2. Chapter TwoAaron
Chapter Two
Aaron
I looked down at the holocard image again at the woman who would soon be my wife. My friend and fellow lieutenant, Ivan, leaned to his right to get another look at the image. “At least she’s pretty,” he observed.
I kept looking as I replied. “Is she?”
Ivan leaned back in his seat of our hover transporter, chuckling. “You know she is.”
He was right. She was attractive. I’d be foolish to say she wasn’t. In the image, she is smiling, her lips colored red and plump. Her large, ruby-colored eyes were framed by thick lashes, bright against her smooth brown complexion. Would she smile at me today with those perfect lips? I doubted it. Why would she be in our circumstances? I inspected the holocard further, the image popping out three-dimensionally, as if committing her face to memory. She had long blue-colored braided locs with beaded jewels placed within her strands. She wore a colorful dress that modestly framed her curves and popped against her deep skin tone.
Everything visually about her was pleasing, but I didn’t know much more. I’d only received her image that morning as we left for Prinath and a few notes about her employment and family. As I sat in the back seat with all my life’s possessions enroute separately, I wondered about this omega. What kind of Fae was she that her court would give up an omega so easily to a Nodoorian? Had she angered the wrong people just as I had? Would she be insufferable? I was forced to give up my life and everything I’d known to live in enemy territory, and I didn’t have the advantage of even knowing much about my bride-to-be.
I let out a breath, looking out of the window. The scenery was uneventful. We were passing only dense forest. Hovercars were the best mode of transportation outside of teleportation. However, that could be expensive the farther the distance, as few had that skill level, and we weren’t given that luxury. Yet, another form of punishment. Still, it was better than going by horse and carriage. I had my limited teleporting ability, but it would only allow me to move from one area of a close space to another.
The Fae were more advanced than outsiders believed. Some more than others, with the Prinaths having the most technology. The silly humans and their outdated tales had the Fae perpetually in an era of no movement. The few humans our kind had interacted with, especially during war, were shocked to see we were even more advanced than them. We were ancient and full of magic, which we used to give us an ease of life. Other courts, like the Prinaths, had even copied some of the human technologies. However, they would claim that humans took their ideas.
Ivan yawned, adjusting in his seat. The ride to Prinath would take about six hours if we moved fast. Not that I was in a rush, but there was a set time for this farce of a marriage. We’d left before sunrise, and Ivan, often not an early riser despite his military upbringing, looked on the verge of falling asleep for yet another nap. His lids were heavy over his green eyes, his short blond hair, tousled. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d appeared in his night clothes that morning. “Think she knows anything about you?”
I clicked off the hologram on my circular communicator and placed it in my pocket. “I’m assuming she knows just as much as I do. You know, you didn’t have to come.”
Ivan waved a dismissive hand at me. “Of course, I would come. You need at least one friendly face at the ceremony.”
“I have the assistants, and then there are the other Nodoorians who have moved there as part of the treaty.”
“That’s no good. The assistants are there to move you into her house and make any other adjustments. We don’t even know the other Nodoorians there. Your sister can’t make it because she’s about to give birth any second now, and your mother stayed to be with her. There was no way I wouldn’t come.”
My mother cried when she found out I was being sent away as if I were going to the human realm. I suspected her reaction was why Ivan was doing more than just accompanying me to the wedding. “You didn’t have to move with me. You had a good station back home. I still don’t know why you would leave that for the unknown. I can’t imagine the Prinaths will welcome either of us.”
To say I was shocked to see my friend at my house that morning with a large moving hover transporter behind him was an understatement. He’d told me nothing of his intentions to relocate. It was during our commute that he explained how he would find work and a place to stay. It would be hard, but both sides had allocated room for each other as part of the treaty’s integration plan. With Ivan’s healing knowledge, I knew he’d be useful.
Ivan tilted against the window, resting his head against it and shutting his eyes. “Eh, you’re like my brother. I had nothing for me back home. I live for the adventure. Plus, Prinath is much larger and more advanced than us. It’ll be exciting. And maybe I’ll find a pretty Prinathian like you. Or at least another Nodoorian who is stuck there.”
“Maybe you can stay with us until you find a place.”
“No, Aaron. I reserved a three-month’s stay at a furnished apartment in the city. I’ll put my things in storage until I find a place.”
“But if you don’t, the offer is there.”
He smirked; eyes still shut. “You’ve got to get permission from the misses first.”
I fought hard not to open the passenger door and kick him out. “I rescind my offer.”
He chuckled. “Do you think she knows about you being a murderous, cold-hearted monster?”
I could open the door without touching it, just with my mind. He’d fly out, and I wouldn’t get my hands dirty. “Was that necessary?”
“I’m just wondering if they believed the rumors. Why would they let a precious omega marry you? Even if you are an upper-class alpha, it wouldn’t matter. Omegas are too rare to risk on someone with such a reputation as you. And now that we know she’s beautiful, it makes even less sense. Something is wrong with her. Maybe she’s stupid.”
I closed my eyes and sighed. Ivan was a true menace, and I wasn’t looking forward to him meeting her. He was going to say the wrong thing. I had no doubt. It was no mistake that our leadership had not arranged him a marriage even though he, too, was an alpha. We were trying to improve relations, although for less than wholesome motives, not worsen them.
Then again, I wondered what the rationale of her leadership was for picking her for me. It made no difference ultimately for our circumstances, but the curiosity would have to be satisfied. “It’s possible she angered the wrong person, like me.”
Ivan scowled before he turned to look out the window. The area already looked brighter, warmer, and more lush. Our home was darker and colder, but I was comfortable with that climate. I wasn’t sure if Prinath’s heat would be so comfortable. “Our leadership is, well, was, problematic.”
I huffed. Most of our old leadership was killed or currently imprisoned by the Prinaths. The ones in power now, if you could call us having power, were chosen by the Prinaths more as figureheads. “The new leadership is mildly better.”
I was lucky I wasn’t dead. There were worse punishments, and I was fortunate that my family was spared. I had to admit, I was mildly happy that the war was over. I had skill. I was good at fighting and strategizing. Within limits, I was even good at being the loyal soldier. I loved my tribe. My Fae kind. Fighting to defend us from the Prinaths was something I took seriously even if I didn’t always agree with some of our positions.
Still, war was exhausting, and fighting was something I never had a passion for. I’d lost friends and sustained incredible mental and physical pain. I didn’t know if this treaty would last, but I was thankful for the break.
“I didn’t want to ask,” Ivan began, interrupting my thoughts, “But did Frena see you off?”
I growled, irritated by that particular jabbing question. “If you didn’t want to ask, then why did you?”
Ivan turned back to me and smirked. “Because I love to live dangerously. No, I know it’s a sensitive subject, but I was curious.”
Frena was the daughter of our general. When I was removed from the military for my deeds, it took little time for her to end our engagement. I could pretend that hurt, but I was…relieved. I never loved her. It was a marriage of class and not emotion. I hadn’t hated Frena, but she never held my heart. She was incredibly beautiful and intelligent. But she was also uncaringly privileged and more superficial than desired. Not to mention that she was uncompromisingly stubborn and cruel if it served her. I’d seen her destroy people she had deemed enemies without lifting a finger. I may have even taken part in being used by her as a tool to inflict her petty revenge. Therefore, I was not surprised that when I went out of favor with her father and the upper class, I also went out of favor with her.
“No, she did not come to see me. After what she did, she ruined any opportunity for us to have any future friendship.”
“Maybe it’s good you left. The she-devil couldn’t let you deal with the consequences. She had to pile on to you like so much shit. And distorting what happened with Mona was absolute evil.”
Frena knew exactly where to hit. It wasn’t a reach that people believed her version of what happened. I kept a wall around myself so that no one knew me beyond my inner circle. What everyone else saw was a cold-eyed killer who barely smiled or let himself relax. They also saw that I had few people, beyond my family, that I had shown any sort of love to, including my ex-fiancée. Frena hated that part especially. She was used to being worshipped by men, and I barely said sweet words or touched her beyond a sexual way. My version of any event wouldn’t matter.
The hover transport came to a stop, landing on the ground. I looked out the window to see we were parked in a lot in front of a grand, white, one-story building with floor-to-ceiling windows and pillars at the double-doored entrance. This was most likely the banquet or event hall. It was surrounded by lush greenery and flowers. It looked like a botanical garden, and I suspected since the temperature was relatively mild, the ceremony would be taking place outside.
We did not seem to be in the city, but we were surrounded by enough other buildings across and next to the grounds, so I assumed we had to be just outside the city center. We exited the transporter, but the lot was not full as we’d gotten there early to get ready. The transports with our belongings were going directly to our respective locations. I hoped that my new fiancée would not be home when the movers arrived. I imagined it would be stressful for her to have things crowding her space on a busy day. I suffered no delusion that just because I was the one making the sacrifice to leave my home, having a stranger in her space would be easy on her. I tried to be thoughtful and not bring too much. I was already minimal in my lifestyle, so it was easy to part with much of my larger furniture.
Ivan and I silently headed to the building with our garment bags. The doors swung open, and a male Fae dressed in a bright blue tailored suit shoved a disheveled older male Fae out of the door. The Fae stumbled, and I grabbed his arm before he could fall. “Are you alright, sir?”
The well-dressed Fae sucked his teeth. “Don’t help him. He’s lucky we didn’t arrest him. He’s one of the dissenters to the treaty marriages. He was in the process of destroying the ceremonial room.”
The dissenting Fae shrugged away from my grip, a look of disgust on his face. “You’re a Nodoorian scum, aren’t you?”
Ivan stepped forward. I noticed a hand twitch; his tale tell sign he was searching for a fight. Ivan was particularly sensitive to the hate towards our kind. “Call us scum again, friend.”
Before the Fae could open his mouth, I raised a hand. “Leave, now,” I stated, eyeing the older Fae.
He looked between Ivan and me. I imagined we looked pretty formidable, and he’d lose between the two of us. He instead huffed and straightened his clothes before descending the steps of the building. “I hope this marriage fails just like the others. Should have locked you all up.”
The blue-dressed Fae cleared his throat and bowed his head towards the both of us. “Welcome, gentlemen. I assume one of you is our groom?”
Ivan tossed an arm over my shoulder. “This is the groom for this evening’s ceremony, and I’m a witness. From Nodoor.” He said the last bit with a smile, most likely expecting a negative reaction from the Prinathian.
Instead, the Fae retained his smile. “Right this way. I can take you to a changing room.”
This location was extravagant with marble flooring, rich velvet drapes, crystal wall sconces, and chandeliers. I wasn’t surprised they would select such a place. We were both from the upper class and would want to impress each other. Those sent to Nodoor would get the most luxurious of welcomes. We didn’t want to show that we had been hurt by losing the war. We were very much a proud people. And, as it seemed, so were the Prinaths. I suspected the wedding would still be impressive even if I were not privileged.
We followed him down a hallway off to the right. One side of the hall was covered in tall windows while the other was a wall of gold-framed pictures and white doors. He opened the door to a second room. “Would you like a beverage?”
Ivan nodded. “Yes, something with a bit of a kick, if you know what I mean.”
He gave a quick nod in response. “Of course,” he replied. “I’ll bring that and a tray of small bites.”
Bringing food made sense. I supposed he didn’t want us getting drunk, understandably. I wouldn’t put it past Ivan. I put my bag down on a couch off to the left. The room was sizeable with two vanity tables, a projector to watch entertainment, and another closed door near the back, most likely the bathroom.
We heard a knock at the door, and Ivan moved to answer it. “That was quick.”
Only it wasn’t the receptionist. An older Fae with sharp features, pale skin, yellow eyes, and cropped white hair faced us. Julian, one of our Nodoorian leaders and a liaison, now lives in Prinath. I expected to see some of our leadership at the wedding, so I wasn’t surprised by the visit. They’d want to make sure everything went well so they could report back and discuss. This would especially be the case for any alpha and omega pairings.
He looked at Ivan. “Please leave us.”
I guessed he wasn’t much for pleasantries. I raised my hand to stop Ivan from moving. “Whatever you have to say, he can hear.” Since I would be a Prinathian resident, Julian was not my leader. None of them were after basically exiling me.
Julian scowled but said nothing further as he walked in and closed the door behind him. “Very well. I’ll be brief. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you how important this union is. We are in no position right now to take back our independence and very far away from ever controlling the portals to the human realm, as we’ve always tried. The best we can do now is gain power through the Prinaths. It will take time. It will take their trust. You may be in a better position than others of our kind to earn that trust. Make every effort to ensure this marriage is a success.”
He paused, giving me a pointed look. I already knew what would happen if it was not a success. The very things that I expected to happen when I first fell from grace. I would be locked up or killed, or my family would suffer in some way. Not that he would have anything to worry about. I would do what was required. It didn’t mean I had to love her. Love was something I couldn’t give anymore, and I didn’t deserve to have it. No, I just had to treat her well and make her happy. I could fulfill that duty.
“I understand.”
He smiled, exposing small, pointed teeth that made him look anything but friendly. “I heard she is a beautiful Faerie. You are quite lucky. Make it your goal to claim her as quickly as possible. Impregnate her. The more woven we are in this society, the better our future chances. You shouldn’t have a problem with that based on your history.”
I fought every urge to grimace. This seemed so barbaric of a request. We were being treated as pawns in a game. Did my bride’s people make the same request of her? Would she be so willing? I knew my duty and would complete the assignment. I had too much to lose if I did not. Therefore, it mattered not how I felt about using her body to further our goals. She would do the same. I’d been accustomed to this life forever. Frena and I were arranged for one another when we were only teenagers. We knew that power ruled over love. The Prinaths were no different, I was sure.
Ivan coughed wide-eyed and looked over at me. I didn’t have to read his mind to know that he was thanking the gods for not being in my position.
Julian glanced over to Ivan. “I hope you make yourself useful here, or we will send you back. I don’t know why you were allowed to leave in the first place.”
Ivan was a good soldier but had the misfortune of being from the working class. The Nodoorians cared heavily about rank, and Ivan could save lives, but still, his respect level would be beneath a lazy elite who did nothing for his people.
We heard another knock at the door, and the receptionist appeared with a large tray holding a bottle containing a clear liquid, two glasses, and a platter of various cheeses, fruits, nuts, and loaves of bread.
He walked in, set it down on the short circular table in front of the couch, and then turned to leave. Julian followed him out. “I’ll see you at the ceremony. Thank you for your service to our kind.”
When he left, Ivan turned to me. “It’s not too late to escape now.”
I glared at him. “I think it is, my friend.”
An hour and a half later, I stood under a golden altar in a large garden behind the building in front of chairs full of Fae I did not know. None mattered because my attention was only on the Fae before me. My bride.
She looked like her image but even more beautiful. Her deep silky skin almost glowed beneath the brightness of our white sun. She was wrapped in a long, floral gown that fit her curves, exposing a peek of cleavage from her sleeveless top. Her blue locks were half up and half down beneath a crown of flowers to match her dress. Her pouty lips were painted a sparkling red, almost distracting me from the words of our officiant as I wondered what it would be like to kiss them. They were eclipsed only by her haunting ruby eyes, flashing at me under those thick, black lashes. Her face was neutral, and I could not even suspect what was on her mind. Did she find me attractive? Was she disappointed? I shouldn’t care. Our feelings didn’t matter. At least, mine did not.
When we were officially wed, which I only knew because the crowd applauded, I’d been so in my head, she grabbed my hand and, for the first time, smiled. There was something comforting behind it. It felt almost genuine, which I expected none of this to be. Perhaps she was fooling me. We all had talents. However, her kindness, even if fake, would make things easier.
“You have a beautiful smile. And thank you,” I stated, squeezing her hand. I meant it; her smile was gorgeous. And her scent was delicious.
My head grew cloudy, just taking in her unique sweet smell. Alphas and omegas had their own mixtures of scents; few were the same in any territory. Melina smelled of the sweetest fruit and cream. My tongue craved a taste of her, so much so that my mouth watered, causing me to harden beneath my trousers. I was thankful my jacket was long enough to cover my reaction. I had to maintain my composure. She didn’t need me intimidating her.
She lifted a brow, her smile still in place. “Why are you thanking me?”
“It makes it easier, doesn’t it? To get through this if we’re kind to each other. ”
She looked down at our clasped hands, and I was disappointed to lose that brightness from those eyes. “I guess it does. For now.” She looked up again, this time looking at the crowd. “Everyone is looking at us. Wondering what we’re saying. There’s a cocktail reception right before dinner. We have a private moment now to converse with each other until they bring us in for the banquet. Is that okay?”
She looked back at me, and I relaxed again under the gaze of those soft, ruby eyes. They pulled me in, and I knew I was expected to say something, but, like an idiot, I only nodded. I was going to seduce her, and I think I was very much going to like doing so.