by Viola Grace
He looked at her, and she could nearly see the steam coming out of his ears. If I don’t throw him into the gardens, what will you give me?
She blinked. Huh. Well, you were right. It seems that I have had a reproductive overhaul. The ovaries that I carry were cloned, but they are mine. So, with me on a Possitt heat schedule, how long do you think before we can work on making a little prince or princess? If you don’t behave, it is going to take a while.
Can we start trying tonight?
Amber looked like she was thinking about it. You can ask me that in person and not over an open link. You are going to have to show me how this works.
The ballroom, full of sensitives, broke into uproarious laughter. Their conversation had been wide open to anyone with the talent to hear it.
Emera grinned and linked arms with Dreon. “I think we should get the wedding completed, and then, you two can negotiate. Privately.”
Amber smiled, and Antoth walked over to her, bending her back and kissing her until there were rather indecorous hoots of approval coming from the crowd along with the laughter and applause.
Amber was righted, and she was introduced to two of the guardians that were still on duty but had come by to see their ex-teammate wed. “I thought that you guys only had three-year contracts.”
The two men smiled; one was in a vaguely Japanese outfit, which was odd to see, but he was made of bronze and gold colouration instead of any standard human skin tone. The other man was made of grey with gold eyes and black hair.
Sarlo, the grey man, took her scarred hand and bowed over it. “Such a lovely lady to be saddled with someone as grim and bitter as Antoth.”
“Don’t worry, Guardian, I am just as grim and bitter as he is. I am just better looking.” She smiled and then frowned as her right hand started getting hot. “What the actual fuck?”
Sarlo laughed so hard, his companion had to catch him.
She flexed her hand and looked at it. The scars were receding, and soon, her skin was back to normal.
She looked at the man who was wheezing as he tried to get his mirth under control. “Thank you, but next time, warn someone. That was a bit of a surprise.”
Emera beckoned to them, and Amber sighed and put her hand in Antoth’s. It was time to get this over with.
Chapter Ten
The ceremony was surprisingly simple and went off without a hitch until the official asked Amber, “What dowry do you bring to the union?”
Amber blinked and smiled slightly. “Nothing. I guess this was a bad idea.” She tried to get her hand free of Antoth’s, but he held on.
Emera stepped forward. “The island of Treartha and the profits from the botanicals harvested there.”
Hydrangea stepped forward. “The services of three Nyal Guardians in the Possitt system for the next forty years.”
Antoth smiled. “The mining belt of Yethira and all the profits from it.”
The official looked nervous. “Right. The scribe is recording it. The mining belt is your gift to her?”
Antoth shook his head. “Her gift is the crystal palace at Shalwing and the funds to run it for forty years.”
The official nodded. “Right. Excellent. Is there an exchange of rings?”
The two guardians stepped forward and presented Amber and Antoth with rings. She blushed and held the black band in her fingers.
The official said, “Your Majesty, King Antoth Hredan, heir to the imperial throne of the Possitt sector, do you take this woman to be your wife and queen?”
He smiled. “I do.” He took her right hand and then her left, placing rings on the middle fingers of both of her hands. He kissed each one and murmured, “Since you enjoy using these digits so much.”
She stared at him with her eyes starting with tears as she fought to not bray with laughter. It must be stressful because getting married wasn’t that funny.
The official looked at her. “Miss Amber Huffner of the Alliance Protectorate of Terra. Do you take this man to be your king and husband?”
She looked at the ring in her hand and then at Antoth. “I will take him as a husband. I am not good with authority.” She held the ring between her thumb and two fingers.
He smiled and extended his left hand, extending the ring finger in the standard of her country of birth. She slid the ring into place, and he gripped her hand. She exhaled and looked back at the official.
He grinned. “Congratulations. You are now wed. Only death can separate you now.”
Amber blinked. It had the ring of May god have mercy on your soul.
She looked to Antoth to ask him what was happening next, but his kiss pushed the questions out. She heard cheering that turned to applause, which died away, and murmuring occurred, and finally, he let her straighten up, and she pressed her forehead to his chest.
Emera chuckled from nearby. “I think that one set some records. Antoth, may I hug my auntie now?”
Amber tried to get away from him, but he held her close. “Give me five minutes with you in my arms, not trying to escape.”
Emera chuckled. “I shall instruct folks to leave you alone.”
Amber looked up at Antoth. “We are supposed to have the rest of our lives together.”
He nodded. “I know, but I would like to start as I mean to continue. With you.”
She wrapped her arms around him, and she breathed him in while they stood together. She pulled away at one point. “I don’t want to get makeup on your clothes.”
He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and held her against him. “I don’t care.”
He held her close, and soon, her heart started to beat in time with his.
She whispered, “So, when were you planning on telling me that you are descended from the Shosai?”
“At the same moment that I told you we had exchanged blood after the incident. I didn’t want you to go into the tank without my linking to you, so I created the link before they put you under.” He squeezed her. “It has been quite the wait.”
“What? Wait! I was out of the tank for less than a day, and we were having sex in the dining room.”
He grunted. “And I wanted so much more.”
“You can seduce me with thoughts. That is an unfair advantage if there ever was one.”
He chuckled. “You are right. I can do that.”
She held him while he told her mind that he was sliding his fingers inside her. When her knees buckled, she held him tighter. “You do know that there are two hundred people watching us.”
“Obscure has hidden us behind a veil of shadow.”
“Oh, so that is Daku’s call name.” She murmured it through gritted teeth. He seemed to have taken notes the previous time, and her ability to stand upright was rapidly waning.
The phantom fingers were dextrous. She clutched at him as her legs gave way, and her body pulsed around the fingers that weren’t there. She gritted her teeth and shook as he caught her and held her against him again.
“Easy, Amber.”
She muttered against his chest. “Fuck you.”
He threaded his fingers into the elaborate braids, and he kissed her. “Promises that I will hold you to.”
She was going to tell him off, but he kissed her again. They made out like teenagers in the middle of the dais where they had just gotten married. She was flushed, and she was breathing rapidly when he lifted his head. “Enough for now, or I will take you right here, and Daku might not be up to participate in concealing that.”
A voice came from the darkness. “You are correct, Antoth. I would not. Are you decent?”
Antoth quickly tucked the majority of Amber’s breasts into the gown. She quickly did a jump and a wiggle to get everything settled properly. She made sure her legs were covered, and she gave Antoth a thumbs-up.
He wrapped an arm around her, and he said, “We are appropriate.”
The shadow faded, and Antoth walked them over to his
friend. “Thank you for that, Daku.”
He nodded. “I hope that you would do something similar for me if needed.”
Antoth did the forearm clasp that the guardians seemed to favour. “I would if I could.”
Daku looked at Amber. “I hope to one day find a female that looks at me the way you look at Antoth, only with less homicidal flashes.”
She smiled. “Don’t be too fussy. Are you based normally on Rai?”
He scowled. “It is my home world.”
“Ah. That would explain why an Imperium recruiter is stationed there. Rai is having an explosion of talents.”
“How do you know that?”
She shrugged. “One hears things.”
Antoth looked at her. “You have been in a tank for over a year.”
“I did some quick recon and got a note back from my world’s avatar. She let me know that the other four members of this particular project have all been stationed in Nyal space.” She smiled. “I am surprised you haven’t heard about them. Apparently, we make quite an impression.”
Daku cocked his head. “I believe that I will be looking for the one on Rai in the future. I am due some time at the recovery centre. This wedding has stressed me out.”
Amber inclined her head. “You and I both.”
Antoth wrapped his arm around her, and he squeezed her waist. “I believe that we have to continue our greeting of family. If you will excuse us.”
The two guardians laughed, and Amber finally got to embrace her niece. Hynin greeted her as a sister by marriage, as did Krazz. He was the bastard of the imperial family but still a more stable brother than Hynin.
As the happy couple, they had to stand next to the empress’s side and greet those who came to offer good wishes. At some point, Antoth got bored with the formalities, and Amber could tell because he wandered through her mind to the point where his fingers were roaming all over her body, and he physically hadn’t moved a muscle.
When there was a lull in the greetings, she leaned toward him and hissed, “Stop that.”
He smiled calmly. “No. Until you agree to call a halt to this evening, I will continue.”
“Wait. I have to call a halt to this?”
Emera gave her a grinning nod.
“Well, fuck that. Emera, congratulations on getting to sit in the big girl chair. It did look weird, all empty and cold. Dreon, please keep track of her, or she gets into trouble. Hydrangea, it was lovely to meet you.”
Hydrangea smiled and whispered in her ear about the other Terrans and winked as Amber stood straight. “Well, that is interesting. They looked surprisingly youthful in the tank.”
“That is the intent. Now, enjoy your wedding night before your husband punches his way through the crowd surrounding him.” Hydrangea stroked Amber’s cheek. “Remember that some things are once in a lifetime, and your life has now been shoved around to intersect with his. Make the most of it.”
Amber smiled. “Best advice yet. Thank you.”
“What other advice have you been getting?”
She smiled. “Oh, the usual. Tie him down, get on top. Take the money and run to see if he can catch me.”
“Oh, bad advice. He does not seem the type to calm himself down right before he catches you.”
Amber glanced at him, his impatient expression made her smile, but she was quickly distracted by his mind stroking her butt cheeks and delving in between. “You are right. Apparently, the patience has been exhausted, and if I don’t want to start making some very loud noises, I had better be on my way.” She curtsied, which was a difficult move considering his wandering psychic fingers, and made her way.
She cuddled up to him and punched him in the side. “I was having a nice conversation.”
He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her in his arms. “We are leaving now.”
She tried to look shy and demure, but his psychic touch kept moving along her skin, and her face got grim, and she punched him.
He walked to the flagstones leading to the gardens, bent, and launched upward. He didn’t fly, but he jumped in mile-eating spans.
She murmured in his mind. We could have taken a shuttle.
He replied. We could have skipped the reception.
I would never miss Emera’s reception.
Her reception is in three days. This one was all about us.
She huffed. No one even told me I was getting married. How the hell would I know?
I regret that I didn’t warn you about the dowry exchange. Everyone else knew what was happening. They landed, and he launched again.
She recognized their destination when they arrived. “That is one of the winter palaces.”
“It is. It’s mine. The staff has gotten our quarters ready and cleared to a distant corner so that sound is not an issue.”
Her skin went scarlet. “Thank you for recalling one of the most mortifying moments of my time on Possitt Prime.”
He grinned. “It was just last night.”
She exhaled. “It seems so far gone, I can barely recall it.”
He thudded to the ground and then hopped up to the third-floor balcony, where wide doors were standing wide in welcome.
“I know this isn’t a normal way for you to get around, but you have been jumpy lately.” She bit her lip at her pun. It didn’t quite translate, but she was amused.
He didn’t pretend to seduce her. He set her down next to the bed, and the gown collapsed to her feet. She barely had a chance to feel the cool air on her skin when his mouth pressed against her breasts, and he knelt in front of her with a focus on ravaging her. As her knees buckled, she had to admit she was all in favour of it.
After her performance the previous evening, she tried to be quiet. She held her breath and bit her lip as he ran his hands over her in an appreciative frenzy. She tasted blood, and his head snapped up.
He eased her lip from between her teeth with his thumb and stood up to kiss her. “Don’t injure yourself. Ever. This is a request, not an order.”
He kissed her deeply, and when he raised his head, his eyes were glowing. “It is up to you to disrobe me.”
She put her hands on either side of his tunic and tore it in half, discarding it. The trousers went next, and she said, “Things could get dangerous with the boots.”
He was bemused at the shredded court clothing, and he grinned, taking a seat. She kicked off her slippers and tugged his boots away, getting an eye-line view of his erection.
She had studied the physiology of the Possitt natives, and none of them had a cock that moved on its own, but this one was slowly rocking from side to side.
She licked her lips and leaned in, but he caught her and muttered, “Not tonight.”
“You are no fun.”
“I have just been absolved from the responsibility for nine billion people. The fun may begin now.”
Amber blinked as he lowered her against him, and his cock slipped and slid on its way inside her. She kissed him softly. “That is what I thought before being shipped off for alterations. The hellish boring part of my life was over, and if the plan worked, the fun could start.”
He smiled as his cock pressed into her. “Has the fun started yet?”
She shuddered and moved her hips in a slow undulation. “I will keep you apprised if you promise to let me know when things have become fun for you.”
He rolled with her and thrust inside. “Three years ago, I felt hope, now I feel joy. Close enough?”
She wrapped her legs around him and pulled his head to her for a kiss. She murmured, “As long as you are feeling me, I think happy would cover it. I am glad that I am with you for this once-in-a-lifetime moment.”
They moved together, slipping and sliding against each other until she gasped and let out a choked cry; he shuddered in relief and held himself against her.
Amber shuddered as the aftershocks were punctuated by small flexes of him inside her.
“So, you have some Wyoran ancestry?”
He chuckled. “No, but my ancestors share an origin with them. My mother’s line was bright with new races. The Shosai was just one of them. If we have children, they will have a vast genetic history to draw from.”
“If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, I will just spoil any child that Emera presents the world with.”
“I appreciate your willingness to adapt to a new possibility.”
She shrugged. “Adaptability is what all Terran Volunteers were chosen for.” She paused as he started to arouse her again. “Really?”
He grinned and kissed her softly. “I want you to make that scream again. I spent eight years as a hero, moving from world to world, and nothing has made me feel more powerful than that moment.”
She blushed, and their kiss continued as he tried every permutation to get her to scream, and it was nice to know that he had been so involved the first time he hadn’t realized what had done it.
When she finally gave him the scream that was part pleasure and part shock, he chuckled. “I will keep that in mind.”
She covered her eyes, and he pulled her hand away, kissing her palm.
Before dawn, when they were both exhausted, he held her against him, and he murmured, “That was fun.”
She chuckled and felt him in her mind while he was still inside her. Her once-in-a-lifetime wasn’t a flare, it was a slow-burning fire, and she had just lit the match.
Epilogue
She parked the cycle and walked up the steps of the palace. The guards snapped to attention and eyed her warily.
Amber headed through the palace to the imperial quarters and the empress’s chamber. The area was a hive of activity. Servants came and went. Nobles were outside the chamber under the strict watch of the guard, and she passed the guard to enter the outer chamber and then the inner chamber where the soundproofing was doing its job.
Emera sobbed when she saw Amber. “Auntie, it is taking forever.”
Dreon was sitting at her side and looking concerned.
Amber stood next to Emera. “Get up. Stand up. We are going for a walk.”