Dragon Lords Books 1 - 4 Box Set: Anniversary Edition (34 page)

N
adja blinked rapidly
, coming awake with rough jolt of awareness. A cold sweat beaded her flesh. She shot up in bed. All around her was darkness. She felt around, and her hands met with the fur coverlet. She was naked underneath.

She closed her lids tight, rubbing them as she tried to clear her vision to see through the darkness. Her horrified, sleep-hazed eyes franticly searched for her father or his men in the dark shadows of the tent. Her mind screamed at her, yelling that he would know what she’d done, that she let this barbarian touch her, that it had given her pleasure to have him touch her. He’d put her in punishment for a month this time. She’d never survive a whole month, deprived of sleep, of light and fresh air, of food. This time, her father might actually kill her.

Her eyes adjusted to the dimness. The only sound she heard was the wild beat of her own heart in her ears. By small degrees, the fog of sleep lifted, and she realized he couldn’t possibly have found her. She took a deep breath, looking over to where Olek slept near her side. She was safe. This was home. This was safe.

A strange sense of comfort overtook her fear. Here was a simple, giving man. She told herself she could trust him to take care of her. They would go to his little cottage somewhere, where they could live a life away from the limelight. She didn’t have to live in fear anymore. There was no way her father would find her—unlike marrying a nobleman whose picture could be published in any number of ways, whose name would be carried in connection with hers across the galaxy.

On a planet like Qurilixen they would never have heard her father’s name, or known his untouchable reputation. She would have changed her name before now, but there hadn’t been enough time to fake her Galactic Identification. She would change it now, she decided. She would take Olek’s name as her own, whatever it was. She would never have to utter the word Aleksander again.

With Olek she had done well. He would never know who she was. Her past ended at this very moment. She wouldn’t spend her life looking over her shoulder, waiting in fear. Olek was strong. He would keep her safe. He was perfect.

Nestling down next to him on the bed, she pulled the covers over her body and gently moved to touch his cheek. Her new husband didn’t move, merely sighed. Nadja drew her hand away from him. As she closed her eyes, she thought,
yes, we will have that simple life. And Nadja Aleksander will vanish—forever.

O
lek felt
his wife sit up as she jolted awake. He didn’t move as she looked around the room. His tired mind kept with her, relaxing as she snuggled back down. It was only a nightmare that disturbed her slumber. He tried not to smile as she touched his cheek in a gentle caress. Soon, he detected her breath deepening, as she drifted into a more peaceful sleep. Whatever it had been, he hoped her nightmares were over.

A tired smile crossed over his features. Once they finished the ceremony and he took her back to their home, he would see to it that they weren’t disturbed until evening—perhaps the rest of the week. He had plans for his little solarflower.

N
adja yawned
, smiling slightly as she refused to open her eyes. It had been a good night, her best since discovering her father’s engagement plans for her. Stretching her arms, she met with the empty bed.

The tent was bright, lit up from the outside. Taking a deep breath, she tried to tell herself that it was real. She was safe and she was free. A smile graced her lips as she sat up. Olek was gone. It didn’t matter. She had studied their tradition and knew that he would honor their marriage no matter what. Guiltily, she thought of her father.

No,
she told herself.
Olek will never have to deal with him. It’s all in the past and we will make our own future. He’ll never have to know what I have done. I am not Nadja Aleksander anymore. I am simply Nadja. I am a solarflower.

She found she liked his pet name for her.

Glancing around, she saw a stack of neatly folded clothes at the end of the bed. She yawned for good measure before reaching out to grab them and realized she was still naked. The long dress was more formal and definitely more concealing than her crumpled wedding tunic on the floor. It had an undertunic that fitted tighter to her skin as she slipped the soft cream-colored linen over her head. It fit her perfectly, as if it had been made for her.

Next, she grabbed the overtunic. It was more like a long green jacket, sliding over her arms and latching in the front with a little silver clasp at her waist. The front skirt fell open, revealing the cream underneath. The undertunic peaked out at her neck and wrists. Looking down, she wished she had a mirror. The dress was absolutely the most beautiful thing that she had ever owned—better than all the diamonds and jewels her father had given her. She hoped it hadn’t cost her husband too much. She wouldn’t want to drain their expenses by being frivolous. But, twirling, she grinned despite the concern. She loved it.

Spying the table set with chocolate, she bit her lip and glanced around. No one was there to stop her. There was no medic unit to climb into. And surely Olek had meant them for her. Just one wouldn’t hurt anything.

Excited, Nadja went to the table and picked up a chocolate. She swallowed, almost nervously, before biting into it. The taste exploded in her mouth and she was hooked. Chewing furiously, she swallowed, and then grabbed another. Before she thought to stop, she had eaten her way through the entire plate.

She smacked her lips in embarrassment, but couldn’t help the contented grin that spread over her features. She licked her fingers in a very unladylike fashion.

Leaning back, she looked closely at her wrist. She saw that silver embroidery edged the gown with little flowers. On the side of her chest, right above her heart, was the emblem of a dragon. She grinned as she thought of how Olek’s eyes looked like a dragon’s the night before.

“I did indeed marry a dragon,” she mused quietly.

“Sorry?”

Nadja turned, blushing at Olek who stood by the tent flap. Her breath caught in her throat. He too was more dressed, in black breeches that molded perfectly to his calves and thighs. On his feet he wore black boots. His tunic was green, matching hers, though the silver dragon on his chest was much bigger. Nadja couldn’t help thinking it was because his chest was so much larger.

“Nothing,” she murmured, not wanting to admit what she had been thinking about. He would think her a foolish romantic if she repeated it. She stood up from the table, sheepishly wiping her mouth on the back of her hand to make sure she didn’t have chocolate on her face. “I was just talking to myself.”

Olek grinned. Nadja’s heart quickened at the expression. In that moment, she could see herself being truly happy with Olek. There was such goodness to him, a kindness that radiated from his easy smile.

Coming forward, Olek glanced first at her face and then down at the empty tray. “Hungry?”

Nadja let her lashes dip over her eyes. “I couldn’t resist. I’ve only had chocolate one time and it was the tiniest little piece. I promise I won’t overdo it again.”

“Do it as often and as much as you wish,” Olek said benevolently. “I’ll just have to keep you busy enough so that you don’t grow unhealthy from the indulgence.”

Nadja could begin to guess what he meant by “busy”. It was there in his molten green eyes that shone like the shimmering of light reflecting on water. She felt on fire, and yet as if she were drowning, overwhelmed by this man and his passions.

“I would like a taste.” He bent over her, leaning to lick a chocolate smudge from the corner of her mouth. Nadja shivered, momentarily closing her eyes at the warm contact. Whispering against her lips, he said, “Mmm, delicious.”

Nadja exhaled loudly. “So, you still want to stay married?”

“Silly solarflower,” Olek responded. His fingers smoothed her hair. Nadja held still, content to let him. Her locks were still tousled from sleep. He took the softly glowing crystal from his neck and held it up for her to see. “I give this to you.” He handed it over to her. “Come, we must take it to the council and declare that it is our will to remain together. Once you break the crystal, it can never be undone, not in death or separation. We will become one being.”

Nadja swallowed nervously at the finality of that statement.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

Taking a deep breath she again wiped at her mouth to see if she had missed any more chocolate, then asked the very feminine question, “How do I look?”

“Like a solarflower.” He kissed the tip of her nose. Nadja smiled. “All right, Olek, what exactly do I need to do?”

N
adja gazed
up at Qurilixen’s sky. She couldn’t recall a time when she had seen three suns over a planet at the same time, let alone when one of those suns actually looked blue. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the brightness.

“This way,” Olek whispered with a gentle push at her lower back when she stopped walking. She glanced at him and he winked at her. She did her best to keep from grinning like a fool.

Only fifteen minutes had passed from the time he had arrived back at the tent to retrieve her until she found herself standing on the edge of a stage before the Draig council of elders. The councilmen stood around crowned royalty on thrones. The king and queen wore a matching regal shade of purple.

Nadja’s stomach tightened and she felt a bit queasy. Assuming it was just nerves, she tried to ignore it. The sooner she finished this part, the sooner she would be out of the public eye forever. She glanced around the crowd, automatically looking for one of the men from her father’s security detail hidden in the faces. She recognized no one from her old life.

Let them have their thrones,
she thought, again turning toward the king and queen. She naturally leaned closer to where Olek stood. He took her hand in his.
I want my simple life.

Nadja drew strength from his strong presence. She was almost too excited to stop and wonder why such a man was willing to declare to his whole planet that he chose her—that she was his alone. She felt wanted, worthy. The new rush of feelings made her confident and she stood taller.

“Queen Mede, King Llyr. May I present Lady Nadja Aleksander of the Earthen people.” As Olek introduced her he dropped her hand and then gave a formal bow. Nadja gave another peek behind her at the mention of her name. No one seemed to care who she was. She curtsied as Olek had shown her. The royal couple’s smiles widened as Olek again took her hand. They nodded in approval. Nadja noticed how the light from the suns made everyone’s gaze look as if they shifted with gold. Had she not known about the suns, the shimmering effect might have frightened her.

Olek nodded to where she clutched his crystal in her fist. She smiled. Dropping it on the ground, she stomped it with her heel. Instantly, she felt a little dizzy, as if coming out from under a spell. A fog lifted from her senses. Her head began to ache and her stomach churned violently.

Behind them, the cheering of the crowd resounded over the grounds. Not wanting to embarrass Olek, Nadja forced the sudden nausea down her throat and smiled tightly.

Queen Mede stood, joined by her husband. Loudly, the queen said, “Welcome to the family of Draig, Lady Nadja. I hope you will enjoy your new home.”

Nadja’s smile wavered slightly. Why did the queen just call her a lady? She glanced at Olek. He merely winked at her and she tried to dismiss it as a polite address to a new bride.

Nadja curtsied, “I am sure I will.”

The king and queen stepped forward, both to kiss her cheek in turn, apparently pleased to see she had spoken and carried herself so well. Her vision swam a little, but no one seemed to notice her dizziness.

“Nadja,” Olek said quietly so the gathered crowd wouldn’t hear him. “I would also like the honor of introducing you to my parents.”

Nadja smiled expectantly at the thought. Her eyes lifted to his. When he didn’t move, she said, “Of course. I would like that very much. Where are they?”

The king and queen both chuckled. She glanced at them in confusion. Why were they still standing there? And why were they looking at her like that?

Nadja turned back to Olek, not wanting to believe the curling suspicions whispering in her head. She studied his face. He grinned wider, looking incredibly pleased with himself.

“We should probably get off the stage so the other couples can have their turn,” Nadja said, willing him to move.

Olek smirked. His green eyes danced with laughter as he motioned toward the royal couple. “Nadja, these are my parents.”

Nadja’s heartbeat screeched to a dead stop and she was sure she was having an attack of some sort. The smile froze on her face. Her whole body went numb.

No,
she thought,
he didn’t just say that.

“Nadja?” he questioned when she hadn’t moved. She continued to stare at him, unsure if she was about to strangle him or drop dead, probably both.

Nadja couldn’t help her hard expression as she looked at the royal couple.

“You,” she whispered, her voice refusing to come out any louder. “You are his parents?”

“Yes.” Queen Mede nodded once. The woman’s smile appeared kind and her eyes were as liquid in color as the king’s. “Welcome daughter. We are most pleased to have you as part of our family.”

Nadja didn’t react as the queen gave her cheek another kiss.

“Thank you,” Nadja said through tightly clenched teeth. The words were more from the training of her upbringing than any real sentiment. She tried to nod but her movements were rigid as if her neck might break from the effort. Blinking hard, she bit back her outrage.

O
lek could not have been happier
. Nadja’s dazed state was understandable. It was normal to feel a bit lightheaded as the power of the crystal was forever secured. He too felt the effects, but he was used to the crystal’s influence and it didn’t bother him to such an extent.

However, when Nadja’s expression remained frozen like a sofliar being hunted by a mirascat, his smile wavered.

His father leaned over to the queen and asked in their Qurilixian tongue, “What’s wrong with her?”

Olek flinched, protectively moving closer to Nadja. There was nothing wrong with his bride. She was perfect.

The queen answered in kind, “Just smile. The poor girl is stunned. She just found out she is a princess.”

Olek relaxed some, realizing his father wasn’t insulting Nadja merely concerned.

“I’ll never understand these offworld women,” the king said, but he smiled at his frozen daughter-by-marriage nonetheless. Changing his words to the Old Star language so the princess could understand him, he said, “Welcome daughter. It is as my wife says. We are most pleased to have you in our family.”

“Thanks,” Nadja answered through tight lips. She looked as if she barely breathed. Her porcelain skin was starting to dramatically pale to gray.

At the queen’s gentle urging, the king kissed Nadja’s cheek once more. The act seemed very unnatural for the man. Nadja’s eyes rounded a bit wider and she did not return the affection.

“Maybe you should take her home now, son,” the queen urged so Nadja couldn’t understand her words.

Olek smiled reassuringly at his parents, nodding in agreement. He took Nadja’s stiff arm.

“That is the destined wife to an ambassador? Let us hope the other princesses have their wits about them,” the king whispered playfully.

The queen shot him a warning glare and hit his arm as she allowed him to lead her back to her seat. Trying not to laugh at his handsome face, she murmured, “Behave!”

Happiness building in his chest, Olek led his new wife away. He was sure her reaction was merely the effects of the crystal. Someday he hoped to have the deep connection his parents had. Already they were off to a very fine start.

As soon as they were away from earshot, a very livid Nadja yanked her arm from Olek’s grasp. He looked at her in surprise, not expecting the reaction.

“Your
parents
, barbarian?” was the only thing she managed to get out.

Olek frowned, not understanding. Slowly, he nodded his head in confirmation.

“Your father is the king? Tell me you are a bastard son and not a prince,” she demanded. She didn’t seem to notice the forest around them, or the red dirt path he had been leading her up. “Tell me that calling them your parents is just another word for king and queen, as in the parents of us all. Tell me he isn’t really my new father-by-marriage. Tell me this is all a joke.”

“No, Nadja, they are the king and queen. Which makes me a prince and you, as my wife, a princess,” Olek said, his tone labored.

“A princess,” she repeated with a stiff nod. Her attitude was way past shock. Her eyes shot daggers. If looks could kill, he and everyone he had ever met would have been evaporated in that very instant. “Oh, a princess. Why not?”

“Yes.”

“Are you crazy, barbarian?” she asked under her breath. “I told you my terms. I-I… Did you think I wouldn’t care after it was said and done?”

To his amazement, Olek noticed that she never once yelled in anger, but said everything with a frightening calm. The reaction was much worse than someone who threw a loud tirade and tossed their arms about like a madman. It was the quiet ones who could think and control their anger that you had to look out for.

“This is not bad—” he tried to reason.

“I can’t be a princess,” Nadja argued. “I wanted to marry a farmer, or a miner, or a blacksmith, or a country doctor. I am going to live in a small cottage in the middle of the forest. I am going to have a little garden and catalog local plants. I am going to have a peaceful, non-important life. Do you understand me? I didn’t marry royalty. I couldn’t have. You said you were a working man. So I need you to go back up there and correct this mistake.”

“You want me to tell my parents they’ve been wrong my whole life and I’m not their son?” He arched a brow, unsure if laughter would be an appropriate response at this point.

“Not that. Our marriage. You go up there and tell them that your crystal was wrong. Go get the pieces. We’ll glue them back together and—” She gestured her hand as if dismissing him. “—better luck next year.”

“This cannot be undone.” He crossed his arms over his chest. No, definitely didn’t feel like laughing now. “We are married.”

“I married a working man.”

“As a prince, I do work,” he defended.

Olek scratched the back of his head, not understanding what the big deal was. Most women would be ecstatic by the discovery. She was titled and would have servants. They lived in a palace. She was rich and would never want for anything. But Nadja wasn’t ecstatic. She was downright infuriated.

“Right. Doing what? Kissing babies? Shaking hands? I know what kind of work men like you do,” Nadja said with a darkening glare. She put her hands on her hips. “Being a pampered prince isn’t work. You lied to me.”

By all that was sacred, she was beautiful.

“You obviously haven’t negotiated peace with the Var.” Lowering his lids over his eyes to give her a smoldering look, he murmured seductively, “And you didn’t think me such a barbarian last night.”

Nadja blushed. “Last night I didn’t realize I had bound myself to a liar.”

“I never lied,” Olek defended, his voice rising.

“You never told the truth. If you had told me you were royalty, I would never have agreed to this.” Her tone remained utterly calm. It was eerie how she could hold in her anger, letting it churn. “I could have saved us both the trouble.”

Olek didn’t answer. What could he say? He believed her.

The hope he had moments before faded. She didn’t want to be with him. Not even married five minutes and she was ready to end it over something he couldn’t change. Had she hated his hair long or disliked his choice of clothing, he would have been able to change for her. But he was a prince by birth. It was who he was.

N
adja stared at Olek
, willing him to say he was joking. Tears burned behind her eyes but she held them back. After years of holding in her emotions, the act was automatic. All hopes of a simple life dwindled into nothingness. If she was a princess, then her name would be widely known. Her father would come for her. She couldn’t let that happen, not after she’d tasted a night of freedom.

Her stomach churned. She thought of the giant plate of chocolate she’d consumed. Obviously, freedom wasn’t the only thing she had tasted too much of.

Nadja grabbed her stomach and she ran to the forest, trampling the yellow ferns that spread out beneath the colossal trees, before falling to the ground. She could have done without the harsh discovery that chocolate wasn’t as good coming up as it had been going down. Her body jerked as she emptied her stomach. Olek was beside her immediately, holding her hair and tenderly whispering soothing sounds.

“I think you overdid it,” he said compassionately when she finished. He tried to draw her into his arms to hold her.

Nadja jerked her shoulders away, spitting onto the ground. She wouldn’t draw comfort from him, not now, not ever. Looking at him with all the betrayal she felt, she gasped for breath. “I want a divorce.”

Olek appeared stunned. She swayed on her feet. Frowning, he demanded, “Don’t you think you are overreacting?”

Nadja didn’t answer, trying to take deep gulps of air to calm her stomach. She was never eating chocolate again. This morning was nothing like she’d hoped.

“I told you, solarflower, once you broke the crystal, it can never be undone, not in death or separation. We are one being, like it or not. I will not let you go. There is no divorce for our people.”

“The only thing we will ever be, barbarian, is an unhappily wed couple,” she said through gritted teeth. Fear made her voice waspish and hard. She trembled, having seen firsthand what her father was capable of. This planet wasn’t under Federation Alliance law, but that also meant it wasn’t under Federation protection. Doc Aleksander wouldn’t need the help of the extradition act to come for her. She had no idea how long it would take for the news to reach his ears. It could be a week, a year, five years. She would never feel safe and no amount of barbaric warriors would be able to help her when he did come.

Was a simple life too much to ask for?

Swallowing, she commanded, “Now take me to our new home. I allowed your liar’s hands touch me and I need a bath.”