“Fine. I’m ready.”
I turned at her words and my mouth dropped. She was beautiful in traditional Curan clothing. The little black and blue cape fit across her shoulders perfectly, her exposed midriff was creamy and beckoned my eyes to memorize every line, every curve.
“What do you think? Is this satisfactory, your Highness? Am I fit for your desire?” Her voice oozed sarcasm and my lips curled upward in an unbidden snarl.
“You will learn to value your place here,” I said.
“Why did you bring me here? What reason do you have to have saved me from Rhone? If you’re a King, surely you can have anyone in your world that you want. Am I going to be part of a freakshow? The weakling human who has no magical skills? Brought forward to be laughed at and part of your court jesters?”
I looked at her, brow furrowed, genuinely perplexed. Is that what she thought of me? That I could be so callous? I had saved her life, hadn’t I? I needed to know what Rhone wanted of her; was it merely that she had seen him kill Fyland? Or was there something more? Not to mention the fact that I was irresistibly drawn to her…
“You will be kept safe,” I said. “No one will harm or hurt you. You have my word as King.”
She nodded and gestured to my sword at my waist. “Rhone killed that man, your minion, with a similar sword. What’s so special about it? Why does it glow?”
I unsheathed the sword and held it up. Rhone’s glowed green, but mine had a red sheen to it.
“It is made of a special metal only found in the volcanic rubble of ancient areas on our planet. Not only that, it is blessed with magic that applies a poison immediately to anyone who is wounded with it. It burns an acid-like substance through their cut. There is no chance of recovery from a blade like this. There have not been many forged, and the only two blacksmiths who can forge such blades were recently abducted. I think by Rhone. He would like to challenge my right to the throne. He is from a different race, the Bordash. They don’t have the telekinetic abilities that we Curan have, but they do have extreme physical skills in fighting. Some of them can train a bit of the telekinesis, even, but not much. We are well matched adversaries. They also control all the high-end technology companies on Farian, so it is important for me to do trade and diplomacy with them. Our kingdom couldn’t function without a solid alliance between the two.”
“And Rhone wishes to disrupt that?”
“Yes. I don’t know how far along his plans are. Fyland was a double agent, but I can only assume he was giving me false information.” Why am I telling her all of this? She’s so easy to speak to…I feel a trust. Maybe it is because she is an outsider.
“Why are you telling me all this? Is it because I am an outsider?”
I looked at her sharply. “Did you just read my mind?”
“No. Of course not. I’m not a Curan, after all. Humans can’t really do that. I have always been very intuitive, though.”
She seemed to have calmed down a little. She was opening up to me, too. And, if she was that intuitive as a human, she might just be able to become a ceremonial Curan…If I dared to take our relationship that far.
There’s no way she could be my Destin. My Fated Match. The Chosen One. There’s no way she, a human, of all species, was my Destin.
As soon as I thought it, the pieces of the puzzle began to be flung into place. That would explain my connection to her. The way I physically wanted to mold my body with hers, the way I wanted to meld our minds, to match our futures. If she was my Destin, how would I ever explain that to my people? Choosing someone other than a Curan to save my life when in need, to give life to my children, when it was time, and to rule beside me?
No. It couldn’t possibly be her…
The ship rocked in warp as it hit some turbulence. She sprawled over the chaise and landed, head in my lap.
Her dainty fingers clutched at my chest as she pushed herself back up. There was a momentary pause, I couldn’t have just imagined it, as she pushed up, where her brown eyes, golden ribbons through the iris, looked into mine. Her mouth parted and I wanted to smash those lips with mine. I ran my fingers down her spine lightly. She shivered, something between anger and desire flashing on her face.
She jerked back and stood up.
“I’m tired. It is past midnight for me. I am going to sleep.”
“Fine.” I stood up. “This suite will be your quarters. I will ask one of my technicians to stop by in the morning. I would like you to join me for breakfast.”
She nodded consent, then walked into the bedroom area. She looked back over her shoulder at me.
“Good night.”
“Good night, Daphne.”
I watched her sit on the bed and then exited the room, feeling a trill of excitement, thinking that someday soon, I would throw her onto that bed and ravage her. I had to just get her to the moment where she would invite me to do so. If she was my Destin, there would be no forcing, no cajoling, no commanding; she had to be my equal.
Imagine that, a human, my equal.
Her fierce, intelligent brown eyes told me that it just might be true.
I needed to learn more about her.
I needed her to look past the Beast and see the nobility I knew I could sway her with. She shouldn’t fear me…other than to fear that, if she was my Destin, she would soon be giving up
