He grinned. “There is always another night, Xia. Don’t forget that.”
Her name made her pause. “What do I call you? I mean if I am Lady Xia, what do I call you in formal events?”
“Call me Drov. Always call me Drov. Etiquette can go hang, others must address you as lady, and I am honoured to have you as mine. Your full title is Lady Xia Velu, Daughter of the Asku Overlord.”
“He is not my father.”
“He is my father and now yours. The mating was registered this morning and samples of our DNA are being registered with the home world. Any children you bear will now have a home with my people.”
She swallowed. “Oh. That is thorough.”
“We do not believe in chance, nor in leaving Asku children out in the cold. Any child born to an Asku is an immediate citizen and its mother as well.”
“Very forward thinking of you.”
Drov grinned. “My mother will enjoy you. She loves sarcasm.”
She was about to blast him when there was a chime at the lift.
“Get dressed and meet me in the kitchen.”
She frowned. “All my clothing is in the guestroom.”
“Not anymore.”
Grunting, “Don’t you freaking think of everything, Commander?” She stomped into the bedroom and rifled through her bags to find something that wouldn’t chafe her skin.
Soft silk lined leather to bind her breasts, a matching set of silk lined trousers. An open floor-length vest and she was ready for company.
On silent feet, she walked into the kitchen, and another Asku male was there, setting up implements on the eat-in table while Drov puttered around the cupboards and prepared tea and some breakfast.
“Hello.”
The man that Drov had referred to as a Marksman turned and smiled at her. His eyes took her in from head to toe and he grinned. “Greetings, Lady Xia Velu.”
“What is your name?”
“Rekkin, Marksman of your Commander’s detachment.”
“You mark people for a living?” She was trying to understand.
“I do. I am also a standard warrior when we enter battle. After battle, I mark the survivors with the icon selected for that fight.”
Drov put cups and a tray of food on the counter. “You can eat over here, Xia, and supervise as he marks me. Deal?”
She grumped but stomped over to the high stool next to the counter and sipped some tea before reaching for a pastry. Enthralled by the sight of Drov’s bare chest, she watched ancient glyphs take shape on his chest. “What is that?”
“Your name written in ancient Asku.” He pointed to one side of his neck. “This is my mother.” He didn’t move his arm because it was the one that Rekkin was working near. “My father is the other side.”
Rekkin paused, “Technically, his mother’s side has the word Radiance on it.”
Drov inclined his head. “You are correct. It is what she is, not her name. It’s complicated.”
Rekkin resettled himself and continued. The extensive glyph that he was creating was five inches in diameter. There would be no mistaking this for anything other than what it was, an Asku mate marking.
Seven hours later, Xia was being primped and polished for the evening’s reception. Her hair was trimmed, her skin soft, her nails a subtle shade of rose and her features enhanced by the cosmeticians who arrived under guard to help her out.
She had chosen shoes out of nine pairs presented, and after two hours of high-grade buffing, she was tucked into the gown and led out to show her makeover to her new mate.
“Well, Drov, what do you think?”
He was standing with his back to her, and as he turned, his posture changed. “I think that we should remain in tonight and for at least a week. I need to explore this new look of yours extensively.”
She propped her hands on her hips and did a slow turn. “What, my being half dead in a medical gown wasn’t good enough for you? Men are so fussy.” Xia laughed. She knew she looked amazing.
She had to admit, he looked good too. His boots were polished, his trousers were a slick but soft leather that begged her to touch. The shirt and vest he wore were different from the uniform she had first seen him in. both were slit to the waist and cut to show the majority of his new tattoo. “Is that a special uniform?”
He grinned. “It is cut for mated males. Ideally, it is designed to not only show off the mark but to repel predatory females. I cannot tell you how many parts of me have been pinched or patted by unsuitable women on this world.”
Xia sashayed up to Drov, her skirts swishing. “Don’t worry, my lord Drov. I will protect you.”
He watched her with the star swirling in his eyes again as she reached her hand to his chest and slowly moved her fingertips up toward the edge of his mark. Her name. She still could not wrap her mind around the fact that her name was now the most sensitive spot on his body.
Drov groaned before she could touch the black curves that made up the X. “Enough. I do not want to ruin your makeup or hair.”
She sighed and retracted her hand. “When do we leave?”
“Our flight is waiting on the roof. Whenever you are ready.”
She nodded. “I am good. I have touch-up cosmetics concealed inside the dress, so all I need is you.”
He sighed and drew her carefully into his arms. “That is the nicest thing you could have said to me.”
She smiled with her face an inch from the mark proclaiming that he belonged to Xelaria II. “I have my moments. Now, let’s go before I do something that neither of us will regret but we will hear about for shirking duty.”
He laughed and released her, offering her his arm. They moved as one and stepped into the lift, a childish giggle burning in Xia’s chest. Whether it was a reception or not, tonight she was going to a ball. It was the strangest fairy tale she had ever heard, Unsleeping Beauty and the Genetically Altered Commander.
Chapter Eight
“Have you known Commander Drov long?” One of the wives of the nineteen politicians Xia had met was trying to make small talk.
Xia grinned, “No. Not at all.”
The woman blinked and tried to regroup. “I see. How did you meet?”
“He had a warrant for my detainment, and from there, it is history. You know how these things go. The Asku are a strange race.” She quirked her lips, imagining how many of these predatory females would try to put themselves in a position where Asku intervention was required.
The gown that Xia was wearing was far more decorous than those of her companions. It seemed that deep cleavage was all the rage in Kentrial, and it certainly filled Xia with rage when two of the women had pressed up against Drov under the guise of greeting him once again.
Xia looked across the room where Drov towered over the men in his vicinity. They were speaking on matters of politics and planetary safety, two things that did not interest Xia in the least.
The woman, Xia believed her name was Sala, smiled. “Did you see the light in the sky last night? Apparently, a midnight rainbow spun across the city.”
Xia was about to sip at one of the fruit concoctions that Drov had told her was safe to consume, and she blushed slightly. “Rainbow? Really?”
Sala nodded. “It was spectacular.”
Xia imagined that the light she and Drov had been producing could have been refracted through the windows in the bedroom, as well as the sitting area, for that matter. A rainbow was a definite possibility.
Light, she had never imagined that the charge her body gave off could be transmuted into light. Xia looked over at Drov again and met his gaze. With Drov involved, how could the end result not be amazing?
She mentally slapped herself at the fanciful course of her thoughts, but she knew she was sinking fast. He had already given her companionship, affection and comfort, so she knew that she was an inch away from returning those aspects with love.
The reception had begun way before sunset, but now, the light was long gone, the dinn
er was over, and Xia was intensely bored. Sala was trying to be polite, but the magistrate’s wife was only being a good hostess.
In moments where Xia let her guard down, she felt a pair of eyes burning her skin. Looking around, she didn’t see anyone, but it was not the same pleasurable heat that she received when it was Drov.
“Are all the politicians married?” It seemed an innocent question.
Sala whispered, “Dorium Marku was set to be married this week, and without a word, he called it off. His bride-to-be was devastated. She still hasn’t been seen.”
“Oh my. That sounds ominous.”
“Of course, there are several other politicians here that have not yet wed, but that is the newest scandal.” Sala was leaning close and whispering.
Xia nodded. “Which one is Dorium?”
Sala moved casually and shifted Xia so she could see the man she was speaking of, “The one currently at the punch bowl. He has been staring at you all night, but then, half the men have.”
Xia nodded and kept her lids lowered but watched Dorium as he stood with the cup of punch in his hand. He looked over at her, and the punch in the cup began to boil.
Xia spoke to Sala, “So what is there to do in Kentrial to occupy one’s time.”
While she kept up idle chitchat, she took the image of Dorium’s face and connected it with a face she had seen once in her past.
Xia peeked between the slats of wood that made up the door.
A tall man was speaking to her mother, and he was not being polite. “It is her time, Xelaria. You cannot stop what must happen.”
A younger man was waiting by the door, his face held the stamp of arrogance and power.
“I can and I will. Your selection of Noffin was wrong, and you know it. My power over matched his and he died.”
“He didn’t die, you burned his mind out after he struck you. My brother was a great man, a great power, you left him an empty shell.”
“He was an ass who beat me while I was pregnant. If I had run then, you never would have found me again.”
The man shifted uncomfortably. “He did have a temper, that is true, but it is in the past. You have a daughter, and she is of my bloodline. It is my right to match her as I see fit. Dorium is a good match, wealthy and of good family. He is also powerful and will keep your whelp in line.”
For the first time in her life, Xia saw a flicker of her mother’s power. “We will not discuss this in my home. You are not welcome here. There is an inn on the edge of town where this may be continued.”
“Xelaria…”
The man was struck by something small and bright, right in the chest. “I. Don’t. Want. You. Here. Get. Out.”
Fear crossed the arrogant features, and he took the younger man with him.
Her mother stood, breathing hard for several minutes. Without looking at the hiding place, she said in a harsh whisper, “I have to meet them, Xia. They know where we are now. I want you to run as we have practiced. You know where the kit is. Go.”
It was the last time Xia had seen her mother and the first time she had seen Dorium. Apparently, he either recognized her resemblance to her mother, or the energy signature of her body, but whatever it was, he was boiling another cup of punch while she chatted with Sala.
“I have heard that you have been plagued by fires. Where did the first one start?”
Sala blinked at the change in conversation. “The manor house in Rekal prefecture. Dorium has managed to rebuild, but it was amazing that he got out alive. It was right after his election too.”
“Very tragic. Where was the next fire?”
“The stables in Cladi prefecture. The animals got out, but two grooms died in the blaze. From there it went into the city.”
“Is there a regular time to the fires?”
Sala shook her head. “No, they are completely random.”
Xia looked at one of the elaborate timepieces on a nearby table. It was thirty minutes to midnight. If Dorium was going to fulfill her vision, he was going to leave soon.
“Please excuse me. I have to speak with Drov for a moment.” Xia inclined her head to Sala.
“If you need a little privacy, there is a study to the left. I am sure that Soddo won’t mind.”
The look in Sala’s eyes said she remembered what it was like to be a newlywed.
Xia looked at Drov, and he left the men he was with, coming to her side. “What is it?”
She took his hand and led him to the room Sala had pointed out, pausing for their audience and kissing him as she opened the door to shove him inside.
With the door closed behind them, he pressed her against the smooth expanse of wood and lifted her to him so that he could cease stooping. He lifted his head and said, “Not that I mind the spontaneity, but what is the reason for this tryst?”
“I have identified what I think is the fire starter, but we need to get him good and angry before he will do what I have foreseen.”
“Wait, you want him to start a fire?”
“No, I want him to try. And if he is to try, he has to get mad first. This will infuriate him.” She caressed his mark with the back of her hand, and he shuddered.
He gripped her waist and carried her to the desk. “If you want to make him jealous and me satisfied, I am willing to do whatever it takes.”
She laughed and lifted the frothing skirts of her gown until her upper thighs were exposed. “Please, Drov. Do whatever it takes. Even me.”
Chapter Nine
He pressed kisses to her neck while his hands aroused her, chafing her breasts through her gown and sliding two fingers within her.
She didn’t keep quiet. She let every moan, sigh and gasp fill the air in the hopes that Dorium was listening.
Drov stroked her with two fingers until she rocked with every slick slide and with his other hand, he opened his trousers, shoving them down his thighs to keep them out of the way.
The press of his cock against her was still eye watering, but she surged back against him, and after a few moments, her body relaxed in welcome.
He began to thrust and took her lips in a deep kiss, his tongue mimicking his cock.
There was a tense urgency to him. He moved one hand between their surging bodies and stroked at the top of her sex. The fire that blazed through her at that touch, combined with the pleasurable ache of his cock, caused her to buck against him, giving him a low, long moan as a different sort of release took her over.
He groaned and shoved himself into her with a flurry of forceful thrusts that ended with the feeling of him bucking inside her and his low moan.
Xia could practically feel the crackling flames that Dorium was trying to contain on the other side of the door.
“Well, that worked. If he doesn’t try to start the fire now, I don’t know what he will do.” She spoke into Drov’s neck, and he smiled.
“If you need me to make him angry using this method again, I will be more than happy to oblige.”
She snickered. “The clock is ticking. So, I had better clean up, and we should be going.”
“If you think I am putting you in harm’s way, you have another thing coming.”
He stepped back, and she immediately reached into her bodice and removed a packet of wipes.
Drov blinked in surprise. “What else is in there?”
“Makeup, wipes, a comb, just things that a lady with no purse needs to keep on her person.” She reached between her thighs with a wipe and removed the exterior traces of their coupling.
She offered him a wipe, and he first wiped his fingers and then his cock.
“Watch this.” She gestured for him to give her the wipe back and he did. She set loose some of her power and the wipes crackled into a flash of light before disappearing.
“How long have you been able to do that?”
She frowned. “I don’t know. It just made sense to keep from spreading our DNA via the wastebasket.”
Xia walked to the mirror and repaired her ap
pearance. She looked untouched except for the lazy pleasure in her gaze.
She turned to Drov and removed her makeup from his lips and cheek. “There. We are now presentable once again.”
He chuckled. “Then let us go and see if Dorium has taken the bait.”
Re-entering a gathering of strangers who had no doubt known what they were up to took a certain kind of nerve.
To Xia’s surprise, half the gathering had left, and Sala was standing with her husband’s arm around her. Sala grinned, grabbed her husband’s hand and hauled him toward Xia and Drov.
“I am afraid that the party has ended. Everyone who stepped past that study was suddenly seized by an urge to leave so they grabbed their husbands and left.”
Xia inclined her head with a blush. “What about Dorium?”
“He left when you dragged Drov into the study.”
Drov lifted Xia by the waist. “Please excuse us, Magistrate, Lady. We have to finish our discussion. There were some points left unexplored.”
The couple laughed indulgently as Drov hauled Xia to the lift and then set her on her own two feet.
“Very convincing.” She fluffed out her skirts again.
“Oh, I fully intend to explore you from head to toe, but that will wait until we deal with the fire starter. How do you know him?”
The doors to the lift opened and they exited, moving through the well-guarded marble lobby and into the streets.
“He was supposed to be my husband.” Xia ignored Drov’s shock and kept moving.
She could feel Dorium, his seething power building to a catastrophic level.
“What do you mean, husband?”
“The day my mother died, a man of power came to the house and demanded me. Dorium was with him. Apparently, my mother’s people engage in arranged marriages.”
“What happened to your father?”
“Apparently, my mother burned his mind out and ran with me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this?”
She sighed but kept moving swiftly through the streets. “I didn’t remember that day until I saw Dorium’s face. He is older, but it is definitely him.”
“So, you did not even meet him?”
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