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I scoffed and waved a dismissive hand. “No, he doesn’t. Or rather, he’s a sore loser who cannot stand to be denied. He feels entitled to me and to my attention, probably because he knew I was a hybrid like him. Vintor loves to brag and show off. He just wants to be able to tell the others he was the first to have scored with me. The minute I give in to him, he’ll lose all interest.”
Keran tilted his head to the side and studied my features in a strange way. “While I do not challenge your description of his sense of entitlement and vanity, I do not believe he would cast you aside and move on if you gave in to him. He sees you as a prize and a trophy that he would refuse to share or allow anyone to spoil. His little display wasn’t that of a man with a bruised ego throwing a tantrum, but that of a man who feels betrayed by his soulmate.”
I flinched. “Well, he needs a serious reality check. I’m not his soulmate, and I’ll never be his woman. But that meeting with them is a very good idea,” I added, eager to change the topic.
He smiled, not fooled in the least. “Do you think they will come?”
“Yes. I mean, there is always a possibility that a majority won’t if Vintor goes on a campaign to convince everyone to abstain. I will talk to him and to the others,” I promised. “But as a fair warning, it will likely be an unpleasant experience for you. They hold a lot of anger and resentment. It’s not aimed at you personally, but you are the physical representation of those who hurt them, and they will want to lash out.”
“I expect no less,” Keran said, apparently unbothered. “When is your next scheduled meeting supposed to happen?”
“In three days,” I replied.
“Perfect. It will give me time to prepare,” he said in a mysterious fashion.
I narrowed my eyes at him, but his expression told me he wouldn’t reveal anything else.
The rest of the flight home was uneventful.
I saw little of Keran and his men the rest of the day. The extent to which I missed him troubled me. That man confused the heck out of me. Sometimes, he sent clear signals of being attracted to me. At other times, he was politely distant though friendly.
But he keeps pointing out all the hybrids who are infatuated with me.
Yes, and? As much as I wanted to believe it was a sign of jealousy, I feared it was merely him realizing I was too often blind to the obvious.
Sadly,Iwas the one feeling jealous. Keran and his guards had left Genxia. He’d promised to come back but didn’t know at what time. The minute he told me not to wait up for him, my mind went straight to picturing a hot little stripper at The Cabaret rubbing all over his godly body. Even though he’d claimed not to be into human women, he remained a Braxian. Their males were horny around the clock.
Despite his warning, I stayed up much longer than I should have. Finally giving up, I hopped into a scalding shower, hoping the burning heat would help release the tension knotting my muscles, although a cold one might have doused the naughty imaginings filling my head.
Seconds after I laid my head on my pillow, the security system warned me of their arrival. My heart leapt, and my pulse picked up as I strained my ears to listen to them quietly head for their respective rooms.
The next twenty minutes went by agonizingly slowly as I debated whether to go to him or not. Initially, I delayed knowing he would likely take a shower first. Then I tried to work up the courage to go knocking. By then, forty-five minutes had elapsed. Heart pounding, I exited my room only to see no hints of light seeping under his door. My shoulders sagged with disappointment and self-recrimination.
I’d waited too long.
Crawling back to my room, I spent another restless night filled with unfulfilled desires that my own hand couldn’t sate. I once more awakened to the distant sound of swords clashing. As I stood on the balcony admiring the spectacle, a sad thought entered my mind.
People had a romantic image of what being a prince or royalty was like. While it might be true for certain species, it certainly didn’t apply to a Braxian. As much as I wanted to believe Keran enjoyed sparring with his men, it was also a necessity. Only the strongest male could rule as the Magnar. Anyone was welcome to challenge him for the throne in a duel. If he was ever defeated, he would be forced to step down. That meant keeping his skills at the highest level possible to be ready at all times for a potential rival.
Today, again, I barely saw Keran as he went out with his men canvasing the planet in search of the second headhunter and, worse still, of the latest victim. This morning marked nine days since we’d found the last body. Although I had my own tasks managing the shelter, I also spent many hours reaching out to each of the hybrids individually to make sure they would show up tomorrow at the meeting Keran requested. It also allowed me to check in on everyone and confirm they were safe.
When the hours ticked by with no tragic announcement, an impossible hope blossomed in my heart. There were still two hybrids missing. I had expected one of them to turn up dead. Could Keran’s presence and public investigation have sent the killer into hiding?
That night, although Keran returned early enough for us to have dinner together, I didn’t go knocking on his door. Beyond the fact that he hadn’t shown even the tiniest hint of flirtatious behavior towards me all day, I was too stressed at the thought of the next killing. But we received no ill news that night.
The following morning, it wasn’t swords that pulled me out of my slumber, but the most delicious aroma of food. To my shock, I had slept in right through Keran’s morning training. After quick ablutions, I got dressed and hurried to the cafeteria. Finding three massive Braxians cooking in my kitchen wrecked my brain. Their amused look made me realize I was just standing there gaping.
“It’s almost ready,” Keran said in a warm voice. “Have a seat.”
“You know, I could get used to this,” I said teasingly, while complying. “Having a future king and his two fearsome guards as personal chefs, sign me up!”
Tagar and Nowik snorted, but Keran gave me the strangest look while taking the meat out of the pan.
“That could very well happen. For that, you’ll need to come back to Braxia with us,” Keran said.
My stomach did a backflip, and I wondered if he actually meant it or was just playing along.
“If I take you up on that, remember that you offered,” I deadpanned.
