Prologue
*Author’s note—This is actually the epilogue of Saved by the Beast, the previous Kindred Tales book. I am including it here for anyone who skipped Saved by the Beast and went straight from Enticed by the Satyr to Loved by the Lion. (You Monstrum lovers know who you are!) If you have read Saved by the Beast, just go on to chapter one. Thanks!
“So we’re no closer to getting any Yillium to load the Darkling Shot cannons with and you think another attack is imminent?” Commander Sylvan, Head of the High Council, raised his eyebrows in concern.
“If the Darklings’ pattern in your ‘verse mimics the way they acted in ours, then yes—I am afraid another attack will be coming very soon.” Rarev nodded reluctantly. “But there is a bit of hope on the Yillium.”
“There is?” Sylvan leaned forward eagerly, his hands clenched together on his desk. They were meeting in his office for maximum privacy. The Head of the High Council had told Rarev he didn’t want anyone knowing how dire the situation was until they had some kind of solution.
Rarev had to agree with him…up to a point. But he believed that people needed to be warned of the coming danger—the humans, especially, should be ready in case there was another attack. They had to be able to get under cover if the ravenous Darklings came back, looking for fresh meat. But hopefully, such dire circumstances could be avoided.
“There is hope,” he affirmed, nodding his head. His mane ruffled with the motion. He really ought to get it trimmed, but there had been no time lately, with the desperate search for the rare mineral going on. “One of my scouts has found a definite source of Yillium,” he told Commander Sylvan. “A whole planet with huge deposits.”
“We’ll send some mining ships at once!” Commander Sylvan exclaimed. He was already rising from his chair in his eagerness. Rarev hated to “burst his bubble” as the humans said, (he was beginning to get accustomed to their strange slang), but he couldn’t let the other male get too excited.
“I’m afraid it’s not quite that easy,” he said, frowning. “You see, the planet—Rigellen Five—is inhabited and the Rigellens do not give up their natural resources easily.”
“Damn…” Sylvan sank back down behind his desk. “I should have known there was a catch.”
“It’s nothing we can’t handle,” Rarev assured him. “We just need to send the right ambassador to bargain with them for the mineral rights to the Yillium. Or rather, I should say, ambassadors.”
Sylvan frowned.
“Explain, please. Do the Rigellens require special treatment? Do they have some cultural beliefs we should be aware of when choosing who we send to bargain with them?”
“It’s not so much a cultural belief as a physical reality. The Rigellens are exceptionally close to their mates and they believe in the unity of male and female taken to a somewhat extreme degree. Therefore, they refuse to negotiate with any ambassador without a mate.”
Sylvan’s face cleared.
“I see. So we need to send a mated pair of ambassadors. That shouldn’t be a problem—I have several couples here on the Mother Ship that can do the job.”
Rarev shook his head.
“I am afraid they will only deal with the Monstrum Kindred,” he told the other male. “We contacted them first and so it was to my kind that they extended an invitation to their upcoming summit, where the mineral rights for the planet will be decided.”
Sylvan frowned.
“But…I thought there were no females among you? I thought it was one of the reasons the Monstrum Kindred were about to die out.”
“You thought correctly.” Rarev nodded. “It is a problem we will have to solve and very soon.”
Sylvan frowned.
“I suppose you could send Captain Storn and his new bride, Mia—they are a mated pair and hasn’t Storn been trained in diplomacy?”
“He has.” Rarev acknowledged. “I will be speaking to him soon, though I hate to send him on a diplomatic mission while he and his new mate are still on what the humans call their “honeymoon.”
Sylvan shook his head.
“It can’t be helped. We have to get that Yillium and they’re the only ones who can bargain for it.”
“Agreed.” Rarev nodded. “I’ll speak to Storn and get them ready to go. But first, I feel that the Earthlings must be apprised of the situation. They are depending on the Monstrum Kindred to keep them safe from the Darklings—they need to know that until we get more Yillium to load the Darkling Shot cannons on our ships, their protection is by no means certain.”
Sylvan frowned.
“I agree that they need to know there are risks, but you should be careful how you word your warning. The humans are fickle people and the only reason they have agreed to allow the Monstrum to call brides from Earth is because you are protecting the planet. If you admit you can’t protect it anymore…”