James stared at Maze in surprise. His mate? It was such a strange term to use, especially considering they really hadn’t even discussed what they were to each other. Apparently he wasn’t the only one who was shocked, Ilyn was standing very still, blinking rapidly at Maze as though she was having trouble processing what he’d said.

“Your what?” she finally asked quietly.

“You heard me sister,” Maze raised his chin defiantly.

Once again James was shocked into gaping at the two of them. Sister? Did he mean sister in the sister-in-arms, warrior type way, or sister in the familial sense? His question was answered a second later when Ilyn responded with; “Father will not be pleased with you, brother.”

“I think it’s fairly obvious I don’t care what our father thinks Ilyn,” Maze scoffed.

“Well you always were an idiot,” Ilyn actually grinned. Not a menacing, evil grin but one that clearly said she was amused.

“Can someone please tell me what’s going on!?” James suddenly blurted out. He’d been left in the dark long enough and was starting to wish she would just kill them if she was going to. Besides, if they truly were brother and sister, they had a very odd relationship.

“He’s a dramatic little one isn’t he?” Ilyn continued to grin.

“Shut up,” Maze growled as he reached up to grasp the handle of the katana.

James watched in horror as he began to slowly pull it from his chest. This time Maze was unable to stop himself from crying out in pain a few seconds later as the tip of the sword finally came free from his chest but to his credit, the pain didn’t stop him from suddenly leveling the blade at Ilyn.

“Sister or no, if you come near him again—”

“Yes I get it,” Ilyn rolled her eyes. “He’s your mate and anyone who touches him dies. That about sum it up? Can we move onto how you are going to explain this to father?”

“I’m not,” Maze narrowed his eyes at her for a moment before flipping the blade over in his hand and offering it back to her. “You are.”


“Are you insane!?” James made to grab the blade by Maze moved it out of his reach and glared at him.
“My blood is on this blade now,” he explained. “Ilyn will return to the king and tell him she had no choice. She killed you, I attacked her and she was forced to kill me. She will become heir, and I will remain here.”

“You are insane,” Ilyn snorted. “Father will never believe that.”

“He will if you show him the blade,” Maze offered the katana to her again and she took it hesitantly. “I know father. He will believe you had no other choice, he knows you would never harm me without reason.”

“He won’t give up that easily Eamazyn,” Ilyn said uncertainly.

“He will,” he insisted. James winced as Maze absently raised a hand to prod at the stab wound that was now leaking something green. Was that his blood? “He will accept that I am dead, he will make you heir, and you will get everything you have ever wanted.”

“And what will you get?” Ilyn frowned, tucking her blades behind her back again.

Maze turned his head to look at James for a minute before smiling. “I have everything I need.”

“Urgh disgusting,” Ilyn groaned.

“Shut up,” Maze turned back to her with a glare though his words contained much less venom than they previously had. “You are too young to understand but you will one day, sister.”

“I’m not young,” Ilyn protested. “And I will never understand. Emotions are weakness, you should know that better than anyone, we were raised and trained the same way.”


“The difference being that I have never been content to blindly follow father,” Maze pointed out.

“You always have to be different,” Ilyn rolled her eyes and shook her head reproachfully.

“I didn’t choose to be this way Ilyn,” Maze narrowed his eyes at her angrily. “You’ve been listening to father too much. I am who I am and that was never good enough for him.”

“Speaking of the king,” Ilyn said suddenly. “I should return and tell him of your … demise.”

“Don’t sound too sad about it,” Maze laughed quietly.

“I cannot wait to get off this planet,” she screwed her nose up in disgust. “This whole place reeks.”

“So leave,” James snapped.

“Such aggression,” Ilyn’s eyes drifted to James for a moment before she turned back to Maze and grinned, flashing her sharp teeth. “I like him, Maze.”

“I don’t think he likes you much,” Maze grinned back at her. “Go home Ilyn. And when your time comes, take your place on the throne and be a greater ruler than our father ever was.”

“That won’t be too difficult,” her grin widened and Maze responded with an identical grin.

How had James not noticed the moment she arrived that she looked so much like Maze? He could almost imagine them as young children, training together, sharing inside jokes and laughing together … well, almost.

“Farewell sister-mine,” Maze said as he stepped forward and to James surprise, he crouched down and embraced the smaller alien.


Ilyn whispered something to Maze that James was unable to hear and they both laughed quietly before parting. James frowned. How on Earth did they go from trying to kill each other to laughing and joking in the space of a few minutes? And people thought his family was odd!

For a moment the entire room was quiet as Ilyn stared pensively at James and then suddenly shook her head, turned and headed back towards the window. Without even so much as a backwards glance she shimmered back outside and disappeared into the night.