The delegate from Harani was the next to greet them. Jessica was equal parts giddy and terrified at the appearance of the Harani male who towered over her at well over 6 feet tall. He resembled a huge panther with fur so black that it had blue undertones in the light and it looks so dense and soft that Jessica longed to sink her fingers into it. Any thought she gave to that action, however, was squashed when the male grinned to show colossal upper fangs at least as long as her hand with smaller, yet no less frightening, smaller ones on the bottom. His eyes were amber colored with black pupils that seemed to stalk her as she moved, and she felt like a walking rare ribeye steak. He wore no shirt, but instead sported crisscrossed bandolier-style sheaths that held double swords strapped to his back, and his jewel-toned purple pants were loose and silky, much like she imagined an Arabian prince would wear. His massive paws, easily the size of her head, were all bare, but she could see the glint of sharp claws peeking from his toes.
Korian braced her with a hand to the small of her back and came to a stop in front of the big jungle cat. “Uthor, allow me to present to you my guest and future lifemate, Jessica MacGregor, a human from Earth.” To Jessica, he added, “Jessica, this is Uthor from the Namiri Pride. He is the Alpha King from the planet Harani.”
Jessica was unsure how to greet the intimidating cat man, but then she remembered how Felonia had shown her the Harani way. Taking a hesitant step forward, she tipped her head up to him and reached up high to place her hands on his broad shoulders. His eyes flared wide in surprise and his whiskers twitched, but he lowered his head to rub his cheek along each of hers. Jessica’s heart pounded in her throat to have those massive teeth so close to her jugular, but she smiled as she stepped back and said, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Uthor of Harani. We are honored to host you on T’Kala and hope you find your visit to be both pleasurable and profitable for all.”
His teeth flashed again and his voice came out with a guttural growl. “I thank you for the warm welcome. Tell me, Jessica MacGregor. How does a human from Earth find herself so far from home and yet knows the traditional Harani greeting?”
She traded a nervous glance with Korian, but recovered her composure quickly. “It’s a long and boring tale, Uthor, and I’ll be happy to share it over dinner. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting two of your people on my journey here aboard the T’Kalan flagship. Officer Felonia and her littermate Fallon became good friends of mine. The Harani people have been very kind and welcoming to me.”
He nodded his big, furred head in understanding, and Jessica tried not to watch his ears twitching as they picked up ambient sounds in the box. “Ah, yes. The kits have been participating in our exchange program we sponsor through the Alliance. I shall make sure to commend them for promoting positive relations with our allies.”
She was interrupted from responding by a steady growling coming from her handbag and she felt the vibration of it all through her body. All three of them looked down at her purse to see the bimbop peeking over the edge at the big cat with murder in its eyes. Jessica pressed her palm down on her head and the animal subsided reluctantly, but still rumbled in its throat from within the bag.
Jessica was mortified and could feel her face flush with embarrassment. “I am so sorry about that, Uthor. Little Mahoney is very protective of me these days. I hope you don’t take it as disrespect.”
Uthor opened his jaws and barked a laugh. “On the contrary, little human. Your companion recognized my scent as a predator and was doing her job to warn me away. Perhaps we will get to see more of each other this evening and I will get the chance to explain to the little brother that I mean you no harm.”
She agreed readily and allowed Korian to spirit her on to the next delegate. “Well done, Jessica. That was the first time I have seen him smile, much less laugh, since I met him a year ago.”
She glowed with his praise and silently hoped that she continued the trend with the final three delegates. The Sinepaxan female was indeed willowy and vaguely reminded her of movie elves with her long platinum hair, pointed ears, petite features, and moonbeam skin, but her personality was as warm as the twin suns. Jessica followed Korian’s lead this time, and watched carefully as they greeted each other. When it was Jessica’s turn, she held her hand out palm up and allowed the female to place hers on top for a brief moment.
Her voice reminded Jessica of a gentle wind blowing through the rushes as she said, “La, Korian! You have been holding out on us. Humans from Earth are most rare in this part of the universe, and I see that you have not one, but two! Perhaps the Council was wrong to underestimate the T’Kalan people.”
Jessica smiled fondly and assured her, “Actually, T’Kala has a population of seven humans from Earth when you include both me and the warrior Mahoney. Just wait until you see the exhibition we have planned, Lor-yan of Sinepax. I may have only been here a short time, but I have fallen in love with T’Kala and its people. It is our hope that you and your Council will do the same.”
The elfin alien female nodded thoughtfully and wandered away to her seat as Jessica blew out a relieved breath. Only two more to go before they could take their seats for the exhibition that she and Korian had worked so hard on. As Korian dutifully steered her toward the other side of the box, she had no problems picking out the Phargannan delegate. The female was not much taller than Jessica, but that was where all similarities ended. Her hair was a royal blue, shaved on the sides, and the rest was twined in an intricate braid as thick around as a softball and it ran down the center of her skull until it came to a rest right above her generously rounded bottom. Her body was pleasantly plump with curves that would put Kim Kardashian to shame, and she showed them off proudly with a ruby red strapless top that ended at her midriff and a sunshine yellow skirt that clung to her thick thighs like second skin. Speaking of skin, hers was the color of toasted coconut, but her most arresting feature was her eyes. They glowed a brilliant green so bright that they cast shadows on her cheeks and partially obscured her orange lipstick from view.
“Good God. Mahoney was right. She could have stepped off the cover of my notebook from middle school,” she mumbled to herself.
Korian looked at her askance, but she just shook her head as he brought them to a halt in front of the delegate who was watching them with gleeful interest. Before he could introduce her, however, the woman grabbed Jessica’s face and kissed her full on the lips with a loud smack.
“Korian, you bad, bad boy!” the woman trilled as she ran her colorful fingernails through Jessica’s hair. “Where did you get this gorgeous specimen? She is just delicious! And look at this hair! If I did not know her to be human, I would swear she came from Pharganna!”
Jessica was stunned speechless at the flagrant familiarity with which the woman handled her. Korian saved her from having to speak by clearing his throat and saying, “Deedoe, may I introduce Jessica MacGregor, lately of Earth?”
Jessica unstuck her tongue from the roof of her mouth and gamely added, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Deedoe of Pharganna.”
The living Rainbow Brite doll cackled and pulled Jessica into her bountiful boobs for a crushing hug, causing an outraged squawk from her pet. “You don’t mean that yet, but you will!” Jessica caught a faint whiff of a fruity scent before the crazy lady let her go. “So, Jessica MacGregor, are you and the good warrior king fucking each other?”
Jessica’s mouth dropped open and she stammered, “Uh, I don’t know what you mean.”
Deedoe clapped her hands and squealed, “You are! I knew it as soon as I saw you two together. You will make very beautiful young together.” When Jessica’s face bloomed with color, the strange female’s eyes widened and she punched Korian hard on the arm. “You naughty boy! I will petition the stars to give the babe her red hair. It will be much more interesting than your black, yes? Come, Jessica MacGregor. I will introduce you to the dour and humorless delegate from Mamaxon.”
Before Jessica even knew what was happening, Deedoe took
her by the arm and hauled her to the front of the box where the tall man with the slate blue skin and short, pale yellow hair gazed out over the crowd. She shot a panicked look over her shoulder at Korian, but he just shrugged helplessly and followed in their wake.
“Nidoba! Look and see what the sly warrior king has been hiding from us!” the Phargannan delegate called jubilantly.
The Mamaxon Council member turned his head slowly until his black eyes landed on Jessica. She felt a chill wash over her skin and nearly faltered in her step. She had never seen eyes like his that were so dark that you couldn’t differentiate the iris from the pupil. That coupled with his towering height frightened her more than the rest of the aliens put together. His dark blue lips didn’t even twitch with the beginnings of a smile and Jessica found her own fading.
“Delegate Deedoe, your enthusiasm is exhausting as usual,” he replied with a deep sonorous voice. His eyes tracked up and down Jessica’s body dismissively before he turned to his host. “King Korian, if I am not mistaken, this woman appears to be a human from the planet Earth. Your world is not so new to the Alliance that you were unaware of the rules governing barbarian planets, and yet, here she stands.”
Jessica’s head snapped up at his rude pronouncement and she found her temper. Before Korian could formulate a reply, she took a deep, calming breath and spoke. “Delegate Nidoba, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jessica MacGregor and I am the intended lifemate and future queen of T’Kala. As such, I welcome you most warmly to our world and hope that you find your stay here both entertaining and informative. I would be honored to share more with you about my home world and our civilized society should you find the time before your departure,” she announced, her tone icy but achingly polite.
She saw Korian wince out of the corner of her eye, but Deedoe chortled merrily at the fraught tableau and crushed Jessica into her side. “She meant every word of what she said, but she is offended and angry at your attitude, Nidoba. It is not well done of you to insult the future queen of our allies, yes?” To Jessica, she whispered loudly, “Do not fear for your lover, beautiful human. The Council tends to look the other way when it comes to situations such as yours. Besides, Nidoba is just cranky because he has not been able to locate his new lifemate since they docked. It was an arranged marriage, you see, and the new bride has been most reluctant to fuck her new husband.”
Korian made a choking noise behind her, and Jessica was once again struck dumb by the blunt and truthful alien woman. She was saved from having to formulate a diplomatic reply when the lighting in the box dimmed and the ones on the stage glowed to life.
“Ah, it seems the exhibition is about ready to begin,” Korian cut in smoothly. “Perhaps we should all seek our seats and enjoy the talents of T’Kala that Jessica worked so tirelessly to put together for your entertainment.”
The Mamaxon delegate only tipped his head in agreement and left to find his seat, but Deedoe linked her fingers through Jessica’s and towed her over to the front row and plunked down in a seat, forcing Jessica to take the one next to her. Korian graciously took the one on her other side, careful not to squash the sleeping pet in her bag.
As the emcee took the stage, Jessica mumbled under her breath, “Note to self: apologize to Mahoney for all the times I forced her to hug me.”
“What was that, red beauty?” the delegate whispered loudly. When Jessica just waved her away with a wan smile, the alien female grinned like a loon and clasped Jessica’s hand to her pillowy breasts and squealed, “This is going to be so great!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The exhibition went off without a hitch and went even better than Korian had hoped. The first act had been the dance troupe from Nin’Tala. They had never been asked to perform in the capitol city before, and they had apparently taken the chance to ensure they were never forgotten. Nearly fifty dancers had arrived to take the stage, and they had prepared a production that told the story of the first warrior captive bride. It was a beautiful love story, full of betrayal, hope, and redemption, and their graceful movements and special effects only made it even more powerful. When the dancers playing the warrior king and Balanx queen kissed, the entire stadium stood to their feet with shouts of “More!” and “Another!”
The next act had been the acrobats from Vin’Tress. Korian had explained that he wanted a spectacle, and they delivered his wishes tenfold. They filled the stage with large hoops that were ringed with fire, deadly sharp swords, and huge inflatable balls to mention a few. There were twenty acrobats and they ranged in age from an older man with gray threaded through his black hair to a youngling of only five. Jessica, along with everyone else in the VIP box, gasped and shouted out in alarm when one muscled young man tossed the child high up in the air over a hoop of fire, but then they cheered when the youngling somersaulted through the air to land in the middle unscathed. Next, the performers balanced on the balls while another sat on his shoulders and they juggled the swords while passing them back and forth as the bottom one rolled them around the stage. Even Nidoba was on the edge of his seat as the child climbed the balancing men, stood to his feet on the top one’s shoulders, and then launched himself through the air to land on the other’s teams’ shoulders. The crowd went wild with approval, and the delegate from Sinepax immediately asked Korian when she could book them for several shows on her planet.
After clearing away the props for the acrobats, the stage went completely dark, casting the entire arena into shadows. People began to whisper anxiously, assuming some kind of technical difficulty, but then a lone figure strode out to the center of the stage to sit in a chair. He held something large and bulky in his hands, and the crowd once again grew silent with anticipation. The man arranged the item on the floor between his legs, and it began to take on a shape in the gloom. The base was wide enough to force his legs apart in order to accommodate its width, but it branched off at the top into three distinctive, thin necks. When he was situated the way he wanted, he paused to ensure everyone’s rapt attention, and then his hands moved. A chord of music, hauntingly lovely, reverberated throughout the crowd, and Korian shivered as his flesh broke out into bumps. Jessica’s hand hovered in front of her mouth as a glow of purple light shimmered in the air over the instrument, only to change colors as he added more chords and notes to his song. As the tune gained speed, the colored lights that emanated from the stringed instrument began to twist and curl around each other, telling a story of heartache and loss for all to witness. Korian glanced around him and saw tears streaking down the faces of its inhabitants, and Jessica was openly sobbing into his shoulder.
Thankfully, the next tune was happier, the colors brighter and more vibrant as they stretched out into the darkness to cast the audience in a kaleidoscope of lights that encouraged them to laugh, smile, and clap along. Each song that Lysanter Mic’Arin played captured the emotions of his audience and he pulled them to the surface at the whims of his fingertips, and the crowd willingly played the mice to his pied piper. The final song was his most powerful one yet, and stirred feelings of patriotism, pride, and victory over the enemy as the colors swirled over his instrument to form the T’Kalan flag. When the last note faded and the colors gave way to darkness, the audience was frozen with arrested emotion for a long moment until they all surged to their feet to wave their hands and shout his name. As if nothing untoward were happening, though, Lysanter rose to his feet, took his instrument, and departed the stage to return to his solitary existence in the city of Bak’Bar.
“Korian! Who was that amazing musician? We must have him on Pharganna. He would pack entire stadiums with his performances!” Deedoe exclaimed, pink tears running down her face. “Never have I seen and heard such truth and passion!”
Korian hated to disappoint her, but he let her down gently. “Lysanter Mic’Arin only agreed to this performance because Jessica asked him personally. He does not willingly leave his home, and cares nothing for fame or fortune.”
Her f
ace fell as she divined the truth of his words, but she was soon distracted as the stage lights flared to life and the cadence of dozens of measured footfalls rang across the arena until row upon row of T’Kalan warriors filed in to fill the stage and pivot to face the VIP box in unison. At center stage, Mikael R’Varsel snapped to attention and shouted, “Warriors, salute!” A noise like booming thunder rang over the crowd as the contingent of uniformed soldiers pounded their fists to their chests and shouted, “KING KORIAN! HOO-AHH!”
Korian’s heart filled with pride and he stood to his feet and returned the salute with a yell of “FOR T’KALA! HOO-AHH!”
When the king resumed his seat, the warriors broke rank and began to file back off the stage, leaving only a handful behind. While others rushed around behind him to set up the stage, Mikael spoke once more, and his deep voice boomed over the crowd. “Delegates of the Council, representatives of the Great Alliance, and people of T’Kala, it is my great pleasure to present to you the warriors of T’Kala!”
The following half hour included displays of sword fighting including Mikael taking on three warriors at once. They held nothing back, and several nobles screamed in fear when Mikael’s sword drew blood in a long arc down a warrior’s back, but still his opponent fought on as if it were only a scratch. It was a powerful display of T’Kalan warrior tactics and strength, and Korian could only hope that the Council could see what an asset they would be as allies. Following Mikael’s successful victory, Commander Andreus took the stage to demonstrate the skill and talent of warrior knife throwing. With a brave volunteer taking the stage and bracing themselves against a sturdy backdrop, Andreus steadily and quickly outlined their body with quivering daggers. When the volunteer stepped away, a perfect silhouette remained. He continued his display by throwing daggers into the air to pierce moving targets that resembled hovering hockey pucks. The crowd cheered when all twenty of them fell to the ground pierced clean through the middle.
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