Star Kissed (21 page)

It took her a few minutes longer than she planned. Mandy walked into someone else’s apartment first. It was empty, and she retreated, realizing she was still one-off in her ability to find the right place.

She entered the panel beside the first, relieved to see the two towering guards in silver that indicated she’d found the right place. She walked into Helen’s quarters.

The Naki queen was moving with alacrity Mandy hadn’t seen in her yet. She appeared to be shoving a change of clothing into a palm-sized box. She looked up at Mandy’s entrance.

Mandy stopped in place, alarmed by the haunted expression on Helen’s face.

“Akkadi and Vekko were attacked in Kini orbit,” Helen’s tight voice was hoarse. “I’m taking Kadi and my second born daughter, Vasha with me to try to negotiate their release.”

“Mother, I must object.” Akkasha, the eldest daughter, said from across the room.

“I’ve heard your objections, dear, and I’m going.”

“Father would not approve.”

“I’ve already told him,” Helen replied.

Mandy listened, uncertain why her chest seized up at the mention of Akkadi in danger. He was more than capable of taking care of himself. Why was she having trouble moving from her spot? Already tired, her brain felt frozen.

“Then I should go,” Akkasha insisted. She wore her silver uniform with multi-hued sashes. Her dark hair was up, her blue eyes sharp in her peachy face. She was beautiful and small, like her mother.

“No you will not,” Helen said firmly. “I am by far the most senior negotiator. And if something happens to me, you’ll be safe here. Your father needs his heir.”

Mandy almost barked a counterargument, but Akkasha beat her to it.

“Father needs his mate first,” she snapped.

“You’re staying here,” Helen said firmly. “Mandy, I fear I must leave you to assist Hichele for a day or so, until this is straightened out.”

“Is Akkadi hurt?” Mandy heard herself ask. She flushed immediately, not intending for the words to emerge.

Helen met her gaze. “We’re not certain. Their vessel was captured during a peace mission.” She forced a smile.

“Should you not be more concerned about Vekko, your intended?” Akkasha eyed her.

“I didn’t agree to shit,” Mandy replied. “Definitely not to marry a stranger.”

Akkasha gave her the same look Akkadi did when she spoke to boldly.

“Mandy’s place here is also a topic for discussion some other time,” Helen said sharply.

“As you wish, mother,” Akkasha replied, displeased. “I’m beginning to think these humans are better suited to living with those like Urik than us.”

“I agree!” said Mandy.

“Don’t start, you two,” Helen said. “We’ll work out things when all of us are back here safely.”

Mandy heard the concern in her voice and understood the mother of ten was beyond worried about the two princes. Mandy bit her tongue and watched Helen pack the box.

“Mandy, you may go,” Helen glanced up again. “I’ll do everything I can to bring them both back safely.”

Mandy hesitated to leave. She wanted to ask more about Akkadi. Her hands were trembling, though she wasn’t certain why she was worried about a man who hadn’t wanted much to do with her.

“Travel safely,” she murmured. Mandy turned and left. She passed through the antechamber and into the hallway, stopping to try to digest the latest realization of her day.

She really didn’t want Akkadi hurt. Or captured. She tried to tell herself it was because she didn’t want someone as kind as Helen to worry, but Mandy couldn’t shake the sense that she had feelings of her own towards the difficult man. He’d been her anchor since she arrived, and his touch left her calm and hot for him. She could barely stand him, and yet the thought of never seeing him again was unbearable.

What did that mean?

She shook her head. There was no way she’d sleep well after her day. Her thoughts even heavier, Mandy took her time finding her way back to the dorms. A massive guard in dark yellow stood outside her destination.

“Hichele requires your presence.”

Mandy froze in the middle of the hallway, despising the Naki woman even more. Without Helen there, Hichele wasn’t going to be as discreet about using the switch. Mandy drew a few deep breaths.

The guard stepped away, beckoning to her to follow.

Mandy went reluctantly. While pleased she had dirt on the despicable woman, she didn’t look forward to dealing with her, especially when she was already tired.

They descended several floors in the elevator. Mandy’s eyes went to the floor markings. It was a noble floor, but she couldn’t figure out anything else. She assumed she was being led to Hichele’s quarters. Two yellow guards stood outside one panel, where the one leading her motioned for her to go.

Mandy stepped into it, not expecting the panel to lead directly into the apartment. There was no antechamber here, and a quick glance around revealed the apartment was a third the size of Akkadi’s.

Two forms were at the windows opposite the door, arguing quietly. Hichele’s face was flushed while the man Mandy had seen her with earlier who looked like her father was also red.

Mandy took up a spot against a wall, relieved she wasn’t the center of attention. Another guard in yellow stood like a statue nearby. Her mind was still trying to grasp at Akkadi’s danger and why it made her heart race like she was about to run away from some sort of monster.

Father and daughter argued quietly for a few more minutes before the Naki man strode out, clearly unhappy. Mandy didn’t bother to bow, her attention going to Hichele, who was pacing.

Akkadi slept with
that
and didn’t want
her
?

“He find out your womb is filled with the wrong man’s son?” Mandy couldn’t stop the words.

Hichele’s eyes snapped to her. “How did you…”

“Slaves talk.”

Hichele spun and stormed across the room. Mandy saw her grab the switch and prepared herself to rumble. This time, she wasn’t going to be a punching bag. She’d punch the ugly woman right square in the face.

“I know you are not from here, but you deserve no such high regard from the Naki queen!” Hichele raged. “You are rude and don’t know your place. How you have not been ejected into space, I don’t know!”

“The feeling is mutual,” Mandy replied.

“The Naki rulers are far too kind to their slaves! It is not so where I’m from.”

Mandy shifted. Hichele had grabbed the switch but wasn’t moving forward to attack her. Her shred gaze narrowed, as if she was thinking of something far worse to do to Mandy.

“A slave who acts as you have towards me is killed for insubordination. I cannot kill you, not when you are a favorite of the queen.” Hichele motioned to a wall, and one of the ten-foot guards stepped away. “But I can reinforce that this is not acceptable.”

The guard approached her and placed weapons on a table near the cramped sitting area. Mandy watched, not understanding what was going on.

“From this day forward, you
will
obey every thing I say, and you will do so silently!” Hichele snarled.

The towering guard stepped in front of Mandy. At six feet tall, she was unaccustomed to feeling short. Right now, she felt miniscule. She inched back against the wall.

“You have any idea what you’re doing?” she hissed at the irate Naki woman. “If Helen finds out –”

“If you tell her, I will kill you and Cesar in your sleep.”

“Easy to avoid,” Mandy shot back. “We’ll just sleep with the Naki royalty!”

“Then I’ll poison you. Slowly. Painfully. It will make the plague look like a kindly way to die.”

Mandy cocked her head to the side, startled by the mention of poison after hearing the servants joke about the rumors. Before the thought stuck, what felt like a brick smashed into her face.

The guard’s first punch almost knocked her out. She dropped, mind half taken by swirling blackness while her ears rang. Pain ripped through her. She touched the skin around her eye, which didn’t just sting but was jagged. She pulled her hand away, horrified to see blood. He’d broken her skull with one blow.

“This is how we teach our slaves to behave,” Hichele said, kneeling beside her. “Do not ever raise your voice to me or even speak to me again!”

She whacked Mandy with the switch, the pain of which was nothing compared to the fire in her face. Mandy clutched her head, praying something horrible like her eye falling out didn’t happen. Consumed by the agony in her head, she didn’t see Hichele rise.

But she saw the guard come towards her again, his massive fist raised for another blow. Mandy covered her head instinctively, unable to stand with the sensations tearing through her body.

“Teach her a lesson then take her to the healing ward,” Hichele ordered. “Don’t kill her this time.”

His fist fell again, this time into her rib cage. Mandy felt them snap like twigs and let out a strangled cry. The third blow fell across her shoulders, and the fourth drove her into darkness. As she slipped out of consciousness, her last thought was of Akkadi holding her while she stared at what remained of her world.

She could almost see herself staying in his arms forever.

Chapter Twelve

Akkadi and Vekko stood amid the Kini on their home planet. They were surrounded by roughly dressed men that reached Akkadi’s sternum in height and who were each armed with enough weapons to take out one of Urik’s strong holds. The short, bearded men were shouting loudly at the two Nakis at the center of the large ring formed around them.

 Their reception was less than pleasant. After a few grader shots and the threat of blowing their Naki ship out of the sky, the Kini ordered them to land. Akkadi had stopped trying to rationalize with them fro afar and obeyed, hoping to find them much more rational in person. And now, they waited for the Kini King, Mackle.

“Previous interactions with Nakis haven’t ended well,” Vekko said quietly. “Their sense of logic is inferior, and they are quick to attack if insulted and even quicker to take insult.”

“I understand,” Akkadi replied. “We are here to negotiate. They want Naki help. We’ll see how willing they are to talk.” He sensed his cousin’s unease. Vekko was too disciplined to show it, and Akkadi remained rigidly at attention.

A Kini half a head taller than the rest pushed his way through the crowd and broke into the circle where Akkadi and Vekko stood.

“Welcome, Nakis,” he bellowed. “I am Mackle, the Kini King.”

Akkadi bowed low, as did Vekko. The king was little better dressed than his men in worn clothing and a bushy, unkempt beard.

“It is our honor to be greeted by you, my king,” Akkadi replied. “We have come to –”

“Did you bring weapons?” The Kini king looked expectant.

“We did not. Nakis do not carry weapons on diplomatic missions.”

“How will you fight?”

“We have no intention of fighting, my king,” Vekko answered. “We are here to –”

“Kini do not negotiate with those who do not fight!” Mackle declared, pounding on his chest. The men around him roared in agreement.

Akkadi glanced around, unaffected. “My king, you expressed an interest in our ship building capabilities. Naki ships are the fastest and safest in the galaxy.”

“They are,” Mackle agreed. “But Kini deal with no one who does not fight.”

“We fight our battles in space.”

Mackle considered. “No, that is not how we negotiate.” He turned away and waved them forward. “Come. Choose your weapon. We have many.”

Akkadi stepped forward, motioning for Vekko to remain near the ship. He trailed the Kini king.

“We do not fight,” he said more firmly. “Our ships are what we are here to discuss.”

“I heard Nakis have no emotions.”

“This is incorrect. We have emotions. We rely on logic rather than feeling to make decisions.”

The Kini king didn’t seem interested. He stopped in front of a large trunk and flung it open, indicating the weapons within.

“We are not here to fight you,” Akkadi repeated. “If you wish a war with the Naki, why did you contact us for ships?”

“This is not war!” Kini laughed. “This is a test, Naki-prince. How do we trust a man who has no emotions? No loyalty? No courage?”

“Nakis express themselves differently,” Akkadi replied. “We have loyalty of the highest degree and are courageous in our battles.”

“But you won’t fight.”

“It is not appropriate during negotiations.”

“You need my energy cells,” the Kini observed. He pulled free a weapon and tossed it at Akkadi’s feet. “More than I need your ships.”

Akkadi was quiet, unaware that their energy shortage was common knowledge. The closely held secret wasn’t known – or shouldn’t have been – outside the space station orbiting the human planet.

“Your father says your energy shortage is critical. You must only pass our test for us to consider your agreement,” Mackle said.

The words clicked, and Akkadi realized his father had likely initiated the negotiations, not the other way around. The Naki king reaching out to a less civilized planet for energy would cause much speculation, right or wrong. The Kini might want ships, but Mackle was right. The Naki
needed
energy cells.

“What is this test?” Akkadi asked.

“Show us your loyalty and courage.”

“How do you propose I do that?”

“Fight.” The king laughed again.

“Fight
what
?”

Mackle pointed to someone behind Akkadi.

He turned to see a massive Kini nearly twice the size of the others, one large enough to tower over him as well.

“Naki do not fight outside of space,” Akkadi said. “It is not our way.”

“You are on our planet. Here, it is our way.”

Accustomed to difficult diplomatic missions, Akkadi was nonetheless unsettled at the thought of combating anyone for a trade deal. He’d been insulted, ignored and challenged to space battles. He made every effort to respect the traditions of those he dealt with, but this was something different entirely.

“You wish me to fight him?” he asked skeptically.

“I do. If you fight well, you leave here, and we will consider your agreement.”