The medicine in the Draga galaxy was better than anything Nash had ever seen. It took him only two days to heal internally from the blast that had struck him down. The skin on his shoulder was still tender and raw, but with another treatment he should be back to fighting condition. The shimmer of scar tissue would look cycles old.

The gift of healing was rare among his people and never allowed one to heal their own self. Nash would need another of his own people who was a healer to do what a simple, common Draga procedure had been able to accomplish. The Khara medical science was barbaric in comparison.

It had been days and he hadn’t seen Adelina since. If she’d tried to visit him he wasn’t aware of it, but he knew it was too dangerous. Raena’s decree to keep them separated hadn’t disappeared simply because they were allies now.

Nash would never forget that brief moment in time when he’d been able to hold Adelina in his arms as if they were lovers, as if she hadn’t sacrificed everything for him. Then that courtesan had ushered her out in such a hurry. Moments later the king and the crown princess had visited. Nash hadn’t dared seek Adelina out since.

He’d been released from the hospital that morning. Just in time to attend Adelina’s coming-of-age party. The physicians had been worried about his slow healing, but Nash had pushed them into a follow up instead of monitoring him there. They were nervous as he was the only Corinthian they’d ever treated.

Nash tugged his shirt on, careful of his wounds. After the reigning monarch and heir had ensured his health and safety, they’d left him with one of their royal guards. The male had been permanently assigned despite having arrested the bastard who had shot him. The guard made using stealth tech damn near impossible until the sun set. And the blasted thing didn’t set until midnight during the summer apparently. The first night Nash had thought he was going mad when the sun began to rise again only a few hours later.

Despite the constant presence of light and heat, the palace stayed relatively cool. Carved, lattice windows shaded his small sitting room and the shadows cast a beautiful pattern on his floor. Nash buttoned the light spidersilk shirt as he contemplated how to talk to Adelina before the party.

Princess Adelina’s coming-of-age party was only a few hours away and would begin the moment the sun set. Nash glanced out the window and noted the way the shadows had already begun to lengthen. Nash buckled on his plasma sword. He was finally able to wear it now that he was vetted and granted sanctuary from his longtime allies, the Royal Dragas.

Knowing their shield closed around him made Nash itch to leave. He didn’t like being trapped inside a bubble that could burst at any moment. The shield was nothing more than a tomb, holding them all until the Neprijat cracked it open like an egg and sucked out the sweet contents like the weasels they were.

Now that he had full access to his starship and equipment, including the contingent of warriors he’d been on patrol with, finding out information on his people had been easier though not simple.

The Princess Kaita was on the planet Seprilles and in hiding. He hadn’t been able to contact the thief Varan for more information on her. The genetic ping he’d sent out didn’t have the range for Nash to get accurate intel on her precise location, and every day that passed the shield around the Draga galaxy closed even further. Soon it would shroud the entire galaxy, closing them off from the Neprijat as well as any potential allies.

Nash would have to decide what to do about the prince and princess in the Hai galaxy hiding among the dragons, and soon – before he was trapped in this galaxy without the option to return.

When he exited his room, the Draga royal guard outside his door followed. Maybe he could get the crown princess to agree to let his second-in-command guard him and not some male he didn’t know. Nash glanced down at the guard. He doubted the male could actually protect him – being half as small as Nash himself.

An idea came to mind. It would grate, but it would get Nash close enough to Adelina they could talk. “Could you take me to the royal guard, Alpha? I owe him my gratitude for saving my life.” It annoyed Nash that Alpha had been the one who had saved him – the same male who looked at Adelina as though she were his.

With a nod and a quick request through his implant they were on their way through the west wing of the palace, out of the guest area, and heading towards Alpha’s location. Alpha was almost always by Adelina’s side, and if he wasn’t he knew where she was. As soon as they found the guard, Nash would find the princess.

The massive, twelve-story dome in the center atrium of the palace always bustled with servants, nobles, courtiers, and a thousand other people busy doing their jobs. Nash remembered his first visit to the Draga Royal Palace clear as day. He had been a few cycles younger and in awe of the delicate architecture, the dome, the lattice windows, and the curved arches. The beauty of the Draga Palace was beyond compare, even to his own home. The entire palace was covered in marble, gold, and gems worth a thousand kings’ ransoms. Nash shook his head. The opulent lifestyle the Dragas had was beyond him.

Oh he had luxury, but technology had always been the luxury of his galaxy.

“Guard Alpha is in the Opal State Room,” Nash’s assigned guard said, indicating the double doors in front of them. With a wave of his hand they swept open of their own accord and he stood aside to let Nash pass.

Nash’s eyes swept over every detail, detecting all the exits and entrances, the windows and where exactly they were located on the palace grounds. Nash knew the plas-glass was nearly indestructible but some of his tech could shatter it with a specific frequency if the need arose.

There were only three other people in the State Room and one of them Nash didn’t recognize. Instantly he tensed, on alert.

“Here is the piece you requested,” the old man said. He was borderline rude as he thrust a black velvet box towards Princess Adelina. “The other order has been delivered to the servants as requested.”

Adelina accepted it with a warm and friendly smile. “Thank you, Calix. I appreciate you taking the time to do this yourself more than you could ever know.”

Nash almost growled as she went to open it. He stalked forward. How dare her guard not even check? It could be poisoned or rigged to explode. “Allow me, Princess.” Nash snagged the box. Adelina merely raised an amused brow and allowed him to take it from her.

With a feral smile he ran his hand over it. The implant in his hand detected no poisons or explosives. He turned it over to be sure and then handed it back to Adelina. “Can never be too careful,” Nash said as he grinned at the old man.

Oddly the stranger didn’t even blink. He simply rolled his eyes and waved an aged hand for the princess to open the box. “You always have such enchanting friends, Lina,” Calix muttered.

Nash zeroed in on Calix’s eyes and face. There was more to their relationship than some old jeweler she’d purchased something from. ‘Lina’ was only called that by specific people who were either family, or who knew of her secret life outside the palace.

The gorgeous princess only smiled when she lifted the lid, as if they all amused her. “Oh,” she breathed. “This is wonderful Calix, you’ve outdone yourself.”

The old man blustered as his cheeks reddened with pleasure. “You know I don’t take commissions anymore. It’s your fault I had to work on this. You know I’m not allowed to refuse a royal command.”

“You enjoyed it,” Adelina said callously, picking up the golden circlet and inspecting it in the light.

Nash had to admit the piece was beautifully crafted, done by a master. He inspected the old man again. Or perhaps even a guild-master. Diamonds caught the light and Nash briefly wondered what she would wear it with, or what it might look like if she wore the crown and nothing else.

He shook his head to clear those images that would lead him down a dangerous path he couldn’t afford to take. No matter how much he may want to.

Every time he learned something new about Adelina it set his blood on fire. She was so much more than a beautiful, demure princess. Yes, she was truly submissive, but that wasn’t all. His blood told him there was more underneath the surface than a submissive and he’d seen the spark in her enough to know it was well hidden. Although she seemed rather oblivious of it and the way it made the people around her react.

Even this grumpy old man felt it and she drew him in like a bee to honey. Calix couldn’t help but serve her, and apparently protect her. Adelina did not trust many with her secrets.

“Calix, you’re a wonder. This piece will be worn my entire life and passed down through the generations. Your work deserves to be loved.” Adelina bent down and kissed the old man’s cheek before putting away the piece and handing it to her guard.

Nash tucked his hands in his pockets and watched the exchange silently. Calix pretended to brush her off but it was obvious he was pleased with the praise. It seemed to be a familiar game as Adelina was well aware of his prickly nature hiding the gentleness inside.

“I will see you tonight?” she asked as she walked with the jeweler to the doors of the Opal State Room.

Their conversation grew indistinct as Nash turned to Alpha. The two males studied each other. Both of them wary and both prickled at the presence of another dominant male ready to make a claim. Adelina would make her own choice, but Nash wasn’t sure how much of a competitor her guard was and that set him on edge. They did things differently in Draga and he still didn’t always understand their rules about love.

“I wanted to thank you for what you did on the balcony,” Nash finally said. It was difficult to get the words out, but he did mean them.

Alpha nodded and held out his arm. Nash inspected it and then decided making friends with Adelina’s guard would make life easier for him in the long run. He wasn’t ready to give her up yet, no matter what Raena demanded or decreed. He clasped Alpha’s arm tight. Now they were allies instead of enemies; a step in the right direction.

“Is there something I can help you with, Prince Nash?” Adelina asked softly.

Nash whirled around. Even with his advanced hearing he hadn’t heard her approach. She was one to look out for, but it seemed only he and a handful of people were aware of that. “Actually yes, I wanted to speak with you about your party tonight.”

Adelina held up a hand. “Before you say anything, I actually wanted to ask a favor of you,” she said quietly. She was so cool and distant it instantly aggravated Nash.

“Would you please escort me to my coming-of-age party?”

It was the last thing Nash expected her to say. The question threw him so off guard he simply stared. Even her guard looked at her as though she’d lost her mind. Nash frowned. “You do not have an escort already?” The party was merely hours away, how did such a thing even happen?

For whatever reason her expression grew sad and she studied her black fingernails. He did not like that she was upset. Nash knew he wasn’t going to enjoy what he was about to hear either.

“I had one, but he stepped back from the position after he felt it was no longer appropriate. Nadyah also declined as she said it would give the wrong impression.” The princess glanced at her guard and finally he understood.

This male was the one who’d broken her heart. Alpha was no longer her escort because it would not sit well to have a former lover escort a princess who had just become of age to marry. The goodwill he felt towards her guard dissipated as his anger swelled. Nash took a slow breath to rein it in. That was why the guard looked at her as he did. Not because she was his to claim, but because she had been his once, and he would pass judgment on those who would try to claim her now.

He wanted to rip Alpha to pieces and shake sense into that courtesan for refusing. The little fighting exercises with the princes earlier hadn’t been enough to take his violent edge off. Nash would need a better source to get his aggressive nature out naturally. It would not do to lose his temper among the delicate nature of these people.

Nash took another deep breath as Adelina watched him with curiosity. “I do not think having me escort you would give a good impression either…” he said. “It might make certain statements to your people you would rather not say.”

Was he really denying her as well? Nash was annoyed at himself, but he had to give her the option to refuse. If he accepted too readily it could be seen as a power grab and that was the last thing he wanted her to think of him. “Not to mention Raena expressly forbid you to be alone with me,” he reminded her.

“I agree,” Alpha said. Of course he would.

Adelina glared at Nash.

There was the fire he craved. The ferocity of it made him shudder. Her look had him willing to beg to serve, to hand over his life if she would take him. To serve such a delight would be a pleasure that couldn’t compare.

“Alone Prince, we would not be alone among the guests. Leave Raena to me.”

Nash bowed low. He stayed in that position as he gathered the words he needed. “If it is your desire to have me as escort, I would gladly accept.” Nash waited for her exasperated growl before standing with a pleased grin. He loved to rile her up.

Adelina laughed and reached out. He took her hand without thinking and then cursed himself for such foolishness. They couldn’t afford to be seen like this. He didn’t even want to know the consequences of having him escort her, but he would do as she commanded. Nash trusted her to know what she was doing.

Ever since he’d made the proposal for her to consider him as a possible marriage option Nash had been conflicted. He’d offered blindly, with nothing in return for her hand but the promise to reclaim his kingdom. Those words had been rash, but not as much as what she had done for him – what she had given up for him.

“Come to my rooms in two hours,” she instructed.

His knees trembled and Nash felt oddly vulnerable. He didn’t understand this reaction, but it made him want to kneel down and taste the princess at her core until she begged him to stop. Their attraction only seemed to build until he had as much choice as the moons did to Draga Terra’s gravity.

With sheer force of will he locked his knees and shrugged. “As you wish.” Nash turned and left the Opal State Room as quickly as he could.

One of these days he would break the rules and take her. Then both their lives would be forfeit. Was she really worth all this trouble? He glanced back and saw how she watched him, the barely hidden hunger in her eyes. His pants were suddenly tight and Nash headed straight for the gymnasium.

Working the edge off and then taking a cold shower was exactly what he needed if he was somehow going to make it through the entire night without ripping her clothes off.