Page 1 of Crown of Draga

Chapter One

Adelina

Practice Courtyard

Draga Royal Palace

Planet Draga Terra

“Watch it, Princess!”Nadyah snapped as her knife nearly sliced Adelina’s cheek.

Adelina moved back just in time, the whistling of the sharp blade and the wind on her cheek a warning that she had to focus. Nadyah brought up the second blade so fast Adelina barely had time to block. She needed space to gain perspective. With a kick, Adelina performed a smooth back handspring, all those cycles of dance and self-defense lessons kept her body limber and strong.

Nadyah’s courtesan fighting arts proved more difficult to learn than Adelina had thought they would be. Alpha was a tough instructor, but he paled in comparison to Nadyah’s vicious demands.

Her courtesan spun, knives flashing in the morning sun. The whipping whistle warned Adelina just in time to dodge, and then weave. Those sharp blades nicked her practice-wear and sliced through the fabric like butter. The scent of blood filled the air and Adelina rolled just in time to manage only a scratch on her arm.

“Stop defending and attack!” Nadyah yelled. There was so much frustration in her voice and those sapphire eyes flashed. Then Nadyah moved so fast she was a blur. Adelina barely managed to keep up, her blocks all she could manage.

The sharp blade nicked her waist and Adelina hissed.

“Pay attention.” Nadyah was angry.

It infuriated Adelina. It wasn’t as though she didn’t try her best. Nadyah had cycles upon cycles of practice. With a burst of energy Adelina twisted under the next attack, bending and shoving. Nadyah flipped and landed on her back.

She didn’t hesitate. Adelina followed through and straddled her courtesan, one knife to her throat and the other to her soft belly.

They both breathed hard and glared at each other. Adelina was sure she finally had her until Nadyah’s leg came up and wrapped around her in a complicated move, and suddenly Adelina was the one on her back with a knife at her throat.

Adelina swallowed, feeling the sharpness of the blade just barely break her skin. Blood trickled down her neck. “I yield,” she gasped, chest heaving at the exertion. Adelina was exhausted after only getting a few hours of sleep and it showed.

“Sloppy,” Nadyah snapped. She stood and Adelina stayed where she was, trying to catch her breath against the hot stone.

The knives clattered against the floor and Adelina closed her eyes. A mood rode her courtesan hard. She would talk about it when she was ready, but it wasn’t Adelina’s fault she didn’t know much about the fighting style. It had only been a few weeks since they’d started.

“You need to learn control, without control you will never master the desire. If you cannot master it, you will never be in true control of yourself, and then you will be a slave to instinct.”

The sharp words felt dull against the heartache Adelina held close. She’d tried to see Prince Nash a few times after his accident, but it had been nearly impossible with Raena watching her so closely. Her only consolation was the reports she kept up with, marking his healing progress. It was so much slower than a Kalan human’s and she’d have thought he could heal himself, but perhaps not. It may be a task only someone else could do.

“Have you even been doing the breathing exercises I taught you?”

“You know I have been,” Adelina answered dully, rolling onto her stomach and resting her head on her pillowed arms. It was so nice to lie in the sun and relax.

“Then why are you breathing like a fish out of water?” Nadyah crossed her arms over her chest, midriff exposed. The woman was pure sex with her loose pants and bare feet.

Adelina cracked an eye and glared at her courtesan. “Why don’t you tell me what’s really bothering you?” she asked.

Her question created an instant change in Nadyah. She dropped her arms and her mouth opened to reply before she thought better of it and stopped. Nadyah studied Adelina and then plopped on the ground, legs crossed. With a small shrug, she inspected her nails. “It is of no importance.”

“If that is true, then it would not be bothering you.” Adelina sighed. “It’s Varan isn’t it, when he asked to escort me to the ball? I know what that means Nadyah.” She made sure her courtesan saw her look of understanding before stripping her top off and closing her eyes again. Adelina let the sun warm her skin; the private courtyard safe from prying eyes.

“And?” the question was sharp.

“And I would have to consider a marriage proposal from Varan,” Adelina admitted. “I like and know him. If Raena would accept him as a husband for me, then I would consider the possibility. An alliance with the thief would open doors to the people we’ve never had before. And there are much worse choices than Varan.”

Varan’s offer to escort Adelina was no small matter, no matter how flippantly he’d asked. It meant the prince of thieves considered asking her to dance during her coming-of-age party. The significance of that wasn’t lost on Adelina. All eligible males who requested a dance began the arduous process of asking for her hand. If she accepted then they would present a diamond for formal consideration.

No matter what she felt for Nash, Raena still held her marriage rights in her tight fist and Adelina would consider any option she didn’t detest. Varan was a friend, he was someone she knew well and had even toyed with the idea of taking him to her bed over the cycles. She’d decided against it time and again because of their work together.

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