Lifting her in his arms as though she weighed no more than a doll, he stood her carefully before the fire and helped her get out of the heavy gown.
The minute it came off, Ellina drew a deep breath into her lungs and felt as though some of the weight that was crushing down on her had lifted. But she was colder than ever. She stood naked and shivering before the fireplace, Lor squeaking anxiously on top of her head.
“Don’t worry, little fellow, I’ll take care of her,” Ty told him. Then he swept Ellina up into his arms again and carried her into the bathing chamber. Sure enough, the soaking tub was already filled with steaming, scented water that perfumed the air with its warmth.
Ty started to lower her into it, but Ellina clutched at the collar of his uniform shirt, the smooth, satiny fabric cool between her fingers.
“Wait,” she said shakily. “Would you…could you come in with me? I just feel like…the tub is deep and I feel so…so weak.”
Ty nodded at once.
“Of course. Can’t have you slipping under.”
He sat her carefully on the side of the tub and quickly stripped off his shirt and trousers and boots. When he, too, was naked, he picked her up again and sank down into the steaming water, still holding her close to his chest.
Once they were settled, the big Kindred stretched out full-length with his back against one end of the tub and his feet at the other. Ellina lay between his legs, her back and head pillowed against his broad chest and his long arms wrapped securely around her.
“There now, little one,” he rumbled in her ear. “Just relax and warm up. You’re safe now and nothing’s going to happen. I promise.”
Gradually, between the comfort of the steaming water and the security of his big body surrounding her much smaller frame, Ellina felt like she was beginning to thaw. All right…everything was going to be all right because Ty was here and he wouldn’t let any harm come to her. He would keep her safe, no matter what.
He won’t be here forever though, whispered a little voice in her head. He has to leave sometime and go back to the Kindred Mother Ship.
But Ellina pushed the mean little voice away. She couldn’t bear the thought of her big Kindred leaving—especially not tonight. For tonight, she was going to pretend Ty was hers forever and that he would never leave her side.
“Feeling better?” he murmured in her ear at last.
Ellina nodded and found that it was the truth.
“Better,” she echoed. “Except I still have all this gunk on my face.”
She drew a hand over her face and pulled it back in disgust. The elaborate eye makeup must be running—she could feel it caking in her eyelashes and below her brows.
“Let’s get you cleaned up then,” Ty said lightly.
Taking a soft face cloth from the pile on the side of the tub, he dipped it in the warm water and began to wash her face as though she was a child who had eaten a sticky treat at the mid-year fair and needed cleaning up.
Ellina thought about protesting and decided not to. It felt nice to be taken care of like this—like she was little again. At the moment she felt as small and as fragile as Tutti. And for now, at least, it was good to feel that way.
After her face, Ty washed the rest of her body with sweet smelling yina foam. It wasn’t sexual at all, though he washed her everywhere, including her breasts and nipples and between her legs. But he didn’t try to do anything but wash, even though she felt the length of his shaft harden against her backside as he touched her so gently.
“All clean,” he said at last. “Time to get out.”
Lifting her out of the tub as easily as he had put her in, he stood Ellina up and toweled her off completely. Then he slipped a soft, clean white nightdress over her head and picked her up again and took her to bed.
He tucked her in between the sheets and leaned down to kiss her forehead, just above her third eye. The gesture was so like what something Guffin, her old guard, would have done, that Ellina felt something give way inside her.
“Wait…” She reached for his arm as he started to turn away. “Wait please, Ty.”
He turned back, looking down at her, a tender expression in his pale eyes which were vivid blue tonight.
“Yes, my Lady?”
“Don’t go,” Ellina begged, not caring if her plea sounded undignified. “Stay with me tonight. Hold me.”
Ty frowned slightly.
“You know that isn’t proper, Ellina. No one but the Potentate’s consort may sleep in her bed. I may be an off-worlder but even I know that.”
“None of what we did just now was proper,” Ellina pointed out. “Please, Ty…” She bit her lip. “I don’t want to be alone tonight. I’m afraid…afraid I might have nightmares. About the Grand Promenade.”
His expression softened.
“Very well, little one. If you really want me to.”
“I do. Please.” Ellina tugged eagerly…pleadingly on his arm. “Come to bed with me,” she whispered. “Come hold me.”
“How can I resist?” Ty’s usually piercing eyes were gentle and his voice was soft.
And then he was sliding between the sheets with her and gathering her into his arms. Ellina pressed her body against the long, hard length of his and pillowed her face against his chest. His arms around her felt like safety…felt like home, and the deep, masculine spice of his scent filled her senses, bringing peace and security with it.
They didn’t speak, he only held her and that was all right because it was exactly what she needed.
Ellina heaved a deep, contented sigh. Safe…she was safe at last.
Finally, she fell into a dreamless sleep and whether it was the big Kindred’s warm, spicy fragrance surrounding her or the feeling of his arms holding her close, no nightmares came to disturb her all night long.
Twenty-Nine
“Wake up, Ty! Wake up! It’s late and we’ve overslept. The ministers will be here soon and if they see you coming out of my bed chamber…”
Ellina didn’t finish the sentence—she didn’t have to. Ty knew exactly what the stuffy, self-important ministers who took up most of Ellina’s mornings with their proclamations and policies would think if the saw her off-worlder bodyguard sneaking out of her bed chamber.
They’ll jump to the obvious conclusion—that we slept together.
Which was true, but only in the sense that they really had slept in each other’s arms. Or rather, Ellina had slept in his.
He shouldn’t have done it—shouldn’t have stayed the night in her bed. But she had seemed so fragile last night—so wounded, he thought, throwing her a worried glance. He couldn’t resist holding her close and feeling her small, soft body cuddled against his much larger one. It just felt right to have her in his arms, somehow.
Thank the Goddess, she seemed better this morning. But he wouldn’t be surprised if she had flashbacks of yesterday’s assassination attempt for years to come—it had been an awful experience for her. And it was even worse to know that someone wanted her dead and was willing to go to almost any lengths to kill her.
I won’t let that happen, he swore to himself fiercely. I’ll keep her safe no matter what it takes! And I’m going to find the bastard who was behind planning yesterday’s attack.
Indeed, he had plans to start the hunt for the guilty party today, while Ellina stayed safely in her apartments with her councilors and ministers. Ty had already checked them thoroughly and knew she was all right with them, plus he had both Kindred and Chorkay guards posted outside her door. So while she worked on matters of state, he intended to work on tracking down the bastard who had tried to kill her…
They got dressed quickly and got out of the bed chamber just as a knock sounded at the front door of the apartment. Quickly, Ty took up a position to one side of the fireplace while Ellina sat on the couch with a bundle of papers—the latest proposals her ministers had asked her to look over for their morning meeting.
They looked perfectly natural, Ty thought, when th
e head guard stuck his head in and said, “Excuse me, Your Majesty, but the High Priest of Thufar is here to—”
But he didn’t get to finish because Lord Kikbax was already elbowing his way into the room impatiently.
“Hurry up!” he said to Ty. “You must come now—the egg is about to hatch.”
“What in the Seven Hells are you talking about? What egg?” Ty stayed where he was, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the Chorkay priest. He didn’t trust Kikbax and he wasn’t about to leave Ellina’s side.
“Your chewchie egg, of course!” The High Priest sounded exasperated. “By Chorkay law, an off-worlder who saves the life of the Goddess in the Flesh must be granted a chewchie of his own and yours is about to hatch!”
“What? But I don’t want a chewchie.” Ty put up his hands in gesture of refusal. “I mean, the Potentate’s little fellow is nice enough,” he said, nodding at Lor who was sitting up on Ellina’s head and looked at her alertly. “But I don’t want one of my own.”
“Oh, you can’t refuse!” Ellina looked shocked. “I have to agree with Lord Kikbax on this—you saved me yesterday—the whole kingdom saw you do it.”
“So they did,” the High Priest snapped, frowning. “And if you don’t have a chewchie of your own the next time you go anywhere in public, the people will say that the Potentate is ungrateful and ungenerous not to grant you one.”
Ty found himself in a quandary. He didn’t want anyone saying such things about Ellina, of course, but he also didn’t want to take on a pet that would be a lifelong responsibility. Most of the missions he went on for the Kindred Elite Espionage Corps weren’t exactly pet-friendly.
He had an instant flash of what it would be like—him sneaking up behind an enemy agent, intending to take him out when suddenly the chewchie sitting on his head started screeching…No, no—it would never work! He tried to think of a graceful way to refuse.
“You must know how honored I am,” he began carefully, looking at Ellina. “But what will happen to the little, er, creature once I leave you and go back to the Kindred Mother Ship?”
Ellina’s face paled noticeably at the mention of his eventual departure, but she lifted her chin and spoke coolly.
“Well then, you’ll have something to remember me—us—by. To remember your time on Helios Beta.”
“But…but I can hardly take it with me on my next mission,” Ty tried to protest, but Ellina was rising to take him by the arm.
“Commander Ty’rial,” she said firmly. “I am afraid this is an honor you cannot refuse. Not if you wish to remain by my side and guard me, anyway.”
Ty looked down and saw steel in her gaze—clearly she meant it.
“This really means so much to you?” he asked, searching her eyes with his and ignoring the frustrated and impatient huffing coming from the High Priest.
Ellina nodded.
“It means everything to me. Please, Ty,” she went on in a softer tone. “You have no idea how beneficial you having your own chewchie would be. It’s possible that Lor could establish a link with it, even though it won’t be Sacred Blue. And then we could communicate, even…” She swallowed hard and her eyes were suddenly suspiciously bright. “Even after you’re gone,” she finished almost in a whisper.
Ty suddenly understood. He had heard much of the Chorkay method of long-range communication and seen for himself how Ellina was able to have entire conversations with her grandmother, the old Potentate, using Lor. Would the same be possible for them? Would having a chewchie of his own really ensure that he would never lose contact with the curvy little female he felt so possessive and protective of?
If so, he had to have one.
“All right,” he said nodding. “Take me to the, uh, egg that’s about to hatch. But only if the way is safe and it’s not in a public place,” he added, keeping his eyes on Ellina. He wasn’t about to risk a repeat of yesterday’s near disaster.
“Don’t worry, Ty—the royal chewchie hatching grounds are private,” Ellina assured him.
“And while we will have an audience, they will be behind the blaster-proof glass,” the High Priest said. “Don’t be alarmed,” he added quickly when Ty frowned at him. “For while there will be some common folk watching, they have been hand-picked and carefully screened by Commander Yorn, one of your own Kindred guards.”
Yorn was a steady, dependable Beast Kindred—someone Ty trusted implicitly. He nodded reluctantly.
“All right. But I don’t see why we need an audience at all—it’s just going to be me watching an egg hatch.”
“Being matched with your chewchie is so much more than that,” Ellina exclaimed.
“And as to why we need an audience, we must make certain that the people know the law is being followed,” Kikbax said sourly. “Since the story of the Potentate saving the little flower girl and you saving them both is all anyone can talk about today,” he added.
Ty definitely got the idea that the High Priest wasn’t happy about this at all. And it wasn’t just the fact that Ty, an off-worlder, was getting his own chewchie. He also didn’t like the fame the events of the day before had brought to Ty, or the adoration of the common people it had brought to Ellina.
He still remembered the way she’d looked, bathed in sunlight with the gold dust shimmering in her hair and on her Sacred Blue skin…
Truly like a Goddess, he thought. Who could help loving her after her bravery in shielding Tutti with her own body when it looked like a boulder was going to fall on them both? Who could help wanting to worship her after seeing her standing straight and strong and speaking so calmly to her people even after the traumatic and frightening events that had just taken place?
She’s beautiful, he thought, looking at her as they walked down a private corridor which apparently led to the royal chewchie hatching grounds. But so much more than that. She’s courageous and selfless and loving and intelligent…
Careful, Ty, whispered a little voice in his brain. You’re sounding very much like a slave imprinting on his Mistress right about now. Don’t forget your DNA and how vulnerable it makes you.
Ty pushed the thought aside uneasily. Surely it wasn’t just his DNA making him care so much for the little Potentate. She had so many good qualities—he was just appreciating them, that was all.
Right?
Before he could fully answer his own question, he and Ellina and Kikbax reached a tall stone door covered in elaborate carvings showing chewchies and eggs and Chorkay holding both the eggs and the chewchies which hatched from them. This must be the place.
There was a Chorkay guard posted outside the door but when he saw Ellina he bowed low.
“Goddess in the Flesh,” he said humbly. “You honor us with your presence.”
He bowed to the High Priest as well and then, to Ty’s surprise, the Chorkay guard bowed to him as well.
“Lan’Glaver,” he murmured respectfully. “I am most deeply honored to be on guard on the day when you will receive your chewchie.”
“Uh, thank you,” Ty said. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kikbax scowling as though the use of the strange name upset him. He really had to find out more about this old legend and the title the Chorkay people had apparently pinned on him.
But for now, he had other business. The guard pulled open the heavy stone door and stood to one side, ushering them in. Taking a deep breath, Ty stepped inside.
It was time to meet his chewchie.
Thirty
The inside of the royal chewchie hatching grounds looked very like the area above the Chorkay kingdom. Their entire civilization was located underground, mainly because of the harsh, unforgiving desert made up of barren wasteland and shifting dunes of deep green sand that prevailed on the surface of Helios Beta.
And that was the exact environment Ty found himself in now. The dark green sands were hot underfoot, probably because heat lamps overhead were beaming down on the many, different colored eggs which were laying all over the place.
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The hatching grounds were about as big as a large living area, he thought, and on the outer perimeter of it he saw a floor to ceiling glass wall. There were people crowded behind it, watching avidly like spectators waiting for a show to begin.
Ty disliked being the center of attention, so he tried not to notice them. But he couldn’t help seeing that two of the watchers were Tutti and her grandmother.
The little girl waved excitedly when she saw Ellina, who smiled and waved back at her. The glass wall must have had some sound-muffling qualities, but he could still faintly hear her when she called, “Oh look—the Potentate! And there’s the Lan’Glaver, too!”
Ty shifted uncomfortably as more and more of the common people who had come to watch this momentous occasion began to point at him and take up the name. “Lan’Glaver…Lan’Glaver…” What did it even mean to them, other than the fact that he’d saved Ellina yesterday?
He shifted again. When were they ever going to get started? The sooner this began, the sooner it could end. And then hopefully he could get back to work—though he wasn’t sure how much time and attention a newly hatched chewchie was going to require…
“Careful where you set your big feet, Kindred,” Kikbax snapped waspishly, glaring at him. “It’s a crime punishable by death to hurt a royal chewchie.”
“I’ll stay right here. Unless I’m supposed to go somewhere else?” Ty asked, raising an eyebrow at Ellina.
She shook her head.
“No, just stay where you are. The attendants will bring the egg to you.” She looked around at all the speckled eggs and sighed nostalgically. “You know, I still remember the day Lor and I were matched. It was the happiest day of my life.” She stroked the little chewchie, who had come to perch on her shoulder and stare intently at the eggs. “The minute I looked into his eyes, I knew he would be a part of my heart forever.”
The look in her eyes was so sincere and loving, Ty couldn’t help feeling a bit jealous of the little Sacred Blue chewchie. He wanted Ellina to feel that way about him.
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