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“Copa is a sovereign kingdom. The LOP has no legal jurisdiction. Crimes committed are up to the monarch’s court of authority to prosecute. If or when Copa’s actions affect other planets, we can step in. Imana could whip out a blaster and shoot her mother dead, and there’s nothing the LOP could do.”
“So, why bother with poison? Why not shoot her dead and get it over with?”
“Because the queen’s death must look natural. Imana needs the support of the people to rule. Copan citizens love Queen Augera. If they had an inkling Imana had a hand in her mother’s death, they’d revolt. They would never accept her as their monarch.
“The queen’s pride, her refusal to reveal she’s ailing, is thwarting Imana’s plans. She needs her mother to appear sick so, when she dies, it won’t appear sudden and arouse suspicion.”
“But you’re certain she’s poisoning her?”
“We have strong circumstantial evidence.”
“Show the people the evidence! Let them revolt against Imana.”
“We don’t believe the evidence is strong enough to convince the people their crown princess would do something so heinous.”
“She’s planning a coup and an invasion.”
“Yes. So, do you see why you need to stay out of it?”
“No.” She looked at me. “I don’t.”
“To eliminate Imana—bring her to justice—this next abduction must occur,” I explained.
“How will the kidnapping of innocent people solve anything?”
“I can’t tell you.”
She slammed a fist on the table and glared at me. “Damn you!” Yellow flames of frustration and anger danced in her eyes, burning away the fatigue, enlivening her features. Anger mimicked passion, and I caught a glimpse of what she’d look like in the throes of desire.
I shouldn’t have been so open, not because she could do anything with information but because I’d increased her appetite for the truth. She’d continue to badger me; she’d never rest. And more than ever, I had to prevent her from interfering.
She scowled. “How can I be certain of any of this? Maybe you’re lying, spinning me a tall tale to win my cooperation. You’re from Copa. Why would you care if Araset is invaded? Maybe you’re a double agent. Maybe you’re working for Imana.”
I laughed at the blatant attempt to goad me.
Her glowering scrutiny turned assessing, and then her gaze settled on my mouth. Her eyes widened. “You don’t have tusks!” She placed her index fingers on her lower lip. “Copans and Arasetans have tusks. Did you have them removed so you could blend in?”
I took a gulp of the wine I hadn’t touched until now. “I never grew tusks because I’m half human.”
Chapter Thirteen
Jessie
“Human?” I gasped, shocked not by the announcement but that I hadn’t figured it out on my own. The lack of tusks and forehead ridges, the smaller horns, five fingers instead of four, very little body fur—his mixed genetics were obvious. “How is that possible?”
“Apparently our two species are genetically compatible,” he said drily.
“I didn’t mean biologically,” I said, although I filed away the information. Since my friends had hooked up with men from Nomoru, I had wondered if humans and Copans and Arasetans could produce offspring. “There’s the prohibition against fraternizing with humans.”
“Unless you count the slave trade,” he said softly and took another sip of wine.
“What are you saying?”
“My mother, a human, was abducted. My father purchased her to free her,” he explained. “He operated a trading post on a small space station he leased. An alien docked one day and offered to trade her for supplies. Abused and neglected, she was in bad shape. My father figured she was probably going to die, but he agreed to the trade to try to save her. As it happened, a Cerulean veterinarian also docked that day. She treated my mother, and she survived. My father reported my mother’s kidnapping. They arrested and prosecuted the man on charges of kidnapping an alien sentient and violating the embargo. But, per LOP rules, my mother couldn’t go home, so she chose to stay with my father on the space station. They fell in love, became bond-mates, and had me.”
“That’s why you speak Terran Universal without an accent!”
“Yes. I learned Terran Universal from my mother and Ara-Cope from my father.”
