first time she’d kissed him, Kason didn’t hesitate. His arm circled around her waist and he hauled her against his body as he stroked the inside of her mouth. At the feel of his warm, hard chest against hers, Taryn moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Increasing the fervor of his tongue, Kason gently laid Taryn on her back and covered her body with his. Rather than feeling trapped, his weight on top of her caused heat to rush through her body to between her legs.
His hand snaked between them and cupped her breasts. As he rubbed his palm against her taut nipple, Taryn groaned, and Kason took the kiss deeper.
She forgot about her nervousness. Every cell in her body ached to feel Kason’s naked skin against hers.
However, before she could break the kiss to tell him, there was a loud chime that echoed in the room.
With a curse, Kason pulled away and stood next to the bed. “You need to leave.”
His dismissive tone cut through her lust haze. “What?”
“Go. You can’t be found here.”
While she knew it was the truth, his manner still stung. Edging off the bed, Taryn moved to the wardrobe. Careful to keep her voice even, she whispered, “I don’t know the code.”
In a flash, Kason opened the wardrobe and entered a code. The door chimed again. “Go.”
Not wasting a second, Taryn climbed through the short passage and exited into her room. Kalahn and Evaine both looked up from the tablet they were working on, but Kalahn was first to ask, “So? How did it go?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Taryn murmured before rushing into the bathroom.
Shutting the door, she leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths. Logically, she knew she couldn’t be found in Kason’s room. But the efficient, emotionless way he’d dismissed her had stung. The prince clearly saw their dalliance as a transaction, nothing more.
For a split second, Taryn had wondered if they could have had more in the long run, but that mistake wouldn’t happen twice. She’d sleep with Kason and never think of it again. The last thing she needed was to have her judgment clouded by lust or a hope for a lifelong partner. Jasvar was her family. She couldn’t let them down.