as though imparting a deep secret. “If she were not already mine, I would abduct her again, no matter her opinion.” Zaden straightens and says, “Nothing would ever stop me from having her, but I want to initiate peaceful relations with the leaders of this planet.”
“Well, that’s good,” I say, relieved they aren’t here to take anyone against their will.
Another Dravian walks up to our small group and nods at Braxton. He in turn does the same.
“How are the wedding plans coming along, general?” Braxton asks.
Zaden practically howls with laughter. “Varek, tell the physician how you basically ran away from Lia to avoid that very thing.”
Varek glares at the leader. “I am here on a diplomatic mission, and it just happens to take me away from the frivolity of what Lia is trying to accomplish.” He sighs and closes his eyes briefly. “But I will continue with this nonsensical event if it makes her happy.”
“By the time we return,” Zaden says, still chuckling, “Morgan and Lia will have done a major overhaul of Najarie. At least Quin, Kade, and Ximena are there to guide Morgan in our absence. I can only imagine the uproar I will face when I return.”
“How did you fare against the Yalat?” Varek asks.
“Ever the general,” Zaden mutters.
Braxton clears his throat. “Everything went well. As you can see, the commander was able to retrieve the stolen females and has brought them back here to Earth. Some have agreed to return with us, while others wish to stay on their home planet.”
“And who is this lovely female that you have pressed to your side?” Zaden asks, his lips tilting up in an ever-present smile.
Braxton drops his hold on me, and even though I’m curious, I don’t ask why. It’s not a big deal, but I kind of liked the show of possessive behavior from him. It was endearing.
“This is Skylar and her friend, Camille,” Braxton says. “Skylar is part Dravian.”
All three males stare at me, blinking rapidly. So I give them a little wave, hoping to bring them out of their stupor.
Varek is the first to recover. “Amazing discovery.”
“She is of the house of Kaimar,” Braxton says.
Zaden nods in blatant approval. “Fuck yeah.”
Camille giggles beside me, and I can’t stop the twitching of my lips. Hearing a Dravian speak like that is highly amusing. I glance over at Camille to see how she’s handling this situation. But there’s nothing but love in her eyes when she looks at me. I guess my alien heritage really doesn’t bother her.
“There’s more,” Braxton says. Everyone, including me, now stares at him as if he’s about to tell us the secret to immortality. “She possesses the gift.”
“Fuck yeah,” Zaden repeats. “She’s of my house, so I’m not surprised.”
“She is more than of your house,” Braxton says. “She is your and Varek’s distant cousin. Not to mention my mate.”
“Holy fuck,” Varek mutters.
Camille giggles again, only louder this time, and Kolton looks as if someone slapped him. Zaden’s grin is so wide it nearly takes up his entire face.
“Welcome to the family,” he says, his voice booming. Then he’s picking me up and twirling me around before I’ve had a chance to object. As soon as my feet hit the ground, he places his hands on my shoulders, his gaze piercing. “I would be most honored to have you as a formal member of my house. And since you are of my line, that makes you royalty. You should come home to Najarie, princess.”
I stare up at the large male in complete and utter shock. I have an entire family waiting for me on some unknown planet. The fact that I’m royalty doesn’t mean anything, but now that I think on how Braxton ordered the other soldiers to treat me as such, it all makes sense. He’s known about my lineage this entire time. Even though I wonder why he’s never told me before now, it doesn’t matter because I wouldn’t have believed him. But now, seeing Zaden and Varek, it’s hard to deny.
Immediately my eyes fill with tears. I’ve lost my parents, but now I have a chance to be part of a family again. Not only with Braxton, if he’ll have me, but with these other Dravians.
Braxton yanks me from Zaden’s hold and presses me to his chest. “You’ve upset her,” he accuses Zaden.
The leader shrugs. “I think you did by telling her all that information at once. It’s obvious from her facial expression she didn’t know.”
“She knows she’s my mate,