Chapter Two

Neffa's mother stared at him. "You made that little speech?"

Morro looked embarrassed. "I was under the impression that Orvalik had been cheated out of his rightful place as head of the class."

"Yeah, so he took down a sixteen-year-old girl with wit and skill. Bravo." Neffa couldn't resist getting her digs in. This time, she had backup. "Too bad Orvalik couldn't make it through his university studies and had to come home under the guise of helping his father. He might have proved you right. Of course, that was why he had to pull on my leash. I couldn't succeed where he failed."

Morro looked confused. "I don't understand."

Neffa watched her father sigh and state, "I abdicated to raise my daughter with her mother. As our lines are matriarchal, she is the first female in our line. She's the rightful heir if she chooses to pursue it. Of course, my mother tried to lock the Keedons out of every possible place in the royal house. That's why I am here, and my brother is injuring himself hunting."

Neffa hopped off the exam table. "Sorry Dad wasted the herbs, Mom. Morro, forget what you have seen and just fly your ass back to the palace."

The duke stared at her. "You are joking, right? People have been wondering where his imperial highness was for the last twenty-eight years."

Isar looked at her daughter. "Twenty-seven years and nine months."

Neffa snorted and headed for the kitchen. "Thanks for reminding me. I have some of the twoey vine. That should get me past the mating moon."

Isar walked after her. "It is dangerous to keep suppressing it, Nef."

"I know, but for me, it is more dangerous to go into heat while working in the palace or the village."

Isar sighed. "It doesn't work that way. You are just fighting the warm-up ahead of the big event."

"I don't want the big event."

"Aw, come on. Your father and I are having our anniversary." She smiled. "After the baby is born, I reset, so this year, you could have a little brother or sister."

"Ew."

Her mother laughed. "Stay for dinner?"

"Um, sure. I am not on the roster at the women's centre. I need to be in by curfew, so nothing with twelve courses."

"I am always very happy when you come for dinner, as is your father. I will tell him to curb his enthusiasm." Her mother grinned and returned to the exam room.

* * * *

"Kesen, she is going to stay for dinner. She says don't go stupid with the courses. She has to get back to the centre before curfew."

Morro stared at the woman with white and silver hair who was casually ordering the most powerful man on the planet around.

The ex-ruler turned to him and said, "Would you care to join us? I want to hear about how much you despise the Keedon."

Morro swallowed at the frank assessment in the other man's gaze. "Uh, sir. I was..."

Kesen smirked. "Explain it during meal prep. It will be nice to have help in the kitchen. Isar turns everything into a tonic. Come on."

Morro nodded. "I would be happy to."

Isar smiled. "Excellent. I will give Neffa a list of plants I need. She's out foraging tomorrow."

Kesen frowned. "Again? That's dangerous."

"She can manage it, pet. I have a specific list, and she can find them. Our baby has skills, Kesen." Isar smirked. "And as her mother, I am entitled to ask her to use them."

He hugged her, and Morro watched their interaction. There was genuine affection. The contact seemed to make them relax and smile.

When he had first seen Neffa, she had been shy, standing aside after winning every scholastic award the school had to give. His parents were on the board, so he had been asked to attend as a security officer. Soothing Orvalik's ego had been second nature. The heir was always temperamental and an insult to someone of lesser status had been an easy fix. It had not occurred to him that the girl standing alone was there because her parents were not allowed at the ceremony and that she was younger than everyone around her. She still stood with one hand clutching her elbow, her chin up, and her records clutched in her other fist. She had remained through the ceremony and the reception afterward. The king had come over and chatted with her, which led him to give credence to the rumours that she was angling for a position as his mistress. Now, he understood how wrong that rumour was.

The king had simply been proud of his niece.

Isar looked at him. "Do I know you?"

"I was assigned to the village for curfew security the year after I graduated, ma'am."

"Oh, yes. You were the one who lectured Neffa about safety." The healer smirked. "How thoughtful."

Morro blinked. "Um, yes. That was me. I didn't want her caught out before the curfew bells struck."

Isar sighed. "The sun was still out. She was embarrassed."

"I will apologize."

The ex-emperor smiled. "Don't do it on my account. My girl can take care of herself." He chortled. "Come on, Morro, we get to make dinner."

Morro blinked. "I don't know how to cook."

"We can fix that, come on." Kesen beckoned and left the room.

Isar smirked and waved him along. "Better get going. Neffa needs to be at the women's quarters before curfew."

Morro nodded and followed the man most of the planet thought was dead. Maybe he could gain understanding during meal prep.

* * * *

Neffa paused while making the list. "Morro is staying for dinner?"

"Yes, my dearest one. I think your father is trying to nudge you into a match. It is the way of his people."

"His people are idiots. They don't even know where they are."

Isar smiled. "I know, Neffa. Now, back to the list."

"How do you think they are going to take it?"

"Like bullies always do, they are going to cry and say that things are not fair. We will explain things using small words, and things will change."

Neffa chuckled and asked, "What are you in urgent need of, and what can wait? I will have to run most of this through the processors."

Isar went through her shelves and found a few missing herbs that she didn't know were low.

"Great. I will be in Nycar Meadows."

Isar snorted. "Of course you will."

"It is safest. The security passes rarely make the effort." She smiled. "They don't like getting out to walk."

Her mother smiled, and they sat in the storeroom for an hour until smells wafted to them, and her father called, "Time to eat, ladies."

They got to their feet and headed toward the kitchen, where the table was set for four and covered with dishes. The men were spattered with sauces and the shine of oil, which was hilarious on Morro's formal guard commander uniform.

They sat around and chatted before Morro asked, "Isn't the forager group a little rough?"

They all looked at him. Isar smiled. "It is, but Neffa is up to it. The only time she's ever had an issue is in the palace. Your people are brutal."

Kesen nodded. "Predation and parasitic behaviour are what our people excel at. Finding the Keedon floating forty years ago was a blessing to us. It let us grow fat, lazy, and cruel."

"Is that why you abdicated?"

Kesen laughed. "No. I abdicated because I met a woman, fell in love, joined her family, and then had a daughter of my own. I switched matriarchs."

Neffa smiled and kept eating. She checked the time and swallowed. "This was lovely, but I have to get going. I have to get to the other side of the village and only have ten minutes to do it."

Her mother nodded. "Don't forget to hang up your palace uniform and get some of the blood out of your tunic before you have to go back."

"Yes, ma'am."

Morro got to his feet. "I can escort you."

"You didn't finish—oh, you did. Well, sure. You walk fast." She got to her feet. "Hugs."

Her parents got up and hugged her in turn. She was kissed on her cheeks, and then she looked at Morro. "If you are coming, now is the time."

She headed for the door, and the light was red and darkening. Morro caught up with her and said, "Your parents are really in love."

"Yes, they are. They weren't kidding about the next child, either. Mom is looking forward to it."

He snorted. "Isn't your mother too old for that?"

"You don't know anything about Keedon women, do you? It shows."

"What does that mean?"

"One heat every twenty-seven years until we are within twenty years of our average life span. That is when we stop. There can be children outside of the heat cycle, but that is a case-by-case basis."

"There are not many children in the village," he muttered as he was stared at by some of the folks getting to their homes.

"Nope. We aren't in the mood to provide an enslaved population for your folks to take advantage of."

Morro didn't say anything until he muttered, "So, the Keedon will simply die out?"

She hedged and said, "If things continue as they are, yes."

"Your line as well?"

"Yup."

"You don't have a mate in mind?"

"Nope."

"So, what will you do when your heat comes?"

"Grab the first guy near me that smells like a breeding partner, then get up the next morning and go back to work."

Morro let out a strangled "What?"

"You heard me. A heat isn't affection. A heat is a base urge. Once the urge is satisfied, there is no reason for further association. The child will have records for their male parent and get to know their family, but mine is the line they will live with."

Morro seemed stuck. "So, there is no courtship?"

"There could be, but I don't have time for that, and I am also not looking for a long relationship. There is no future for us here."

"Us?"

"Keedons. We arrived in a damaged ship, were promised help, and as soon as we landed, we were herded into the villages. My mom has shown me records of that time. The restrictions put on us, the requirements for taking on the most dangerous and life-threatening jobs. Three decades here, and we have not been able to live on this world as we wished, as we had planned. It has been a huge disappointment."

"You weren't alive when your people landed."

"I know, but I know that there are so many things that I want to do and that I can't because of my bloodlines. That isn't right. I deserve more. I am worth more." She glanced at him.

"You do. What is a Keedon courtship like?"

"I have no idea. I haven't participated in one before. Well, here we are. Thank you for the escort."

He paused and nodded, then said, "Hug?"

She froze and then looked at him. She shrugged and walked over, stepping into his arms. "It has been an interesting day."

"You have no idea," he murmured against her temple.

She chuckled and leaned away. "I know it has been interesting for you. Have a nice night."

He let her loose but looked reluctant. The first curfew chime rang, and Neffa turned and walked into the building that would keep her from plotting against the government, as far as they knew.

She scanned into the women's centre set aside for the unmarried females, took care of her uniform, and then went to bed in her small apartment.

Foragers were the first to leave the village, which meant early starts. As she braided up her hair, she caught Morro's scent. It was a pity that he was Orumel. If she could find a breeding partner with a similar scent, she would be happy with the outcome.