by Anna Lewis
Chapter 3
Queen Ozhenia was far more beautiful than Raven ever imagined. Her illustrious lilac colored skin was splotched with hints of red and yellow. It was one of the symptoms she’d read about on her way to the planet. The queen’s violet eyes were only half open as her shimmering gold hair seemed to be dull and lackluster. Her body, from the neck down, was covered in layers of beige silk while she lay on some sort of mat that was radiating heat.
“May I, Your Majesty?” she asked the queen as she moved closer to her. “I am Doctor Raven Glass, and I was brought here to serve you, and hopefully make you better.”
The queen simply nodded. Her weakened state was evident as Raven went to work. After cleaning her hands thoroughly, she pulled out her gloves. The Xularese skin was as thick as strong leather, but Raven knew her way around a sick being. She started with a general exam, going back and forth between the queen and the notes she was given. By the time she was finished, she’d found something interesting.
“Can we move you Your Majesty?” she asked the queen. “I believe this stone mat is reacting with your skin.”
“But it’s used when any member of the Royal Palace falls ill,” Guarin stared at Raven in disbelief. “We must use the stone mat. It helps eradicate all illnesses!”
Raven tried desperately to hide her irritation while disguising her feeling of superiority. She was never one to lord her talents over others, but something as simple as not using the communal sick mat seemed like common sense. So she urged the queen to side with her and move to her own bed, which she finally agreed to. It was only a few hours before she started feeling better.
“I haven’t been able to move this much in days. Thank you, Doctor Glass,” Queen Ozhenia still winced in pain as an encouraging smile spread across her face. The slits in the middle of her face opened just a bit wider and her eyes appeared to be just a little brighter. “May I ask that you stay here with me until I am well. Guarin, tell the other physicians they won’t be needed. Doctor Glass will be in charge of my care for the foreseeable future. Please prepare the chief medical suite for her use.”
“The suite is already prepared for the doctor. But I will take care of the rest of the physicians at once,” Guarin nodded. Turning to Raven, she couldn’t tell if he was smiling or not, but he simply motioned for her to follow him.
Tranquility washed over her as Raven studied every inch of the suite Guarin brought her to. There was a room encased in glass with a variety of medical equipment for her to use, but something struck her as odd.
“How did you get all of this stuff here? These look like the exact models and machines from my office,” she pressed her hands against the glass looking over the room.
“We spoke with a Doctor Monroe while you were travelling here to get an idea of the equipment you used. She sent us the specs and we constructed this for you. If you need anything that isn’t inside, let me know and I’ll be sure to have it added to the suite. There’s still plenty of room. I suggest you get some rest.”
Raven backed away from the glass encased room to explore the rest of her room. There was a bed, bigger than any she’d ever slept in. It even had a miniature staircase to help her get on top of it. The clothes she’d brought with her were all hanging on a clothing rack just outside of a large double door. Behind the large double doors was a huge walk-in closet. It was filled with clothes from all over the galaxy. There were elaborate gowns with bold and bright colors, along with plain old t-shirts and jeans. She liked the variety.
The subtle noise of something vibrating from the bedroom brought her attention away from the massive wardrobe. Scanning the room, it took her a while to find what was buzzing. The sounds drew her to a remote control like tablet on the nightstand next to her massively tall bed. It looked simple enough to use as she hit a flashing marker on the screen. There were messages there waiting to be played.
The first one was from her mother. “Hey, Rae. We got this weird message from one of your patients. We guessed it was about this new assignment you literally rushed off the planet to take. I wish we could talk in real time but the video messages will do for now. Let us know when you make there safely and when you get back. We love you, even though you continually choose other species over your own family. Be safe. Talk to you soon.”
Raven groaned with every syllable her mother spoke. She never understood what her problem was or why she just couldn’t be happy for her success. Shaking the doubt from her mind, she played the other message waiting for her. It was from Tracy. “Hey just so you know, the creepy looking purple guy called back and I gave him all the specs for your equipment, but not the gloves since I know those are still under the patent. I hope that was okay. Don’t be mad at me if it’s not. I didn’t know. Okay love you, be safe, and come back soon.”
At least her partner was happy for her. But, of course, she would be since she was bringing in millions of dollars for the practice. A deep breath escaped her lips along with the low grumbling from her stomach. Raven couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually eaten anything. So she decided to venture out of her room.
The halls seemed different as she walked through them alone. The only thing guiding her was instinct and a scent that could be food. She wasn’t sure what it would be on Xulara, but it was worth the journey to find out.
The palace itself didn’t seem as big on the inside as it did from the pictures she’d seen online. Raven couldn’t stop smiling as she roamed the halls. With every step she took, she found herself getting closer and closer to the alluring scent until she found it.
It was indeed the kitchen and to her surprise there wasn’t a full staff of chefs inside. There wasn’t a servant in sight. The only being in the kitchen was the prince himself. Raven blushed as she halted in her steps. “My apologies, Prince Eoch. I’ll come back.”
“It’s okay,” he told her waving her into the room. Raven approached him as if they’d known each other forever. There was such a familiarity between them, a closeness with an unknown origin. Or perhaps their hands touching was when it initiated. All Raven knew was that she was intrigued by the prince.
“I’m guessing you’re here because you’re hungry?” he pulled the stool out next to him.
Raven sat down, barely a foot away from him, taking in his scent. He was the alluring aroma she smelled. It was like cinnamon and home wrapped into the Prince of Xulara. There was a plate in front of him with an assortment of items on it. They were unknown to her, but her stomach growled loudly, making her forget how picky she could be. She’d eat anything in that moment.
“Taste this,” he held up a morsel of food. It looked like a clean cut portion of green pulp. Raven opened her mouth and he fed it to her. It was delicious. It was a piece of fruit with hints of peppermint, strawberry, and mango all rolled into one. Biting into it, however, was like biting into an onion. The texture threw her off a bit as a bit of the juice trickled down her lip. The prince caught it with his finger. Sparks flew again.
The charge was there. Staring at him, she asked, “Why does that keep happening?”
“Perhaps we’re just drawn together magnetically,” he laughed. His voice was deep, charismatic, continuously sending vibes through her body that she couldn’t ignore.
“I don’t know what you’re doing, but you need to stop it,” she scolded him in a mocking tone.
“Why is that?” he turned to her.
“Because I’m here on a job. I’m not here to become one of your concubines or playthings. I’m here as a doctor first. Besides, I have no idea who you are Prince Eoch. I know you as the Prince of Xulara, but that’s it. In order for those shockwaves to mean anything substantial, I need to know who you are behind that crown,” she winked and began to move off of the stool.
His hand stopped her. Raven glared at him as if to reprimand a defiant child. His smile was contagious. “But I’m sure you came down here to eat. So at least take this with you.”
Prince Eoch handed her the plate
and then purposely pushed himself away from Raven. She swallowed hard as she watched him bow to her slightly, turn and leave the room. Her pussy throbbed with anticipation even though bedding the prince wasn’t on her agenda. Out of his royal garb, he was a specimen to be admired, fawned over, tasted, and pleasured. Raven, as hard as she tried to focus on the queen’s health, couldn’t keep the prince off her mind.
Chapter 4
Days turned into weeks for Raven as she stayed by the queen’s side nursing her back into good health. Her recovery was coming along smoothly, and that was mostly due to the palace garden. Most of the equipment they worked so hard to get into her suite was useless as Raven put her chemistry knowledge to the test. Botany and medical technology combining for a common goal was what she attributed to the queen’s successful treatments.
Even as she strolled down the black, sandy paths, she continuously marveled at the plants around her. Some had tentacles, that moved whenever she passed, while others were covered in fuzzy thorns which were a lot sharper than they looked. It was a holistic doctor’s dream, but she knew better than to rely on plants alone. She wanted to be sure the royal family was getting their money’s worth, and that the queen would survive far longer than her own doctors originally predicted.
Staring off into the off-white sun, it reminded her of the moon’s shadow on Earth. Thoughts of home began to race through her mind, but before she could get the slightest inkling of homesickness, Prince Eoch appeared on the path ahead of her.
He sounded like he was struggling with someone, or something. Pushing herself to take a closer look, she walked further up the path to see he was manhandling one of the tentacles from a plant she’d been working with over the last few weeks.
“Hey!” she shouted.
The prince turned around with an expression of shock that melted immediately when he saw it was Raven standing there.
“What are you doing to that plant?” she asked in an accusatory tone.
He chuckled before releasing his grip around the tentacle. “I was trying to extract a bit of its sap without severing the entire arm. It was being finicky with me.”
“Well of course it would be when you attack it,” she shook her head and approached the tentacle. Raven had learned the hard way about that particular plant when tried to draw her first specimen. A series of welts and bruises later, she learned the best way to get what she wanted was by getting on her knees. She put herself as close to the base of the plant as possible. She massaged the base of the plant delicately until its tentacle laid flaccid across her lap. Once it was still, she held her hand up to the prince who handed her his knife. She made a small incision as if she were going to insert an IV and the viscous liquid inside the plant seeped out in abundance. He passed her his container and she collected as much as it took to fill it. Once she was done, she picked up some of the black sand and smoothed it over her incision point. The plant sealed up almost immediately.
“You don’t have to fight with everything you know,” she giggled. “Sometimes it takes a softer touch to get what you want.”
“I see,” he nodded while helping her off the ground. Just like clockwork, the energy surged between them again. Her heart raced, but the shock nearly knocked her back down. Raven found herself stumbling, tripping over her own feet, and could do nothing else but grab onto Prince Eoch for support.
With both of his hands holding her steady, the charge travelling through her body sending jolts of pleasure straight to clit was overwhelming. She climaxed right there in his arms.
Her face turned a bright shade of red as she looked away from him. This had never happened before. She wasn’t sure if he was aware of what happened, but another surge was coming as he was still holding onto her.
“Please,” she begged him, with her breaths coming in short and riddled with anxiety.
“I enjoy this feeling that you have over me,” his breathing was becoming more labored as well, “but I know that we should not.”
The prince let her go and they both took a step away from each other.
“Thank you,” she panted.
“No, thank you. It is because of you that my mother is up and moving about, healthy once again. I would have surely been in grave pain had she left us prematurely.”
“I understand. Losing a mother, a parent, when there is time for something to be done about it, is a dreadful feeling,” she tried to be compassionate but images of her own unsupportive mother danced around in her head. She didn’t wish death upon the woman, but somewhere deep inside she wished things were different so that she could care more.
“No, I mean there’s a subtle connection that I share with my mother. We’ve always been connected. We can tell when something is wrong with the other. That’s why I had Guarin send for you. She wouldn’t listen to me. She wouldn’t listen to reason. I had to do what I could to save her. The only time it will not hurt is when she’s truly meant to leave this realm.”
“You’re lucky to have such a strong bond,” she told him with yearning in her eyes. “I think I should go. Maybe I ought to check on her.”
“I’ll let you go for now, but Doctor Glass?”
Gazing at him she lingered for a moment.
He smiled and told her subtly, “Eventually we’re going to have to find out how deep that charge goes.”
The simple way his words rolled off his tongue made her quiver and ache for his body to be pressed against hers. She couldn’t stop the fantasies from replaying over and over in her mind as she fled the garden, away from her growing and insatiable hunger for Prince Eoch’s touch.
As Raven made her way through the palace, she finally found the queen alone in the king’s study. King Vohdar hadn’t been around at all since Raven’s arrival. Although, she caught a glimpse of him on a call once, that was all she could attest to in regards to her interactions with the leader of Xulara.
The queen sat delicately across the huge sill of the palace window. Her face was a far more vibrant shade of lilac, almost lavender now that she was feeling better. A heavy sigh escaped her that rippled throughout the ethereal silk and lace gown she wore.
“Are you alright Queen Ozhenia?” Raven almost whispered not wanting to disrupt her moment.
The queen sighed again before turning to Raven with a modest grin, “My husband is coming home.”
The warmth of her love for King Vohdar was overwhelming to Raven. It was as if it were in the room with her.
“When?” she asked almost excitedly. Raven would love to meet the king as she was sure her time on Xulara was coming to a close.
“He shall be here tonight, but tomorrow there will be a huge celebration of his homecoming. I shall want you there, as a guest, not as my doctor. There will be royal garb brought to your room for you to wear, and I expect you to honor me with your presence at my table. There is great anticipation for you two to meet, and I am happy it is finally happening. I’ve been telling him so much about you and your treatments. It will be a spectacular time and I’m sure my son will be pleased to have you at our table as well.”
Raven couldn’t help the shade of crimson rouging all over her cheeks. “It will be an honor to join your family for the dinner. I am very thankful to have been able to serve you.”
“The honor is ours. Now…I’m doing fine. Stop running from Eoch. He won’t bite, unless you tell him to, of course,” she laughed.
Raven was taken aback by the queen’s humor. However, it was truly a testament to how well she was doing. The woman before her was high spirited, witty, and humorous. It was a far cry from the crumbling woman lying on a heated stone mat when she first arrived.
Chapter 5
Glamorous, elegant, extravagant, luxurious…the softest silk she’d ever felt glossed over Raven’s skin as she spun around in the cerulean colored dress that was given to her by Queen Ozhenia. Her jet black hair was slicked back and ornamented with gold flakes which complimented the gold embroidery along the fringe of the dress.
&n
bsp; Its neckline plunged deep, stopping just above her navel. Her soft skin sprinkled with shimmering powder making her appear luminescent under the lights. To top off her look, she was given beautiful pearls and rose gold bracelets to compliment it all.
Guarin stood at the entrance of the palace ballroom waiting for her. But the halls were silent. There was no one to be seen or any music to be heard.
“Oh no, am I too late?” she asked him. “Is it over?”
“To the contrary,” Guarin told her. “It’s just beginning. Wait here.”
She watched him knock on the large door and whisper to someone on the other side. It was only a few seconds before the doors opened and she was ushered into the large ballroom. An announcement was made, but the translation was delayed.
“All Raven could tell was there was a standing ovation for her as she entered the celebration and was escorted to a small table next to a grand one. The overwhelming energy of the room consumed her as loud instruments played, aliens of all kinds mingled around the dance floor, and servants brought her drinks in elaborate champagne flutes. Prince Eoch stood up as she approached with his hand outstretched to her.
Like a jolt through her system, the charge between them ignited and spread all over her body. It made the shimmering powder illuminate even more with the heat from her skin blasting through from his touch.
“You’re stunning,” he told her quietly.
“Thank you,” she smiled. “I can’t believe the queen went to all of this effort just for me to be here.”
“Well she’s thankful for all that you’ve done,” he told her.
“We all are,” a voice said from behind her.
Raven watched as Eoch let her hand go and stood at full attention. Turning around, she was met by a tall Xularese male with skin the color of the darkest blue, and stark white hair that practically glistened in the light. It was cut short to allow the trail of spiked peaks on his head show through. They appeared razor sharp, and were gold plated to match the body armor which adorned his torso. She took a deep breath and curtsied as deep as she could without falling.