Chapter Eleven
The next morning, Taryn stretched her arms over her head as she stood up from her language lessons. “It’s break time, Kalahn.”
Evaine never looked up from her tablet. “You can take a break, but I’m going to study a little longer. I have 90 percent of the characters memorized, and I’m determined to know them all before lunch.”
Taryn waved a hand. “Go wild, Evaine. Then you can help me later.”
Her friend was already engrossed with the latest memory test, so Taryn looked to Kalahn, who was smiling at her. “What?”
Kalahn glanced over at Evaine and then pulled Taryn to the far side of the room. She whispered, “How long are you going to make me wait for the details? Although, nothing too graphic since it was with my brother.”
She knew what Kalahn was asking but played innocent. “Details for what, your highness?”
Kalahn frowned. “My brother took you into the lovers’ cave. I know what goes on there.”
Taryn refused to blush at the memory, which wasn’t that hard to do since she’d been blocking it all morning. Of course, the soreness between her thighs was a constant reminder of what had happened. “How, exactly? I thought Kelderan females who aren’t one of the Barren have to save themselves for their husband.”
The princess scrunched her nose. “Don’t remind me. But just because I haven’t used the cave myself doesn’t mean I’m ignorant. After hiding in the forest for nearly two weeks, I saw many couples go in there. Not all of them were quiet, especially during the night hours when they thought the place was empty.”
For a second, Taryn wondered if both Kalahn and Evaine had heard her and Kason. Then she pushed the thought aside. “The less you know, the better. After all, Kason wouldn’t want to give up his general status, now, would he?”
“And here I thought we were becoming friends.”
“We are. But how about we talk about something else? Such as the Brevkan.”
Anger followed by sadness flashed in Kalahn’s eyes. “They have no honor. Killing women and children is commonplace for them.”
“Which is how you lost your mother.”
Kalahn blinked. “Kason told you that?” She nodded and the princess continued, “Unfortunately, I don’t know that much beyond the stories and what was reported in the news. As you well know, Kelderan females aren’t allowed to be involved in military or political matters. It was also one of the topics my father refused to discuss with me, no matter how many times I asked.”
Taryn decided to test the boundaries with Kalahn. “Surely there must be others like you, who question tradition. Why doesn’t someone do something about it?”
“A few have, but the law is strict and can only change through the cooperation of the king and the commoners’ representatives. My father may be lenient with me, but he thinks allowing everyone the same privilege would create chaos. My eldest brother might be open to change, but no one talks about it since mentioning my brother’s future reign is borderline treasonous. In the past, some monarchs weren’t above killing off their fathers to ascend the throne. Keltor would never do that, but the law is the law.”
“Your people seem to cling to tradition and the status quo. Will they really be able to adjust to life on Jasvar if an agreement is reached? There’s no way I will enforce such restrictive limits if any of the Kelderan colonists marry one of my people,” Taryn stated.
“To be honest, I don’t know. You’ll have to ask Kason about it. He holds a lot of sway with the higher-ranking officials.”
“Oh, believe me, I will. How much longer do you think he’ll be in that meeting?”
Kalahn tapped the small locket around her neck to check the time. “It should be over any minute now.”
“How do you know it’s nearly over?”
“Kason always keeps his meetings to fifteen or twenty minutes, except in extreme circumstances. Imposing a time limit tends to get the men to focus quicker.” Kalahn leaned against the wall. “At any rate, until he returns, I have time to tell an embarrassing story or two. There’s more to my brother than merely being a warrior prince.”
She scrutinized Kalahn’s face. “As much as I want to hear the stories, why are you being so open with me?”
Kalahn shrugged. “In my entire twenty-five years of existence, you are the first person Kason’s teased since becoming a warrior. I think you’ll be good for him.”
Searching the princess’s eyes, she replied, “Don’t get your hopes up, Kalahn. Kason and I have an agreement, nothing more.”
Taryn was starting to think she wanted to give him a try for real, and not just because of the great sex. Kason was one of the few men who could stand up to her and still seemed to value her opinions. The real test would be after he returned from the meeting. If he truly wanted to hear her input, she might reconsider her decision to have sex just one more time and then forget about him.
And that wasn’t even taking into consideration there was a small chance she was already pregnant, too.
Kalahn smiled. “Tell yourself it’s just a transaction, Taryn, and I’ll revel in saying I was right in the end.”
She forced thoughts of Kason and the future out of her head. “How about you just tell me the embarrassing story about Kason for now? The more fodder I have, the more I can tease your brother.”
“And that is something I look forward to seeing.” Kalahn leaned close. “One time, when Kason was fourteen, he managed to gain administrative access to the palace’s computer system and change the AI voice to an old woman who was barely intelligible. It took my father’s men days to reverse it. In the interim, everyone stopped using the AI system because she kept mixing up the orders, unless you spoke in the old dialect. The best time was when my father asked for a soup called surlap to be brought to his office and instead an animal trainer brought a supak, which is a four-legged animal that smells of old cheese.” Kalahn chuckled. “The smell lingered in Father’s office for days, and no amount of cleaning would get it out any quicker.”
Taryn smiled and wondered what had happened to the mischievous version of Kason. Maybe she could bring him out again.
Well, after he shared the information from his meeting. If he backed out of that promise, Taryn wasn’t going to waste her time trying to know the prince beyond a working relationship.
As she listened to Kalahn tell a few more mix-ups from the AI trick, Taryn resisted looking at the time again. Kason was late, and she wondered why.
~~~
Kason gave his final order and exited the conference room. Things had gone well enough, as everyone had ideas of how to tackle the Brevkan if they turned out to be the mysterious ships, but he had had a hard time concentrating.
Taryn Demara had a habit of doing that to him.
His dreams during the night had been full of the human, mainly naked and at his mercy. But despite doing his morning meditation and then focusing on a real threat for several hours both alone and with his colleagues, he couldn’t get her out of his head. If Ryven weren’t being held hostage back on Jasvar, Kason would’ve talked with his friend to clear his mind. However, since Ryven wasn’t aboard the ship and Kason wasn’t entirely sure of who he could trust enough to keep his bride’s claiming a secret, he had to deal with his temporary obsession on his own.
And that was all it was—a temporary obsession. Taryn was new and different from his past sexual encounters. That had to be it.
Then he remembered the way she fit around him and screamed into his mouth, and Kason admitted he was lying. He actually enjoyed not knowing how the human would act. How he’d ever thought he’d want a submissive wife, he didn’t know.
His mission couldn’t be completed soon enough.
It was still a day until they reached instant communication range with Keldera. If he was lucky, the ships on the edge of the star system were merely traders or pirates on the run. Those two scenarios would be easy to handle.
However, he wouldn’t waste the next day wishing for it to be true. He wanted to spend time with his human during his down time.
Rather than think about why he’d said “his,” Kason picked up his pace and arrived at his quarters. After entering, he checked his messages, responded to those that required it, and then went to his wardrobe to punch in the code. He needed to make sure he gave the code to Taryn, too.
Reaching the door to the adjacent room, he knocked and stated in CEL, “I’m coming in.”
His sister muttered, “Fine,” in the same language as he exited the tunnel between his room and hers. Searching the room, he instantly found Taryn and Kalahn conversing together in a corner. After a second, they both grinned at him. “What’s going on?”
Taryn answered, “Supak.”
He growled at his sister. “Unless you want me sharing your life with others, don’t do the same with mine.”
Taryn walked up to him. “Oh, come on, Kason. We all act out as youths.”
“That is not the point. If you want to know about me, then ask me directly,” Kason answered.
“Oh, is that so? Then you’ll tell me another embarrassing story from your childhood?”
“That depends. Would you rather hear what happened at the meeting or about another time I made a fool of myself?”
Taryn tapped her chin. “That’s a tough one.” He opened his mouth, but she beat him to it. “The meeting, of course. What happened?”
He looked to Kalahn and then Evaine. “Once again, what is said in this room stays in this room, understood?”
Evaine shrugged. “Who am I going to tell?”
Kalahn then said, “Same for me. I’m the sacred princess of Keldera. Most people won’t even look me in the eye, let alone listen to what I have to say.”
At his sister’s tone, he wanted to press her for details but decided he could do that later. “We’re still waiting on confirmation, but if the ships prove to be Brevkan, we’re going to attack first. That means you three will be placed on an escape shuttle when we’re closer to Keldera and escorted to the planet’s surface without me.”
Taryn searched his eyes. “Is that wise?
“I will make my father and brother vow to protect all of you. Regardless of our disagreements in the past, I trust both of them.”
“While I appreciate you trying to ensure our safety, you might need me to stay on board to help,” Taryn said.
Kason’s instinct wanted to scream, “No,” and order Taryn not to ask questions. But if he did that, she might not talk to him again, let alone share her body.
And that didn’t sit well with him.
He motioned for everyone to sit down around the table where Evaine already sat. Once they did, he looked at each female in turn. “I’ll explain a little bit about the Brevkan and then I’ll listen to your ideas. However, I may not use them.” Taryn opened her mouth, but he beat her to it. “Not because you’re female. I have more experience with these foes. I’ve also more than earned my rank as a general. Just as you know your planet and people’s strengths and weaknesses, I know mine.”
Taryn nodded with approval in her eyes. “That I can understand. Now, tell us what we need to know.”
“The Brevkan are technologically advanced, like the Kelderans. However, their people believe more in strength, dominance, and animal instinct to guide their society. The strongest always lead, which means lots of public challenges to the death.”
Kalahn whispered, “Monsters.”
“While I tend to agree, judging them one way or the other does little good. They’re smart, and the rumors are they’ve conquered many planets over the centuries.”
Taryn spoke up. “What are their main tactics when it comes to battle?”
“Decoys are a big part of their strategy, as is capturing prisoners and torturing them to prove a point. They also will attack anyone, even females and children, to ensure their threats are taken seriously.”
Evaine asked, “Is there any sort of alliance or interstellar police force that tries to contain them? I read about such groups in some of the old documents back on Jasvar.”
Kason shook his head. “There aren’t many races out here, mostly just the Kelderans and Brevkans. Neither of us is part of the Earth Colony Alliance, and until our feud stops, no enforcement agency will agree to help.”
Taryn leaned forward. “As you know, decoys and getting the enemy to underestimate me is a strength of mine. I say we should try it. The Brevkan won’t be expecting it of you, right?”
He raised his brows. “Perhaps. But how, exactly?”
“You’re not going to like it.”
“Just tell me,” he growled.
“Fine. The Brevkan probably know about your patriarchal society, right?” Kason nodded and she continued, “Then have a ship that appears to be full of women go in first as bait. Then when their guard is down, strike before they can react.”
Kalahn chimed in. “We don’t have female warriors. They would be sitting ducks.”
“Ah, but I said appears to be full of women. Have some females in key positions, such as on the control deck or whatever you call it, and at the main entry points. Then, have your male warriors dress up in female attire and occupy other parts of the ship. Once the Brevkan are on board, you can strike.”
Kason frowned. “Males dressing in female attire is unheard of. It will also appear cowardly to the others.”
Taryn shrugged. “That may be so, but it’s unexpected. Sometimes it’s the split second you gain with a surprise that determines the winner.”
The female was clever. Kason would be able to accomplish a lot with her at his side. “The idea has merit, but I will need to mull it over. The Brevkan have strong weaponry. One ship, no matter how much the Brevkan might dismiss them as being weak, won’t be able to win against a fleet.”
“That’s fair. But I think I proved my point about being useful. If anything, we might need as many females as possible if you use my plan at all. I’m staying,” Taryn stated.
As he stared into his human’s brown eyes, he knew she meant it. “If I use your plan and can convince the others to go along with it, you can remain as long as you stay out of trouble.”
She tilted her head. “Have I gotten into trouble yet?”
“No, but it’s always a possibility, especially if you’re becoming friends with my sister.”
Kalahn rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t have to cause trouble if you’d give me more freedom.”
Before meeting Taryn, Kason would’ve brushed aside his sister’s statement. But the human was teaching him that females could do more than bear and raise children. Maybe Kalahn was more of a warrior than a mother. “I’m starting to think change might be coming to our ways, but it can’t happen overnight, sister. Tell me you understand that.”
Kalahn sighed. “I do.” She looked to Taryn. “I’m just glad someone is getting through that thick skull of yours.”
Kason grunted and Taryn laughed. “He just needed a different perspective. I’m sure being captured by a mere female opened his eyes.”
He stood up. “Before all of you gang up on me, I’m going to work out a detailed plan that incorporates Taryn’s idea and some of my own. If, and that’s a big if, I can convince the others, we need to hurry with preparations. We’ll be cutting it close for Keldera to send over some shuttles of females and to have the computer make enough clothing.”
“What about the Barren?” Taryn asked. “I think there are about fifty or so onboard the ship. That should be enough for my idea.”
“Using the Barren would be unwise. They have a stigma attached and most of the officers won’t agree to accepting their help.”
Taryn also stood. “So your warriors will sleep with them and allow the Barren to tend to their wounds, but won’t ask for or accept their help in other areas?”
He put up a hand. “Getting the others to agree to use women at all is going to take a lot of convincing. Add using the Barren to the mix, and it will never happen.”
Evaine touched Taryn’s arm. “Pick your battles, Taryn. We can tackle the Barren later.”
Taryn clenched her jaw before finally replying, “Promise me we’ll revisit the Barren later and I will grudgingly agree to still help.”
The fact the human had so much passion for a people she barely knew only raised her in his esteem. If he could convince Taryn to be his bride for good, then Keldera had no idea what was in store for them. Even if he and Taryn lived on Jasvar, he was positive his human would find a way to enact change on Keldera.
If his father thought Kalahn was a handful, he would be in for a surprise with Taryn.
Kalahn asked, “Why are you smiling?”
“Never you mind,” Kason replied. “Taryn Demara, I promise to try helping the Barren, although I can’t guarantee things will change. That will require changing the hearts and minds of the people.”
“I understand that. But just know that I won’t forget your promise.”
The corner of his mouth ticked up. “I’m sure you won’t. When you set your mind to something, you see it through.”
Taryn raised her brows. “That almost sounded like a compliment.”
“Perhaps.”
Taryn’s tension eased from her body, and she sighed. “If not for everything that needs to get done, I would tease you back.”
He wanted to say she’d have many years to do that, but resisted. He didn’t want to scare or anger her. “Then help me with my plans. We can work in private in my room.”
“I hope you truly mean work, Kason.”
“Of course. You’ll fulfill your promise to me once I take care of the ships at the edge of the star system. Let’s call it a form of motivation.”
“For you or for me?”
He smiled. “Both.”
Kalahn jumped in. “You do realize Evaine and I are in the same room? Hurry up and go next door. Then we won’t have to put up with the flirting.”
Kason put out his hand. “Come, Taryn. We’ll get more done without my sister’s constant interruptions.”
Taryn looked to Evaine, and the other female said, “I’ll be fine. With you gone, Kalahn can speed up my language lessons.”
“So I’m just slowing you down?” Taryn asked.
“Yes,” Evaine answered.
“I love your honesty, Evaine. Have fun. I fully expect you to be my interpreter before long.”
Taryn placed her hand in his, and he gripped her rough fingers tightly. He didn’t want her to change her mind.
As Kason tugged Taryn through the wardrobe and into his room, he tried not to think of how much he was coming to admire his human. Keeping the secret about her being his bride was going to become trickier, especially if she helped with the possible threats and the other males saw her worth.
In that second, he decided that as soon as any threats were vanquished, he was going to claim Taryn Demara publicly. She was his and the sooner everyone knew that, the better.