by Ashley West
The Prince’s gaze flickered up to hers, his mouth hovering over her womanhood. “You can, and you will.” He breathed lowly. “Or don’t you want to please your prince, Danielle?”
A wholly unnecessary question. Of course she wanted to please him, but what he was doing now seemed to have nothing to do with her pleasing him and everything to do with him pleasing himself. Danielle inhaled a shuddering breath, watching as the man lowered his mouth to her sex once again, before sensation coursed through her and she could do nothing but feel.
Kael exhausted her.
What the Prince had done to her the night before, she discovered, was only the very beginning of his appetite. He seemed addicted to the taste of her, and plied her with his mouth until she was on the edge of consciousness. Then, when she thought her body was far too over sensitized to continue, he entered her almost gently, filling her until she squirmed at the sheer size of him.
Certainly, their humanoid forms were compatible, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t an effort for her to take the man’s entire length. He filled her more completely than she might ever have imagined, and when he began to move, she took leave of her senses.
And the encounter didn’t last just a single night. When Danielle fell asleep, exhausted from her exertions, she woke to dexterous, demanding hands sliding over her skin, and ever-changing, heated eyes roving her body.
A full week the man kept her in bed – and considering that Garinian days lasted thirty six hours, that was quite an accomplishment. Somehow, he managed to keep her in a constant state of exhaustion, to the point where she considered even rising to go to the bathroom a chore. Her muscles were in a state of delicious soreness, all of the tender parts of her chafed and used and she didn’t think she’d ever feel more like a queen than she did when he looked at her, his gaze full of unquenchable desire.
But eventually, it all had to come to an end.
On the seventh day, she woke up and found herself alone, Kael’s side of the bed long cold. She gazed around the empty chamber and felt suddenly bereft, for the first time in days, as if the haze of post marital sexual bliss had been lifted, and her new life was set to make a rude intervention.
Chapter Five: To Be A Queen
Danielle lounged in bed for the first few hours of her solitude, before boredom finally drove her from bed. Where on Earth could Kael have gone? For the past seven days, he’d never left her side; and all of a sudden, he’d disappeared. Gathering one of the sheets to herself to cover her nakedness, the young woman ventured to the bathroom, which was as empty as the bedchamber. She took the opportunity to poke her head in the other rooms of the prince’s suite, as he’d hardly given her the opportunity to do so since she’d arrived.
There was a large space that seemed almost like a study, complete with an immense desk and a wall honeycombed with spaces where hundreds of scrolls had been placed. Next door, there was a small chamber that seemed to contain innumerable weapons – none of which looked as if they were for show. For at least five minutes, she gaped at the profusion of swords, knives and spears that were neatly stacked into the small space. What could the man possibly need so many weapons for? He couldn’t possibly know how to use them all.
Two more doors proved to be locked, and the last contained a few assorted suits of armor designed to go over the skintight body suit that so devastatingly adhered to the prince’s tall figure. When she returned to the main bedchamber, she was almost immediately knocked several steps backward by a pair of small arms around her shins. She looked down to see Hadric looking up at her adoringly, and he babbled a greeting in his mother tongue that she caught about half of – reminding her how pressing it was that she learned the Garinian language.
Automatically, she reached down to lift the boy into her arms, careful of his horns as she pecked him on the forehead. Despite how shy he’d been upon their first meeting, he’d quickly warmed up to her – going so far as to seek her out when he couldn’t find his mother. Though she’d only been on the planet for a few weeks, it wasn’t uncommon for her to turn a corner to see Hadric running towards her at light speed. Usually, his mother wasn’t far behind, and this time was no different.
Kaia stood at the foot of the mussed bed, waiting for her to reappear. The princess was dressed in a gorgeous black gown with gold trim and an ornate gold filigree inlay at her bodice. Danielle blushed at being caught in such a state of undress. As friendly and supportive as Kaia was, she always managed to make Danielle feel small with the presence she emanated. When she voiced such concerns, the princess always reminded her that they had the difference of a lifetime of breeding between them – which only soothed Danielle slightly.
The elder woman had a knowing smile on her face as she took in her new sister-in-law. “I trust you had a good isolation?”
What? Her expression must have conveyed her confusion, as Kaia laughed softly at the face she made. “There is a traditional period of seven days isolation after marriage, Danielle; I trust my brother took very thorough advantage of it.”
Danielle’s entire body flushed crimson as Hadric slipped from her arms to skip back over to his mother, completely oblivious to the two women’s’ exchange.
“I…I mean…it was…”
“So modest.” Kaia smiled. “We shall have to work on that, Danielle. We are sisters now, after all. That’s why I’ve come for you. Your husband has been up for hours, and it’s high time you were as well.”
She called back for Hadric’s nurse, Illrya, who constantly trailed behind her mistress and her charge, and the dark-haired girl rushed forward to take the child from the room. Once she had, Kaia went about helping her get dressed for the day. Danielle marveled at the ease with which she helped her untangle her hair and slide into a new gown. For the life of her, she couldn’t do these things unassisted – to the princess, they were second nature. Within half an hour, she looked as though she’d never been disheveled in her life, laced into a white gown that enhanced all of her assets, giving the illusion of a perfect hourglass figure. She was sure it helped that she’d been eating more than she had in years thanks to the voracious appetite she worked up when Kael worked on her.
Every time she looked in the mirror, she couldn’t believe the image that gazed back at her. She looked like something straight out of one of Jordan’s comic books – the intergalactic princess of some far away world. Now, all she needed was to be kidnapped by an alien overlord and her life story would be complete. “Yes, you look very fine. Now, on to your lessons.” Kaia took the young woman’s arm gently, leading her towards the doorway – only to have Danielle halt in her tracks, her gaze inquiring.
“Where is Kael?” The question had plagued her ever since she’d woken alone, and as important as she knew learning Garinian culture was, she felt she had the right to at least know where her husband was.
However, the moment the words left her lips, Kaia’s gaze darkened somewhat. She hesitated slightly before she answered in a falsely cheerful voice. “He’s in an important council meeting...a matter with one of our colonies. Nothing for ladies to attend.”
Danielle gave the princess a once over. Not once since she had arrived had she thought Kaia might be dishonest with her – not until now. The princess had proven herself to be a woman who had her fingers in everything that went on in the empire – as prolific when it came to political matters as her brother…which was why the human woman didn’t believe for a moment that she didn’t know exactly what Kael was doing – and that she wished she were there doing it with him. “Kaia…We both know I’m not a lady.” She took a deep breath before raising her head in the way she’d been taught to stare at her sister in law. “Take me to him.”
The Princess’ brow quirked in surprise at the command she’d been issued, before her lips curved into a satisfied smile. “It appears you’re learning quicker than I could have anticipated.” With that, she turned on her heel to stride towards the door. “Come.”
Her heart beginning to r
ace, Danielle followed her quickly down the maze of sweeping corridors that comprised the middle section of the palace. They walked for perhaps ten minutes before they came upon a set of onyx-hued double doors that were firmly shut. Kaia glanced back at her for a brief moment before pushing the door open.
Within, there were four men all crowded around a table upon a vast hologram had been projected – one that Danielle faintly recognized as the Garinian empire from pictures she’d seen in scrolls and books. At their entry, all four men looked up, and Kael’s eyes immediately locked with hers. The man was dressed in the bodysuit he usually wore beneath his armor – and nothing else – and for a moment, Danielle lost herself in the memory of what his incredible body felt like against her own. Quickly, she forced herself to shake the images, especially when the prince’s eyes narrowed in displeasure. “Kaia, what is the meaning of this?” His demand was low, on the edge of anger.
It was Danielle’s first instinct to cower, but she swallowed the notion as Kaia stepped in front of her, dipping a deep curtsey, which she quickly mirrored. “My Prince, I’m sorry to disturb you, but my lady wished to see how we deal with border rebellion.”
If anything, the prince’s scowl only deepened. “This meeting is private for a reason, Kaia. I can’t afford any distractions right now.”
“I won’t be a distraction, my prince.” Danielle quickly interjected, drawing each man’s attention to her. “I just want to learn.”
For a moment, the silence in the room was suffocating. When the prince finally spoke, the young woman released a breath she hadn’t been aware she was holding.
“Fine.” He pointed to a series of high-backed chairs in the corner. “Sit there, and please…” His eyes travelled from his sister to her in warning. “No further interruptions.”
If Danielle had been under any illusions that seven days wrapped in one another had softened the prince toward her, she was realizing just how wrong she was. The man’s sexual appetite was one thing, his duties as the ruler of an empire were quite another. Without a word, she followed Kaia to be seated in the chairs at the edge of the table.
The elder woman was immediately engrossed in the conversation that the men continued, but it took Danielle a moment to catch up. Though she had learned precious little about the people she had now joined, she did know a little about their most recent history. Right before the prince left to come to Earth – to guide humanity to the solution to their unsolvable problem – he had led a campaign that had culminated in the absorbing of a planet on the border of their empire that had given the Garinians difficulty for some time.
Though she had heard that the empire – and Kael- had things well in hand, a very different story was unfolding before her. Danielle only caught bits and pieces of the conversation that was going on – her Garinian was still extremely elementary, but the anxious, angry expression Kael wore as he spoke to his generals conveyed more than his words ever could.
There were issues with the Reman colony. A multitude of them. As she struggled to follow the conversation, Kaia leaned over and helpfully began to murmur a general translation into her ear. As she filled in the gaps, Danielle felt her eyes widen. Despite the fact that the Garinians had practically demolished the Reman army, there were still pockets of rebellion striking out against the militiamen posted there.
While they had been relatively few on the eve of the Remans’ absorption into the Garinian empire, they had grown exponentially during the past two moons until barely a day passed that there wasn’t a Garinian soldier killed by a Reman rebel.
Danielle was totally unversed when it came to the art of war. The few that had broken out in the past forty years of Earth’s history had been relatively short. There were far too few humans left for them to concentrate on killing each other. However, the Garinians were a race that expanded their empire by conquering others – thus they were at war in ten year cycles. In the short time since Kael’s father’s death, he’d led two campaigns, each resulting in the addition of numerous lands.
But never had he seen backlash like this.
Despite herself, Danielle had to wonder if there had been any attempts to negotiate with the Remans. The way Kaia explained things to her, it sounded like they had been forced to surrender – and since then, they hadn’t had any say in the terms of their annexation. It was a simplistic and idealistic notion…but perhaps that might be enough to help with the problem?
In her humble opinion, anyway. Anything that didn’t lead to fighting and bloodshed. She’d seen far too many people die in her short twenty seven years.
The Prince, Kaia explained to her, was coordinating with his generals to plan a raid in the coming weeks. He would crush the rebellion, and what was more, he would impose rules on a percentage of the Reman citizens that demanded that a number of them send their children to Garinia to be held until their behavior could be quelled.
The moment she heard the terms, Danielle felt her stomach clench in discomfort. That sounded a bit much…Kael was moving to brute force before he’d even heard what the Remans might have to say. It was clear from the glint in the Prince’s eye that he fully intended for the Remans to learn that their behavior wouldn’t be tolerated. She had never seen such an expression on his face – somewhere between anger, unquestionable authority, and anticipation.
Did he want to hurt people? The idea was enough to make her shudder. Very quickly, Danielle was coming to realize that what little she did know about Kael was about to be turned on its head. He was a prince – very soon to be a king – and he was used to getting his way. Exactly how far he would be willing to go in order to accomplish his goals was anyone’s guess – but Danielle knew for a fact that the Garinian empire had been challenged very little in the past few centuries – and it had met each and every question of its authority with incredible force.
“Kael.” The word left her mouth before she could stop it, and she immediately flushed as everyone in the room turned to stare at her, Kaia included. Their gazes were only slightly less than mortified, and Danielle knew she had spoken out of turn. It was far too late, however, to take anything back; and so she went on before she left her mettle. “I’m sorry to interrupt…but has there been any attempt to maybe…talk to the Remans? Before you begin this raid and more Garinian lives are sacrificed…maybe they’re just trying to get you to meet with them on level terms?”
The Prince stared at her as if she’d grown a third head. He seemed to be visibly trying to compose himself as his generals whispered amongst themselves in affronted tones. Kael took a deep voice before his eyes locked with hers, his expression stern. “The Remans cost us over ten thousand men in the campaign against them, and in the two moons I have been gone, more than five hundred additional soldiers have been killed. They don’t want to negotiate…they are purposefully targeting us, Danielle. Now, if you could leave these matters to those more versed in them.”
“Have you tried talking to them?” Even when Kaia placed a warning hand gently on her shoulder, Danielle found herself pressing her question. “Instead of killing them?”
“They started the killing.” Kael’s voice was soft – dangerous. “And I will end it. Kaia.” He fairly barked at his sister and the princess stiffened, her mouth in a tight line. “Please take my wife to her lessons.”
“Of course, my prince.” Kaia rose gracefully from her seat, her grip like iron around Danielle’s wrist as she pulled her along. Before the human woman could utter another word, she had been whisked from the meeting hall into the marblesque corridors outside, to face Kaia’s wide, accusatory gaze.
“Are you out of your mind?”
Danielle was so taken aback by the princess’ sudden, harsh tone that she jumped, her heart hammering against her ribs. “….Excuse me?” She finally managed after a moment in which she attempted to calm her racing heart.
“Danielle, you should never question the Prince in such a manner in front of his generals. Never. I brought you here to observe…and for y
ou to question him in such a manner when he requested that you remain silent…” Kaia took a deep breath before releasing it slowly. More gently this time, she took Danielle’s hands in her own. “If you want to truly know what it means to be queen, I will help you…but there is something you must understand…Kael is not only your husband, he is your prince. Your King. My king. Whatever familial relationship I have with him is superseded by his position. Therefore, I am careful in the manner in which I talk to him in front of others…and you should take similar precautions.”
The worry in the Princess’ eyes was enough to still any protest that might have risen to Danielle’s lips. She absorbed the information her sister-in-law relayed, burying any feelings of hurt or embarrassment.
She had pissed Kael off. Regardless of her intentions, she had questioned him in front of those she should not have…and now she was going to have to deal with the consequences.
“Come.” With a small smile. “We will start your lessons, and pray that his anger cools through the day.”
That didn’t sound too promising.
Christ, her first official statement as a princess of Garinia and she’d already managed to upset him. When she’d emerged from her cold sleep capsule, Kaia’s swift action had saved her from his wrath. But now that the man was her husband, she doubted the elder woman would intervene again on her behalf.
She spent the entire day barely paying attention to her lessons, on edge, waiting for the man to burst in at any moment and wipe the floor with her. However, he never appeared. The entire of the thirty six hour day passed with Danielle on the edge of her seat, and by the time she returned to the bed chamber she shared with the prince, she’d nearly chewed her nails off in apprehension.
Two attendants helped her shed her dress and the young woman donned a diaphanous, barely tangible silk nightgown that left nothing to the imagination. She’d been provided with nothing else; and, guiltily, she hoped that her husband might forget his anger at her in favor of desire. Remembering the ire in his gaze – the way his eyes had glowed crimson gold fire, it was enough to make her shiver.