Page 51 of Starborn Husbands
I sigh, bringing him closer and pushing tendrils of hair out of his eyes. I rub brassy knuckles against his cheek. “You know I can’t sit here on my ass.”
He nods. “I know.”
“I keep my hood on, we saunter in like any other day.” It’s not out of the ordinary for an escort to accompany the crown prince. The king is supposed to have one but often shirks his guard, to Father’s dismay. For some things, the king lacks common sense, and then Father’s left to track the guy down himself and give him what for.
I swear, the man wants Father’s attention.
We’ve been staying in a little house in the middle of the forest. The occupants are on an enlightenment journey and are not set to return for decades. There are houses like this all over the forest. It’s common. It’s also common for couples to embark on enlightenment journeys together. Their souls are entangled.
Gem’s still chewing his lip.
“Go’on and say it, Gem.”
“I know you like to barge in but let me conceal you. Technically, everyone will still see you.”
I do like to barge in, but I guess it couldn’t hurt to let him do that if it’ll wipe the pain off his face. “Sure, baby.”
He glows. Much better.
* * *
I get to hold Gem’s hand during our trek through the forest, but as soon as we hit the outer rim of the city, I have to force myself to let go. Different rules apply for the crown Centaurus prince. He can’t be seen doing anything intimate with anyone, especially an Orion grunt like me. I hate not touching him. At least I’ve got my rifle.
On a regular day, the Guild is busy, filled with many stars coming and going. The doors only close when there’s a trial or a judgment, the rest of the time they’re wide open to the public. Guardians mill about, but they’re mostly responsible for keeping people away from the God fountain, and out of hallways they shouldn’t be in.
I keep my head down, rifle resting behind my head and across the top ridge of my shoulder blades. Everyone gives us a wide berth, offering their prince polite bows from afar.
And that’s where they’ll stay—far away from him.
Gem’s tuned into my vibration, helping give off a slightly different one. They won’t see me “Atlanta”, they’ll see Phoenix, my younger brother. It helps that we look somewhat alike and feel similarly. Every star has a unique feel, that feel is determined by vibration.
For those that know us too well, it’ll be harder to fool, so long as we don’t bump into anyone Phenix knows, we’ll be fine. Phoenix is supposed to be on Earth.
We get deep into the bowels of the temple, where some of the ancient libraries are housed, and then we continue down to the Forum, the Guild’s laboratory. Less people hang around these parts, only those with authorization will be found meandering about. Gem is the crown prince, he’s authorized everywhere.
“Showtime, baby.” I look around. No one. I give him a quick and dangerous peck on the cheek.
He smiles in a slightly chastising way. “I can’t concentrate when you do that,Phoenix,” he whispers.
Am I living on the edge? Yeah. But I only take calculated risks, or desperate ones, depending on the situation. We’re fine.
“I’m on my own from here anyway. I’ll see you at the meetup.” I wink, ducking around the corner.
Gem uses his clearance to open the door to the Forum. His softer expression fades away, chiseling into the austere one he wears for business. Treyu and I call it his prince mask. “I saw someone in here who shouldn’t be,” he says to the person at the door. “I’ll need every available hand.”
“Right away, Your Highness.”
That’ll set off a wild goose chase. The Guild’s catacombs are so large and convoluted, Gem could have them searching for days if he wanted to. Once they file out, I slip inside, doing a quick check to make sure everyone’s gone.
The room has high ceilings. In the center are large fluid-filled cylinders. Multiple stations file down either side of the cylinders. The place uses a combination of starlight and low blue lights, making it so fucking eerie, I don’t know how anyone can stand working in here for more than an hour.
Ifthere’s a body—which is a big if—it’ll be kept here until after the wedding, and then it will be disposed of. It won’t be hard to find either. This isn’t a common occurrence. It’ll be in one of the cylinders. I stroll down the center aisle. Built into the walls are stairs that lead to doors. I’ve never figured out where those go. Never thought to ask either. Whenever I came here, it was to view evidence, and I was always hellbent on getting the information as quickly as possible, so I could get out in the field. Once upon a time, I had clearance too.
A few of the cylinders are occupied, but none of them have human children in them. I check them all a second time. Nada. Guess that solves that. If it’s the Guild conspiracy we think it is, I wouldn’t expect there to be a body. Why would they need one? Evidence for trials is shown secondhand. All they’d need is a virtual file for viewing. That’s easy enough for any member to fudge.
With no body to re-examine, that’s not good news for my brother. He’ll have to go through with the wedding, but it’ll give him some peace of mind—no child died on his watch. If there was, that would eat him up more than anything.
“Hello, can I help you?”
