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simply because Taio didn’t like his little sister’s
intended bond mate? His people would grow to resent him.
    Many couples across the galaxy wed for reasons other than
love, and many races practiced arranged marriages. Why should people die
because of her?
    Then there was the Galactic Council. Taio was a member and
had held his seat for over fifteen cycles. It was his responsibility to be a
pillar of the community and lead by example, which he had done for so long now.
    He’d dedicated most of his life to improving the welfare of
their species. When Olo hadn’t bothered to research the reason for their low
birthing rates, Taio had sought out scientists to help solve the problem. When
Olo had opened his mining company on Drazlan and “employed” his subjects without
pay, Taio had opened Sonis to anyone who wanted to get away from King Xochis’
rule.
    Saia understood her brother was upset over her
circumstances, but she couldn’t let his emotions cloud what was best for the
overall good of their species.
    What she really wanted was for Ranuit Pi to break the
bonding contact himself. That would legally be the only way out of it. But it
was unlikely. Ranuit Pi had too much to gain from the deal.
    Saia had even thought to run away for real, somewhere other
than Sonis, somewhere outside their planetary system, a place where Olo would
never reach her. But that was also unlikely.
    Her father was King Olo Xochis, the ruler and commander of
the famous Drazlan royal guards. No one would harbor her. What did she have to
offer someone in exchange? She didn’t have any credits to her name to pay for
passage or even to feed herself. Besides, Sonis was the farthest the
transporter would take her without first getting clearance from Olo.
    She visited her brother whenever she could. And with the
birth of Taio and Eva’s son Josanis, coupled with her father’s abuse, she and
Fainia traveled to Sonis often. It wasn’t the grand escape she wished for, but
at least it would give them a short reprieve from Olo.
    After exiting the transporter, the palace healing tank would
be their first stop. While Saia’s injuries were minor in comparison, her mother
would require extensive care. Taio could never see them in this condition. The
last thing she wanted to do was have him readying his warriors for an invasion.
    “No, it’s not quite time for the party, Mother. We had to
come a little earlier. Do you remember now?” Saia watched Fainia with worry.
    “Yes, unfortunately,” Fainia said.
    Saia sighed. “It’ll all work out. Taio will speak with
Ranuit Pi and after he’s done with him, I’m sure my mate will treat me like a
queen.”
    “I know,” Fainia said. “I’ll be sad to see you go, but at
least you’ll get away from your father for good.”
    “King Xochis,” Saia corrected.
    Fainia looked at Saia with sadness in her eyes. “I’m so sorry
that your fath— King Xochis does not treat you as he should.”
    “Don’t be sorry. The fault lies with him. I came to that
conclusion a long time ago.”
    Fainia nodded. “I wonder if Olo will do his best to publicly
humiliate me at your party. I wish we could skip this farce of a gathering.”
    “We have to go through with it. It’s the only way Taio can
speak to Ranuit Pi without Olo knowing. King Xochis would never allow it
otherwise.”
    “I understand,” Fainia said. “I just dread going to the
party. And I used to enjoy grand affairs.”
    Before Olo had begun to publicly humiliate them by allowing
his mistresses to attend the events. It had been easy enough to ignore the
presence of one mistress, but when that number grew to five or so, walking
around in family heirlooms, she and Fainia had stopped attending palace
gathering altogether.
    She gave her mother’s hand a soft squeeze. “I know, but
we’ll get through it. We’ll ignore him as we’ve learned to do. Eva said the
guest list is large, we’ll be too busy entertaining to be worried about King
Xochis and