CHAPTER EIGHT
Mindrin stuffed another pair of her pants into her travel case. She had nearly everything in her old quarters packed and ready to ship with her when she left. She couldn’t stay at the Falling Water Temple, even if they allowed it. How could she deal with all the looks, the pity, and the words whispered behind her back? She was going to miss it. It was impossible not to feel like she was running away, but she had caused enough trouble. When the media learned the peace accords had collapsed because the princes had married the wrong human, all hell would break loose.
She intended to be long gone before then. In fact, she intended to be halfway to the farthest outposts of the galaxy before then.
At least she wasn’t crying anymore, although her eyes were red and puffy and she looked like a trash fire. She could put this behind her without waterfalls from her eyes, get on a shuttle, and head to the space station in orbit above the planet. Even though part of her wished she’d had one last chance to say good-bye to Tyal and to Valdur.
She stepped into the corridor and locked her door behind her for the final time. Her travel case hovered alongside her as she began to walk, trying to keep her head high, but secretly hoping she didn’t see any of her coworkers or the monks. And especially Ishtali.
When she rounded the corner at the end of the hall, she drew up short, her eyes widening. Valdur was striding toward her, his expression like stone, looking as though he was ready to kick down any door that got in his way. Tyal was half a step behind Valdur, but there was no smile on his face this time.
She stood there, frozen, not knowing what to do. They shouldn’t even be in this section of the temple. If anything, Valdur walked faster, his eyes blazing.
She took a step backward. “Valdur, I—”
He grabbed her under the arms and lifted her up, pinning her against the corridor wall high enough so that her face was even with his. Then he captured her mouth with his. The fierce kiss left her breathless and her heart pounding hard. She was simultaneously ecstatic and staggered by the sudden change, not to mention all the feelings and hormones surging through her body, stirred by his scorching-hot kiss.
When Valdur finished the kiss, he gently lowered her to the ground but didn’t release her. Instead, he pulled her into his massive arms. She closed her eyes, emotions whirling through her too fast to single out, but she felt absolutely safe in his arms.
“My little human,” he said in his gruff voice. “I could not stay away from you.”
She stared into his dark eyes, still reeling from the kiss that had stolen her breath away.
Valdur went down on one knee in front of her, taking her hand in his big one, and his touch was gentle. “I have come to apologize to you, Mindrin Zeras Drakon Garios. I had no right to be angry with you. You kept your honor and did your duty, better than I did, I must admit. I am deeply proud to call you mate, to have you as my wife. I was the one who failed.”
“You didn’t fail,” she said quickly. His words had broken apart the thick knot of pain tangled inside her chest ever since he’d left her.
He stood again and gave her one of his rare smiles. “There you are wrong, my bride. But I was fortunate to have a blood-brother and mate like Tyal, who helped me see past my pride and understand the truth. The truth of our situation, the truth of how I feel about you. I was about to put everything at risk, even as I lost something very precious to me.” He traced a big finger along her cheek in a tender caress. “You.”
It was difficult to swallow, her throat was so tight. “But you know I’m not the perfect one for you. For either of you.”
“Stop. I don’t want to hear those words from your lips ever again. I’ve never trusted computers. They have no heart. How can they know what will heat a mar’don’s heart? How can they know love? You are perfect for me, for us, because I say you are.”
“I don’t know what to say…”
“Say you forgive me for being a stubborn mar’don fool of a prince. Say you will live with Tyal and me on Tritona. Say you will let me make it up to you every day for the rest of your life.”
She took a deep breath, blinking rapidly. “Okay. I’m saying all that.”
Tyal laughed and moved up beside her. He leaned in for a kiss, and she turned to him eagerly. As he drew away, he was smiling broadly. “It does my heart good to see my two mates in love. You are the one, Mindrin. No one else will do for us.”
She looked at Valdur again, overwhelmed by their words. “So this means you aren’t leaving?”
“Not unless you wish me to go. I promise I shall always be by your side. By both your sides.”
But even as her joy shot sky-high like a rocket, her fears and doubts rose up like gravity trying to pull it down again. Did she dare trust this? If either of them broke her heart and left her, she would be crushed beyond repair. And what happened when the world knew the truth. Ishtali would not keep silent.
“You’re apologizing to me,” she said, “but maybe I should be the one to ask you for forgiveness.”
His brows lowered, and he shook his head. “You have to ask for nothing. There is nothing to forgive.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. “I let pride get in the way. But the three of us stood there on that stage, in front of the galaxy, and we did our duty for peace. Now I want us to stand here together, just the three of us, and make vows to each other. Here is mine. Tyal, you will be closer to me than a brother. And Mindrin, I promise to love you as you deserve, every day of my life.” His usually intense eyes had softened with love, and the smile gracing his lips was beautiful. “You have shown the spirit of a mar’don. You never once turned your back on our binding, even though your choices were stolen from you.” He paused, taking a deep breath, but he never once looked away from her. “I want to give you back the choice now. If you wish to be let out of the treaty and your vows, for any reason, I swear on my honor that Tyal and I will marry this Ishtali, or whoever else the Terras Alliance puts forth. I swear there will be peace in the galaxy. But I won’t make you do anything. So you must choose. And let me be as clear as a perfect diamond, I want you to stay with us.”
“It’s said the mar’don do not have a gift for eloquence,” Tyal said. “But Valdur’s proved that wrong a thousand times over.” He leaned in and claimed her lips. When he ended the kiss, he stayed close, looking deep into her eyes. “If that kiss was not enough, let me say it aloud. I want you to stay with us. I promise to love you as you deserve, every day of my life.”
“But…but what about Ishtali? Or Commander Dolzen? And the media—”
Valdur laughed. It was a deep, rumbling sound that seemed to vibrate off the walls. “Little mate, you need only think of yourself and us. We are princes. We will deal with Commander Dolzen and Ishtali if necessary. And we know how to handle the media. Do not worry on their account.”
Her heart had filled with love and warmth. To know they had heard the truth of who she really was, from her lips, and they’d decided to stay with her anyway, meant more to her than she could ever say. She could not think of finer mates, husbands, lovers, and she knew that time would only make these feelings grow deeper than any ocean.
She looked at each of them in turn. “I promise to love you both as you deserve, every day of my life.”
The way they smiled at her words had her feeling like the luckiest princess in the universe.