Page 18

Horek

It had to have been Bannik that told Quinn of the mating fever. Not even our Tavikhi allies know the true reason why we trade for the kanet plant. My claws extrude at the thought that Bannik might have been struck just as hard with it and couldn’t resist the pull of Quinn either. Alik wouldn’t appreciate me sending one of my guards to the medical facility.

Once my patrol is complete, I make my way back to the barracks. For the first time, my on-hand supply of kanet powder is getting low and needs to be replenished. I still don’t understand why only Alik and I are the ones who appear to be afflicted with a fever that’s becoming unmanageable. If not for the fact my cousin has been experiencing the problem for many moons, I would wonder if he hadn’t met his heart’s fire.

Except for the fact he’s been demonstrating the uncontrollable madness along with it. When I was with Quinn earlier, I didn’t feel mad. Out of control, yes. But it was my burning desire for her, not my mind.

At this time of day, the barracks are quiet. Males are either out on patrol or in the training facility. I pause outside of my room, sensing some type of disturbance. With a hand on my blaster, I open the door of my suite and brace myself for a possible attack. The person standing before me is far worse than any assailant.

I lower my arms to my sides. “What are you doing here?”

“Is that any way to greet your mother?”

“It is when she shows up unannounced and uninvited within my private dwelling. Which poses the better question of how did you get in here?”

She waves off my question with a flap of her hand. “Just as you have your ways of doing things, so do I.”

She stares more closely at me and her entire demeanor changes to something I can’t define.

“Why is your skin tone darker? And your eyes?” She gestures in the direction of my face. “Have they changed color as well? By the gods, please don’t tell me you’ve attached yourself to one of those humans .”

Why, of all the days for her to surprise me with an unwanted visit, does it have to be the same day I’ve been near Quinn?

“I would be careful how you speak of the females, Mother. One of them could be your future queen.”

She waves off my warning as though it is of no consequence. “Everyone knows Alik has no interest in finding a bride.”

I’d actually been speaking of my own bride, if my cousin is so determined to let the fever take him, and I—gods unwilling—become prince and eventual king. But I let her think what she wants. No sense in giving her any hope that if I inherit the title she’ll get some kind of special privileges just because she’s my mother.

“Even still, stranger things have happened. Perhaps Alik will change his mind once he has spent more time with the females.”

“Gods forbid.”

“You would rather our people die out.” It’s not a question.

“Than taint our bloodlines with an inferior alien species? Yes.”

I control the breath I exhale so it doesn’t come across as a sigh.

“You still haven’t answered my question. What are you doing here?” Considering my mother lives in Haveeka—which is several ticks by shuttle transport—she would have to travel to Preska for a purpose.

“I came to remind you of your duty and to not let the queen’s soft words turn you from your true path.”

“You didn’t need to bother coming all the way here for something you could have said just as well over the comm. I’m fully aware of what direction my life is supposed to go.”

“See that you are.”

I’m not sure how to respond to what sounds so much like a threat, so I don’t. “If there’s nothing else then?”

My mother smiles with insincerity. “For now.” She sweeps past me and out the door.

No matter how brief any visit might be, every time I see her, I’m left emotionally exhausted. Thankfully they are few and far between. Because with each one, the voice inside my head belonging to her that I think I’ve banished returns. Only stronger.

I can’t help but compare myself to Bannik. Maybe he would be a better choice for Quinn. I can picture the joy on her face when they were dancing. The way he made her laugh. None of the things she did with me, although we didn’t get to spend near enough time together before the explosion occurred.

Yet it was me Quinn kissed earlier in the botanical garden. I was the one who aroused her. The one who made her lose control of herself, if only for a moment. It wasn’t the mating fever that caused her own reaction. Nor was it what caused mine. Not completely.

As if contradicting itself, the stabbing pain in my gut hits and I clench my fists while I breathe through it. The familiar drip-drip of blood from my pierced palms hits the floor. My fangs throb. I run my tongue over one and blood fills my mouth. My entire body surges with heat and urges me to find Quinn.

I take a huge risk and don’t reach for the kanet powder. It’s the only way I can prove what my mind is telling me. Of course, if I’m wrong, it may be Alik having to put me down instead of the other way around. My knees give out from the pain and I collapse onto them on the ground. I brace my hands on the floor, and breathe through the agony and torment.

Slowly, the excruciating torture abates, but the fever coursing through my veins continues to burn like an inferno. My mind, on the other hand, remains clear of the madness. There’s no destructive rage. Instead, it’s pure want. Need. For Quinn.

I carefully rise to my feet and enter the cleansing room to stare at my reflection in the bathing pool. My skin is a deep, dark copper, and the scales lining my shoulders and arms appear in a shade darker. It’s my eyes I can’t glance away from. They’re nearly black, but within their depths, they glow brightly with flames of red, leaving me no doubt: Quinn’s my heart’s fire.

The same thing happened to Vornak when he discovered Johnna. We all thought it had been the end for him, but his heart’s fire had soothed the madness within and doused the flames that burned until all the remained was smoldering embers.

My comm beeps and hit the button on my wrist band. “Commander Horek speaking.”

“Commander, there’s a transmission for you.”

“I’ll be right there.”

I end the comm and will my body to return to normal. Not that I don’t want every Bohnari to know I’ve found my own heart’s fire. But it’s important that Quinn be the first. She deserves it. There’s still a part of me that doesn’t believe this is happening. Especially with my mother’s visit fresh in my mind. All the things she warned me echo in my ears.

Just because I suspect Quinn is my heart’s fire, doesn’t mean she feels anything for me beyond attraction. There’s no guarantee she ever will either. Not with Bannik’s interest. Perhaps he is more suited to her than I am.

This constant self-doubt is getting me nowhere. I need to speak with Quinn. As much as I want to see her this moment, until the business with the rebels has been taken care of, my role as Commander has to come first.

I leave my barracks for the palace’s communication room. Although it’s far sooner than I would have expected to receive a response, my hope is that it’s from Janik agreeing to a meeting. From the stares that accompany me on my way to my destination, I haven’t been able to lessen the effects of the fever. I’m sure word will make its way to Alik or the queen before I arrive.

Once I make it to the palace, more stares and whispers follow in my wake. I ignore them all. Finally, I arrive and step into the communications room. A different Bohnari male works at the mainframe than when I send the transmission.

“What do you have for me?”

“Here.” He gestures to his screen.

I scan the transmission in front of me and with each word my anger and outrage grow. I storm out of the room before I’ve even finished reading. Staff scurry out of the way for fear of incurring more of my wrath. I don’t stop until I reach Alik’s wing and slam the door to his suites open.

He glances up from his desk with a raised brow. “Something bothering you?”

“I received a response to our request for a meeting with Janik.”

This causes him to straighten and the smirk to fall from his lips. “Clearly it wasn’t the reply we hoped to receive.”

“Not even close.” Rage simmers in my veins. “It’s become obvious that the rebels are prepared to escalate the conflict. Full on war, if that’s what it’s going to come down to. They blame us for the death of Konek during the mining incident, and say that we’re setting them up to take the fall for it as an excuse to retaliate with violence.”

Alik doesn’t speak at first but I know him well enough to see he’s barely holding onto his temper. “I see.”

“In the transmission, Janik says he refuses to take the blame for our actions. He says we’ve left him with no choice but to make sure the people on Bohna know the kind of prince who is ruling our planet.”

“So he’s threatening me.”

“It would appear so.”

“Then perhaps it is time for me to stop letting this petty rebellion continue without any consequences. Perhaps they’ll finally understand and realize who the true ruler of the Bohnari people is.” Alik grinds his teeth. “I have tried being benevolent. But that time appears to have passed. If one death is not enough, then they only have themselves to blame for any more that occur.”

Like Alik, I have avoided any hints of violent retaliation against the rebels. No matter their political beliefs, they are still our people. But when our people die, it’s no longer about politics. It’s personal.

“Send a final warning. If Janik chooses not to meet with me, then he best prepare for our conflict to no longer remain peaceful. We will not take responsibility for a death we did not cause. They are the only ones who can make this right. Otherwise, we will be taking action.”

“I’ll make sure it’s done.”

I hate that it’s come to this, but with this last transmission, the rebels have given Alik no other choice. He has to ensure the safety of the entire planet. Janik and his people have become a threat to that safety. It’s bad enough to lose any of our people to the mating fever, but to lose them that is something completely within our control is far worse. All we can do now is pray to the gods that our loss is minimal.