Dark Princess: Shadows (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance #89)

47. Morelle

47

MORELLE

M orelle lifted her gaze to the sky, which was an incredible shade of light blue and was dotted with fluffy white clouds that drifted lazily overhead. It was like a dreamscape, or how the Fields of the Brave were described in hymns.

On Anumati, the thick atmosphere and their giant red sun had tinted everything in shades of red and amber, and the strong winds had battered at her robes and everything else, dictating that just the sturdiest survived, whether it was grass, trees, animals, or people.

Here, the sun was small and golden, and it warmed her face with gentle rays so unlike the humid heat she remembered.

Instead, a soft breeze played across her skin, carrying scents she couldn't identify but that made her want to breathe them in deeply. The air itself felt different, fresher somehow.

Brandon's arm around her waist was steady and strong, his touch both grounding and thrilling. No one had ever held her like this, with such care.

"Earth's sky is beautiful," she whispered. "No wonder my mother wanted the Kra-ell to settle here. This is like the Fields of the Brave but without having to die first to get here."

Brandon's arm tightened around her. "Many of the Kra-ell perished. Only a few pods survived, and the others are missing, with their occupants presumed dead. I'm so grateful that you are alive and that we found you and Ell-rom in time."

She felt him shift, adjusting his hold to better support her as she swayed with the breeze. The motion brought her closer to his chest, and she registered the subtle differences in his scent—something clean and masculine that made her want to lean in closer.

"I hope more will be found." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "It's so quiet here. On Anumati, it's rare for the winds to subside long enough for such calm."

"Is it always stormy there?" Brandon asked.

Morelle nodded. "The head priestess used to say that harsh conditions create tough people, and she was right. The gods solved the problem of heat and humidity by living underground, but the Kra-ell were made from hardier stuff and chose to live topside."

"That they are," Brandon admitted. "They are stronger, faster, and don't need much to survive. Very self-sufficient in the right environment, which this is not. There aren't beasts to hunt in the village, and they have to make do with domesticated animals and synthetic blood."

"They will adapt." She made a step forward. "The Kra-ell pride themselves on their ability to survive where others could not. But this place is more than habitable. Even the gravity feels lighter." She straightened slightly, testing her balance. "Or maybe that's just because I'm not carrying so much fabric on me."

Brandon's arm tightened fractionally around her waist as she moved, ready to catch her if she stumbled. "Take it slow," he said. "We can discuss all the differences between Earth and Anumati while sitting down."

Morelle turned her face to the sun again, marveling at how it could be so bright yet so kind. Everything about this world seemed designed for life to flourish rather than merely survive. No wonder the people here looked happier than those back home.

When he steered her toward a boxy-looking vehicle, Morelle was first struck by the large number of packages loaded onto the rear seat. "What are all these?"

"They are all for you. You need a proper wardrobe." Brandon put both hands on her waist and lifted her onto the front seat. "You now have everything a beautiful princess needs, from casual wear to formal attire and everything in between."

"Thank you," she said when he got in the vehicle beside her. "That's very generous of you, and I don't know how to repay you." When he opened his mouth to protest, she put a finger on his lips. "Don't say that being with me is all you expect in return. I'll find a way to repay you. It might not be anytime soon, but I never forget a debt, whether it is a debt of gratitude or a debt of revenge."

He seemed taken aback by her words. "Who do you want to avenge?"

"My mother. She was murdered, and it is my duty as her daughter to find those responsible and kill them."

Brandon frowned. "How do you know she was murdered?"

"She told me. She came to me in my dreams and told me that I needed to wake up. She also told me to listen, and when I did, I heard you talking to me."

The truth was that her mother hadn't said anything about a murder, but that was the only way her life could have been cut short.

Brandon shivered even though it was a warm day and rubbed his arms. "That's profound. Do you often get dreams like that?"

Morelle shrugged. "Not at all, but then you have to consider that I slept a dreamless sleep for seven thousand Earth years."

"And you still believe that it was your mother speaking to you?"

She nodded. "I'm positive."

"Did she tell you that she was murdered?"

"No, but she said that she crossed beyond the veil before her time. That can only mean that she did not die from natural causes."

He tilted his head. "Even if you are right, and she was assassinated, the killers are long gone by now."

"If they were Kra-ell, but I don't think they were. I think it was my grandfather's assassins."

Brandon nodded. "He would be my prime suspect as well, but since there is no way for you to get back to Anumati, there is no way for you to avenge your mother either."

That was another surprise. "The gods no longer send transports to collect the gold mined on Earth?"

"There is no contact with the planet of the gods. The Eternal King ordered Earth erased from the galactic maps." Brandon did something, and the vehicle started moving slowly. "Let's leave talk of Anumati for a later time. I promised you a tour, right?"

"Yes." She settled into her seat.

Morelle had so many questions about what Brandon had just said, but he seemed upset by her need for revenge, or maybe he just didn't want to spoil the mood by talking about dark topics.

"Over there is the playground, and as you can see, most of the children and mothers are Kra-ell. Immortals have a much lower fertility rate, and we don't have many children who can enjoy the playground. We hope for more, though."

The children looked happy, and then one uttered a joyful shriek that had her jump in her seat. Morelle had never heard a sound like that. She'd never even seen children at play before.

In the temple, even the youngest acolytes maintained strict decorum.

"That's the café." Brandon pointed. "You can get superb coffee, a sandwich, or a pastry and enjoy them on one of these outdoor tables or take them to go if you are in a rush."

People sat at tables in the open air, sipping beverages and chatting. They smiled and waved as the cart passed them so slowly that Morelle got to smile back and even tried to memorize some faces. A group of Kra-ell walked past, but they were not fully Kra-ell. They looked part human. Two of them stopped by one of the tables and started chatting with the immortals sitting there.

"They are on their way to training," Brandon said. "Many of the young Kra-ell want to join our Guardian force, and we welcome them with open arms. They are good fighters."

She turned to look at the group of five young males while Brandon navigated the cart into one of the paths forking from the one they were on. "They look half human."

"That's because they are. The Kra-ell also realized that their numbers were not sufficient to maintain a genetically viable society, but their experiment was less successful than ours."

She turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"When the gods took human partners, the children born of such unions were immortal. But when those immortals took human partners, their children were born human. Later, they discovered a way to activate the dormant genes of the children born to immortal mothers but not to immortal fathers. Our clan continued to grow through our females. Only their children can be turned immortal. The Kra-ell experienced a similar phenomenon, but the children born to their female hybrids can only be activated by immortal males, and the other problem is that only their hybrid males choose human partners. Their hybrid females almost never partner with humans."

"Why not?"

He shrugged. "Too weak, I guess. One hybrid Kra-ell female fought off three well-trained immortals, and they barely managed to subdue her."

Morelle tensed. "Why did they want to subdue her?"

"It's a long story, but it has a happy ending. Aliya joined our clan and mated another hybrid Kra-ell. She works at the café."

"You still didn't explain why she was fighting them. I don't want to hear only the nice stories. I want a balanced view of this world."

When Brandon didn't answer right away, she feared she had offended him by speaking too forcefully. He had been so good to her, and he deserved only kind words and the warmest of tones from her, but that wasn't who she was.

She had gotten in trouble with the head priestess so many times over her attitude.

"You are not the queen," the head priestess had told her. "And you will never be queen, so learn some humility, or I will beat that haughty attitude out of you."

She had never dared to actually make good on that threat, but she had found other ways to punish Morelle, like separating her from Ell-rom and locking her in a dark, windowless room.

Finally, Brandon nodded. "I'll tell you everything you want to know except for the things the Clan Mother wants to tell you herself."

Morelle couldn't read in Brandon's tone whether he was upset or not.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound demanding. I shouldn't demand anything and only accept what is given to me freely. I'm not being a gracious guest. Can you forgive me?"

He reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers. "You are not a shrinking violet to be coddled, not even on your second day of waking up from a coma. I should have realized that."

She was confused. "What does a shrinking flower have to do with me?"

Brandon chuckled. "It's a human expression that describes a shy and timid person."

"I'm neither."

Well, that was true for some things and not for others. She was shy about reminding him that he wanted her to kiss him and asking him whether he still wanted that.