Page 54 of Princess of Draga

Adelina still had time before she officially came of age to try and work anotherangle.

Alpha went pale under his tan. “You don’t think shewould?”

The shrug she offered said more than words. She had no idea what her sister would and would not do anymore. “It’s the smart choice if she can save millions of lives to sacrifice onlyone.”

He hissed in a breath and grabbed her shoulders. “I promised you I would never let that happen, do youremember?”

The suffocating warmth of the conservatory was not enough to ward off the chill deep inside Adelina. She looked up into Alpha’s blue eyes. “Do you think I could everforget?”

The morning after the first time they’d made love, and the last. The Neprijat had attacked Khara Prime and the vile, monstrous things they’d done… “Say it again,” shewhispered.

Alpha crushed her to his chest. “I promised you I would kill you myself before I ever let that happen, and I reaffirm that promise.” He took therosanerafrom her hand and the thorns sliced deep into his fingers. Blood dripped down the stem and into the ground. “A bloodoath.”

Adelina took the sacred rose and nodded, feeling a bit better. “I will hold you to it Alpha.” She placed it on the small tea table and sat down, suddenly feeling weary. “Not many marriages are available at the moment that would help Raena and thekingdom.”

Her guard didn’t sit, but he stood behind her, always on the lookout. “She may withhold marriage from you as well. Perhaps she thinks loneliness would be a betterpunishment.”

It didn’t make sense. That would be a cruel path, but there were no other stipulations to her agreement. Adelina shook her head. “No, that would allow me any lover I choose, even with the knowledge it could be taken away at any moment. It would allow me to serve as ambassador. I don’t think she wants me miserable, but she does want mepunished.”

Then Alpha came around to sit at the tea table. His arms were crossed again and he glowered. “How could she change so much in such a short time? Raena used to be the kindest person I knew other thanyou.”

The glass walls of the conservatory showed the nearly full moon, Mala, heavy in the sky and Adelina tried to find the words. “When we are tested, we change. Some change for the better, and some for the worse. She has the presence and dominance to rule, as does Asher. That does not mean she makes the best choices under pressure. If we had remained at peace with no threat other than the court games everyone likes to play I believe she would have been as excellent and kind as we thought she would be, even with my father’s earlyretirement.”

A door opened and a servant came in with a platter of tea things. He set them down on the table and left without aword.

“Is this your doing?” Adelina asked as she poured thetea.

Alpha shrugged. “I wasn’t sure how long we’d be here and didn’t think you wanted to take lunch in the palace.” As always he knew her better than she knewherself.

“I need to see Ian and then spend my required time in the Queen’s solar with our visiting nobles.” She took a bite of one sandwich and relaxed in her chair. This was much better than the possibility of running into Nash while Raena and the entire royal family watched. “I planned to skip lunch regardless, but thank you forthis.”

He nodded as he stared off into nothing. Something was botheringhim.

“Spit it out,Alpha.”

“Do you love thisprince?”

Ah, finally he said it. Despite their rough recovery from their brief romance, they’d managed to become even closer than before. Adelina had wondered if her moving on would ever botherhim.

“Love is a strong word, my friend.” She sipped at her tea and watched him closely under her lashes. Hopefully he passed the final test of theirfriendship.

“But you have feelings for him other than attraction, am I right? Please don’t evade me, I can see with my own eyes the way he hunts you, the way you two stare at each other.” Alpha tapped his foot withimpatience.

It would dishonor their friendship to lie to him. “There is something,” she admitted. “What it is though I am not sure. Like I said earlier, there will be no way to truly know and if things had gone on it could have been disastrous. I could never marry the prince ofKhara.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Why not? You are third-born. It would be a good marriage to solidify the shaky alliance after he was first denied hisrequest.”

Adelina laughed then. She couldn’t help it. It was almost ridiculous they were having this conversation. “Because, he has his people to save and then a fight to even become King. This could take cycles if it ever even happens. What then? I would be a distraction, and it would split his loyalty. I would be more alone than ever with a male who cannot devote himself to me. His oaths to his own kingdom would comefirst.”

The way her guard looked at her made her uncomfortable, as if he thought she was intentionally being dense. “That sounds like a lot of excuses. If he were king the same would be true, yet he still needs a queen and heirs. Why couldn’t he start thatnow?”

Adelina squirmed. He wasn’t wrong. “It doesn’t matter now, Raena would say no out of spite,” she snapped. Only Alpha could anger her soeffectively.

Alpha stood and popped a tea sandwich in his mouth. “Just something to think about since I know how smart and cunning you can be. You’re thinking of a way around the agreementalready.”

It was infuriating when he could read her so easily, though it used to be one of the traits that made her fall in love with him. Adelina stood as well and ate another sandwich before finishing her icedtea.

“I don’t love him, Alpha, and now there is no way to find out if I could. Please excuse me, I must see Ian.” She hadn’t told him her suspicions about her genes yet and didn’t plan to at themoment.

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