Chapter 1
Rem navigated the corridors of the palace, his mood darkening with each step. A growl built in his throat when he reached the golden double doors of the royal receiving chamber. He didn’t know why the king had requested his presence, though he hoped the chamber wasn’t filled with dozens of dignitaries and royal advisors. Rem didn’t enjoy large gatherings and preferred to keep to himself as much as possible, thus the reason for his preemptive dark mood.
The golden doors zipped open upon his approach and he strode into the chamber. To his surprise, he found King Vaath of Mars standing alone near a window that overlooked the capital city of Ressiktron. Perhaps the king had a personal favor to ask of him. Something he wished to keep private. Rem cleared his throat and waited for the royal to acknowledge his arrival.
As King Vaath turned around, the sunlight pouring through the window glowed against his blue horns, accentuating the darker markings upon them. The royal shot Rem a polite smile and crossed the room to greet him with a foot tap. Rem tapped one foot to the king’s in return, trying not to allow his shock over the friendly greeting to show on his face. Marttiaxoxalian royals did not greet acquaintances in such a way, which likely meant the king was starting to view Rem as not only an asset to the palace, but maybe even a friend.
“Thank you for meeting with me today,” the king said.
Rem inclined his head briefly. “I am at your service, King Vaath.”
“It has come to my attention that you have not signed up to receive a human mate, though shipments of the females from Earth arrive on Mars frequently and palace guards are given top priority.” The king leaned back on a table, crossed his arms over his chest, and gazed at Rem expectantly.
“I have no need for a female,” Rem said, biting back another growl. His mood darkened further, until he felt his hands curl into fists at his sides. He wanted to punch something, the sudden desire to cause damage rushing through him in a violent red wave. After taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself, lest he launch himself upon the royal leader, Rem met King Vaath’s eyes.
“Your service during recent events was much appreciated,” the king said, obviously referring to the events that had led to his recent rise to power, which had included banishing Vaath’s traitorous father from the Marttiaxoxalian Empire. “To thank you for helping justice prevail, I would like to offer you a human female.”
“Thank you for the offer, but it is not necessary. As I’ve already said, I have no need of a mate.”
The king’s dark eyes narrowed. “Perhaps you misunderstood, Rem. I am ordering you to take a human female as a mate.”
Rem’s entire body tensed. He visualized smashing a fist into the king’s nose repeatedly, until it shattered and left the royal a disfigured, bloody mess. But he kept his fists at his sides, not daring to raise a hand to the king he had vowed to protect. Furthermore, it was Rem’s duty as a royal guard to obey King Vaath’s every command. But while Rem had taken vows to protect and obey the king, he had not imagined the king would order him, or anyone else, to take a human female as a mate.
“Is my order unclear in any way?” King Vaath asked, annoyance threading his words.
“Not at all, my king,” Rem replied.
“Good. A shipment of human females from Zone 15 is expected tomorrow morning. Your mate will be among them. By this evening, someone from Martian Affairs on Earth will send you a message informing you of your mate’s name.”
Rem nodded. “Thank you, King Vaath.” He fought the urge to fidget in front of the royal, but the need to depart this room was making him unusually restless. A human female. His heart pounded violently in his chest. He was being forced to take a human female as his mate. But how could he refuse an order from the king? Fluxx. He couldn’t.
“It is my pleasure.” The king gestured toward the golden double doors. “You may return to your duties now.”
Rem exited the royal receiving chamber, his footsteps echoing against the walls. Once he stepped out into the corridor, he released a low growl as he looked around, as if hoping to glimpse an enemy intruder he could pummel. But the corridor was empty, and even as Rem headed for the palace’s main exit, the only Marttiaxoxalians he ran into were the Wise Ones, the holy men whose spiritual guidance his people depended upon. He couldn’t very well beat a Wise One to a pulp, so he departed the palace and returned to his post at the gates.
The other guards on duty backed away, as if sensing the fury building within him. Rem tried to focus on his duties and proceeded to check the palace’s security system, as well as the protective measures that were in place around the gates. He stood at the security console, his thoughts in turmoil.
Why had King Vaath ordered Rem to take a mate?
Despite the friendly foot tap greeting, Rem did not feel as though the king knew him well. How did the royal justify inserting himself into Rem’s private life?
What private life?
He pushed the stray thought away and stared at the security screens. Memories rushed back, haunting images of the life he had almost embarked upon back on Marttiaxoxalia. Before their females had begun dying off, Rem was betrothed to a beautiful Marttiaxoxalian female called Bethamma. But the female had betrayed him, leaving him for another male.
In the end, Bethamma perished, along with millions of other females, after the Xieandans poisoned the water supplies on Marttiaxoxalia. Thoughts of the female always drew up conflicted feelings within Rem. He had been furious when she broke their betrothal, but even worse than his anger had been the utter humiliation of her refusal to mate with him. And yet, he also harbored sadness in his heart whenever he thought of her. She was gone forever, her life taken by cowardly enemies who had used poison as warfare—a dishonorable method of fighting, in Rem’s opinion.
Many years had passed since the war against the Xieandans. Not long after this war had ended, his people had then gone to war against the humans, in retaliation for the humans’ surprise attack on their first settlement on Mars. Rem had reveled in every battle, fighting with all his might and not caring if he perished in the process. But he had survived the two wars and after the last war had ended, he’d been appointed as a palace guard, one of the highest honors a male in the Brotherhood of Warriors could receive.
Rem was proud to dedicate his life to serving his people, as well as his king, though he still raged at the fact that he’d been ordered—ordered—to take a human female. If King Vaath believed he was rewarding Rem by gifting him with a human woman, he was profoundly mistaken.
Rem had no need for a mate.
After what Bethamma had done to him, how could he possibly trust another female?
He couldn’t, and his heart hardened with each breath. But he would not be made a fool of again, and he resolved that he would keep his mate under control.
“I came to wish you many blessings from the Gods,” came a familiar voice, “upon the occasion of your impending mating union.”
Rem turned as his friend, Jav, approached the security console. Annoyance flared within him, hot and all-consuming, as the tall purple male walked closer. The knowing look in the warrior’s eyes filled Rem with suspicion and he pushed away from the console, coming face to face with his so-called friend.
“You ought to take a mate, Rem. It would be good for you. And taking a human female would help King Vaath’s cause. Many of our males are hesitant to claim a human female as a mate, for they have been too influenced by the lingering propaganda of the anti-Earthers.”