The Perfect Prince (23 page)
Read The Perfect Prince Online
Authors: Michelle M. Pillow
Nadja stared down. Doc was looking at her, his lips hardly moving. His hand lifted as if to touch her. Nadja fell to her knees, pulling his palm into her own.
He pulled her ear down to his mouth and whispered. When Nadja sat back up, he was dead.
Yusef freed Olena, hugging her to his Draig chest as he assured himself he was unharmed. Olek stood above Nadja, motioning his brother to get his shaken wife home.
When he looked down, he saw the scalpel protruded from a patch on the man’s shirt that matched Nadja’s tattoo. His wife grabbed the hilt of the scalpel, pulling it from the man’s chest and turning it off. She tossed it over to his medical bag on the ground. Around the edge of the badge he read the words, Medical Alliance for Planetary Health.
“Nadja?” he asked. Her eyes blankly turned to look at him and he felt a hollowness forming inside of her.
“He said he forgave me,” she whispered. Then, bursting to her feet, she buried herself into her husband’s arms and didn’t say another word.
* * * *
Draig soldiers came to the campsite at Yusef’s command, shifted and ready for battle. Olek ordered them to remove the bodies. Nadja still hadn’t spoken after the single sentence. No tears fell from her eyes.
She pulled back from Olek to watch the Draig soldiers taking the bodies.
“Nadja?” Olek asked quietly.
“Burn the henchmen,” she ordered. “They’re genetically altered clones, human drones. They had no feelings.”
Olek nodded, calling out her order to the men. He saw the blood on her arm, but she ignored it. The wound didn’t seem to trouble her. Her beautiful features were spotted with blood.
Nadja knelt beside her father. Unbuttoning the top button on his shirt, she pulled a small oval locket from around his neck. Jerking it, she broke the leather strap. Olek watched as she twisted it. Her picture was on the inside of it. She pressed in her miniature face. A beam of light came up and then a screen appeared, floating in the air.
“We are recording,” came a voice.
“This is Nadja Aleksander,” she said calmly to the burly man who answered the call. Her face gave nothing away. The man saw her face clearly, but didn’t flinch to see the blood splattering it. Nadja’s eyes hardened as she looked back at him.
“Medical identification?” the man asked.
“Morning Dove,” she answered.
“Number?” The man’s voice was emotionless.
“Ten … twelve … one,” she stated. Olek was shaken by her unmoving features.
He couldn’t even feel a trace of emotion coming from her. It was like she was dead inside. “Miss Aleksander,” the man acknowledged.
“My father is dead.”
“Yes, Lady Aleksander,” the man said. Olek saw him rise to his feet and bow to her. “How may I serve you, Lady Aleksander?”
“Follow this signal,” she ordered. “Transport his body and dismantle the camp. Take everything.”
The man nodded. “It will be done, Lady.”
“Tell my mother he died nobly and well,” she continued. Olek frowned at the obvious lie. “Tell her it was an accident. Don’t let her see the body until the mortician has finished his work.”
“Yes, Lady,” he answered. “And shall we be coming for you?” Nadja glanced at Olek. Slowly, she shook her head.
“My father was the head of this family. Now, as his heir, I am breaking apart the family. Tell Doc Truman that I’ll not be taking my father’s place at his side. He died before he could name a second.”
“Yes, Lady.”
“My mother gets everything, every penny,” Nadja said. “I want you personally to see to the funeral. Bring him to the Hazare Complex. Doc Truman will undoubtedly meet you there to give you a new assignment. I go to Datlis to start over. Wipe this planet from the records. There is nothing here for the Medical Alliance but a bunch of primitives who won’t serve a purpose.”
“Yes Lady,” the man said. His fingers moved over to a computer to do as she.
“Morning Dove, ten, twelve, one, out,” Nadja stated. Flipping off the communicator, she dropped it on her father’s chest. It blinked a signal for the ship to trace. “Nadja?” Olek asked.
She shivered as if really looking at him for the first time. Weakly, she said, “Just let them come, don’t get in their way. If you give them no trouble, they will take this all away and leave for good.”
“Nadja,” he breathed, worried about her. Suddenly, she paled. Olek darted forward, catching her as she blacked out into his arms.
* * * *
Nadja awoke in the medic unit. She saw her husband speaking to Yusef. Olena was no where to be seen. Yusef’s face was tightly pulled.
Sitting up, she whispered, “Olena?”
Olek glanced at her, rushing to her side. “She’s fine. She was injected with something and they have her in the medic unit trying to discover what it was.”
“I want to see her,” Nadja said. She moved to stand.
“In a moment,” Olek said.
His eyes darted over her with caring, but she was still too numb to see it. She had to make sure Olena was all right first. If her foolish actions in running from her home had caused any harm, she would never be able to forgive herself.
Olek looked at his pale wife. She hardly moved. Her eyes stared out of her head with an eerie, foreign light.
She blinked, looking at him. “There is a baby.” Olek grinned, nodding happily. “I know. He’s fine.” Nadja nodded. To his disappointment, she didn’t return his smile. Her eyes drifted back to the door where Olena was in the medic unit.
Suddenly, the medic, Tal, went to the door and opened it. Yusef was right behind him in the doorway.
Nadja stood, brushing past Olek to go forward. Lightly, she touched Yusef’s arm and whispered, “Can I have a moment?”
Yusef frowned, but nodded his head. He motioned for Tal to leave the women alone. “I’m sorry,” Nadja said when the door shut behind the two men. She was glad to see Olena was indeed live and well. A dam broke in her, as she rushed, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Olena chuckled lightly. “Don’t apologize. You saved my life.”
“I couldn’t let him kill again. You have nothing to worry about,” Nadja said. She swayed slightly on her feet and Olena could tell she was worn. “As Doc’s heir, I dissolved the family. They won’t be back.” Nadja moved over to the machine as it beeped. Absently, she moved to the panel and pushed a button for it to continue. She pulled up a chair, waiting as it cycled and then she again pressed a button.
“Nadja, I’m sorry. I know he was your father,” Olena began.
Nadja trembled, holding back a well of grief. She held up a hand to stop her. “I am one of the few who could have done it without a backlash. No, it was time for his terror to end.”
“Still,” Olena began.
Tears came to Nadja’s eyes and she sniffed. Shaking her head, she held up her hand for silence. No more words were needed on the subject. A part of her was saddened.
He was her father and a part of her loved him. But she didn’t regret her actions. “Thank you.” The unit beeped again and Nadja glanced down to the screen.
“Are you in pain?” Nadja asked at the panel’s prompting.
“No,” Olena said.
Nadja pressed a button.
“How’s your baby?” Olena asked.
Nadja sniffed and wiped her eyes. She thought of Olek, desperately wanting to see him. It was as if she was coming out of a nightmare. Reading the panel, she grinned.
Laughing lightly, she said, “Hopefully as healthy as yours.”
* * * *
Nadja was quiet as Olek walked her home. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but she was scared. He didn’t mention what he thought about her father or about what had happened. And she was too ashamed to face him.
As they went to bed, Olek didn’t say a word. Nadja lay down beside him. He pulled her into his arms, hugging her back tightly into his chest. That night, he didn’t let her go.
A sweet, exotic scent curled around Nadja in her dreams, causing a smile to touch her lips. All around her was the small brushes of silken softness. Blinking awake, she realized Olek was gone, but petals of solarflowers were sprinkled all around her.
She sighed, running her fingers over his pillow. Her fingers met with a paper and she instantly sat up. It was a portrait of her sleeping, surrounded by the petals. In the corner, Olek had written, I have to go meet with my brothers. We have discovered King Attor’s camp and will go to face him. I couldn’t bear to wake you when you looked this beautiful asleep. I’ll be home as soon as I can.
Nadja felt tears coming to her eyes. She rushed from the bedroom, out into the hall to see if she could catch him. The portrait was clutched in her fingers. He was long gone. Her fingers trailed to her flat stomach. He couldn’t go to battle without her speaking to him first. She had so much she needed to say to him.
“Open,” Nadja ordered the door, ducking under into the hall before it was even up. Calling, she yelled, “Olek!”
Nadja began running down the passageway barefoot.
“Olek, wait!” she yelled, not caring who heard. Coming around the corner, she nearly toppled over the King. “Oh!”
“Hey, easy,” King Llyr said. “What’s going on? Are you hurt?”
“No,” she mumbled, trying to get past him. “Olek….”
“Sh, daughter, wait,” Llyr said. “You can’t go to him now. He’s in the lower dungeons. Agro discovered from the spy that King Attor is camping along the southern border planning an attack.”
“Then take me down to the prisons,” she began in an order.
“No,” he denied gruffly. “They are no place for a lady.”
“But….” she tried to protest.
“Now, come on,” the King said. He took her elbow and began leading her down the hall to her house. She still held the picture and he glanced at it briefly. “Let’s just get you back inside. You shouldn’t be straining yourself in your condition.” Nadja blushed, following her father-by-marriage’s guiding hand. The King ordered the door to her home shut behind them. He led her to the couch and urged her to sit.
Staring up at him, she asked, “He told you about the baby?”
“Of course he told me!” the King snapped. “He’s told everyone.” Nadja sighed. “Then he does know.”
“He heard your father mention it,” Llyr said. His eyes turned serious as he took a seat. “How are you, daughter?”
“Fine,” she mumbled absently. “And he wasn’t upset about it? He was … happy?”
“Of course he was happy,” Llyr bellowed in his gruff voice, but Nadja could see the caring in his eyes. “We all are.”
Llyr saw her relief and wondered at it.
“I don’t know what that man did to you, girl,” he grumped. “But he’s not your family. We are.”
Nadja blinked, tears forming in her eyes.
“Ah,” the King grimaced. “Don’t go getting all emotional on me.” Nadja bit her lips, sniffing her tears back, and dutifully nodded.
“All right, then, good,” Llyr said, when he saw she wasn’t about to start bawling.
“Now, why would you think he wouldn’t be happy? Surely you sensed his feelings about it.”
Nadja shook her head.
“Well, why didn’t you read them for yourself if you were curious,” said the King in awe. “That is why he gave you the gift of it.”
“The gift of the baby?” she asked, confused.
“Did those Galaxy Bride people tell you nothing?” he asked, frowning in dismay.
“The gift of himself.”
Nadja just stared at him blankly.
“Ah,” he sighed heavily. “You remember the whole crystal smashing, right?” Nadja nodded.
“All right, then,” he muttered. “Our crystals have magical powers. They glow and we find our wives. We choose to take them back to our tents for … well,” he paused, growing slightly distracted as he remembered his own wedding night clearly. It had been torture--glorious torture. “You stay and choose us, you crush the crystal, our life extends yours and there you have it. You’re joined.” Nadja blinked at the rough, manly description.
“You understand?” he asked, his tone nearing a grunt.
Nadja shook her head. The King sighed.
“Qurilixian men are given a crystal when they are born,” he stated. “They’re magical.”
Nadja nodded, trying not to laugh at his exasperated face.
“When you were paired by the crystal, your lives became joined in such a way that can never be taken back. You exchanged part of your souls, or so the women keep telling us. By crushing the crystal, you assured that the exchange would never be reversed. And in the process he gave you some of his years so you could live long together,” the King paused, eyeing her. “You got it so far?”
Nadja again dutifully nodded. She didn’t dare smile too brightly at the King, lest he stop his explanation.
“All right, good,” he said, his chest heaving with breath. His hands clenched into large fists on his lap as he forced himself on. “Each of you are like half of a … a sword.
Without the other side, you can’t….”
“Lob someone’s head off,” Nadja offered.
“Exactly!” the King exclaimed with a smile. “It means he’s yours and so on--”
“So on?” Nadja probed.
“Yeah, he’s done sleeping with other women,” the King answered with a throat clearing. Nadja balked in embarrassment. “Now, since you’ve bonded together, you can read each other’s … you know--ah, hell! Ask your husband. It’s his job to explain all this.
I only came by to tell you Zoran approves of your cream. He’s requesting a larger batch to issue to the men. Make a list of what you need and I’ll get some worker right on it.” Nadja smiled and nodded, thinking more of Olek than her herbal creation.
The King stood. His hands on his hips, he ordered lowly, “Now stay here. Olek should be back by tomorrow morning at the latest. I don’t want you running about risking my grandson.”
“Is that a royal decree?” Nadja asked with an impish grin. She couldn’t help it.
“Yes,” he grumbled, trying to frown at her but failing. He was too happy about her delicate state to care. Walking out the door, he yelled, “Yes, it most certainly is!” The news came that night that the men were off to battle with King Attor and his Var warriors. The Draig trackers managed to confirm the spy’s words as to the position of Attor’s encampment of Var. Nadja was worried, lying in bed for most of the night, the dome curtains drawn, as she tired to sleep.
She’d found the box of jewels her father had given her and had spent most of the day crying over them as she tried to remember the good things about him, though they were few in number. Replacing the last piece in the box and closing it forever, she finally wiped away the last tear she would ever shed for him.
Doc Aleksander was the past. Olek and their baby was the future.
Olek didn’t make his way home until late in the next afternoon. Nadja was waiting for him when he walked through the door. To his surprise, he was greeted with a sprinkling of kisses on his face and a long pair of legs wrapping around his waist.
His hands instantly cupped beneath her buttocks to hold her to him. His mouth parted in astonishment and she moved to kiss him deeply, her tongue dipping to explore his mouth as she tried to steal his breath.
“Mm,” Olek moaned, pulling back. A quizzical grin on his face, he whispered,
“What’s this?” Her hands roamed over his shoulders and suddenly she flinched, realizing the hilt of his sword was poking her in the upper thigh.
“Ow, your sword,” she replied, swinging her legs back around to the ground. Olek chuckled. When she was safely landed, he let her go and unstrapped the weapon from his waist.
“I am so sorry I didn’t tell you about my father, Olek,” Nadja rushed, trying to get everything out at once. “He was one of the leaders of the Medical Mafia. The Alliance is just a front. They could easily save lives, but they don’t. They take them. I couldn’t stay there and marry his associate, Hank. That’s why I ran away and wanted a farmer. I was scared he would find me. And then I saw that dart in Morrigan and I knew that he,” Nadja gulped, taking a deep breath, “had come for me. He used to make me carry them across border checkpoints in my hair. Anyway, that’s how I knew what it was. I knew he was watching us and that’s why I yelled at you. He hated anything not completely human and I was afraid he would try to torture you. I was so scared. And you don’t repulse me and I don’t care that you shift--in fact it was kind of … oh,” she blushed, but hastened on. “So what happened with King Attor, was anyone hurt? Why were you gone so long?” Nadja stopped, looking expectantly at him. Her wide blue eyes blinked beneath her fanning lashes.
Through her whole babbling tirade, Olek managed to piece her story together. His wife was so beautiful, her wide eyes searching him as if her whole life depended on what he would say next. Gone was his reserved Nadja who always had a calm answer. He found he liked the babbling woman before him.
“We all are fine. Attor is dead. I’ve been negotiating peace with his son, the new Var King. It looks promising--” he couldn’t finish his answer.
“So you know I’m pregnant?” Nadja rushed, breaking into his words.
Olek was going to say that peace looked promising. That it would be slow going, but could be achieved. Some of the older nobles would protest on both sides. However, in the end, they would bow to the decision of their leaders.
“Yes, I heard your father mention it in the forest and you told me in the medical ward before you spoke to Olena.”
“I did?” she asked, surprised. It had all been such a blur.
“Yes, you did,” Olek replied. He was about to say more, when she broke in again at a furious pace.
“Do you hate me?” Nadja looked like she wanted to rush forward into his arms.
She hesitated. “I never killed anyone, I swear. Well, no one but my father. I never did the things he did. I understand if you want me to leave. I know this has to be an embarrassment to your family. So, do you hate me?” Olek swept forward to her, gracefully wrapping his arms about her waist. “How could I even think of hating you, Nadja, when I have loved you since first seeing you?” Nadja trembled. Tears began pouring down her face and she jumped up and back around his waist. “You love me, you really do?” A rush of feeling poured out of him, connecting her to him and him to her. This connection was strong and free. It would never be severed. Nadja shivered feeling the truth of his words and finally understanding what King Llyr had been trying to tell her in his gruff warrior way.
“Y--”
Olek couldn’t even get the word out. Nadja was kissing his face.
“I love you. I love you,” she whispered into him, panting her words between her light, scattered kisses. “I love our baby. I love our life. I love this. I love you, Olek. I love y--”
Olek captured her lips to his, chuckling happily into her. Nadja instantly melted, moaning against his warmth. His arms pressed her to him. Suddenly, Nadja pulled away, her eyes shining with mischief though her face was serious.
“What?” he asked, his lips curling with his perfect smile.
Nadja licked her lips and squirmed naughtily against him. Softly, she answered, “I think your sword is poking me again.”
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