Ariella's Keeper (Divinity Healers)

by Pillow Michelle M.

“Not so. Come, I’ll show you a way to escape undetected. I discovered it as a boy.” He led the way to the side door and reached to the small computer next to the door. Touching the screen, he set the unit to do a detailed maintenance check. “If you enter my father’s code, six-six-nine, the system will run a diagnostic that takes seventy three minutes. This door will remain undetectable for that time. It’s a glitch in the security system. I know, because I programmed it in. Since my father doesn’t trust anyone to touch the system, no one has ever bothered to fix it.”

  “You’re not worried someone will break into this place?”

  He pulled her with him outside. “Into the home of the Medical Supreme?” Sebastjan shook his head. “Not likely. The only crime on this plane is stolen research and that is rare. Everything is documented.”

  Ariella felt the tension roll off her shoulders as the cool breeze caressed her skin. The glass walls holding in the trees surrounded the path, keeping the true smell of nature trapped. She breathed deeply. “I sometimes think about lighting a torch to melt through the glass walls, just so I can crawl in and lie on the grass.”

  “I wish I had a secret way into the gardens so I could take you.” Sebastjan reached for her hand.

  “You’re not afraid of the pollen?”

  “No. It was my grandfather who had an aversion to pollen. He boxed in all the plants. There are places, outside of Asclepius, where nature is not put away in boxes.”

  Ariella pulled him closer, drawing the hand clasped with his around her back so he was forced to hug her. “There are many things put away in boxes here.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Ariella thought it best not to clarify. The night was beautiful, made even more so by the fact Walter didn’t know where she was. It was the first time since she’d met the man that he didn’t know her exact location. A giddiness filled her at the tiny taste of freedom. She looked up into Sebastjan’s eyes, noticing how well his body fit against hers. Letting go of his hand, she ran her fingers up his arm. He didn’t let go as he held her to his chest.

  The stir of arousal filled her and was echoed back in the lift of his erection and soft sigh of his breath. She trembled in anticipation, wondering if he’d take her here on the garden pathway. Licking her lips, Ariella offered her mouth to him. He didn’t deny her. His kiss was gentle, brushing over her lips until they parted to allow him deeper access.

  Breaking free, he grabbed her hand and led her through the garden until the mansion became a blurred obscurity behind glass. Sebastjan pressed her against the glass wall. He cupped her cheek, turning her mouth back to his as he resumed the kiss. Soft noises escaped her and she moaned into him. His hands skimmed over her shirt, running down to lift her longer tunic.

  She turned her face to take a deep breath. Sebastjan kissed her throat, biting along the flesh from her jaw to her ear. The combination of hard and soft caresses caused her to shiver. Ariella ran her hands over his chest, liking the feel of him. Her fingers found the hard curves and valleys of his muscles, liking the way he flexed against her touch.

  When his hand found the flesh of her hip, baring her legs by pushing down her pants, she closed her eyes. She tugged at his waistband, pulling his pants to free his arousal. Her senses became sharp. Their light pants mingled, backdropped by the sound of wind against the plant boxes. The texture of his palm sweeping along her thigh contrasted the hard glass against her back.

  Sebastjan lifted her leg. Ariella pulled at their tunics, trying push the disheveled clothing out of the way. He brought his hips to hers and she jerked with sensation at the intimate contact. Holding onto his neck, she let him pull her other leg up so she straddled his waist. He kept his hands on her ass as he drew his body to hers. He entered her slow and deep. Ariella wanted more. She hooked her ankles behind him, pulling him forward in harder thrusts.

  Moonlight caressed his skin, shadowing and lighting his face. The blue tones changed the shade of his flesh, tinting it so it looked almost pale. She held on tighter, feeling free from the bonds of her imprisonment. The end felt so near—the end of threats and disease, the end of the tension building in her stomach. Hope welled inside her. Soon she’d be truly free, away from this awful city with its locks and bars. Perhaps this was why the goddesses sent her here. They were rewarding her for her pious life. They knew the House of Goddesses would be attacked and they saved her. They sent her to not only be cured, but to find Sebastjan.

  All these thoughts swirled in her head, flowing through her consciousness like a sudden burst of understanding. In this moment, this perfectly blissful moment, it all made sense. The universe lined up and she understood. She didn’t like all elements of the journey, but she felt the symmetry of it. The pleasure pushed her body over the edge. Her muscles tensed. Her nerves tingled. Her entire body jerked in helpless release.

  Sebastjan thrust harder, his body pressing tight. He bit at her earlobe. “I want to devour you. I want this to last. I want to take you from here and—” The words were cut off as he came, trembling against her. He gripped her ass tight, as if to keep from dropping her.

  Somewhere in the back of her mind, she longed to hear him finish the sentence. Another part of her was frightened of what he would say. He dropped her legs and their bodies pulled apart. Ariella reached to right her clothing and Sebastjan did the same.

  “I don’t want to go back inside,” Sebastjan said, but they both knew that they had to. There was a tenderness in him when he looked at her. Or perhaps she imagined it. The moonlight and passion could have been giving her more hope than was realistically plausible. “Come stay in my room with me tonight. I would have you sleep near.”

  Ariella nodded and they both silently walked back into her prison.

  * * *

  Days passed, yet Sebastjan found he didn’t hate being at the mansion. Sure, he didn’t care to be around his father, but the fact that every second of it was spent next to his new wife made up for the Medical Supreme’s presence. Unfortunately, direct conversation with her was limited to stolen seconds between streams of social insipidness. And, for all her protesting to stay, Ariella seemed to enjoy it as little as he. Their only reprieve was the night, when nothing mattered beyond the boundaries of his bed.

  He closed his eyes, wishing more than anything to be back there—hands roaming her flesh, lips exploring, bodies joining. Last night, they’d barely made it to his room. Her thigh had brushed his during the evening sustenance and he’d been lost in erotic thoughts of what he would do to her once he had her alone. He’d thrown her over the side of the bed, long shirt tossed up along her back and had his way with her. It had been wickedly wonderful.

  “Are you ready?” Sebastjan asked, as Ariella’s door slid open. He adjusted his hips, trying to hide the all-too-obvious evidence of his arousal. His breath caught as she turned. Her green eyes practically glowed because of the perfect green shade of her long shirt. The charcoal gray pants matched his shirt, an effect undoubtedly planned by his father’s maid when she laid out their clothing the night before.

  Ariella smiled, reaching to brush her long hair over her shoulders. She seemed completely unaware of the effect she had on him. “What is it we’re doing again?”

  “Greeting off-plane doctors,” he answered. Sebastjan frowned. Dr. Gerard Fauchet would be there and he couldn’t soon forget the man’s flirting.

  “Ah.” She reached for his arm, trying to walk him from the room. “That sounds fascinating. What kind of plane are they from? Do they look like us? I’ve heard that on some planes the people can’t be in the sunlight or they explode into ash. When I was on the Divinity base before coming here, some of the scientists were talking about the different worlds. Did you know that there are people with purple flesh? And a whole plane of people without a single hair on their body?” She looked excited by the prospect. “What if they have extra limbs, or—”

  He chuckled, unable to help himself as he said, “Wait. Don’t go yet.” He pulled her back again
st his chest. The door lifted halfway and then drew back down as she came out of reach of the sensors.

  “What…?” she began, only to stop when she felt the obvious press of his erection to her ass. “Oh. Now? Here?”

  “Why not now?” He kissed the back of her ear. “Why not here?”

  “We’ll be late,” she protested feebly. Ariella didn’t try too hard to escape his caresses.

  “So we’ll be late. What can the Medical Supreme do to us? Look stern? Scold us again for not attending to our duties? Let him wait.” This time he licked her ear. She shivered, melting into him. “Besides, I cannot greet off-plane doctors in my current state. Imagine the stories that will be told about this plane. They will think us all barbarians on Chiron who think of nothing but sex.”

  “Is it so far from the truth?” she teased. “Perhaps they would be flattered to be greeted with such interest. I’ve heard of alternate realities where the people walk about naked and have never heard of clothing. I would have to think they don’t have snow where they live. Oh, and there are others who sell sexual favors like food on the street corners and no one thinks it strange. Still other planes are said to have men who are kept inside large, stone homes to be used for the whims of their women.”

  “Mm, are you saying you’d like to lock me inside a stone house and use me for your whims?” He grinned, part of him liking the idea, however unrealistic.

  As if coming to a decision, she glanced at the closed door. “All right, you win, quick, out of those pants. We will have time if we hurry.” She pulled up her shirt and began tugging at her waistband.

  Sebastjan laughed, not needing to be told twice. He barely had them loosened around his hips when she pushed him toward a chair. The hard surface pressed into his naked ass. A narrow back supported him as he leaned into it, but there were no sides or arms.

  Ariella kicked her pants aside and moved to straddle him. Her pussy was wet as she drew it along his shaft, attesting to how desperately she wanted him. She reached between them, enthusiastically angling his body to hers. With a light groan, she sat on his lap, impaling her body.

  “Oh,” she sighed, lifting up only to fall down. She gripped his shoulders, holding tight as she rode him. He took her by the hips and braced his feet on the floor, balancing their bodies as he let her have her way. “Perhaps this plane could be all about being sex-crazed barbarians. I love the way this feels.”

  She let her head fall back as she looked toward the ceiling. Her hips moved in hard, fast, desperate thrusts. Sexually engaging sighs left her in soft pants of air. Ariella jerked as she came, pressing down on him. The sight of her pleasure was too much. His release joined hers. Without giving them much time to bask in the aftermath, she stood and began to straighten her clothing. Sebastjan was much slower to follow.

  When she finished redressing, she looked at him. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes appeared to glisten with mischief. “Hurry. I’ll meet you by the transport.”

  If he wasn’t so sated he might have been hurt by her quick departure. Instead he grinned. The faster they did their duty the faster they could be done with it.

  * * *

  The box-shaped vehicle moved soundlessly over the streets, hovering over the ground as it sped along Asclepius’ self-navigating streets. Two rows of seats faced inward, making for easy conversation. Once the address was typed into the transport’s computer, the occupants were free to enjoy the ride—no driver needed.

  Ariella was not enjoying the ride. Medical Supreme Walter stared at her for most of it, clearly disappointed in her tardiness. She tried to ignore the sick feeling she got from the man’s unwanted attention, endeavoring to focus her thoughts on Sebastjan. How the two could be related was beyond her understanding. But, the sameness in their physical appearance confirmed that they were indeed father and son.

  “I expected lateness from my son,” Walter had said when Ariella hurried down the stairs to join him, “but not from you. I expect better from you.”

  She reached for the buttons next to the window, pushing one so that the outside became more visible. They were slowing near the middle of town in front of the Central Hospital and Optimal Health Centre building. She recognized the giant structure with its thick Corinthian columns and oversized stone arches. Inside, the metal corridors would look nothing like the fine architectural façade.

  As the transport stopped, the doors opened automatically, sliding to the side. Supreme Walter stepped out first, then Sebastjan, who then helped her down. Stone stretched as far as she could see—statues, sidewalks, streets and buildings. Only a little bit of plant life was allowed in the city, and that was blocked by large glass panels.

  “Are you all right?” Sebastjan asked, not letting go of her arm.

  “Fine,” she lied. In truth, Ariella always found it a little hard to breathe in the sterilized environment.

  “Is it because this is where the Divinity portal is stored?” he insisted. “Are you thinking of home?”

  “Come on,” Supreme Walter ordered. “They’re waiting on us.”

  Inside, the metallic gray corridors of the hospital looked like an endless maze, only the orange lettering on the walls gave directions. Unfortunately for Ariella, she wasn’t able to understand them. The smell of the hospital’s air filtering sterilizer wafted over her. A loud alarm blared overhead, buzzing annoyingly.

  “They’ve arrived,” Supreme Walter said, walking faster. “They will be in sterilization right now to check for other dimensional parasites and viruses. We must hurry.”

  “Why is he so eager to greet these guests?” Ariella asked. “Does he want something from them?”

  “He likes the attention,” Sebastjan answered with a smirk.

  Supreme Walter stopped ahead of them, greeting Dr. Lu. The man wore the standard issue uniform for the facility, a long blue coat with red trim. Like everyone else at the hospital, he kept his hair cropped short.

  “Welcome back, Sans Ariella,” Dr. Lu said to her before addressing her husband in quiet conversation. He carried an orange electronic clipboard, which he referred to several times. Sebastjan glanced at Ariella with a slight frown, nodding his head. Then, Dr. Lu reached into his pocket and took out a syringe. Like everything else it was electronic. He pressed the tip to the clipboard, waited for a beep and then leaned forward to inject it into Sebastjan’s neck.

  “We received word from the Starian ambassador, Sans Lady Lilith,” Dr. Lu said as Sebastjan Ariella inched closer so she could listen to the conversation. “It looks like you will be receiving the blue mineral water you requested as soon as the Medical Supreme signs off on a shipment of handheld units.”

  Supreme Walter actually chuckled, like a kid in possession of a secret weapon. Sebastjan’s whole body tightened but he managed to nod in response. “Thank you for making the arrangements, Dr. Lu.”

  “Yes, thank you, Dr. Lu,” the Medical Supreme added.

  Ariella shared at look with Sebastjan, wondering what he was thinking as he frowned back at her. She unconsciously touched her hair, smoothing it down. He said nothing as he turned his attention away.

  A few minutes later, Ariella found herself standing before two off-plane women. One, a Dr. Cecilia Markos whose serious nature seemed well in tune with the people of Chiron, looked at the flirty Dr. Gerard Fauchet as if he’d grown two heads and had begun snorting fire. She had her brunette locks pulled back from her face, a stern look that suited the disdain on her face.

  Dr. Markos’ assistant, Sans Linnea Nel, seemed more easygoing. Her shoulder-length black hair had a streak of dark purple down the side. It matched the strange shade of her purplish-gray eyes. She chuckled, hiding her smile in the stack of papers she carried. To Ariella’s somewhat disappointment, the visiting women’s flesh was of normal color and they didn’t have any visible abnormalities. In fact, they were quite ordinary.

  “May I present the esteemed Dr. Swift?” The Medical Supreme nodded to the hospital’s director. “Director of
Central Hospital.”

  Ariella turned her smile to the director, having met him at a few social outings, but he barely glanced in her direction. The director eyed the newly arrived assistant’s hair for a long moment before greeting Dr. Markos. Ariella always got the impression the man found himself too important to talk to the non-medical.

  “Come with me.”

  Ariella stifled a gasp of surprise when Sebastjan whispered into her ear. He pulled her slowly back, leading her away from the others. No one seemed to notice their withdrawal. Well, no one but Linnea who smirked in their direction but said nothing.

  Once outside in the corridor, he quickened his pace. Ariella giggled. Her body heated with the idea of getting him alone. She’d heard about the insatiable, those people who couldn’t get enough of their lover. She never thought she’d become one of them.

  Sebastjan leaned next to a closed door and let the retinal scanner read his eyes. The door slid open and he pulled her in.

  “Welcome, Dr. Walter,” an animated voice said.

  Ariella came up behind him, reached for his ass, squeezing the firm cheek. He took a deep breath. She let her hand slide around his hip. To her surprise, he pulled away from her touch.

  “I need you to step into the medical booth for scanning,” Sebastjan said. “This is important.”

  Ariella looked around the private exam room, finally registering where they were. She forced all expression out of her face and all emotion from her voice. “Why?”

  “I don’t wish to alarm you, but Dr. Lu mentioned he found some anomalies in your scans. They have the most up-to-date equipment here. He has given me permission to use this room to test—”

  “No.” Ariella shook her head. “This isn’t necessary. I’m fine. There’s no need to—”

  “It’s just a scan. There’s no reason to be scared,” he tried to assure her. “I’ll be right here the whole time.”

  “I’m fine. I swear it.” Ariella looked at the booth. “It’s being taken care of.”