By the time they returned to the castle, Shanae and Robert had indeed added Raven's name to LeAnn's new list of suitors. Chance was pacing like a caged animal, and anyone who went near him damned near got their heads bitten off. Talon sported a pretty black eye until his daughter took pity on him. He liked to play with corrosives in forest fires and provoking Chance was a favored pastime. They rarely put him back together after; he had literally been asking for it.
LeAnn couldn't have been more pleased. She even cheerfully told Starlight to kiss Raven as thanks for her since she didn't want to trespass on private property. Starlight blushed, Raven laughed, and LeAnn decided it was time to move faster than she had originally intended. She really did not have enough time to waste drawing things out. She was entering into a war that held a higher risk of death than any other, and she would be damned if she died without ever knowing true happiness. Even knowing her time couldn't be up until she bore a child did not take away the fact that something terrible could happen and evil win over all of them.
With Anira on one shoulder and Haeth on the other, she wandered out into the gardens before dinner and sat down on a bench underneath her favorite tree. The baby dragon was with her because she seemed to have taken a fancy to the amethyst earrings Tasia had gifted her and was now cheerfully gnawing on one. Tasia had laughingly said she couldn't think of anyone else who would teethe on such a powerful stone.
LeAnn dropped her chin onto her knees and said musingly, "This is trickier than I thought, you know."
"How so?" Haeth cocked her head slightly. She had tagged along with her child on the possibility LeAnn might need someone to talk to, and now she felt glad she had.
"It's a fine line to walk." LeAnn gestured lightly with one hand. "I need to be sure to hold him just far enough away that he gets worried, but not so far that he thinks he's lost his opportunity entirely. And it's hard too," she complained. "I mean, I like Raven and all, but not in that way. The only one I've ever wanted is Rubeo, so it's hard to pretend an interest in Raven. It hurts," she added softly. "It hurts so much. What if I don't succeed, Haeth? What if I lose everything? It'd destroy me."
"It's a risk worth making, I think," the Elder dragon said gently. "You can't get everything without risking everything."
"Sounds like something Mom would say."
"It's something she has said. I think that's Chance's problem, too. He doesn't want a risk. He doesn't want romance because he thinks it is messy. He's been hurt by someone he loved, and he doesn't want to be hurt again."
"Yeah." LeAnn could understand that. She even knew the reason why Chance felt wary of sharing his heart. He had been betrayed by the one person he had loved more than anything: his own brother. Robert had gently told her the entire story when she turned twenty-five and realized for sure Chance was her soul mate.
Vermillion and Rubeo Chance had been dissimilar brothers in personality since one was hot-tempered and the other was coolly controlled, but there had been no one Chance loved more, no one he had idolized more. Vermillion had been a Commander sworn to protect Robert, in the spot now held by Diego. Vermillion, out of hate and jealousy, had betrayed the Delphinium Kingdom and Robert alike, had betrayed the Protea Kingdom as well, and had played a direct role in the fall of the Era as well as an unintentional role in getting Chance stuck in limbo for five thousand years. His actions had utterly crushed Chance.
Oh, he hid it well behind the explanation that he knew his brother had gotten what he deserved and that Diego should have always been a Commander—which was true enough, but his attitude that it did not bother him was nothing but a lie. Vermillion had been his hero, and he had not only fallen off his pedestal, the marble stand had crashed down and taken many others with it. It seemed no wonder Chance felt wary of letting people close.
That alone would have been frustrating enough, but Chance also had a strange lack of faith in his own worth. He did not think he was good enough for her. She suspected it was not his status as Captain that got to him—the only rank higher was Commander, and all eight of those had married Lower princesses—but rather his origins and place of birth. Unlike Vermillion and Diego who had worked their way up through ranks to become Commanders—the former in the Royal Knights and the latter as a companion-at-arms to Robert—Chance had been promoted to Captain of the Royal Knights by Sayena without any preparation or warning. He did not think he had earned the rank, and therefore he did not deserve to court a High Princess.
It frustrated her to no end that he could be unintentionally hypocritical. Kari, Kimber, Terry, and Logan didn't have any titles or ranks, and they were more than accepted as the future queens or kings of Gladiolus, Aster, Carnation, and Daffodil. LeAnn could accept that perhaps he saw a difference between a Lower and a High Ruler, but that did not make it any less ridiculous a split hair. Besides. As the name implied, to be Captain of the Knights was to be, well, knighted. They really ought to just start calling him Ker Chance and get him over it. Using the appropriate title for a knight might push the point faster than merely Captain.
"Heavy thoughts?" came Beth's teasing voice behind her. When LeAnn looked over with a smile, Beth walked over and sat down across from her on the bench. She had been sensing the distress from miles away and had decided it was time she spoke up. She had also been enjoying the fireworks from a distance, but she hated seeing one of her friends upset. "So what did he do now, or not do?" she asked.
"Told me to marry someone else and then turned around and got jealous when I proclaimed an interest in Raven," LeAnn told her promptly.
"Dumbass." Beth sighed. "Is he at least getting a clue of any sort or is he one hundred percent blind?"
"He knows he's in love with me, though he still won't accept it as the soul mate love it is," she admitted. "He's running scared." She frowned at her friend. "Am I doing the right thing? Shaking him up like this?"
"Well, left to his own devices, Chance might, might, get around to figuring out he loved you by your hundredth birthday." Beth's voice was warm. "And there's nothing wrong with plotting and planning like this when there's love involved. It's not like he's the only one hurting." She reached out and gently brushed LeAnn's hair out of her eyes. "You're hurting too, honey. Hell, you've been hurting longer than he has."
"It's a two-way street," LeAnn said wryly. "I make him madder than anyone can, and he can make me cry unlike anyone else. One of these days I'm going to just break down over all this. I'm kind of hoping I'm in his arms at the time."
"It makes it much better," Beth agreed. She got to her feet and smiled when Haeth flew over to her shoulder instead. "Is Raven enjoying himself at the least?"
"Immensely," she laughed. "When Starlight complained that she never got any of these fancy words, he turned around and complimented her enough to make me blush. He's definitely got a way with words. I suppose that's part of why he's the perfect choice for this part of the plan. He's a real threat. He's cultured, educated, and he's a prince. He's also a warrior himself, someone strong enough to match me, and has no problems that I'm a Defender Cultivator. He's a real, viable threat to Rubeo."
"And Chance knows that," Beth mused as she looked for the redhead in question. She wanted to see the frustration firsthand rather than sense it across town. That man had quite a radar for someone who tried to pretend he had no emotions. "What's next? Anything I can help with?"
"Actually, yes. Tonight after dinner, have a conversation with somewhere where Rubeo can hear you and make mention of how romantic it is that Raven is taking me for a nighttime walk." When Beth grinned and held up a hand, she grinned in return and slapped it lightly with her own in a high five. She loved her friends so much.
Dinner was lively and fun since all the Cultivators of both generations were present along with their according Caretakers. It was Friday evening, and that meant the following night would be the weekly get together for everyone. Sunday would be spent having fun, provided there were no attacks. Next Saturday they would all be at the Delphinium Castle. The weekend gatherings also helped keep everyone sane, and on Saturday nights, all staff of the according castle got the night off, too, with pay. It seemed little wonder the galaxy as a whole loved the royal families. They truly were like everyone else in the most important ways.
Starlight had become accustomed to the weekend antics, but Phoenix and Raven were both amused by the fact that Telekinesis and Telepathy got used to communicate across the massive table so that dishes passed promptly. Seeing Melina riding on Anira's back carrying a saltshaker nearly had Phoenix falling out of his chair with laughter.
As dinner was ending, Raven leaned over to murmur in LeAnn's ear since she was conveniently sitting next to him. Chance sat only a few seats away across the table, and though he wasn't looking at them directly, his eyes narrowed fractionally. Raven and LeAnn left the table together, and Beth turned to where her mother sat beside her. In a voice that carried, she said blithely, "Talk about romantic! A nighttime walk in the Protea gardens! He couldn't be more charming if he tried."
"I agree." Veronica half winced as Chance got up and nearly knocked his chair over in his haste to leave. Her stomach quivered with laughter as she realized the game. "Bethany, could you be more my child? You can't handle not meddling."
"Me? Never! I'm just helping LeAnn finish what she started." She cheerfully dug into the cheesecake that had been provided for dessert. "A little nudge never hurt anyone."
Veronica leaned back slightly and looked down the table at Starlight. She was laughing over something that Logan had said, and there was complete relaxation in her expression. If Veronica hadn't been so certain that Starlight and Raven were soul mates, she would have bought the act too. Starlight knew it was a game and enjoyed herself by playing along. Veronica almost felt sorry for Chance with the entire world against him, but she could think of no one more deserving of a soul-deep happiness.
LeAnn had sensed the moment Chance started following them, and she deliberately leaned against Raven's arm with her head on his shoulder. Not empathic as a rule, she had always been sharply attuned to her two soul mates, and therefore she could feel the waves of Chance's anger. "Raven?" she asked curiously. "Would your kingdom mind if you remained here with me?"
Raven could at the least feel the glare on his neck. He kept his voice just as casual. "Of course they would not. Aluria is much like your galaxy where the one of lower rank moves to where the one of higher rank lives or rules from. It's rare to have an exception to that." None of that was a lie, but it also avoided mentioning his disownment; Chance did not need to know about that just yet.
She stopped walking and turned to face him. "If you are sincere in your suit, then I am sincere in accepting it. I will notify my parents in the morning of my choice." She smiled, and it was visible since they stood perfectly in a patch of light from some hanging lanterns. "We seem to suit each other nicely."
"Agreed." Raven already knew the plan, and he framed her face with his hands as he leaned down. The angle made it look as if he had kissed her, but their noses only just touched and both fought a laugh. A low snarl vibrated on the air and then Chance's presence disappeared. Raven immediately released LeAnn. "That ought to do it." He smiled and kissed her forehead. "You're one hell of a woman, Leslie Ann. If I could be given a second choice of a Cultivator to be a mate for other than Star, I would pick you."
"I'll take that as the compliment it is! Chance will likely bang on my door first thing tomorrow morning, so no worries about the betrothal. He's rather predictable." She gave him a quick hug. "Thanks for everything, Raven. You've been wonderful. Go . . ." she gestured vaguely, "snuggle Starlight or something. You two didn't get a real reunion because of me. Go enjoy it now."
She headed off back toward the castle, and Raven just sighed as he sat down on the bench. He hated the fact that he was still weak and not fully back to his natural strength. Sayena and Kacey had promised to check him on Sunday to see if there was anything they could do, and Julianna and Storm had already started feeding him extra nutrient rich meals, but he resented that five years still hadn't been long enough. Damn it, that was five years too much to endure without Starlight.
He didn't even remember when he had first fallen in love with her. Was it when they were children? Or when he had seen her in a moonlit garden and realized he wanted her? That memory had to be his favorite. Neither of them had known how to kiss, and they had clunked their noses together. Wonderful practice had made perfect.
He heard a sound and turned to see Starlight approaching. He smiled and held out a hand. When she took it, he drew her onto his lap and wrapped her within his arms. Sometimes the only reassurance he had that he was alive came from holding her. "Hey you," he said softly. "What're you doing out here?"
"I passed LeAnn and she told me that you needed me." She linked her hands behind his neck and cuddled against him. It was a thrill all over again to be able to be held by him again. Nothing had changed during their lost years. She still loved him, still wanted him. "She was right."
"I can't help it, Star." He nuzzled her ear with his lips and then eased her enough back that he could look into her eyes. "I lost you once, and I'm afraid of losing you again. It was always my biggest regret that I might have died before we ever got to truly be lovers." A lesser regret for the sake of Aluria had been there as well, but diminished in knowing Sunlight or Moonlight could still have a child. He wanted so badly to have no regrets at all.
"It was your idea to wait," she retorted. "You had that silly bet with Sunlight that you and I could survive waiting until being married without going insane, and nothing I did changed your mind." She eyed him owlishly. "Are you going take that risk again, Raven? That we die without being lovers?"
"Not a chance in hell," he said instantly. He smiled and framed her face with his hands. "I love you, Starlight. Stay with me, always."
"Just try stopping me," she said on a happy sigh as she lifted her face for his kiss.
The wind carried the whispers of lovers up around the castle and then through the open balcony doors to LeAnn's suite. She smiled as she brushed her hair in front of her mirror. If she was wrong and this plan did not work, she would not try to use Raven again. He and Starlight had more than earned their time together. She would just move on to Plan D instead.
She hummed a three-note tune to herself and twirled in a small circle to let the gold silk of her nightgown flare around her legs. The gown was little more than a strapless slip made of embroidered fabric that only reached her knees. It had a matching robe that she let hang around her elbows. It was not a set to be worn around others, to be sure; she considered it her guilty pleasure to be worn when she needed an emotional pick-me-up because it just made her feel good.
The feel of shadows seemed to flutter along her soul. Her eyes slowly widened as she recognized the power and presence. Her head turned swiftly, and she saw Chance standing on her balcony. He was watching her with a complex mix of emotions on his face and in his eyes. "Rubeo." She shook her head a bit in confusion. She had not expected him to move that fast. "What are you doing here?"
"I don't know." And he didn't. He didn't even remember making the decision to come to her room. He had simply found himself standing on the balcony and watching her brush her hair. He had only ever seen her in the plain pajamas she wore to the sleepovers, and even then from a distance since he did not attend those parts of the family get-togethers. He had tormented himself this night as he watched the gold silk flowing over her body. Fighting a losing battle to keep his hands to himself, he stuck them in his pockets. "Damn it, LeAnn, are you fickle?"
Her calm returned and she resumed brushing her hair. He was acting as she had expected, just sooner than she had thought. "Fickle? Interesting accusation. Is it because I finally got tired of being pushed away? Tired of being told I didn't know what I want? What I was doing?"
No effort to remain calm could keep the pain out of her expressive voice. He flinched as he heard an echo of his own feelings. The sight of her in Raven's arms had cut him all the way to the soul. It was as if he had let something precious slip out of his hands before he knew he held it. Too late. He was always too late. "You said you loved me."
"You are my soul mate." The words were simple. "I will love you until the end of time." She put down the brush and turned to face him. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders and the ends teased the pendant she wore even then. It made his heart clench oddly to see the pendant resting right over her Flower Mark as a Ruler. "However, I will settle for a love only in my heart if I cannot have one through my soul. Raven is a good man and I think I can grow to love him."
He crossed the room in two strides and gripped her bare shoulders. He pulled her onto her toes against him, and her robe fell down her arms as she clutched at him for balance. His gaze lowered, and he saw the pulse beating wildly in her throat. He could feel it beating inside him. It was as if their hearts had one beat between them. "Do you want him?" The words were rough.
"He's handsome." She touched her lip with the tip of her tongue as she tried not to smile. "And he's a good kisser." She took it as fact since Starlight had said so.
His face darkened. "Does make your pulse race and your body hot?" He dragged her ever closer so that their bodies pressed together. The light from the lamp gave them one shadow entwined. "Does he take your breath and make you ache?" Does he make you feel like I do? The words were unspoken, but they both heard them anyway.
"No, he does not." She slid her hands over to curl around the edges of his open black shirt. What a scene they no doubt made. He looked half-undressed as if for bed, and her gown was low enough in the back that she likely looked naked except for her robe. Such a risky scene, in fact. He had assuredly not thought things through before coming to see her. Finally, he had begun to just feel. "Rubeo, no one has ever—or will ever—make me feel the way you do. However, you have made it very clear that you do not want me and I am not a masochist."
"Damn you, Leslie Ann!" The words came out as a near growl. "Why can't you understand that I'm not good enough for you?"
"Why?"
"I'm a farm boy!"
"So is Uncle Diego. Next?" A royal brow lifted and hinted at the queen she would be. "Don't dare to mention anything else about where you were born or not feeling you earned this role. You have proven thousands of times across thousands of years that you deserve to be Captain. The last Captain of the Protean Royal Knights married a High Priestess, and you well know it."
Frustration boiled up inside him and burst out on the words, "My brother tried to kill your mother!"
"Finally," she said in satisfaction, "we're at the heart of the problem." She held his eyes without flinching even when his hands tightened. "You are not Vermillion, Rubeo. There is no weakness in you that there was in him. You would never betray the ones you love. Or are you concerned that I am so shallow I would hold the sins of brothers against you?"
"No!" He drew a quick breath. "That's not it, Les." He realized how hard he was holding her and gently ran his hands over her arms, almost unconsciously smoothing one hand down the Defender Flower Mark on her left arm. He would sooner die than hurt her. "I am not suited to be a king, and your kingdom comes with you."
"Does it?" She lifted her chin. "If you asked me to, I would abdicate and walk away without a second look. If you would wish me to run away with you, my parents would buy me the transport ticket themselves." She gave him a little shake. "All you're getting is me, Rubeo. I'll give up everything but you. All I've ever wanted is you. The rest can go to hell."
"Don't you have any pride?" he managed to ask shakily.
Something sad filled her eyes. "There is no place for pride when it comes to fighting for love."
He could only stare at her in shock as his head reeled. He could count on one hand the people he had ever cared enough for to give up everything, and the one person at the top of the list, higher than even his queen and king, was this impossibly loving woman with deep protea pink eyes. He could not wholly fathom that she might just love him that much in return. "Leslie Ann . . ."
He thought of a child who had delighted in following him around everywhere. He thought of an adolescent who had clung to his back and chattered in his ear a mile a minute. He thought of a young woman who had returned from a journey of discovery looking as if she had faced the depths of hell. And he thought of a woman who set his blood on fire and touched parts of his soul and heart he had never known he had.
When had he fallen in love with her? When had she become more vital to him than air or water? And what in the name of the gods was he to do now? He couldn't let her go, and yet it still terrified him to think of letting anyone, even her, have that sort of power over him.
"I love you, Rubeo." Her eyes never wavered from his. "I always have. I always will. You are not alone inside your shadows. When you're tired, I'll share the dark with you, and when you want to run, I will bring you the sun."
A shudder rippled through his body as he pulled her close once more. His threadbare control was on the edge of collapse. His head lowered and his lips had just touched hers . . . and the door swung open as a maid entered with a cheerful, "Here is the tea you wanted, princess!" She stopped in utter shock at the sight of LeAnn intimately held in Chance's arms, and the tray slipped out of her hands to crash on the floor. "Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry!" She whirled and dashed back out the door as if her life depended on it.
Chance released LeAnn and jerked away as if his hands had been burned. "Shit!" Only too late did it occur to him just how compromising the situation looked, especially after her announced pursuit! He should have put on a damn shirt, and her nightgown hid next to nothing. "Where did you get that?" he demanded.
"Aunt Ashe designed it for me as a gift for my twenty-fifth birthday." She tugged her robe up onto her shoulders and tried not to smile. "Well. This makes things a bit more complicated than I expected." She had honestly not intended to play this card except as a last ditch effort. It had come in as a plot twist she hadn't foreseen, but she had a pretty good idea who had set it up. She didn't even drink tea.
"With luck, your parents won't push the subject," he muttered as he yanked the door open and stalked into the hall. "Damn it, LeAnn, what will Raven think of all this?"
"I imagine he'll laugh and kiss Starlight." She smiled serenely as he stared at her in shock. "They're engaged, Rubeo. He was just pretending to be my suitor to make you jealous." She shut the door in his face and grinned when he cursed softly. Things couldn't have worked out better if she had planned them! Wait, she had planned them. You're mine, Rubeo, she thought triumphantly. All mine.
©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.
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