by Zena Zion
Avery waited for Runford’s steps to fade away before she leaned back and stared incredulously at the man who was still holding her in midair.
“Aren’t you the least bit embarrassed?” She accused.
“Why should I be?” His gloating tone revealed no displeasure at the intrusion. “If anything I’m just disappointed that we’ve stopped.”
Avery wiggled herself free and slid to the ground.
“We should both be embarrassed.” She crossed her arms and stared at him like a scolding teacher.
“Absolutely not.” His step toward her was countered as she backed away. “That is, after all, why they think you are here.”
Avery pursed her lips. He had a point.
“You’d better get going.” She stated. She needed a moment to collect herself, to calm the tempest that was still boiling inside of her. What she really needed was a cold shower, not the instant cleaning that Dremena performed daily.
“Are you going to stop avoiding me?” His half smile was charming as he sauntered toward her. This time she did not back away.
“I haven’t decided.” Her unnaturally confident tone belied the voice inside her that was screaming for her to retreat.
“The more you hide, the more I’ll have to keep surprising you.” He laughed and fingered a stray tendril of hair near her ear. “Although…” Errion mused, “I can’t say I object to the result. Maybe you should continue to avoid me.”
Avery felt the heated flush on her skin and his resulting smile told her that he knew exactly the effect he was having.
“I’ll see you after the council meeting.” Her voice was raw with panic. “At dinner. I’ll see you then.” She turned on her heel and raced from the terrace. Errion’s deep chuckle still echoing in her head as she made her hasty retreat.
Dinner that evening was tense, to say the least. Errion took every opportunity to make their hands or knees brush against one another.
Halfway through the meal, he leaned across her chair to grab a napkin and Avery found herself pressing against the back of the seat in an attempt to keep their bodies from touching.
She was obviously unsuccessful. She held her breath as the scent of him surrounded her. A clean, crisp, masculine scent. Nothing flowery or fancy, only the smallest hint of fresh air and something delicious that she could not identify.
The sensory stimulation forced her mind back to earlier in the day, and Avery held her breath in an attempt to keep the memory at bay.
That evening, when they returned to their rooms, Avery did everything she could to procrastinate entering the bedroom. The idea of sleeping beside him created vivid fantasies that were enough to curl her perpetually straight hair.
She waited an hour before following him into the bedroom. With a sigh of relief she noticed his sleeping form facing the far wall.
She changed and slid beneath the covers, willing herself to fall asleep swiftly.
She had no such luck. For another half hour she stared at the ceiling. The smooth rhythm of Errion’s breathing annoyed her more than anything.
How could he sleep when she was so acutely uncomfortable? How could he so easily ignore the fact that the attraction between them meant the inevitable?
She rolled to her back with a huff and almost, but certainly not, heard a quiet laugh beside her.
She narrowed her eyes and glanced at his back. It rose and fell with a steady rhythm. Surely, he would not be faking that peaceful sleep, would he?
“Errion,” her voice was barely a whisper, “are you awake?” If he was truly asleep there would be no chance that he would hear here.
The low grunt in response told her everything that she needed to know.
She rolled to face him and propped her head up on one hand.
“What are you doing?” She asked.
“Sleeping.” His muttered response sounded just as frustrated as she felt. Was is possible that he was having as much difficulty as she was?
“Well, wake up.” Her whispered demand was met with a groan as he rolled to his back and opened one eye to look at her.
“Why?” He threw one arm over his face as if that would help to tune her out.
“Do you want to go for a walk, or something?” She knew now that she could not sleep. She had built up too much anxiety to lay beside him for another night without sleeping.
“A walk?” He lowered the arm and this time rolled his head to stare at her in earnest.
“I can’t sleep. I need to go out and do… something.” She shrugged.
He rolled to face her and mirrored her position with his head propped on one hand.
“Why can’t you sleep, Avery?” He raised his eyebrows in anticipation but he already knew the answer.
She meant to glare at him but he was smiling and the effect was all too appealing in the darkened room.
“Because I want to go home.” She lied. She needed the bravado to counter his self-assurance.
“Hmm.” He mused and rolled, once again, to his back. “Well, lucky for you I’ve found a smuggler who is willing to take you in a week’s time. You’ll receive the full compensation that was promised. Don’t argue.” he spoke over her as she made a move to protest, “A fortune on Earth is insignificant in the grand scheme of things.”
He closed his eyes and placed his arm, once again, over his face. Avery knew that he did not plan on continuing the conversation.
She stared at the ceiling, contemplating his words, for a long while. She wondered why the revelation did not excite her as much as she had expected it to. Suddenly, she was forced to admit that it was the man beside her who made the concept so unappealing. If she went home without knowing… she would always wonder.
She scooted closer to Errion and tapped his elbow.
He moved his arm so fast that she had to lunge back to avoid a collision. He had not realized how close she was.
“What?” He eyed her in the darkness.
“It’s just…” She had not really thought this through and so she stared at her hands as she searched for the words, “I’m just… nervous.” The last word came out in a breathy rush. It was such a relief to say it that she did not initially register that Errion continued to watch her with bated breath.
“You’re afraid of me?”
“No.”
“You are worried that we are different species?”
“Not anymore.” She admitted.
“Then what is it?” He asked.
“I don’t know how to explain it.” She was at a loss for words. She was not nervous about him. No longer worried that she barely knew him. In fact, she felt as if she knew him incredibly well.
She was nervous that she was starting to care for him too much. That his effect on her was unnatural. That it would crush her when she had to leave.
She was nervous that she might be growing to love him. That she might already be.
“Until you are no longer nervous. Until you are certain. There is no point in having this conversation.” She was not surprised the he had accurately guessed her intention. For the first time, she was disappointed that he was letting her off the hook.
“That’s not what I meant by nervous.” She placed a tentative hand on his bare chest. “I am certain.”
He closed his eyes and released a long breath. He did not believe her.
“Errion.” She tried to turn his face toward her with her hand but he did not budge.
Finally, with a great sigh, she flung the covers back and launched herself from the bed.
He might think he had won, but now that she had made up her mind, she would not give up so easily.
Seconds later, she slipped back under the covers, completely nude.
He still had not moved or opened his eyes in the slightest.
She crawled over toward him until her naked torso was pressing against his arm.
“Avery, go to sleep.” He muttered. Perhaps he thought she was delusional, that she would regret the decision in the morning, but
with her impending departure, Avery had never been more certain in her life.
She crawled on top of him so that her hips straddled his waist.
“I’m not going to sleep, Errion.” She felt the tension in his body beneath her.
He might pretend to be unaffected, but the rigid set of his muscles told her otherwise.
“And neither are you.” She leaned forward and whispered into his ear. The motion forced her breasts against his bare chest and Errion veritably jumped beneath her.
“Stop it.” He made an attempt to set her away from him but she slithered out of his grasp until her body lay flat over top of him.
She cradled his face in her hands, forcing him to see the sincerity in her eyes, and then she kissed him.
He resisted, for an instant. Then, his body relaxed and he fell in to the kiss along with her.
Avery felt his arms encircle her waist, their crushing strength tempered by the extremely gentle way that he handled her body, as if afraid she might break.
She felt fevered, as if there was no way to satisfy the intense need that was building inside of her.
The sensation of their chests, pressing against one another, was enough to make Avery cry out with pleasure.
Errion raised his hands to her breasts, his palms cupping their heavy weight as he massaged the sensitive peaks.
Avery pressed herself into his hands, communicating her pleasure with her body, when words seemed unable to form.
When her hips began to rock against him, Errion groaned in blissful agony.
She shrieked, as in one swift move he flipped their positions so that her back was now pillowed in the comfort of the mattress.
Avery linked her legs around his waist and pulled him against her. Now that she had given in, she could barely contain the desire that told her that she could wait no longer.
“Errion, please.” She cried when his mouth closed over her nipple. “Please.” She gasped.
But he did not listen, determined to take his time, Errion worshipped her body with achingly slow care.
From the hollow of her neck, to the curve of her knees, he covered every inch of her body with lavish kissed. His tongue, pausing in areas that made all coherent thought slip from her mind.
By the time Errion discarded his own clothing and positioned himself above her, Avery was practically writhing in ecstasy.
When the smooth tip of his erection pressed against her sensitive flesh, it was all she could do not to force herself upon him. Instead, he inched inside of her with torturous patience.
With one passionate, lingering kiss, he began to move inside of her. His tempo increased gradually until Avery found herself crying out beneath him.
As the orgasm washed over her, Avery felt Errion simultaneously find his own release.
Afterward, the weight of his body rested on top of her, but she was not disturbed. She rather liked the difference in their sizes. It made her feel safe and secure.
That night they barely slept, though it was not for the same reason as had initially kept them awake. Instead, Avery found that their passions grew with each new discovery that they made about the pleasures of each other’s bodies.
She had expected them to diminish but, as the morning grew nearer, Avery found herself reaching for the man beside her and she was pleased to note that his passions seemed just as unquenchable as hers.
Chapter 8: The Gift
Three days later, Avery awoke to find herself alone in the massive bedroom. She smiled to herself as she rolled over and stretched across the sheets.
The last few days had seemed like something out of a dream. She found herself counting the daytime hours before Errion would return from his council meetings.
As often as possible he snuck away to walk with her in the menagerie or along the winding paths of the extensive and strange gardens.
Each night they rushed through dinner, barely conscious of those around them in their haste to be alone.
Nights were spent with little sleep, though it appeared to have little effect on either of them.
More than once, Avery had noticed the sly grin on the King’s face as he took obvious pleasure in their affections despite the fact that his ultimate goal was much different than their own.
That morning, she dressed and ate alone. It was the first time since their lovemaking that she had done so and Avery felt the loss with an acute sense of longing.
The day passed and still there was no sign of the prince. She began to realize how accustomed she had become to his near-constant presence.
Shortly before the evening meal, Errion strolled out onto the terrace as if he had only seen her a moment before.
The sly grin on his face told her that he expected her to be pleased to see him, yet some part of her was irritated that she had been left alone, with no warning, for the entire day.
She tried to remind herself that he had no true obligation to her. That it was not as if they were in a real, committed relationship. Yet, to her, it was real. She was committed to him and their strange relationship felt more real to her than any that she had ever had before.
Errion wordlessly took her hand and guided her back toward his chambers.
“I’m hungry.” She grumbled. After an entire day of waiting for him, she felt like a little stubborn resistance was justified.
“Later.” He continued to pull her along the hallway without a backward glance.
She attempted to free her hand but was unsuccessful.
“You can’t just do whatever you want, whenever you want to.” Her irritation grew at the idea that he might think he could just haul her off to the bedroom whenever he deemed fit to show up.
Errion paused outside of the door and turned toward her, laughing.
He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.
“I’m pleased to know that you missed me.” His insight did nothing to calm her frustration.
He swung the door open and waited for her to enter in front of him. Avery stubbornly refused, crossing her arms over her chest and remaining firmly planted in the hallway.
Errion shrugged and walked through the door, leaving her waiting like a petulant child.
With a huff, she followed him into the bright sitting room.
Except that it did not look like the same sitting room that she remembered.
One wall was masked by a colorful, multi-level cage that stood out in stark relief against the masculine surroundings.
Avery stepped closer, furrowing her eyebrows as she looked for its occupant.
As she approached the grating, a pale grey Amoreen made its way toward her. Its plush fur ruffled as it moved and Avery clapped her hands to her mouth in excitement.
Without hesitation, Errion opened the cage, withdrew the creature, and passed it to Avery.
She cradled its soft body against her cheek and once again it began to press itself against her.
“Is it the same one?” She breathed. Any frustration she had had with him was gone. The fact that he had made the effort to do such a thoughtful thing made her heart soar.
Errion nodded, his smile mirroring her own.
“But…” Suddenly, Avery felt sad. “You shouldn’t have. What will happen when I leave?” She tried to hand the pet back to him but he refused to take it. Despite her words, she found herself cradling it in her arms once more.
Errion reached forward and stroked the Amoreen.
“I’ll keep it around for when I do have an heir.” For some reason, he was not meeting her eyes and Avery thought it sounded as if he no longer relished the idea. “Until then,” he shrugged, “I thought that you might enjoy it.”
Avery allowed herself a small smile.
“I do enjoy her. Thank you.” She leaned into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.
When he still seemed lost in his own thoughts, Avery hooked one hand around his neck and pulled him toward her for a kiss.
In a slow and subtle way, she thanked
him for his thoughtfulness.
After a short while, they broke apart. Without reason, the image of the women from the party flashed across her mind. She wondered which one of them he would choose to raise his child, and if they might be the next to lavish attentions on this pet.
“I’m sure she will be loved by all who will live here.” She was pleased that she has effectively disguised her voice to sound cheerful at the thought.