His Highness the Duke (23 page)

your voice into my home. You may come and go as you please.‖

Aeron gave one last look at her sister as Bron urged her from the room. When

they were alone in the hall, far away from the door to Mirek‘s home, he said, ―My

brother is a good man. He would not have harmed her. If he said she had a reaction to

plant life, that is what happened.‖

―I did not say I doubted him,‖ Aeron stated weakly, though in truth she was not

sure all she had said aloud.

―Your expression spoke for you,‖ he said. ―You blame him.‖

―I was shocked to see her. Riona would not have taken a husband.‖ Aeron shook

her head in denial. ―At all. If you thought I was stubborn about marriage, that is only

because you haven‘t met Ri. She would never agree to settle down, even if she was in

love. In fact, if she was in love, she‘d probably sabotage the marriage because of it.‖

149

Michelle M. Pillow

―Sabotage? Why would someone fight love?‖ Bron looked at his wife and

pressed his lips tightly together, as if remembering their problems.

―When you see what we‘ve seen, it changes you. So much loss in one moment.

Everything changed. We lost our family, our people, our home, our belongings, our

planet. I hid and Ri went out and lived life to the fullest, refusing to settle. There has

been a fire under my sister‘s feet since the day she was born. Then, after the attack on

our home world, that fire ignited under her whole body. She‘s been moving through the

universe like a comet ever since. If she is here, it is not willingly. I would bet my life on

it.‖

―My brother is honorable,‖ Bron protested.

―And I know my sister.‖ She felt his frustration, but she thought of her sister in a

stasis chamber waiting on an isolation room. ―I want those medical reports, Bron.‖

He frowned, but nodded. ―It is late, my lady, and we have had a long journey. I

will show you to your new home so you may eat and find rest. You will have your

sister‘s medical reports by the morning.‖

To her surprise, she couldn‘t feel what he was feeling, at least not as strongly as

before. She followed behind him as he walked through the corridors at a fast pace. He

did not go the way they came, instead opening a side door with a hand scanner before

taking halls and stairs and more doorways in a seemingly haphazard pattern. If she

didn‘t keep up, there was no way she would find her way back out again.

* * * * *

Aeron‘s new home was like nothing she‘d ever seen before. She had been

expecting it to be like Mirek‘s but instead found a vastly different layout and design.

Woven squares were fitted against the walls to hide the stone beneath. The main room

was a giant oval with a hanging light fixture in the center. It reflected light from above,

spreading it around the room. Semi-circle couches were next to the walls. The seats

faced outward and were arranged around a center table.

150

His Highness The Duke

In the middle of the room, two oversized couches formed a complete circle under

the light fixture. The table in the very middle had seams running over the surface in

what appeared to be a carved pattern. It might have looked like a decorative wooden

table, but it was computerized. She knew her communications devices and the pattern

had deep grooves where the transparent computer screens and holographic images

would project from.

Before he left her alone, Bron revealed a food simulator hidden in the wall. It was

an older model, but functioning. At her questioning look, he said, ―On the occasion we

entertain alien races in trade negotiations, it is helpful to be able to provide them with

whatever they want.‖

Aeron didn‘t care what the reason was, she was just happy to not have to cook at

the moment. She might not mind preparing food, but there was something to be said

about the instant gratification of punching in an order and getting it automatically.

Sure, it didn‘t taste the same, but after a lifetime of eating simulator food it was hardly

unpalatable. Even as she thought it, she knew it wasn‘t necessarily true. The simulator

couldn‘t compare to the flavor of freshly cooked meals.

Four doors were placed around the room. One went to the bathroom with a large

carved tub much like the one in the palace. The second went outside to the halls. The

others were to the kitchen and to an exercise room. Though the ceilings were two stories

high in the main room, a balcony blocked off an open hall on the second floor. On the

second story, doors led to more rooms.

Aeron materialized a bowl of bartal stew and waited for Bron to return. When he

didn‘t appear, she took a bath, part of her hoping he would walk in on her. She

regretted walking out on him at the palace. It would have been nice to explore him in

the water—so warm and wet, gliding flesh. She gave a soft moan. It would have been

heavenly.

When her fingers began to wrinkle from overexposure to the water, she wrapped

her body in a drying linen and made her way upstairs. The rooms were all sleeping

chambers, but only one looked to be ready for use. The oversized bed was a perfect

151

Michelle M. Pillow

square. She crawled in wearing the linen and snuggled beneath the covers. She didn‘t

imagine she‘d be able to sleep, but the inviting warmth was too much and her eyes

drifted closed.

* * * * *

―I understand what you are asking me, but I can‘t leave my wife,‖ Mirek said. ―If

it becomes necessary to leave, Vladan can go in my place. His marriage should be

settled. We all saw the crystal glow when his wife chose him before the ceremony.‖

―He is married to an alien woman who does not appear as we do and who

refused to follow our ceremonies. I would hardly call Vladan‘s marriage settled,‖ Bron

said. ―We need you, Mirek. You know the travelers who visit our system. You have

dealt with them. We need you to make subtle inquiries. Vladan is not always the most

diplomatic. He is used to dealing with the miners.‖

Mirek sat by the head of his wife. He rested his hand on the top of her plastic

prison. ―You cannot ask me to go. Not now. I can‘t leave her like this.‖

―My wife will tend to her sister,‖ Bron said. ―We need to assess threat.‖

―I know the Tyoe,‖ Mirek said. ―They are an aggressive race.‖

―And you have never mentioned them?‖ Bron took the seat across from his

brother. He had told him everything—his capture and imprisonment underground,

Aeron‘s warning about the aliens, the king‘s orders.

―There was nothing to mention,‖ Mirek said. ―Normally, we do not deal with

them. They offered to buy our mines for a very unfair price, and I refused. They are not

the first to attempt such deals and they will not be the last. I daresay their offer was

better than those who wish for us to continue to do the labor while they reap the profits.

I don‘t know what intelligence you wish me to find out. I doubt there is anything worth

finding. My dealings with them are logged in the records.‖

Bron watched Mirek‘s hand trace the outline of his sleeping wife‘s face, as if he

could feel her through the transparent barrier. He couldn‘t imagine not being able to

touch his wife. ―It is unfair to ask it of you, brother.‖

152

His Highness The Duke

―And I am honor bound to go if duty calls for it,‖ he said softly. Mirek stared at

his wife‘s unmoving face. If Bron didn‘t know better, he would have thought the

woman dead. ―I should not have tried to give Vladan my duties. I will make the

necessary arrangements. Let me reach out to a few of my contacts. We were not

planning a launch, so it will take a few days to get the ship ready and the pilot back

here. We will scan the countryside from space and will also ensure no one is in orbit. A

visual search will be much more efficient than the scans from on surface.‖

Bron nodded. He did not need to assure his brother that all that could be done

would be done for Riona. Even if she wasn‘t Aeron‘s sister, the woman was family.

When she married Mirek, she became one of them. They would each give their life to

protect a family member. Or their fortunes to save her. Just as they would give

everything to save Aeron. Bron studied Riona. If they were sisters, she would have the

same issue. He thought about telling Mirek, but didn‘t want to give his brother more to

be concerned about.

―Many blessings on your marriage, brother,‖ Bron said. ―I trust that fate will see

your bride awaken from this sleep. If we have to send across the galaxy for a doctor, we

will.‖

Mirek nodded. ―I already have. You will have a copy of the medical files in the

morning for your wife.‖

―Aeron does not understand our ways. She meant no insult—‖

Mirek lifted his hand to stop Bron‘s words. ―She fears for her sister. There is no

explanation necessary.‖

Bron left his brother alone with the sleeping bride. The sight of them together

haunted him. The gods would not give Mirek a woman just to take her away. They had

to have faith that Riona would awaken in time.

Could it be the blessing of the ceremony was tainted somehow? The queen and

king indicated that the princes were troubled in their choices. Vladan‘s bride was a

strange creature with an odd-shaped head. Mirek‘s bride was ill and in isolation. If

Riona was sick from the local flora and fauna, could she stay on world? Alek‘s marriage

153

Michelle M. Pillow

seemed to be in trouble. Alek and Kendall had been fighting last he saw them. And, his

own marriage, though better, still felt shaky. He‘d felt Aeron‘s earlier doubt when she‘d

looked at her sister. She did not trust them to do what they must.

He took the long route back to his home, going toward the entrance of the castle

before turning to go back down the hall to his home. The slow walk gave him time to

think, but it did little to settle his mind. He started listening for Aeron before he reached

the entryway. All was quiet inside. As he went in, he focused his senses until he

detected the sound of her steady breathing in their bedchambers. The sound was faint,

but he knew she slept. Not wanting to wake her up and risk feeling the doubt and

worry still undoubtedly radiating from within her, he went to the simulator to

materialize food. He never used the thing for personal meals, but found he did not have

the energy to prepare a meal for himself. The bland vegetables and flavorless meat

tasted more like a punishment than a meal. Next came a bath and then several

electronic files that needed his attention.

As the hours crept toward dawn, he knew he could avoid it no longer. Bron

made his way upstairs to the dark bedroom. He did not let his eyes shift as he moved

through the darkness. If he saw Aeron, he would have to touch her and her breathing

was so peaceful and steady. Already her smell surrounded him, so sweet and feminine.

Bron crawled into bed and closed his eyes. Every nerve seemed to reach for her,

but he kept his arms back. For now, he would be content to simply lie in her presence

and listen to the sound of her sleep.

154

His Highness The Duke

Chapter Thirteen

Five days passed in a blur of castle tours by one of the servants, visits to see

Riona, contemplative looks from Bron, stoic looks from Mirek, and a flurry of workers

and tailors. If she had been a suspicious woman, she would have thought Bron was

avoiding her. In truth, there was no way to be sure. Yes, she needed dresses so the

tailors were necessary. She did need to know how to get around the castle, and wanted

to visit her sister even if Riona couldn‘t answer back.

Workers built Riona‘s isolation chamber, laboring endlessly until it was

completed. Her sister was still in stasis. The medical reports were quite thorough, some

even repetitive. That fact surprised Aeron. Mirek had every available physician in the

Draig territory look at her sister. It would seem he really did care about her. Married to

a Draig of her own, she was slowly coming to understand how these men worked.

Whatever the reason, breaking the crystal really did seem to cement their feelings

toward their wives. And, just perhaps, it also solidified the wives‘ feelings for their

husbands—it just took a little longer.

Aeron watched Bron through the thick plastic door as he waited inside the

isolation room with his brother. The workers left, filtering out of the home. She could

hear them talking just beyond her sight, waiting in case they were needed. Mirek

pushed a command on the wall panel to start the decontamination of the room.

The small room was built as some sort of laboratory. Handheld medics, injector

refills and other, more primitive, medicines lined the transparent cabinet on the wall.

The only furniture was the medical bed next to the stasis pod. When the room finished

cycling, they moved to open the pod. Aeron bit her lip, watching as they lifted her sister

out of the plastic box and onto the medical bed.

The room didn‘t look like anything else she‘d seen on the planet. It was too

technically advanced. The fact that such drastic measures were needed just to maintain

her sister‘s current state terrified Aeron. They lived in an age where medical booths