“Well…I know at least a little bit about them,” I said. I told her about spending time with Vik’tor on the female side of the planet and how the males and females had split up centuries ago and nobody seemed to know why. “But there is a prophecy that two La-ti-zals are going to bring them back together—at least, that’s what the Rainbow Empress says,” I told Rylee. “And I think theywillget back together because I saw it in a kind of dream. A vision, I mean.”
“Oh, isthatthe kind of La-ti-zal you are?” My cousin looked excited. “You’re a Visionary? Those are supposed to be so rare. There hasn’t been one in centuries!”
I shrugged.
“That’s what everyone keeps saying—that I’m a Visionary, I mean—but I never had any visions until I met Vik’tor. And so far, I can’t have a vision on my own—I need his…er, his help to have one.”
Rylee raised her eyebrows at me speculatively but to my relief, she didn’t askhowVik’tor helped me have visions.
“Okay, so to be clear—there’s a prophecy that the Tangellan males and females will get back togetherandyou’ve seen it happen in a vision?” she asked.
“Well, I saw the Emperor and the Empress getting together, anyway,” I said, cautiously. “I kind of assumed that the rest of their kingdoms would fall in line after that. But you’re forgetting, the prophecy about them getting re-Joined is from thefemaleside of the planet. Over here on themaleside, the Emperor is telling us the prophecy is that two La-ti-zals will tell him ‘his heart’s desire.’”
Rylee looked thoughtful.
“Maybe they’re the same prophecy.”
“What?” I shook my head. “How can that be?”
Rylee sat forward.
“Tell me every little detail of that vision you had. Maybe we can work something out …”
I hoped she was right, but I still had no idea how my cousin and I were going to get out of here with our heads still attached to our necks…
FORTY-SEVEN
VIK’TOR
When I woke up, Natalie was gone.
Golden light streaming through the tall windows of the palace bed chamber woke me and I groaned and rolled over, reached for her instinctively. Today I was supposed to take her home, which I fuckingdidn’twant to do. But her spot on the big, round bed was empty. Not only that it was cold—she’d been gone for some time.
Frowning, I sat up. Where the hell was she?
I swung my legs out of the big pink monstrosity of a bed and went looking for her.
“Natalie? Baby?” I knocked on the door to the necessary room. There was no answer but when my knuckles hit it, the door swung silently open.
Natalie wasn’t in there, but something of hers was—it was lying in the sink, which had a golden-framed mirror hung over it. Frowning, I picked up the discarded garment—it was the silky, pale gold nightdress she’d been wearing when we went to bed. But why had she taken it off? And where was she now?
I was about to leave and ask if any of the Tangellan females had seen her, when I heard a soft vibration from the other room. Going back into the bed chamber, I found that it was coming from my communications device, which was still stuffed into the pocket of my trousers.
Was that Natalie calling me? But from where? And how had she gotten my private number? I had never gotten around to giving it to her in the few days we’d been together, though I probably should have.
I pulled it out of my pocket and hit the holo screen, only to see the last person I’d expected—my ex-second-in-command, Azz’lx.
“Azz’lx? What the fuck do you want?” I demanded, glaring at the fist sized hologram hovering above my device. “If you’re calling to beg for your job back, you can fucking forget it! I know you were diverting money from the company, you lying, cheating, sack of shit!”
“I’m not calling tobegyou for anything,” Azz’lx snarled. There was an angry grin on his face—a triumphant expression I didn’t like one Goddess-damned bit.
“Then why the fuck are you calling me?” I growled.
“I guess you could say I’m calling to gloat.” Azz’lx smirked at me. “Have you spoken to your little whore lately?”
I felt my heart clench in my chest like a fist and a bad feeling began to fill me.
“What are you talking about? What do you know about Natalie?” I demanded.