Chapter Two
Elaina
The trip was thankfully short, even though arriving at the Eurasian Alliance Building didn’t provide an escape from my uncle until proper introductions had been made and another councilor drew him into a conversation.
I took my time strolling around the room filled with people from all over the globe, as well as those from places beyond Earth.
The architecture in Astana was the focus of many conversations, the glass windows of the ballroom showing off the strange beauty of it, but it was the people that caught my attention.
Every possible example of humanity seemed to be represented amidst the throng of black suits and gowns.
Mingling with them, were three of the ethereal Qy’shaeuhl.
Tall and slim, their oversized eyes and narrow face was enough to make them appear bird-like, even without the tiny feathers that covered them.
Their pale coloration had also caused people to compare them to the mythical Fae, although there was still debate over which court they would belong to.
Many believed their apparent generosity covered a hidden agenda, but there was no proof. I’d always loved their language, the musical cadence of it making me wish it was one I could learn, but Human vocal cords couldn’t make many of the sounds.
In contrast to the Qy’shaeuhl, the Morrak had been compared to demons.
Taller than Humans, they were broad and thickly muscled, with what looked like horns hugging their scalp.
Each one I’d seen had dark, earthy skin tones.
Their hair also seemed to only come in dark colors, and even the sclera of their eyes was black, although their irises came in startlingly bright colors, along with the glowing markings peeking from beneath their clothing.
Their whip-like tail only added to their demonic appearance, making many stare after them.
One I recognized as Torvakai Kael Draevahn, his red crescent markings and the woman at his side sporting matching glowing marks making it easy to identify him. He was the leader of the Morrak, and the first who’d taken a Human as his mate.
There were two others attending the gala.
One had blue markings and hair, and also had a woman at his side.
The information I had received claimed only one Morraki was looking for a Human at this gala, and since the female at his side also had what looked like blue lightning glowing from her flesh, I doubted it was him.
The other sent a shiver down my spine the moment I spotted him.
Skin darker than the others, he looked like he’d been dipped in black paint, and from where I stood across the room, I couldn’t make out any of the markings the others had.
Even his eyes appeared solid black, and I instinctively dropped my gaze when he turned my way.
I was tempted to head to the bar for a drink, but I needed to remain clear headed, and the bar was too crowded for my comfort anyway. Instead, I searched for the leader of the Morrak once more. Already mated, he was the safest to target to complete my goal for the night.
Kael towered over those around him, making him easy to spot near the center of the ballroom.
Unlike the other two Morraki, he seemed completely at ease amongst the Humans surrounding him, and was actively engaging with them.
People approached constantly, the flow of councilors, diplomats, and other women in colored dresses like mine all eager to speak with the leader of our newest allies.
The woman at his side drew almost as much attention, and I finally remembered her name.
Serenya Hale was the daughter of the former North American Alliance General who had been dismissed suddenly not long ago, and she looked nothing like the frightened bride the news channels had spent weeks speculating about.
She laughed at something one of the councilors said, the sound carrying above the murmur of conversation, while Kael's gaze remained fixed on her with an intensity that made my chest tighten.
Was it pride?
Possessiveness?
Some combination of both?
The way he watched her was almost unsettling. Not because it seemed threatening, but because it looked like she was his entire focus and the rest of the world only mattered because of its effect on her.
Every article I'd found before the gala painted the Morrak as territorial and instinct driven. A warrior society built on who was the strongest. I’d expected a man from that kind of society to be almost barbaric in his treatment of women, yet Serenya didn't look trapped or unhappy being tied to Kael. If anything, she looked comfortable.
Happy, even.
That alone was enough to make me question what I'd assumed.
I drifted closer, pausing beside a table displaying miniature desserts that looked far too much like art for anyone to actually eat.
“...protection plans for Halcyon?” one of the councilors was asking.
I watched Kael nod from the corner of my eye.
“We are heading there as soon as we return to the Zeydrassk, and other ships are already enroute. We will do everything we can.”
My shoulders slumped at his perfect, flawless Common. In a group of Humans, it made sense that he would use the language that connected us all instead of his native tongue, which none of them would understand.
I lingered anyway, holding out hope there might be something that didn’t translate. The conversation shifted from Halcyon and defense plans, to agricultural practices on Morrakan. It was all useful information, but none of it was what I wanted.
I needed to hear his language spoken how natives would speak to each other when they weren't addressing the public.
Another councilor approached, accompanied by a woman safely garbed in black, showing she wasn’t one of the selection candidates. She immediately turned toward Serenya, placing a hand on her arm and leaning close.
“Have you adjusted to being an alien?”
Serenya let out a quiet laugh, but I didn’t miss the way Kael’s tail tightened around her and pulled her closer to him.
“Mostly. Learning it was winter when I was melting each day has me glad we’re on a ship where I can control the climate while Morrakan becomes an oven.”
Several people laughed along with her, and I edged a little closer. I just wanted one sentence. Anything new to use to puzzle out their language.
Kael brushed his hand down her back, a smile tugging up one corner of his lips. His expression was soft as he looked down at her, and I had to swallow the lump that rose in my throat.
“I would never allow you to melt, veyrari. You will grow accustomed to the heat.”
The unfamiliar word immediately seized my attention as Serenya tossed her hair over her shoulder and scoffed. I didn’t hear her response, the new word repeating through my mind.
Veyrari.
The context made it sound like an endearment, but what did it mean? Mate? Something else entirely? The word sounded softer than most of the Morraki vocabulary I'd encountered, but there were too many possibilities to know how to break it down.
Unfortunately, Kael switched back to Common as they continued to talk with the others. I lingered another fifteen minutes before admitting defeat and drifting away.
One word. I'd spent nearly twenty minutes stalking the leader of an alien species, and had gained exactly one word, without a translation.
Not my most impressive intelligence operation.
I retreated toward the refreshments, reaching for a glass of sparkling water.
“Are the aliens not giving you the attention you deserve?”
I nearly gagged on the slime oozing from the voice behind me and whirled to face the man. He was dressed as nicely as the others at the gala, his dark locks slicked back from his face, sleezy smile frozen on his face as his eyes dipped to my cleavage.
“I’d rather be invisible.”
He barely managed to drag his gaze back up to meet mine, his expression making it clear he didn't believe the truth that I’d let slip.
“Right.”
I stared into my glass, trying to think of a polite way to ask him to move since he’d hemmed me in with the way he positioned himself. I wanted to cross my arms over my chest, but that would only show him he’d succeeded in making me uncomfortable which would encourage a man like him.
“If you didn’t want attention, why would you volunteer to go with one of them? Is no Human man good enough for you?”
The venom in his tone made me jerk my focus back to him, but a clump of women in black dresses moved towards the table and forced him to step aside. A few complimented my dress and I thanked them, and by the time I glanced around, the man had disappeared into the crowd.
Heaving a sigh, I downed the rest of the water and set the glass aside before looking for the Morraki with blue markings.
If I remembered what I had read right, he was part of the team who had created the serum that would be injected into whichever woman the Morraki warrior chose, and I had to hope I would have better luck with him.
Finding him was as easy as spotting Kael, but he was harder to approach.
Fewer people were clustered around him, and he seemed to be having an animated debate with a councilor I thought was a scientist or doctor of some sort.
One of the Qy’shaeuhl also stood with the pair, and the woman I thought was Dr. Mara Keene.
She was the other person who had helped create the serum.
I dropped into a chair nearby, pretending my feet hurt as I feigned interest in a display detailing Interspecies Cooperation Initiatives. The title alone nearly made my lip curl, but the conversation was interesting enough to keep me in place.
“I still don't understand how you stabilized the hormonal cascade.”
I turned my head a fraction, spotting the doctor from the corner of my eye. She was smiling as she shook her head, the noise she made half-laugh, half a scoff.
“We didn't.”
The Morraki at her side smiled as he tipped his head.
“Saed showed us a way to redirect it so that the ovaries compensated for the potential drop in luteinizing hormone.”
Again, flawless Common instead of Morraki, and my shoulders drooped.
I waited, hoping a discussion on genetics would eventually make him slip into his native language to describe something, but he never stumbled.
Every question, every explanation, was delivered in Common.
I learned more about genetic modification in the ten minutes I lingered than I’d ever known before, but I learned almost nothing about Morraki.
At one point Nyrel muttered something under his breath and the unfamiliar syllables caught my attention, but before I could process them and hope he’d repeat himself, Dr. Keene cut in.
Her smooth explanation showed an understanding of both the subject and where his vocabulary might falter, making them another dead end.
Rising, I made my way through the crowd towards Kael again, but I’d already accepted that I wasn't destined to make progress with their language after all. After another twenty minutes of eavesdropping on political debates, I finally surrendered.
My gaze swept the room as I heaved a sigh, landing on the dark one. He was as tall as Kael, but slimmer. He had a barely noticeable scar dimpling one cheek, and the tip of his ear was missing, adding to the air of danger around him.
There were no diplomats trying to catch his attention, nor doctors asking questions. Occasionally one of the other women in colored dresses would approach his island of isolation, but after a few words with the male whose expression never changed from an amused smirk, they’d slip away again.
He looked entirely unconcerned by the fact that he stood alone, the flow of people moving around him. When he did shift, people parted before him, as if he wore a sign that said to stay clear.
He was too intense. A snake in a henhouse. A living shadow, dark even amidst the black suits.
For a moment I considered trying to get closer, but he was the only Morraki without a woman at his side. I had no interest in catching his attention, even if he might be my last hope at overhearing his language.
I was still staring when his head turned and our eyes met for one brief moment. Ice slid down my spine and I looked away, grabbing a glass from the table beside me.
No.
Absolutely not.
Whatever language lesson I might gain wasn't worth the risk he radiated. Besides, he wasn't speaking to anyone, and the empty space around him would have made getting close enough to eavesdrop too difficult.
I found several more reasons to avoid him over the next thirty seconds, even if none of them felt entirely honest. The truth was simpler than all of them.
He unsettled me.
I didn't know why, and I had no intention of finding out.
I caught him walking through the room from the corner of my eye and turned to keep the distance between us. Unfortunately, that was the exact moment my uncle rediscovered me, the thin line of his mouth telling me he was unhappy that I’d avoided his presence for so long.
“Elaina.”
I pulled in a deep breath, settling a calm smile on my face as I swallowed. His hand wrapped around my wrist before I could respond, tugging it through the crook of his arm as he turned us to face three other councilors.
“Here’s my niece, Elaina. She’s been in my care since my sister died while Elaina was still young. She’s done well for herself, becoming an invaluable part of our military’s Intelligence Analysis unit.”
He smiled, and his voice was warm, filled with everything I’d hoped for when I had imagined seeing him again.
Not at me.
At them.
And just like that, the new bubble of hope popped, leaving me dragging my defeat behind me as he paraded me amongst my betters to prove he’d done his duty. He had provided a candidate for the alliance, although he stated it would be too great a loss if I was chosen.
As if I mattered to him.
To my country.
To anyone.