by Judy Mays
Forestalling an argument, Ademis said, “Bakom is on board.”
The other man’s eyes narrowed, and he became all business. “I have a special cradle for the baby next to the last two seats.”
As Ademis strapped his daughter into her cradle, Brianna slipped into the seat next to Meri. “I’ll sit here.”
As soon as Char was seated behind their pilot, Brianna turned to Meri. “Who is that? Why does Char dislike him so?”
“My cousin, Bandalardrac. He’s my father’s youngest sister’s son and definitely the rebel in the family. As soon as he learned to fly, he sold some of his mother’s jewels and bought a spaceship. Grandmama was livid!”
“Were they valuable?”
Meri shrugged. “Of course.”
Brianna stared at the back of Bandalardrac’s head. “Why doesn’t Char like him?”
Meri squirmed in her seat. “It’s really nothing important.”
Brianna looked at her friend with narrowed eyes. “Talk, Meri.”
Meri glanced back at Brianna nervously. “Bandalardrac loves women, every woman. If I weren’t his cousin, Ademis wouldn’t let him anywhere near me. I wouldn’t let me anywhere near him. Over the years, he’s made a game of taking women away from Char.”
Brianna shook her head. “So, Char thinks your cousin will take me from him. How could he be so stupid?”
Meri smiled. “Men aren’t the most intelligent beings in the universe.”
Brianna glanced towards Meri’s cousin. “But I can understand why. Your cousin is one of the most handsome men I’ve ever seen. He’s half Drakian, isn’t he?”
Meri nodded. “My aunt went against Grandmama’s wishes when she married Ban’s father.”
The object of Brianna’s curiosity piloted the shuttle with great skill. Only a few inches shorter than Char, Bandalardrac Hardan had the best of the Medirian and Drakian races combined in his features. Black eyebrows rode above vibrant, dark eyes, which were rounder than a Drakian’s. A hawk-like nose sat above full, expressive lips. Rather than being heavily muscular, though, as were some Medirians, his body was slim and athletic. Like his Medirian mother, he had gills and no tail. His skin tone, however, was neither Drakian nor Medirian but a pleasant mixture of the two, a warm tan with a subtle olive undertone, much like a person of Spanish or Italian heritage back on Earth. All in all, he was a very attractive man.
Brianna leaned back and closed her eyes. Damn, but alien men were sexy.
Brianna laughed and spun around awkwardly when she stepped away from the shuttle. As Meri had warned her, it was humid, but she didn’t really care. “I don’t care if it’s a hundred degrees. I’m finally out of that damn cabin!”
Char smiled at his wife. Brianna’s joy at being off the ship and under the open sky was infectious. Catching her in his arms, he lifted her up and swung her in a circle. “You may be giddy with your freedom, love, but the noon humidity during the Medirian summer would sap the strength of the strongest man. You’re conserving yours for two.”
“I’ve been cooped up so long!”
“Cooped up?”
“Char!”
He laughed. “Very well. If you promise to go to the palace and rest for a few hours, I’ll take you to the merchants’ shops.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Shopping! You’re the most wonderful man in the universe!”
“Ah, sweet Brianna,” Bandalardrac interrupted, “you do not yet know me.”
Brianna giggled at Char’s scowl. The words she whispered in his ear calmed him and eventually he began to grin. Sweeping her completely into his arms, he carried her towards the palace.
A brooding look on his face, Bandalardrac watched as Char strode away, but as soon as Meri touched his arm, a dazzling smile appeared on his face.
Meri voice was low. “Don’t, Ban. Please. Brianna’s become very dear to me. Bakom’s been enough of a worry. Don’t add to their problems.”
Ban smiled at his cousin. “You know I’d never do anything to hurt you, Meri.”
Meri smiled and gave Ban a quick, hard hug. “Thank you, Ban. I’ve never believed all of those stories about you.”
He smiled back at her, mischievously. “That doesn’t mean I can’t pay court to the beauteous Brianna, if for no other reason than to aggravate Char.”
“Ban!” Meri exclaimed, but then she began to laugh. “You’re incorrigible.”
“I certainly hope so, Cousin. I certainly hope so.”
* * * * *
Bakom sat in his quarters as the ship approached Drakan. Earlier, he’d heard the shuttle for the Medirian Princess dock and leave. Nor could he complain about Char delaying their arrival on Drakan because the shuttle docked with the Restoration as it passed close to Mediria.
He gnawed his lower lip. Alalakan was planning something, he just knew it. He’d managed to keep the specimen hidden in his quarters. She had to be a bed toy for him, to help relieve the boredom of the journey, and he didn’t want to share her. Why else would he guard her so closely?
Most of Bakom’s equipment and possessions were packed for off-loading, but he’d turned on his personal view screen once more. The picture showed his specimen’s naked body strapped on his examining table. He watched as Odam jabbed the needle into her thigh. Her instant reaction to the mithrin once again registered in the small section of his mind that remained dispassionately apart from the rest of him. Only humans reacted that quickly, but this was the first of many tests.
As usual, Bakom closed off the logical part of his mind to concentrate on the woman’s lush body. His own body hardened and his tail jerked, demanding release. He pounded his fist into his hand in frustration. To think the Alalakan had this to himself! At that moment the screen went blank, as it had on every one of his previous viewings. It marked Alalakan’s interference and theft of his specimen.
Eliana walked into the lab and saw him sitting in front of the darkened screen. A look of irritation crossed her face, quickly masked. “Everything is ready to be sent to the Academy once we dock at the space station.”
Bakom turned to face his assistant. Eliana was hermaphroditic, as he was, but in her, the feminine attributes of his race had chosen to make themselves more evident. Her tail was shorter than normal and her breasts were larger. He was fairly certain that any children she bore would be single sexed. He also knew she never lacked for sexual partners. He’d enjoyed her himself often, though she didn’t make a point of seeking him out.
As she passed, Bakom reached out and grabbed her hand. Turning it over, he kissed her palm. Not bothering to consider her feelings, he unfastened the top of her Academy uniform. He licked his lips as her breasts spilled out. Using both hands, he stripped her tunic and loose pants from her until she stood naked. His breath quickened as he turned her around. Flipping the switch to his viewer, Brianna’s naked body once again lay before his passion-glazed eyes. He made short work of his own clothing, and then began massaging Eliana’s buttocks. His own tail caressed her leg and then stabbed between her thighs, seeking entry. His erect clitoris nudged the cleft between her buttocks. Lost in his own fantasy, he did not notice her less than enthusiastic response.
Eliana braced herself against the counter and grimaced. Dr. Sendenton dem al’ Lorilana owed her plenty for this.
The com-link from Bakom’s quarters flashed in the control room as the Restoration finished docking at the Drakian orbiting space station. Miklan finished his systems check before answering. Casting a glance over his shoulder at Lorilana, he said, “Here it comes.”
Flipping a switch, Miklan said, “Control.”
“I am ready to disembark,” Bakom said. “I demand that the specimen be brought to me.”
Miklan struggled to maintain a dispassionate tone. “I’m sorry, Dr. Bakom, but Brianna left on the Medirian shuttle with Princess Merilinlalissa and her party.”
“What! I demand to speak with the captain.”
“The captain accompanied the party to Medir
ia.”
“I’ll have Alalakan before the Council on theft charges. He had no legal right to take that specimen from me!”
“I’m sorry, Doctor. It’s my understanding that the princess demanded her presence. During the course of our journey home, it was discovered that Brianna’s planet holds a sizable population of dols and orcs. The princess overrode all prior claims because of this information, as outlined in the Federation charter.”
Bakom sat back. The dols and orcs! “Why wasn’t I informed when this discovery was made?”
“The Princess has a message she wished transferred to you after we docked, Doctor. I will download it now,” Miklan said. Then he terminated their link.
Brooding, Bakom stared at the screen as he finished reading the princess’ message. She’d made it very clear that her family didn’t consider him fit to be First President of the Academy and wouldn’t allow him to be involved with the recovery of the dols and orcs in any way. Any discourse with the Academy would be conducted through the Second President, Sendenton don al’ Dadon for the simple reason that Sendenton had never kidnapped a child. The princess also advised him never to set foot on Mediria again. The girl’s relatives would exact their revenge in their own way, and the royal family would make no move to protect him. She hadn’t mentioned the assassins, but the implied threat was there.
Bakom snarled as he cleared the screen. The Aradab brat had been a worthless piece of humanity, and the entire incident had been totally blown all out of proportion. Now, though, he’d been blocked from getting his hands on that woman he so wanted. But that could be taken care of. He finished packing the computer away and began to make plans.
* * * * *
Brianna stared in wonder as she wandered through their suite. “It’s so lavish, Char. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“Nothing like this on your planet?” Char asked as he stripped off his clothing. The form-fitting uniform he usually wore on his ship was entirely too uncomfortable for the midday humidity of Mediria.
“Of course there is. I’ve just never been anywhere that was so opulent,” she answered as she picked up the uniform he had carelessly dropped on the floor. “Who picked up after you before you were married?”
A languid grin stretched across Char’s face. “I ‘picked up’ after myself, of course.”
“Then why do you always throw everything all over now?” Brianna grumbled as she folded the uniform and laid it on a chair.
“Because you enjoy taking care of me so much.”
“Oh!” she gasped as his arms went around her. He pressed his erection against her back. He wrapped his tail around her thigh.
“Maybe I should just let you take care of yourself from now on,” she said breathlessly. But Char never answered her. He was too intent on other things.
Pulling her dress up over her head, he placed wet kisses on the side of her throat while his fingers delved down the front of her panties into the rapidly moistening cleft between her thighs. Sighing, she leaned back against him. Soon his play was not enough. He scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed, her afternoon nap completely forgotten.
* * * * *
“Not there, you damn fool,” Bakom snarled as he supervised the loading of his equipment for transport back to the Academy. “That goes in the other vehicle.” Still fuming over the way the princess and Alalakan had spirited his specimen away, he ran the princess’s message through his mind repeatedly. The discovery of the dols and orcs gave the Medirians first right to contact the planet, which would preclude Academy rights. Collecting specimens from the planet would be next to impossible. He had to get the woman back from Chardadon.
“Odam, Eliana,” he called as the last crate was secured.
“Yes, Doctor.”
“Our specimen was stolen, and we must retrieve her.”
“But, Doctor,” Eliana said, “they’re on Mediria.”
“Ah, child,” he said stroking her face, “still so naive and innocent. Odam, the usual contact.”
“Yes, Doctor. Do you need us for anything else?”
“No. Use this time for yourselves. We’ve been on that damn ship for almost a year.”
Bakom joined the driver and went with his equipment to the Academy.
Odam leered at Eliana. “I know of a tavern with private rooms.”
Eliana snaked her arms through his. “That sounds wonderful, but first we must contact the doctor’s friends.”
Odam leered even more and pinched Eliana’s nipple. His tail began to jerk. “Our contact will be there also.”
“Well, then,” she said catching his tail and stroking it, “let’s hurry.”
* * * * *
Three hours later, a cloaked Kindis dem al’ Eliana glanced furtively about a dark alley. Hugging the wall, she soon encountered a shadowy doorway. Knocking twice sharply, she ducked inside when the door opened. After the door was securely shut, the lights flashed on. Miklan and Cindar had waited patiently for their late-night visitor.
Shuddering out of her cloak and throwing it onto the floor, Eliana said, “You better have a big bathtub full of hot water. I feel as if I’ll never be clean again.”
Cindar gazed at her sister with a puzzled frown on her face. “I know Bakom is a despicable man, Meli, but he is very fastidious about his person.”
“I am not talking about Bakom. One need only shut one’s eyes with him,” she snapped. “No, I speak of Odam. He never bathes and his breath is horrible! Your aunt, my dear brother-in-law, owes me.”
Miklan grinned. “My aunt will be happy to reward you in almost any way you wish. Now, what information do you have for us?”
“Bakom has agents on Mediria with orders to kidnap Brianna.”
Miklan frowned but nodded. “Char expected something like this, but I’ll send a message immediately.”
As Miklan disappeared through an interior doorway, Eliana began to strip off her clothing. “Where’s your bathtub, Cindar?” she said dropping her clothing into a waste shaft. “I swear the last bed was full of Varcian fleas.”
Cindar laughed as she led her sister to the bathroom. Varcian fleas were as big as small coins.
* * * * *
Brianna soaked in a large bubble-filled tub. Leaning back and stretching out her legs, she sighed contentedly. At last, a tub big enough! A new turquoise dress hung in her closet along with some other things she’d need in the next few days. By then, the other clothes she’d ordered during her shopping expedition that afternoon would be delivered.
Closing her eyes, she smiled to herself as she leaned her head back against a soft cloth. Char had been more than generous. After finishing her fittings, they’d gone to another shop and selected shoes, in another, underwear. He had shaken his head in a perplexed manner when she found the Medirian equivalent of bras. Maybe the women in Drakan didn’t use them, but she needed support! She ordered two dozen in various colors.
It was in the last shop—the jewelers—that Char had been the most extravagant. There, he’d made most of the selections himself, choosing some of the most tasteful yet expensive jewelry she’d ever seen. Brianna hadn’t thought about how wealthy his family was until she heard him tell the jeweler that price was no object. She fell into a light doze with a smile on her face.
Half an hour later, Char walked into the bathroom to check on his wife. As he thought might have happened, she was dozing in the tub. “Brianna,” he whispered into her ear, “wake up. Dinner’s in an hour.”
Brianna opened her eyes and smiled.
“You better get out now, or I won’t be able to resist the temptation. The king will want to know why we’re late, and we’ll have to tell the truth.”
Laughing, she stood up, wrapped herself in a fluffy towel, and stepped out of the tub. “You’re incorrigible.” Cocking her head to the side, she added, “What are you wearing?”
He was wearing what she guessed was the equivalent of an Alalakan dress uniform. Cut along the same lines a
s the uniform he wore daily, it was completely white. A short jacket with a beautifully embroidered dragon on its lapel hugged his broad shoulders. All in all, he cut quite an impressive figure.
“My, my,” she continued, “I’ll have to beat the women off of you with a stick.”
He stared at her dubiously. “You aren’t going to hit anyone, are you?”
Brianna laughed. Removing the pins from her hair, she shook it as it tumbled to her hips. Recognizing the smoldering look that appeared in his eyes, she said, “You better go wait in the living room, Char, or we will be late for dinner.”
After he left the room, Brianna sat on the vanity stool and perused the various perfume bottles and cosmetics in front of her. Sniffing the stoppers of each bottle, she chose a sensual, musky scent and applied it liberally to various places on her body. Choosing among the cosmetics, she highlighted her eyes and cheeks. Then she began to work on her hair.
Ten minutes later, she was sighing with frustration. Her hair had cooperated very well until she tried to fasten the elaborately jeweled turquoise comb Char bought her earlier that day. Still wrapped in her towel and holding the comb in place, she headed for the other room and Char’s help. Pushing the door open with her hip—they were the old-fashioned kind that swung opened and closed—she walked into the living room. “Char, can you get this fastened? I have too much hair to do it myself.”
It was hard to say who was more surprised—Brianna or the people with Char. She recognized Lorilana, who was standing next to a tall, distinguished-looking man. However, he and the other three people in the room were complete strangers.
“She’s wearing a dragon!” the elegant woman next to Char gasped, her hand going to her throat.
“I made it very clear that I was married, Mother.”
Her hands and hair dropping, Brianna flushed pink and choked out, “Mother! Your mother’s here, and you didn’t warn me? How could you do this to me!” Turning, she fled into the bedroom.