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My friends beamed and chimed in with greetings.
“Hi, Maxx!”
“Great to meet you!”
“Thank you for including me,” Maxx said.
“Jessie’s friends are always welcome,” Aeon said.
Holly embraced me. “We expected you a couple of days ago. We were worried you wouldn’t get here in time.”
“A little glitch in the wormhole delayed us. We just got here.” I gave Nadir a quick hug. “Thanks for the ship.” The king and queen had approved dispatching a vessel, but their chief advisor had arranged for it. It may have even been his idea.
He looked embarrassed but pleased. “I’m glad you were able to make it. Her Majesty is delighted you’ve returned.” He glanced at the balcony where Queen Citrine sat with an unfamiliar furry, horned woman dressed in an embroidered flowing tunic.
Who’s she? Where’s King Saar? “Who is that with Queen Citrine?” And where is the king?
“That’s Queen Augera of Copa,” Maxx answered.
I leaned forward to get a better look. Rather patchy fur stretched over a very thin frame. But she was alive. “She looks pretty good, considering.”
“She almost succumbed, but she got the antidote in the nick of time,” Nadir said.
“The news of how the princess had been poisoning her own mother has spread throughout the galaxy,” Giselle commented.
“The queen is very fortunate the princess felt some remorse and confessed,” Aeon said.
Maxx and I exchanged a glance. We weren’t supposed to know what had happened. While on leave, he didn’t have access to confidential information. However, his contacts had kept him in the loop. The stonewalling princess had refused to answer any of the interrogators’ questions, so she had been taken to planet Mnemonia, where a Nemoni mind reader had extracted the evidence needed to seal her conviction. That was how they’d learned what poison she’d used on her mother.
“This is Queen Augera’s first visit to Araset, hopefully the first of many,” Nadir said.
“Peace between the two kingdoms has been a long time coming,” Aeon agreed. “Araset and Copa have been fighting off and on for centuries. A ceasefire has been in effect for a few years, but perhaps now we can achieve not just a truce but genuine amity. We had assumed the lack of progress was caused by Queen Augera, but it appears Imana had been trying to foment hostility.”
“Mother says Queen Augera has been very reasonable and accommodating,” Lomax added.
“Maybe Queen Augera is feeling a little guilty,” Giselle suggested. “Her own daughter masterminded the largest alien sentient trafficking cartel. The queen wasn’t involved, but she’d heard the rumors and chose not to investigate. It’s a stain on her and her rule. She’s trying to redeem herself.”
Joule, who was Copan, snorted. “Discovering her daughter had been trying to kill her adjusted her attitude a bit, too. She dodged blaster fire on that one.”
Lomax elbowed Aeon. “So did you. Imagine if you had bond-mated with Imana like Father wanted.”
“It would never have happened. I’d decided even before meeting Holly I wasn’t going to bond-mate with Imana. I just needed a good excuse.”
“So that’s why you bond-mated with me? You needed an excuse to break your betrothal?” Holly glowered dramatically.
“You stepped in that one.” Lomax laughed at his older brother.
“More like you pushed me into it,” Aeon retorted.
“Speaking of bond-mating, how much longer do you think it will be before the General Assembly meets?” I eyed the stage.
Nadir consulted his handheld. “Probably ten minutes.”
That should be enough time to share our good news. I looked at Maxx. His gaze heated. A tiny smile touched his lips. Warmth spread through me.
“Hey, get a room!” Millie said.
I took Maxx’s hand. “We have an announcement. We got married.”
