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“As sad as the peasant female’s fate is,” Vel says, continuing on with her history lesson, “it is not what changed Xavia
“What does that do?” Lois asks.
“Gahaari knew he couldn’t pull the fangs from his official bride. She would be the daughter of a noble or even a Princess from a foreign nation. Something like that would not go overlooked. He needed something that would allow him to be bitten, but not affected by the bonding bite. This drug promised to do such a thing,” Vel explains as the image zooms in on the single pill like it holds the power for evil. “So he took it. He took the drug, and then he took a bride, and he did not feel the effect of her bonding bite. He became bold, too. He started bragging to other, unbonded males on how he can bed females without consequence, and soon they too, wanted this experience. The demand was evident, so, seeing a new way to strengthen relationships between himself and his younger, unmated noblemales, the king started to secretly supply the drug to males, unbeknownst to the females in their lives. Soon, a black market for the stuff emerged and it became more widespread. The problems started to arise when infidelities were uncovered, trust, hearts, and health were all broken or breaking, but most worryingly, it affected the offspring.”
Jaya leans forward in her seat as the hologram depicts a mother Xavia
“Well, first of all, you remember how I told you of the two venoms that we-”
The doors to the conference room rush open and in storms a tall Xavia
My gaze briefly flicks up to his horns and I have to stifle the smile forming at the thought of him butting heads and locking horns with another Xavia
“Kiahn,” Vel says, standing and returning his bow. “I was just educating the humans on… well, many things, really.”
The Prince doesn’t look amused as he grunts in acknowledgment, and gives Vel a curt nod. “I have been speaking to the staff in the kitchens and-”
“You were in the kitchens?” Vel asks, unable to hide the scoffing noise she makes.
Prince Kiahn blinks at her, his jaw clenching before he says. “We need to see to it that we serve foods that are not harmful to the humans.”
“Ohhh,” Vel grins, picking up her tablet, “so my fascination with humans was ‘weird’ and ‘obsessive’ when we were growing up, but now you need my weird, obsessive interests to make sure we don’t poison your new toy?”
“Vel,” Kiahn warns, pinching the bridge of his nose in a
“You two grew up together?” I ask, the question flying out of my mouth before I’d really registered it. Prince Kiahn opens his beautiful green eyes to look at me again.
“I’m his second cousin, once removed,” Vel supplies as she saunters out of the room, seemingly highly amused that she’s irritating the Prince.
“Can we get you removed a second time?!” he calls out after her.
We can all hear her chuckling as she walks down the hall.
When the doors whoosh shut, Prince Kiahn stands there, and Lois, Jaya and I remain seated, the three of us waiting for him to… do something now that he’s interrupted our lesson.
His eyes scan the table top, seeing the hologram of the baby Xavia
With that, he bows again, before turning and leaving.