Chapter Seven #2
The king caught Riithan’s gaze and shared it.
Then they started to look at it. It started cute, with baby pictures, pictures of her dangling from her father’s arm while her mother looked on with adoration.
Then there was the funeral, and after that, the intake photo to Uradda.
There were a few more during her growth checks, then there were surveillance images of her escaping, and she figured out how to steal and use a motorcycle, and she headed for Thorassen at the age of thirteen or fourteen.
Then there were school photos and sports.
Zukker as an upperclassman, then him as a tutor, and then their wedding, with his mother glaring at them.
Years of events and charities, and she was getting so thin.
Then the memorial and Uraddan intake images again.
She nibbled at a cookie as they got to the fights and the several images of her being dead.
Then, there was the actual video of her fighting Riimal.
The sounds of bidding were intense, and she flipped around him, over him, and she was fighting to get to soft tissue when he caught her in his coils and began to crush her.
The huge gold head darted for her and bit, then released, and changed the bite.
And when she patted his muzzle, he got frenzied.
He tried to hold onto her, but he was shot from a number of angles.
Riimal’s jaw was tight. “We didn’t know.”
“I know. You saw the other fights. I died a lot.”
The king asked, “How are you here?”
“There was a revival specialist. She was Sethir, too. They shaved her head, and I am pretty sure she got released when the walls came down, but I didn’t know her name. I wasn’t allowed to know her name.” She sighed.
They watched her before the treatment file and all the body damage and then came the treatment. She was knocked out, and the seizures were there, and once they had knocked her out, her skin started slipping.
The next image was her naked in a tank and her red muscle slowly turning pink as the skin began to grow.
She soon was her normal skin tone, and her eye regrew. “Last thing was hair. I am guessing they didn’t want it messing up the tank.”
The image of her bald body in the tank was nice. “I had forgotten about that freckle.”
Riimal sighed. “How can you be so perky?”
“This isn’t a tragedy. This is what survival looks like when you have no one to call on.”
He blinked. “You have me now.”
“Then, I will make you responsible for my upkeep.”
The queen said, “I don’t understand. I thought you were toxic.”
“Right. So, you know those venomous little lizards in the deep desert? They bite, and it swells and is like a bee sting?”
The woman nodded.
“Well, if one of those lizards is constantly prodded, they generate venom faster and faster because their environment requires it. Eventually, their venom load can kill. My adaptation is very similar to those little critters. I even have superfine scales in place of normal skin cells. I am guessing that Riimal’s other half saw them when he paused to look. ”
Riimal pressed his forehead to hers. That was the implicit confirmation.
The king stared. “So, your venom is defensive?”
“Sure. The more dangerous my attacker, the more dangerous the venom, but there was no reset setting. Khytten and Kritz had to do it. If I am not in danger, it is simply a water- and oil-based compound that I can tailor for pain relief. That was what it was always supposed to be. I was supposed to be a healer.”
The room was quiet.
Riimal reached past her and brought back a cookie. He smiled and handed it to her.
She grinned and said, “Thank you, chair.”
He grinned.
She nibbled at the cookie, and it was one with filling. She wiggled her toes, and conversation resumed around her with an outline of her recovery plan and what she needed to accomplish before she could resume normal activities.
When her grandparents joined them, the sensitive topics had been covered, and their distraction suddenly made sense. There were some images her family didn’t need to carry, and the royal family had decided to carry them on their behalf.
The talk turned to Ylara’s baby, and she beamed and thanked the king and queen for allowing a friend in to be the nanny for him.
Ival smiled. “You have a nanny?”
“Yes. Khytten pointed out that while I am with him constantly while I am home, I have to go places with Riithan now and then, so it would be good if I could leave him with someone I trust. I trust her.”
Riithan smiled. “And it is time to meet her.”
“Is she an active?”
Ylara shook her head. “No. She’s human. She works with a tailor who makes clothing for the BDC for special fits. She jumped at the chance to return to Sethir, though she doesn’t have any family left.”
A woman came in with a baby in her arms and two guards walking with her. Ival smiled at the woman. She knew those eyes. Ival lifted a hand and crossed her fingers.
The woman grinned and walked the baby over to his mother.
“There you go, Princess.”
Ylara paused, and her eyes went wide. “You... you said you were human.”
The guards moved to surround the nanny.
“I am. I am also a healer. My activation was never recorded, so it didn’t happen. Right?” She looked at Ylara.
The seer’s eyes went silver. “Oh, no. You dye your hair.”
“Yes. Don’t worry, I am not near the little princess when I do it.” She smiled. “Why?”
Ylara whispered, “I see you.”
“Oh, that must be unpleasant.”
“It isn’t great. Through you, I see Ival.”
“Ah. That was unpleasant.” She smiled. “So, am I being arrested or thrown out, Princess?”
Ylara’s eyes were wide. The nanny smiled. “And that is enough of that.”
Ylara gasped and sat back, holding her baby to her breast. “So much death.”
The nanny shrugged. “That is where I live. I can restore life if there is life to give. I can give some of my spark if it is needed. I can replace it when needed. So, do I live or die?”
Ylara blinked. “Live. You live for decades and take care of many little ones. Some are yours.”
“Huh, that would be an interesting trick. You saw why?”
“Yes. You are a rejected mate.”
The alphas and the queen inhaled sharply. The room went still, and Ival asked, “What is your name?”
“Usar. Around here, they call me Levika.”
The guys flinched.
Usar meant unwanted.
The king asked, “What is your actual name?”
“Is that an order?”
His eyes flickered in understanding. “It is.”
“Ramera.”
The king continued. “How did you leave the Sethir?”
“Beaten and drugged in the back of a transport. My mark was scrubbed while I was out. Sent to Uradda for a million credits, given to my sister. She seduced my mate, had me abducted and shipped away. My mate had a runaway spouse, you nullified our contract, and my sister leaped into his arms a moment later. I was in Uradda and a designated healer for the pits. I ceased to exist anywhere but on the numbered roster until freed. After that, I got to Aksalla and worked at the clinic that Brittany used for her heel implant maintenance. Her mother is a good friend.”
“How did you get out of Uradda?” Riithan asked quietly.
“Zephyr got me out five years ago.”
The king asked, “Why didn’t you come home?”
“I checked the registry. I had been removed from my family lines and my mate’s records. I didn’t exist to you.”
The king nodded. “I see. Who was your mate?”
“Uramit.”
Riimal stared. “He had a mate before Nianda?”
The nanny nodded. “He did. Her younger sister, Ramera.”
Riimal frowned. “They don’t have children.”
Ramera shrugged. “Of course they don’t. I was his match. She wasn’t. Her match was Neriak. He wasn’t as pretty as Uramit.”
The king grimaced. “That is a shit show. He’s a good guardsman.”
“And yet too dumb to lock the door when he was banging my sister in our bed.” She shrugged. “All I remember was her begging for his knot and him unable to rise to the occasion. They certainly flew apart fast enough.” Ramera smirked.
“What was the issue with your hair?” The queen asked.
“My family are famous for hair the colour of blood as an indicator of strong activation. That is why my sister dyed hers. She never got the shade right.”
The king tapped his fingers against the table. “What about your family?”
“They believed that I ran away because it wasn’t like I always faced my problems. I even taught Uramit not to hit me. I did that face-to-face. Well, there was some biting, but it was on my part, not his. Remember to floss, boys and girls.”
Riimal blinked. “You left those scars? He said he was attacked in the desert.”
“He was. Right after he tried to assert himself.” She shrugged.
“He’s not a good mate.” She paused. “Your Majesties, I am back home in the place I love. He doesn’t matter anymore.
She doesn’t matter anymore. I am living my best life, choosing the situations I am putting myself in.
This is one such situation.” She grinned. “I like being a nanny.”
Ylara had the baby over her shoulder. “You are very good with her. The first two nannies didn’t get along with her.”
The king nodded. “I am going to talk to your father. Get the details.”
“I am guessing that he will say I had a fight with Uramit and ran away. I have the scrubbed mark to prove that it wasn’t my idea.
Uradda doesn’t scrub scars; they keep them alive through withdrawal to see what it takes to kill them.
She gave them a subject to play with. They were almost disappointed when I didn’t die, but then they put me to work, and that is how I met Ival.
Sort of. We didn’t actually get to speak. ”
Ival smiled. “That is true. We were watched at all times. Has it only been ten years since we met?”
“Yeah. They started you out in the non-fatal fights, and when I was on board, they had a bit more fun with you. Fun, starting with eff you.”
Ival chuckled.
The king sighed. “I will speak with your family. Can you restore your hair?”
“Sure. It isn’t actually dye. It’s just my will that changed the colour.”