way past hard rock and solid concrete.
I thought that a few hours inside the palace’s lab—with nothing but scientific papers and genetic test results to serve as a distraction—would help me clear my mind, but I had been naive. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. The way her dark, curly hair fell in waves all the way down her back, the way her brown eyes narrowed whenever she smiled...all those details had been engraved in my mind.
Raking one hand over my face, I took off my lab coat and hung it on the hook behind the door. Being inside the lab wasn’t doing me any good, so I figured some fresh air might do the trick. I ambled into the indoor gardens, slowly making my way over the path that cut through the lush vegetation, but the woman simply refused to get out of my head.
For the first time in years, I considered going for a drink. I had never picked up the habit of drinking during the day, but maybe some vintage Vamblosne wine—or even something stronger—was what I needed.
Leaving the gardens behind, I headed toward my royal apartment and pushed the heavy doors open. Part of the residential wing of the palace, my suite of rooms bore many of the same opulent features as the rest of the palace. Large beams of a clear alloy, one that had been designed and developed in Hollander, ran the length of the vaulted ceiling; it made the apartment suite look like a temple dome, one large enough for my footsteps to create an echo. In the bedroom itself, sliding glass doors opened onto a large balcony that overlooked the royal grounds, but I couldn’t even remember the last time I had stepped onto that balcony.
More often than not, it was easier to find me at the lab than here. The royal apartments were far too large for just one person, and I had always felt a muted sense of loneliness whenever I was here.
I didn’t feel that loneliness now, however. My thoughts were in too much disarray, and so I barely registered the silence in the suite as I marched toward the reception area. It was there that I had installed a liquor cabinet, one meant to entertain the guests I needed to have a private conversation with. As it was, though, the only thing that needed entertaining was my frazzled mind.
“Raiding the cabinets, Soren?” I heard someone say. “Isn’t it a bit too early for that?”
Sighing, I spun around to see my younger brother, Aiken, standing against the doorway. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and there was an amused grin on his face. He still had his canvas bag slung over one shoulder, which meant he had just returned home from school. His royal suite was on the same floor as mine, just a few yards down the corridor, and he was probably on his way there when he noticed me.
“It’s never too early for a drink,” I said, even though my tone was all wrong. I could imagine someone from planet Raider saying something as nonchalant as that, but it just didn’t fit my personality. Then again, to obsess over a woman I barely knew didn’t fit my personality either.
“Well, that’s new.” Still looking at me, Aiken waited for me to say something else. When I didn’t, he just walked into the room. He used the heel of his right foot to close the door and then threw his bag into the corner. With his lips pursed, he headed toward me and knitted his eyebrows together. “You’re looking awfully glum. What’s wrong, brother?”
“What do you mean? There’s nothing wrong.” That was a lie, of course, and Aiken was quick to pick up on that. I was older than him, but that meant little—I had never been able to fool him, and I doubted I’d be able to start now. Still with that suspicious expression plastered on his face, he laid one hand on my shoulder and smirked.
“C’mon, Soren,” he said. “Spit it out.”
“Fine,” I muttered, reaching for the neck of a dusty bottle of wine. The really good stuff was stored in the royal cellar, but I also kept some vintage bottles in my own cabinet for special occasions. This wasn’t one of those occasions, but I couldn’t care less. With the bottle firmly tucked in one hand, I grabbed two glasses from the shelf and set them on the