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I spent a pleasant afternoon with Prince Mikol, catching up on old times. We had gone to lower school together for a while, and later we’d been in some training classes together too. My omak had participated for a while in some of the Consort Ryan’s “team sports,” as my father called them, and Mikol and I had often spent time sparring together while we waited for our omaks to finish their sessions.
None of the Tygerian males liked to recognize the fact that the King’s Consort and the Crown Prince’s consort had formed a team of warriors, all former Alliance soldiers, who had fought against Prince Mikos’s team in the Games and had come very close to winning.
When Prince Mikol caught me checking my communicator for the fifth or sixth time, he said, “Don’t worry. They’ll be fine. Kalen never goes anywhere without a full contingent of guards. I make sure of that, even though he dislikes it.”
I shrugged. “Prince Rakkur tends to take unnecessary risks as well. He can be…a problem.”
Mikol laughed. “Say what you mean, Tariq. I love Rakkur, but I know exactly who he is.”
“He’s very stubborn and headstrong.”
“I’m fully aware.”
We were interrupted then by a servant who handed the prince a message. He looked down at it in surprise. “This is for you, Colonel.”
“Me?” I took it and saw to my shock that it was from the Royal Consort. I read it twice before I passed it over to Mikol. He read it and shrugged.
“Blake is on his way here. He’s asked you to stay on as his guard until he gets here. I’m sure he has his reasons. Rakkur had always been spoiled from the day he was born. How could he not? Davos, not to mention all of Blake’s sons are completely devoted to him, and Rakkur looks so much like Blake. He has a sweet nature too, so he’s easy to love. My omak-ahn must have concerns he’s not sharing with us yet. But you must do as he asks.
“Yes, of course.”
“You know, Kalen can be a problem too. He’s always been extremely headstrong. That’s why I take so many precautions. He’s under surveillance at all times by members of his personal guard. He’d hate it if he fully realized the extent, but as you say, he takes far too many risks, and he’s too important to me for me to take any chances with his safety.” He pulled out his communicator and passed it over. There was a live feed of Kalen and Rakkur in what looked like the showroom of an expensive shop. People were showing them clothing and Rakkur was selecting some items. Kalen seemed to be picking out a few for himself too.
I smiled and passed the communicator back to him. He took it and then regarded me carefully. “It seems to me that you have extremely strong feelings for Rakkur.”
“He’s my charge and my prince. Of course, I do.”
“I think it’s a little more than that, though, isn’t it?”
“Anything more would be entirely inappropriate.”
“Perhaps. It all depends.”
I glanced up sharply at him. “I-I don’t understand.”
“I think you do. I can see how Rakkur looks at you. He’s in love with you. And I think you return those feelings.”
I squirmed uncomfortably in my chair. “It’s a complicated situation, Your Highness.”
“I’m sure it is. You were married once before, weren’t you?”
“Yes. My husband was Major Ludolf. Did you ever meet him? He was killed on one of the moons of Precept 3 a few years ago. He was very brave and an excellent soldier. I’m proud of him and his service.”
“My sincerest condolences. Yes, I knew he was a good soldier, and his memory is revered. I don’t believe we ever met, but I’ve heard of him and your loss.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“It seems to me that you’ve had to endure a great deal of tragedy in your life, Tariq.”
I glanced up at him, a little surprised, but that was typical of Prince Mikol. He cared a great deal about his men and often took a personal interest. Most people never spoke of my family’s tragedy, but Mikol didn’t hesitate. His next words surprised me though.
“There’s something I don’t understand, however. How did you come to be married to a man like Ludolf, when you obviously never bonded with him?”
I looked up at him in surprise—I think my mouth fell open in surprise, but he only shrugged. “Sorry, but it’s fairly obvious that you’re bonded to Rakkur. Could you explain to me how exactly that happened? I’m not being rude. But if I am, you’ll have to deal with it. Rakkur may technically be my uncle, but I grew up with him and think of him like a little brother. I assume the bonding had to be before your marriage, which would have made Rakkur a very young teenager. And you a grown man.” He looked at me and his eyes flashed a warning.
“Rakkur was too young for romances, in fact. And I know you spent time as an instructor at his school.”
The prince was being careful not to make any accusations, but I saw the look on his face. He was ready to defend his relative if the young man had been “interfered” with in any way. He was reserving judgement until he heard from me directly, but there was unmistakable menace behind his words. He was definitely his father’s son, and Prince Mikos wasn’t called the Bloody Prince without good reason.
