“Hold her. Love her. That’s what you need to do,” Kajo said.
So, I stroked Vania’s head and whispered whatever memories I could think of. Of first grade field trips to the pumpkin patch. Of bicycle rides down by the creek. Of moving to New York together. Of her loser boyfriends and my aimless searches. Of her dreams of veterinary school, that she had never lived out. Of sleepovers and hairstyles and favorite sweets. Her eyes roamed beneath the eyelids, as if she were fighting to stay awake, fighting to stay alive. I couldn’t lose her…I thought I had lost her, but this would be entirely different. Not just being on different planets. This would be different planes of existence…
I looked up to see my King speaking with his Commanders, cleaning up the mess, sending the Bordash captives to prison. Sending the others to the morgues so their families could bury them however they saw fit. He kept glancing back at me, and I could sense his desire to hold me instead, to comfort me, to let someone else do these Kingly duties.
Rhone was dead on the ground, eyes wide open, neck slit. The wound I had given him glared bright and red. How had I struck him so strongly? At least, I hadn’t been the killing blow…
“Daphne…”
“Vania!” I choked out her name between tears and hugged her blonde head to my chest. “Please, please, be okay…”
“I think I am…” She moved a hand to her forehead and then to her chest where the knife had entered. “How did he do that? And who is that? Did you see? He has the most amazing blue eyes…”
I laughed. I laughed and I cried, and I hugged her.
Kajo came over as he heard my laughter.
“Vania, this is Kajo. Vania is my best friend and Kajo is my soul-mate. My Destin.” Vania’s brow furrowed and she looked at me, rubbing her chest still, waiting for more explanation. “It’s a long story, Vania, but…basically, I’m a Queen now.”
“Well, my Queen…” She struggled to sit up and gasped. “I don’t know what your soul-mate his Highness did, but that feels a lot better. Unfortunately, I think I need some more attention. See, your asshole-of-a-boss drained a shit-ton of blood out of me before he brought me to this battle. I don’t understand anything that is going on with this planet. We are on a different planet, right?”
I laughed. “Yes…don’t worry. You’re here with me, now. We will catch up and I will tell you how things are.”
“Good.” Vania’s eyes fluttered close. “I think I need to sleep now…”
“Here, let’s teleport back to my Castle.”
Vania’s eyes shot open. “Your Castle?”
“Yes, silly. I told you: I’m a Queen.”
“And wait—teleport?”
“I’ll explain everything. Just close your eyes…”
She nodded, as if that was enough explanation for now and then Kajo assigned two of his soldiers to take us back to the Capital city. I held tightly to my best friend and looked at my King with the most grateful look I could…He had saved me. He had saved her. He was so much more than I could ever have imagined having…
“Hurry home, Kajo. Please.”
He nodded and stepped close to kiss my cheek. “Just take care of her.”
I brushed the red smear on his neck from where Rhone had almost impaled him with the knife. “Who will take care of you?”
“That’s your job. For the rest of our lives.”
I smiled and kissed his cheek, too. “See you soon.”
Seventeen
Daphne
I stood up from Vania’s bedside as I heard a rustling in the hall. It was Kajo, looking in on us. I could send the spark between us. He had saved her…He had saved Vania. As soon as we found out that she was captured, my King gathered together his strongest warriors and set out for war. For my friend. Truly, for me.
Granted, that battle was going to happen at some time. The war was already on. All that was needed was a striking match. But that match had been my King, my soul-mate, my Destin, caring for two Earthling girls in a way that no Earthling had ever cared.
I stepped out into the hall and he cocked his head at me, that cute smirk dancing on his lips. I reached out and took his hand in mine. The electricity was magnetic. He made a sound that was almost like a purr and I kissed his scarred knuckles.
Blue eyes, a lust for adventure, and a mean right hook…How had I said those words so flippantly to Vania just two weeks ago, and now my world was changed, quite literally. Shifted upside down, saved again and again by a man that I would also save.
He brushed my cheek with his fingertips. “How is she?”
“She will be all right. Thank you for saving her, Kajo. I don’t know how I will ever repay you.” I could feel my cheeks flushing. He grinned wide, reading my mind. There were at least a couple ways I could think of to try and repay him…at least to sweeten the day, every day, with afternoon delight and morning lust and evening play and middle-of-the-night deep kisses and dreams.
“You have your friend here with us now. That gives me the chance to see you even happier. I don’t think there is anything you could give me that matters to me more than your happiness.”
I leaned in to him as he spoke. He simply took my breath away. His words, the way his body moved, the way his eyes lit up when he looked at me. Not as if he owned me, but as if he were honored to hold me.
I moved my lips close to
