Page 20 of Crown of Draga

The way the violet moon had framed her round belly…Joslynn sighed as she thought what it would be like for her own belly to grow and swell – heavy with her first child…

Sirus cleared his throat awkwardly. “The performance was quite moving,” he admitted. Was he embarrassed?

“And what do you think of children?” she asked, trying to keep her tone innocent.

Sirus nearly choked on his champagne and gave her an incredulous look. “I’ve never thought about having my own children,” he finally said. “After I was captured I did not think I would wed let alone procreate.”

The admission saddened her. Joslynn wished she could erase all the bad from his life, but knew he wouldn’t be the male he was today if she were somehow able to do such a thing. “Well, I believe you can have such things if you want them,” she told him, trying to steer the conversation back to a possible answer.

Sirus turned to face her fully. “Is this what you truly want?” he asked, gesturing to his ruined face. “I would be gone for months at a time with border patrols and there is a war on the horizon, Joslynn. One day, I might not come back.”

The gruesome reality was an emotional lashing and it made her flinch. “I’m aware, Sirus.”

“So, you just want your heir and that’s it?” he demanded.

Joslynn had known it would come down to this. Sirus needed her to admit there was more than a smart match between them. Why was she so nervous to say how she truly felt after everything they’d been through together?

“Of course that’s not all I want,” she said, more defensively than she’d intended. “If I have to marry I want it to be with someone I can stand to be in the same room with – for there to be love and affection."

That was not the right answer. She could see it on his face. He knew she held back. Sirus slowly got to his feet and bowed. “It’s getting late, Countess. Would you mind if I retired for the night?”

The blood drained from her face and Joslynn felt faint, but she nodded and watched him go. His shoulders were stiff and the crowd parted for him out of fear and healthy caution. She had to fix this before the crack in their relationship widened and became too deep and impassible to mend.

The music and the people became a dull roar of noise that set her apart as she practically jumped to her feet and ran after Sirus. The male moved fast, and when she burst out of the ballroom into the chilly night air he was gone. There weren’t many places he would disappear to, she just had to think. Where would a male from a border planet go?

The second she thought it, she knew where. Joslynn ran through the gardens to the conservatory, earning strange looks from the guards but no one moved to stop her or ask questions. The conservatory was a wonder of glass and wrought iron bent into designs. She waved her palm over the standing pad and the doors unlocked. Joslynn had to actually pull them open as they were programmed to keep the interior temperature precise.

“Sirus?” she called.

Scyria was a winter wasteland with no plant life on the surface. It was all below ground and minimal even there among the warmer caverns closer to the core of the planet. Sirus had found her planet calming, the plants and the grass all he’d focused on. Joslynn began to sweat as she walked each aisle, calling for him.

Maybe she had been wrong; maybe he wouldn’t have come to the conservatory.

“What do you want, Joslynn?” Sirus asked from behind, his voice flat and uncaring. “I thought you had other nobles to consider for procreation.”

She whipped around and gripped her necklace, gathering what small shred of courage she had. Joslynn normally had no issue being outgoing, charming, and charismatic. But before her trip with Sirus, marriage was simply another business deal. Now a marriage had the possibility to mean so much more and it frightened her. She had love within her grasp and it would be so easy for it to be ripped away from her.

“I want you to say you’ll marry me,” she said, standing up as tall as she could and throwing her shoulders back with false bravado. “Not because it would be a smart match – though we both know it would – but because the time we spent together has shown me how much I care for you, no matter how stubborn or self-deprecating you can be.” Joslynn glared at him, daring him to contradict her.

Sirus studied her with a blank face. “Stubborn, eh?”

“Yes,” she snapped. “You love to fight me on every single suggestion, it’s beyond aggravating.”

“Too stubborn to spend three centuries with?” he asked, taking a step closer.

Too late, she realized the trap she’d fallen into. Joslynn stepped back and felt the brush of leaves against her bare skin. The warmth of the conservatory had sweat dripping down her spine and her hands were clammy. “No,” she finally managed. “Someone needs to stand up to me every once in a while.”

“As an equal?” Sirus pressed, reaching for her.

The cutouts in her dress gave him too much access, access to her skin she wished he would take advantage of. “As an equal in all but rank in the Pedranus rule,” she admitted. “If I were to die my heir would inherit, not you.”

Sirus nodded. “As expected.” He pulled her towards him by her hips and Joslynn didn’t resist. “So, you care for me then? I’m more than my ability to produce noble heirs?” His ice blue eye flashed and she almost swore he was teasing her.

“Yes, you great lout. Now will you marry me or not?” Joslynn pushed back on his chest so she could look up and see his face. If he said no…

“I suppose I could marry you,” he said, a corner of his mouth quirking up in a smile.

Joslynn moved to smack his shoulder but he caught her hand and used her momentum to his advantage. He tugged her forward to take her mouth with his. She gasped at the fierce possessiveness, the passion, and the love in that kiss. “I want to hear you say the words,” he said against her lips.

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