Chapter Twelve

 

“What have you done to Alice?”

Jaxan raised an eyebrow as he looked down at Empress Zoey. She scowled up at him, her hands on her hips as she tapped her foot. Even Elodie, who was strapped to her front, scrunched up her red face.

Annabel and Mila stood behind her, glaring at him. What did she mean? He had done nothing to his mate. Well, other than cherish and take care of her and join with her whenever possible. Which she seemed to desire just as much as he did.

“There is something wrong with Alice?” he asked worriedly.

“Of course there is!” Annabel snapped.

He looked over at Macon to see if the other male knew what they were talking about. Macon shrugged.

“Is she unwell?” He reached for their bond, which was still weak. He couldn’t feel her, but they’d only been mated a week, he reassured himself. He glanced at the time. “She should be visiting with Sophie and Saffron currently. In an hours’ time, she will be coming here to discuss the trip to Vexer.”

“Do you know where she is every minute of every day?” Mila asked.

He nodded. “Yes, it helps me ensure her safety.”

“It also removes any spontaneity. What if she decides she wants to go for a walk along the beach when she’s meant to be shopping?” Annabel asked.

“Then she can contact me and tell me,” he told her. He was not a dictator. Alice could still be spontaneous.  As long as she told him first.

“So she has to check in with you constantly?” Annabel threw her hands in the air.

“No wonder she looks like someone kicked her puppy,” Zoey muttered.

Kicked her puppy? He would never kick an animal.

“She’s as restricted as she was living under her father’s rule.” Annabel pointed at him accusingly. He did not understand what the problem was.

“Alice is not restricted. And she is not sad or lost.” His temper stirred. There was nothing wrong with wanting to know where his mate was at all times. Was there?

“No?” Empress Zoey asked. “When is the last time you saw her laugh? She’s stopped going to the self-defense lessons, she never comes shopping, she barely smiles. She just doesn’t seem like Alice at all.” Empress Zoey pressed a finger against his chest. “Fix her.”

He gaped at them. There was nothing to fix…was there? It was true, she didn’t smile as much as usual. He frowned. And she didn’t laugh either.

Stars! Was his mate unhappy and he hadn’t noticed? She had not said anything. He would have noticed, wouldn’t he? He ensured she ate well and got plenty of sleep. But had he neglected her emotional health?

“Jaxan is keeping his mate safe,” Macon spoke in a low, growly voice. “He nearly lost her. She would have died in the desert had we not found her quickly.”

“We know. And we were just as scared. But keeping her safe doesn’t mean you have to take away who she is.” Empress Zoey sighed. “Just fix it. We want happy, goofy, funny Alice back who looked at the world through rose-colored glasses.”

When they left, he glanced over at Macon. “Do they wish Alice to wear glasses again? And why would they be the color of roses?”

“Who knows?” Macon shrugged. “They are human and female. It is a confusing, dangerous combination.”

Jaxan couldn’t agree more. He was coming to understand just how complicated having a human mate could be.

***

Jaxan held out a chair for her in the large meeting room. In the middle of the room, there was a big circular desk with about twenty chairs around the outside. The middle of the desk had been cut out. The comfortable, well-padded black chairs were soon filled with warriors, along with herself, Zoey, and Annabel.

She was looking forward to this trip. It would be a good distraction. She sighed, wishing she could shake off the lethargy engulfing her. It was becoming increasingly hard to feel enthusiasm for anything. She felt like she was stuck in a bubble. One that Jaxan controlled.

That wasn’t fair. Jaxan was concerned and with good reason. She was determined to be the sort of mate he deserved, one who didn’t make waves or cause problems or scare him. She could do this. This was just the adjustment period.

Jaxan took such good care of her, seeing to her every need before she even realized she had one. This was the very least she could do for him. So she made herself smile as he held out her chair, surprised when he didn’t smile back. Instead, he watched her with concern.

“Are you okay?” she asked, placing a hand on his arm.

“We need to talk.”

Alarm filled her. What had she done? She thought back over the last few days. Nothing she could think of.

“Okay.” She opened her mouth to ask him for more information when Koran stood. Part of the desk retracted and he moved into the center of the room. A holographic image of a red and green planet appeared next to him.

“Let’s start,” Koran said, and everyone quieted. “We have quite a bit to discuss. As you all know, we are going to Vexer to meet with Prince Ramar about the sale of the Drazum stones. I do not need to tell you that we must keep this mission quiet. We do not want the Coizils to hear that we are going to Vexer, nor that we have Drazum stones to sell. This would make them suspicious. It would also provide them the opportunity to attack, especially since Dex is coming with us.” Koran frowned at Dex.

“I have to go, Koran. Ramar will not discuss this with anyone else.” Dex glanced around. “For those who know little about the Vexerans, their culture is very driven by rituals and rules. We must adhere to their cultural rules. That is why some of our mates join us. Mila may remain because her pregnancy gives her a plausible excuse. However, it would be considered rude if we did not bring our other mates. They would see it as an insult, that we believed our mates would be in danger while under their protection, so to speak.”

“Do you anticipate that it will be dangerous?” Annabel asked.

“No,” said Koran. “But just because we do not anticipate it, does not mean we do not prepare for danger. The Vexerans are generally a peaceful people. However, if the Coizils did hear of this meeting, they might try to attack. Vexer is a trading planet. There is a large market, where most of the trade is conducted. Rules are relaxed there, but because we are going to the palace and dealing with the royal family, we have to be much more careful.”

“Are there things Annabel, Alice and I need to do or avoid doing?” Zoey asked.

“Yes,” Koran replied. “I have prepared a list. I will send it to each of you. You will mainly be needed for social functions. Otherwise, you will be free to move throughout the palace. If you wish to leave, however, you will need the protection of at least two warriors at all times.” He gave them all a firm look. “Annabel? Is that understood?”

“Sir, yes, sir!” Her cousin saluted Koran even as Macon gave her a firm look. “I’ll be good. I promise.”

“We won’t do anything to jeopardise the sale of the stones,” Zoey said. “I know how important it is.”

Did they need the funds badly?

Zoey turned to her. “We’re doing a trade. Our stones for information on the Coizils. The Vexerans deal in information. They have ties to just about every race in this universe. We used to get information through the bugs that we planted around the Coizil headquarters years ago, but recently they did a big sweep and found them all.”

“Again,” Koran said. “This information is not to leave this room.”

Annabel mimed zipping her mouth shut. The men all stared at her. Zoey giggled, and even Alice cracked a smile at her antics. Her cousin grinned, not the slightest bit intimidated by all the warriors staring at her or her mate’s glare.

“When you are involved in social functions, you will only speak when spoken to and must not show any outward reaction to what you hear or see.” Koran cleared his throat. “The Vexerans can be very open sexually. It is not unheard of for them to have sex in a room full of people.”

Alice gaped at him. Was he for real?

“So we’re just what, eye candy?” Zoey asked, looking over at Dex.

“It is the way Vexerans view females, my own,” her mate told her. “If you were to speak out or frown at something you saw or heard, they could easily take offense and call everything off.”

“They take offense easily,” Macon said in a low rumble, staring at Annabel. “Think you can handle this, my mate?”

“Of course, sweetie-pie, I am ever your obedient and submissive mate,” she said in a demure voice, fluttering her eye lashes.

Macon sighed. “I believe we could be in trouble.”

Dex rubbed his forehead. “Yes. I know.”

“Have a bit of faith,” Zoey protested. “We can act.”

Annabel pointed at Macon. “Just as long as you remember it is an act. It’s not real.”

“I could only wish to be so lucky,” Macon replied sarcastically.

***

They walked home an hour later. Alice had kind of lost interest in the conversation once her role in everything was over.

“I am having dinner delivered,” Jaxan told her as they entered his house. “We can eat outside and talk.”

The food arrived, and Jaxan had it arranged on the small table on the balcony. As Alice sat, she looked over the ocean and felt herself relax.

“You will need new gowns for the social functions. The Vexerans tend to dress lavishly.”

She tapped her fingers against the table. “I was thinking about that as well. Do you think I could get away with one dress? It will cost quite a lot to purchase several dresses.”

“The cost does not matter.”

Well, it did to her.

“I haven’t got that many credits left,” she told him, feeling ashamed at her lack of funds.  “If only I could find a job, but there are so few here for females. You guys really need to think about that now that more human women are coming here.”

“You do not need a job. I am your mate. I support you.”

She was amazed by the thunderous look on his face. What was he so upset about?

“I know. I just meant a small job. For some extra credits.”

“What do we need more credits for?”

“I’d like to contribute to the household finances. Maybe buy some cushions and things for the house. Soften it up a little.”

He stood suddenly, surprising her, then moved around the table and took hold of her hand, pulling her into the living area. He brought up something on his tablet then turned it towards her so she could look. “This is my account. This is how many credits I have saved.”

She gaped at the amount. It was a small fortune.

“I have nothing to spend these on. I inherited a large amount from my family. I could do nothing and live comfortably for the rest of my long life. Now, I have a mate to spoil and buy things for. Only she does not believe I can support her.”

“Jaxan—” She placed her hand on his arm, surprised he was getting so upset by this. It was just a misunderstanding.

He flicked off her hand, upsetting her.

“I didn’t realize, you never said, I just thought…” she stared around the room then looked over at him. “I thought that maybe you didn’t have a lot of credits to spare and I didn’t want to spend what wasn’t mine.”

“What is mine is yours. I promised to care for you, to support you and I will. You will not doubt that.”

Right now he was every bit the arrogant Zerconian warrior, and she found her body stirring. It shouldn’t have surprised her. She found everything about him attractive. Even his arrogance.

“You have no need of a job. I will fulfill your every need.”

“I know you will,” she said, trying to placate him. “But having a job isn’t just about money.”

“You will not be worked half to death here as you were with your family.”

“It wasn’t quite that bad—”

But he wasn’t listening, he was striding off into the bedroom. She followed him, coming to a standstill as he grabbed her clothes from the wardrobe and threw them to the floor. He dragged them all into his arms. A few items fell from his hold, a bra and some panties, but he didn’t seem to notice as he strode back into the living room and out onto the balcony.

“Jaxan, what are you doing?” She raced behind him. He wouldn’t, would he? No, he was just trying to make a point. There was no way he would…

“Oh fuck!” she swore, forgetting herself as he threw her clothes over the side of the balcony. She raced to the rails and looked over. A gust of wind picked up some of the items, sending them flying.

She turned back to him. “Are you fucking crazy? What do you think you’re doing?”

“You swore.”

“Too right, I’m fucking swearing! You just threw my clothes away! How am I going to get them all back?”

He placed his hands on his hips. “You are not. You are not wearing those clothes any longer.”

“Not now I’m not. You…I…urgh!” She couldn’t even speak she was so angry and shocked. “What am I going to do? Walk around freaking naked?”

“I will buy your clothes. I will purchase everything you need.”

She stepped towards him, waving her finger at him. “You do not own me, buddy. I don’t jump when you say fucking jump and I don’t have to do what you say.”

He grabbed her finger. “You are yelling at me.”

“Too right, I’m yelling at you!”

“You have never yelled before.”

“You’ve never made me this angry before!” What the hell was going on in his thick skull? To think she’d actually thought him sweet!

“You do not laugh anymore.”

“News flash! Throwing my clothes away is not a laughing matter.”

“I wish you to laugh again.”

“You. Are. Infuriating.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Empress Zoey, Annabel, and Mila came to see me today.”

What? Was he trying to change the topic? Did he not realize she was close to strangling him? Of course, she’d need something to stand on to reach his thick neck, then he’d actually have to co-operate by moving close enough and standing still. And she’d have to find a way to get her hands around his neck with enough pressure to cut off his windpipe.

All right, so strangling was pretty much out. She could wait until he was asleep, sneak up on him and…Alice, calm down. Was she seriously dreaming up ways she could kill her mate?

“They pointed a few things out to me. Things I failed to notice. I believed you were happy.”

“Hard to be happy when you’ve thrown my stuff away.”

“No, before this.” He waved his hand in front of him, as dismissing her anger over what he’d done. Oh, buddy, if he thought she would just forget about this he had another think coming. She was going to make him pay for this for years to come.

She’d never thought of herself as a vengeful person before. Maybe she had more of Rich’s personality in her than she’d first thought.

“I’m happy,” she muttered with a scowl.

“You are not.”

“Am so.”

“No, you are not.”

“All right, this is ridiculous. Why are we arguing over whether I am happy or not? I should know if I’m happy.”

“You never laugh. You smile, but it does not reach your eyes. You no longer take joy in your surroundings or cause havoc wherever you go.”

She didn’t create havoc. A few small incidents and suddenly she was known as a walking disaster.

“Isn’t this what you wanted? For me to be more careful?”

“I thought it was what I wanted. I now discover it is not. You will go back to as you were before. Although if you do grow lost, you will do so within the boundaries of the city. You will be happy again. You will laugh.”

She rubbed her head, a headache was forming in her temple, and the knot in her stomach was making her feel nauseous.

“You can’t just order someone to be happy.”

“Why not?”

“And telling me I can get lost, but only in a certain place just doesn’t make sense.” Dots danced in front of her eyes.

“I want you to be happy. I am sorry that I tried to change you. This is my fault. I did not understand that by trying to keep you safe, I would be smothering who you were. Please, Alice, be yourself. I love you, all of you.”

She swallowed heavily as sweat broke out across her skin. A vice closed in around her head, the pain making her whimper.

“Alice? Did you hear me? I love you, mate.”

“I know. I just…oh God.”

She turned and raced away.

 

Jaxan stared after his mate in confusion. That was not the reaction he had expected to his declaration. Surely this was not normal, even for humans.

He raced after her. “Alice, what are you—”

He paused as the sound of retching reached him. She was ill? He ran into the bathroom.

“Leave me alone,” she told him miserably where she knelt, leaning her head over the toilet.

“What is wrong, my mate?” he asked, ignoring her order. As though he would leave her while she was ill.

He filled a glass with water then wet a cloth. Luckily, her hair was tied back in a ponytail and out of her way. He placed the cool cloth over the back of her neck and rubbed her back as she continued to throw up.

“I will call for Racar.”

“No. Please. It’s just a migraine.”

“One of your head pains?” She hadn’t had one since she had first arrived on Zerconia. He held up the glass for her to sip some water.

“Thanks,” she said, closing her eyes as she leaned back against the wall of the bathroom. “I’ll get up in a minute. Just gotta rest.”

He was having none of that. Jaxan lifted her up into his arms. Her whimper sent daggers of pain through his heart. He hated to cause her even the smallest amount of pain, but there was no way she was going to lie on a cold floor when there was a masic available.

He laid her on the masic and freed her hair from its tie. He liked her hair free and wild, anyway.

“Room dark,” he ordered. The blinds went down automatically, shutting out the light to the room. He walked back into the bathing room and grabbed the cloth that had fallen and wet it again. Then he grabbed a pain inhibitor and returned to her. She lay where he’d left her, her eyes closed, her forehead scrunched into a frown.

Her pain was so great that he could actually feel it through the bond. Stars! He hated being this helpless. If he could take her pain on as his own, he would.

He placed the cloth over her forehead then pulled down the neckline of her dress, exposing her shoulder. “Just a small prick.”

She let out a murmured protest, but he ignored her as he injected her with the pain inhibitor. Then he sat next to her on the masic.

“I wish there was something else I could do for you,” he said in a low voice.

She reached out and patted his arm. “Thank you. This is perfect.”

No, it wasn’t. His mate was in pain. This was far from perfect.

“Is this my fault? Did I bring this on by causing you stress? By throwing your clothes away?” She had been very upset with him, even though he intended to buy her more clothing. Those clothes had been old and unsuited to the climate on Zerconia.

“No. Sometimes I just get them.”

But the timing of this one seemed suspicious. Jaxan fell silent, knowing she needed her rest. He waited until her breathing deepened and she fell asleep before he leaned down and kissed her lips.

“I have failed you, mate. But no longer. I promise.”