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Raken had forgotten too much about his home planet. Upon exiting the main spaceport, he stopped to inhale the air, looking for forgotten smells – but got mostly the stench of starship fuels.
Raken coughed and wrinkled his pierced nose, wondering why the smell of freshly cooked bread and pastries was completely gone from around the spaceport. Public cars came and went with travelers and commuters. The sound of starships taking off was overwhelming and explained why there were no buildings that close to the spaceport – not for living anyway.
The skyline of Alahairo's capital was wrapped in a mist that might be either polluted air or something else. The once so blue sky was now gray, in spite of the sun shining over the planet. A strong wind messed with his long auburn hair, forcing him to tie it in a ponytail.
What a homecoming, he thought with an internal sigh. Alahairo now looked exactly like the other planets of the Star Nations, at least around the spaceport. For the rest, it was the planet of the dead, where Alahairians came back to rest in peace. He pictured the expanses of cemeteries and wished he could be already in that quiet instead of the noisy spaceport.
"Welcome to the planet of traders, mighty Alahairo," he said, grabbing the hand of I'lli'nya, a young woman with a shifty expression, long frizzy brown hair, a broad build and chocolate brown eyes. In spite of the contrasting colors of their skins, I'lli'nya had been in his heart for many years now. The pale-skinned local women couldn't compare to his voluptuous Ulba'wissian girlfriend.
Raken was in his thirties, tall and well-built, with the right muscles in the right places for the constant exercise he'd had during the three years he'd spent in a Wegan arena, where he'd been a fast and not very strong gladiator who had managed to stay alive and earn back his freedom – and that of his dark-skinned girlfriend, who had worked in a brothel while he fought for his life.
"It was high time you showed me where you came from," I'lli'nya replied, looking around with big doe eyes. "Do I get to meet your family?"
"What's left of it." He shrugged. "I left fifteen years ago... I went to college on your home planet, in case you forgot."
"How could I forget our meeting in the corridors of Ald'dyno University?" She giggled and squeezed his fingers. "One of the few pale-skinned students – and all my friends couldn't believe I dated you!"
"I guess your parents weren't happy either, but that was one more reason to leave as soon as we could." He approached the pod of an electric car that had just deposited some passengers and held the door open for her.
"Did we have to follow Maldak to Wega, though?" She frowned as they sat in a public car. At least the sounds of the spaceport were muffled inside the small passenger space, and they were soon left behind. "I thought Alahairians were traders – they're everywhere, why didn't we get in your father's business?"
"Because we eloped, remember?" He smiled fondly at her. "Besides, mine is one of the few families who stays here to take care of everything. Boring job – keeping watch on cemeteries and our one and only factory... no thanks!"
She sighed. "Didn't you say it's some kind of jewelry stuff? I like shiny golden things!"
He typed the address into the car's navigator and relaxed in the seat, putting one arm around I'lli'nya's shoulder. The pod smelled of plastic and her faint scent.
"Really? You wanted to end up with robots, supervising them as they mold golden jewels?" he teased. "You'd be sick of it after a week, trust me! Watching all that gold and not being able to get any of it... That's why it's mostly automated, so nobody gets weird ideas about it!"
"Fine, so what does your family do?"
"We take care of things... cemeteries, mostly." He looked out of the window as the car moved towards the town, then turned right and headed for open countryside. A glimpse of blue sky seemed to be ahead of them. The pod went too fast to observe the landscape, so Raken recreated it from his memories.
"And you'd rather be a trader. And sell your girlfriend's body." She shot a mischievous smile at him.
"I'm not your pimp!" he protested. "And, you're not going to sell your body ever again," he added sternly, staring at her round face. "I'll take care of you from now on."
She grinned, white teeth shining on the dark-skinned face. "Yes, my lord Raken," she teased before kissing him.
The car stopped and Raken looked outside. "Ah, yes, we're there. That's my parents' house."
They exited the car in front of a large imposing house in well-kept grounds. The mansion had been built in the countryside and if they turned around they could still see the skyline of the city. The air was cleaner there and instead of civilization's noises, they heard birds singing, hidden in the foliage of the park's trees.
Raken inhaled with relief. That was much better! Flowers' perfumes mixing with the scent of freshly mown grass. That was a cherished childhood memory! He had missed that! He had always loved the garden and park surrounding the mansion.
Now for the house itself... his feelings were a little more conflicted. He looked up at the building, thoughtful. There were good memories and bad memories about that place.
"Raken Nevermind, are you rich?" I'llinya asked with a shaky voice, squeezing his fingers at the sight. Houses on Ulba'wiss were much smaller and even on Wega, mansions like that were only for the wealthy.
"Whoever chooses to stay here is well paid by everybody else," he answered, stepping towards the main door on the front porch. "But this is really the family house – Grandfather Nevermind made sure he could have everybody under the same roof, even if we're supposed to guard a lot of ground out there."
"So you were meant to take care of stuff," she chided. "And you became a bodyguard instead."
"True, I didn't follow into my father's footsteps." He grinned at her. "But I have a younger brother, I'm sure he did!"
He rang the bell, glancing at the flowerbeds and neatly cut bushes of the front-yard. He wondered if the old gardener was still alive, or had been replaced by someone else. Might be a robot these days, since everything was automated. His grandfather had a friend who loved gardening, but Raken doubted his generation was very much into that kind of thing.
The expected robot butler – no Humanoid was willing to be a servant anymore – guided him to the living room. Actually conceived as a ballroom by his grandfather, it now had lots of couches and armchairs and a long table for a banquet on the opposite side of the main door. A secondary door led to a "smoking room" and then the kitchen.
Raken found some new carpets in place of the older ones, and some new furniture, but his grandfather's armchair still sat by the French-windows. He could almost see the ghost of the old man sitting there and watching the family milling around him.
Sitting on one of the corner couches, he found Uncle Benton and Aunt Raylene. Benton had short gray hair and a plump figure. He obviously didn't keep himself fit, as if he didn't care anymore. Raylene had straight fiery red hair – the same fiery red hair of her sister that Raken had inherited – almost black eyes and a short build. She was still beautiful and looked much younger than her husband.
Seeing her made Raken's heart tighten in his chest. His mother was long dead, and Aunt Raylene reminded him of that lost happiness. He'd been in his teens when his mother had passed away, and it had been one of the reasons to run away from Alahairo as soon as he finished secondary school, to go to university on another planet.
"We thought you were dead," Uncle Benton said mournfully. "You vanished completely from our radars. Where have you been?"
"On Ulba'wis first, Wega later," Raken answered, sitting with them in the empty room that had enough couches and armchairs for an army. When the whole family gathered in there, there were never enough sitting spots. "Where is everybody?"
"Your father passed away two years ago, we tried in vain to contact you," Aunt Raylene answered.
I'lli'nya gasped and he stared at them, gaping, for a moment. So the reason why he'd left was no more. The person that had made him say away for fifteen years was gone. His stern father would have never approved of I'lli'nya. He thought dark-skinned Humanoids were inferior beings. Raken had never felt strong enough to confront his father, until he'd had to fight and survive in a Wegan arena.
"Sorry," he grumbled lowering his eyes. The anxiety at the prospect of meeting his father was gone, leaving a strange sadness. "I wasn't able to have outside contact for the past three years. I was locked up in a Wegan arena."
"What for?" his uncle asked, incredulous.
"Debts... This is I'lli'nya, my girlfriend. We finally managed to get free of our obligations on Wega and were able to come back. We want to get married soon... when can everybody be here?"
"I guess we'll need at least a month to have all your cousins back," Aunt Raylene said after a quick calculation. They must be scattered around the planet for their work as guardians.
Raken was glad to hear no objection coming from them. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that his father was no more. Uncle Benton seemed too tired or worried to care about the family pride, which was good.
"Oh, fine, it gives us time to invite I'lli'nya's family as well. Where is my little brother?"
"Ah, um... he doesn't live here anymore," Uncle Benton answered, avoiding his stare.
"Where did he go?" Raken asked, puzzled.
"He's still on the planet," Aunt Raylene reassured him. "But he doesn't want to be with the family anymore."
"Oh. And why is that?"
"He feels he doesn't belong."
"Why not?"
"I don't know, Raken." Uncle Benton sounded tired. "He was a problem teen and became a problem young man and after your father's death, we gave up on him."
"He lives on his own and works at a club," Aunt Raylene added. "We stopped worrying for him long ago. He's almost thirty, he can take care of himself now."
"But I want to see him!" Raken blurted out. "Where do I find him?"
His uncle gave him an address. "Will you be staying here?" he asked with his mournful voice.
"If you don't mind. Since Wysten is gone, there is no problem if I share my room with I'lli'nya, right?"
"You should get married first." Aunt Raylene grinned. "But I assume you've slept together already."
"For the past ten or fifteen years," he answered with a nod. Well, not while he was a gladiator and she a prostitute, but... Gods, they'd been together for a lifetime! They really should tie the knot or split. He didn't want to lose I'lli'nya again, though. He'd be very happy to marry her.
"You know where your room is, then," Uncle Benton concluded with a sigh.
***
Raken and I'lli'nya left their things at the Nevermind Mansion and went back to the town center, where Wysten supposedly lived. They ate at a restaurant with good drinks and average food – both overpriced – and Raken decided to try the house special drink.
"How is it?" I'lli'nya asked as he licked his lips.
"Mint green with a few bubbles," he said. He sipped some more, ignoring the droplets running down the sides of the glass. "It smells like caramel and tastes metallic."
"Yuck," I'lli'nya said. "I hope the club your brother works at has better drinks!"
After dinner, they went looking for the nightclub that was by then about to open. They waited in line for about twenty minutes, then were allowed inside. The healthy crowd was loud and rowdy, and there was good music and a card game.
"Going to try your luck?" I'lli'nya asked with a wink.
As if that hadn't put them in trouble on Wega – living beyond their possibilities! Raken rolled his eyes. "Not funny, I'lli," he muttered, sending her into a fit of giggles. He glared at her and squeezed her buttocks. "Since you like shaking this, show me the way," he said, pushing her towards the dancefloor.
I'lli'nya's sense of rhythm and love for dancing was so great she had long ago managed to drag him into the wildest dances. He'd been very stiff at first, but by now he could swing and shake his ass as much as she could, and had learned all the dance steps she enjoyed so much. For at least an hour they mingled with the crowd on the dancefloor, then he requested a break and she happily followed him to the bar to get their drinks.
"First time here?" a friendly, talkative trader who clearly had a bodyguard asked them as they checked the list of colorful beverages. "Never seen the show?"
"No... is it any good?" Raken asked.
"Best strippers on the planet!" the man said, raising his glass.
I'lli'nya asked for two house specials to toast with their new friend. She was given a dark brown liquid with pale pink swirls and droplets running down the sides of the glass. The drink smelled like blackberries and tasted like peaches.
"This is good!" she enthused. "When is the show starting?"
"Soon, my pretty. Soon," the trader answered with a wink.
"Do you know if Wysten Nevermind works here?" Raken asked him.
"Ah, no, never heard of him."
The bartender smirked and shook his head. Raken decided to probe him with a huge tip.
"He's my brother. I haven't seen him in fifteen years," he said, leaning on the counter.
The bartender raised his eyebrows, skeptical, then frowned. "Why are you looking for him now?"
"I'd have come back earlier, but I ended up in trouble on Wega." Raken shrugged. "Do you know him?"
The bartender grunted and pointed at the stage on the other side of the club with his chin. "Watch the show."
Puzzled, Raken took I'lli'nya's hand and they went to a table near the stage to have a better view. The trader asked to join them with his bodyguard and soon the curtains went up. Male and female strippers bounced and danced on stage, throwing their clothes at the audience who cheered and threw them banknotes.
"The last is the best," the trader said as the round buttocks of a female stripper left the stage.
"Oy, what are you staring at?" I'lli'nya slapped Raken who gave her a sheepish look.
Lights went down, music started again, and the silhouette of a young man appeared in the limelight. The first thing to fly off was his hat, as a light hit his handsome face. He had cute features and short wavy brown hair.
It was I'lli'nya's turn to cheer as clothes flew off of him. His body was trim and fit, the young man must take good care of himself. He never smiled, but the audience went wild for him.
"Never is the best!" the trader said as he applauded the stripper who retired backstage. "But he never smiles."
Raken thanked him for his company and went back to the bartender.
"Did you see your brother?"
"Actually, no. Was he on there?"
"I think you're looking for Never." The barman pointed at a door that led backstage. "He doesn't linger after the show, so you better hurry or you'll miss him."
Raken thanked him with another tip and went backstage with I'lli'nya. They found the dressing room where Never had finished dressing – very casual clothes – and was brushing his hair out of his face.
"Wysten?" Raken asked, unsure. The more he stared at the young man, the less he could tell if he was his younger brother or not. He'd left a scrawny teenager, could he be such a gorgeous stripper now?
Never seemed to hold his breath for a moment, then looked at him. "Who are you looking for?"
"Wysten Nevermind... my little brother..." Raken felt intimidated by the icy stare.
The young man scoffed. "Wysten Nevermind is dead," he snapped. "Now get out of here."
He grabbed his jacket and stormed out of the dressing room, leaving Raken gaping.
***
"What do you think?" Raken asked, frowning. I'lli'nya was staring at an old picture of him and Wysten. Their research had showed there were no records of Wysten's death, thus he must be still alive.
"Is this the newest picture of him that you have?" I'lli'nya asked since the brothers were both still children in the image she held in her hand.
Raken shrugged. He had completely forgotten his brother for fifteen years, after all.
"Maybe my relatives have more recent ones." He sighed, looking around his childhood room. Wysten hadn't left behind anything when he had moved out. Even the posters on the walls were Raken's.
They went downstairs to ask for more images.
"Ah, no, he was always so camera-shy." Aunt Raylene sighed. "See?" She pointed at a digital frame with a slideshow of family photos. The only ones with Wysten in them dated from when Raken still lived in the house. It was as if his brother had decided to retire from public life as soon as Raken had gone away to study on another planet.
"Can I see that one better?" I'lli'nya asked.
Uncle Benton took his tablet and gave it to I'lli'nya, open on the folder of photos of that occasion. She finally found what she was looking for and zoomed in on the half-hidden face of Wysten.
"I think it's him," she said thoughtfully.
"Him who?" Raken asked, puzzled.
"That stripper, Never. He denied it, but I think he's Wysten. See the high cheekbones and the eyes? He probably has colored his hair, but I think it's pretty much him."
Raken looked closely at the close-up. I'lli'nya was probably right. He sighed and gave the tablet back to his uncle.
"Let's go back to that club," he decided. "We better talk to that guy again."
This time they went straight there before sunset. The place was empty and silent, but the bartender was already there. He glared at them.
"We're closed!" he snapped.
"We're not here to drink, we'd like to talk to Never," Raken replied. "When is he going to arrive? I assume he comes in early, can we wait for him?"
"I doubt he wants to see you," the man retorted. "Just get out of here, come back when we're open."
"One last question, then. Do you have a back door or stage door?"
"No."
"Thank you."
Raken grinned and left.
"Let's hope he's not lying," I'lli'nya said. "I mean, if he's protecting that Never guy, he might tell us there isn't a back door..."
"The front door wouldn't be open," Raken replied. "They must get in from somewhere. Anyhow, let's have a look around the building, just to make sure."
It was early anyway, so they just walked around the low edifice with a terraced roof – probably for those starry summer night parties – and returned to the club's door.
"There's a coffee shop on the other side of the street, why don't we sit there while we wait? It has windows overlooking this door," I'lli'nya suggested.
Raken nodded and they took a seat by the window and close enough to the door they could dash out if they saw the stripper arrive. They ordered a quick fast-food dinner and were almost done when I'lli'nya elbowed Raken and pointed at a young man walking down the street towards the club's entrance.
"Go, I'll pay," she said as Raken rose and quickly exited the coffee shop to intercept the stripper.
"Hello again," he greeted, ignoring the glare the young man shot him. "There is no trace of the demise of my brother Wysten Nevermind, so I was wondering..."
"What? Suddenly you remember you have a brother and expect him to welcome you with open arms?" the other snapped.
"So you are Wysten." Raken felt relieved in spite of the hostility.
"Yeah, so? I don't want to talk to you. You're dead for me."
"I have been absent, I know, but I left you with Dad..."
"Thank you very much." Wysten's tone was sarcastic. "So keep living your life with your colored girlfriend and leave me alone!"
"Wysten..."
Wysten raised a hand to shut him up. "Not another word. Get out of my life one more time, and this time don't come back!"
Raken opened his mouth to protest, but Wysten shoved him aside and entered the club without turning back.
"That didn't go too well," I'lli'nya commented, joining him. "Let's go home, we'll find another way to get in touch with him."
"He refuses to see me!" Raken complained, incredulous.
"And can you really blame him?" I'lli'nya replied. "You did forget he existed for fifteen years..."
Raken sighed. "So, what am I supposed to do now?"
"Let's go home, we'll find a way."
***
The Nevermind Mansion had the bedrooms on the first floor, usually suites where families could settle and have some kind of privacy at night. Raken and I'lli'nya had moved into his father's apartment but had decided to keep his parents' bedroom with the king-sized bed for after the wedding, sleeping in the two single beds of the boys' room – Raken in his own, Y'lli'nya in Wysten's.
As cousins and uncles filled the mansion again for the upcoming wedding, Raken had to rekindle all sorts of relationships with his relatives. Usually they came to visit him in his father's apartment or welcomed him back in the spacious living room.
Tamara, the daughter of Benton and Raylene, came to the apartment directly, and made sure the door was closed behind her before starting to speak. She had bronzed skin, a small scar and a short build. She was the same age as Wysten and she admitted she was still in touch with him – the only one from the family who hadn't let him go. One of her hobbies was experimenting with pyrotechnics and Wysten often helped her with that.
"He wasn't too happy to hear I'm preparing a grand show for your wedding," she told Raken. "But then he became curious." She chuckled. "He started asking me about you and your bride, and I had to admit I knew almost nothing! Will you enlighten me so I can tell your brother how you met an Ulba'wissian, and what took you so long to decide to get married?"
"I'd rather talk directly to him," Raken answered. "Did you invite him to the wedding? I have no idea of where to send the invitation..."
"Yes, but he won't come – like he doesn't come to any of the family gatherings." Tamara shrugged. "I'll do my best to convince him, but I can't promise he'll be there."
"Why do you think everybody gave up on him?" Raken wondered, frowning. "Wasn't Dad taking good care of him?"
Tamara huffed and rolled her eyes. "You chose a university on another planet to get away from your father and you ask if he took good care of your brother? What's with you, Raken? Your father lost it when your mother died! No, he didn't take good care of Wysten, and nobody helped your brother. You were gone, and he is shy and very stubborn, so he simply shut off. He left the mansion as soon as he could – which enraged your father, by the way, but he didn't manage to bring him back."
"And how come you're still in touch with him?"
"Because I'm even more stubborn than him, and we have a few passions in common." Tamara shrugged. "Including a girlfriend at some point. But she dumped us both."
"So he doesn't have anyone at the moment?"
"No. Well, he has a different lover every night, since he's the most appreciated stripper of that club!" Tamara winked. "But no steady relationships since that bitch Laronda-Isabelle told us to fuck off."
"When was that?"
"Four years ago."
"Mm. Four years ago I ended up in the Rotshy Dungeon for a debt with Ivanka..." Raken sighed. "So I was unavailable to the outside world for the whole four years!"
"You were in touch with Tyrell, weren't you?" Tamara asked, mentioning another cousin of theirs. "He said he thought you'd been killed somewhere out there, but nowhere was your death recorded."
"I was alive, although I had to fight in a gladiators' arena... But the rest, I'll tell only to Wysten first!"
"Sneaky cousin!" Tamara pinched his arm and grinned. "I'll see if with what you gave me I can feed his curiosity, make him want to know more..."
***
Wysten capitulated a week later. He grumpily agreed to meet his brother in no-man's land – their late mother's favorite museum in town. The moderately-sized multi-story museum of modern art had a unique design. The interior was done in colors that reminded of a vegetable garden.
"That was why Mom loved it so much." Raken sighed. "Sometimes I still miss her. When I saw Aunt Raylene again..."
"That's why I moved out of the mansion," Wysten said bluntly, staring at an abstract painting with bright colors. "This sucks," he muttered, turning his back to the painting. He glanced at a few more before stopping at a very round statue. "Can't they ever do anything realistic?" he complained.
"Well, that's modern art for you – and it's in the right kind of place." Raken pointed at the often curving walls and weirdly-shaped windows. "Also, rumor has it that a group of thieves used the building as a meeting place."
Wysten glanced at him and scoffed. "Still believe that urban legend?"
Raken shrugged. "Ever left the planet, Wysten?"
"No. When you made plain obvious you weren't coming back, I decided I might as well stay here and guard Mom's tomb only. Working that cemetery with Dad..." He visibly shivered in disgust.
Raken couldn't blame him. He'd visited his parents' tomb and his mother's tombstone was indeed better kept than any other.
"Ever wished to leave?" Raken insisted, frowning. He couldn't understand what kind of man Wysten had become yet. They'd been estranged for so long it felt weird talking to him again, as if his brother were a stranger. A not very friendly stranger.
"Not really." Wysten started walking through the museum rooms without stopping to look at anything. "I kind of like Alahairo, especially out of town."
"There's only cemeteries out there!"
"Exactly."
"Don't you have any live friends?"
"Some." Wysten shrugged. "And I never went to uni. Is that where you met your girlfriend?"
"Yes. Not all Ulba'wissians are warriors and she was the prettiest on my course. It took me a couple of years to seduce her, but then we became inseparable. Remember Cybercop? We used to watch it together..."
"Yes, I bet Maldak was the reason you chose Ulba'wis for your studies," Wysten replied. "What happened to him anyway? Haven't seen him anywhere in ages!"
"Because you don't follow galactic gossip." Raken chuckled. "When Cybercop was canceled, he moped around a little, then he met Endonald Rotshy who had just inherited a fortune on Wega, and moved there. Lots of Ulba'wissians followed, and we were among them. I'lli'nya's family wasn't very happy that she'd chosen a fair-skinned man..."
They had reached the top floor and the museum coffee shop. They got themselves a cold drink and a pastry and sat to continue their conversation.
"I bet Dad wouldn't have approved of her," Wysten said. "Is that why you didn't come back?"
"Exactly. We eloped and then spent ten years on Wega. I was a bodyguard and she stayed at home. We didn't feel the need to marry, being together was enough. For six years we lived above our possibilities to keep up with our new friends and ended up indebted to Ivanka Rotshy, Endonald's sister."
"Oh. I hear they have weird ways of dealing with debts there." Wysten stared at him with open curiosity.
Raken nodded with a sigh. "Slavery to repay debts. The first year I spent in Ivanka's bed, then she sent me to fight in her arena... all the while keeping I'lli'nya in her brothel."
Wysten chuckled. "And you're still together after all that?"
Raken smiled. "Obviously our love is stronger than what we thought. I finally managed to earn my freedom, and here we are, ready to tie the knot... Will you be there?" he pleaded. "I doubt her family will attend, at least my brother should be present!"
"Maybe." Wysten averted his eyes and Raken didn't insist. They were talking again. Maybe Wysten needed only a little more prodding, possibly from Tamara.
Raken started to hope his brother would forgive him and they could be a family again.
***
Only a few days were left 'til the wedding. Mansion Nevermind was bustling with life again, and even Wysten had come back to his old bed, forcing I'lli'nya to move into their parents' former bedroom. Raken's brother would go back to his own apartment after the ceremony, but a whole week before the wedding date he decided to spend it at the mansion.
And then a visitor showed up, unannounced. The robot butler came to the busy living room to tell Raken a Miss Vera Vadim asked about him. I'lli'nya was talking to Wysten and Tamara, so Raken went to the entrance to greet the visitor, a little puzzled.
Vera Vadim was the daughter of Jenko, who had hired him as a bodyguard for a few years. While in his service, Raken had seen him divorce Vera's mother and marry then twenty-five-year-old Ivanka Rotshy who was half his age.
Vera Vadim was now twenty-five herself, with straight brown-black hair, fair skin and an honest face. That was all that was left of the lanky teen he hadn't seen in six or seven years after he'd left the service of Jenko Vadim. Vera had an hourglass body now, and it looked completely natural. Unlike Ivanka, Vera didn't seem to be a fan of cosmetic surgery.
She brightened at the sight of him and smiled mischievously at his startled expression.
"Hello, Raken," she greeted. "Long time no see."
"Indeed," he answered, gulping down his surprise. "What brings you to Alahairo? I thought you were sent to study on Gweltaz?"
"Yes, and when I came back, you had vanished." She pouted. "I eventually discovered you'd ended up in the clutches of that bitch who had married my father and was wondering how to get you out of there when you got out on your own. Well, sort of."
"I had earned my freedom," he retorted. "My teammate had just arrived, and Ivanka wanted to keep him a little longer, but his father didn't think so."
"Yes, I've heard the bitch had a close encounter with a Sire aristocrat." Vera chuckled. "My mother was very happy to inform me of the event. I was hoping you'd go back to you apartment or start looking for new jobs, but you vanished..."
"I came here. This is my home."
"True, but it's also the place you avoided for years as far as I can remember."
"I was afraid my family wouldn't accept my girlfriend in their midst."
"Would that be I'lli'nya? You're still with her?" Vera asked, disappointed.
"I'm marrying her in two days," he answered. "Since you're here, would you like to attend the wedding?"
She pouted for a moment, then grinned. "I'd love to. Although I'd rather be the bride, but I guess it's too late, isn't it? Can I be part of your stag night?"
"We already had that." Raken tried to remain serious. "What would your father think of you showing up on an alien planet and offering yourself to a stranger?"
"His former bodyguard," she replied with a shrug. "And he doesn't care. He's courting one of my friends at the moment. He's fifty-seven and is going after a twenty-five-year-old! My mother is rightfully disgusted with him."
"What about your brother, what does he think?"
"He doesn't care. I guess he lost his father when he married that bitch Ivanka. And I think he likes men."
"Oh, man, who will continue the Vadim name, then?" Not that Raken cared about that. Jenko had brothers. He wasn't surprised that Jenko's son had turned out gay, though.
"Even if Ivanka avoided pregnancy, doesn't mean another bitch will deny him another fatherhood, so he can feel young and dumb again," Vera answered. She put her arms around his neck. "Since I'm late for your stag night, can I give you my gift before the wedding? I have booked a hotel room... why don't you come tonight?"
She kissed him passionately, then whispered the hotel name and room number in his ear before letting him go. She waved good-bye and left, leaving him gaping once again.
***
The night before the wedding, I'lli'nya went to sleep in Tamara's room. Then the day came and Raken woke up anxious and worried, with an impending sense of doom.
"Why did I decide to make it official," he muttered as he wore his ceremony clothes – tight gold and blue garments with long sleeves and loose trousers. He wore boots and Wysten put the wedding brooch on his embroidered jacket without commenting.
"I mean, I could have just moved in with her somewhere, or taken a trade or..."
"What do you plan to do after the wedding?" Wysten asked. "Go with Tyrell to take care of tombs like Dad did?"
"No! But maybe I'lli'nya's parents will help us to set up a trade somewhere... after all I'm Alahairian... I should be traveling, trading and whatnot..."
I'lli'nya's parents had arrived the day before. They both had dark skin – he was tall and bulky, she was pudgy but gorgeous, much like her daughter – and stood out in the crowd of fair-skinned relatives.
Since they followed different religions, Raken and I'lli'nya had opted for a civil union. They left Mansion Nevermind together to reach the Town Hall. Raken went in first and waited by the mayor with Wysten and Tyrell, while I'lli'nya's father walked her towards them.
The bride had an elegant, form-fitting golden gown, with a low neckline and puffy sleeves. Her frizzy hair was combed into an elaborate hairdo with a tiara, and she had a silver necklace and matching earrings and bracelets. Raken thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen – again, fifteen years later – and all his doubts and fears vanished as she put her hand in his. He lost himself in her doe eyes and Wysten had to clear his throat to remind him where he was and what he was supposed to do.
The wedding banquet was in the mansion's garden, acres of green where a catering service had set up tables and chairs. The day was sunny and there was a real band playing some music in the background.
Raken and I'lli'nya toasted with everyone, made the rounds through the various tables, then went back to sit at their table for two, as they waited for the wedding cake.
"When did Vera Vadim get here?" I'lli'nya asked, leaning towards Raken and keeping her voice low.
"Uh, two days ago, why?"
"Ah, so that's why you spent a few hours in town without me." She grinned. "Not that I missed you."
"You didn't?" he frowned.
"Your brother kept me entertained – or tried to," she answered with a giggle. "I think he came after me only to spite you, but I kept him at bay... did you?"
"What?" He was too busy glaring at Wysten, who was seated next to Vera.
"Did you keep Vera's hands off of you or did you enjoy her company?" I'lli'nya asked, pinching his arm. "Stop glaring at Wysten and answer my question!"
He looked at her. "She stole a kiss. She tried to get more. I just couldn't," he said. "Because I love you and only you. I've been obsessed with you for the past fifteen years. And this morning I wondered why I'm marrying you. Now I know. Because I can't live without you."
She grinned. "And that's why I married you," she said. "No man ever said these things to me but you!"
They briefly kissed, then both watched Wysten and Vera again.
"Do you think they like each other?" I'lli'nya asked. "Like really like each other?"
"Seems so." He smiled. Maybe his grumpy brother had found someone to love. Maybe Vera would take Wysten to Wega or around the galaxy and they'd explore their relationship and the Star Nations together. "This time I will keep in touch with him, no matter what we decide to do next," he promised.
I'lli'nya approved with a nod. The waiters brought the cake. And soon the younger guests flooded the space in front of the band, dancing the rest of the day away. As he pirouetted with I'lli'nya, Raken noticed Wysten and Vera were dancing together a very sensual dance and he smiled.