by Wells, Juno
“…do not touch him without asking. Do not assume he wants a full mating. Follow his verbal directions precisely. If, at any point, you are unclear on how to proceed, you are to ask questions until you do understand his needs. You are to be respectful at all times. Unlike earlier tonight, you are to make him feel desired…”
Yep. That was it for Grace. Like that hot sexy man needed anyone to make him feel desired. She snapped. “Can we have more grooming, and less talking. I want to get this dog and pony show on the road.”
She immediately realized he would not know what that meant. As she struggled to find words to move the process along, Ralon gently tugged her hair back until she was looking him in the face. He looked at her disapprovingly. Grace felt reprimanded, though Ralon had not said a word of chastisement.
She said hesitantly, “I can assure you, I do understand the mechanics of sex.”
“How many regents have you bedded in your short life?” He asked the question in a very plain-spoken manner, devoid of emotion. Kind of like how people asked her skill at navigating. It irked her that this total stranger dared to ask questions about her sex life.
“Don’t worry. If I can’t figure it out, I’ll send for you, and you can draw me a freaking diagram.”
Oops. She hadn’t meant to say that. It just kind of popped out. Even in the most intimidating situations, she barely missed a beat. She was just irritated with his attention to detail, and his irrational dedication to his Regent. There was no sense being a witch about it.
The old man didn’t miss a beat. His voice remained calm and controlled…almost fatherly. “This is an important moment for our Regent. Be grateful he selected you. It means you are the most alluring female on our planet. Show your gratitude, by treating this situation with the respect the occasion deserves. You are young and impetuous. Tonight, you are but a small part of a larger and much more important whole. Keep your focus on Bradon the Wise. He needs you, perhaps more than you realize.”
Grace looked into the stern man’s eyes. Suddenly, her levity fled, in the face of his gentle gaze. All the feelings of excitement and anticipation were suddenly replaced with butterflies. She moved one hand to her stomach, as if to quiet them.
The priest released her hair and went back to brushing it dry. “Do not worry, little Earth princess. You will be very much to our Regent’s liking.”
Grace’s eyes glanced back up to his and she pointed out. “I’m not a princess.”
The old man’s brow creased. “The Warrior Queen spoke of you. She said you came from a beautiful blue world in another galaxy. You are one of three lovely young females from an elite family.”
Grace thought back to her family ties. Her parents were wealthy and well-positioned socially on Earth. Only wealthy people could afford space on a deep-space vessel. She nodded slightly because he was making a certain kind of sense.
“That makes you a princess on our world.”
Grace didn’t think the old man really understood what he was talking about, but whatever. He obviously didn’t understand how human society was ordered. She found herself longing see Bradon again. He was one of the few people who seemed to get her at all.
The old man was still mumbling. “A being as rare as you should be cherished and well cared for, by males who understand your worth. I only pray our Regent has the wisdom to see what a perfect life mate you would make.”
Grace was shocked beyond belief. She had taken the Davarian at their word. This was supposed to be a one-time only kind of thing.
She complained weakly. “I only agreed to spend one night.”
The older man stood up, held out his hand, and assisted Grace to her feet.
He bowed slightly and replied, “If it would please the gods, we would have you as our Queen.”
Grace was frozen in place like a little wooden doll. For the first time in her life, she made a special point of thinking before she spoke. She carefully considered the old man’s words. It was a lot to digest all at once. Would Bradon really want her for a lifetime? Would she want him? The moment she thought the question, it was answered by her heart. Her mind didn’t much like the answer.
Sealing her lips, Grace quietly allowed the priests to dress her, as she continued to mull over the possibility of staying with Bradon. She was strongly attracted to him, both physically and emotionally. In fact, she felt an invisible string tugging her to him.
She worried that if Bradon decided to keep her in his fortress, she would not be able to find it in her heart to deny him. That thought chilled her to the bone. Just when did her self-esteem tank to the point where she would just go along with whatever some man she hardly knew wanted? Then again, the only thing more interesting than the idea of spending one night with Bradon was the idea of spending more. She shook the thoughts from her head, deciding to take it a day at a time.
Grace looked down to see the priests had removed the bath robe and fitted her with a long robe that opened down the front. She was wearing nothing underneath except a jeweled thong. Two priests began tying a long sash around her waist to keep the garment closed. Grace was well aware the intent was for her remove it as soon as possible upon arrival in Bradon’s bedchamber. They finished her presentation with warm blue jewels that set off her pale blue hair.
Indeed she noticed she was outfitted in varying shades of blue. Then she remembered that was Bradon’s favorite color. She felt objectified. Strangely enough, it didn’t bother her. She felt that his priests were merely wrapping his gift with intent to please him. She strongly suspected Bradon would never expect such from her.
She should be feeling happy, and excited about being with Bradon. Instead she just continued to feel anxious. The elder priest’s words, about her potentially becoming their Queen, had put a damper on the mood. Instead of feeling like she was about to spend the night having sexy fun with a hot guy, it felt more like she was being given an audition for a role it never occurred to her to want.
Ralon motioned her to the doorway. Grace had to will her feet into action, their natural inclination being to stay firmly planted in place. The older priest gently guided her out of the room and down the hall. She had three priests on each side of her and several more behind her. It was an impressive escort, if ever there was one. They were going to make a spectacle of themselves for no apparent reason.
So much for her life’s ambition to stay below the radar. Grace could feel a little cramp in her neck but resisted the urge to shake it out. Her control was hanging by a thread. She breathed through it. If she could just make it to Bradon’s chamber, everything would be fine. He understood her, she liked him, he’d had promised that she didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want. That promise gave her strength, when all else deserted her.
Sure enough, as they moved throughout the Great Hall of Awakening, people stood aside. Grace could see the reverent awe reflected in their wide-eyed stares. There was something about being looked at that way that really got her ire up. Who were they to make her feel strange? No, that was the wrong attitude. She was the one who was allowing them to affect how she felt about herself. Absolutely no one was going to make her feel uncomfortable in her own skin. Suddenly, her old fighting spirit came flooding back with a vengeance.
As they moved briskly through the fortress, Grace continued to bristle at the theatrical show of pageantry. Oh hell no, this was not going to work for her. She could see that right from the start there would need to be changes, if she ended up staying. Strange how easily that idea had moved from the never-gonna-happen pile to the maybe pile. Her heartbeat slowed, and she relaxed her shoulders. She tilted her chin up and found her center.
By the time she reached his chamber door, she was ready for the verbal sparring match destined to take place. After all, they loved to match wits. She didn’t see that stopping anytime soon.
Grace had only a moment to look up before two priests pulled the double doors aside for her. The corner of Grace’s mouth quirked up in a lopsided smile
. She gave a slight shake of her head. Some poor misguided soul had actually carved twin likenesses of Bradon’s face into the panel of each door. Honestly, he looked just like his snooty, arrogant, pompous self in the carving. Would this stupid day never end?
Grace felt herself being gently propelled into the room. As her eyes adjusted to the more dimly lit interior of his chamber, she noticed several things at once. A priest was straightening bed pillows. Another priest was setting drinks on the bedside table. Yet another priest was lighting some candles. The smell of exotic incense hung heavy in the air. There were a thousand of the tiny prickly glowing things floating around the room. That and the candles were the only source of light. One of the priests hit a small chime.
Bradon stood up from a small alcove where he had been praying. He walked over to her, wearing a long blue robe that gaped open in the front. She could clearly see that he was wearing the same type of jeweled thong as she was. He stopped about five feet in front of her, looking absolutely gorgeous.
Grace couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her lips.
Bradon’s brow quirked, as he looked at her. “Is it me? You find me strange or …”
He clamped his mouth shut for a brief instant, as he thought it over. “It’s the door, isn’t it? It’s my face carved into the door that you find so amusing.”
Grace couldn’t keep the humor from her voice. “The doors were pretty ridiculous, I’ll give you that, but that’s not it.”
“Come on little human. Give me a clue. What about my strange, overly contrived, and absurdly ritualistic life has you so amused?”
Grace busted out laughing and waved her hands around. “All of it! Everything is so over the top here. You and your boys certainly know how to make things complicated. I’ve never seen so many men work so diligently to make easy things hard.”
“I am certain my males did not realize they were providing you with such entertainment tonight.”
Grace’s face flushed, and her eyes blazed. “I think you have that the wrong way around, gorgeous. It was more like I was their entertainment.”
“What did they do to cool your passion for me? I can no longer scent your arousal.”
“Well, let me tell you all about that. Did you know your boys here scrubbed every square inch of my body? I practically had to fight them off. They tried to clean my girly bits and all. Was that really necessary? I mean, exactly how dirty can one little Earthling be?”
“Apparently it was necessary. They did the same thing to me. Perhaps it is a requirement of some sort.” His brow creased again. Bradon clearly had not given thought to such things for a very long time.
“Do you even hear the words coming out of your mouth? You sound ludicrous.”
Someone in the room made a small disapproving noise. Grace glanced over to Ralon and rolled her eyes.
“Your old guy says I have to be respectful to you tonight and make you feel desired. The fun never stops around this place. So, what new and bizarre ritual do you have in store for me, once I get my clothes off?”
“Well, since you ask. My priests will disrobe us and stroke your body to induce arousal so we can mate.”
Bradon
Bradon kept an entirely straight face, though he wanted to howl with laughter. He knew the pretty human would find that outrageous. If he were being honest, he would admit he did as well.
“Just when I thought nothing else you could do would possibly surprise me, you come up with something like that.”
Several priests came forward and began removing their clothing. In the wink of eye they stood facing each other wearing only their jeweled thongs.
Bradon said, “My men are very efficient, are they not?”
Grace allowed herself a little rant. “Efficient, quiet, dedicated to you, and their attention to detail is absolutely amazing. Too bad we have to be the object of their rather compulsive instinct to serve.”
Bradon allowed a small smile to show on his face. The human was so accurate with that comment, he could just kiss her. No wait, maybe he wanted to do that anyway. He immediately nodded to his men. Two stepped out and began running their hands over her body, nuzzling their faces against her neck, and kissing her skin. Slowly their hands strayed down to her breasts.
All in all, Bradon would have preferred to arouse his own female. However, experience had taught him, they were more easily aroused by his young priests. The young men had a talent for it, and he wanted her ready to accept him, should she agree to such a joining. Suddenly, the female was complaining again.
“Look Bradon, I know you are the sexy king of the freaking world and all. But is there nothing in this verse that you manage to do for yourself? By the gods, you are the laziest man I’ve ever met. Do you have the priests perform all your chores?”
Bradon didn’t blink an eye. “They normally insist.”
Grace murmured, “I’ll just bet they do. You need to get your head straight…”
Bradon realized something while the female was babbling on and on. Though the young priests had been touching her, there was no scent of arousal coming off her. Something was very wrong. He worried the priests had broken her during the preparation process.
One of the priests was trying to slide his hand down the front of her thong. Grace immediately slapped his hand away saying, “We already had that conversation. No one touches me there, except your Regent. You know, just forget this.”
She thrust both of the priests aside and stepped forward toward Bradon. “My sweet, there are just some responsibilities in this verse that a man should not delegate to other men. This is one of them.”
Bradon stared at her. Gods of chaos, the little human was telling him that she wanted him to touch her. He never thought to hear that from her. Suddenly, his legs were unsteady. He closed the distance between them in a couple of strides, took a breath, and hauled the beautiful woman into his arms. She was fragile and soft against his body. His breath caught in his throat. She smelled so sweet, even unaroused.
He slid his hand over her cheek and tilted her face up to meet his lips before tenderly sealing his mouth over hers. He was relieved when the female melted into his touch. He could feel her winding her arms around him and sifting her fingers through his hair. They were kissing and breathing the same air. It was much more intimate than watching his priests handle her precious body. Over and over again, he kissed the pale little Earth princess. He did not think that he would ever tire of feeling her lips against his.
His brain short circuited, for he knew not how long, as his lips moved on her. Bradon slowly became aware of the most delightful scent filling the air. It was the female responding to his touch. He crushed her flush with his body and buried his face in the swirl of blue hair around her neck. He could feel himself getting emotional. She responded to him, only to him. That had never happened before.
He pulled back, his voice and awed whisper. “You responded to me. Your pheromone wash is…intoxicating.”
She rolled her pretty blue eyes. “What do you expect, big guy. You are the sexiest male in the room.”
He looked down and mumbled in shock, “I can’t believe it was me. It is always the young priests the females enjoy. I am normally the obligation part of the visit.”
Grace’s voice turned serious. She pulled his chin around, so she could look in his eyes. “Your priests are a hot bunch of guys. Most ladies wouldn’t throw them out of bed. However, they aren’t you. Let’s just say I like a little vintage on my rod.”
Bradon squirmed, as her eyes dropped down below his waistline. He could feel his hard-on growing exponentially. He was so preoccupied with what was going on below his waist that it took his mind an extra minute to process what she had said. The human was telling him she liked older men. Wait, that didn’t sound like correct information. He glanced up at her face, and found a sexy smile waiting for him.
Her amused voice sounded off. “You’re about to pop a jewel there. Would you like a little help with…with�
�all that?”
One swift jerk of his chin sent the priests scrambling out of the room. Bradon didn’t think he had ever been so hard in his entire life. He needed a minute to get himself under control. It would take so little to tear into her precious body right now. He liked her and was not keen on being the man to make her hate sex. His over eagerness would virtually ensure she would derive little pleasure from such a hurried coupling.
He slowly backed away from her and sat in a huge lounger framing a small firebox. They had burned only plasma in the firebox for almost a thousand years, but it still gave off warmth and a soft glow. Grace eased herself down into another large lounger directly across from him. When she sat in the Davarian-sized furniture, she looked tiny. Bradon swallowed hard as he realized when the time came, he would have to be very gentle with the small female.
He couldn’t help but stare at her. Her pale pink skin and long pastel blue hair made her seem like an enchanting heroine from a fantasy story. She didn’t seem the least bit shy about being almost completely nude. In fact, she was eyeing his body with what appeared to be approval…. No. It was lust he saw in her eyes.
Her bold personality captured his interest. She was a brave one. She also had a very different way of looking at his circumstances. He liked seeing his world through her eyes. For some reason, he felt more alive with her at his side. Sitting by the warmth of the fire in this room engineered for romance, he worried that he was falling in love with her.
Bradon forced himself to settle back and refocus. “Why did you respond only to me? Just be honest. Whatever you say, I will accept. It’s just, that has never happened before. I am curious.”
Grace appeared to be turning the situation over in her mind for a bit. Her eyes slid down his body and back up again before she answered. “You are easily the most attractive male I’ve ever met. I think, I was so eager for your touch, nothing else mattered. I guess women around these parts think nothing of getting aroused by strangers in order to have sex with the man they actually want. Sorry if not responding to your priests makes your choice in bed partners seem frigid. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”