WrappedInThought (7 page)

Aliiva didn’t follow her logic, but she followed
Baengar Lekkal, Combat Master of the Oefric Enclave of Raxos
into the palace.

The queen took them past the guards, the court and those vying for the throne. “My husband is here. You may touch him if it helps your readings.”

Aliiva smiled, nodded to Finder and knelt at the side of the ailing king. Before she touched him, she did a reading of the queen’s contact points. The queen was in love with her occasionally abusive husband and thought him a good king if a mediocre spouse. Aliiva pushed aside all other thoughts and cleared her mind to take the king’s hand.

The hand was cool, dry and did not belong to the king. Aliiva gestured to Finder and whispered in her ear.

“Are you sure?”

Aliiva simply blinked.

“Fine, I will look.”

Aliiva stood back and watched the Guardsman go to work.

The queen fidgeted and stared as Finder stood still and opened her senses. Ali felt a prickle along her skin while Frost and Baengar were on full alert. Both men bristled with tension and a need for action.

Ali could not tell Baen what was going on, though his eyes were clearly curious. The man in the bed was a close match to the king who had been altered to make him the body in the bed. Durkinar Halos was the dying man and the folk who had captured the king had produced him as a substitute.

Knowing that Finder was hard at work, Ali shifted so that she could speak to the queen quietly.

“Your Majesty, when was the king last seen up and around before he was found?”

The queen blushed. “He was brought back from the town like this. His guards and two nobles were with him.”

Ali ran through the thoughts still in her mind and quickly moved to speak to Finder. “Can you check the village brothels? He was at a house with a scarlet and black door. That is where he had his seizure.”

Finder nodded and started to walk toward the entrance, Frost in tow. Aliiva and Baengar followed.

Baen asked her, “What are we looking for?”

“A brothel with a scarlet door. What the queen has not mentioned to anyone outside her circle is that her husband was brought back from a regular brothel visit in the coma. Two nobles and his regular guards were with him, carrying him back to the palace.”

“So the switch occurred at the brothel?”

“That is my guess.”

Finder took them directly to it and the door opened easily when the eyes on the other side beheld Frost and Baengar through the slot in the wood.

They entered in a rush, Finder leading the way. Frost broke down the door Finder pointed to and he and Baengar enjoyed subduing the men inside. With a bit of grim enjoyment, Ali took care of the women who tried to defend their subversive revenue stream.

Finally getting to use the combat skills that Baen had drummed into her was perversely satisfying. She kicked, struck and knocked down several of the women. Three tripped over their own skirts trying to run away and it brought back Baen’s admonition to never let anything foul her ability to run or fight.

Baen lifted the king in his arms and paused next to her. “Can you confirm this one?”

She touched the man’s hand and examined the trace. “He isn’t a nice fellow to be in bed with, but he’s the king. Let’s get him home.”

Finder led the way and Frost barricaded all the exits from the exterior to ensure that the authorities would have plenty of folk to blame.

It was time to catch the ring leaders and get the king back onto his throne.

He came out of sedation quickly. The earls were arrested and their little quartet had to provide some answers. The queen stood at her husband’s side with the glow of relief in her eyes.

“What about my body double, what part did he have in this?” The king’s voice was weak, but firm.

Ali had to step forward and she bowed. “He was chosen because of his resemblance to you. He is unaware of anything that has occurred and if you would be so generous as to simply have his features altered and have him told that he was in an accident and this is his new face, I am sure that his wife and three children would be grateful to have him back.”

“How do you know this? He could not have told you. He was in a coma.”

She smiled slightly. “The same way I knew that he was not you. It is my talent, Your Majesty.”

“You also identified me at the scene, did you not?”

“I did, Your Majesty.”

“How do you know that I am me and not another duplicate?”

This was tricky. “How frank may I be, Your Majesty?”

A gleam came to his eyes. “How frank do you need to be?”

“I read the queen when I first arrived. Your memories and hers coincided on several points. Is that enough?”

He took his wife’s hand and pressed a kiss to it. “It is enough. You are to receive the iridium star and our thanks for your help in getting me back where I belong.”

She smiled and bowed. “It was our pleasure to be of service. Thank you and I wish you a speedy recovery to full health. Good afternoon, Your Majesty.”

What she was doing was the height of rudeness, but she wanted to get away from him. Finder and Frost looked at her in shock, but Baengar moved to wrap one arm around her waist. Just that small gesture made her breathe easier.

The king looked them over for an endless moment before he inclined his head. “You are dismissed with my thanks.”

They bowed and backed three paces before turning and walking back through the endless halls filled with nobles, doctors, reporters and the members of the public who wished to see their king alive and almost well.

Outside where no one was paying attention, Baengar asked her. “Why were you sure?”

“The king likes to beat his lovers and at least three of the girls had memories of taking hits from him over a week ago when he was found in a coma. They were used to distract him while they got his men to take the duplicate away. Once the brothel was clear of his guards, they sedated him with a drug in his wine and kept him under with intravenous medications from that point.”

He wrapped his arm around her waist and gave her a squeeze. “I am sorry that you had to read a man like that.”

“He wasn’t that bad. His sexual habits are horrid, but he is a good king. His people are well fed and most of his nobles respect him. He’s basically a good guy, just a lousy lover.” Ali climbed up to Finder’s shuttle and gave her a quick hug while Baengar opened the hatch so they could return to the Howler.

She dropped through the hatch with relief, landing in Baen’s arms.

He rumbled in her ear. “Hello, sweetie.”

She chuckled. “Home again, please.”

He laughed. “I have a small detour planned. It will be fun, or at least interesting, I promise.”

She sighed as he put her on her feet. “Well, if you promise…detour away.”

Chapter Twelve

Raxos was a newly colonized world with dozens of species settling in for the generational experience. Their little shuttle snuggled into a berth at the spaceport and Ali walked with Baen to the terminal where a man who bore a startling resemblance to her companion rushed toward him.

“Baengar! How have you been little brother?” The man hugged her companion and then looked over to her. “You must be his fiancée, Aliiva. Welcome to Raxos and welcome to the Lekkal family.”

She blinked as she was wrapped in a hug and twirled off her feet. “Hello. You are his brother?”

“Vornar Lekkal. Pleased to meet such a lovely creature as yourself. The enclave is excited to host another wedding as well as the emissaries from Caneer.”

She looked over to Baengar in shock. “Caneer?”

Vornar laughed. “You are surprising your bride with a wedding? You have some balls, brother.”

“Unhand my fiancée, Vornar, or you will end up with swollen balls.” The growl was unmistakable.

Aliiva stalked over to her friend and would-be lover. “You are throwing me a surprise wedding? You have invited my family here and didn’t tell me?”

He backed away as she stalked toward him.

Her face broke out in a smile, “You are the sweetest thing.” She jumped into his arms and kissed him with a passion that had him growling and threading his hand through her hair to hold her mouth to his.

A low growl of admiration came from behind her and she blushed furiously as she released Baengar and slid down his body to stand on the floor once again.

Vornar laughed. “Come along, love birds, you have the families to meet before your rehearsal. Alpha Mathijen has been waiting at the enclave and his wife is driving him nuts.”

Baengar snickered. “He was the one who had the bad judgement to fall for a Terran. Everyone knows that they are a little high strung.”

Ali found this information fascinating. “Finder is a Terran.”

“And Frost is a patient man. The two go together.” He threaded his fingers through hers as they took up a position in a covered skimmer and Vornar acted as pilot while Baen worked as tour guide, pointing out the sights and the new construction.

She smiled at his enthusiasm and she knew exactly what he was going through. Caneer was a multiple-race planet with everyone melding together into a race that didn’t match any of its parent species. Raxos was aiming for the same type of blending and it was amazing to see how life on Caneer must have appeared at the start.

Baengar vibrated with excitement as they climbed through the mountains and when the enclave came into view, she thought that he would explode.

His blue eyes glowed as he met her gaze. “Aliiva, welcome to my home world.”

Seeing her own family blotted out her excitement for meeting the Lekkal clan. Her mother and father hugged her tightly, her sisters looked at Baengar with speculative eyes and her brothers eyed the Oefric women with more than a casual eye.

Her mother bundled her away to meet Gwen Mathijen, Matchmaker of Raxos.

Gwen had a toddler at one side and was obviously pregnant with her second. “Aliiva, welcome to Raxos. I hear that this wedding is a little unexpected.”

Ali smiled. “I was anticipating
a
wedding but not one in this short a time.”

Gwen stared at her for a moment and smiled. “You and Baengar are a good match. Nice and solid.”

“You can tell that this quickly?” Ali grinned.

“Just like you could tell the same thing the moment that you met him. Just like he knew the moment he met you. For some Oefric, it is easier than others. They spend their lives analyzing anyone from the opposite sex, waiting for that zing of recognition.”

Ali laughed. “So, Madam Matchmaker, what is in store for me tonight and tomorrow.”

Gwen leaned forward, her little girl watching everything with wide blue eyes. “Tonight, you will be walked through the ceremony. It involves tea, vows and a lot of meditation. Then, there is a reception and a wild party while you release some silver butterflies that will fly to the next woman to be wed.”

“Will you be there with my family? It would be nice to have another Terran nearby when I take this leap of faith.”

“Another Terran? You have met another one of us?”

“Two technically, though I think I should stick to their code names. Finder and Past Tense. They are posted on Teklan and are doing a lovely job as Guardsmen.” She smiled brightly.

“Then, I would be honoured to be considered part of your family for the sake of the wedding. Now, let’s get you and your family to the tailor and dressmakers. They have roughed out the clothes but need to do some final fits.”

Just like that, Gwen took her in hand and steered her from one appointment to the other.

She was able to sit next to Baen at the rehearsal as they walked through the ceremony for the next day. A crowd of people kept them apart during the dinner and Ali was so desperate for the smallest touch that she had to close her eyes to keep from breaking into tears.

Suddenly, all the time that she had kept him at bay seemed stupid.

When the groom’s family went outside for feats of strength and shifting, she watched Baengar with a wistful hunger. She wanted him on her, over her and in her and she would have to wait until the next night to get what she wanted.

The gown was a dreamy confection of floating panels and glowing silks. Every eye was on her as her family escorted her to the dais and then took their seats. Baengar was all she could see as he took his position beside her and they went through the rituals of an Oefric wedding.

The meditation segment of the ceremony was long, but when they stood again, they spoke their vows and then kissed to a cheering audience of shifters and aliens.

They held hands and kissed frequently as they fed each other from a single plate at the reception. They cheered on the feats of strength offered up by young males and young shifters alike.

When she opened the butterflies, they focussed on an Oefric woman who had been dancing with Ali’s brother. The two both had a dazed expression on their faces and she senses another wedding on Raxos for him.

Her mother had whispered that the Oefric enclave had offered them farmland three times the size of the parcel on Caneer, if they wanted it. Her parents were sincerely considering it.

All thoughts of her family fled as Baengar lifted her into his arms and straddled a skimmer to take them to his home on Raxos.

She admired the house briefly, but she was so busy kissing and gnawing gently at his neck that it slipped her memory. He carried her over the threshold and up the stairs, bouncing her lightly on the bed while he struggled out of his formal wear.

“So, this was your whole plan? Get me here and wed me, then have your wicked way with me?”

“It was a basic plan, but once I knew how your talent worked, it was a lot easier to manage.”

She watched each inch of skin as he exposed it to her as quickly as he could. She sat up and started unlacing her gown.

“Don’t you dare. Stripping his bride is one of the only perks to a groom’s wedding day.” He smiled and moved toward her, nothing on his skin but the scars she had noted before.

She sat up and let him unlace the gown. The slow slide of the silk over her breasts preceded his mouth caressing her skin.