A shuttle landed as the little poison darts started to fly again. Her prince whisked her away and up the ramp before they even saw a native.
Jerking a small dart out of his left shoulder, he tossed it behind him. “Those tiny little guys have really good aim.”
Maiko laughed at his antics. Shar Jalon moved back from the co-pilot’s seat with something in his hand.
“What have you got there, Shar Jalon?”
“It is a rare mineral used to coat the outside of our ships.”
Oracha grabbed the rock and tossed it in the air. “Barite. We could sure use some more of this. Any chance the little dart shooters will allow it?”
“There are no indigenous persons on the southernmost land mass of this world and the Barite lies on the surface of a barren area. Would you like us to make a pass? We could gather a substantial amount in one trip.”
“I definitely want more of the mineral. Call down a dozen shuttles and let’s load up. We have no idea how long we’re going to be tailing this anomaly.”
“It will be as you wish, my prince.”
Maiko reached out for her hero of the hour as soon as the door to the front compartment slid shut. “Look at you, planning for the long haul. You’ve got the makings of a good Guardian of Light.”
He smiled down at her briefly, before tugging her down into his lap as he sat. “Tell me more about how you want to relieve all my sexual frustration.”
Without breaking eye contact, she unsealed his pants. The expression of sheer shock on his face was hilarious. “I know you have it in your mind that I don’t fantasize about men.”
He eagerly covered her hand with his own and slid it against this growing erection. “You better only be thinking about me.”
“You mean all the time or only when I’m pleasuring myself?”
He jerked her forward in his lap. “This is the first I’ve heard tell of females pleasuring themselves. I thought only males engaged in such activities.”
“Don’t be so naive. Women do it too.”
“You think about me?” Rubbing himself harder with her hand, he licked his lips. “Tell me what you think about, little dancer.”
Leaning forward she whispered in his ear. “I think of stripping you bare in my bed and putting my mouth everywhere.”
“I have heard humans put their lips together.”
“It’s called kissing. Your people call it mouth mating.”
“Only really naughty women do such acts on my world.”
“Everyone does it on Earth. It’s almost as common as shaking hands. Your ambassador told us only painted women do it on the Krylon home world. Does that mean if you want a kiss you have to give me a credit?”
“It is not nice to tease a male so close to the edge.”
“Teasing is talking with no intent to follow through.”
Maiko could tell he was frantic because he was rubbing hard and fast. Bringing up her remaining hand, she cupped his face as she covered his mouth with her own. The man had absolutely no idea what he was doing, but he proved to be a quick learner. His hand left hers to continue the stroking on her own and he pulled her closer. She licked the seam of his mouth and he opened, immediately tangling tongues with him. Suddenly, he was like a wild animal, thrusting his hips against her hand. She added her other hand, to keep the rhythm going.
She kissed him over and over as she stroked her big warrior off. His breath was ragged and he whispered. “Yes, my beautiful little dancer. Just like that. Do not stop.”
Cresting her thumb gently over the tip of his rod, he exploded. She carefully moved back off his testes, aware they were located near each hip bone. She gently glided her fingers over each swollen mass and he shook with pleasure. She liked affecting him this way. She took off her shirt and cleaned him tenderly before tucking him carefully inside his pants and resealing the seam. He folded his arm behind his head, looking at her with adoration. Maiko was glad for the small cropped undershirt that gave her a little protection from his prying eyes, though it did little to hide her pert nipples.
“From now on, I want you in my bed at night.”
“I’ll be there early every night. Tonight, I get to return the favor.” Reaching out, he gently wrapped one hand over her mound. “I cannot wait. I wish to make the human kiss with you right here.”
“You are a terrible man.”
“Your demeanor and trembling body tell a different tale, my little dancer. I will please you in ways you never once imagined.”
Putting her hand over his, much like he did her hand earlier, she asked breathlessly. “Promise?”
“Forget tonight. I will have you right now.”
The door slid open and several clones stepped forward. Staring at them wordlessly, they walked over to the hatch, clearly waiting for touchdown.
Maiko grinned, as she pushed his hand away. “That’s just my luck.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll have you all alone and naked beneath me before you know what hit you.”
Easing back off his lap, she tossed her shirt into her bag as Shar Jalon walked into the room. His nostrils flared and his expression turned dark and brooding.
There was a slight jolt and the doors to the outside flew open. Maiko watched as a couple of huge metal scoopers descended from the side of the shuttle. They grabbed and dumped loads of the fist-sized rocks into a huge compartment underneath the shuttle. Within a half hour, it was all finished and they lifted off again.
Shar Jalon immediately returned to the front of the shuttle, electing not to speak or look at her. It was odd; he was usually conversational. The other clones sat awkwardly, not speaking as well.
Tapping her ear clip, she heard the soft hum of her favorite tunes directed right into her inner ear. Relaxing back into her seat, taking a little time to decompress. It occurred to her to wonder why things still grew awkward with Shar Jalon.
CHAPTER 13
~ MAIKO ~
MAIKO MUSIC MIX SONG THIRTEEN
Smoothing down her absurdly ornate jūnihitoe robes, she frowned. “I can’t believe we are visiting two planets in one day. I’m exhausted.”
“It is the time jump. It is not the same day for the inhabitants of this planet. Their world is caught in a temporal vortex, spinning three days for every one of ours.”
“Are you sure we aren’t going to get stuck here?”
“Fear not, my little dancer. Traders come to the world all the time. No one has gotten stuck in almost five days.”
Her eyes flew to his and she found his face alight with humor. Fake frowning, she asked pointedly. “Remember the sex we were going to have?”
“Do not take my treat away for such mischief. You know by now, I have grown to adore you with all my heart.”
Beaming, she moved closer. “That sounds pretty close to love.”
“It is inappropriate for you to solicit a declaration of love prior to testing our compatibility.”
“Oh, there’s no need to test compatibility. I can tell you right now we aren’t very compatible. We argue all the damn time.”
“I cannot believe I ever thought you were sweet and submissive.”
Rolling her eyes, she chided gently. “Males see what they want to see when they look at a woman.”
“Rarely do we have clarity in such matters. I am pleased to discover you are very much your own person.”
“Introspect much? We need to focus on the mission. Neither of us is at our best today.”
“Speak for yourself. I am as charming as ever.”
Frowning at her pompous prince, she deadpanned right back. “Yes, well the problem is, you were never all that charming to begin with.”
“Ouch. You have fangs and claws out today, my love.”
The frown fell from her face instantaneously. He’d never call her his love before. It was a step in the right direction for the brash fool. “Let me do the talking. You know on this world, the women rule.”
“I will walk the traditional half
step behind you, as required by Lakarian custom. Remember, they are traders. If they will not relinquish the device for the greater good, you must bargain with them.”
“I’m given to understand they love to acquire new breeders.”
His head came up sharply. “Do not trade them males. I forbid it.”
“Is this coming from the male whose home world clearly trades in females?”
“Our practice is entirely different. We treat women with respect.”
“Like forbidding them to come to the eastern front for weeks, and then trying to leave them behind on their first mission together?”
“If you are baiting me, you should stop. You were correct about me possessing very little charm. You are rubbing the smidgen that remains away.”
Stepping forward, she ran her hands up his bare chest. She could grow accustomed to the Lakarian custom of men displaying their muscles. “How about I rub some charm back onto you.”
He sucked in a breath. “Rubbing is good. Continue touching me in such a manner and I will do some rubbing of my own.”
A dull male voice broke into their exchange. “Excuse me, we are ready to disembark.”
Turning, she nodded to Shar Jalon and they followed him to the loading bay. For this mission, they had brought a small ship instead of a shuttle. Oracha had insisted upon carrying possible trade items. The doors flew open and they meandered down the ramp towards the welcoming party.
The Lakarian females were elaborately dressed and openly curious about her. Their leader spoke first. “I am told by our envoy you claim to be the Guardians of Light. I barely credited the report as accurate until we checked your claim that the darkness had returned.”
As strange as it seemed, the Lakarians were apparently going to conduct the negotiation out in the open on the huge landing strip.
“Being the givers of life, I knew you would understand that time is of the essence.”
“Our sources tell us this is not the case. The darkness is months away from our sector of space and years away from the Krylon home world.”
Nodding her head, Maiko agreed. “Your words are true, but you must know obtaining the artifacts is simple. Discovering how it works will prove difficult and time consuming.”
“I can save you the trouble. Our scientists have studied the contraption for ten thousand years and I can assure you it does not work.”
“We have thus far been unable to learn the secrets of the first two artifacts. I believe the artifacts must be in proximity to one another to be activated.”
“Humans are clever and…” Glancing at the princes, she chose her words carefully. “…adaptive.”
Not liking the woman’s eyes on her male, she stepped sideways to block her view.
The woman’s eyes flew to hers. When she spoke again, Maiko could tell she was measuring her words, trying to be diplomatic. “I assume from your protective stance the Krylon prince is not the token offering you bring in exchange for the priceless artifact.”
“I’m afraid human females have but one true flaw. We are incredibly stingy with our males. I would die before seeing one traded away.”
The woman laughed and some of her earlier formality dissipated. “In that case, you will fit in well with our people. Lakarian females trade to obtain males. We never relinquish them in a trade.” Her eyes narrowed. “We scanned your entire ship as soon as you landed. We know all your secrets, including the fact that you brought many trade goods. However, none are quite as unique as what you are hiding up your billowing sleeve.”
Now, Maiko knew she should be angry at the invasion of privacy, but she found herself impressed instead.
“You are correct. I bring you something no one else in this sector has. A precious gift, if nurtured properly, will distinguish your court from all others.” Her hand slipped into her sleeve and she pulled out a small oval bio-cylinder. Holding it up, they inspected the two rows of nice fat silkworms being held in stasis. Touching the holographic crystal on the top, she drew their attention to it. “The gown I am wearing was created from the threads made by the worms. The data crystal demonstrates the ancient techniques we use to breed the worms and extract the thread. Within a solar year, you could have beautiful gowns and cloth for your ceremonial altars.”
The Lakarian leader jumped at the opportunity to obtain the unique offering. Maiko knew that to the women on this world, items were valued according to their rarity in the verse, therefore her trade would be considered premium.
“We accept your generous offer and are proud to offer our artifact to the Guardians of Light in defense of this quadrant of space. Go with our blessing, princess, for we know you are weary from your fight against the darkness.”
Maiko was curious about how they knew of her weariness, but she was too fatigued to ask. Instead, they parted company as the huge artifact was rolled out on what passed for an alien truck on this world.
As the clones loaded the artifact onto their ship, the imperial couple headed to their rooms to rest.
Oracha teased her gently. “I can’t say I like being left out of the information loop.”
“I know. You only approve of such shenanigans, when it is the woman who is left out.”
Moving closer to her, his expression grew serious. “You would have made a wonderful great mother for my world. You challenge me every single micron to be a better person. I am changing for the better because we are together. I was so naive in my thinking when we first met. Leaving you behind was a decision born of feelings of protectiveness. I never stopped to consider if you had a right to the dignity of risk in your life.”
“I’m too tired to react appropriately to your introspection. You get deep at times. Let us rest. We will talk afterwards.”
“It will be as you say, my love.”
Images of him wallowing in the harem rose unbidden to her mind. Normally, she shoved the memories aside. After her long day, she was tired, sick with worry about figuring out the artifacts and quite honestly, simply rubbed raw. “Don’t call me your love. We both know you play loose and fast with such terms.”
Clearly stung by her verbal quip, he responded tritely. “I cannot control what you think of me, but I do love you.”
Giving him her back, she waited for her assistants to pull off layer after layer of robes and the other accoutrements of dress. Without speaking, she climbed into bed and turned her face to the wall. For some reason, she felt hollow inside when she should feel whole and satisfied. She obtained a declaration of love from the prince, all three artifacts and more independence than ever. Though all her dreams were coming true, it tasted like ash in her mouth.
The bed dipped behind her and she grimaced, wishing the prince would return to his own quarters. Strong arms came around her and his muscular naked back pressed against her.
“You are exhausted and overwhelmed. Rest, my little dancer. Do not think I am too ignorant to know what still stands between us. It seems some of my foolish decisions, I cannot take back.”
Maiko felt hot tears streaming down her face, as she fought back the knowledge that had they not been thrown together because of the darkness, he would rather have been luxuriating with the huge assortment of human brides gifted to his people. It was the one inscrutable fact that neither of them could escape.
CHAPTER 14
~ ORACHA ~
MAIKO MUSIC MIX SONG FOURTEEN
Holding the one female he loved more than all others combined, he felt like slin dung. He could tell by the slight jerking of her body that she was crying. Never in a million solars would he have imagined telling his intended he loved her would provoke such a response.
Sometimes, Ora wished he were as foolish as everyone thought him to be. If such were the case, he would be blissfully ignorant of how badly he had hurt the female he had grown to love. Visiting the harem her first night on his planet had been a reckless decision born of true ignorance, frustration, and even self-doubt. Now, she lived with the knowledge he had insulted her
and afterwards went straight to other females for sexual gratification.
Cradling her in his arms, he felt the exact moment she drifted off to sleep. The tightness in his chest loosened at the thought that she was no longer miserable. Turning her slightly, he brushed the tears from her sleeping face and pulled the bed covering up around her. Holding her against his chest, he prayed to every god he knew that she wouldn’t toss him out the door when she woke.
Drifting off into a restless slumber beside her, his head was filled with strange dreams. He woke unsure how long he’d been sleeping, only to find her side of the bed empty. Quickly rolling out of the bed, he grabbed his clothing and went in search of her. Coming to a stuttering stop outside one of the meeting rooms, he could hear her speaking.
“I wish you would talk to me, Shar Jalon. You haven’t been yourself lately.”
“I am well, my lady.”
“You are not. I’m your friend. You can tell me anything.”
“I wish to be more than friends. Your prince is young, immature, and has no history of being loyal to a female.”
Oracha’s entire body stiffened. Whether the words were true or not, it wasn’t for the clone to speak of such things to his female.
“I would be a much better mate for you. I am now a prince as well. I am willing to dedicate my life to chasing the darkness at your side. You would never have to fear me giving up on the cause or my attention being drawn to another female. Clones are more dedicated.”
He stepped closer to the door. They sat together on a settee and she held his hands in hers. Anger and jealously flooded his system. He watched as she hugged him.
“I think every single thing you said is true. Though there is no doubt in my mind, you would be a more loyal and dedicated mate, I simply don’t have the same kind of love in my heart for you.”
“You are a beautiful female, inside and out. It grieves me deeply that you cannot return my affections.”
Celestial Mates Complete Series Box Set (Books 1-5) (Alien SciFi Romance) Page 36