Daughters of Lyra: Heart of an Emperor Read Free

She
grinned inside. The shock and worry would probably kill
him.

    Perhaps she could run off
with the Count of Sagres.

    Her eyes widened again,
that thought shocking her. Did she want to run away with the count?
The idea flustered her enough that her cheeks burned.

    “ Is something
the matter?” Emperor Varka said with a slight echo to his words.
Sophia stared at him, shaking her head. “You look ill.”

    “ No, I am fine,
thank you.” She straightened up and smiled again. “A little too
much sun today perhaps.”

    “ It is
dreadful,” he said, voice droning enough that she clearly got the
message that he didn’t like her sunny planet.

    “ It’s
beautiful,” she countered, ready for an argument if he overstepped
the mark. Emperor or not, she wouldn’t let anyone insult her home
world.

    “ You must
understand, little one, that Varkans are not accustomed to such
strong sunlight. I merely meant that it was painful for me, not
that it is not beautiful, in short spells.”

    Short spells? She could
spend the entire day lazing in the gardens under that strong
sunlight. It did explain the visors though. She had read that none
of the planets in the Varka system rotated like hers. On one side
of each was permanent daylight. On the other side was permanent
darkness. She was beginning to get the impression that Varkans were
from that side.

    She could ask the emperor,
but for some reason she didn’t want to. Her gaze drifted to the
door and her thoughts to how handsome the Count of Sagres had
looked. Shocked too. He had hidden it well, but something about
either the room or her had surprised him. It was probably the awful
make up she was wearing. It dawned on her that she didn’t want to
talk to the emperor.

    She wanted to speak to the
Count of Sagres.

    “ You are as
beautiful as your planet,” Emperor Varka murmured, his voice so low
that it sent a shudder down her spine. She dragged her eyes away
from the door and smiled at him, taking his flattery even when it
revolted her. As a princess, she had grown accustomed to disgusting
men fawning over her and seeking her attention. “Although I hear
that you have had many suitors in the past, I can assure you that
none of them can offer you what Varka can.”

    A frown threatened to
crease her brow. She held her smile. Did he honestly think that he
could haggle for her hand in marriage? She wasn’t interested in how
many planets her future husband had, or how rich and powerful he
was. The only man she would marry was the one who loved her, and
whom she loved.

    Relaxing a little, she
settled in for a conversation that she knew was going to feel like
an eternity rather than a few hours.

    There was only one thing
keeping her remotely interested in the emperor as he told her of
his wealth and the might of the Varkan Empire.

    He knew the Count of
Sagres.

    Her gaze drifted to the
door.

    She wanted to know him
too.

    ****

    Chapter
2

    Regis, Count of Sagres,
walked out onto the balcony of his room. The palace gardens
stretched below him, white paths glowing ethereally in the evening
light. A light breeze blew across them, washing his face with the
lingering warmth of day and carrying the scent of roses. Far to his
left he could see the port where they had docked. If he leaned
forward, he could see the square where the royal family had greeted
them.

    Where Princess Sophia had
greeted him.

    Her lack of knowledge
about his species had been evident the second she had thought to
approach a Varkan emperor without warning. Still, it was
understandable. His kind never had been ones to tell the universe
about themselves. They were feared enough already.

    Regis leaned against the
white stone wall of the balcony and stared at the distant city.
Tall pale spire-like buildings rose at the centre of it. The
financial district was the closest group. Beyond that, even taller
buildings pierced the sky. The Lyran parliament. His fingers flexed
and he clenched his fists. They ran