7. Rivvac

7

RIVVAC

We dropped the D’in off at a small farm on a speck of a moon orbiting an unremarkable planet.

I doubted anyone would come to this moon and look for the D’in, and it was even less likely that a poor farmer would tell the authorities about finding these three D’in on his property—especially since Mia had taken it upon herself to write a quick note to explain she was incapable of taking care of the D’in any longer. She also left them with enough money to pay to raise the beasts for a year so they would not be out of pocket before the D’in earned their keep.

The creatures were certainly big enough to lash machinery to, and after they got used to my scent—trusting me only because of my relationship with Mia—they were very affectionate creatures, very different from their vicious and dangerous-looking appearances.

I suddenly realized that perhaps Mia had thought the same way about me when we had first met too. Not that you would ever guess that from the way she spat her orders at me to demand an interview!

But that was the Ulsen reputation—one of the most fearsome species in the galaxy, harvested from a millennia of our ancestors refusing to give up and let our enemies take advantage of us.

It was a trait we hadn’t had to use much in recent years as we’d lived in relevant peace, but it would always be there, built into our DNA. There was simply no way to run away from that part of yourself when push really came to shove.

As we took off and left the farm, Mia reached over and squeezed my hand. “Thank you,” she said softly.

“For what?”

“For indulging me.”

“With the D’in?” I said. “Of course. They don’t deserve to be treated badly by their master. If we can relieve their pain and suffering, we should do it.”

She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek that was long-lasting. I felt her warmth in it.

We’d kissed many times over the past couple of days and they had always been steamy and hot and full of passion, but this kiss was different, like she’d seen something in me that she hadn’t before.

I couldn’t figure out what that was but I liked that she thought that way about me.

“Now we head back to the palace?” she asked in a way that made me unsure of whether it was a statement or a question.

I shook my head. “No. We need to find somewhere to hide this stash,” I said, nodding to the mountain of treasure in the shuttle’s hold.

I had been surprised by how much was hidden beneath the shack. Initially, I thought Mia had been overestimating just how much old Wyre had managed to con others but once I set eyes on it, I chastised myself for ever doubting Mia’s word.

Even if we had to hand half of it to Wyre’s unfortunate victims, it would be more than enough for me to present to Flara and her father.

“Hide the stash?” Mia said. “I thought you were going to put it through your accounts so it comes out clean?”

“We will. But how do you think it will look if I just turn up with it like this without any explanation of where it came from?” I shook my head. “Someone will smell something rotten for sure and start to investigate.”

“But Wyre isn’t likely to file a complaint. Then he would have to explain how he came into possession of all of that money.”

I nodded. “He might not file a complaint with the authorities but he might take action with the black market.”

Mia’s eyes drifted away, deep in thought. “Yes. You’re right. So what do you think we should do?”

“We’ll bury it somewhere on land the Royal Family owns. Then I’ll tell our people it was discovered. It automatically becomes our property. I’ll say it was thanks to an anonymous tipoff. Usually, we would share the wealth with those who found the treasure but I’ll say they’re already wealthy and wanted to donate it to the state. That will keep anyone from looking too closely at how it was discovered.”

“What about the amount? Wyre will be suspicious if it turns out to be the same amount that we lifted from him.”

I nodded. “Then we’ll bury it in various places all over the cosmos. I’ll reveal its location one part at a time over time so there will be no suspicions.”

Mia gnawed on her bottom lip before saying, “Then how about we bury the sacks of money first? The antiques will be too easy to trace. In a few years, old Wyre will be dead by then. He has no close friends or family that I know of. No one will come looking for it.”

I couldn’t help but grin at her. “Good thinking.” Then I gave her a mocking look of suspicion. “Have you done something like this before?”

She laughed. “Of course not. But working for rich people, you can’t help but think a little like them.”

“Hopefully, not too many of their other habits rubbed off on you.”

“I’m out here in a shuttle with a hull packed with treasure… What do you think?”

I grinned back at her. “Every fortune began with an epic crime.”

Mia released her restraints. She leaned over to lean against my arm and traced a finger over the smooth pebble-like scales that quivered beneath her touch.

She fell into a shallow sleep. I loved the feel of her clutching onto me like that. We could have been heading somewhere to enjoy our free time rather than rushing to bury illicit treasure we had just lifted.

I didn’t care what we would be doing, just so long as we were together.

I blinked, my heart racing, panicked that I was thinking that way about Mia and not Flara.

They couldn’t be any more different, one born into incredible wealth and power, betrothed to a prince of the Ulsen Royal Family, the other born poor, like countless other families out in the cosmos, working long hours to survive, bearing a name that the history books would never remember.

History was a great deal poorer for it.

* * *

It waslate evening by the fourth day of Steyatt when we finally returned to the palace.

We’d visit over half a dozen planets and moons where the Royal Family possessed land. Finding good places to bury the stash was not difficult as I had spent countless hours as a youth visiting the various communities.

I was always amazed by how diverse the empire was, how every solar system and planet was unique, with its own native plant species, creatures, and cultures.

Heading to all four corners of the empire came with another benefit. I got to show Mia the empire we reigned over and shared my memories of each locale.

Some were good memories, others not so much.

But that was life.

A life well lived was always full of excitement and disappointment.

Even more surprising was learning that on two separate occasions, Mia recognized the planets and moons we headed to and that she had worked nearby!

She told me about the people she worked for, the duties she was responsible for, how hard she worked, and the various friends and enemies she’d made.

She wanted to introduce me to her favorite patrons but it wasn’t wise to garner attention to us or our little shuttle in case someone looked into where we had traveled to and for what reason.

Besides, journalists and rumor mills always followed in a prince’s wake, and anonymity among the people with Mia at my side was far more preferable than being received by all the pomp of a royal procession.

We buried the treasure in shallow holes so they would be easily discovered once I informed our people of their locations.

Digging was hard work—especially with nothing but a shovel to help me do it. Mia worked hard but her little hands and muscles couldn’t move the soil the way I could. It was hard but surprisingly rewarding work.

I wiped my sweaty forehead with the back of my forearm, smearing mud over myself. Mia was there to wash my face and I couldn’t help but steal a kiss each time she did so.

We used the replicator to furnish us with food that we often consumed as a picnic—a reflection of the one we had had outside the palace gardens that felt like a lifetime ago.

And, just like last time, I couldn’t keep my hands off her. I loved that we shared a deep secret that would forever exist only between the two of us, and not once did thoughts of palace life—or even Flara—pop into my mind.

We kissed and touched and hugged in an open field of blue moss that lit up like neon signs every time we accidentally crushed a small piece of it.

As we made love beneath the glowing orb of the magnificent Giyawwa Mountain Moon, I couldn’t recall a time I had ever been happier, so content and at peace in my entire life. And it was right here, beside Mia.

We were lost among the stars, forgotten and invisible to everyone but each other. We had no servants, no duties, no fancy dresses or parties to go to…

Just us.

I’d always been happy in the palace, always looking forward to rejoining my family, staff, and friends after long journies… but this time was different.

I felt sad as we buried the last of our stash. I looked over at Mia in the co-pilot chair and wanted to ask if she wanted to disappear again, to head somewhere else, to get lost among the stars and never look back…

Not until we were ready to, anyway.

But we had a job to do. Stealing the money was only part of it. We had to distribute it to those who had been robbed, and that should not be delayed any longer than necessary.

And so I input the palace’s coordinates and we flew home.

* * *

My parents were distraughtthat I had up and disappeared without leaving a note of where I would be heading. They had sent search parties out to find me.

I was only glad no one thought to check the rust buckets in the garage to see I had taken one. They knew me well enough to know I liked to travel in luxury… and garnered more than a few looks when they realized I had actually taken the worst rust bucket in the entire fleet.

“I wanted to spend time alone with my mate during Steyatt,” I said without apology.

They ran an eye over Mia. She looked a little bedraggled and worn out by our traveling. They shook her hand informally in the Earthern tradition while Mia performed a strange bow where she crossed her legs and bent herself nearly in half. If my parents were as surprised as me, they did well not to show it.

They embraced me and told me to inform them the next time I took off. I told them I would and intended on keeping the promise… so long as I wasn’t committing another heist.

I had considered letting them know earlier but that would hardly help me disappear among the stars and keep our activities hidden.

“The Steyatt mid-week dinner party is taking place tonight,” my mother informed me. “It’s important you show up. Many of our friends and families have been invited, including Flara.”

I smiled at the thought of seeing her again but couldn’t shake the sense that I would have preferred a nice picnic with Mia much more. I wasn’t in the mood for all the expectations and pomp of a dinner party.

But it was duty. There was nothing for it but for me to nod respectfully to my parents and extend my elbow to Mia. I escorted her out of the throne room and back to our suite.

Our adventure was over.

The palace staff brought a collection of dresses for Mia to choose from. She asked for my opinion, and I pointed to the ornate gold one with wave-like petals around the edges.

She showered and returned to the bedroom wearing a single towel. I growled and had to bite my tongue to keep myself from attacking her. I disappeared into the shower to cool down.

When I came out, I found her wearing the gold dress and sparkling gold earrings and matching gold necklace that our wardrobe people must have given her.

“Well? What do you think?” she asked, turning so I could get a good view of her whole body.

She looked completely different to how she had before. I had only ever seen her in her sharp suit that she’d worn for the interview and dirty and muddied up to her elbows as she helped me dig the holes we needed to conceal our secret stash. I had no idea she could look so classy too.

I opened my mouth to share a compliment but the words came out as a muffled grunt.

Mia frowned. “That bad, huh?”

She returned to looking at herself in the mirror. Her hair was pinned up in a simple style that exposed the smooth skin of her shoulders and long neck.

I gulped.

“I can change into something else if you want?” she said.

I moved up behind her and wrapped my arms around her. I pressed my lips to her exposed shoulders and locked my eyes on her in the mirror.

“You will not change a thing,” I informed her. “You’re stunning.”

She beamed at me with her big, childish grin. It completely changed her expression. I was pleased to see that despite the change of setting and dress, she herself remained exactly the same.

“I’m glad you like it,” she said, turning her head to one side so my chin could rest on the top of her head. “I want to be a good mate.”

“You could never be anything but,” I told her.

We stood there a moment in silence, just looking at each other, her hand running over the soft bubbles of my scales. I shut my eyes and was surprised when my imagination took me to that broad expanse of bluegrass on Fhuzick Delta.

I wondered what Mia was thinking if she was picturing the same thing I was, if it meant as much to her as it did to me. I was about to ask when a knock came at the door. The servants announced the dinner party had started.

Mia and I didn’t move. I kept my hand in hers and she massaged it as I gently stroked the back of hers.

Neither of us wanted to move, wanted to leave the suite, and I for one was perfectly happy right where I was. Another knock came at the door and I let out a sigh.

“All right,” I said gently. “We’ll be right out.”

I looked at Mia in the mirror. She smiled up at me as I took her hand and kissed it.

“I suppose we’d best show our faces,” I said.

We left the suite, where an entourage of servants stood waiting, bowing gracefully before leading the way—as if I didn’t know the way toward the Summer Ball Room. But I supposed traditions needed to be followed, even if there was really no point for them.

We floated down the hallways, my arm held out, my elbow crooked for her to hold. Her touch was gentle and soft. She might have been raised in the palace herself with how well she held herself.

Finally, we came to the Summer Ball Room. Thankfully, it wouldn’t be a wild party like that of the Opening Ceremony that Mia had stumbled into and found herself confronted by a crooked old Ulsen.

I spotted Flara on the other side of the opulent room, Crer on her arm.

Crer on her arm.

They seemed comfortable with each other—very comfortable—and unless I knew better, I would have said they were a couple.

They didn’t look deep into each other’s eyes the way fated mates did, but there was a familiarity between them I couldn’t properly account for. Although they had always been friends, they had never been romantically involved… at least, not so far as I knew.

Had that changed at some point during the past few days I’d been away? I wondered.

I automatically affixed the smile I had long since perfected—friendly, aloof, a little distant. The old Royal standby.

Flara broke away from Crer. “There You are!” she said, going up onto her tiptoes to give me a kiss on the cheek.

It was the most affectionate she’d been with me in… well, ever.

She couldn’t help but shoot a glance at Mia, who maintained her mask of impassivity.

“Everyone was so worried when you disappeared,” Flara said. “But I knew you would be all right. I know how much you like to go on your little adventures.”

She pointedly didn’t look at Mia. Still, it was this refusal to look at her that made it very clear that she was perfectly aware she was there.

“Excuse me,” Mia said, losing patience with Flara already, choosing to head to the refreshment table rather than take one from a passing waiter’s tray as that would mean having no excuse to leave.

“I really don’t know why you like taking in strays, Rivvac,” Flara said, gulping down her wine like it was the elixir of youth.

“Mia isn’t a stray,” I said.

“Sure she is. Look at the way she’s dressed.”

“She looks amazing.”

Flara, despite herself, nodded. “But it doesn’t suit her. She wears it with disdain, not classy like the rest of us.”

She slipped her hand through my arm. “The Sirens have been as quiet. Some think they have given up their pursuit of you, but do you know what I think?”

“What?” I said, unsure I really wanted to know.

“I think they’ve got something special planned for you. What, I don’t know, but you know how creative they can be.”

Creative was one word for it. Cruel was another.

My stomach churned at the thought. I couldn’t help but check the faces of the other guests and felt relieved when I didn’t see the bright red powdered cheeks or flamboyant feathers the Sirens often wore in their hair.

They would have been invited, I knew. It was a gift that they had decided not to attend.

“I hear you had a lucky break,” Flara said, her eyes shiny and bright.

“Lucky? In what way?”

“A discovery was made on your family’s land, some kind of cache of treasure.”

I was surprised the news had spread so fast, but then again, her father would be the first to be informed. So, she would be the first person he would inform…

Except…

It was company business. Why inform Flara at all?

Unless… he’d been looking for a reason to accept or turn me down in marrying Flara…

Suddenly, it all made sense. He was going to base his decision on what happened this week. Flara was now of mating age herself and it wouldn’t be long before she chose to pair up and marry a Ulsen male.

I couldn’t help but look over at Crer, mixing among the other guests, casting glances over his glass each time he took a sip of his drink.

Flara said, “Daddy says it’s a good start—”

“Wait, what?” I said.

“The discovery. It puts your family in a much better position. Financially, I mean.” She said the latter quietly. After all, it wouldn’t do to have the news spread of the Royal Family’s predicament.

I said, “But you said it’s a good start?”

Flara nodded and took a big gulp of her wine. She let it slide down her throat while she kept her eyes fixed firmly on me. “It’s enough for the dowry but it’s not going to last forever when we get married.”

“Dowry?” I said. “In five hundred years, no dowry has ever been paid by the Royal Family. The honor was always sufficient.”

“That was when the Royal Family’s wealth was immeasurable. Now, it’s very measurable. Come on, Rivvac, you can’t expect me to live like a peasant all my life?”

“A peasant?” I said. “You’ll live in a palace!”

She waved a hand. “I already live in a palace. I want to live like a princess.”

“You’ll be a princess. Isn’t that enough?”

“A pauper princess?” Flara said with a smile on her lips. “No. I will be a rich princess, or I’ll be… someone else’s princess.”

When she said this, her eyes darted minutely—a hair’s width so fractional that I thought for a moment I had only imagined it. There was only one direction she had micro-glanced in, and that was toward Crer.

The threat was obvious. She had done it purposefully so it would be obvious.

Crer was not a member of the Royal Family—at least, not officially. But there were many families with large corporate interests that could afford to live the life of a Royal, although they did so without all the pomp and ceremony attached. It was that officialdom that bothered many of the wealthy and always looked for opportunities to get for themselves, or for their children, a royal title.

“Excuse me,” Flara siad. “I appear to be out of wine.”

She turned and marched with deliberate concentration or else might end up falling flat on her face.

It is good… for a start?

All that risk, all that digging, all that stash…—even the first installment, which was large enough for most families to survive on for the rest of their natural lives—was only enough for a start for Flara?

I considered releasing the locations of the other stashes sooner, faster… but it would garner too much attention, and we couldn’t afford to do that. I didn’t want to bring shame on the family name, not any more than I already had, at least.

It was while I was in deep thought that I caught a servant passing by and snatched a wine glass from the tray he carried. I took a big swig from it. No doubt it was expensive and meant to be savored, but right then, I needed it for the hit.

As it met my stomach and entered my system, I looked up and saw Crer…

And he wasn’t alone.

In fact, judging by the angle and direction he’d been glancing at earlier each time he took a sip of his drink, I thought it had almost certainly been this way…

In Mia’s direction.

He was speaking with her, separate from the other groupings, his back facing the other guests, his shoulders hunched, eyes glaring at Mia, who looked wide-eyed and lost at whatever it was he was telling her.

The muscles bunched in my shoulders, forming tight wads of pain that couldn’t have been relaxed if a shuttle had been placed on them.

My shoulders curled in around my chest, which expanded, my head pointing down, my eyes glaring and angry. If I ground my teeth any harder, I wouldn’t end up having to chew food with my jaw bones.

I held out my half-empty wine glass for the servant’s tray and released it, without even checking if the tray was underneath it. If it dropped and mashed on the floor, so be it.

The servants were nothing if not professional and caught it before it fell.

I marched—or perhaps stalked would have been a better word—over toward the couple chatting amiably between themselves.

I didn’t know how I was going to react, how I was going to speak, or even what I was going to do, but I knew I needed to come between them and stop their conversation.

She was my mate and no one would speak with her if I did not wish it. Crer should have known better than to approach another Ulsen’s mate like this…

A red mist filtered across my vision and I could barely control my emotions.

“Ah, Prince Rivvac, I was hoping I would get a moment alone with you—”

It was the voice of a stranger, someone I didn’t know particularly well, and certainly not someone I was remotely interested in speaking with right at that moment.

Not when I had more pressing matters on my mind.

“Excuse me,” I said, not taking my eyes off my targets. “I have something I need to take care of—”

“I hear congratulations are in order for your family’s recent discovery,” the Ulsen said. “It’s not everyday fortunes are discovered on land that has been in a family’s possession for so long.”

“Yes,” I said, still not paying attention to him, “I just need to—”

“But you know, there’s one thing better than finding riches, and that is by making it happen for yourself every day of the year,” he said. “And with connections like yours, I dare say it would be riches, unlike anything you could ever imagine…”

He knocked the mist from my vision. Although I continued to edge away from him, my body wanting to rumble with Crer, my brain had disengaged and wanted to know more.

“Every day?” I said.

“Oh, yes,” the stranger said. “I have a business proposition for you, if you’ll spend just a few minutes listening to me.”

I looked the smiling face over and realized he was not a stranger at all but a friend from my earliest school days.

His name was Abrev, and he came from a family that, although successful, could hardly be said to be powerful like the others in the Summer Ball Room.

Then I recalled distantly that they’d had some luck recently in business, discovering talent in their youngest male, who had turned a small business into a huge enterprise that was fast approaching the wealth of the other, older families.

I looked over at Crer and Mia where they had been just a moment ago.

They had disappeared. And when I peered around at the other guests, I saw they were no longer present.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Abrev said.

I wanted to hear about it, but how could I with Mia and Crer having suddenly disappeared?

Together.

I shook my head and thought with my brain instead of the organ between my legs. Mia belonged to me this week, we had a deal. I knew she wouldn’t break it, not with the risk of losing everything we had agreed.

No, I thought. Everything would be all right.

I turned back to Abrev and his business opportunity.

“What is it?” I asked him in a sharper tone than I expected.

He smiled and didn’t flicker for a moment. He still wore that same oily smile and glanced around us before lowering his voice. He spoke so softly I almost couldn’t hear him:

“How about we go somewhere… less populated, and I’ll explain everything to you.”

As we left the ballroom, I looked back over my shoulder, hoping to see Mia somewhere, but she was nowhere to be seen.

My imagination was working overtime and I felt a churning sensation in the pit of my stomach.

I didn’t like it.

I didn’t like it at all.