stone.”
* * *
Simple?
Alek would have laughed it he didn’t feel so terrible. There was nothing simple about his proposal. It took all his willpower to get the words out. But what else could he do? She was right. He’d removed his own mask. She had accepted nothing. She hadn’t asked to be his wife. He’d just assumed. When she’d moved against him in the night, whispering his name, climaxing against his body, he’d thought she felt the connection between them.
How could she not feel it?
If he couldn’t keep his destined mate, what good was he? How could he face his people, his brothers, with a failed marriage attempt and a glowing crystal? It would be much better to find an excuse later to explain her absence, after Kendall showed she chose to be with him. Perhaps she would be called to her home world. It wasn’t far from the truth. She did seek to go home. Later, he could go into mourning and let people believe she’d died. It wouldn’t be hard to convince them without saying a word, so technically it wouldn’t be lying. People always accused him of not speaking of his emotions anyway. No one would expect him to talk about it. He was sure the pain of her loss would show on him. Only two of them would know the truth. He would never tell and she would never return.
Alek swallowed down his pain. He eyed his glowing crystal and then the raised platform where the king and queen waited to bless the marriages as they were announced. His tunic shirt smelled of her. It was sweet intoxication at its most torturous. He’d ordered his loosely fitting black pants, dark-blue tunic shirt and a matching gown for his bride years ago when he’d come to his first ceremony. He had nearly forgotten what they looked like.
Like most Draig ceremonies, the crystal breaking would be short. He was glad for it. Alek would not be able to stand before the council of elders and his royal aunt and uncle for too long. He was sure they would sense his pain.
“Lord Alek!”
Alek stopped on his way to the platform, frowning at the panicked young voice. Rey lived near the mountain castle and often ran errands for Cenek. Like most boys his age, he was well trained in the mountain routes and could navigate his way to the palace from the mountain fortress without help.
“Easy, boy,” Alek said. “You look as if you have been running all night. What is it?”
“Master Cenek sent me to give you this.” The boy handed the missive over while his eyes strayed to Kendall in curiosity. “The ceffyl colt did not make it.”
Rey’s words repeated what Cenek said inside the missive, only Cenek provided more detail. The mare had given birth to a stillborn baby. It had been quick and unpreventable. The mother lived and was fine, if not a bit despondent after the event. Cenek bid Alek to stay as long as he wished at the palace. What could be done had been done.
“Master Cenek said I was to give it to you straight away.”’ The boy again looked at Kendall. It became evident that Cenek, despite his encouragement, did not think Alek would be too occupied this morning.
“You’ve done well,” Alek said, shoving the missive into the waistband of his pants beneath the long tunic shirt. He would dispose of it later. With the colt dead, there wasn’t anything for him to do at the moment. However, the fact that some of the older generations considered a stillborn animal to be a bad omen was not lost on him. That he’d found out about it seconds before he finalized his marriage was something he refused to think about. There was no turning back now. This was his course. “Find refreshments before you return, and stay out of the palace stables. I do not want another report of the ceffyl tags being rearranged. Whoever did it is lucky they were not caught for the prank.”
Rey grinned and jogged away with the aimless energy only kids possessed. It had been a harmless prank, but one that took some sorting since the tags identified the
* * *
Simple?
Alek would have laughed it he didn’t feel so terrible. There was nothing simple about his proposal. It took all his willpower to get the words out. But what else could he do? She was right. He’d removed his own mask. She had accepted nothing. She hadn’t asked to be his wife. He’d just assumed. When she’d moved against him in the night, whispering his name, climaxing against his body, he’d thought she felt the connection between them.
How could she not feel it?
If he couldn’t keep his destined mate, what good was he? How could he face his people, his brothers, with a failed marriage attempt and a glowing crystal? It would be much better to find an excuse later to explain her absence, after Kendall showed she chose to be with him. Perhaps she would be called to her home world. It wasn’t far from the truth. She did seek to go home. Later, he could go into mourning and let people believe she’d died. It wouldn’t be hard to convince them without saying a word, so technically it wouldn’t be lying. People always accused him of not speaking of his emotions anyway. No one would expect him to talk about it. He was sure the pain of her loss would show on him. Only two of them would know the truth. He would never tell and she would never return.
Alek swallowed down his pain. He eyed his glowing crystal and then the raised platform where the king and queen waited to bless the marriages as they were announced. His tunic shirt smelled of her. It was sweet intoxication at its most torturous. He’d ordered his loosely fitting black pants, dark-blue tunic shirt and a matching gown for his bride years ago when he’d come to his first ceremony. He had nearly forgotten what they looked like.
Like most Draig ceremonies, the crystal breaking would be short. He was glad for it. Alek would not be able to stand before the council of elders and his royal aunt and uncle for too long. He was sure they would sense his pain.
“Lord Alek!”
Alek stopped on his way to the platform, frowning at the panicked young voice. Rey lived near the mountain castle and often ran errands for Cenek. Like most boys his age, he was well trained in the mountain routes and could navigate his way to the palace from the mountain fortress without help.
“Easy, boy,” Alek said. “You look as if you have been running all night. What is it?”
“Master Cenek sent me to give you this.” The boy handed the missive over while his eyes strayed to Kendall in curiosity. “The ceffyl colt did not make it.”
Rey’s words repeated what Cenek said inside the missive, only Cenek provided more detail. The mare had given birth to a stillborn baby. It had been quick and unpreventable. The mother lived and was fine, if not a bit despondent after the event. Cenek bid Alek to stay as long as he wished at the palace. What could be done had been done.
“Master Cenek said I was to give it to you straight away.”’ The boy again looked at Kendall. It became evident that Cenek, despite his encouragement, did not think Alek would be too occupied this morning.
“You’ve done well,” Alek said, shoving the missive into the waistband of his pants beneath the long tunic shirt. He would dispose of it later. With the colt dead, there wasn’t anything for him to do at the moment. However, the fact that some of the older generations considered a stillborn animal to be a bad omen was not lost on him. That he’d found out about it seconds before he finalized his marriage was something he refused to think about. There was no turning back now. This was his course. “Find refreshments before you return, and stay out of the palace stables. I do not want another report of the ceffyl tags being rearranged. Whoever did it is lucky they were not caught for the prank.”
Rey grinned and jogged away with the aimless energy only kids possessed. It had been a harmless prank, but one that took some sorting since the tags identified the
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