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We both turned to take in an impressively tall, domineering human woman in a shimmering gold dress. She had a hard and impatient set to her mouth, and on either side, she was flanked by two enormous Thorzi warriors with the kind of bulk that might’ve even made Vorian think twice about attacking them. They definitely dwarfed Crux.
The sound Crux made was like a hiss, but at once, he yanked his hands back, leaving me to center my balance on my own. I tugged the hem of my beige dress down. This didn’t seem like a woman I should slouch in front of.
“If the king expects me to continue my work—”
The woman cut him off with a raise of her chin. The warriors beside her reached subtly for knives on their belts. So far, on Thorzan, it seemed Crux was used to getting his way, but whoever this woman was, she was one person who didn’t have patience for him. And no surprise there—as a human, she must’ve spent some time in his laboratory.
“The king has determined the palace should take responsibility for all unmated humans on Thorzan. Any access you require for your work will be granted at the council’s behest.”
Crux growled, his swift curses passing too softly for the interpreter implant to make them out.
“Leave us,” the woman commanded.
The most shocking thing was, Crux did. With his fists clenched, his shoulders high and sculpted around his ears, he stalked into his empty lab, and I was left there in the balmy night air to talk to another human like we had equal footing here.
When the door closed behind him, she stepped forward, and her hand on my arm was gentle. Her thumb brushed the inner bend of my wrist softly. “I’m Rochelle, queen of Thorzan. You’re safe with me. What’s your name?”
My breath escaped in a whoosh. A freaking queen. I smiled up at her. “Beau. You’re Kaelum’s mother?”
She inclined her head, a sparkle of pride in her warm brown eyes that made me long for... for something.
“I am.”
“Is he... okay?” Crux had wanted Vorian to kill him, and when Vorian had returned, he’d been so desperate and hurt that I hadn’t even thought to get the story of what happened.
Her jaw flexed briefly, but her smile didn’t fade. “He’s well. Better than well, after tempting so many humans to stay on Thorzan and finding a mate of his own.”
“They stayed?” I perked up immediately.
The queen’s smile was back. “Most of them. I can take you to the palace so you can see your friends. I’ll call in Maria, my tailor, to have some clothes provided. I suspect you’ve been wearing that travel dress way too long already.”
I tugged at it again. “Uh, yeah. I guess clothes would be—that’d be great.”
Her arm hand cupped the back of my neck. “Anything you need, Beau. Thorzan can provide.”
But I couldn’t help looking over my shoulder, out at the jungle, unsure if Thorzan could give me back the one person I wanted to keep.
CHAPTER20
VORIAN
By the time my near-panic calmed and I realized the ridiculousness of running away from Beau, I was deep in the jungle. Not for the first time, I wondered if perhaps I should simply stay there.
“Going to the jungle” had been the warrior way, once. In the early days of colonizing Thorzan, when a warrior was too old or infirm to be of value to the community, and took more than they could provide, they would go into the jungle and not return.
And what was I giving Thorzi society?
Support for Crux and his vile manipulations, half of which they still didn’t know about. I wasnotgiving more than I took.
And yet, I was simply too selfish to give up.
I found my way back to the lab at dusk, and was entirely unsurprised to find Beau gone.
“Your mother took your plaything,” Crux taunted from the doorway of the lab. “She’s taken all of them, pretending it’s for the good of Thorzan. As though that ass Xyren keeping a stranglehold on the supply of humans will serve us all. Serve to keep him in power, more like.”
Plaything. Of course that was how Crux saw Beau. A thing, to be owned and used. And he expected me to be offended that Beau had been taken out of his power. There was nothing I could say to make him understand, and the time for me to care what he thought was long since past.
I turned and headed toward the living quarters, without a word.
