by Juno Wells
Unable to speak, she waited for him to pull out. Not that she really wanted him too, but she knew she’d be feeling him for days. The door cracked and before one of his attendants could enter, Bradon barked out roughly, “Out!”
She sucked in a heavy breath. “That was amazing.”
His head lifted, and he looked her in the eyes for a long moment. “Yes. It far surpassed anything I thought we could achieve together.”
Kicking him off the top of her, Grace laughed. “Are you freaking kidding me? If you got anymore pompous, you’d actually become a fancy relic and we could decorate the Great Hall with you.”
Rolling over onto his side, Bradon grinned. “You’re forgetting, I am a relic decorating this place for forty years at a time.”
Turning to face him, she smiled. “I like it better when you’re awake. You’re more fun and we can fuck.”
Bradon’s mouth fell open. “I thought that’s the word you didn’t like saying.”
Snugging closer, she purred, “I use it only in proper context, handsome.”
Wrapping an arm around her, Bradon brought his lips to her shoulder. This small human female was the missing piece that made his life complete.
14 Hope
Grace
Grace woke to find herself alone in the Regent’s bed. When she reached out her hand, she found his side of the bed still warm. Last night had been nothing short of amazing. It answered the question of whether he was worth the trouble of dodging around all the strange Davarian customs and only seeing him every three months. That was the bone of contention for Grace, only getting a few days with him every three months. If only he weren’t a Regent, he’d be free to welcome her into his life. Such limited contact wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy her need, but she’d gratefully accept it.
She pulled his pillow close and closed her eyes, inhaling his deliciously masculine scent. Images of his lovemaking danced through her mind, making her want to immediately seek him out.
An amused voice sounded off from nearby. “So, I guess you two will be taking at least two, maybe three baths a day during the celebration.”
Grace turned over and looked at one of the younger priests. Squinting her eyes, she tried to focus. If she wasn’t mistaken, he was Ralon’s assistant. “Who are you and why are you here?”
“Onyx is my name in your tongue.”
“You only answered half my question, Onyx.”
“You should not sleep your day away. It is not proper.”
Shooting him a dark look, she asked, “What do you want, besides to make fun of a stupid Earthling for falling in love with your Regent?”
His eyes got big and he took a step forward, opening his hands to make a gesture she didn’t understand. “I wish for you to get up, bathe, get dressed, and enjoy what little time you have with the man you love. Make him see that holding himself apart from you is a stupid waste of time.”
She sat up and pulled the soft bedding over her naked breasts. Still groggy, she blinked up at the handsome man. “You think he’ll eventually accept me into his life full time?” It seemed like a long shot to Grace, but now she wasn’t the only one bold enough to speak about a long-term commitment between Bradon and herself.
The man squatted down at the foot of the bed and glanced at the door before speaking. “You make him feel loved, and desired. He adores you in return.”
She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, crawled to the foot of the bed, and focused on the young priest. “Okay, I’m all in. Tell me more.”
“You can’t imagine how depressing it has been to see his longing for you. It tears at our souls. He has never had the opportunity to love a female, so he doesn’t know how. You must teach him.”
“I’m not sure that I can get through to him. He seems so set, about us not having a personal relationship.”
“He has many worries. Have you thought about what your life with him would entail?”
She waved away the question. “Sleep forty and have the freaking time of our life for twenty, like forever. I guess that is the extent that I thought about it.”
“You cannot fit into his hibernation chamber.”
“I have a sleep pod that pretty much does the same thing. Ours is more like an actual bed. We climb in wearing our jammies and crawl out however long later. There is a pillow and no gel.”
The man’s jaw dropped open, and he froze for a brief moment before getting himself together. “That’s really fascinating.”
“If you like, we can send one down to the surface. The captain’s actively looking for ways to thank your leaders for welcoming us to your world. Your scientists can try it out. If you volunteer to be a test subject, maybe you can keep your Regent’s crazy twenty years awake and forty years hibernating schedule.”
The man gasped. “Do you even know what a precious gift it is you are offering our people?”
Again, she waved away the drama. “Have at it. We can make the sleep pods all day long. It’s honestly no inconvenience. Our command crew is casting about for ways to impress your leaders. That’s what makes me think it will be a win-win situation.”
After a brief and thoughtful pause, he asked, “Do your people make ones that hold two people?”
“Yep, couples always sleep together on our world.”
“Don’t you see? Our Regent is worried about getting attached to you, because he fears losing you. He may create a hibernation chamber for you, but prolonged use makes the skin thick and leathery. He would not want that for you. If there was a better way for the two of you to sleep together, without medical concerns, he would feel much more comfortable bonding with you.”
“You, my new friend, are turning out to be worth your weight in gold.”
Rolling over in the bed, Grace grabbed her com unit from the floating bedside table. It took a couple of grabs to get her hands on it while keeping the bedding wrapped around herself, but she managed to dash off a message to Captain Drake in record time. He’d be a fool to pass up an opportunity to ingratiate himself to the most prominent species in this sector of space when everyone else is gunning for us.
Turning back to the man laying out clothing for her, she asked, “Where is our illustrious Regent this morning?”
“A delegation of Craiger presented their greetings for the Festival of Iod. He should be finished in approximately thirty microns. Trust me, you don’t want anything to do with this species.”
Tossing her legs over the side of the floating bed, Grace stretched her tired muscles. “Yeah, I know all about the Craiger. Their species has tentacles, which they don’t always keep to themselves. He needs an assist.” Grace quickly bathed, dressed, and headed down to give Bradon a hand with the Craiger. Sure enough, they kept reaching out to touch him repeatedly. Well, the purple ones were primarily doing the touching. Female Craiger were outrageous flirts. Grace was annoyed that they had their slimy tentacles all over the man she was starting to think of as hers.
She had intentionally worn a dagger on her hip in the hopes of discouraging them from getting handsy, or tentacle-y in this case. That, coupled with a little insistence on her part, should be enough to set firm boundaries. She’d try not to take a tentacle, but she wasn’t making any promises.
Bradon’s eye were huge as he watched her coming down the long spiral staircase. He hurried over to greet her and whispered a polite word of warning. “Craiger.”
She murmured, “Introduce me.”
Bradon wrapped her arm around his and introduced her as his companion for the celebration. Several of the tentacles began creeping towards her. Grace smiled sweetly, and asked, “Have you ever heard of calamari? We have creatures called squid that live in the deep oceans on Earth. Their tentacles are considered a delicacy among my kind.” Her hand drifted to the handle of one of her blades.
One of the male Craiger stated gleefully. “The human comes prepared to enforce her claim on you, Bradon the Wise.”
They made it through the rest of the luncheon with th
e Craiger, and then went for a stroll outside. Grace took out a tissue and began wiping his richly embroidered tunic. “You seem to have tentacle slime on you, my dear man. Don’t your ambassadors warn them about touching?”
Bradon’s blank expression warmed once they were alone. “It wasn’t nearly so bad after you joined us.”
She laughed. “Once I figured out they had thrown you to the wolves, I tried to hurry.”
Bradon smiled, “You are so good to me, little Earthling.”
“I adore you. May I ask a favor of you?”
“Anything. If it is within my power to give, I will.”
“Will you text with me between celebrations. I’ve figured out a way that you can text or com with me while being one hundred percent certain you are not taking time away from your duties.”
“How?”
“Simple. Wait until after you are in bed at night to message me. It is your time for resting, so I doubt anyone would begrudge you using some of it to talk to me.”
His eyes lit up, so she enticed him a little more. “Maybe we can touch ourselves while we talk sexy to each other.” A soft growl sounded off from the back of this throat.
“I have to admit that’s an ingenious plan.” He nodded. “You know what time I usually go to bed. You com me, so it is clear I am not pursuing you.”
Grace kissed him on the cheek. “I feel like the one doing the pursuing.”
“Thanks for that by the way, kitten.”
“Don’t mention it. I liked being with you when you met with the Craiger. It was nowhere near as boring as I thought it would be.”
“Do it for a thousand years, then we’ll talk.”
“I doubt I’d ever get tired of attending even boring functions as long as we were together.”
Changing the subject, he asked, “Do you have any updates on your missing crew member?”
Graced frowned. “We tracked down the few leads we had, and they were dead ends.”
Bradon’s face darkened. “I worry about the human females on your ship becoming targets for unscrupulous traders.”
Grace pondered his words. “I think the captain is seriously considering taking you up on your offer to allow us to settle here. In the meanwhile, we’ve increased security.”
Bradon immediately cautioned, “Consistency is the key to ensuring your security measures are effective. Leave nothing to chance.”
“I’m sure the captain is doing everything he can. We’re not going on trade missions to other worlds in this sector anymore. We’re only authorized to travel between your planet and our ship. We’re well protected in orbit around your home world.”
He didn’t look totally convinced of that. “I will send my personal guard with you. I’ll not have you turn up missing as well.”
Grace teased, “Remember, I have an expiration date of three days, this time. After that, you aren’t allowed to care what happens to me. That would be indicative of a personal relationship.”
Bradon looked miserable. “I can, and I do care. I’m allowed to love, Grace. It is just that acting on those emotions poses complications for a male in my position. Never, ever think for a moment that I don’t love you.”
“Well now, that’s progress. Just so you know—I love you too, big guy.”
They let the sweetness of the moment wash over them.
15 A Coalescing of Love
Bradon
Grace had kept her word, presenting herself for his pleasure at each festival. There had been three, including the Awakening Festival, and she hadn’t missed even a day. It warmed his heart. Bradon was beginning to rely upon the time they spent together.
A Davarian Regent selecting the same female for every festival had caused a stir on their home world. Rather than making the populace angry, they’d gone wild for all things human. Their ancient dramas were being played on the data stream, a different one each cycle. Even Bradon had succumbed to watching them.
The newsfeeds were full of images of the two of them walking hand in hand. Even intimate moments had been captured of them embracing and kissing. He’d seen images of Grace wearing patriotic memorabilia of his reign while she smiled and waved at the crowds that hounded her every step on the Davarian home world. She never seemed annoyed with the attention, but he knew she thought it was all absurd. That she dealt with it so effortlessly flipped a switch in his mind. Perhaps they could spend time together after all without his world falling apart. It was clear the public adored the small human fighter pilot.
Today was the festival of the Knot, and there were throngs of happy people, Davarians and humans, gathered to celebrate. Captain Drake had accepted Bradon’s offer of shelter for their people. The Great Saban would be enthralled with humans when he woke in twenty solars. He had insisted that all warm-blooded bipedal species shared a common ancestry. If his theory was true, it was clear the humans either were that root species that all others came from, or were a more pure version than the Davarians were. It was their adaptivity that marked them out as different. Not only did their reproductive systems adapt to make them breed-compatible with other species, but their very nature allowed them to adapt to living in space, or on new worlds. They were being readily absorbed into Davarian culture without so much as a hiccup.
Yes, these humans were a marvel. Queen Belanna had warned him before she laid down for her slumber to lure them into staying if he could. She was convinced that adding their biological attributes to various Davarian bloodlines would strengthen their people. From what he’d seen, Bradon concurred.
They waved to an adoring crowd from the balcony of his quarters on the Davarian peninsula of Kark. “You are making me the envy of all the men on my world, little Earth princess. I have never gotten so many jealous looks.”
Clearly not liking being called impertinent titles, she shot back, “Yeah, well, I’m not having that problem. Most women aren’t envious of one-night stands rather than full-time relationships with the men in their lives. It’s a shame you’re still non-negotiable on that accord.”
Drawing her close to his chest, he stepped back into the room. His priests quietly closed the huge ornate shutters on the window, blocking out the sunlight and the sound of the crowd.
He gazed into her eyes and tried to find the right words to set them on solid ground moving forward. “Let there be peace between us. I already feel much guilt for continuing to see you when there is no hope of making a happy life with you.”
Grace looked back into his expressive eyes. Regret for her hastily spoken words was stamped all over her pretty face. “Don’t ever feel guilty for not being able to give me more. I am greedy, while you are as generous as your situation allows.” Bradon could see her beginning to tear up as she tried to turn her head away.
Bradon cupped her cheek in one large hand and gently turned her head to look into her eyes. “I love you. Even seeing you for such brief periods of time gives me the strength to do all else that must be done for my people. Without you there is only hopelessness in my soul. You deserve a bond mate, a home, and a family. All the things I can never give you. I do not have the will to turn my back on you. I ask you to be strong for both us. Walk away from me, and never look back.”
“I don’t think I could ever do that. If I left spending time with you and enjoying your touch, there would only be endless longing for you. Being separated from you for three months is bearable only because I know we will soon be together.” Swallowing thickly, she continued, “If I only get to see you every three months for twenty years, I would count myself a lucky woman.” When he opened his mouth to object, she pressed two fingers to his lips. “The thought of never touching you again fills me with such profound sadness. I cherish our time together more than you will ever know. Sometimes I feel as though you are the only person who truly understands me and accepts me for who I am.”
Movement around the room caught his notice, and Bradon realized that once again they had forgotten that they were not alone. His priests bustled arou
nd the room, turning down the bed, lighting incense and drawing their bath. It made Bradon realize exactly how much his attendants did for him. Their dedication was humbling, as was Grace’s. He had to remind himself that he’d spent an endless lifetime earning that kind of loyalty and deserved the reward he was not getting.
Bradon scooped her off her feet and turned, striding to the steaming fragrant bath. Grace kissed his neck as he carried her, and gently caressed his cheek. Her touch gave him cause to be bold. Sitting her on a floating stool, he jerked it so that they were face-to-face. Mimicking the way his attendants undressed him, he carefully began removing her clothing. She helped him by shrugging out of her top and hanging her arms around his neck as he worked her pants off. “You humans are fond of tight-fitting pants, my sweet.”
Her laughter was light and easy on his ears. When she was naked, he stepped back to admire her slight form. She was curvy in all the right places and he was growing obsessed with the thin layer of softness around her middle. The soft swell of her breasts with the delicious pink points never failed to rouse his cock. When he reached up to rip at his clothing, sounds of disapproval echoed from the edges of the room. His attendants didn’t approve of him rending his clothing. It occurred to him that it must somehow make their life more difficult.
Pulling her into his arms, he stepped into the oversized bath and sat with her on his lap facing him. He held her face between both of his hands, and tenderly kissed her lips. When she shifted on his lap, his priests couldn’t get out of the room fast enough, for they knew what was to come. It was funny that his female being naked in front of them was just accepted, but their copulating sent the priests running for the door every single time.
Grace glanced to the side and smiled at one of his priests. Bradon looked over to see Onyx smiling back at her. He shoved the image aside because the female was already sliding onto his cock, and she wouldn’t be doing that if another had captured her notice. His Grace was breathless with excitement, for they had been parted for three long months. Bradon had it in his mind to fuck her until she begged him to stop. Her hands were all over him, and her mating scent was driving him into a lust-induced frenzy.