Destined for Two

Devlin’s bar -- Veenori -- eastern outer rim

Rhia stood on the stairs, watching the crowd below. The bar was full today, more so than usual. Nude dancers, both male and female, moved to the music atop tables and in cages that hung from the ceiling. Scantily clad waitresses and waiters moved about the room, taking orders and fending off advances, unless of course they wanted those advances, which some did.

Devlin only bought the best slaves, no matter how much they cost. Once she started working with him at the bar, she was put in charge of the female slaves. She bought them, explained the rules to them, and in some cases, punished them for misbehaving. But this last time, Devlin had put her in charge of the men as well.

They called her Mistress Rhia, and deep down she liked it. It was different coming from the men than the women. With a sigh, she caught one of the male waiters pinching the nipple of a female onlooker. She was about to say something, but noticed the way the woman looked at him and then ordered him to pinch the other nipple.

Rhia snickered. Wasn’t she a bossy little thing?

If the customer requested something, the waiters and waitresses were required to give it to them, but the slaves were never allowed to make the first move. One thing her brother never allowed, though, was violence. You could fondle, kiss, even fuck them within the confines of the bar, but if the customers hit the slaves, they were removed from the premises.

Devlin had even been known to remove men who became verbally abusive to the female slaves. Violence of any kind against women was the one thing her brother could not abide.

“Speaking of Devlin,” she mused aloud and tried to find her brother in the throng of people.

2

Finally, she spotted him and grinned as she watched her brother tease one of the new slaves they’d bought. She was pretty, with dark brown hair and green eyes that sparkled with unhidden adoration. The slave was wasting her time. Unfortunately, Devlin had lost the love of his life five years ago and it looked as though part of him had died with her. She’d been his everything and since then he only saw women as a means of release. Love was out of the question for him, at least in his mind. Rhia still held hope for him.

Shaking her head, she watched three other women arrive and begin to flirt with him.

He was always surrounded by women. They could never seem to resist him, especially when he turned on the charm.

Even though Devlin had raised her since she was four and she considered him a brother, she could still admit he was quite the catch. His black hair hung around his wide shoulders in soft waves. His waist was trim and firm, and his chest was as wide as a damn door. The man was a mountain and gorgeous to boot. Unfortunately, like all men who looked like him, he knew it. It was hard to believe it had been twenty-four years since he’d taken her in as his sister.

As though sensing her thoughts, Devlin turned toward the stairs and raised his hand to wave, his sapphire eyes shining in amusement. She smiled and waved back, almost laughing at some of the women who looked at her with jealousy. Most of the people here knew she was Devlin’s sister, but some did not, and those envied the attention he gave her.

That’s one thing Devlin had never skimped on. Attention. Ever since their orphan freighter had crash-landed here on Veenori, he’d taken care of her. They were the only two people to survive the crash, and Devlin had lied, telling the man who wanted to adopt him that she was his sister. The man finally relented and let her come along, only on the condition that she be Devlin’s responsibility.

And she had been. He’d taught her to read and write, up until he’d made enough money to hire tutors. But even then, he’d made time for her. He’d been her father, her brother, her confidant, and her best friend. With his empathic abilities, he was capable of reading her every thought. He knew when she was upset, tired, lonely, or for God’s sake, she thought as she rolled her eyes, even horny.

That had been one very interesting conversation. He’d tried his best to explain sex to her, then became so flustered he finally had her tutor do it. To this day, if she wanted to disarm him, she would talk about a guy.

He’d made a huge success with what his adopted father had left him, and was considered one of the most wealthy and dangerous men on Veenori. Despite the planet’s desert-like environment, it had a thriving economy and fairly large town. Unfortunately, it was still extremely dangerous, and although she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, she was never allowed to go out alone. That was another thing Devlin refused to budge on. Veenori might be a thriving town, but it thrived off criminals.

“Rhia.”

3

Rhia jumped as Devlin snapped his fingers in front of her face. She blinked, staring at him in surprise. He stood two steps below her, which put them at eye level. Long black lashes framed eyes full of merriment, but behind that spark of life was the hurt and loneliness he could never hide from her. It tore at her heart.

“Oh, God. I didn’t even hear you come up,” she said breathlessly, her hand flying to her chest to fiddle with the charm that hung there. Her eyes narrowed. “I hate how you do that.” He snickered. “Then pay better attention.” Devlin’s gaze moved to her fingers before reaching out to take the charm from her grasp. “I’m sorry we’ve never been able to find anything out about this,” he said.

“Me too.” She sighed and took it back from his hand, holding it out to study how the light from the bar flickered on the worn piece of gold. For as long as she could remember, she told herself it was something her mother had given her. It was a fantasy she dreamed about often and made her feel closer to a woman she couldn’t recall.

Devlin put his finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his concerned gaze.

Sometimes she hated how he could read her mind. “I’m going up to do some paperwork,” he said. “If you need me, yell.”

“I will.” Her gaze caught the jealous stare of a young woman in the crowd below. “Sure you don’t want to take her with you?”

“Who?” Devlin asked, then followed Rhia’s stare. He turned back to her with a slight smile. “You know I prefer blondes.”

Rhia chuckled, and then squealed when Devlin’s hand landed on her ass with a stinging slap as he passed her on the stairs. She glared over her shoulder at his back, but he just laughed, which only made her glare all the harder. He didn’t even have to be looking at her to know she was giving him the evil eye.

Rhia made her way through the crowd. A young girl, not much older than eighteen, tapped her on the shoulder. Rhia stopped to stare down at her, her brow creased in question.

“What is it, Li?” she asked.

“I’m sorry, Mistress Rhia, but there’s a man at the bar who insists on talking with you.”

“With me?” Rhia asked. “Who?”

Her gaze scanned the bar, studying the many men who sat on the stools surrounding the long granite surface.

“The one at the far end.”

“The one with long black hair?” Rhia asked.

“Yes.”

“Okay. Thanks, Li,” Rhia said, then started to make her way to the bar, her curiosity growing as to who the man was and what he wanted.

4

“Can I help you?” the beautiful young woman asked as she walked over from the other end of the bar.

Shorlack couldn’t stop staring at her. There was no mistaking that flame red hair, those blue eyes the color of cold arctic ice. She was stunning. Tall and curvy, with full red lips that formed a perfect kissable pout -- just like her mother’s.

“What’s your name, child?” he asked as he leaned against the bar so he could get closer and hear her better.

Loud music and muffled voices sounded around him, but he heard only the pounding of his heart and the soft musical tone of her voice.

“I’m Rhia.” A dainty eyebrow rose as she stared at him. “And you are?” He smiled slightly. Where had she gotten the almost arrogant air to her? “I’m Shorlack, from Argonia.”

“Argonia,” she mused. “You’re a long way from home.”

“Yes,” he whispered. And so are you.

Her delicate brow creased in a slight frown. “One of the girls told me you wanted to see me. Is something wrong?”

He shook his head. “No. I was just curious how a woman like you came to own such a place.”

What had happened to the woman who was supposed to be taking care of her?

Shorlack thought. How had she ended up here?

“I don’t. My brother does.”

“Your brother?” Was he wrong? Rhianna didn’t have a brother. Perhaps this woman wasn’t who he thought she was.

“Yes. Devlin Armande.”

Shorlack’s eyebrow rose in surprise. He knew Devlin, who was of Thallion origin, and he looked nothing like the woman in front of him. They could have separate mothers or fathers, but for some reason, he didn’t think so. Rhia looked too much like Queen Tray. He knew he was right about this.

His shrewd gaze narrowed. “You look nothing like him.” She laughed. “That’s because we’re not blood related. We’re adopted. Is that why you called me over here, or was there something else you wanted?” Rhia grabbed the empty glass left on the bar. As she shifted to hand the woman behind her the glass, he noticed the gold puzzle piece dangling from a thin chain around her neck.

His heart hammered even faster as he recognized the delicate design. There were only three of those pieces. And the owners of the other two would pay whatever he wanted to find this last piece -- to finally have this woman where she belonged. Only she could stop the war that was on the brink of raging between Argonia and Phelisine.

5

“No, nothing else,” he murmured. “I was just curious.” Quick as a shot, he downed the rest of his drink, and then stepped outside into the intense heat of Veenori’s desert-like surface. Squinting, he glanced toward the bright sun and smiled. He couldn’t believe his luck.

They’d been searching for her now for almost twenty-eight years. The odds that he would have found her on this planet were slim to none, but there was no mistaking those eyes, that hair, and that single piece of jewelry around her graceful neck. Now to inform her future husbands.

With a skip to his step, he practically sprinted to his ship and climbed inside. Opening a communication channel, he waited patiently for one of them to answer. Jorel appeared first, his black eyes fierce and intent.

“What is it, Shorlack?” he asked impatiently.

Shorlack bowed his head slightly toward the screen. “Your Grace.” He took a deep breath, then smiled. “I’ve found her.”

* * * * *

“What was that all about?” Li asked from behind her. Rhia turned to look at her and didn’t miss the concern on her face. Li was so grown up for someone so young. “Your guess is as good as mine,” Rhia said with a sigh.

“Perhaps you should tell your brother about him,” Li said. “It’s concerning that he would ask such personal questions.”

“They weren’t all that personal, but I’ll admit, it was a little odd.” Rhia glanced up toward the second floor and the one-way glass that looked out over the bar floor from her brother’s office. She could sense him there, and had a feeling he already knew something odd had happened. He always knew.

Her gaze moved back to Li and she smiled, remembering Devlin’s comment about preferring blondes. Li was blonde. A very pretty blonde, and just maybe she was what her brother needed to get his mind off his worries. He’d been extremely preoccupied lately. Ever since they’d returned from his best friend Taron’s wedding on Daego.

“I have an idea,” Rhia murmured with a grin. “Why don’t you go tell him?” Li’s face lit up in excitement. “Do you think so?”

“Yes,” Rhia whispered, then shooed the young girl toward the stairs. There wasn’t a barmaid in this place that didn’t want a few moments alone with Devlin, Li included.

“Enjoy yourself, brother,” she whispered as she wiggled her fingers toward the glass.