Page 6

Horek

I exit the main science building a few streets away from the market square. Garek, our head scientist and the Bohnari in charge of research on our fertility issues said the smoke bomb was homemade and well done at that. Whoever had crafted it knew what he was doing. Garek hasn’t always been a part of academia. In fact, he was my mentor when I entered the guards.

An unfamiliar scent reaches me, and I breathe it in, my gaze searching for its source. It’s a light fragrance I’ve never smelled before. Sweet and crisp. Perhaps some type of fruit? I follow the trail, pausing every few moments to take another inhalation. My path leads me to the city center. Bohnari walk the streets, as well as a few other races who stop on Bohna to refuel their ships and replenish supplies.

Preska isn’t a huge spaceport that sees a lot of traffic, but we do get occasional visitors and passersby since we are one of the more resource-heavy planets in this sector. Toveeka is the biggest and busiest station, but it’s still a distance to travel between us.

I reach the market and the scent that drew me here has been covered by the various food being sold. It’s still there, but not as strong. Yet, I continue searching for its source. My gaze is drawn to the far end of the road from where I stand. Gathered around a booth where an elder Bohnari sells his handcrafted jewelry made from stones mined in the mountains behind Preska is Johnna and a small group of human females.

Amongst the females is the same one who caught my attention when they arrived earlier. Before I realize what I am doing, I weave through the crowd toward them. I’m so focused, I nearly collide with several different people. Grumbles follow in my wake, but I ignore them all. I stop a short distance away in front of a table display of blades and pick up one. I pretend to inspect the craftsmanship but tune into the conversation happening close by.

“This one would look so good with your skin tone,” a female says.

“Except for the fact I have no place to wear it.”

My skin tingles at the second voice, and somehow I know it belongs to her , as well as the scent I followed here.

“Who cares? Wear it around your house. Get it because it’s beautiful and makes you feel good about yourself,” the first female replies. “We’re not back on the bottom tier anymore, Quinn. None of us have to worry about money or food ever again. We all know the number of credits that were deposited into accounts for each of us will last half a lifetime. And that’s if we’re not even trying to be frugal.”

Quinn . It is an interesting name for a female. I glance over my shoulder to get a better glimpse at what piece has their attention. Her friend is right. The necklace is crafted from the pikela stone and would look stunning on her. She stares longingly at it, hesitates, but in the end, she places it back on the table.

“It’s a frivolous expense for something I really don’t need.” She glances up at the male behind the table. “Thank you for letting me look at it. It truly is gorgeous. Maybe another time though.”

The Bohnari smiles at her without an ounce of visible disappointment at the loss of a sale. “You are most welcome. If I sell this one to someone else, I will keep an eye out for another piece just as lovely as this one for when you are ready.”

“Thank you.” Quinn dips her head and their group walks away with Johnna in the lead.

I follow at a distance as they continue strolling through the city center. They pause at several tables, but not a single female makes any purchase except Johnna, who buys a length of shimmering fabric. Eloise explained what the bottom tier was like for the people living there. Not just the females either, but the entire population.

As part of the deal to bring the potential brides to Bohna, Alik made sure each female had enough credits to purchase things while they searched for the male they would bind themselves to. If they choose to work, they will be paid a fair wage, and any credits they earn will be added to the ones already in their accounts. There is no need for them to worry about having enough. Yet, it would seem that is still a huge concern for them. I will need to address this with my cousin.

“Horek? What brings you to the market?”

I jerk, completely unaware that I have moved close enough to the group of humans to attract Johnna’s notice.

“Patrolling.” My response is automatic, if untruthful. I dart a glance in Quinn’s direction before quickly returning it to Vornak’s mate. “A rebel was detained inside the city limits and I am making sure no more managed to sneak past the guards.”

“What do you mean by rebel?” The question is from the female I have seen speaking most frequently to Quinn. “No one told us anything about rebels.”

Johnna and I share a look that causes the same outspoken female to snap her fingers in front of my face. Something no Bohnari would dare try.

“Excuse me, but no silent communication with each other please. It’s rude,” she says.

“Olivia,” Quinn hisses beneath her breath.

This Olivia only glares at her. “Don’t ‘Olivia’ me. You know I’m right. No one mentioned anything to us about rebels when we boarded the ship to come here. If there’s some kind of civil unrest happening on Bohna, don’t you think it’s something we should have been made aware of?”

She makes a valid point, but I’m not sure Alik would approve of sharing the information. Not that it’s likely to have remained a secret for long.

“There is a faction of Bohnari who reside in the rainforest outside of the city that are unhappy with the way Alik…leads.” I won’t be the one to share my cousin’s true role over the Bohnari. “They have been making their disappointment known with increasing frequency. No violence has occurred, nor will it. Patrols of both the city border and within the perimeter have been increased to make sure no harm comes to any of our citizens.”

The group of females share looks between them until the one called Olivia, who appears to have elected herself their communal voice, stares at me. “So what you’re saying is we’ve landed on a planet filled with political conflict?”

My gaze bounces over all the females before settling on Quinn. “Yes.”

One of the humans I’ve seen with Quinn and Olivia throws up her hands and releases a huge burst of air. “Are you fucking kidding me? No wonder the President was perfectly fine with the stipulation that all lottery brides be from the bottom tier. God forbid should any of the precious women from the upper tier have to leave their privileged lives for some place with actual conflict.”

The other females murmur to each other and I send a helpless look to Johnna, silently begging for her to come to my aid.

“Hey, just listen.” She bounces her hands in the air as if that will get the females’ attention. “This isn’t like Earth. Yes, there is conflict here, but it’s not the kind you’re used to. The rebels haven’t been violent in any way. There is nothing to be afraid of.”

“Yet,” Olivia adds. “There’s nothing to be afraid of…yet. Because how can you guarantee that your little conflict won’t become violent? You can’t, and you know it. Life doesn’t come with guarantees. I don’t know what these rebels are doing now that makes them rebels, but at some point, if what they’re doing continues not to work, they’ll come to a decision to escalate things. It’s how conflict works. Always has, always will.”

I shake my head. “It will never come to violence. You have my guarantee.”

“Why should we trust you?” Quinn asks quietly. “How can we be sure you’re right?”

“Because I know Alik. He loves Bohna and he loves our people. If there is any chance any of those people might be harmed by the rebels in any way, then he will give them exactly what they want. A new leader.” My cousin would do anything to protect the Bohnari, including bringing humans here to become brides so we don’t die out. “I swear this to you.”

Other than Johnna, none of the females appear to believe me. There is nothing I can do to make them see the truth except give them time. My wrist comm beeps and I am almost grateful for the distraction. I tap it.

“Commander Horek.” I don’t take my eyes off Quinn.

“His Highness is asking for you, sir.”

“I’m on my way.” I end the comm. “Excuse me, but I have to go.”

Without waiting for a response, I spin and once again weave my way through the crowded market square. Behind me, the females all ask the same question.

“His Highness?”

No doubt they’ll question Johnna about it and I’m not sure if she’ll be able to get away with not giving them the answers they seek. One more thing I may need to warn Alik about.

It takes me far too long to reach the throne room for the second time today. At least I did notice an increase in guards around the females’ housing. Again, I enter without announcing myself. Only this time, Alik isn’t alone. Queen Veroneek sits in a plush chair reserved for her when she wishes to converse with her son.

“Horek, my dear,” she greets me with a pleasantness that never fails to make me feel warm inside. My aunt is as kind as my mother is not. I’ve never understood how the two of them are sisters.

“Greetings, Your Highness. I didn’t realize you were here. Is all well?” Despite our relation, I still can’t drop the formality of her title. She stopped asking me to a long time ago, when she realized it was pointless. Not because I don’t care for her in the only way I know how. It’s just best to keep a measure of distance between myself and people.

“Other than the pesky rebels causing more problems? Mostly,” she says. “I merely wanted to get your take on the human females that arrived. Alik mentioned you escorted them to their dwelling. Were you able to speak with any of them? What sort of impression did you get?”

A vision of Quinn flashes in my head. The way the sunlight made her eyes sparkle and how my fingers twitched with the need to see if her hair was as soft as it appeared. Or how I’m curious to know what she thinks of Preska so far.

“I didn’t really get a chance to converse with any of them, although I did run across a few with Johnna in the market before coming here. She was showing them around, I believe, and introducing them to our culture.”

“That is lovely of Johnna for doing that. I’m sure they felt some sort of relief knowing there’s another human female here that is mated to one of our people already,” Queen Veroneek says. She has a genuine fondness for the healer’s human mate.

“Most likely.”

“Did you find one that sparked your interest?” she asks with the same brow raise as her son, although hers is less imperious and more curiously optimistic.

“You know I have no interest in a bride.”

Queen Veroneek waves me off. “That’s your mother talking. I’m not sure how she’s convinced you that you have no wish for a mate or children. You would make a wonderful father and a loving partner.”

I glance at Alik, who’s remained quiet this entire time, only to find him failing to hide a smirk. I’m sure he’s relieved that his mother’s attention and insistence about a lack of desire to be bonded is currently being directed at me and not him.

“Alik would make a far better mate than I would. He is the crown prince after all. He’s the one who needs to further our line and produce an heir, don’t you think?”

My aunt barks out a laugh. “My son has already made his feelings about a mate known to me. Not that I agree with either of you, but I will leave it. For now.”

She rises from her seat and kisses Alik on the cheek. She pats my shoulder, which is the most affection I accept from anyone.

“I will say one more thing before I leave, though, and that is don’t let others dictate what you want most out of life.” Her gaze shifts from Alik to me and back to her son. “You could be missing out on the most wonderful thing life has to offer. True love. Your father and I had it. He’d want you both to have it as well.”

With another glance over us, Queen Veroneek dips her head and exits through the double doors that are opened by the two guards stationed at them. I stare after her a moment longer before turning to my cousin. He meets my gaze.

“Tell me about this rebel that got away.”