Chapter One
Taken Year: Five-point-five
Princess Saia Xochis sat with her hands clasped on her lap. She gripped them so tightly her fingernails bit painfully into her golden skin. With her chin pressed to her chest, she stared at the reddened indentations her nails made and wondered how long this meeting would last.
Beside her, Queen Fainia Xochis of Drazlan, her mother, spoke urgently. Her voice seemed to rise and fall with the emotion Saia was sure she felt. Loud to display her anger, nearly a whisper to display pain and hurt. Saia wanted to reach out and stroke her mother’s hand and tell her not to worry. But she held back. Showing her mother any amount of affection right now would only cause more trouble for them both.
Her father’s voice boomed, silencing her mother with a simple command. As always, his word was law. The last spoken and the only one that mattered.
“Saia!” King Olo Xochis called.
She startled at her name on her father’s lips.
Not lifting her head, she replied, “Yes, Your Highness?” using one of the names he preferred. She could have also called him “king” or “commander”, but the latter title was usually reserved for his royal guards. He wouldn’t have minded though, as long as she didn’t call him “father”. He didn’t want any of his children to call him father. Her older brothers, Taio and Kiehle, preferred to call him King Xochis. They didn’t mind it at all.
When she was younger she’d wished for him to change his mind and allow her to call him father. Other kids addressed their fathers as such and she felt it odd that she wasn’t allowed, but she had long since given up on those childish wishes.
“Are you paying attention or is your mind wandering again?”
Her nails bit into her flesh harder. She could feel them piercing through her skin.
Of course she was thinking of something else. From the moment he’d said, “Saia, I found a mate for you,” her mind had gone to another place, distant and safe.
“She has heard every word you have spoken,” her mother said harshly.
Not exactly.
“When I want you to speak, I will ask you to speak,” King Xochis replied, his voice a threatening, deep grumble.
“I have heard and I understand, Your Highness,” Saia said, replying before her mother said something that would cause her to be struck.
“You do not have long to prepare for the arrival of your mate-to-be.”
Saia inhaled a shaky breath. Mate-to-be.
He continued on as if he hadn’t brought her world as she knew it to a halt. “Lord Ranuit Pi had thought to send a female from his clan to acclimate you to his culture.” She heard the king bristle in his chair. “Ridiculous. I wouldn’t want him on Drazlan for an extended amount of time. Why would I allow a female heathen to stay?”
“I would prefer if the female came,” her mother offered. “We don’t know much about the Zumagala species. I for one would appreciate a lesson.”
“Humph. I’ve seen this female. She has no good qualities whatsoever. She’s as ugly as a Trnornin slime worm. No. I have informed him that Saia has been trained since she was an infant on how to run a royal household. As far as I’m concerned, he can pick her up on this very day.”
Her mother gripped Saia’s arm, as if it would keep her from leaving.
Saia’s hands strained against her own paralyzing grip. She silently prayed Olo’s words didn’t hold any truth—she didn’t want to leave today. But she also didn’t let him see how badly his statement affected her. “Yes, Your Highness. I will be ready to receive my mate when he comes to get me.”
If I were a male, I’d never be forced to bond. Taio had been well into forty birth cycles before wedding his mate, Eva. Kiehle was in his mid-thirty birth cycles and remained single. If she were a male, she would have the freedom to do whatever she chose. And as the third male, she could spend her time traveling and exploring the universe.
Saia had often wished she were a male. On Drazlan, males grew up to be great warriors while the females held no power at all. By the rules of her culture, Saia would never make decisions for herself. Olo held that right. If he were to die, her oldest brother would oversee her life until she could bond and then that responsibility would belong to her mate. She would always be at the mercy of a male.
She’d spent the past nineteen birth cycles at the mercy of Olo, and soon she’d be under Lord Ranuit Pi’s rule.
Taio would never make me bond against my will.
But I’m not Taio’s responsibility.
Even if her brother wanted that responsibility, her father would never release her to him. When she had reached fifteen birth cycles and was coming of age, Taio had petitioned Olo to become her protector. Her mother had agreed to it and tried her best to convince Olo to approve Taio’s proposal. It seemed as though Olo would say yes; he’d forced negotiations that had dragged on and on, until he’d ultimately declined. Taio had been furious, but legally there had been nothing he could do. Saia had so hoped Olo would release her, but there had always been that feeling deep down inside that he would never let her go, and that feeling had been right.
Taio and Olo had endured a very strained relationship since before Saia was born. When Taio had turned of age, Olo had given him the once-desolate moon of Sonis as a gift. From what Saia understood, Olo had been pleased to get rid of the responsibility of caring for Sonis. But unbeknownst to him, underneath the intense heat and dry sand lay one of the largest gold deposits in the galaxy. Now Sonis was its own very wealthy world, with Taio as the ruler. That made him very powerful in his own right. Taio was still Prince of Drazlan and heir to the Drazlan throne, but he was also King of Sonis.
Olo had tried to take Sonis back by force, but Taio outsmarted him. By the time Olo found out about the moon’s riches, Ship, an entity who was as old as time—and Taio’s best friend and confidant—had fortified Sonis’ defenses, making the moon one of the securest worlds in the galaxy. With each passing rotation, Taio only improved his defense systems.
Though Taio loved her with all of his heart, he would not go against the customs and beliefs he’d grown up with. And even if, by some small chance, he decided to defy their laws and take her away from Olo, the Galactic Council, the peacekeepers of the galaxy, would get involved and make Taio return her. The Galactic Council wouldn’t care about the reasons why she was removed from Olo’s care. Their only concern would be upholding the laws of the Drazlonian culture.
And as an esteemed council member, Taio, of all people, was expected to follow the rules.
“You have been ready since you were seventeen cycles, when you came of age,” Olo said. His chair creaked underneath him, suggesting he had reclined. “I’ve waited long for this day. It took patience and determination to secure the right match. But I succeeded. I knew I would find a more prosperous match than Raffi.” He laughed, which always made her cringe. There was nothing joyful or graceful about the sound that sent waves of panic through her veins. “That fool didn’t think I would find another mate for you. One that was better suited.”
Saia closed her eyes as her heart knotted in her chest. She hadn’t loved Raffi. But there had been a mutual respect. The time they’d spent together had been good. They’d talked about shared interests and traveling.
Admittedly, she had only seen Raffi as a way to get off Drazlan and away from Olo. He wasn’t a king or prince on his planet. He was a diplomat, which to her was prestigious enough. Raffi promised that wherever he traveled, she could come along as well. That promise had given her hope of finally being free to see the galaxy and no longer having to rely on research files and holograms of distant worlds to fuel her passion.
With a heavy heart, she accepted that the bond with Lord Ranuit Pi likely wouldn’t consist of love or mutual respect. She didn’t pretend her bond would be anything other than what it was supposed to be. As Olo had just explained, their bond would solidify an alliance between Drazlan and Syntorian. Lord Ranuit Pi would receive access to the Drazlan royal guards and Olo would receive ample gold.
“Saia, raise your head,” Olo commanded.
She opened her eyes and watched as small trickles of blood made slow paths down her hands from where her nails had sliced into her skin. She took a deep breath and raised her head.
Olo sat in his royal chair opposite her. He wore his traditional royal attire, a hand-woven robe that covered him from neck to ankles. Jewels had been sewn into the fabric with painstaking care. His large fingers sparkled with rings mounted with more hefty gems. An expansive medallion with the Drazlan royal crest was draped around his neck.
As with all the men on Drazlan, Olo Xochis was large in stature and muscular. He wore his white hair pulled back with a tie. The intricate tattoo of an aereno, a ferocious animal with sharp claws and teeth, was etched on one side of his face and extended down his neck. Although she had never seen the full design, she knew it would continue to his chest and torso. All males who came of age underwent an enlightenment ceremony, during which their spirit animals were revealed and tattooed on their bodies. Afterward the males were considered warriors, no longer children.
His dark-green eyes narrowed on her. “You will not disgrace my family or my planet, do you understand?”
From the time she was a child, he’d repeated those words. She’d learned that bringing disgrace to his family name was a crime in the highest order. She lived in constant fear of Olo taking offense to something she’d said or done. “His” family name was to be protected at all times.
“I will try my best to please you, Your Highness.”
He leaned forward in his chair and reflexively she leaned back in hers. “You will do better than your best. Disgrace me and I will make you pay,” he seethed.
Her hands trembled as she stared back at him. Sweat and blood made them slick. “I understand.”
“Good. Now that it’s settled, you have a bonding ceremony to plan, Fainia.”
Saia blinked rapidly in succession and turned to her mother, who seemed equally surprised.
“Ranuit Pi will allow for a proper bonding ceremony?”
“Yes, of course. He may be a heathen, but we are not.” King Xochis humphed. “From the information I’ve gathered, his clan doesn’t participate in a formal ceremony that bonds mates to each other.” He watched Saia intently when he continued, “In his species, the female consumes the male’s ejaculate and is his forever. It is said the Zumagala can control their mates through their ejaculate.”
Saia shuddered. Her stomach churned. Tears welled in her eyes.
He smiled. She had given him the reaction he’d hoped for. “You will tell me if this is true. It would prove very interesting if it is,” he added.
“Olo!” her mother cried.
He didn’t seem to think anything wrong with his statement. “What did you expect? She will be that heathen’s whore,” he offered with a shrug.
Saia closed her eyes and swayed. Heathen’s whore.
She’d listened to Olo rant and rave about how Ranuit Pi was a warmonger. His planet, Syntorian, had the newest technologies and defense systems but aside from that, the clan scrounged for basic living necessities. The very reason for their existence was to win a war that had lasted for over twenty generations. Ranuit Pi, like his ancestors, knew nothing else.
Now she was his.
The thought of it made her shake. Her mother’s hand grabbed hers and squeezed gently.
Her father peered at their entwined hands in disgust. His mouth snarled into a hateful frown. “I’ll be glad to see you leave.”
Saia’s breath caught in her throat. She’d always suspected as much, but to actually hear him say the words… It hurt.
Fainia released Saia’s hand and jumped to her feet. Her gown rustled around her. “Don’t you dare speak to her that way!”
Saia pulled on Fainia’s arm. “It’s okay, Mother,” she said, her voice trembling. “Please, sit back down.”
Fainia pulled her hand away. “She is your daughter,” she hissed at Olo. “You treat your whores better than you do her.”
She clutched her mother’s gown and pulled. “Please. Don’t make him upset—”
Olo Xochis flew to his feet and in one fluid movement, stretched across the table and backhanded Fainia. The crack thundered throughout the room. The blow sent her flying back, knocking over her chair. She fell to the floor, landing in an awkward position.
“Mother!” Saia ran to her side and lay on top of her, shielding her from another blow. “Please stop!” she begged. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “She will plan the bonding ceremony and I will leave.”
In a flash, he was standing over them. His medallion clinked against the gold buttons sewn down the center of his robe as his chest rose and fell with each enraged breath. He balled his fists at his sides. With hatred-filled eyes, he watched them. “I am tired of looking at both of you,” he snarled. Then his gaze locked on Saia’s. “Most of all you.”
Why do you hate me so much?
She wanted to ask. But instead she turned away from his cold, hard stare.
Her mother held her close and cried on her shoulder. “I am so sorry, my love,” she whispered.
“Sorry for what, exactly?” King Xochis seethed. “Hmm? Sorry for being a whore? Sorry for giving me a worthless daughter? You are pathetic, my mate.”
Sobs racked her mother’s body.
Saia buried her face in Fainia’s hair. Was this how her life would turn out? Mated to a male who would hold her in such ill-contempt? Why couldn’t she have a true love, like that shared by Taio and Eva? All of the countless times she’d prayed to the Ancients seemed to be for nothing.
Her life wouldn’t be much different than her mother’s. She was doomed.
King Xochis kept his hateful scorn focused on them. “I know how you feel about me. And I feel the same way about you.” He hauled back and gave Fainia a hard kick on her leg. She yelled out in pain.
Saia put her hand out. “Stop! Please, Father, stop.”
Without warning, she felt a hard smack against her face. His rings cut painfully into her cheek. She fell over as her vision blurred. Pain seared through her senses.
“Never call me that again,” he growled.
“I’m so…sorry, Y-Your Highness,” Saia stuttered, before the metallic taste of blood coated the inside of her mouth.