Crossing the room, he gathered her into his arms before she could protest. “Oh, Sosha, how did you stand it, love?”
Sosha had tensed immediately, but Ban’s embrace was gentle, and he did not release her. Loosening his grip, he held her out at arm’s length. “Marry me, Sosha.”
“Bandalardrac!” Deni exclaimed.
Failing to find Sheala in her own room, Denieen and Marljas had followed the sound of voices to Sosha’s room. They entered to the sound of Ban’s proposal.
Ban waited.
The amazement on Sosha’s face was apparent to everyone. Slowly, her eyes filled with tears until they ran unchecked down her cheeks. “Bandalardrac Hardan,” she whispered, “you are the most wonderful man I know, but I will not marry for pity.”
A ghost of Ban’s usual grin appeared. “But I would love you forever.”
“Yes, you would—as much as you were able to.” A small smile appeared on Sosha’s face.
“Somewhere in this universe is a woman who will truly love you. I’m not that woman.”
“In that case…” Carefully, he set Sosha back down on the bed and pulled his shirt over his head.
Picking up the scissors, he methodically cut three slits above his right pectoral muscle.
Sosha didn’t hesitate to place her still-bleeding palm against his cuts.
Char groaned again.
Marljas began to chuckle. “We are tied by blood in so many ways, Char, the Gattan elders will have trouble deciphering our family ties.”
Sheala helped pull the nightshirt back over Sosha’s head.
“Let me see to those cuts,” Denieen said. Pulling a small bottle from a pouch inside her belt, she cleaned each cut and then poured a small amount of liquid on each wound.
Sheala jerked her hand away. “That burns! What’s it for?”
Marljas took his wife’s hand in his, choosing to ignore the wary look in her eyes. He was encouraged by her being out of their room and helping Sosha. “The cuts were not made by Gattan claws. That liquid will make sure a scar remains.”
Char mumbled a curse under his breath. “Somebody please inform Mendas Teekeson that his goddaughter is now part of the Alalakan family, and Ban is a member of his. Ban, you can tell King Findalardrac yourself that he now has a Gattan in the family.”
“Well, Marljas,” Ban chuckled, “Jadis may want to think twice about marrying her daughter to you.”
“What!” both Sheala and Char exclaimed together.
Ban’s grin widened as he put his arm around Char’s shoulder. “Wendjas is waiting downstairs with an interesting tale to tell.”
Soon everyone had left Sosha’s room but Denieen. “Ban’s proposal was legitimate.”
Sighing from where she lay against her pillows, Sosha nodded “I know. But he felt pity, not love, for me.
I won’t marry under those circumstances.”
Or any other
, she added to herself silently.
Denieen helped Sosha get comfortable. “True, Ban loves all women. But for all his rakish ways, he would have remained faithful to you your entire lives.”
Closing her eyes, Sosha sighed. “And he wouldn’t have been completely happy. His is a true and noble heart, Denieen. How could I deny him the love and happiness he deserves?”
With a measuring gaze, the older woman stared at Sosha. “You’re wise beyond your years, Sosha. Ban and Sheala did well to bind themselves to you.”
Exhausted, Sosha closed her eyes. For the first time since she’d been rescued, she felt that she belonged somewhere. She drifted off to a dreamless sleep as Denieen left the room.
* * * * *
“I have sent a message to my father telling him to inform Kadis that I decline her mother’s proposal.”
“Is that wise?” she asked weakly. “From what you say, this Jadis can be a vindictive woman, and she is your queen’s sister.”
Frowning, he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. You’re my wife, and I want no other.”
Head bent sorrowfully, Sheala murmured, “I’ll release you.”
Leaping across the room and pulling Sheala from the chair where she sat, Marljas shouted, “You will not!” Then he lowered his head to hers.
Before she could protest or draw away, Marljas covered her mouth with his. She stiffened, but his kiss was gentle and undemanding. Slowly, she relaxed, and Marljas loosened his grip on her upper arms.
Very slowly, he pulled her closer as his soft kisses and light nibbles on her lips began to draw a response.
Gently, Marljas pulled his wife completely into his arms.
Lost in her husband’s tenderness, Sheala forgot Bakom and his assistants. None of them had ever kissed her, and Marljas’ kisses teased and promised but did not demand.
Sheala lifted her hands rested lightly against his chest. As his kisses continued to tease, she gripped his shirt in her fists and pushed herself up onto her toes.
Then his hands slid lightly down her back to cup her buttocks.
“No!” Sheala gasped and pushed herself frantically away from Marljas.
He made no attempt to restrain her. “I won’t force you,
Cheta
.”
Sheala’s head drooped. “I’m sorry. I can’t help it.”
“I know,” he answered stepping close once again but making no move to pull her into his arms. He caressed her cheek gently. “Will you come down for dinner tonight? Deni and Wendjas will be returning to the consulate. Only your family will be there. They would be very pleased to see you up and about.”
A weak smile appeared on Sheala’s face. “I would like that.”
“Good. I’ll go tell them, and you can use this time to get ready.”
Being careful not to touch her in any other way, he placed a light kiss on her forehead. Then he left the room.
Sheala stared as the door closed behind her husband. Then she sighed. Much as she’d like to crawl back in her bed and pull the covers over her head, she couldn’t spend the rest of her life hiding. Besides, Sosha needed her help.
Out in the hallway, Marljas clenched his fists as he leaned his forehead against the wall striving to bring his body under control. Sheala’s tentative response to his kisses had duped him into loosening the strict control he’d wrapped around himself. Memories of her moving under him, of her mouth on his body, of her tail and the deliciously wicked things it could do to him flashed through his memory.
Sheala’s recovery was going to be hell—on both of them.
* * * * *
“Beti,” was Kahn’s abrupt answer.
“She’ll accompany Sheala to Gattan.”
Kahn waited unmoving.
Kavlalardrac sighed. “Aradabs,” he muttered, mostly to himself.
Rapidly, he outlined the situation.
Kahn nodded. “Beti will agree to go. She’s become very fond of Sheala, who shows as much promise as Prince Bandalardrac.”
“She won’t mind leaving Brianna?”
Kahn shrugged. “Beti can not be on two planets at one time. She will see the necessity.” With those words, he turned and left.
Kavlalardrac sat back down. “Aradabs,” he muttered again.
“What do you want, Mother?” Cadan drawled as he entered an opulent sitting room. “I’m ready for the hunt.”
“Your sister Kadis has sent a message. It seems that Marljas has flown Denieen, Wendjas and the twins to visit Denieen’s parents so he is not at their estate.”
“Surely they didn’t deny Kadis their hospitality,” he said.
Jadis Franasdotir, sister to the Queen of Gattan, smiled maliciously. “One could only wish it were so, but Teena and Drefes are not so stupid as to offer insult to the Queen’s favorite niece.”
“The Queen’s only niece,” he interjected.
Jadis allowed a small frown to momentarily travel across her flawless countenance. “They have received our proposal and have given Kadis the best guest quarters. Once Marljas returns, she’ll have no trouble trapping him into a compromising situation. Then we’ll have him.”
Cadan shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps, but Marljas is no fool. He’s eluded your traps for him before.”
“It
will
work, fool. And once Kadis and Marljas are married, she’ll guide him down the correct path.
Where Marljas goes, his brother and father are sure to follow.”
He rose and lightly kissed her cool cheek. “As you say, Mother. Now, if you’ll excuse me, the hunt awaits.”
“Of course, my son. Enjoy yourself. But remember, we dine with the Queen and her husband tonight,”
Jadis purred contentedly.
Cadan closed the door softly. His mother and sister were fools. Marljas wanted nothing to do with Kadis, and he and his family would find a way around the proposed betrothal. It wasn’t a royal command, even though his mother had dared hint that it was. However, there were other ways to bring the powerful families of Gattan to their way of thinking. He would see to it himself.
* * * * *
Kavlalardrac nodded. “I have fourteen assassins on Gattan and a few nonassassin spies. Ten of the assassins are in the Medirian ambassador’s household and two have been insinuated with the Drakian ambassador’s guards, without his knowledge. The other two are in the Gattan palace itself. The spies roam at large but answer to our ambassador.”
Ban just snorted. As head of the Medirian secret police, Kavlalardrac probably had spies even he himself didn’t know about.
“If any problems arise, I’ll send a message through one of the others,” the older man continued. “I don’t foresee any reason to need the Monarch’s Assassin for the next year or so. Since you eliminated the Gattan–Varcian half-breed who was attempting to unite all the pirates in this part of the galaxy, his subordinates have all been fighting for position. They’ve done a good job of eliminating each other.”
Ban leaned forward. Eliminating that killer had been a satisfying assignment. The fool had, however, left a daughter. “Have you heard anything about Tali?”
Kavlalardrac shifted his intense gaze to his nephew. “His daughter. She’s remaining aloof from the infighting. Or so it seems.”
Ban grinned. “She decided to listen to me then. The most dangerous men kill each other off and leave her to take command.”
“Will we be dealing with a pirate queen?”
Ban shook his head. “There are too many Varcian pirates to allow that to happen. You know Varcians consider women second-class citizens. It’s only within the last hundred years that widows have been allowed to own property. Just as well they follow Tali. She’s much smarter than her father ever was.” He started to rise. “If there’s nothing else…”
Kavlalardrac’s voice became serious. “One of our spy satellites picked up a strange signal from the fourth moon of Gattan. Our infrared scanning system recorded two ships—a pirate slave-trader. The other one was piloted by Hathnic.”
Ban froze. “You’re sure? I thought he died in that explosion on Varce.”
“We never found his body.”
Letting out a long breath, Ban laced his fingers together. “Slavers. Do you think he was involved in Sosha’s kidnapping?”
His uncle nodded. “Probably, he was one of our most skilled assassins until he turned renegade.
Disguising himself as a Gattan wouldn’t be a hardship. Ban, I want him dead. We can’t have rogue assassins roaming around the galaxy, especially one who’s involved himself in the slave-trade.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Ban rose. “I must leave. I’m supposed to be overhauling the
Wanderer
.”
“No one saw you arrive?” Kavlalardrac asked quite unnecessarily.
“Uncle!” Bandalardrac exclaimed with a bark of laughter as he rose and walked to the door. “How could I be the longest-surviving Monarch’s Assassin if I couldn’t go where I wanted when I wanted without being detected?”
Kavlalardrac only grunted as his nephew left the room. It was amazing that Ban had survived as long as he had.
* * * * *
“Forgive me, Teena Seenasdotir, but there is a message from your sons,” said the young woman as she hurried to the table where the pair was breakfasting.
“Thank you,” Marljas’ mother said. “Go back to your duties now.”
After the servant left, Teena slowly opened the missive.
“What does it say, my love?” asked the handsome man who sat next to her.
Marljas’ mother looked up once, reread the letter, and handed it to her husband without saying a word.
After reading quickly, he broke into loud laughter.
“What’s so funny? Our son has married a Drakian—without my permission!”
“And taken a bloodsister from an entirely new planet. I can’t wait to see the look on Jadis’ face.”
For a moment, Teena stared at her husband then chuckled. “Yes, an unknown Drakian is preferable to Kadis.”
“Good. Tell her to go home.”
Tapping her lips with her finger, Teena shook her head. “No, I think not. We don’t want Kadis to discover what’s in this message.”
“Why not?”
“Too many people here have been talking about the honor done to our tribe by the Queen. Few realize that this is a plot of Jadis’.”
“But Marljas wants us to tell Kadis about his marriage immediately.”
“It will be better to wait and let Marljas tell Kadis himself. She’s been here barely a week and is already angering people with her haughty manners. Let Kadis further alienate herself from our people.”
Drefes nodded but rose from his chair. “A good idea, but I’ll send a message to Marljas. It will be wise to warn him that Kadis will still be here when he arrives with his bride.”
Teena clasped her husband’s arm as he passed. “What do you think she’s like, this new wife of his?”
Drefes shrugged. “She’s an Alalakan. Her brother Chardadon conducted himself with honor when he was here.”