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Niemna wasn’t divided into smaller regions by vast oceans. Elyrdin was the central hub for all intelligent life, from what I understood. I could see how they’d figure out a system that allowed one government to rule it, especially when Elyrdin was nowhere near the size of Earth.
I doubted it’d work if Elyrdin were larger.
It barely worked now, with Cornaith ensuring everything happened his way instead of through council vote or consideration of the Elyrdin people’s desires. But if the people didn’t know, they couldn’t protest it.
Though I wondered if Cornaith would do anything to hurt the Elyrdin people. So far, it looked like he cherished them in his own way. The guys told me everyone was happy and thriving. They just had a control freak for a leader who I didn’t doubt would cause problems if their interests interfered with his bottom line.
“There’s never been any issues?”
She pushed through the curtain and led me into an area filled with adult-novelty items. Toys, games, books, clothing, and other play items like you’d find in any sex shop. I wasn’t surprised. The guys didn’t seem much different from human men if they weren’t in their alternate forms.
What in the world were we doing here? Wasn’t she looking for a gift for Jax?
“Sometimes.” She crouched in front of a wall of packaged dildos of various shapes and sizes. “There’ve been times when those in charge in the other cities step out of line and do their own thing, or whenever the larger noble clans want something that doesn’t align with the council’s decisions.”
“Why not let each town run itself?”
“I mean, they do, but they have to follow whatever rules are given to them.”
“That’s not exactly running it themselves.”
“There’s a lot you don’t understand about the council and the central leader. Cornaith is… different.”
I frowned.
Little did she know, I understood a lot, but I couldn’t reveal how much I knew about the unsavory conduct going on behind the scenes. It surprised me to hear Kavina knew anything about it. The way Amra and the guys talked about it, that knowledge didn’t extend beyond the core council, their personal attendants, and the princes.
She picked up a packaged dildo with silicone knobs along its length, giving it an otherworldly appearance. It reminded me of a tentacle shaft but with a standard humanoid cockhead.
I finally asked what I’d been itching to know since we entered the back of the store. I was so over talking about politics. “What are we doing here?”
She glanced up at me. “Jax needs a birthday gift.”
“And you think he’d want a dildo?”
“Nope,” she said, popping the P.
“Call me crazy, but shouldn’t we be looking at other stuff if he wouldn’t want a dildo?”
“You’re crazy.” She stood and laughed at whatever expression I wore. “Hey, you told me to say it. But nah, I’m not actually here to get him a real gift.”
“So, let’s pretend I’m not a mind reader and clue me in.”
“You’re funny,” she said, stepping around me with the tentacle dildo still in hand and heading for the shelf covered in various lubes. “It’s a gag gift, Rae. We always try to do something crazy to each other for our birthdays. We’ve been doing it since we were kids and just… never stopped.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta ask. Do y’all live together?”
She picked up a bottle of lube from the scented section, but I couldn’t make out what kind. “No. We’re neighbors.”
“Ah. So that’s why y’all always show up and leave together.”
“Yeah. Jax, Xael, and Van live together in Van’s parents’ old house. I inherited my parents’ house when they died on a mission, so we’ve been around each other since childhood.”
“What happened to Van’s parents? What about Jax and Xael?”
Kavina looked down as we joined the checkout line. “Van’s parents were with mine when their mission went wrong. Jax and Xael’s dad was there too. No one survived.” She swallowed. “Losing her Nyrith sent their mom into a cardiac episode that she never recovered from. They lost her a week later.”
“Holy shit. I’m so sorry to hear that.”
