The Bellatian turns and looks down at her, his pupils widening. “I believe I’d remember meeting an Omega like you.”
“No, I mean…” She glances at Ceredes who gives her a slight shake of the head. Somehow, that only emboldens her. “I mean I saw you get your ass handed to you one time by this heartbreaker right here, that’s all.” She links her arm through Ceredes’s as the diplomat looks up at his fellow Bellatian.
The diplomat blinks twice, as if unsure of what he’s seeing. “Oh. It’s you.”
Ceredes smiles his coldest smile. “Good to see you again, Herenidas.”
“Right.” He glances at Lana but decides to cut his losses and steps away into the palace. I suppose he isn’t as foolish as he was the day he challenged Ceredes to a duel.
“That was pretty epic. Not gonna lie.” Lana snickers, but schools her features when I look back at her.
“You’re perfect.” I glance at her lips and wonder how long I have to wait to kiss her.
“Get through this, and these lips are all yours.” She darts her tongue out, and it takes every bit of decorum I had drilled into me for years to make me turn around and continue greeting guests instead of hefting her over my shoulder and carrying her to my chambers where my brothers and I can feast on her.
“I prefer the feast idea, in case you were wondering,” Jeren chimes in.
“You’re a bad influence,” Lana scolds Jeren, then smiles at me. “Get through the line and the speech, and then we can all inspect Kyte’s princely bedroom.”
“A deep inspection,” Ceredes growls.
“I certainly hope so.” Lana blushes but holds my gaze. “I’ve never done it in a palace before.”
That pulls a laugh from me, and though it may be out of place on this day of mourning, it’s exactly what I need to get me through it.
* * *
Addressing the populace assembled in the streets as well as the palace that seems to be bursting with dignitaries from across the galaxies is more nerve-wracking than I ever knew. My mother always made it look so easy, her calm demeanor like a placid mirror that others reflected back at her. She kept herself in check, and because of it, her people did the same.
But what doIdo?
“You lead.” Ceredes’s strength has never faltered, and it doesn’t now. “You can do this, brother.”
I have to believe him, to take that leap of faith and step to the palace railing to deliver my eulogy for the fighter, the diplomat, and the mother that I loved. The crowd quiets, and I glance at the council members to my right, Bartanz standing slightly ahead of his fellow councilors.
“My mother wouldn’t want us to dwell on her passing. She wouldn’t want me to stand here and tell you how much she meant to me. She would tell us to carry on, to fight, to focus on our future, not the past. But, as most of you know, I was always a bit of a rebellious child—”
The crowd laughs, some of the tension easing.
“And so, I’m going to spend some time telling you who she was to me.”
Lana sniffles as the crowd quiets again, only my voice ringing out across the city, the planet, and the fleet. I tell them of my mother’s bravery, her sacrifice, but I also tell them about the times we laughed together, cried together, and simply enjoyed the bond between a mother and son. I tell them about her disappointment when I went to the academy, but how she eventually came to see that I had to forge my own path. They listen raptly, though they break into cheers as I recount her heroics and fierce will to protect her people.
Through it all, my circle strengthens me, giving me the heart I need to pour my feelings into my words and share my grief with others who are hurting. I finish with a story from my childhood about her chasing me around the palace one evening when I took it upon myself to steal a visiting noble’s ornate headdress, plunk it on upside-down, and run around wearing nothing else.
When the laughter subsides, I wipe away a tear and turn to sterner matters.
“She told me many times that she wanted me to take her seat on the council—”
The roar from the streets is deafening, but I hold up my hands until the crowd finally settles.
“I told her that I wasn’t meant for meetings and politics. But she insisted that was to be my future. And I probably would’ve gone along with it if it weren’t for my circle.” I turn and motion Lana and my brothers to join me.
Lana shakes her head, but I reach back, grab her hand, and pull her forward.
“The Pillars call forth a circle in times of great need. We felt that call in our bones the moment all four of us came together. My brothers and I have taken Lana as our Omega, our mate for eternity. Because of this, I will remain Kyte Ellarian, prince of Latrides, and not take a seat on the council.”
An uneasy chatter rises, and I catch a glimpse of Bartanz’s gloating smirk.
