The Ilia's Lovers - Chapter Fourteen

After such a lovely night making love to Hadith, having to descend to the lowest floor of the public areas and take a meeting with Quennen Vitari and Adiyan Sinarti was a kick Dahnus didn’t need first thing in the morning.

These floors of the palace had no glass in the windows. They were the public areas, where visitors could come to experience the palace, but were the most recent addition to the palace created by Dahnus’s great, great grandparents. They didn’t want the public to be comfortable, so the seating was hard, the floors weren’t warmed, so they were as cold inside as outside. It was also the only place Dahnus would deal with Quennen Vitari. He hated them being brought into the upper parts of the palace. It also happened to be the closest area of the palace to the public parking area and the exit. Dahnus’s meaning was clear, even to the dense Vitari.

Dahnus entered the room, his guards flanking him broke off, two on the outside of the door, two on the inside.

Vitari wasn’t alone. Surprisingly, he’d brought Adiyan Sinarti with him. Dahnus knew the two were aligned on many issues, but he was under the impression Adiyan disliked Vitari. The two of them bowed, keeping their heads down as Dahnus entered.

‘You may rise,’ he said. Dahnus hated the prostrations and traditions of the past, meant to make small leaders feel more powerful, but changing them would need the agreement of the First Chamber and when Dahnus had tried to remove the tradition in his early, naive years, the First Chamber blocked it.

Foolish people and their foolish ideals. Clinging to the past like it was a life raft rather than the anchor it actually was, sinking him and his people in the sea of the past, instead of allowing them to soar.

It wasn’t that Dahnus hated tradition, just that he saw it for what it was, ordinary people clinging to a glorious past because they thought it made them better than they actually were. He also saw what it could be, connections to the past, reminders of both what made Amara great and the sins it refused to acknowledge. The things that his ancestors tried to forget. The crimes they committed against other races in a blinding arrogance that led them to cause so much harm.

There was a lot about Amara that made Dahnus proud. His heart soared when he saw Corus and the city that had been built. The change of the temple mount from a harmful religion to a seat that aspired to a democratic government even as it veered slightly off the mark. The Botanical moon of Athia, which some people, like Vitari, saw of their conquering glorious past, but Dahnus saw as the ability to set things right. But there were things that shamed him. Spoils of conquering that littered their world like testaments of pain and callous greed. Stealing the achievements of other cultures to glorify themselves.

There was so much work to do. More than he could do in a lifetime. But some day he would have an heir, and he would instil his values into that heir and let them carry those tasks he couldn’t achieve into their future, for the sake of all Amaran souls, past, present, and future.

Even for the sake of Quennen Vitari, though he wouldn’t see it and wouldn’t agree to it.

Not that Dahnus intended on giving Vitari a choice.

The two adalan stood straight once more.

Dahnus sat down and waited while the others joined him, watching Vitari and Adiyan exchanging a glance as they took their seats.

‘Well then, what is the meaning of this meeting Vitari, Sinarti?’

‘We are concerned what it means that we’re giving sanctuary to this human,’ Sinarti said.

‘It means we’re an empathetic species who see a female who is in need of help and have welcomed her to our protective bosoms.’

Neither male missed Dahnus’s dry tone.

Vitari sat forward. ‘I’ve been fielding calls from the Devori since she was revealed demanding her return as their legal property. We should return her.’

‘We should give an abused female to the male family of her abuser, to be further abused, because you don’t know how to screen calls?’

‘That is not what I’m saying. This female is trouble, my Ilan. She brings danger to us all.’

‘From the Devori, who live close to the edge of all known space, at which we are the centre, because we defined that known space? The Devori who are mostly farmers and traders with little military might, against us, a former empire with one of the largest fleets of any race, who have a contract with the Tessans, who have the largest fleet in known space? That’s who we should capitulate too? So that we can protect ourselves and condemn a female to horrors we can’t imagine, going against all our laws? That’s what we should do? To protect ourselves from farmers and traders? Is that what the former Amaran empire has fallen too? Hiding from farmers and traders? There are seventeen nations between us and the Devori who are several thousand light years away. They don’t have a combined fleet big enough to challenge even one of our dozen fleets and I’m not sure most of their ships would even survive the journey from their space to ours. Our merchant navy could obliterate them with their meagre defensive weaponry. What are they going to do, Vitari. Send their ships through the gate system one at a time?’

‘My Ilan, we must discuss—’

‘I will not send a vulnerable female to people who’ve openly expressed their desire to abuse her. I will not speak of this again.’

Vitari sat back, his eyes wide open, stunned at the vehemence in Dahnus’s voice, along with the diamond hard stare he levelled at the adalan.

‘Perhaps a more favourable topic then,’ Vitari said, rallying.

Next to him, Sinarti looked practically rebellious.

‘As you know, my sister has recently graduated from Corus university. It is time for her to consider settling down and I would be grateful—’

‘I absolutely will not speak of this,’ Dahnus cut him short, supressing a sigh, but still feeling it through his body. He was so sick of Vitari constantly trying to get him to take his sister as a lover.

The problem with bonding being dependent on the tasting of essence, intimate essence, was that while he could get a sense of who he thought might be his mate, until he tasted them, he didn’t truly know. There was a possibility that Taia might be his Ilia and that thought made his blood run cold. In the past, some of his ancestors found themselves mated to a female of an enemy family and had to guard against them in their own home. The thought of Hadith and him being subject to a mate who was allied elsewhere, the thought of never being able to truly accept, embrace their mate left Dahnus with a cold coil of dread. Dahnus compared that to sitting on the balcony with Elaine, and the way she’d asked for a blanket. He’d wrapped it around her and watched as she seemed to almost sink into it, enjoying the warmth and comfort it brought. It gave him a small amount of pleasure to provide that for her. He’d thought about it, about her a lot since then. He could see why Hadith was so attracted to her, was feeling that attraction himself, but ultimately, if she wanted to be their lover, it would have to be her who approached them. Usually, Dahnus would leave a potential lover with no doubt as to what he wanted. But there was no way he would do that with Elaine. Her pain and trauma, were still too fresh.

Dahnus sighed, and this time, he let them two adalan see it. He was annoyed with this meeting, with this whole charade.

‘Vitari. If your sister wants to come to my bed, then she needs to approach me. I would not dream of talking to a potential lover of my sisters about them having a relationship. It is up to my sister to decide her lovers. I am nauseated you would even bring this up. Let Taia come to me herself, if that is what she wishes. But actually don't. I have far too much going on right now without having to screen potential lovers. There is a vulnerable human living in my palace who my ministers keep incessantly complaining about, so I have things of far greater import to worry about. Now, is there anything else?’

Vitari looked shocked, his mouth hanging open, his eyes vacillating between staring and blinking rapidly.

‘No, my Ilan,’ Sinarti said, realising Vitari was in too much shock to respond.

Dahnus sprang onto his feet, watching the two adalan jump to stop themselves from insulting him by staying seated.

Okay, there were some things about the pomp and ceremony of being Ilan that made it all worthwhile and moments like this were among them.

‘Then I have actual important things to attend to,’ Dahnus said, leaving the two adalan clear that he felt them coming here and asking was a waste of his time. With that, he turned and swept from the room, hearing his guards fall in around him.

He strode through the palace, guards opening the doors so his stride was unbroken. As he walked, he saw attendants passing. He spoke with them as he passed, calling each by name and asking how they were.

When he saw one of the maids, he stopped.

‘Margolan, how is your mother? Has her leg healed well after her fall?’

Margolan’s eyes opened slightly in shock. She was new to the palace, so still adjusting to how Dahnus interacted with the palace staff.

‘Yes, thank you Ilan for the doctor, and the gifts. The painkillers worked wonderfully, and her leg’s healing well.’

‘Excellent. I’m glad to hear it. If you need anything else, just ask Damsa to bring it to Marstam and I’ll ensure it’s done.’

‘Thank you, my Ilan,’ Margolan bowed her head, her eyes filling gratitude.

Dahnus smiled warmly at her. ‘Have a good day, Margolan.’

‘You too, my Ilan. Thank you, again.’

Dahnus strode off and headed to the upper portions of the palace, speaking to other staff here and there.

As he entered his apartments, his thoughts returned to last night and the dinner he and Hadith shared with Elaine.

It wasn’t just that the human was so easy to look at. With her long blonde hair, she looked almost Amaran. It was the pink and gold tones to her skin that was so obviously alien, that and her size. She was so small compared to them. Her blue eyes were striking, clear and true, light close to her pupil, but graduating to a darker until there was a dark blue ring surrounding each iris. Her face was heart shaped, sat atop a long, graceful neck and when she smiled, it seemed to make her glow, or maybe that was just how it felt to him.

It didn’t matter, until the time Elaine was ready for them, if that ever came, it was his duty to protect her. Her and all vulnerable people in his space.

Dahnus entered his office and strode to his desk. He’d already decided he would spend the rest of the day checking in with his allies.

*****

Corus, the mountains, the lights, the vehicles which flew through the air, were a sight Elaine never seemed to tire of, especially from the Sunset Balcony. It had become her favourite spot in the whole palace; in a palace full of incredible, breath-taking views, this one was the most beautiful.

Behind her, Hadith was talking to one of the servers while the rest of them were packing everything away, leaving only the table and chairs, along with a small trolley with a carafe of some hot drink, cups and some small finger cakes.

When they’d finally gotten everything packed away, and were leaving, Elaine heard Hadith walking up behind her. She turned to watch and smiled at him as he came up beside her, looking out at the view that had captured her attention so completely only a few moments before.

‘This is my favourite view in the palace.’ Hadith’s voice was very quiet.

‘I was just thinking the same thing,’ Elaine said, turning back to the sight of the city, and beyond that, Amara.

‘The first time Dahnus brought me here, we had dinner with his parents out here. I’d never seen a view like this before. It seemed incredible to me already that… that Dahnus had chosen me to be his lover, but then, seeing this, and thinking about living here between terms. Thinking about living here full time when we left the university, it felt like it wasn’t real. Like it couldn’t be real. Even now, every time I remember I live here, it comes with a sensation like I’m outside of my body. Like…’ Hadith shook his head, unable to find the world.

‘On Earth, we call it “Surreal”. It means dreamlike.’

‘Yes. That’s it exactly.’ Hadith smiled down at her before his face softened into something deeper.

For a moment, Elaine could see it in his eyes. Connection. Understanding. Desire. And she felt that. Felt it through her whole body. Could feel it spilling from her like an aura, connecting to the same aura exuding from Hadith.

Then he stepped away. His face shuttering.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t be,’ she answered quickly, trying to cover the sting of rejection with a smile.

‘Can you tell me about your scarification?’ she asked, pointing to the small, curled tapering ends of scars she saw occasionally poking out under his skin.

Hadith looked to his chest, his hand covering one of the scars. For a moment, Elaine thought she had offended him. That in Amaran culture, maybe pointing out these things was considered rude, but then he smiled.

‘Of course.’ His smile widened. ‘I’m adalan, as you know. A sex that is neither male, nor female. We are fundamentally different from either the males or female of our people.’

‘Because your people, adalan, used to be a separate race on this world?’

Elaine had been reading the history books she could, catching up with the history of Amara.

‘Indeed. Our nervous systems are very different from the rest of our people. It means our desires tend towards some things other species might consider extreme. These urges emerge when our sexual awakening occurs. Adalan are taught at adalmis’s to channel these urges in ways we find satisfying.’

‘So, scarification?’

Hadith nodded. “For some.”

‘Did it hurt?’

Again, he nodded.

‘Did you enjoy that?’

Hadith’s head cocked as he thought about it.

‘Enjoy isn’t the word. It provides a relief. I don’t enjoy pain in sex, if that’s what you’re asking, though some adalan do. The things Dahnus does. The way he makes love to me satisfies the urge the scarification satisfied, though in a different, more complete way.’

Elaine nodded her understanding, unable to say anything. Elaine didn’t enjoy pain. Not that Castus ever cared. He enjoyed her being in pain and his enjoyment was what drove him.

But she knew what Hadith meant. Had read it. Some Adalan enjoyed being dominated. Enjoyed the endorphins it released, the head space it left submissives in. On Earth they called it subspace. Elaine had been to subspace more than once with an old boyfriend at the academy.

Elaine realised she was barely breathing; her head was swimming, and her throat felt like there was an obstruction. She took in a deep breath, forcing her body to relax.

This was the first time she’d felt like this since being rescued from Castus.

Hadith was staring at her; his pupils seemed to have swallowed the saturated mauve and aqua of his eyes. He looked from her lips to her eyes and down again, then swallowing he took a step away.

‘I am afraid I must call our evening to an end.’

‘Hadith…?’ Elaine stepped towards him, but he took another step back.

‘Please, enjoy the drinks and desserts. I must leave.’

Elaine watched him go, his guards falling in behind him as he left.