The hov-carriage swayed as they went through another set of gates into the third-circle. They were close. It wouldn’t be much longer before they reached his warehouse along the docks.
The kiss they’d shared, the one he’d asked for, had surprised him. Varan hadn’t expected to feel anything at all. Instead it was as though everything he knew about her came together when he’d closed his eyes and let the scent and taste of her fill him. He knew her scent as well as he knew his own. It was unique and special – as Adelina and Lina. She was both, as she’d said.
Varan glanced out the back window again. “We have a tail,” he murmured. He’d expected something of the sort from Raena.
Nadyah looked up, alarmed. “What do you propose?”
Adelina finally turned from the window and her gaze met his. Her eyes were still so blank. It gutted him. When she shrugged he had to blink away the vision of the way she’d trembled, barely breathing in his arms.
It was up to him then. Varan tapped his implant to signal the driver. “Take us around the long way, and cut through the second-circle again. Then take us to the House of Kismet.” They’d be able to walk the rest of the way easily enough.
“Do you have lists of what you need from your rooms?” Varan asked the two of them. It wouldn’t be difficult to have his spies pack up their belongings. If he could keep Adelina away from the palace until they left – he would.
“I just sent them over,” Nadyah said. She didn’t once question him or his reasons. Her focus immediately went back to her simulcast.
“What are you so engrossed in?” Varan asked, leaning forward to look.
Nadyah snatched her device away and glared at him. “None of your damn business.”
Adelina looked at her courtesan in question, no other emotion visible on her face. Cula, she could be hard to read.
“If you must know, I’m speaking with Taj,” Nadyah sniffed. “He has sent a delivery of food and supplies through his contacts to your warehouse, Varan. I’m trying to gather the protein cubes and documentation, among all the other millions of things I was supposed to have two weeks to do. If I’m lucky, Jael will assist and we’ll just be able to make it in time for our departure. If Roxy can do the repairs in such a short time frame.” Nadyah threw her hair over her shoulder and tapped out another message.
There was something else the courtesan didn’t want to share, but Varan didn’t have the energy to press the matter.
“I need to stop at the Jeweler’s guild tonight,” Adelina said. It was the first time she’d spoken since they left the palace. “And I wondered if you knew of a place I could stay until our departure. I don’t want to risk my own apartment if we are being so closely watched. I need to be away from Raena for a while.”
“Of course,” Varan said, leaning forward. He resisted the urge to take her hand. Adelina didn’t look interested in being touched at the moment. “But you can stay at my place. It’s large enough for the both of you if you wish.” And it was well protected thanks to his rogues. He looked over at Nadyah and she nodded.
“I’ll be wherever Adelina is,” Nadyah said.
“The warehouse would be a good place to have our base of operations,” Adelina murmured. “It’s where I told the Master Sealer to meet us, as well as Countess Joslynn. She’s going to beg a ride to her planet and I decided I wanted to tell her everything. If she can’t handle what she sees, then we are not truly friends and never were.”
Varan flinched at the brutal words. This war had already changed Adelina and it was only beginning. It wasn’t really the war though; it was the people around her who failed her. Varan vowed not to let her down. He’d sworn an oath and it was his job to protect her on this journey.
“The Master Sealer?” Nadyah asked. She set her simulcast down and focused completely on the princess. “Whatever for?”
“I plan to receive the mark on my back, plus one more,” Adelina answered, looking out the window again. “To help remind me of who I am, and what I’m fighting for – to ground me.”
“Does anyone know?” Nadyah asked in concern.
Adelina shook her head. “I’m of age now, old enough to wed. I should be old enough to make my own decisions about my own body.”
Nadyah sighed and looked to Varan for assistance. He shrugged. It wasn’t like he knew what to do about it. A new seal could be the perfect solution. The only other royal with the Draga seal on the back was Asher. It was a beautiful mark and Adelina wanted that reminder – but more likely to remind others of what she was when she showed it off.
“A princess covered in gold,” Varan chuckled. “The dragons will welcome you into their borders with open arms.”
Adelina quirked her lip up, amusement flashed in her eyes and there was life in her face once more. Varan felt relief wash through him at the expression. “One can only hope, Prince. Be careful around them and don’t steal anything, no matter how precious, valuable, or rare.”
He scoffed, keeping the tone light and playful. She needed a reminder that there was still fun in the world. “I would never. Borrowing isn’t stealing.”
Adelina’s smile widened and Varan counted his lucky stars.
The hov-carriage finally stopped outside the House of Kismet and Jael was already there, waiting in front of the main door. Varan had never officially met the female in any capacity, but knowing she was also the Spider impressed him. Her spies were the best in the galaxy. He’d trained his own as a tribute to her work, and then sent them far and wide.
Adelina didn’t wait for the driver to open the door. She was up and out with that strange case in her hands before Varan realized the carriage had stopped. “Mistress,” Adelina said with a slight bow of her head.
“What can I do for you?” Jael asked, glancing from the princess to Nadyah, and then finally to Varan.
He helped Nadyah out of the hov-carriage and then sent the taxi on his way. The male always gave him some of the best gossip and had been on his payroll for cycles now.
Nadyah curtseyed before her Mistress. “I need to pack a few things, and then speak with you on certain matters.”
Jael’s sharp gaze never moved from Varan and he grinned at her, slipping his hands into his pockets. The female always rubbed him the wrong way when he had seen her. She was a cunning bitch, but he had to admire her skill as a fellow colleague.
“Won’t you bow, Prince?” Jael snapped.
Varan inclined his head only slightly. “Well, I do outrank you,” he teased.
The Spider sputtered in outrage and Adelina flicked him a look. They had only so much time.
“How dare you?” Jael hissed as he followed Nadyah into the House.
Varan had never taken a courtesan, or paid for the service of one. “As a lower prince of the people I’d say I’m about equal to a noble and a courtesan in rank, and I also happen to be more dominant than you, if only by a smidge,” he said, looking at all the various fixtures and paintings. “This place really is lovely.”