7. Mia

"I didn"t realizeyou had that kind of technology here," I say, playing it cool. This world is the most confusing mix of modern and medieval.

Ray rolls her eyes. "This isn"t a primitive planet like your Earth, Mia. Our kingdom is quite advanced."

I bite back a smile. Earth isn"t nearly as backwards as these people believe, except when it comes to space travel, although I don"t plan on enlightening them. And I could argue that their planet is extremely primitive outside the kingdom"s protective walls. The route Orgel and I took from the spaceport to the kingdom was completely undeveloped—wooded and dangerous.

"Could I use one of your communicators to call home?" I ask.

Ray shakes her head. "They don't reach off-world."

Disappointment washes over me. Guess this world isn't so advanced after all.

I change the subject again. "Since you watched during court, can you tell me why Renowlf had Orgel killed instead of me? My behavior brought dishonor to the king just as much as the trader"s did."

"Because you are a female, and females are rare treasures in our world. The moment Orgel struck you, his fate was sealed."

Can"t say that I"m sad about that. I"m glad the asshole is dead. "Why are females rare here?"

"Genetic manipulation by our ancient ancestors. They endeavored to birth more warriors than breeders, thus creating a larger, stronger army to battle our enemies." Her response seems rehearsed, like she"s reciting it from a history book. "That happened long, long ago, before we even knew that off-worlders existed or had modern conveniences like a spaceport or communicators. It was a time when there was only one ruling orc king instead of twelve like there are now."

"Are all twelve kingdoms at war with each other?"

"Not at war, although battles do break out at times between the kingdoms, and there are always shifting political power dynamics at play," she replies. "Smart kings cultivate strategic alliances and make pacts with other rulers to help maintain peace."

"That does seem smart." I wonder if Renowlf is the type of king who actively seeks out alliances with the other orc rulers. He seems fiercely protective of his kingdom, but also smart enough to know the value of strategic partnerships. "You're very knowledgeable, Ray."

She shrugs. "As part of the ruling family, I have to be. My education began at a very young age. If something happens to Ren, I am next in line for the throne."

"If this happened long ago when your race was less advanced, how did your ancestors know about genetic manipulation?"

"They were guided by the gods, of course."

The gods?

The idea of deities intervening in the genetic development of an entire species seems far-fetched, even in this strange alien world. But I don"t want to outright dismiss her beliefs or the history she"s been taught. Instead, I simply nod.

"By the time our ancestors realized their mistake, the damage to our genetic code was done," Ray adds. "Today, less than one in ten orc babes are female."

"Why didn"t your ancestors just fix what they broke?"

"They tried," she says. "But they only made matters worse by making it harder to conceive a child of any gender."

"I see." I hope she doesn't mention universal breeders again.

"A child can only be conceived when there is a perfect genetic match between a male and a female, and those matches are almost as rare as female babies," Ray explains.

I"m not a scientist—or a religious scholar—and I don"t want to disrespect the orcs' beliefs, but all of this is a little hard for me to accept. "Is a genetic match some sort of love-at-first-sight thing?"

"Most of the time, love accompanies a genetic match because the couple are fated mates." Ray gets a dreamy look in her eyes, like an Earth girl mooning over the latest teenage idol. "When a match does occur, it is seen as a sacred gift from the gods themselves. The entire kingdom celebrates and the couple is revered for continuing our dwindling bloodlines."

Genetic manipulation. Competing kingdoms. Battles and alliances. Fated mates. It"s a lot to process, especially when I factor in the game-changing "universal breeder" concept.

I feel like I"ve been dropped into the middle of an alien version of Game of Thrones.

"As a female of breeding age, the moment you entered the front gate, you qualified for Ren"s protection," she tells me. "He had no choice but to end Orgel"s life. Letting him live after striking you in such a public setting would make my brother look weak. Ren is many things, yet weak is not one of them."

Speaking of the devil, Renowlf barges into the room without knocking, interrupting my conversation with Ray. The sheer size of him makes the cozy suite seem almost claustrophobically small.

His dark eyes zero in on me and his stare is hot enough to melt steel. The raw hunger and possessiveness in his expression makes my belly do a little flip-flop.

I"m dressed in a modest medical gown, but the way he looks at me makes me feel bare and exposed. Like he remembers what I looked like in the throne room, standing before him with my own nightgown in tatters. I grab the bedding, which is bunched around my waist, and tug it up, covering my upper body. That seems to snap him out of the almost trance-like state he"s in.

He strides over to my bed, and literally growls at Ray. "How many times must I remind you to use my full name in front of the servants?"

I bristle at his use of the word servants, but keep my lips zipped. That"s a battle to fight when the king and I are alone.

"Yes, sire," Ray says with a deep, exaggerated bow, although she laughs at him as she does it. I get the feeling she"s one of the few in the kingdom who can laugh at Renowlf and live. "You were a lot less formal and stuffy when Ragowlf was king."

Renowlf grabs her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "Do not speak of our fallen brother with disrespect." He sounds like an angry parent scolding a disobedient child.

Tears fill Ray"s eyes. "I would never disrespect him, Ren," she says softly. "You know Rag was like a father to me. I loved him as much as you did."

He pulls her roughly to his chest, and they hug it out, which surprises the hell out of me. Renowlf is so hot and cold, he practically gives me whiplash. One thing is certain, though. Family means everything to the orc king.

"Why are you here instead of tending to your studies?" Renowlf asks her when the emotional moment passes.

"How could I resist meeting the first human to visit our kingdom? Besides, spending time with Mia is educational, Ren. Did you know that humans all have different hair?"

Renowlf growls again, and I suspect it"s because she failed to use his full name in front of a servant again. "No, I did not know that."

"There is much I can learn from her. Will you teach me more about your people and your planet, Mia?" she asks me.

"I"d be happy to, Rayowlf, as long as you teach me more about your kingdom as well." I use her full name on purpose—no need to poke the bear or, rather, the beast. I don"t tell her that I"m not staying long, so we might have to cut our lessons short, but the first thing I"m going to teach her is that I"m a prisoner, not a visitor.

Her excited energy lights up the room. "Is that acceptable, Ren?"

His jaw clenches like it"s anything but acceptable, although he nods his reluctant consent. "Leave us, Rayowlf," he orders. "The breeding slave and I have much to discuss."