Chapter Six
The shoreline home was a small palace. Yomin carried her inside, and to her surprise, a wardrobe was already set with light dresses, shoes were lined up, and the bed was turned down.
“Um, it looks like I was expected.”
He snorted. “Since we learned the reason for your collapse.”
She was wary as he set her down, and she went to look for something to put on that would provide a few more layers between them.
“And that reason was the infection due to skin degradation?” Her voice went up at the end of the question.
He got wary. “Yes, what else could it be?”
“Let me get changed, and I will tell you all the details. Even my mother doesn’t know.” She looked at a dark gown, slid her hand into the neckline, and looked at the tone of her skin through the sheer fabric. She glanced at him and started to move through the gowns until there was one that was opaque enough to hide her darker portions at neck and groin.
She took the gown with her to the lav and quickly changed. Padana had been guarded before, and the amount of privacy varied wildly.
“You have two minutes.”
She gathered her blanket and bedgown over one arm and came out. “I don’t need them. Is there a place you can have a drink? You will probably need a drink.”
They walked into the living area, and he headed for the bar. He poured himself a glass, and to her surprise, he brought it over to her. “Here. If you are mentioning it, you are thinking about it.”
She snorted. “It doesn’t always work that way.” In a fine tradition of bad decisions, she drank half the glass, shuddered, and then, she set it down on a table in front of the couch.
“Now, what do you want to explain?”
She sat on the couch, and he sat beside her. “This is easier at night.”
“Why, because the light obscures things?”
“No, because you can see the arcs.” She held her hands across from each other, and the crackle of static electricity charged from palm to palm.
He paused. “You are a talent?”
“Yup. Just like my grandmother and great-great-grandmother. Each of us has had it to a certain extent, but we all test as class zero, so this is in a different part of the genome than the physical appearance.”
“So, what has been happening?”
“I have been using my talent to subdue the negotiation clients by stunning them. The energy rips along my skin, the suit is shielded against electronic transfer over certain dosages, and the only outlet is the interior of my gloves where I have picked holes in the liner.”
He blinked. “You have been stunning them?”
She grimaced. “Stop looking like you are going to laugh. I roll static balls down the table, and when their emotional states get out of control... Zap.”
His eyes widened. “But you are not proof against the electricity?”
“Not with exposure for hours on end. That much exposure breaks down the skin. Like standing next to a fire.”
“Have you ever had training?”
She stared at him. “An Imperial Princess of the Haldis Imperium showing signs of an out-of-control talent? No. My gran taught me to hold it in and use small objects to discharge the buildup throughout the day. I have been getting along just fine...”
“Unless you wear the negotiator armour. Ah. Well, that makes you interesting and terrifying.”
She chuckled. “I don’t injure people. Watch.”
She held her hand over his, and the crackle of power moved over his skin as she moved her hand.
“See? No damage.”
He swallowed. “Padana, please, stop that.”
She snapped her hand closed and pulled her fist back to her lap. “Sorry.” She hiccupped and sat back, suddenly morose.
“Padana?”
She looked at him, upset and sniffly. “Yes?”
“Are you drunk?” He looked amused.
She nodded. “Not allowed to drink. Always ends up with me shoving someone into a pool.”
He snorted. “Right. Food for you.”
She perked up. “Oh, food!”
He went into the kitchen, and she followed. “Don’t worry, Yomin, it will wear off soon. Ten minutes is the longest that I have been drunk.”
He got some food packs out of the chiller and put them into the dispenser. “I think that today is not the day to increase your tolerance. Who is the person you shoved in the pool?”
She shrugged and leaned on the counter while she watched. “The Nyal envoy. He was getting handsy.”
“He put his hand on the imperial princess?”
“Yup. Grabbed my ass, so he ended up in the pool.” She smiled. “No one saw a thing. Well, until the security vids were gone over.”
“So, how did he react when he rose from the water?”
“I don’t know. I was in the other room, at the buffet.”
The unit chirped, and he went to get the meals. “So, how did you push him?”
She waved her hand, and crackles and sparks appeared between her fingers. “Nobody knows.”
He chuckled. “Well, you are sobering up quickly. I have to say that our scans of your genetic samples detected latent talent, but since none of the Haldis documents mentioned it, we thought that they had simply missed it.”
“It was an unspoken genetic trait.” She shrugged. “It works well to deter unwanted courtship.”
He smiled and carried their plates over to the dining room. “Well, I hope that my courtship is on the wanted list.”
She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to respond to that, so she sat at the chair he held out for her.
He chuckled. “No comment?”
“I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything.”
“Ah, used to court life. I had forgotten.”
She chuckled and waited for him to start eating. “So, do you wear the uniform all the time?”
He paused and glanced down. “Huh. Normally, I get out of it, but I am guessing on some level I wanted to keep distance between us.”
“Why?” She covered her mouth with her hand.
He gave her a long look. “Because every time I am with you, I want you against me no matter what your situation. The suit blocks a lot of sensory input.”
She fought her blush and nodded, eating neatly but quickly.
“So, you eat with the emperor often?”
“My father? Yes. If he and my mother have been flirting, dinner is really quick. They flirt a lot.”
He chuckled. “My father simply orders everyone out of the room. You can tell if they have been alone for a while if he exits the room with ink on his neck or sleeves.”
She laughed and sighed. “That is funny, and now, I know why he wears so much black.”
He chuckled. “Even our skin holds onto the ink.”
She set her cutlery down, and then, she stood up to put the dishes in the cleaner.