Page 289 of Hunters and Prey

Hearing those words…it reminded Chiara of the stakes. It wasn’t just numbers, percentages, formulas, and tests. These were people just like her. And they were dying. Their entire race was dying out thanks to a disease her people had a hand in.

It was only right her people fix it.

But Chiara didn’t do well with the real life aspect of her work. She was much more at home with numbers and problems to solve than actual patients. It was why she’d gone into the field of research to begin with.

Roman let her pass thankfully and she followed after Alexei, making sure not to rush as she walked. Chiara didn’t want anyone realizing how out of place she was here and how uncomfortable she was by all of this. It wouldn’t do to appear weak in front of strangers. Once she was alone she could panic.

“This room can act as a mess hall,” Alexei told her. “It is one of our larger dining rooms. There is one other in this wing which can be used as a large work space, but I’m afraid most will need to work in the individual rooms.”

She was grateful for the distraction – for the empathy the young prince showed her. Chiara couldn’t imagine what was going through any of the Drakesthai’s minds. The first mate pairing with Draga other than the queen and she acted like a terrified little animal hiding from the galina hunting it.

“Simply send me the rooms and what their current use is for,” Chiara told him, inspecting the dining room that was larger than the hospital in the Royal Eyrie on Hai Delta. “We will make it work.”

Alexei tapped his shreve to hers and Chiara inspected the data transfer. “Let me gather what I need from the both of you before you leave. I’ll send a message to set up meetings with the rest of the royals at another time.”

Already she was considering how she wanted each room set up, who she wanted running which aspects of the study, and the most efficient way to see all the Drakesthai on Anarr. There would no doubt be some traveling required. Not everyone could make it to her location.

“Your point of contact with the servants is in that data pack as well,” Alexei said, holding out his arm.

Another syringe was handed to her and Chiara took a sample of his blood as well. “Excellent, thank you Prince Alexei. Gabe will do your scans. Roman, I will do yours. Follow me.”

Chiara supposed she could have had someone else do the scans, but she didn’t want to look like a coward. And she also needed a bit more time to ensure her response to the mate bond wasn’t a definite ‘no.’ At the moment she simply didn’t have enough information to outright deny the prince.

And she never did anything without thinking it through first. Chiara always weighed the pros and cons. She took her time before making a decision that would no doubt change her life regardless of what she chose. The ramifications of agreeing or denying would have to be considered as well.

“I thought for sure you would foist me upon some underling,” Roman muttered behind her.

Chiara ignored him as she flicked through the information Alexei had given her. Clearly she had not, so there was no need to respond to the jibe.

“This room,” she said, stopping before a mid-sized space that looked like it had been some kind of parlor, or a resting room.

There were books along the shelves, covering three out of four walls. The fourth wall was simply plas-glass, overlooking the city below the floating island that housed the Skye Palace. It let in plenty of natural light which would help her body readjust to a solar cycle as well as soak up the natural vitamins she needed from the sun.

Nothing was currently in there but couches and tables. Clutter, in her opinion. She tapped out a quick message and sent the cast to the servant Alexei had assigned them as well as a copy to Gabe so he knew where to bring her equipment.

“If you don’t mind sitting,” she told Roman, treating him as she would any one of her patients. “My scanner will be here shortly and then we can begin.”

Chiara watched him settle on the couch with no back, made for those with wings. Such oddities had never occurred to her before, but of course it made sense with such large appendages. Still, she eyed the other furniture in the room, being able to rest against something was preferable. Perhaps there was a style of couch and chair for the Drakesthai females that would work. After all, they were born wingless.

“So that’s it? We aren’t going to speak on the matter until nightfall?” Roman asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

She looked up from the cast she’d just sent to the servant requesting a variety of chairs and couches for her people to replace some of the ones in the west wing. Chiara tilted her head and studied the male before her. He was clearly annoyed with her despite the request she’d made to talk about the matter later – to which he had agreed.

Chiara would never understand neuro-typical people.

“I’m not comfortable discussing this in depth at the moment,” she told him carefully, deciding on the deep blue velvet chair. Chiara sat down gingerly and then relaxed when she realized she wasn’t going to sink into it. “But we can have a cursory conversation on the matter until the scanner arrives. What would you like to talk about exactly?”

Roman’s eyes narrowed as he studied her. Some of the irritation seemed to dissipate as he took in her appearance. Chiara knew she was attractive. People had told her so over the cycles. And it seemed to help in this particular situation.

But as she watched him watch her, Chiara knew he was seeing more than what she looked like and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that exactly.

“It means nothing to you that we are mates, does it?” Roman asked. Despite the slightly accusatory words his posture relaxed a bit.

Chiara shrugged. “Obviously not to the same degree that it does to you. I have no emotion attached to the incident other than surprise. I find it fascinating on a biological level though and look forward to studying it more closely. I am also looking forward to seeing the test results between a pair of mates who have not consummated the bond. Before today I didn’t think I would be able to see one.”

Her eyes caught on his wings again. They reminded her of bats in a way. The membrane was leather-like rather than feathery. And the wicked sharp talons at the apex of each wing suggested ‘predator.’ Chiara loved the blackness of it, the slightly shiny sheen of blue that was more scale-like up close than she’d anticipated.

It was so strange to her how such small changes to their genetic makeup – the choices made by the Ancient Humans – had created such differences between their races.

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