Page 54 of Her Lawless Prince

“She locked those mercenaries up tight on their own ship and crash-landed an ejection pod on Torgan,” Rick stated, giving her a wink.

Her father tapped his fingers on the table near his goblet and released a measured breath.

“She did her family name proud,” Rick continued. “Reminds me of our own adventures in space, don’t you think, Falke? Like father like daughter.”

“Crash landing sounds more like you, Rick, than Prince Falke,” Dev stated.

“And she did not marry her captor,” Jackson added.

Payton knew she should keep her mouth shut, but she couldn’t help herself. The corner of her lip twitched, and she said, “Well, Captain Rita wasn’t really my type.”

Rick laughed. Dev and Jackson suppressed smiles. No one else reacted to her joke.

“I would like permission to talk to Nyle.” Payton pointedly did not look toward Ryland. “He saved my life. He shouldn’t be imprisoned.”

“He’s in a guest suite,” her mother answered. “He’s being treated well.”

The king lifted his hand and motioned toward the guards. They instantly went out of the dining hall and shut the doors to leave the family alone. Kirill stood and led the way down from the platform table to join her cousins. The other elders followed.

“We’re going to go get some rest. Will be nice to sleep in a real bed,” Dev said, as a delicate way of excusing himself from the family discussion. He lifted his arms to gesture Rick and Jackson toward the doors.

“I’ll be by later,” Samantha told them.

“Bring the Torganian rum,” Rick teased. “Let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into.”

“What is your interest in this Nyle?” Kirill asked when the men had left, motioning Payton to come closer.

Coming from a tight-knit family had its advantages. Having everyone know your affairs wasn’t one of them.

“He’s a good man. He saved my life.” Payton went toward the king. He pulled out a chair for her at an empty table that put her in view of the others.

“We heard you were close.” Kirill pressed his lips tightly together before adding, “Is he your second half mate?”

Payton’s breath caught as she slowly sat down. She folded her hands in front of her on the tabletop. She wanted to say yes, but that would have been a lie. The denial trapped in her throat.

The elders sat across from her, except for her parents who came next to her. Emma and Aliya pushed up in their chairs, sitting on their knees to watch over Quinn’s head.

“The cyborg said that you and he were…” The king shook his head, not finishing.

Queen Lyssa put her hand on her husband’s shoulder. “We’re a little confused about Yevgen. The choice is not, uh, conventional.”

“She means we didn’t think you were considering taking half mates.” Tori tried to smile, but the look in her eyes held pity and sadness.

“If not for the Myrddinians, the practice would have died with your grandfather,” Kirill stated. “We had been discussing outlawing the practice.”

Payton knew not to take the king’s words personally, but they stung. The royal family led by example, and they were proud of putting away the practices of the past, like taking hundreds of half mates. The Myrddinians were named after a sadist, Lord Myrddin. He’d been a close advisor to Payton’s grandfather, King Attor. The old noble believed in shifter purity, which basically meant cats and dragons didn’t mix, and the taking of many wives. No one in the family would want to be compared to him.

“You never indicated you had an interest in that lifestyle before.” Quinn reached across the table to pat her folded hands.

“Have you given up on finding a true mate?” Tori continued, shaking her head in confusion. “I know that it must be difficult to be alone much of the time with so much pressure to act as a guardian to the Cysgodians. There haven’t been many opportunities to meet potential life mates. Perhaps that is our fault?”

“We should have invited more dignitaries to the planet,” Lyssa agreed. “Or maybe asked the dragons about their Galaxy Brides’ contacts. If the corporation is willing to bring brides, surely, they would bring potential grooms.”

Many years ago, the queen had snuck onto the planet pretending to be one of those dragon brides. Fate brought her to the cat-shifter side.

Seeing them staring at her, Payton lowered her head and pulled her hands onto her lap. She was aware of her parents next to her and wondered why they didn’t speak. Were they that disappointed?

“I understand that you’re worried about the example it will set for the people, about what it means for a member of the royal family to have half mates. I didn’t intend any dishonor.” Payton tried to keep her voice steady, but it wavered. “I didn’t think things through. I didn’t believe it would matter as much as it does. Yevgen is… He cares… I, ah…”

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