“Was my intent unclear?” I ask.
“Crystal clear, cousin,” he says with his face full of confusion, “but are you sure you suffered no head trauma in the explosion? I could have a medic come from the bridge and just give you the once over.”
“For f’tee’s sake, I’m of sound mind.” I turn to Opal, her dress still in tatters as she looks up at me as though I hold the moon in my hands. “Call a priestess to meet us at the reef hold. We will be wed as soon as possible.”
Raf’ere runs his blocky hand through his slicked-back white hair. “There are other things that might need to be taken care of first, Ke’ain. Things that might take priority over thinking with your cock…”
“Raf’ere listen here you little—”
My anger is cut short by the cargo bay doors swinging open, and several members of the King’s Guard enter in formation, putting their blasters onto their hip holsters as they take a knee before me.
“All hail King Ke’ain!” they shout in unison.
My cousin’s face softens slightly. “Ke’ain, your parents are dead.”
?OPAL
Shit, shit, shit.
I am not the comforting type. When my parents died, I just kind of shut down. It’s as if I couldn’t remember how to be Opal.
“You’re not allowing yourself the proper space to grieve,” my therapist would tell me.
But if I allowed myself the space I needed to truly grieve them, I’m not sure there would have been space left for anything else. I wouldn’t have been able to work, I wouldn’t have been able to go about the stupid day-to-day things that simply needed to get done. I would have been stuck in a perpetual cycle of screaming, crying, and throwing up.
“Ke’ain,” I whisper as I clung to his biceps, “I’m so sorry.”
His arm stiffens as he scrutinizes the kneeling guards. I wonder if it feels the same as when my parents died—or if the burden of being the sole heir of a space kingdom somehow made it worse?
“We need to get you back to the palace right away,” Ref’ere says tenderly.Raf’ere’s is slightly different from Ke’ain in his appearance. He possesses the same grey skin, white hair, and build as my alien. Small iridescent scales are scattered along his cheekbones and jawline. They glint pink and teal depending on the reflection of the light. The scales are beautiful, despite the deep scars that blemish the skin near them.
It must pain him to be gentle. The tone at which he’s speaking is not his usual cadence. We are both bad at comforting, I see.
“I stand by what I said. I want to marry Opal first.” He places a hand over my own, still clasped to his arm.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
When Ke’ain looks at me, his eyes soften. “I only wish I could wed you without thrusting you into the position of queen, Opal. There will be parts of us that always belong to our people. In a way, you must marry them as well.”
I pull my shoulders back and look the alien I’ve come to love in the eyes. “As long as we can stay together, I’d marry every person on this damn planet.”
“The human Opal is my future queen?” Ref’ere’s lips twitch. It’s very obvious he wants to say something that might lead to Ke’ain’s fist meeting his mouth.
“Arrange a priestess to meet us at the palace. Opal will be your queen by the end of the day.”
Ref’ere stares at Ke’ain for a beat, shrugs, and turns back toward the cargo bay doors. “I would recommend letting Gra’eth know ASAP. You’re gonna need some damage control in this situation, whether you want it or not.”
“I’ll handle it. Just do your part.” Ke’ain is stern in his response.
“I am sorry about your parents.”
Ref’ere’s mouth twists into a frown. Kindness once again proves not to be his strong suit. Ke’ain slumps as his cousin attempts his condolences.
“I am too.” Ke’ain says.
“All hail the king,” Raf’ere mutters before making his way through the doors.
* * *
