Harht squirmed under his heavy gaze.
“Last time I checked, that was a crime,” Ksar said. “Punishable by as much as ten years in prison—unless you access memories of your bondmate. Violation of privacy is no joke.”
“She’s his sister, not some stranger,” Seyn said.
“No one asked for your opinion,” Ksar said, without looking at Seyn. “We’re going home, Harht.” He turned on his heel and walked out of the room, clearly expecting Harht to follow him.
Of course Harht did. When Ksar gave an order, people did as they were told—unless they were Seyn.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine,” Seyn said, sending a wave of comfort and reassurance his way. “Do you want me to come with you?”
Harht shook his head. Having Seyn around was the last thing he needed. For some reason, he always brought out the worst in Ksar.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Harht said with a confidence he didn’t really feel.
It should be fine. Right?
He was a prince.
What could his parents do to him?
Chapter 2
Calluvian Society Gossip
Prince Harht’ngh’chaali banished to a pre-TNIT planet!
The Second Royal House issued a press release stating that Prince Harht has been temporarily exiled to Sol III, a primitive planet half a galaxy away, as punishment for his “transgression.” The press release did not elaborate about the extent of the prince’s transgression, but there’s no doubt that it must be something serious if Queen Tamirs and the Crown Prince have decided to punish a member of their own family so harshly…
* * *
“Your Highness?”
Ksar frowned at the report in front of him. “I’ve requested no interruptions, Borg’gorn,” he told the AI.
“I apologize, Your Highness, but Prince Seyn’ngh’veighli is refusing to leave until he sees you.”
Ksar pinched the bridge of his nose. What did the brat want?
“Very well. Let him in.”
His lips thinned as Seyn strode into the room, all pale hair, flawless skin, and unnatural grace. For once, Seyn’s hair was pulled into a simple side braid that looked like it would fall apart from the slightest touch.
Ksar returned his gaze to the report in front of him. “What do you want?” he said coldly, checking his mental shields and finding them to his satisfaction. Being in the same room as Seyn was always aggravating, for several reasons.
“Are you crazy?” Seyn growled, marching to his desk and slamming his hands on it. “How could you do that to Harht, you sick fuck? Don’t you care about him at all?”
“Mind your foul tongue,” Ksar said. “And it wasn’t my decision to punish Harht that way. It was the Queen’s idea.”
Seyn scoffed. “As if she wouldn’t have changed her mind if you disagreed with her.”
“I’m flattered that you think I have so much influence over my mother, but the point is moot because I fully support her decision.”
Seyn glared at him from across the desk, his eyes full of fire and hate. “Are you out of your mind? Sending Harht to a pre-TNIT planet like Sol III is a recipe for disaster! He has zero survival skills! He thinks that nasty people don’t exist and he trusts everyone! He’s never been on another civilized planet, and you send him to some barbarian planet half a galaxy away, a planet with inhabitants that think aliens want to abduct them or some other stupid shit! He’ll give himself away or starve to death.”
“Are you done?” Ksar said. It irked him that Seyn thought he was being careless with his brother’s safety. The decision might have been the Queen’s, but he had carefully chosen the planet for Harht’s banishment. Sol III, or Terra, was diverse enough for Harht’s odd behavior to be written off as quirkiness. Harht had also been dropped in one of the most civilized countries of the planet. He should be fine. “First, the Queen’s decision isn’t up for discussion. You don’t even belong to our grand clan, so our affairs are none of your concern. Second, it’s a suitable punishment for Harht’s transgression. We all coddled him too much. It’s time for him to grow up and learn some life lessons. He’s on his own now. The distance between Calluvia and Terra is too great for familial bonds to work. It will make him appreciate his telepathic bonds and never abuse them again.”
Seyn met his eyes. “It’s hilarious that you, of all people, are talking about appreciating one’s telepathic bonds. I know our bond is pretty pathetic, but you don’t exactly strengthen it by blocking me off.”
Ksar held his gaze unflinchingly, wondering what Seyn would do if he knew the truth. He didn’t block Seyn out of his mind. There was no need. There had never been any need to do it—because Seyn wasn’t really his bondmate.
Ksar still remembered the day of their bonding, all those years ago. He had been an eight-year-old, his mind an open wound from the death of his first bondmate, his senses dazed and disoriented. He could still remember with perfect clarity the moment he had been told to take a newborn infant into his arms as the mind adepts attempted to establish a bond between them. Seyn had been a tiny thing, born premature by two months, and it had taken the mind adepts four attempts before they finally concluded that the bond had taken.