Chapter Twenty-One
Moira terminated the call she’d just made. Umar was too confident in her loyalty to him. As time passed, the unease of her betrayal had grown. As many of Umar’s loyalists, Moira had been plucked from a life of obscurity and thrust into one of extreme privilege.
Her father passed away when she and her sister were young children. Her mother had toiled long hours in the factory making parts for Mercanis Shipping and Hauling. It hadn’t taken long for both her and her sister to follow suit.
It had been more than a dream come true when Umar approached her to be the princess’s personal aide. She had sworn her loyalty to him without second thought. What had the royal family ever done for her or her family? She owed more to Umar than to Princess Sa’Mya.
But as time went on it became very apparent Princess Sa’Mya’s life was not all Umar had led her or the rest of Laconia to believe. There were no endless parties, balls, attendants or prestige. He kept Princess Sa’Mya prisoner in her own home, with little to no outside contact.
Not only had she eventually come to enjoy Sa’Mya’s company but she also found herself pitying the princess.
The princess only had three people she could rely on. Umar had one locked in his personal quarters, one was dead and the other was a traitor.
She had sat by idly as Umar killed innocents.
No more.
In the beginning she had no problem with looking the other way. So long as she had enough credits to take care of her mother and sister.
She now realized that she had filled their accounts with tainted funds. She was a disgrace to her father’s name. She was a disgrace to her kingdom and to her planet.
It had been an easy decision to contact King Taio. She’d spoken with him directly and relayed not only the past day’s events to him, but also the treatment Princess Sa’Mya had endured since Moira came to the royal palace.
Umar forbade her from having anything to do with Sa’Mya anymore, but it wouldn’t matter anyway. Once he found out what she’d done, Umar would kill her.
* * * * *
Sa’Mya scanned the room with blurry vision. The family portrait painted before her parents’ death hung above the fireplace. Her father’s old sword hung on the far wall. Her mother’s favorite quilt draped across Sa’Mya’s favorite couch.
The few items Nebin had thought to save for her when her parents died were reminders of who they were and what they had stood for. Family, security, loyalty and love. She was home, in her private rooms on Laconia.
As she inconspicuously looked around, she tried not to stir. She didn’t know who could be in her room with her. Besides her breathing, the only other noise came from the wind howling outside her window. Otherwise, her room was quiet and dim.
The night cast long, dark shadows across her furniture. She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep.
Was it morning or evening?
She peeked behind her. The slight movement caused her head to spin. No one there either. As far as she could tell, she was alone. She slipped out of bed and steadied herself on wobbly legs. What had he done to her?
Sa’Mya tiptoed to her door and placed an ear against it. She listened for sounds of someone standing on the other side. All was quiet. She turned the knob slowly, finding it unlocked. She cracked it open and peered out to the empty hallway.
She took the emptiness as a sign of good luck. As she ran down the hallway, she made sure not to bump into the pedestals of fresh flowers that lined it.
She didn’t stop as she made it to the wide spiral stairs. She raised her gown to her knees and bounded straight to the bottom and into the main gathering room. She was used to finding the elaborately furnished room empty. Nebin and Moira had been the only two people who had ever occupied the room on a consistent basis. She ran to the double doors that led out to the main palace.
Locked. But she’d expected that.
She tugged harder at the door. It wouldn’t budge.
I’m trapped.
She ran to the communication panel.
Who should I call? Is there anyone loyal to the crown anymore? she wondered in a panicked state of mind.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she read all the preset buttons. There wasn’t one person she could find to help her.
She gathered her composure and selected the intercom that would announce her words throughout the palace. “This is Princess Sa’Mya. I am the only ruling authority on Laconia. By my decree, my Uncle Umar is to be considered an enemy of the crown. All who follow him will be exiled or put to death. I will—”
The sadistic laughter that came from the speakers interrupted her. “Save your speech. I disabled your communications privileges,” Umar said. “All communication coming to or leaving your rooms now goes through me.”
He laughed again. “I am glad you’re finally awake and feisty as ever. I was getting worried we might have given you too much synthine.”
“Y-You drugged me?”
“It was a necessary evil. You were quite hysterical. Why, with the death of that beast you call a guard and all.”
She leaned on the wall. The pain in her heart forced her knees to weaken. “Nebin, but why?”
“We couldn’t take him with us, now could we? We would have never been able to move forward with Nebin hanging around.”
“Where is everyone else?” she asked, her hysteria bubbling over again.
“Don’t get yourself worked up. Moira has a new assignment. It’s a shame really, she was such a good informant, but now that she has been found out, I decided her services could be used elsewhere.”
“Yazmine? Where is she?”
“Ahh, Yazmine. You have such good taste. I’ve decided to keep the Sonian for myself. I’m breaking her in, but she’ll work out nicely.”
Sa’Mya’s heart dropped to her stomach. Yazmine didn’t deserve to become another one of her uncle’s whores or worse yet, Antony’s.
Kane. “What have you done to the humans?” she whispered.
“The humans are all in the dungeon. We can deal with them after your coronation.”
She held her breath. They were alive.
For now.
The dungeon was no more than her uncle’s personal torture chamber. A place he took anyone who didn’t follow his commands. Her uncle sent many of the reassigned palace staff there as permanent residents. Kane and his crew wouldn’t last long down there. Getting them out would have been a hard task before. Now, with no one to help her, it would be near impossible.
“You’ll never get away with this. I’m not yours to control anymore.”
Umar laughed. “Oh, I suspect you’ll do anything I wish with a little synthine in your system. Your new maids will be there to see you in the morning. They will prepare you for your coronation and to give you your next dose. Happy birth cycle, Queen.”
* * * * *
“Wake up, little one.” Eva felt the brush of lips across her brow. “I have to leave but I’ll be back.” Taio’s voice dripped with a promise of sex.
Eva yawned and stretched lazily. Her tired and sore muscles objected. More tender in some places than others. Three days of straight lovemaking would do that to a girl. She smiled as a large, firm hand palmed one of her breasts and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“That feels good.”
Eva opened her eyes to the most beautiful male in the universe. Her husband, King Taio Xochis, had an enlightenment tattoo of a varitizar rising from underneath his shirt and up his neck. The varitizar’s dark-blue arm had red scales on it and its claw wrapped around his right eye. He was staring at the breast he had freed from her nightgown. He pulled the larger than normal nipple between his lips.
“Umm,” she moaned.
He was already dressed. His black hair was slicked away from his face and held with a tie. He wore a black skin-suit that looked as though it had been poured onto his golden, seven-foot-six-inch frame. All three-hundred-plus pounds of it.
“This was almost the perfect way to wake up.” She raised his head so his lavender-colored eyes could meet hers. “Except for the part about you leaving.”
They had been bonded for a day and back in each other’s arms for three. After being separated from him for the past six months, she had no intention of letting him out of her sight anytime soon.
“Trust me. If I didn’t have to go, I wouldn’t. I had plans for this little human body of yours.” He playfully nipped at her sensitive nipple.
“I’m ready to pop. My pregnant body isn’t so little anymore. Besides, I have plans for you too.”
“Your plans will have to wait until after I return from Laconia.” He kissed her gently on her lips.
“Why do you have to go there?” she asked. She screwed up her face. Isn’t that where Princess…
“It seems Princess Sa’Mya is in serious trouble.”
Eva rolled her eyes. Why wasn’t she surprised that the bitch princess was in trouble?
“I know how you feel about her but I have to go. Her uncle has been keeping her hostage on her planet. He’s been playing king, ruling her planet in her name. I have to help as a Galactic Council member and as her friend.”
Eva crossed her arms and looked away. “Humph.” Sa’Mya had been the reason she left Sonis in the first place.
“Little one, don’t be upset. She did release me from our bonding contract so I could mate with you.”
Taio was right. Sa’Mya could’ve forced Taio to honor their contract. But she hadn’t. That one act of kindness had allowed Taio to come after her. Reluctantly, she was grateful to Sa’Mya for allowing that.
“Okay. What’s going on?” she asked.
If Sa’Mya was in some kind of trouble, Taio was the perfect person to help. His royal guards were famous, fierce warriors. Taio also had another advantage. His best friend Ship was a powerful entity that was old as time.
Taio sat up and straightened. His muscles rippled under his suit. His sinful body caused her mind to conjure up a million naughty little thoughts. Three of which she could do before he left for Laconia.
“Twenty cycles ago, a royal vessel carrying Sa’Mya’s parents, her uncle, aunt and twenty-five royal aides and advisors blew up. Everyone onboard died. Her Uncle Umar has admitted his part in that.”
Eva inhaled sharply.
“All those people had to lose their lives so he could rule Laconia through the next heir in line,” Taio continued.
“Princess Sa’Mya,” Eva whispered.
“She’s been living under his thumb all this time. And from what Moira has told me, he’s been systematically killing anyone he deemed as a threat to his power. His last victim was her personal guard Nebin.”
Eva remembered the guard. The giant had towered over even Taio and his men. The imposing male had been a constant figure at Sa’Mya’s side. “Is he planning to kill her?”
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t put it past him. Right now he needs her alive. He forged her name on a bonding contract to his son. If he gets an heir, she’s as good as dead.”
“I’m going too.” Eva scooted off the other side of the bed and waddled to her closet. It was bigger than the meager apartment she used to have in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Taio jumped to his feet. “You will not! You and my unborn child are staying here where it’s safe.”
She ran a hand over her old training suit, wishing she could fit into it once again. It would be the first item she put on after she gave birth. Reluctantly, she reached for one of the billowy gowns the other Sonis females wore.
Mazel, Taio’s personal assistant, kept the closet stocked with rows of the gowns. There were only three training suits hanging in their midst. She used to have more but she was convinced Mazel had been systematically sneaking them away and discarding them.
“I’ll be fine,” Eva yelled out from the spacious closet. “If what you say is true she’ll need a shoulder to cry on.” She exited the room and peered at her mate. “It won’t matter that she released you from your contract. I’ll kill her if she thinks to cry on yours.”
Taio crossed his arms across his chiseled chest. “Somehow I don’t see you lending her your shoulder.”
Eva shrugged. “I owe her. Plus I want to go.”
After disrobing, she slipped into the blue gown. Now she had to find matching shoes that would fit her swollen feet. She went back into the closet.
Taio followed close on her heels. “No, and that’s final. Her uncle has no problem killing royalty, even his own sister. I won’t risk you being in harm’s way.”
Eva held up two different pairs of shoes and inspected them. “If it will make you feel better, I’ll take my jango.” She took the body-length, metallic sword everywhere she went, strapping it to her back.
“No! You’re my mate and you’re pregnant. The fact that you’re in a situation that makes you have to carry a weapon will not make me feel better.”
Eva wasn’t moved by his outburst. If she’d learned anything about her mate, it was that he had two speaking tones, loud and louder. “Taio, nothing would ever happen to me. I have you to protect me.”
“What if something happened to me?” He leaned over and wrapped his powerful arms around her.
“Rasha will protect me,” she said, matter-of-factly, referring to the head of his royal guard.
“And what if something happens to Rasha?” Taio held her tight and slowly rocked her.
“Jor’Dan will protect me.” The guard under Rasha wouldn’t let anyone touch her.
“And what if something happens to Jor’Dan?” He planted kisses on the top of her head.
Eva looked up at him. “Who are you kidding? Ship would electrocute anyone who threatened the welfare of this child. That’s more than enough.”
When she had decided to leave Sonis, Ship had chosen to go with her. He not only served as her protector but as her friend and companion.
In fact, he was the closest thing to a father figure she’d ever had. So much so, she had asked him to give her away at their bonding ceremony. The entity had left the safe confines of the electrical currents and had been by her side, appearing to her as a purple mist. It had been the best moment of her life.
“What am I going to do with you, little one?”