It was strange how isolated the labs were. Nadyah knew absolutely nothing about the council meeting while in the bubble of Ian’s sacred space. There were no recorders in Ian’s lab. The doors were sealed against most in the palace. Only a handful of people were allowed access. There was no livestream broadcasting anywhere. It was rather peaceful and Nadyah could see why Ian had chosen to hide down there.
She stroked his hair back, hoping to wake him gently. Nadyah didn’t know why, but she didn’t think he’d like anyone to walk in on him so unprepared. “Ian,” she murmured quietly, hoping not to scare him. “Ian, it’s time to wake.”
He muttered some dream nonsense. Nadyah tapped his nose and said his name again.
Those gorgeous Draga eyes opened slowly, blinking. Ian looked confused at first, and then he focused on her. He didn’t rush to get off of her as she thought he might but stretched and then rolled into a sitting position. “Sorry about that,” he muttered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
She shook her head. “I simply thought you would like time to get ready before your sister comes down with Varan.”
Ian nodded. His golden hair was almost the same color as hers she noticed. The prince leaned his elbows on his knees and groaned, raking his fingers through his hair. “You let me sleep for too long,” he accused.
Nadyah snorted. “I didn’t realize I was to be responsible for your nap, dear prince.”
Ian glared at her, but there was a twinkle in his eyes. His humor was so subtle, so quiet most would miss it. “Would you like to look at the results before they arrive?”
A tingle of nerves ran down her spine. Nadyah nodded. She would like to gather her thoughts before she had to confront Varan. Whatever the answer, his reaction would be difficult to watch. If relief crossed his face when he found out he wasn’t, or horror if he was her mate; it might break her.
“I took the liberty of scanning two others’ DNA as well,” Ian said casually as though it wasn’t an issue.
“What?” she snapped. Nadyah wasn’t prepared to even think about the possibility of someone else being her mate.
Ian shrugged. “It would make sense to check as many options as possible,” he stated. “That way you know who is and isn’t. It would be helpful in the future, wouldn’t it?” Ian asked with a frown, suddenly realizing she was glaring at him.
“I suppose. Whose DNA did you add to the analysis?” she gritted out.
“Prince Nash’s as well as my own.”
Nadyah didn’t know what to say or do. Oh Goddess, what if she was Nash’s mate? “Get it over with.”
Ian scanned his data reports and then read them off from the top. “Roxy is a negative, Nash is a negative, Varan is a negative, and—” he stopped midsentence and his jaw dropped. Ian set his shreve down and looked at her.
Nadyah could feel the blood drain from her face and there was a strange buzzing in her head. Ian looked concerned and poured a glass of water. His hands shook when he handed it to her.
The cold water didn’t help but she drank it to the very last drop anyway. “And?” Nadyah demanded.
“It looks like you are my mate.” The way Ian said it…
“Don’t you mean you are my mate?”
The prince stared at her. “Yes and no.”
Nadyah had to set the glass down. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m sure you are aware that I am a half-courtesan.”
That strange buzzing became a roar.
Ian licked his lips nervously. “For efficiency’s sake I’ve been scanning my own DNA along with yours to every sample we’ve acquired. It seemed the smart thing to do. Since finding out P’draic is not my mate – I’ve been curious.”
Nadyah pressed a hand to her forehead. This was too much. “So I am your mate, but are you mine?”
Ian nodded again.
Holy gods, was that even possible? Had it ever occurred before? Most courtesans didn’t mate with one of their own. The genetics didn’t quite fit, but it seemed a half-breed changed things. There had to be something in the library, there had to be records.
Nadyah groaned and put her head between her knees.
Jael, would she find out? Would she want the two of them to breed? Their children would be a strange Draga-Courtesan mix with three-quarters courtesan DNA. What would that do to the children? Or would they end up like Adelina?
“I am sorry if the results are disappointing,” Ian said quietly.
Tears pricked her eyes as that shame swam up to drown her. The very same reaction she’d feared from Varan was the one she’d given to Ian. Nadyah sat up and wiped away her tears. “No, Ian…it’s not that at all. I simply…” The tears kept streaming down her cheeks as the consequences of the results hit her all at once.
Varan was not her mate. Irrefutable evidence she had been enamored with a male who wasn’t her mate. The stupid courtesan genetics made her think she was in love. The powerful attraction to the Prince of Thieves and her love for Adelina was real. But it didn’t matter. Her genetics had chosen the match for her.
“You wonder if you could love me the same way you love my sister,” Ian finished for her.
All Nadyah could do was nod. “I’m so sorry, Ian.” Her hands fluttered, not sure how to move or act. She pressed them to her face to block out the world. “I’m so sorry.”
The couch dipped when he sat. Ian didn’t touch her; he just sat next to her. His shoulder gave off enough warmth she leaned into him. They’d become friends over the last few weeks. At least there was that, but the complications…
“What about P’draic?” Nadyah asked. Ian loved him, she knew he did. “What are you going to do?”
Ian sighed. He was far less emotional than most people she knew, especially for someone who was part courtesan, but Nadyah was just starting to realize it wasn’t that he didn’t have emotions – or deep ones. Ian simply kept them separate from everything else, hiding them from public view. He didn’t allow them to affect his decisions.
“I don’t know. What do you want me to do?”
It was the last thing she’d expected him to say, but Nadyah supposed it made sense. She wiped the last of her tears from her face and turned to Ian. She openly studied the lines of his face, his jaw, the differences in his purple eyes from Adelina’s, and the way he held himself. Then she looked around his lab, the place where he spent most of his time. Ian was dedicated, he was honest, he was kind…Amora could have chosen a much worse mate, she supposed.
“As long as we don’t have sex we will never be mated,” Nadyah said. It was their one saving grace. “If you want to stay with P’draic, that’s entirely up to you. I still have cycles left on my contract with Jael among other things.”
Ian nodded and then took out his shreve.
“Are you making notes?” she asked.
He nodded again. “It would make sense to have a file of what either of us would need before such a commitment.”
Nadyah grabbed his hand and stopped his furious tapping when her heart leapt into her throat with panic. “What do you mean?”
Ian searched her face, open and honest in his assessment of her. “I don’t know you very well Nadyah, but our people live long lives. I’m not going to give up a chance to have a mate, but I do think putting a plan into place so we can both become comfortable with the relationship would be a logical idea.”