Winter Solstice in Draga Read online

Nash’s aapoak eyes twinkled at her as he crossed the space to lift her up. Adelina wrapped her legs around his middle and enjoyed the way the water ran down his body as though it were worshipping him.

  A beautiful, barbarian god.

  “I will do whatever you ask of me,” Nash told her.

  Adelina smiled and kissed him.

  They were all perfection.

  Chapter Five

  Kaiden

  Ladrole

  Stella di Draga

  The Draga System

  It was strange to be walking the streets of Stella di Draga in the middle of the night. It was the first time since Adelina’s rule that they’d even been out in the city. There’d been so much to do all over the rest of the galaxy. And the Core had been relatively untouched so they hadn’t been needed.

  That they had this time to relax at all was a miracle.

  The three of them had stolen moments with Adelina here and there when they could, but most of the time she tumbled into bed, completely exhausted. Varan, Nash, and Kaiden had fallen into a sort of routine where they made sure she’d eaten something, then had the tea waiting and settled her in bed.

  For all that people assumed things were much more…erotic than they were – they were a family first. They took care of one another.

  He would never get used to the way the people of Draga stared at them. Multiple spouses, partners, and mistresses weren’t unusual, but Kaiden assumed it had something to do with the centuries of patriarchal rule.

  A female had claimed what she’d wanted and those with more delicate sensibilities were still reeling.

  “Kaiden!” Adelina took his hand when she ran up to him. The braids in her hair that Nash had done for her looked amazing and her amethyst eyes sparkled. “Are you looking forward to seeing the Ladrole?”

  He smiled down at her, making sure to keep his wings in tight to his body. There were many people on the streets despite the hour – getting in early celebrations of the winter solstice. “I look forward to seeing Roxy again. But a den of thieves is not something I can say I’m overly comfortable with.”

  “They won’t rob you,” Varan said, clapping him on the shoulder in reassurance.

  “At least the snow has stopped,” Nash grumbled from behind them. “I had no idea it could get so blasted cold here in the winter.”

  “I tried to tell you,” Adelina said, wrapping her arm around Kaiden’s waist. It was as natural as breathing to put his own arm around her shoulders, tucking her in closer to keep her warmer – and to enjoy the feel of her body against his.

  “Khara Prime never gets this cold,” Nash muttered. “I’m wearing my damn armor!”

  “Don’t pretend it’s not because you like how good you look in it,” Varan teased, falling back to walk in tandem with Nash.

  Adelina just smiled and tightened her grip on his waist. Kaiden didn’t see the glittering lights of the street, the buildings they passed, or the faces eyeing them with curiosity. He only had eyes for her.

  Adelina no longer tried to hide her identity, so they all knew her as the queen and were curious where she was going. But she didn’t care.

  Kaiden couldn’t help feeling pride puff him up a bit knowing she trusted the three of them to keep her safe. That she trusted her people enough for this outing, and that the rogues of her kingdom saw her as one of their own.

  It was something he had never experienced before, but he honestly could say he was looking forward to whatever happened next.

  “You do look very handsome, Nash,” Adelina admitted, hiding behind Kaiden’s wing so she could laugh.

  “And those leather pants make you look like dessert,” Nash growled.

  Kaiden felt a thrill when she shivered against him in anticipation. He would never get used to how badly he wanted her. Even after months, it hadn’t abated. Kaiden was just as hungry for her as he was when they’d consummated the mate bond that first time.

  He sighed happily and looked up at the two moons filling the sky with their green and purple light. The hov-tram went by as they crossed another street.

  His mind knew where they were, but in that moment Kaiden let himself just enjoy the rare night off they had. It wasn’t a situation where he needed to worry about escape routes. After serving the Neprijat most of his life and then the war…it was a pleasant change of pace.

  They crossed into a courtyard where Varan waved to guards who cheered to see him. “Your majesty!” one called. “Are you going to be harvesting the winterflowers soon?”

  Varan stopped and planted his hands on his hips as he smiled broadly at the male on top of the wall. “I’ll be moving some of the trees, but most I’ll leave here for Roxy. How would you like to harvest them?”

  “Only if you teach me the recipe for your liquor.”

  Varan snickered and Kaiden raised an eyebrow at the male he was slowly falling in love with. “No one knows my recipe, mate. Not even my wife. I’m taking it to my grave.”

  The guard chuckled and waved him on like he’d known what the answer would be. Kaiden could hardly believe the way Varan interacted with everyone. He watched as they walked through the massive courtyard to the tavern and Varan greeted people left and right.

  Adelina broke away from him to speak to those who recognized her – who called her ‘Lina.’

  Kaiden felt apart in a way, even though they had included him. This look into her life though…it was worth a bit of awkwardness.

  “You get used to it,” Nash told him, brushing his shoulder against Kaiden’s in a small show of solidarity. “I’ve been here a few times but it was a world I wasn’t welcomed in. It didn’t help the first time I’d come as a spy and the second I got into a brawl with Varan that wrecked his office.”

  Kaiden turned to look at his Corinthian brother and appraised him with new eyes. “What in the blazes did you two get into a brawl about? Adelina?”

  Nash chuckled as they followed the former prince and princess of thieves into the tavern. “Actually yes, but it was not about her directly. Funny to think how far we’ve come.”

  Then they were through the door and into the warmth of the Ladrole.

  Kaiden had never seen anything quite like it.

  The Ladrole was like any other tavern, but it was also unlike. The way everyone sat at the tables, chatting and laughing…they all knew each other and they were close.

  Shouts bounced off the walls as outcomes of various games were celebrated or booed. The thud of knives against a wall was what caught his attention first.

  It was nothing but chaos and Kaiden supposed that was probably par for the course when it came to a thieves’ den.

  “Brother!” Roxy shouted from across the massive room. The fiery redhead jumped up on her table and Kaiden smiled to see her in a crown Adelina had given her for winning the position of Queen of Thieves. “Everyone, our ex-prince has finally rejoined us. I was beginning to think he’d forgotten where he’d come from,” she teased.

  Shouts across the whole room were nearly deafening. Everyone teased and laughed and greeted Varan like a beloved leader. They still respected him—respected Adelina by the way they greeted her as one of their own. Despite her rank and position they still called her Lina and made jokes about how their new queen was nothing more than a jewel thief.

  Then silence when everyone noticed Kaiden and Nash.

  It was rather uncomfortable and Kaiden shifted his wings ever so slightly in case he needed to fight or move. Whether they disliked him or Nash, it was difficult to tell, but Kaiden knew they had each other’s backs.

  And so did Varan.

  The king consort swaggered toward Kaiden and his eyes widened as Varan’s gaze became heated. Then he gripped Kaiden’s face hard with one hand and gave him a brutal kiss. “Everyone, I would like to introduce you to the Drakesthai Prince, Kaiden. Isn’t he just gorgeous? My wife wanted him badly and there is nothing I can refuse her. Can’t say I don’t enjoy him as well.”

  Murmurs of approval
rippled through the room as Kaiden felt heat rise to his cheeks. The look and the touch…Varan was an excellent primary mate and that he had room in his heart for Kaiden as well…it certainly made the transition into Draga easier for him.

  “Is he just pretty or can he do any tricks?” a rogue asked, coming up close to get a good look at him.

  Nash chuckled and Kaiden whipped his gaze to the other male in surprise. “He’s not just pretty,” Nash said loud enough for everyone to hear. “Show them that thing you can do.”

  Kaiden wasn’t sure what to think or feel on the matter, but this was a part of Adelina, Varan, and Roxy’s lives. It wasn’t something that was going to go away and he didn’t want to spend the next century watching them go out and have fun without him.

  Then there was Nash who may not be favored as Adelina was, but he had the same cocky attitude that would make his acceptance far easier. Kaiden had always known being Drakesthai in Draga wouldn’t be easy. It wasn’t like he could blend as Nash did. The wings were a dead giveaway.

  But if he could do a ‘thing’ for these people, maybe it would make his acceptance just a little bit easier. Not just here, but everywhere. Having the love of the people was more important to him anyway.

  The nobles and courtiers who’d stayed within the protection of the Core would get over it or they wouldn’t. Those nobles who had fought with them…well, they had no problems with a Drakesthai prince as consort to their queen.

  “Which thing?” Kaiden asked Nash, raising his eyebrow. “There are many ‘things’ I am capable of doing.”

  The entire tavern seemed to chuckle at his response and the tension eased a bit.

  “You mean the ‘thing’ where I take you flying and you scream?” Kaiden asked Nash, smiling slightly. Two could play at this game.

  A few people let out a loud guffaw at the mental image.

  Nash instantly frowned at him, but Varan was grinning like a fool. So was Roxy, still standing on her table with her arms crossed over her chest.

  “No not that one,” Nash grumbled. “Like the performance you did at the wedding.”

  Kaiden smiled at that. “Ah, that one. Are you volunteering?”

  Varan and Adelina looked to Nash, eyes glittering with laughter.

  And to their surprise Nash grinned back and shrugged. “Why not? It seems to be the right time I think to show our wife what we’ve been doing in preparation for the ball.”

  And just like that the entire tavern was talking about Adelina’s princes and what they might do. Bets started and gold exchanged hands. Everyone but Roxy made wagers.

  Kaiden shrugged out of his coat and handed it to his wife with a kiss on the cheek. Thieves cleared tables to give them room and he turned to Nash flaring his wings to take up as much space as possible, making him look twice as large as normal.

  Gasps at the sight made Kaiden smile. “In Hai we celebrate certain occasions with a deadly dance,” he announced loud enough even the guards outside could hear. “One I’ve been teaching the Corinthian brute, Prince Nash. Third husband to Queen Adelina.” And with that reminder of their rank he gave Nash a peck on the cheek.

  Everyone chuckled when Nash growled at him, but Kaiden was more impressed that he didn’t seem overly flustered by the open affection. Then the Corinthian removed his own jacket with a flair and tossed it to Varan.

  Both Adelina and Varan watched them eagerly. The love and adoration Adelina had in her eyes…Kaiden would do anything for her to look at him like that forever. Which is why he was about to perform for the thieves’ den a dance that had always scared him shitless.

  Not that he would ever tell another Drakesthai that dirty little secret.

  “Did you know about this?” Adelina asked Varan and the previous prince of thieves shook his head.

  It was supposed to be a surprise for the queen and the king consort during the Winter Solstice Ball, but Nash had offered to do it now. Kaiden trusted his judgement. “I need knives,” he declared. “Ten of them.”

  Clatters as knives were tossed on the floor before them made him smile. The audience was intrigued. That was a good sign.

  Nash laid out the knives along one of the nearby tables and then tossed a disc to the bartender. “Play this.”

  A second later they were in position and Kaiden took one last look at Adelina. She was practically glowing with happiness, giving him a nod of encouragement as she held onto his coat. Kaiden nodded back and then turned to Nash.

  Nash dipped his head once as music from Kaiden’s home filled the tavern.

  Kaiden only had eyes for Nash. If he looked away or got distracted it could be both their lives. Then the music swept upward, signifying the beginning of the dance.

  Both of them moved in tandem, performing the harsh, masculine steps, roaring their joy at life to the ceiling. The ground shook with each pounding step and Kaiden spread his wings as wide as they would go, pounding his chest.

  A dance to celebrate both life and death – beginnings and endings. His people performed the deadly steps at every wedding and funeral to remind themselves that there were always new beginnings to look forward to, but everything had to come to an end eventually.

  They both turned to the table of knives at the same time and tossed them upward. With each toss they moved, whirling and twisting and stomping before catching the knives. As the music changed so did the moves. Kaiden threw his four knives at Nash in quick succession and Nash did the same with his.

  Everyone in the tavern held their breath.

  The only sounds were the music, the stomp of their feet, and the singing of the sharp blades through the air.

  Shifting again to juggle his knives between moves, the true danger of the dance became clear as Nash moved into position.

  All ten knives were flung into the air at the same moment and that was when Nash flipped over Kaiden with his wings completely spread out. It was a long, dangerous jump and the faith required to do this dance with another person…Kaiden trusted Nash with his life.

  And Nash proved himself by catching each blade as he moved through the air before it could fall and pierce Kaiden’s wings to the ground, shredding them to pieces.

  The moment Nash’s feet touched the floor there was a collective sigh of relief.

  But it wasn’t over yet.

  Since Nash didn’t have wings it was less impressive for Kaiden to do the traditional leap and twist over Nash’s back so they’d tweaked it a little – working on the moves in secret over the last few weeks.

  Instead of the normal move, Nash whipped around and threw each of the ten knives at Kaiden.

  He dodged them all with graceful steps. When the points hit the wall behind him he roared, stomping his feet. The entire tavern roared with him.

  Kaiden trusted Nash to throw each knife precisely where he was supposed to. Now it was Nash’s turn to trust him – the true beauty of the dance.

  Instead of throwing knives at him, or tossing them up in the air, they’d added a Corinthian tradition. A stupid one in Kaiden’s opinion, but he supposed no more stupid than a knife dance.

  Nash ran straight at him and Kaiden braced himself. The second Nash jumped Kaiden grabbed his foot and threw him straight up to give him a boost. Gasps and shouts as Nash twisted and grabbed for the railing of the second floor.

  It could only be done in rooms with high enough ceilings. Kaiden had laughed himself hoarse the first time Nash had explained it to him, but it went with the dangerous Drakesthai dance well enough they’d made it work – no matter how stupid and brutal it seemed. It didn’t have quite the same flair as the knife dance did, so Nash had added to it.

  While he climbed up and up, Kaiden set the knives between the floorboards, pointy side up. Then he stood in the center, stomping his feet in time with the music as he watched Nash climb all the way up to the third floor.

  The Corinthian leapt and grabbed on to the chandelier and Kaiden held his breath. So much could go wrong, but they’d been practicing in
the ballroom. This ceiling was much lower. It should be easy enough.

  Nash let go and Kaiden crouched down, watching the massive brute twist in the air as he fell towards them. It was like watching a boulder hurtle toward the earth—a twisting beautiful boulder that would crush Kaiden if he couldn’t get the perfect speed.

  Right before Nash hit the halfway point the music swept into its pulsing climax and Kaiden launched himself upwards. His wings flapped once, twice – the powerful beating making the air boom in the small space.

  Nash straightened his body out so he was perpendicular to the floor.

  If Kaiden missed he would be impaled on the knives. If Kaiden caught him but couldn’t keep his path they would both fall to the ground and then be impaled together.

  They met midair and Nash flung out his hand.

  Kaiden snapped in his wings.

  A split second to get it right or they’d look very stupid splattered on the ground, but his hand found Nash’s and he gripped tight, letting the brute’s weight swing him around so it looked like Kaiden was now flying downward to catch him, arrowing towards the knives.

  At the last moment he flung his wings wide and the resulting wind knocked the knives over as Nash’s feet gently touched the ground.

  For a moment there was only silence as the song ended and Kaiden got his feet underneath him. He pulled in his wings, breathing heavily as he studied Nash who was grinning like an idiot. Then cheers and applause erupted.

  Adelina came over to them both with tears in her eyes. “That was very beautiful but I want to kill you both myself.”

  Nash chuckled and Kaiden pulled her in close to reassure her. “It was supposed to be a surprise for you. We were going to perform it at the ball tomorrow,” Kaiden tried to explain, feeling flustered as everyone in the tavern came to clap them on the back or give them the traditional kiss of greeting to welcome them into their den.

  Watching Nash talk to the thieves and rogues with a grin on his face made it all worth it though. They’d both needed this acceptance.

  “Very showy, mate,” Varan said with a rueful smile. “Somehow you made even that look pretty.”