Once there, Stacia realized that they would be literally on display for the entire audience. Her anxiety spiked, triggering her fight or flight instinct when she understood that there would be warriors at her back. Then she looked up at the head table and saw Balfor sitting there watching her with an impassive expression. A strange moment passed between them that Stacia didn’t understand at first. Then her gaze dropped to his hands. Both of them were on the table and his claws were dug into the stone as if it was the only way he restrained himself from coming to her side. Some instinct told her that he felt her fear and wanted to respond to it. What that response would be, she wasn’t certain, but the realization alone allowed her to calm her breathing and push her anxiety back.
Lilith was about to take the seat Ranove had pulled out for her when Stacia leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Go ahead and join Ranove. You don’t want to break the tradition of sitting with your protector.” Lilith had worked hard over the last two years to carve a place for herself among the umbrose. Sitting with the humans this time would put her firmly back in their corner, and Stacia feared that would lower her in the eyes of the people she’d adopted when she’d accepted Ranove’s claim and became his concubine. She was not so selfish as to do that to Lilith just for her own ease of mind.
Lilith looked as though she wanted to object, but Stacia shook her head sharply. The understanding they had after years of friendship allowed Lilith to recognize that Stacia wasn’t going to back down and arguing would only draw out this moment. Instead, Lilith nodded, cast one last worried look at Stacia, then tucked her arm into Ranove’s and allowed him to lead her to the head table. The concubines and their handmaidens actually sat on cushions behind the head table, which irritated Stacia to no end, but it was their tradition, and given the way Lilith had explained it, it wasn’t as bad as Stacia initially thought. The line of warriors in front of the females was their protection, a stance that Lilith said had been needed on more than one occasion in the past.
Taking her seat, Stacia felt relieved to at least have Candace and Deon at her table. After a brief speech from Balfor in umbrose that Ranove translated for their sakes, the feast began. Candace and Deon turned out to be charming companions and had the skill to ignore the feeling of being exhibits in a zoo. Candace had a gift for distracting Stacia with her amusing banter, and though Gideon kept a constant wary eye on their surroundings, he often added comments that made Stacia laugh aloud, something she hadn’t done very often in the last two years.
“So what do you think of the umbrose sitting at the head table?” Candace asked after the third course had been served. She’d lowered the tone of her voice so Stacia had to lean towards her to hear.
Stacia glanced up at the long table raised on a dais. There were a dozen umbrose males seated there in order of rank. Balfor sat in the center, but some of the other males, especially the two on either side of him, were nearly as large and intimidating as the prince. Ranove sat on Balfor’s right.
Deon was the one who answered Candace while Stacia was still surreptitiously studying the other umbrose, finding the task difficult because her gaze kept returning to Balfor. “Seeing them unified like this, it’s difficult to imagine any enemy that could be a threat to them.”
Candace shrugged. “I imagine the adurians are equally as powerful and intimidating.”
Stacia shook her head. “I wouldn’t say that too loud in this place.”
Nodding, Candace answered in a much lower voice. “I suppose that’s true, although I certainly meant no offense.”
“They all carry themselves like warriors.” Deon didn’t look at the head table much, but Stacia suspected he’d made a careful study of it. “If I were forced to choose which umbrose I had to fight to the death, I’d avoid the center five.” He shrugged broad shoulders, rippling with muscle beneath the fine linen high-collared tunic he wore.
“What if you had to choose among those five?” Stacia certainly hoped it never came to that.
Deon met her eyes. His expression was unusually grim. “In that case… I’d run.”
Candace’s light laughter broke the tension. “You two are so serious. We’re at a party. Let’s enjoy ourselves.”
“Well, you did ask our opinion,” Stacia said.
Candace smirked. “I was actually asking your opinion. Your friend told you something about the major leaders earlier, did she not?”
“She pointed out a few of them. The four around Balfor that Deon mentioned and a couple of the others.”
“So what did she say about them? Who are they? We weren’t exactly given introductions, and I confess to being mighty curious about those who’re granted the honor to sit at the side of the prince.” Candace winked at Stacia, reminding her that only that morning, she’d been the one sitting at the side of the prince.
Keeping her voice low, Stacia tried to point out the ones Lilith had mentioned, without actually letting them know they were being talked about. Since the noise in the chamber was high, echoing in the massive space, she hoped they would go unheard, even though they couldn’t avoid being observed. “The one to the right of Balfor is Duke Ranove, Lilith’s mate. The one to the left is Marquise Danhal. On the Marquise’s left is General Gorzo who commands the Marquise’s legions. He’s the big tattooed one with the braids.” He was the only one of the umbrose she’d ever seen decorated in such a fashion, and she’d wondered about it, but figured she’d ask Lilith about it later where they couldn’t be overheard by anyone who would get word back to the general that he was being gossiped about. “The one on the duke’s right is General Oriax, who commands the duke’s elite forces.”
“I’d heard the umbrose were at war. What are all the commanders doing here?” Candace eyed each of the umbrose in question with open curiosity which made Stacia want to choke her for being so obvious. The males, talking amongst themselves, routinely looked down at the table of “honor” where she and the other humans sat, so she didn’t doubt they’d notice Candace’s staring.
Stacia hadn’t had the chance to ask Lilith much about the war between the umbrose and adurians, but she’d been given the impression that the umbrose had withdrawn from pursuit of the retreating adurians, and were pulling their legions back to Sanctuary. She wondered about that particular tactic, but certainly didn’t think it was a good idea to ask.
She was going to quietly suggest Candace keep those types of questions to herself when Balfor rose to his feet. “It seems our honored guests are uncomfortable. Perhaps the open space unnerves them, trapped as they usually are within their bubbles.”
Ranove spoke in the umbrose language, apparently translating Balfor’s words, and a low murmur that included laughter followed his words. Stacia’s face flushed, and she was grateful for the jeweled veil Lilith had brought her earlier along with the dress.
She didn’t have a chance to respond, though she wasn’t certain Balfor intended for her to. He jumped over the high table, clearing it as easily as she might step over a low railing. Though their table was a significant distance from the high table, he landed lightly in front of it with wings outspread. Ignoring Deon and Candace, he held out a hand to Stacia. “I see that your appetite has again failed you. Dance with me. Perhaps the activity will increase your hunger.”
The way his eyes traveled over her set her body on fire. His behavior also irritated her. He’d put her on the spot in a big way. The chamber had fallen completely silent as everyone, including her two companions, stared at her in anticipation of her reaction.
Stacia rose to her feet and put her icy hand in his, not because she wanted to dance with him in front of all these people in the middle of a meal that he’d interrupted just to put her on the spot, but because she got the impression it would be a bad idea to turn down the offer. Still, her body responded to the warm clasp of his large hand around hers with a burst of heat. She mentally chided herself, but there was something familiar about the feel of her hand in his, something that tugged at a deeply
buried memory.
Balfor didn’t give her a chance to recall it. As soon as he pulled her closer to him until she was held only a hands-breadth from him and could feel the heat coming from his body, the drummers started their rhythmic pounding overhead. The beat pulsed in her blood as Balfor swept her into a dance that allowed him to keep her hand in his and place the other at her waist where it seemed to scorch her through the jeweled brocade of her dress.
To her relief, other dancers followed them out into the area of the hall cleared for dancing as more musicians added their unusual instrumental sounds to the drums. Many of the other dancers started leaping, then actually flying, before the first strains of a flute began, but Balfor thankfully kept his steps to the highly-polished marble floor.
“I hope that you’re feeling in better spirits this evening than you were earlier.” Balfor’s voice was low, just loud enough for her to hear.
Since he led with such skill, Stacia didn’t have to concentrate on her steps. “I apologize for my earlier behavior. I was unprepared for our meeting.”
A smile tilted his sensuous lips. “An apology is not what I expected from you, but I accept. You continue to surprise me.”
She wondered what those lips would feel like against her skin and then tried to push the thought away as wet heat filled her core. “I wouldn’t say that I’m the unpredictable one.”
“Unlike my duke, I have not made a study of your people. You’re a mystery to me, Stacia.” The way he said her name as if he savored the sound of it made her knees weak.
“That makes two of us, because I’m not sure what to make of you either.”
His chuckle brought his muscular body more fully into contact with her breasts. From the corner of her eye, she saw other dancers stop and stare at Balfor in shock. That reaction gave her the impression that he didn’t often laugh.
“I find your blunt honesty… refreshing. I’m not used to being caught off-guard.”
Stacia was beginning to enjoy the dancing. The music throbbed in tune with her heart, and the heat caused by Balfor’s proximity and touch kept her flushed and aroused. Her breath hitched in her chest as she brushed against his arousal with every sweeping step across the dance floor. “I find your city awe-inspiring, Your Highness.” The desperation in her voice as she tried to ignore her own reaction to him sounded too obvious to her.
His smile looked tight, as though he was also struggling to regain control of himself. “Do you still feel that the Grand Column is no more impressive than your human temples?”
She shook her head. “There’s no building in any dome that comes close to the majesty of the Grand Column. Lilith told me that the umbrose call your palace the Trilospires. The two other columns are also beautiful.”
“I’m pleased that you approve.” His tone was only gently mocking, so she didn’t bristle at his sarcasm. “I designed the Trilospires, as well as most of the city buildings.”
“Really? But they’re so beautiful!” She winced at the way that came out.
His laughter rang out over the dance floor. The music halted mid-note. Everyone stopped and stared at the two of them. Balfor brought her to a halt as well, and Stacia flushed, once again blessing the tradition of the veil. With a wave of his hand, he commanded the musicians to play again, and after a brief jumble of notes from different instruments, the music started up louder, as if those in the galley were trying to drown out the excited murmuring that swelled in the dining area of the Hall.
Once they were dancing again, and their voices could barely be heard over the music, Balfor looked down into her eyes. “You don’t think I can create something beautiful?” He sounded more curious than offended.
She was relieved by how well he was taking her thoughtless comment. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that—”
“Your surprise was genuine. Do not deny it now.”
“It’s just that…,”
Balfor spared her the necessity of coming up with the rest of the reply. “So you like my city?”
“I’m sure I don’t need to tell you all the superlatives that I think of when I look around Sanctuary. What you’ve done here, what you’ve accomplished, it’s just amazing.”
A slight frown marred his handsome face. “Sanctuary is not what it could be, what other umbrose cities have been. Someday, when the adurians have been destroyed, we will reclaim those ancient ruins and rebuild them to their past glory.”
“I can’t imagine anything more glorious than this.” Stacia glanced up at the umbrose in flight, the musicians in the galley, the drummers suspended above the dance floor. Blue-green glowing quartz, carved into fantastic shapes, lit up the entire hall until the marble tiles and the calcite-rich walls gleamed with it. When she looked at Balfor again, he was watching her with an unreadable look in his eyes.
The song ended before he could speak. He released her waist, but kept her hand in his, as though he was reluctant to let her go. When he led her back to the tables, she realized that her legs were trembling and couldn’t tell if it was from the dancing or from him.
“I hope that you’re hungrier now. My people have gone to great lengths to honor you as our guest. They’d be disappointed if you found nothing to your taste.”
Stacia wondered if it was only her over-heated libido putting a double meaning on all his words, or if he really was challenging her. She’d been left with no doubt that he desired her, though a sidewise glance told her he’d gotten at least part of his anatomy back under control. She wished she’d been so successful. He released her hand only when she stood before her chair at the square table. Candace and Deon watched her with avid interest as Balfor returned to his table.
She ate until she was stuffed. The food was amazing, the variety of tastes and textures far beyond what could be found in DC, but it wasn’t her appetite that compelled her. It was Balfor’s words. She didn’t want to give the impression to the umbrose that she wasn’t pleased with what they’d done to welcome her.
She was feeling friendlier towards Balfor as well, more so with each glass of delicious umbrose wine made from something they called shadowberry. It was true that he had a bad habit of drawing unwanted attention to her, and that he was arrogant and unpredictable, but he seemed to be making an effort to be more welcoming.
*****
After they left the party—slipping away before it ended—an umbrose escort led Stacia, Candace, and Deon to their building. Though they knew they were being guarded, it was still nice to have help finding their way back to their quarters in the gloom.
She would have preferred to have had Lilith take them back, but once Balfor left, claiming duties that needed to be attended to, Ranove quickly followed. Not long after that, Lilith left with her handmaidens, hugging Stacia and bidding her to sleep well, because she wanted to spend the next day with her.
When Stacia was finally alone in her room, she stripped out of the beautiful dress with relief, stumbling a bit from the alcohol she’d consumed. The caress of fabric against her skin only seemed to draw attention to the fact that she desired a different kind of caress. She folded the jeweled material and set it neatly on a chair along with the veil. Lilith had gifted it to her, but she felt guilty taking such an expensive gift—she was used to being the one giving them—and wondered if she should offer to return it or if that would offend her friend. She was frankly tired of offending people lately.
After tugging on a light t-shirt, she contemplated her bottle of sleeping pills. She wasn’t supposed to take them with alcohol, but her nerves were still singing and she feared she’d struggle to sleep tonight, even with the buzz. Popping a half-dose, she crawled into bed with her datapad. It was the latest model, and had a lot of memory. She had plenty of books, movie streams, and video games to occupy her until she could relax enough to sleep. After the arousing evening, she chose to read a romance novel, when what she really wanted was to watch some erotic streams, none of which were loaded on this datapad. Even after the end of Diak
onos censorship, that type of movie remained an underground commodity, so she kept her copies in a safe back in her apartment in DC.
After only a few chapters, she cast the datapad aside in frustration. The novelist still wrote as though the Censors were reading every word. There were only frustrating and euphemistic hints of the physical relationship between the couple. Her imagination did a better job of filling in the blanks.
Giving up after a last desperate scan through the datapad’s offerings, she turned off the light and flopped back on her pillow, tossing and turning to find a comfortable way to sleep. Finally profound exhaustion overtook her as her pill kicked in and she faded into dreams.
Her sleep was haunted by erotic dreams. When she awoke only a few hours later, groggy and lightheaded, her datapad clock showed it was early in the morning though it was too dark to see in the windowless room. Her body ached with unfulfilled desire, her clitoris throbbed painfully. She knew she wouldn’t get any sleep until she took care of it, so she plunged her hand into panties, her fingers seeking out her swollen nub. She bit her lip as the tips of her fingers brushed against the sensitive flesh. That slight touch felt so good, she knew it wouldn’t take long to reach her climax.
Brushing her fingers back and forth over her clit, she slowly increased the pressure as her hips lifted to press deeper into her touch. Her breathing grew rapid, and she dipped her middle finger into her soaking slit, moaning at the feel of the invasion. It had been so long since she'd had sex. Maybe that was why Balfor made her feel such need.
She was getting too close to her orgasm and didn't want the delicious feeling to end so she stopped rubbing herself and instead delved a second finger inside her slit, thrusting as deep as she could. Her hips were now pumping so hard that the blanket slipped from the bed, leaving her body exposed to the warm air of her room. Her panties interfered with her touch, forcing her to stop long enough to pull them off. When she returned to touching herself, she lifted her other hand to massage her breast through her t-shirt.
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