Page 40 of Ahelno
“Andie, who is this?” Miravel asked as we approached her jewelry stand. I introduced Leo to her, and she inspected himclosely. “You are both Lumanelas?” she asked, “But he is so brown! Is that usual?”
I laughed. “We are both human. Leo is from a different…tribe. Humans come in a variety of colors,” I explained.
“That is strange. It is a striking contrast,” she said.
“Ptexari males all have different colored crests,” I pointed out.
“I suppose that is true. We all have the same skin tone, however.”
“My skin tone is an evolutionary adaptation to sun exposure,” Leo explained. “My people grew up in a climate with many hours of sun exposure per day, so our skin has a substance called melanin in it that darkens our skin and protects us from sunburn. Andie’s people descend from northern climates with less sun exposure, so their skin does not contain this coloring. That means her skin is more likely to burn from ultraviolet rays.”
“Yes, I have seen her skin change to pink or red when she has been in the sun too long. You do not change color?” she asked.
“My skin may get a bit darker brown, but it doesn’t turn pink or red, and it would take a lot more sun exposure for my burn to turn painful,” he replied patiently.
“That is good,” Miravel declared. “Andie, you should darken your skin like Leo’s so you do not burn.”
“Ah, sadly I can’t change color at will. It’s a good idea, though.” Leo and I both had a good laugh.
Leo looked at a few of the bracelets and selected two for his partners. “The color of these stones is very unusual,” he said. “I think they will like these.”
“Good choice,” I said, smiling. He seemed to be havinga good time, and I was glad. We went to a few more shops, and Leo picked out a few more souvenirs. Everyone was as fascinated with him as Miravel was. A few asked if he was my new mate, and I laughed and said no.
“You’re going to be the subject of gossip for weeks.” I told Leo. “We rarely see new people here.”
When we returned home, I found Andokar waiting. “Blessings upon your house and all who dwell within, Andie. You left your vehicle at the Palace, so I drove it here,” he said.
“That’s so kind, thank you!” I said. “Would you like to come in and have some Oonag?” I asked.
“No, but thank you for the offer. I have duties at the Palace.” He gave Leo a hard look and then looked back at me. “Is this male staying here?” he asked.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but no, he is just visiting,” I said primly. “I’ll take the car and drive him back after dinner.” I said.
I swear, Andokar growled at Leo. Leo merely raised an eyebrow, even though Andokar was several inches taller. “She belongs to another,” Andokar directed at him.
“Bullshit,” said Leo. “She belongs to herself.”
Andokar huffed and looked back at me. “I expect to see you this evening.”
“What I do is my business, Andokar, not yours.” I practically hissed at him.
“I protect the royal family. That includes you,” he shot back.
I opened the door to my cottage and practically shoved Leo inside. “Goodbye, Andokar,” I said and slammed the door. “Jerk,” I muttered under my breath.
Leo gave me a moment to collect myself, then headed tothe kitchen. “So I feel like this is an overdue conversation,” he began. “How exactly did King Akapa adopt you into his household? Don’t think I missed him calling you his son’s ‘reluctant mate’ at the party.”
“Yeah, that’s a long story.”
“Well, I’ve got time. Sounds like the perfect dinnertime conversation.” I was considerably cheered by my new menu selections, so I told Leo the abbreviated version of my kidnapping and arrival on Ptekennan over a melt-in-your-mouth ribeye, baked potato, and side salad. I was so thrilled with my meal I barely flinched when I told him about the assault and subsequent trial, living at Dakleth’s house, Miravel’s mating. I held nothing back. For once, thinking about the entire ordeal didn’t bring me to tears. I must be finally healing, I thought.
Leo asked questions, and then he was quiet for several minutes. “What are you thinking?” I asked.
“What happened to you was so awful,” he said.
“Yeah, but I’m getting better.”
“I’m glad,” he smiled at me. “I know it’s wrong to center this on me, but I keep thinking about the Prince.”
