Page 53 of Star Prince

Twigs crackled behind him. He didn’t have to see who it was; he felt Tee’s presence on a plane that went beyond the physical. This must be what theVashmeant when they spoke of being able to intuit another person’s presence, as was practiced though the sport of bajha. Whatever it was, he felt something. He felther.

“It’s cold, Ian.”

He took his jacket from her, and she donned her own coat. “If he really wanted to assassinate me, I’d be dead already,” was all he said.

Her tone revealed her abhorrence of the subject. “Yes. I think so too.”

He rolled his shoulders to ease the tightness in his neck. “If you take assassination out of the equation, every act he perpetrates appears calculated to keep me away from Randall. But why?”

“The answers lay inside you,” Rom would say.“Listen to your senses Ian, Trust them.”

Closing his eyes, Ian recalled, word by word, nuance by nuance, everything Rom had taught him about heeding his senses and taking his precognition to a higher level. TheVash Nadahvalued the importance of intuition, over the centuries had raised its cultivation to an art form, but was he ready to do so himself?

His instincts had always been good. He had inherited that ability from his mother and in recent years learned to hone it, thanks to Rom’s patience and expert instruction.Guide me…

Tee’s voice broke his concentration. “The more I ponder this, the more I think Klarkwantedus to come after him. Tonight. Why else would he have let himself be seen?”

Ian opened one eye. “Yes! That’s exactly it. A diversion—he wants to deflect my attention from Randall. He has to.” Euphoria made him forget his exhaustion. He let out a whoop, then laughed at Tee’s surprise. “Don’t you see? Klark is Randall’s associate!”

“Sweet heaven.” Tee breathed.

“He’s the one who told Randall about Barésh.He’s the one who showed him the fringe worlds.” It was the perfect conspiracy—aVashroyal facilitating interaction between troubled frontier worlds and Earth, encouraging a powerful Earth politician’s views of a self-ruling frontier, raising the specter of future galactic volatility the Great Council would insist only a full-bloodedVashking could handle.

“An unstable frontier would leave my stepfather no choice but to pick aVashsuccessor,” Ian speculated aloud.

Tee’s lips compressed. “Someone like Klark’s older brother. Ché Vedla.”

“And that’s exactly why I’m not going after Klark.”Remember your mission.“Klark’s the distraction. Randall’s the focus.” His gut told him so.

Ian flattened his hand on the small of Tee’s back and urged her toward the ship. “Randall’s getting ready to leave for Earth, and soon—Ifeelit. And Klark’s dangling himself as bait to keep me from going after him.” More supposition, he thought. Another guess. Did he dare risk letting Klark run amok while he concentrated on wooing Randall? What if his interpretation of Klark’s plan was faulty?

But time was running out. He had to trust his instincts, to believe in himself.

Ian’s eyes sought the stars once more. Each twinkle was a world he would someday rule. But wasn’t that presumption too, based only on a hunch—Rom’s premonition that his ascension to the throne wouldrestore freshness to a stagnating society and unity to a galaxy on the brink of revolution?

A tremor ran through him. His destiny had its merits, he supposed, but it was clear that a serene and peaceful life wasn’t going to be one of them.

“At first light, I’m going to Randall’s ship,” he said.

“You said your proposal wasn’t ready.”

“We’re out of time, Tee; Randall’s leaving. I have to reassure him about Barésh…and about me, before he passes on his one-sided observations to Earth.” They stopped at the bottom of the entry ramp. “Besides, I have a few hours,” he added, then cracked a smile. “Who needs sleep anyway?”

“I’ll help you,” she offered.

Ian gazed down at his pilot. His fingers throbbed from the cold. Slipping his hands in his jacket pockets he said, “You have no obligation to do so, Tee.”

“I know I wasn’t part of your original crew, but I believe in you and what you’re doing. You care a great deal for Barésh and the worlds like it. You want to help them while also convincing Earth to stay in the Federation. I admire that…how you want to balance the needs of your home with the galaxy’s future.” Her golden eyes glinted strangely. In a tight voice she added, “You’ll make a fine king.”

The inevitability of their eventual separation sat heavy in his chest. And hers too, if he was reading her right. She, like him, realized that they couldnever be together. And she too must be trying hard to pretend the ache wasn’t there.

He brought his hand to her cheek. This sweet-faced quick-talking pixie was trouble incarnate for him—a smart, irrepressible woman withVasheyes and a questionable past. She kept him wondering what it’d be like to make love to her though his mind belonged somewhere else—anywhereelse— and the need to touch her was so close to overpowering his better judgment.

“Please,” she said. “Let me help. I have…a yen for politics.”

“I noticed.”

“Then let me be a part of it all. Let me help.”

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