Page 58 of His to Claim
She sits down beside me and places her hand on mine. I glance over at Torr, but he's too far away to hear us.
"May I get you something to drink?" she asks me.
"Yes, thank you."
She stands up and goes into the back of the room. I watch as she returns with a glass of wine for me.
She hands it to me and then looks at her own glass.
"What's your name?" I ask her.
"Aila," she replies.
I nod. "Thank you for bringing me my glass."
"It's nothing," Aila responds.
I take a sip of the wine and smile. I smile at her, trying to enjoy myself but the thoughts of Emma keep coming to mind. I wish she was here, dancing for me.
After the performance, I go up to the platform to tell the dancers goodbye.
"I enjoyed the show. Thank you for entertaining me."
"We are pleased to entertain you, my king."
"Aila, see you tomorrow," I shout to the Zathurian dancer.
I walk back to my quarters, feeling strange about the evening. I feel guilty, guilty for flirting with another female.
As I lay in bed, I think about Torr. He was right; I needed to try to find someone else to fill the void that Emma left. I have a hard time sleeping though. Thoughts of Emma keep me awake. I toss and turn until I fall asleep.
* * *
I wakeup and ask for Hexal. I want to talk to him about the Zathurian female, Aila. I also want to see how he feels about her. I wait impatiently for him to arrive. When he does, I greet him and lead him to my quarters.
"Hello, Hexal."
Hexal turns his head and looks at me. "Greetings, my king. What do you want to speak to me about?"
I look at Hexal. "You said the Zathurians were not fully compatible with Bellarians, right?"
Hexal nods.
"Do you think they would make good mates?"
"Yes, I think so. They may even produce offspring that are viable."
"So, you approve of them?"
He smiles. "Yes, they're quite lovely to look at."
"What do you think of the one called Aila?" I ask Hexal.
"She's very pretty. Do you like her?"
"I don't know yet. I've only just met her."
"Have you thought of taking her as your mate?"
