Page 32 of Regal Rising

The woman whispered, “My name is Vega.”

Kay leaned back, and the blue features with glowing eyes made her look just like her father. Swaths of midnight hair with stars in the locks hung to her ankles, and the simple black dress ended above her toes. “You didn’t hatch.”

“I did. Took a few hundred years. I hatched four hundred years ago and learned the world.” Vega smiled. “You moved in the world like a shadow, but I found you and helped when I could.”

“You didn’t find a mate?”

“Nope. Lived free and single.”

Vaayu snapped, “Come here, girl.”

Kay whispered, “He means you. That’s your father.”

Vega turned to him and walked toward him. As she approached, Kay saw his eyes widen in shock. There was a surge of magic, and he gasped.

Kay looked and saw the markings that were all over Vega. They were the markings of the highborn djinn women who were at court. The difference here was that instead of them being the glittering white of Vemel’s mate Asel, these were gold and dimensional.

Vega looked at her hands and flexed the digits covered with the gold designs and the two vambraces that were etched in patterns.

Vaayu said softly, “You wield a sword?”

“Sword, spell, rock, cupcake. Whatever it takes.” She remained looking straight at him. No bowing, no genuflecting.

He smiled. “You know you can’t stay here, right?”

“Yes. I gathered as much.”

“You are the sole daughter to the empress, so far. You will be educated and used in a political marriage.”

Vega blinked. “That is rather bold. Don’t I have options?”

Vaayu nodded. “I will give you a choice out of five once you complete your training.”

Vega shrugged. “Whatever. I can use a change of scenery, but Kay is going to need to explain things to your descendants. She has begun the explanation with the archive, but the elves can’t explain it to everyone, so it needs a larger audience to explain how these betas transform into omegas and how the omegas grow far above species standard.” She smiled. “You have tall genetics.”

He looked at her and blinked. “How can this be accomplished?”

She looked at Kay and grinned. “Ford? He can get the word out.”

Regis was there and said, “I will send the invitation out. Um, Your Majesty, can you remain for one day? We have plenty of room here.”

“Yes. We will stay for a day.”

Ira said, “Do I get to skip school?”

Regis sighed. “For a day.”

Elaheh appeared and looked around. “Where did you go?”

Regis smiled. “Back home for family privacy. When did you learn to do that?”

“Uh, just now.” She looked at the djinn guards and said, “I am going to go to my room. I think that’s safest.”

She crossed the lawn a few feet, and Vaayu said, “Stop.”

Elaheh whirled and said, “What?”

“Come back here.”

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