Page 8 of Royal Mate

8

P aige

“Welcome, Princess. Welcome!” Tears clogged her voice as Addan’s mother grabbed me and wrapped me in a hug so tight I couldn’t breathe. “The Creator has been kind to bring you back to us! Addan tells us you have been in hiding on a planet called Earth?” She stepped back, looked at me, sobbed and yanked me against her. “I’m Fiona. Oh, how I loved your mother. You look just like her. So beautiful.”

I hugged her back, a bit awkwardly, unsure of how much to squeeze or where to put my hands. This wasn’t exactly what I’d expected. I’d expected to meet a regal, reserved lady who spoke to Addan about politics and war and strategy. Not be mauled in a crying, squeezing, mom-hug.

I’d never had a hug like this back home. An I’m-so-happy-to-see-you hug. No one had ever been so happy to meet me that they cried.

If she didn’t stop, I was going to burst into tears and embarrass myself.

Desperate, I looked to Addan for help.

“Mother. Don’t you think you should introduce our guest to my sisters?”

“Of course. Of course.” She released me and I took a deep breath, forced a smile on my face that I was not feeling as his sisters, both probably a few years older than me, gawked at me. Guess my Trus-T-Kleen shirt wasn’t what they were expecting. “Princess, may I present my daughters, Catriona—” The silvery haired beauty wearing the burgundy dress bowed. “And Sorcha.” The stunning sister in blue bowed in turn.

“Nice to meet you.”

A deep voice echoed from the far side of the room. “Princess, I am Kaisin, Fiona’s Resonant and father to these three. Welcome to our home.”

How had I failed to notice the large, muscular man who had been sitting in an oversized chair next to what looked like a faux fire? Or maybe the fire was real. I didn’t know. It burned with blue and orange flames, but I wasn’t close enough to feel any heat. Like Addan, he was handsome. Huge. Muscled. He wore a uniform nearly identical to General Niemini’s, but all black. No gray. Was that because he was the lord of the house rather than a soldier? Why did Addan wear blue? What did all these colors mean? I had no idea. Kaisin was built like a damn tank, just like his son. He moved silently as he came forward to bow before me and I knew, like Addan, this man would be a very dangerous enemy.

“I—Nice to meet you.” I bowed a little, not sure if I was supposed to bow or nod my head or what.

And what was a Resonant? Was that what they called their husbands? Maybe that stupid translator thing the needle on Earth shoved into my skull wasn’t working properly.

“Come, Princess. Sit with us and we will discuss your future.” Fiona hooked her arm with mine and led me to the seating area where she’d been waiting with her daughters. There were two large sofas, each long enough to seat at least six or seven people, as well as multiple chairs all facing the center of the room. They all sat and looked at me expectantly. I wrung my hands in front of me, sure my smile looked more like a grimace. “I’m sorry. I’m just too anxious to sit down right now.” They all stood at once. With a sigh, I shook my head. “No. Please. Sit. I just need to move around a little.”

Slowly, they each resumed their seat in turn, Addan last. I wanted to go curl up on his lap and let him hold me. That’s what I wanted. But that’s not what I was going to get.

Addan’s father cleared his throat and looked from his wife to General Niemini. “So, how are we going to remove Queen Alienor from the throne without starting a civil war?”

Addan

Civil War. My father was correct. The Peigi family, Paige’s mother in particular, had many stalwart allies who would flock to Paige’s side the moment they learned she had survived. But Queen Alienor would not be so welcoming. She had more than twenty years of rule to fortify her position as queen and wouldn’t willingly give up such power, even if it wasn’t rightfully hers any longer.

I knew what it was to have others die in my name, under my command, following my orders. As queen, every death would be Paige’s to bear, every decision, hers. The fate of our planet now rested on the shoulders of a female whose softness made my cock hard as a rock, whose passion made me want to devour her, whose humble nature would inspire more to sacrifice their lives to see her claim the throne.

No matter how much she refused the role, she could not escape it. And I couldn’t escape the role of loyal soldier. Nothing more. I would fight for her. Kill for her. Protect her with my life. But I could not hold her. Comfort her. Fuck her.

She was not mine. I needed to make those words a mantra so my heart and my cock would behave accordingly. Not. Mine.

Paige’s fair face paled at the true seriousness of the situation. “Civil war? What are you talking about? How on Earth… God, that saying doesn’t work here, does it?” she muttered. “Why would anyone fight over me?”

Yes, she didn’t understand the power she had.

Over an entire planet.

Over me.

I needed to touch her. Soothe her. Pull her into my arms and vow to protect her from all enemies. I could not. I leaned back in my chair to get closer but stopped just short of reaching up to grab her hand. To my shock, she slid it close until her fingertips grazed my shoulder, the lightest contact. So close and yet so far out of reach because she had not claimed me.

I was not her Resonant.

She was betrothed to the current queen’s son.

He was a spoiled, arrogant ass, but he was no fool. The moment he learned of Paige’s existence, he would demand entrance to our home, press his rights, demand she obey centuries of law and tradition and wed him at once.

I would need to make sure I was far, far away on that day. On another continent.

Fuck, another planet. The urge to kill him would be nearly impossible to resist. If I were forced to watch him touch her?

A shudder raced through my system at these continued thoughts.

My mother answered Paige. “We will do everything we can to prevent a war, but not everything is up to us.” She turned to General Niemini. “Send word to our allies immediately. Use men you trust, General. No transmissions. Nothing in writing. If Queen Alienor learns the princess survived and is here on Insuri before we are ready to?—”

“No. Stop.” Paige interrupted and the three elders–my mother, my father, and General Niemini–turned to her as she continued. “Why do we need to remove the queen? I don’t know anything about being a queen. What’s wrong with letting Queen Alienor continue to rule?”

I turned to study Paige over my shoulder as she waited for someone in the room to answer her question. It could not be me. I was neither impartial nor logical, not when it came to her.

My mother, the matriarch and ruler of our family, cleared her throat. “Princess?—”

“Paige. Call me Paige.”

“Paige. So close to Peigi.” Mother’s blue eyes drifted away for a moment as if she was lost in a memory.

“Page-E.” Paige’s confused green eyes sought mine. “I still can’t believe that’s my alien last name. Is that my father’s last name? Who is my father? I’ve only heard about my mother.”

“No, dear. The royal line is passed through the mother’s family. Your father was Ambassador Lorient. His family is one of our staunchest allies. We will summon your father’s brother and his wife to meet you.”

Paige’s shoulders slumped. “Was? My father is dead, too?”

“He died in a tragic accident a few months after you were born,” my mother confirmed.

“That was no accident, Lady Fiona.” General Niemini’s grumbling made Paige gasp.

“No one was ever charged with murder,” my father insisted. “You are speculating, General.”

“My mother and my father were murdered?” Round, sad eyes met my gaze. “What kind of planet is this?”

Before I could begin to come up with a response, Paige turned her outrage on one more likely to know what happened all those years ago.

“Who did it? Who killed them, General? Who murdered my parents?”