There was a pull in her chest, a hook that tugged every time she moved away from him.She wanted to go to him, to stand next to him, not Daaynal.She wanted to strip off this stupid dress, put on her scuffed boots, and run.
"Emily?"
She blinked, snapping back to the present.Daaynal looked down at her, concern etching a line between his brows.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she lied, adding a smile."Just...thirsty."
"Go," he said, nodding toward the refreshment tables lining the far wall."Take a moment.I must speak with the Sector Governor regarding the trade routes before V'Keer moves in for the kill, and it will be very dull."
"You're too kind, Your Majesty."
"I am pragmatic, and call me Daaynal.Now go."
Breathing a sigh of relief, she slipped away and wove through the crowd, keeping her head down and trying to make herself invisible.It wasn't hard.Most of the guests looked right through her, their gazes sliding over her like she was part of the furniture.
She reached the table and grabbed a glass of something blue and sparkling.She didn't drink it.She just held it like a shield, retreating toward a cluster of tall, fern-like plants that offered a bit of cover.
"Oh, Lady, did youseethat dress?"
The voice came from the other side of the greenery.It was female.Melodic, sharp as broken glass with a hiss in the sibilants.
"It’s hard to miss," a male voice replied, followed by a low chuckle."It looks like they wrapped a child in the Crown Jewels."
Emily froze, her knuckles white as she gripped her glass.
"A genetic anomaly from a primitive world," the female voice continued."Daaynal is degrading himself."
"The healers say she is compatible."
"Compatible for breeding, perhaps.Like a prizesolii."A pause, followed by a sniff of disdain."Though looking at her, I wonder if she will survive the birthing.She is so...stunted.Did they check for deformities?Or is that just how these… humans are built?All soft flesh and no bone?"
"She looks like averisski," the male agreed."A frightened little rodent in a house of deearin.It is cruel, really.He should have chosen a strong mate.Someone who can stand the weight of the crown.Not a pet."
Her blood roared in her ears.
At least this way you're useful.
The air in the hall turned thick, the scent of alien perfume cloying enough to choke her.The lights were too bright, the laughter too loud, and… everything pressed down on her until she felt like she was being crushed.
She looked down at her hands, clutching the crystal flute.They looked small.Weak.Human.
Oh God.They were right.They were all right.
No matter what Daaynal said, no matter how lovely he was to her, she had to face the truth.She wasn't a partner or an ally.She was just a genetic vessel he needed to secure his legacy.A tear slipped free, streaking down her cheek… hot and humiliating.
She couldn't do this.She couldn't stand here and smile and pretend she belonged in this world of giants and starships and political intrigue.
Setting the glass down on a pedestal with a clatter that sounded like a gunshot to her ears, she turned and ran.
She didn't look for Daaynal.She didn't even check for Raaevik.She just bolted for the nearest exit.
Pushing through the heavy golden doors, she stumbled out onto the terrace and then past it into the gardens.
Since they were on a space station, it wasn't really outside, but she didn't care.The massive, domed biosphere, filled with dark earth and twisting, alien trees, felt as if it were outside.The air here was cooler, damp, with a floral scent from the night-blooming alien flowers she barely saw all around her.
She ran down the stone path, her heels clicking too loud in the quiet, until she reached a secluded bench beneath the weeping branches of a tree with silver heart-shaped leaves.
