Mate Dance (7 page)

is for regular students. The school you're taking Trisha to is

for children of royalty and diplomats so she can make

important connections for later in life. It was built many

years before we created the ones for palace children."

"So the kids that play together, stay together?"

"Exactly."

Raven laughed. Royalty were weird. He leaned

forward and kissed Kaemon. He'd learned that the prince

liked the slow brush of their mouths together right before

he stripped Raven naked and pounded him into the closest

flat surface. "Do you think you're going to get lonely while

I'm gone?"

The prince leaned over and brushed his lips across

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Raven's. "My morning will seem like an eternity without

you by my side."

Raven could feel the blush rising on his cheeks at

the prince's words. No one could claim the prince hid his

feelings.

"Are you ready?" The king's voice made Raven

jump. He hadn't realized the other man was in the room.

Shit, he'd almost kissed the prince in front of his father.

Raven wasn't shy, but he drew the line at making out in

front of parents. He'd outgrown that in his teens.

"I'm ready." Raven pulled himself out of Kaemon's

arms, an act that took more effort than it should have.

The king gave him an assessing look. Raven

wondered if the king was trying to determine if he was an

appropriate escort for his granddaughter. He noticed that

Kaemon's father hadn't warmed up to him since Raven

hadn't agreed to stay yet.

They still hadn't found the poisoner. An

investigation exposed that someone had painted the inside

of the coffeepot with poison. As the kitchen wasn't exactly

secure, anyone could've gotten in and done the deed. So far

there weren't any suspects.

"If you're not comfortable taking Trisha, I can send

her with Ms. Starny."

"No!" Raven felt oddly possessive about having

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anyone else take Trisha to school. It was almost as if

finding her had made her at least partly his. "I promised I'd

take her." There. That didn't make him sound like a

nutcase. Besides, if he really was Kaemon's mate, then she

would eventually be considered his daughter too and there

was no way in hell he'd let anyone else take his girl to

school. He wanted to check out this snobby place for

himself.

"I'm ready." Trisha appeared in the doorway

wearing a strange green and gold dress. It had that

schoolgirl uniform look so Raven assumed that was what

she was supposed to wear.

"Give Raven a minute and he'll join you outside,"

Kaemon said.

The king put an arm around the girl. "Come, I'll

walk you to the hoverlimo. Raven will be with you in a

minute."

Raven didn't waste any time. He went to his tiptoes

and pressed a soft kiss to Kaemon's forehead. "You'll have

to wait for more."

"You're a cruel man, my love, a very cruel man."

Raven laughed as he walked out the door.

Stepping outside the castle, he slid into the vehicle,

giving a nod to the driver who opened his door.

"Take good care of her," the king said.

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Raven gave him a wave. If he stayed to reassure the

king, they would definitely be late.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Trisha looked

at him with anxious eyes.

"I'm fine. I was fine a day after my poisoning."

Apparently his bout with poison had been more traumatic

for her than for him. She'd probably had horrible visions of

losing one more person in her life. Despite his many

assurances, she still watched him with a wary expression as

if she expected him to drop dead at any minute.

He needed to give her something else to focus on.

"What do you like best about school?" He hoped she liked

school. If not, this would be the shortest conversation ever.

"I like dancing and drawing the most," Trisha said,

drawing Raven's attention back to the discussion at hand.

That explained why she'd gone to watch him dance.

"Are you any good?"

Trisha sat up straight and beamed him a smile. "I've

won three medals for my drawing, and I always do well in

dance class."

"Well, I'm sure they have a good program," Raven

assured her. "You grandfather said it was the best school in

the kingdom."

"I guess." Trisha shrugged.

Raven awkwardly patted her arm. "It's hard being

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the new kid, but I'm sure you'll make friends right away."

"It's not that." Trisha looked out the window.

"Then what is it? Is it your grandmother?"

She shook her head. "Grandmother didn't really

want me. She just kept me for the money. I heard her

telling a friend once that I was worth a fortune, but only if I

was alive."

Raven frowned. "But she took the time to take you

to the ballet. Did she do stuff like that often?"

"Sometimes," Trisha said, a frown crinkling her

smooth brow.

Raven patted her leg. "Then no matter what you

think you heard, I'm sure she cared for you. She just might

not have been good at expressing it. Some people find it

hard to say how they feel."

"Maybe." Trisha didn't look convinced, and Raven

didn't push it. After all, the woman was dead, and there was

no good in talking poorly about someone he'd never met.

Not to mention Trisha had loved her nana, even if she

didn't think the woman loved her back.

They sat in silence for a moment before Trisha

asked in the smallest voice he'd ever heard, "Do you think

the prince really wants me?"

Raven resisted the urge to answer right away and

gave the question the attention it deserved. "I think your

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father never thought about having children, but now that he

knows about you, he's happy you're a part of his life. It will

take a while for you to get to know each other, but I think

once you get more comfortable together, you'll find he

loves you very much. And your grandfather is extremely

excited you are here."

"It's because dad likes men."

Raven choked on a surprised laugh. "Yes, it is

because your father likes men. The king didn't think he'd

get the joy of having a grandchild so he's very happy to

have you."

Trisha looked at him through her lashes. "I can tell

that my father likes you."

"Maybe." It was Raven's turn to avoid her gaze. "I

have some work obligations, but I'd like to get to know

everyone a bit better." Raven cleared his throat. "Your

father thinks I'm his mate."

"What's a mate?"

"It's like a husband. It means I will be his partner in

life."

"So you'd stay with us?"

Raven nodded.

The smile she gave him shamed the sun.

"We're here," the driver announced, pulling up in

front of a stone building.

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Both Raven and Trisha took a deep breath together

and then laughed at their actions.

"Are you nervous, too?" Trisha asked.

Raven shrugged. "I've never been responsible for

someone before. What if I mess it up?"

Trisha patted his hand. "All you have to do is sign

some papers and then you get to leave."

"That's true." Raven perked up, though he doubted

signing papers was necessary. He was certain the king had

already taken care of that before they arrived.

After following the signs to the headmaster's office,

they were ushered into an elegant room by a harried

looking woman who gave them a shaky smile before

rushing back out.

"Good morning." A tall man with gray hair and a

genial smile stepped forward to shake Raven's hand. "I'm

Headmaster Franklin. His Highness told me to expect you

both. You must be Trisha."

He gave Trisha a bright smile, but something about

the way he looked at her gave Raven the creeps. His eyes

had a sheen of lust in them that made Raven's stomach

twist. Warning bells rang so loudly in his head he almost

got a headache.

Raven rarely doubted his instincts. He didn't trust

the man, but surely the king wouldn't send his

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granddaughter to a complete sleaze.

Still, he didn't want to leave Trisha at the school in

this man's clutches.

"Please have a seat." The headmaster indicated two

intricately carved wooden chairs placed precisely on the

other side of the desk.

Pulling out a stack of papers, he slid them across the

desk. "Now if you could look these over, they explain

everything about our school." He gave a pompous laugh.

"Not that you need to review them. After all, the king has

already chosen us, but he's requested I answer any

questions you might have."

Raven shot a look at Trisha and saw a worried

expression in her eyes.

He pretended to examine the papers, trying to buy

time. "What kind of arts program do you have here?"

Franklin gave another laugh. Raven was really

starting to hate his laughs. They sent chills down his back.

There was no real reason to dislike the man so intensely,

but Raven's instincts screamed at him not to leave Trisha

behind when he left the building.

"We don't have any arts programs. Our students

have more important things to do than waste time drawing

and dancing about. They are going to be prominent citizens

and need to focus on learning the laws and customs of

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foreign countries."

Raven stared at the man, so appalled he didn't know

what to say.

"You don't have an arts program?" Trisha asked.

Raven could hear she was close to tears.

"Not a one," the headmaster answered cheerfully.

Raven stood up. "Come, Trisha, we're leaving."

"What? You can't do that." For the first time, the

headmaster lost his smile.

"Trust me, I can. If you think the leaders of

tomorrow don't need to be creative and know about the arts,

then this isn't the school for Trisha."

"The king will hear about this," the headmaster

threatened.

"Oh, trust me, he will," Raven promised. "I'll be

sure to share with him my opinion of this school."

Turning on his heel, Raven hooked a hand on

Trisha's arm and rushed her from the room.

"Where are we going?" Trisha asked.

"I don't know, but you aren't staying here."

"Yeah, that guy gave me the creeps."

Raven turned to her as they left the building. "You

too, huh?"

She nodded.

"Raven!"

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"Raven!"

An influx of reporters swarmed the stairs. He had to

admire their ability to get past the school gates. It only

proved that this wasn't the school for Trisha.

He put a protective arm around the girl, even though

the reporters were keeping a respectful distance. It didn't

take long before something like this could get out of hand,

and he didn't want Trisha frightened. Scanning the crowd,

he pointed to one of the few reporters he recognized.

"Gena?"

"Is she the prince's daughter?"

"Yes." There was no point in denying it. They

wouldn't be there if someone hadn't already tipped them

off.

"Why is she leaving? I heard you were registering

her."

He resisted the urge to ask where she'd heard that,

but it could've been anyone on the staff. A school of this

caliber should have better protection for its students.

"I refuse to register her at a school that has no arts

program. Exposure to the arts is what feeds the soul of

society," Raven said, warming up to one of his favorite

issues. He'd spent a great deal of time and money bringing

arts programs to lesser developed planets and poor areas

throughout the galaxy. To find such backward thinking at a

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top school was unforgiveable from his point of view.

"There is no way Trisha is going to attend a school that not

only doesn't feel that arts are important but spurns them.

The leaders of tomorrow need to be well-rounded

individuals who appreciate all facets of the human spirit,

not just contract negotiations and war room rules. To

understand a civilization is to understand their people's

soul."

"So where will she be going?"

"I'll be making some phone calls."

"Won't Prince Kaemon object to your removing her

from the school?"

When Raven hesitated to answer, Trisha piped up.

"Raven is my father's mate. My father put him in charge of