Page 85 of Star Prince

“Yes, you did. By coming here. Look around you. Earth-dwellers are taking pictures. You can’t afford to be seen with me—”

He pulled her into a fierce and possessive kiss. Then he slowly moved her back. “How’s that for being seen with me?”

Breathless, she touched her fingertips to her lips. “What are you doing?”

“Breaking the rules.” He gripped her shoulders, moving her back. “Come to Washington. Then, after that, we’ll work with the Great Council on the subject of you and me.”

“No. The timing is wrong. You have to concentrate on your future.”

“Ourfuture,” he reminded her. “We’re a team, sweetheart, a great one. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”

She hugged her arms to her ribcage. “Don’t do this, Ian.”

“Sorry, but I’m going to try my damnedest to win you back. We belong together.” He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Tingles spread from where his thumb stroked her cheek. “I know you know it too. You wear your heart on your sleeve, remember?”

She made a sound of anguished exasperation and twisted out of his grasp. Ian went after her.

Lara grabbed Ilana’s hand and pointed after Tee’ah and Ian. She said in Basic, “You want to give Earth a reason to stay in the Federation? Filmthem.”

Ilana’s face lit up. “Lara, you’re brilliant.” She tapped her finger against her cheek. Then she turned to the reporter nearby. “You network signatories have an agreement, right? That any breaking news of world significance can be spontaneously pooled at the authority of the net on the scene?”

“That’s right.” The reporter studied her. “Why?”

“The crown prince of the galaxy is about to choose his future queen. Right here.Right now!”

The reporter’s eyes veered toward Tee’ah and Ian, arguing passionately in hushed voices.

“He could very well be the next king of the galaxy,” Ilana said, “ifhe’s approved, and if we Earth-types support him. Just think, a hometown boy in charge. As Rom B’kah’s stepdaughter, I can provide the insider narration, if you want— Ladies and gentlemen, watch as we establish—today, right before your eyes—a thrilling new star-spanning dynasty in whichwe—Earth—play a crucial role!”

“I’ll text my producer.” The reporter typed out a message.

Ilana paced in short, tense bursts. Lara bit the inside of her lip, opening and closing her fists. The transaction seemed to take forever.

Finally, the reporter grinned. “We got it!”

“Yes!” Ilana gave Lara a high-five.

The reporter shouted to her cameraman, “Pool it, global!” and she gestured frantically for him to start filming.

Satellite coverage shared by the different nets around the world began a simultaneous feed. Then, with just a two-second lag, the image of Tee’ah and Ian began popping on screens large and small from Kalamazoo to Karachi to Kazakhstan.

Ian caughtup with Tee on a windswept helipad commanding a spectacular view of the city and a hazy glimpse of the ocean beyond. “Maybe I’m not being clear. I want to marry you, Tee.”

She spun around, her eyes anguished, her hair wild. “No. I’ll not ruin your chance for the throne!”

He advanced on her. “That’s why you left, isn’t it? You feel you need to protect me—from you.”

Her expressive face gave him his answer. He reached for her. She backed away. “You need a traditional wife. I can’t be that woman. Royal life suffocates me. I want to fly, to make my own choices.”

“Why would I stop you? I don’t support the old traditions, you know that.”

“That’s what you say now, but you’ll change,” she said with conviction.

“I won’t!”

“You already have. On theQuillieyou told me that I could no longer work for you, that the job was too dangerous. Those were your exact words.” Her hand crept to her chest and balled into a fist. “I know,” she whispered. “I felt every single one.”

“It was a knee-jerk reaction. I didn’t mean you couldn’t…that I’d...” He exhaled. “I was caught off guard, Tee. I reacted badly, and I apologize. I won’t change into a traditionalist; I promise you. You knowVashcustom, we have to be promised for a year before we can get married, time to get to know each other, to see what we’re really like. And at the end of that year…you’ll be free to walk away.”

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