Chapter 10
Doors quickly swung open to receive him, but despite all the time that passed since he was last here in the imperial palace, Taeron still felt like an impostor as guard saluted him and imperial nobles nodded to him in deference, albeit grudgingly. Although he walked with a brisk gait and kept his gaze straight ahead, he was aware that imperial females took steps towards him to catch his attention, but they fell back when he showed no interest. The female servants were more aggressive and obvious in their offers, but he ignored them as well. By the gods, he would rather be back on Varoonya where few approached him without invitation.
Being back on Calabria and the imperial palace brought back too many memories. His work on Varoonya kept him busy enough to keep from thinking too much about Amyr's betrayal and his own failure. But now that he was back on Calabria, the hurt was as acute as when he first realized that the man he had risked his life to protect had turned on him with treachery.
Outside the emperor's private apartments he found the crown prince waiting for him and Prince Staefyn greeted him with a hug. "You are looking well, Lord Taeron."
Although he winced at hearing his title, he responded, "As do you, my lord prince." Taeron bowed to the eldest prince. "You still have not chosen an imperial guard?"
The other man frowned. "There is no one I would rather have than you, Taeron, but my parents will not allow it." His gaze strayed to the sword Taeron wore along with the one his father had given him. The sword of the crown prince should be Staefyn's, but Taeron had carried it since he had pried it from Amyr's charred grasp. If it were up to Taeron, he would hand the sword to Staefyn now, but he would not until Staefyn's mother rescinded her request that he carry it.
Hearing that the emperor and his wife refused Staefyn's request to accept him as his imperial guard bothered Taeron, but he expected it. Taeron had already proved he could not be trusted with the safety of the crown prince, so why would they put Staefyn's life in his care? For now Staefyn was safe enough. The common people and the imperial nobility liked Staefyn and everywhere he went he was greeted with affection. Amyr could have had such approval from the people, but he chose to be arrogant and self-serving.
"Should they ever change their mind, I would be honored to be your imperial guard, my lord prince." Taeron bowed his head to him.
Staefyn grinned at him. "We don't need to use titles, do we Taeron?"
Taeron returned his smile. "No, we don't." He caught himself wondering why he had abandoned his friendship with Staefyn. As children they had spent most of their time following in Amyr's shadow, and Amyr never appreciated their company. He could not remember the exact moment when Staefyn drew away to pursue his own interests, but Taeron knew it was during his training at Edgeland Fortress.
"Why has your father recalled me from Varoonya?," he asked, shaking off thoughts of the past. "Have I displeased him?"
"That is a question you will have to ask him," Staefyn replied, but Taeron suspected the young prince knew exactly why Taeron had made the three week trip from Varoonya where he served as imperial governor.
The door to the emperor's chamber opened and Taeron heard his name announced by the guard at the door, and when he entered, Staefyn accompanied him. Taeron was somewhat surprised to see Lady Arora waiting with Emperor Trey, so he had the uncomfortable feeling that he was being ambushed. What had he done wrong? Or could they be relenting now to allow him the opportunity to serve Staefyn? His hopes raised and he glanced at Staefyn who stood back as his mother came to greet Taeron.
She took his hands and kissed his cheeks. "You don't have to be so worried," she whispered in his ear.
Of course she had used her powers to discern his feelings! Doing so was second nature to her. Many still feared and reviled the remaining Guerani, and yet Taeron had become comfortable with their powers after spending so much time with Shamara and her mother and his mother's husband. He would not consider Amyr a true Guerani because he had misued his powers.
Taeron moved past Lady Arora to bow to the emperor, and Trey was smiling as he rose. He did not trust that smile. What was going to happen to him now?
"Taeron, I wasn't expecting you for another few days."
"I had few arrangements to make before leaving," Taeron told him. In truth, he had rushed through the arrangements of leaving an interim governor and settling unfinished business. He had a niggling fear that the emperor was recalling him to Calabria for something he had failed to do. After what happened to Amyr, Taeron would not give the emperor another excuse to lose faith in him. He would not shame his father's house again!
"That is a testament to your efficient governance." Trey rubbed his hands together, then took Taeron's arm and led him to a chair. "I imagine you are confused about why I sent for you."
The emperor's friendliness rang false with Taeron and the hairs at the back of his neck were rising. If he were in a battle he would have drawn his sword by now. His hope that they were going to allow him to be Staefyn's imperial guard dissipated rapidly.
"I've decided to give Staefyn a chance to prove himself capable of governing," the emperor surprised him by saying. "Because you have oiled the wheels of the Varoonyan government well and eradicated any threat to the stability of the planet, I thought turning the reigns of the government over to Staefyn would be an excellent opportunity for him to spread his wings."
Taeron tried not to show how disappointed he was that his post was being given to Staefyn, and he desperately tried not to feel resentful when Staefyn had not even blooded his sword. Staefyn was the emperor's son and had a right to rule in his father's name. Taeron's position on Varoonya would have only been temporary anyway because he had already been named Lord Duo's successor on Ulfynaeus. Yet Taeron had worked hard these last few years to make Varoonya an asset to the Calabrian empire and he balked at having to relinquish his command to Staefyn even if he did like the prince.
"Don't have such a long face, Taeron!" Trey patted him on the back. "I have something more important for you to do."
Taeron looked up at his face and he watched the smile fade from the emperor's lips. Taeron swallowed nervously as he tried to think of anything he might have done wrong in the two years since he had left Calabria.
"You are frightening him," scolded Lady Arora with a frown at her husband.
"I think the prospect of what I am about to order him to do is frightening him." Trey leaned in closer so that they were almost nose to nose. "I think you have neglected to do something very important, Taeron."
Taeron searched his mind for the oversight. He had submitted regular, thorough reports. He had subdued the Varoonyan rebels, making agreements with many of them to the mutual satisfaction of Calabria and the petty Varoonyan lords that had seized control after their overlords had been eliminated. He had implemented changes in the society so that the ranks of the wretched poor had dwindled dramatically during his governance as their agriculture flourished enough to begin exports. Where once the Calabrian Empire was cursed, it was now welcomed. Staefyn would be as well-loved there as well as here. What had he not done to satisfy the emperor?
Frowning, he admitted, "I have been unable to account for warlord Kai." Taeron knew the villain was hiding on Varoonya because his thralls still caused problems, but the warlord stayed one step ahead of him.
Trey waved his hand. "A problem for later, Taeron." The emperor snorted and looked at his wife. "He has put it so far out of his mind that he cannot even remember." Trey raised a brow. "I believe you have forgotten the little matter of a princess named Dijana."
Princess Dijana! Taeron felt his stomach churn unpleasantly. He cleared his throat to speak, then it tightened as he couldn't find the words to apologize for the oversight.
"Well, Taeron?" Trey straightened and crossed his arms over his chest. "You signed the marriage contracts when I sent them to Varoonya and I forwarded them to Teralon where the princess signed them."
Taeron had not given the contracts any thought, nor had he read them. He suspected his scribe of tricking him to sign them even though Taeron would not have refused. They had been discussing funding a building project in the city and Taeron had assumed he was signing a requisition for materials. It wasn't until after he had signed the document that the scribe informed him that he had signed the marriage contract and he proceeded to read it to him. He did not point out to the scribe that he should have been allowed to read it before signing it. The older man was too gleeful by far over his triumph. Taeron guessed that the emperor had personally instructed him to slip the marriage contracts under his nose.
"Give me your oath, Taeron. Princess Dijana has given hers."
His heart was thumping wildly in his chest, and he looked to Staefyn for support. He was not sure why he had looked at Staefyn except that it felt natural although they had long ago ceased to be confidantes. Staefyn started, glanced anxiously at his parents, but then he smiled at Taeron with encouragement. Taeron's panic eased.
"Scribe!" Trey called over his shoulder and for the first time Taeron realized his brother had been standing in the shadows, his arms folded over his chest as he watched.
His brother was smirking as he approached and Taeron felt the crushing weight of duty as he realized his brother was there in his official capacity.
"Speak!" barked Trey impatiently.
Taeron glanced at Arora who was frowning at her husband, but she did not say anything. Staefyn also remained silent.
He took a breath. "I vow on the honor..."
"On the honor of my house," Trey warned him.
By the gods! An oath on the emperor's house?
Taeron swallowed nervously. "I vow on the honor of my emperor's house ..."
"And Calabria."
The oath was far more formal than usual! What could he expect when he was marrying the heir to the throne of Teralon? "I vow on the honor of my emperor's house and on the honor of Calabria, to take Princess Dijana of Teralon as my wife." Taeron's knees were weak and he was perspiring profusely. By the gods! He had just taken a wife!
The emperor rubbed it in. "To complete this union, I order you to go to Teralon to get your bride. You have been insultingly remiss in honoring the agreement I made with Queen Neria."
"He has been busy," spoke up Staefyn.
"Two years of busy! I cannot abide that tired excuse anymore!" Trey slammed his hand down on his desk, startling Taeron. "Gods take you, Taeron, you are like a son to me! But now I must be your emperor. I am relieving you of your position on Varoonya so that you can begin your house with Princess Dijana. Regardless of your feelings on the subject, she has a right to be a wife before her child-bearing years pass her by."
"I don't think she is in that sort of danger," admonished Lady Arora as she went to place a calming hand on Trey's. She smiled kindly at Taeron. "I told you that you didn't have anything to fear. Once you have gone to Teralon and claimed your bride, you may return to Calabria with your wife. In the meantime, Staefyn can learn how to govern from the excellent staff you have employed on Varoonya. This is an excellent opportunity for him."
"Indeed," agreed Trey, putting a hand on Staefyn's shoulder. Taeron would not resent Staefyn for benefiting from his hard work. "I did not know how I was going to get you away from Varoonya, but I like Staefyn's idea."
Staefyn's idea? He had Staefyn to thank for this?
Staefyn smiled as Taeron struggled not to scowl at him. "My own intended wife will be preparing for our wedding while I am gone. I will be glad not to be around for that."
Wife? "You are to be married?"
The emperor snorted. "He has spent a fortune outfitting Guerani Palace for the female, so I expect it to be done soon or he will bankrupt my treasury with her demands."
Taeron looked at Staefyn and for a moment they said nothing as their eyes met. The prince made him feel anxious, and he wondered if Staefyn had been the one to refuse Taeron as his imperial guard. "Can I meet your bride? Is she here?"
"She is a clanswoman," his father said with annoyance. "I have not met her either."
"They are very strict," Arora pointed out.
Taeron did not need to be told since there were many clans on the moon his father governed. And since they were protective of their women, Taeron wondered how Staefyn had managed to court one. Even more perplexing was Staefyn's acceptance by the female's clan when the clans did not recognize the emperor. If Meridon would give his oath, the others would follow, but he had chosen exile and those that did not leave Calabria, often moved their camps so the imperial patrols could not find them in the hills.
"You will travel with Staefyn," Trey told him.
Taeron nodded. "It is good that I get him settled on Varoonya before …."
Staefyn shook his head to cut him off, but it had not been soon enough.
"You are not returning to Varoonya!" roared Trey angrily. He shook off his wife when she tried to calm him. "I have made an agreement with Queen Neria and I demand that you fulfill your part immediately or the consequences may mean war."
Taeron was ready to fight. He doubted the imperial warriors would care what excuse would give them the opportunity to pick up their swords again, even if it was to raise them against the pathetic winged warriors that could not protect their planet from the Varoonyans.
"I see that look, Taeron." Trey's voice was ominous. "There will be no war because you are unwilling to take a female into your house. You will leave for Teralon tomorrow."
"I was hoping to visit my parents," he started.
"That can wait until your wife is plump with your child." Trey waved his hand. "You are dismissed."
The emperor had never spoken to him in that tone, but Taeron knew he deserved it, and as he turned to leave, he caught sympathetic glances from both Staefyn and Arora. Staefyn might have accompanied him, but Taeron heard the emperor order him to stay.
As he walked away from the imperial family's apartments, he tried to justify not claiming the princess sooner. There was bad blood between Varoonya and Teralon. The two planets had fought numerous wars in the previous centuries and while travel between them took only a few days and they could see each other in the night sky, they had no contact with each other. Taeron could not have governed effectively on Varoonya if he brought Princess Dijana to the planet. He had been able to maintain peace through his own impartiality and he doubted he would be perceived as impartial if he had a Teralonian mate, the heir to the throne no less.
There was nothing stopping him from taking her now that Trey had given control of Varoonya to his crown prince. Princess Dijana was his wife in name, by contract and through his spoken oath, an oath so binding that Taeron was hurt by the emperor's mistrust.
Soon she would be his wife in fact.
Taeron felt sick to his stomach.
"Brother!" Taeron looked up to see Stryfe approaching him. He wondered what the emperor discussed with Staefyn, but he would not ask Stryfe to betray the emperor's confidence. Because Stryfe had been dismissed, he guessed the discussion in the emperor's chambers was personal, probably about that elusive female that Staefyn was hiding in the hills.
"Did you know why I was recalled to Calabria?" Taeron asked his brother.
Stryfe chuckled. "Well, we couldn't belong to the same house and not know. I was actually with our lord father when he was informed of Trey's decision." He did not need to say that he had discussed it thoroughly with the emperor before going to the moon so that he could be at his father's side when Trey informed Lord Duo why he was recalling his son from his post on Varoonya.
"I am sorry to have shamed my father's house," said Taeron earnestly. Never did he wish to bring any dishonor to Lord Duo's house, but that is all he seemed to do since becoming his acknowledged son. First he should have handled the business between Quynn and Amyr better, then he lost Amyr while under his protection. Now he was in trouble over the matter of his marriage.
"Don't sweat it! Father isn't angry." Stryfe laughed. "The emperor got mom's dander up. Since mom has discovered what bonding entails and the sickness it causes, she has adamantly opposed the practice and she tried to insist that you not be subjected to the ritual."
"I will bond with Princess Dijana," said Taeron. If she were to be his wife, he had no reason to refuse.
Except that he did not want a wife. Not now. Not one chosen for him.
Stryfe sighed. "You need to lighten up. Anyway, I will be accompanying you to Teralon."
Taeron eyed him suspiciously. "Are you my guard?"
His brother threw up his hands. "I am good with a sword, but not that good. No, the pen is my tool and I am to record the blessed event."
"Will you be entering my bedchamber to see that the deed is done properly?"
Stryfe blushed. "I won't have to, will I?"
So Stryfe was being sent as a spy! Taeron should have been outraged, but he knew that Trey had ample reason to believe Taeron might not do as ordered even after the oath he had given. "I guess not. I suppose I am trapped now."
"We leave tomorrow."
"What has my mother said about this?" High speed communications between Varoonya and Calabria had only recently been established due to the hard work of the engineers from Bayman who had deployed an imperial communications satellite that would serve Teralon and Varoonya. But Taeron had not heard from his mother in many months since receiving the last letter she had written to him.
His brother smiled. "Your mother wanted to accompany you to Teralon, and when the emperor refused, they had quite an argument." Now his brother laughed. "Let's just say that without Guerani mates to calm both of them, I think blood would have been drawn. She hasn't spoken to him in weeks, but I know for a fact that she is in frequent contact with Arora to whom she complains about his tyrannical behavior."
The only way Taeron would be able to smooth over those relations would be to bring his wife back to Calabria. At least he would not have to listen to his mother's instructions for his intimate moments with his wife.
He heard giggling further down the hall and looked away from Stryfe to see a handful of serving women watching them. Stryfe followed his gaze and he laughed again as he rubbed his hands together. "Tonight, we will have a bachelor party!"
"What is a bachelor party?" When Stryfe explained the human ritual, Taeron reminded him dryly that he was already married to Dijana.
Stryfe looked him in the eye. "Don't tell me you have been honoring your paper vows?"
Taeron frowned. "I made a vow, and I have kept it." Despite the opportunities, the many, many opportunities in many tempting forms, he had not been with a woman since the night he had failed in his duty to Amyr, and he had no memory of being with those Teralonian females either. Truth be told, before that night he had not dishonored females as blithely as the prince he had served. Although Amyr and Stryfe found nothing amiss in their casual use of females, Taeron could not do it after all that his mother had suffered at the hands of males. He would not dishonor a female.
"I have been busy."
His brother was amazed. Humans didn't seem to have the same instinct for monogamy that Calabrians did. There were few Calabrians who did not keep their vows, once made. That was why Amyr's sin was so great against Quynn that he had dishonored the imperial family.
Stryfe chuckled. "Then you must be very ready to get down to business with the princess."
Stryfe's sense of humor and quaint human remarks grated on his already frayed nerves. Taeron had great difficulty imagining his father behaving in such a manner although he had been told by many who knew Lord Duo in his youth that he had been a frivolous buffoon. Taeron simply could not believe the serious, efficient governor of the second Calabrian moon after whom he had modeled his own life could have behaved even remotely like his human son.
But Taeron was glad that Stryfe accompanied him with Staefyn on the small, imperial transport, one of the new vessels purchased from the human Cinq Kingdom, the same type of ship Quynn had stolen in her flight from marriage to Amyr although it was designed for shorter trips. Trey did not want to spare even a moment in getting him to Teralon. So the month-long trip was shortened to a week in the hyperspace shuttle. They met with a transport to Varoonya first and Taeron felt bereft when he parted ways with Staefyn knowing that there could be a potential problem with discontented Varoonyans, but he had to trust Trey to know what was best for his remaining eldest son.
When they finally began the approach to Teralonian space, they were hailed from the planet. Taeron wasn't surprised to recognize Prince Avar. "Greetings, Lord Taeron."
His tone was sarcastic. As his father would say, Taeron had burned his bridges on Teralon. "We will be arriving in about an hour."
"No need to make plans to land," said Avar. "You should soon encounter the royal barge. There you will find the women waiting."
Women? Taeron wasn't given a chance to ask who he was talking about, and it appeared that there would be no reprieve to prepare for a royal wedding on the planet. The Teralonians obviously did not trust him to flee, as if he could with all that was at stake. He dared not return to Calabria without his wife.
Why was his heart pounding erratically and his breathing becoming shallow? What was this feeling?
"Don't look so scared," warned Stryfe.
His gaze flew to his brother. "I am not frightened." Did his voice squeak?
"You could have fooled me." Stryfe appeared to be close to laughter.
This feeling could not be fear! He was trained as an imperial guard, he was a warlord who had fought many battles, therefore he could not be frightened!
"My lord, are you all right?" asked one of the ship pilots.
"I think he is going to vomit," remarked the other.
Taeron gritted his teeth and turned his attention back to Avar. "I would be honored…" The communication ended before Taeron could finish.
"He's pissed at you." remarked Stryfe.
"This does not bode well for you, my lord" remarked the same pilot who had spoken earlier.
"Indeed," spoke up another. "I would guess they are eager to quit themselves of the female."
"Females," corrected the first pilot. "I guess Lord Taeron is getting two when he won't be able to handle one."
Keldar and Danlaer. Taeron remembered now that they had been trained by his sister on the piloting of the hyperspace transport. He wanted to reprimand them, but he could not even speak.
Stryfe put a hand on his shoulder that he meant to be comforting, but Taeron's nerves were wound so tightly that he almost struck his brother. "Well, you did agree to marry her, and they have been eager to make this match. The emperor has been receiving urgent demands for you to claim your bride frequently this last year."
Why were they so eager to be rid of her? By the time they came to the rendezvous point with the Teralon ship, Taeron had already conjured up an image of his bride as a horrible she-beast to whom he was tied for life. The feelings of unbearable tension welled up inside him again when they were contacted and given instructions for docking with the ship. But that feeling was not fear!
"When you have pressurized the walkway between our ships, we will send the females to you."
"I will come aboard to meet them," said Taeron.
Once again he was rudely interrupted. "That will not be necessary. Dock your ship to ours, pressurize the walkway and be prepared to receive Princess Dijana." Before Taeron could question him, the communication ended. By the gods! These Teralonians were grossly insulting! He had assumed there would be a celebration and he would be able to meet with the queen, see Princess Chaela with whom he had spent his childhood or discuss trade agreements with Varoonya. Taeron expected to formally meet his bride at the very least. He would have worn one of the many elegant tunics his mother had sent with him. Instead he was dressed in a tunic that was plainer than his brother's garb.
Stryfe accompanied him to the docking bay, and as the movements of the ship as well as announcements from the bridge informed them of what actions were being taken, Taeron felt something wet slide down his cheek. He was amazed to realize he was sweating, that his hands were clammy as well. If he had to fight a battle in this shape, he would be unable to hold his sword.
"I pity you," snorted Stryfe, his eyes sparkling with merriment. He clearly did not mean his words.
The door to the walkway slid open, and Taeron thought he heard what amounted to a scuffle, but he was sure he had been mistaken when a moment later a woman stumbled out of the walkway. Before Taeron could reach her, she found her balance and he was the recipient of the most venomous look he had ever received in his life from eyes that shot green fire.
For a moment they stared at one another, then Taeron was aware of another woman exiting the walkway. While the first female had stumbled clumsily, this one stepped out smoothly and she paused to look first at Taeron, then she settled her gaze on his brother. She smiled prettily at Stryfe.
Taeron glanced at the first woman. She was tall, long limbed and without a spare ounce of fat to make her in the least soft. He noted that she carried some sort of weapon at her side, and if she could use the sharpened rings, perhaps she was the guard of the princess. She wasn't as beautiful as the latter, whom Taeron concluded was his wife, Dijana, but he found it difficult to take his eyes from her. Her hair, the color of the midday suns of Calabria, was shorn raggedly just below her ears. She wore a plain tunic belted at the waist that reached below her knees as it was too big for her. She wore baggy leggings that were tucked into boots.
His gaze returned to her face and he found her glaring at him.
"I hope your trip was uneventful, princess," Stryfe said to the other woman, and Taeron dragged his attention away from the first woman to look at the woman who was his wife by the agreement with the emperor to which he had agreed.
For a moment her blue eyes filled with confusion and she looked to the armed woman. Taeron found her meekness affected and unappealing although his brother was clearly charmed by the petite female. The princess reminded him of the imperial females at the emperor's court.
"The princess is unharmed, Lord Taeron," the other woman snapped at Stryfe.
Stryfe chuckled and was about to correct her, when Taeron spoke quickly. "Lord Taeron welcomes you to his ship." With his eyes he warned Stryfe to keep his mouth shut. Taeron wanted a little time to observe his wife and her mistaking his brother's identity gave him the means.
"Who are you?" demanded the other woman that Taeron deduced was Dijana's guard although he had heard nothing of female soldiers on Teralon, nor had he seen any female warriors in the time he had been there liberating the planet. Perhaps that was why Avar had not identified her.
Taeron cocked his head in Stryfe's direction. "I am his brother. And who are you?" By the gods, that was rude, but she did not inspire his best behavior.
The princess gave the other woman a warning glare before speaking. "She is my sister – my half-sister."
Half-sister. Well, that explained even more the reluctance of the Teralonians to mention the woman. Although he knew little of royal politics on Teralon, he did know that Queen Neria resided in a palace far from the royal court, so if her consort had strayed from his vows, it was surely as dishonorable as it was on Calabria. He wondered if the woman was expected to remain with her sister and he guessed that she was.
Taeron looked at the woman who was staring at Stryfe who, while making a very favorable impression on Dijana, seemed to have the opposite effect on her half-sister. "I, too, am a half-brother."
Her eyes turned to him. "I had heard that Lord Duo had bastard children of the human system." She offered no explanation of her status and Taeron was irritated to realize that he knew little about his wife's family. He would need to discuss it with Stryfe who had done some research.
Taeron thought his brother might be angered by her reference to the circumstances of his birth, but he chuckled. "It has taken some years for my lord father to understand the proper order of building his house. My own mother used his body as the first step on her climb to social and political success."
Taeron glared at his brother. How dare he speak of his mother like that? It was true, but no one in Calabria would dare say such a thing of Larya who had shown herself more than qualified to keep the position handed to her because of her tie to Lord Duo.
"Do you have some place we might rest?" demanded the sister of the princess.
"Your journey wasn't that long," commented Taeron, still glaring at his brother.
"Brother, do not be rude." Stryfe extended his arm to the darker haired princess. "There are quarters already prepared."
"I hope they are comfortable and very private." She batted her long, dark lashes at Stryfe. She was beautiful and very well formed, but Taeron did not find her attractive at all. His brother, on the other hand was apparently quite taken with her. She turned her head to look back at her half-sister, a triumphant smile curving her lips. "I'm sure you can find some way to amuse yourself, Sharisse, while my Calabrian husband and I get to know each other better." Her blue gaze slid over Stryfe. "Much better."
Stryfe didn't seem at all reluctant to leave with the woman, and Taeron had no desire to stop them. He knew that he should be accompanying the princess, his wife, but he wasn't ready to do what she had in mind. Stryfe would not betray him, Taeron was reasonably convinced, yet he might use his skills of observation to report back to him.
Shortly after they disappeared through the door, the woman Dijana had referred to as Sharisse, took a step toward it. "They should not be left alone."
"Why not?" Taeron caught her arm, and he was so surprised by the jolt he received from touching her that he instantly released her.
A blush stained her cheeks, so he assumed she had felt it too. His question remained unanswered. A long moment of awkward silence stretched between them, which was finally broken by an announcement from the pilot that the Teralonian vessel was departing rapidly.
Taeron noticed that Sharisse was clenching her fists so tightly that her fingernails had drawn blood.
"I will have quarters prepared for …" he started to tell her, but she interrupted him.
"I will stay with the princess!" she snapped at Taeron, then she marched out without another look at him, following in the direction that Stryfe had taken her half-sister.
Taeron wondered if she planned to stay when he and Dijana commenced the mating initiation. Just how did Teralonians go about what was considered a private event on Calabria? He doubted he would be able to concentrate on the task he had no desire to perform if Sharisse were nearby. As it was, he was forgetting what the princess actually looked like as he perused the lean shape of the woman walking in front of him.
Suddenly she turned around to look at him and he realized that they were in the residence corridor. "Where are they?"
Taeron almost ran into her, and when he was able to drag his eyes off her backside, he found that the front was even more distracting. The tunic was shapeless, but he could easily discern her female curves.
"Put your tongue back in your mouth, you Calabrian dog! Tell me where my sister has been taken!"
Aside from her insult, he detected concern in her voice. "This way." He moved past her in the narrow passageway, conscious of the heat of her body, almost drugged by her scent. Taeron became somewhat disoriented by her nearness. He did not like the effect his unappealing, querulous female had on him.
"Where are they?" she demanded with breathless anger. Taeron saw that she was flushed.
A door a few feet away from them opened, snapping whatever spell had been cast on them. Stryfe stepped in the hall, and seeing them, he chuckled, then laughed when Sharisse shoved past Taeron and hurried into the room he had exited. After one last glare at both Taeron and Stryfe, she shut the door and the security lock activated.
Stryfe looked from the door back to Taeron, and merriment was lighting his eyes. "My, my, brother, what have you been up to while I entertained your lovely wife?"
Taeron grabbed Stryfe's arm and dragged him further down the passage to the room which happened to be his own. "I have done nothing dishonorable!" Taeron wanted that point clarified before he continued. "I want to know what you were doing with my wife."
Stryfe threw up his hands innocently. "I assure you that I did not touch the princess." Taeron knew that Stryfe was holding back laughter. "Just how long do you want me to play the role of Lord Taeron, savior of Teralon, ruler of Varoonya, warlord of the Calabrian Empire?"
Taeron suppressed the urge to strike his mocking brother. "Why did you insult my mother?"
His brother chuckled. "I thought it would get your mind off your fear."
"I am not afraid of that woman!" insisted Taeron angrily.
Stryfe threw himself down on Taeron's bed and laced his hands behind his head as he stared at him. "The princess really isn't all that threatening, but I am almost sure that amazon Sharisse could pin you to the floor."
Taeron flushed, both with embarrassment and from the heat that came from imagining himself pinned beneath the woman.
Chortling, Stryfe sat up. "I wouldn't want to be in your shoes, brother when they discover the truth."
Taeron frowned at him before he began to pace. "I…I don't think I am ready to…to…"
"Start your house?" supplied Stryfe jovially. His brother was enjoying his distress far too much.
"I may have to get to know her better." Taeron didn't look at Stryfe because his amusement would only make him angry. What had made him think his frivolous brother would be of any support on this trip? He had to remind himself that Stryfe was here on official Imperial business. "Don't you have a report to scribble?"
"What do you think I could write at this point?" Stryfe was trying desperately not to laugh. "…having met the princess and lied about his identity…"
"I have not lied about my identity!" Taeron was horrified that Stryfe might add such a thing to an official report.
"You are splitting hairs, brother. While not actually lying, referring to yourself in the third person has somewhat clouded the issue of your identity." Stryfe tapped his chin with his finger as if in thought, then continued with his report, "Lord Taeron proceeded to seduce his wife's half-sister."
"I did no such thing!" Seduce? Him? Amyr would have been capable of it, but Taeron would never dishonor his own house like that.
"I don't know," commented Stryfe slowly. "I think the ferocious Sharisse was quite attracted to you."
"You think so?" Taeron asked before he could catch himself. By the gods, he was behaving like an idiot! The female had not even a fraction of the beauty of the princess that was to be his wife and yet …
Stryfe burst into laughter.
Taeron was now sure he looked like a buffoon. "You have not given me an opinion of the princess although you spent several minutes alone with my wife."
"Did I?" His brother was being obtuse apurpose.
Instead of responding, Stryfe swung his legs over the side of the bed and walked to the door. "Shall I inform the pilots to keep quiet about our true identities until you decide to apprise the lovely princess of your true identity?"
"I haven't lied," muttered Taeron, then added, "ask the pilots not to refer to me by name."
Stryfe was chuckling as he walked out.
Taeron knew he was making a mistake.
Then again, it wouldn't be the first catastrophic mistake he had made in the last six years.