Chapter 10
She wasn’t left alone long. Namae soon came for her and conductedher to a small reception of Ryven’s family and friends. She metRyven’s other two sisters there and their families. Toosun andShiza were present, along with the LG and the Lady Tessla. Namae onlystayed because Xera collared her as she tried to slink away. “Idon’t think so.”
“Mistress….”
“Sister, you mean. Whatever else you are, you are also my aide.That means you stay by my side and try to keep me from embarrassingmyself unnecessarily. It’s your job, Namae.”
Oddly enough, defining the action of staying with her family as a jobseemed to relax Namae. She stood up straight and made no furtherprotests, though she did move a respectful distance away.
“Cleverly done,” Toosun said in her ear. “I never would havethought to use that approach.” Ryven was talking to one of hissisters an arm’s length away and didn’t comment, but he glancedtheir direction.
“Too much sympathy is like eating too much candy; it sours thestomach,” she told Toosun. “How would you like to break your armand then have the world treat you like you were made of glass?”
He blinked. “Interesting thought.”
Xera shrugged. “I was a younger sister, too, and probablyoverindulged.”
“You think we spoil her?”
She frowned at him. “You’re letting your sister pretend to be aservant and hug the wall.”
He stared at her. A reluctant smile tugged up his mouth. “You havea way with a rebuke. I think I’ll go and talk to her.” He shookhis head as he turned, either at her or himself, but the smileremained. He leaned on the wall by his sister, a determinedly casualexpression on his face as he chatted.
“What mischief are you up to?” Shiza asked her. His eyes lingeredon Namae as he sent a curious glance her way. There was somethingguarded, pensive there. He handed Xera a drink. “You may want this;these family gatherings can be hard on the nerves.”
She accepted the glass but didn’t smile. She still didn’t likehim. “But you’re not family, are you?”
“I grew up with Ryven. We are old friends.”
“Hm.” She looked around for someone else to talk to.
He wasn’t disturbed by her cool attitude. “How are you findingmarried life?”
That caught her attention. “We aren’t married yet. I haven’tinformed my sister about it.”
“Ah. This is some custom of your people?”
“I made her a promise. Ryven is letting me keep it.”
Shiza looked at Ryven and smiled enigmatically. “How like him. Hehas far more patience than the rest of us. Or does he?”
Washe baiting her? The innuendo sparked her temper. She didn’t have toraise her voice to make it vibrate with fury. “You’re lucky Iwasn’t your captive; I’d have slit your throat in your sleep.”
Heleaned closer, amused as only one who loved to bait others could be.“You assume I would use force.”
“You’dhave to,” she retorted.
Hesmiled. “I know my friend very well. You’ve had something of awedding night. Was it so bitter?” He waited until the color in hercheeks betrayed her. “We’re brothers in that, sweetheart.” Hesauntered away.
Xerawas left feeling stupid and a little breathless. She glowered at hisretreating back and went in search of a distraction. Since Shiza washeading toward Ryven, she went the other way.
Ryvenlooked meaningfully at his friend as Shiza joined him. “You’vetormented my wife.”
“Sheis unaware I helped you move the table into your chambers,” Shizasaid blithely. “She insists you are not married yet.”
Ryven’sexpression was bland. “We reached a compromise.”
“Ithought so.” Shiza looked at him curiously. “What’s it like,being married? Any regrets?”
“No.I doubt I’ll ever be bored with a woman like her.”
“Hm.How do you think she’ll hold up to her ambassadorial duties? It’srare to have a woman in that office.”
“She’llhave help. Speaking of which, it looks as if my sister is haranguingher. Excuse me.”
Asher husband extricated her from his sister’s clutches and moved herto a more private space, he asked Xera, “Tired yet?”
Shegave him a look. “Your sisters are very like mine.” They weregiving her qualified approval, but she sensed she was on probation.They hadn’t accepted her yet. Nobody said it, but maybe they wishedhe’d married one of his own kind.
Partof her was glad. She hadn’t given up on going home. Ryven might beworking hard on changing her mind, but this wasn’t where shebelonged.
“Headstrong,bossy and full of unsolicited advice?” he suggested. “I can seewhy you left home.”
Shelaughed, but the mood didn’t stay. “Tell me the truth, are wemarried?”
Helooked thoughtful. “If I were to die this moment, yes, you wouldretain your status as my wife. This is to your benefit, of course.There is no requirement of pregnancy, for instance.”
Shefrowned. “Is that even possible? Our species may not be capable ofreproduction together.” She was surprised she hadn’t thought ofthat before this, but all of the main bits of their anatomy were thesame.
Hisbrows lifted. “It won’t be for lack of effort.”
Sheexhaled in reluctant amusement and looked aside. After last night,she had no doubts he would go above and beyond the call of duty inthat regard. Lucky her. However she felt about being stuck here, shehad no doubts she would enjoy his tender ministrations.
“We won’t have the official reception until after you speak withyour sister,” Ryven told her softly, breaking into herreminiscence. “We will use pressing business as an excuse for thedelay.”
She looked at him in question.
“We leave tomorrow for the border. A fleet of warships is coming toparlay with us. You’ll step into your ambassador role very soon.”
She drew a breath. She’d be close to her people soon, as close to aride home as she would be for a long time. She knew that all thewhile, he’d be watching her like a spy satellite.
“How many days is it to the rendezvous point?” she asked.
“Three. It’s another eight months travel to reach your world,isn’t it?”
“Yes.” They had never discussed it, but she knew he’d salvagedinformation from her wrecked ship. The distance depressed her. Whathad she been thinking, to travel so far from home? Her sisters wereliterally billions of miles away. Even if she could steal a ship andhead home, she’d have a hard time reaching them. Traveling alonefor such long distances could be deadly.
“We will be able to receive a message, though it is a vast distanceto cover. Fortunately, communications are far swifter than ships, andwhile the communications relay won’t be done for a while yet, Ithink we can persuade the GE to pass on a message using their relays,this once.” Wormhole technology made possible for messages what wasdeadly for a man. No one knew how to send a live body through awormhole yet. Somehow, it was harder to be hopeful when they were soclose.
He seemed to realize that. “Come. My aunt looks lonely.”
Xera snorted at that bold lie, but she let him distract her anyway.Brooding wasn’t helping anyway. She did offer a word of warning,though. “The GE are not to be trusted.”
He raised a brow in inquiry.
“They don’t always keep their word.” She didn’t know howcaution him further without betraying old loyalties, so she said nomore.
He seemed content to drop the subject, for he said no more about it.He did look at her thoughtfully from time to time, though.
If she had been nervous or excited about the night to come, Xeranever had a chance to explore it. A courier met them at the entranceto their room with an urgent message for Ryven.
“What is it?” Ryven asked grimly. He must have known what wascoming.
The courier looked at Xera.
Ryven glanced at her, too. “Would you excuse us, Lady Xera? I won’tbe long.”
“Sure,” she said in her own language, forgetting to translate.Deciding it would be explanation enough just to exit, she enteredtheir quarters alone.
Ryven came in shortly afterward. “I’m sorry, hiri’ami.There is something I must attend. There is no need to wait up forme.”
“Trouble?” she asked, following him into the bedroom. “It’snothing to do with our upcoming trip, is it?”
“No, the other border,” he said as he rapidly changed out of hiscivilian clothes and donned his military uniform.
“What’s on the other border?” she asked curiously. It had neveroccurred to her to wonder what the Scorpio boundaries were, or whatlay beyond them; her world had been a smaller bubble for the lastweek, and an absorbing one at that. Did they have more enemies, then?
He noticed her disturbed expression and gave her a comforting kiss ashe took her hand and towed her into the living room. He picked up aremote and turned the viewing wall on, then thumbed through theprograms. “Here. There are some shows about our northern border,and plenty of entertainment videos to take your mind off it afterthat. We’ll talk about things when I get back.” He really didlook imposing. Putting on his uniform was like donning a mantle ofwar for him; his whole demeanor changed. It would have to, wouldn’tit? He was a leader and a warrior, and he’d only been a husband ashort while.
She felt a twinge of intimidation, reminded of how they first met.
His eyes softened and he gave her another lingering kiss. “Therewill be another evening for us, hiri’ami.” He strode fromthe room.
A twinge of loneliness struck her. Surely she wasn’t becomingemotionally attached to him already? After all he’d done, all he’dforced upon her; albeit pleasantly, and in her best interests?Shaking her head at herself, she settled down on the couch to learnabout her new world and what Ryven faced.
Hours later, she was feeling decidedly chilled. The Khun’tat were apredatory race of flesh eaters who lived beyond the Scorpio frontier.Seven feet tall, leather-skinned and fanged, the aliens dressed inmetal body armor and slit-eyed masks only a little less hideous thantheir faces. They had hose-like tails at the back of their skullstipped with sharp spines that could stun prey, making it easier todevour them at leisure. The females laid eggs. Their hatchlingsrequired fresh, warm blood to thrive, and the Khun’tat were notfarmers. They seized whatever beast or person they could lay talonson to feed their monstrous appetites.
They had moved into Scorpio territory over a hundred years ago. Onlythe ferociousness of the Scorpio had kept them at bay, plus theScorpio’s slight technological edge. It was scary to know this racewas what the human race would have been facing if the GE hadsucceeded in pushing back the Scorpio borders. Humans had yetencountered nothing like it, and Xera hoped they never would.
Namae had told her once that her brothers were skilled pilots, someof her people’s best. Xera wondered how many battles they must havefought to develop those skills, and how often Ryven would fly intobattle now. Would he be called away often, as he’d been tonight?Did he lead the missions in person, or did he call the shots from abattle cruiser? Not that a cruiser couldn’t be shot down: TheKhun’tat reportedly swarmed around those ships often, knowing thebig score of blood that could be had inside. It was more economicalthan taking pilots ship by ship, especially when a pilot couldtrigger a suicide explosion rather than be taken as food.
Xera felt a hollow ball of fear settle in her gut. She’d seen Ryvenin the field, knew what he could do, but his ship had been shot downalong with her own. He was vulnerable. She could lose him.
She laughed at herself, at her misty eyes. She’d known him for solittle time! How could she be feeling like this? Love had to grow,didn’t it? Didn’t she want to go home? What about her sisters?Her world?
She shoved those questions aside as a new thought occurred to her.The Scorpio didn’t need the hassle of the GE. What they needed wereallies. If she herself was any indication, humans and Scorpio werecompatible races. If she could use her position to help foster peacebetween them, it could help them both enormously. If theInterplanetary Council could be convinced to rein in the GE (or atleast send them exploring in another direction) this could work. Herlife could count for more than she’d ever dreamed.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Xera settled down to think.
Ryven found his wife curled on the couch hours later when hereturned. A glance at the main viewscreen showed a video about theKhun’tat still playing. She must have fallen asleep watching,instead of switching to lighter fare. As he scooped her up andcarried her to bed, he wondered if she’d had nightmares.
She stirred, saw it was him and relaxed. He smiled to himself as hehelped her undress and slide under the sheets. In moments he was withher, curled around her sleeping body.
Xera woke to find herself in a heated tangle with her lover. Ryvenhad surely gotten less sleep than she, but he had woken first and waspresently kissing her neck. She sleepily arched to give him betteraccess before reality trickled in.
“Hey,” she rasped, giving him a half-hearted elbow. “Weshouldn’t be doing this.”
“Why?” He licked his way up to her ear and suckled, sendingchills down every nerve. Even her fingers tingled.
Not for one moment did she think he didn’t know why. “We’rewaiting to be married.”
“Compromise,” he murmured. It sounded more like a command than asuggestion.
She sat up and frowned at him, the sheet clutched to her chest. “Youdon’t compromise; you sweep in and take over.”
He smirked. “So far that’s been to your benefit.”
She ignored his comment. “Look, this a weird situation and I’mblaming you for that. First we were engaged, then virtually marriedin that ceremony I had no control over. You seduced me, too, which tomy mind constitutes a verbal breach of promise.”
“Next time get a written contract,” he advised her, his headpropped up on one hand. He looked sleepily entertained anddeliciously mussed.
Her eyes narrowed. She was not going to laugh at him when she wastrying to make a point, or she’d lose this argument...though so farit had been an argument of one. “The point is, I’m not about togive up any more of my seriously strained virtue.”
“Then take mine,” he suggested before she could continue herharangue.
“What?”
Those brimstone eyes sparked with mischief. “You can hardly sullywhat I no longer possess.” When she just stared at him,uncomprehending, he took her hand and brought it to his chest. Heleaned back against the pillows. “I like it when you touch me,too.”
She blushed, unable to meet his eyes. In all their interactions, he’dalways taken the lead, had always made love to her. Put on the spot,she didn’t know quite what to do.
He wasn’t inclined to make it easy for her, either. He crossed hisarms behind his head and looked up at the ceiling like a lazy cat.“Coward.”
She gasped indignantly. “It’s not like I’ve ever done thisbefore!”
“Hm. Well, you have a willing victim.”
“Victim,” she muttered, and got distracted by all that barechest. Miles of hard muscle stretched out under her fingertips. Hermouth went dry. Her fingers twitched, and suddenly she was trailingher fingers over him, exploring all the grooves and planes. He hummedwhen she traced his nipples and growled when she trailed her fingersover his belly. It was a powerful feeling, watching all that powerfulanimal flexing under her hands. She even trailed her fingers up tohis neck and buried them in his hair, the better to lean over andbreathe in his scent.
“I can’t help but notice you’re avoiding looking below thesheets,” he said huskily. “Aren’t you curious?”
She muttered something, avoiding his eyes.
“What?”
“I’m shy!”
He grinned. “I won’t bite.”
She half laughed even as she sent him a look of rebuke. After amoment her hand edged toward the blanket.
Ah, his wife was killing him, Ryven thought as he closed his eyes,but he didn’t want to be saved. He looked through his lashes as shelowered the sheet, saw her eyes dilate. She’d seen him before (he’dseen to that) but she always averted her eyes. This time she waslooking, trailing a tentative finger down the length of him.
“It’s so hard,” she said, as if she couldn’t help herself.“I’ve never felt anything like it.”
“Enjoy it,” he encouraged her. “You’ll never see anotherone.”
“Arrogant,” she chided him, but her hand circled him just thesame. He inhaled sharply and she started to let go. He grabbed herhand before she could. “Don’t stop. Feels good.” He curled hishand over hers, firming up her grip, then showed her how to move upand down. After all, she was driving him mad.
He was not tame in his passion, arching and moaning his pleasure. Aglance at her showed how his voice made her cheeks flush, her lipspart, but after that he stopped analyzing her reactions. She tookinstruction very well; he couldn’t wait to see what else she tookto.
He showed her how to speed up when he needed it, let her watch to theblessed end when the climax took him. Let her watch...let her want.
She fetched him a washcloth and herself a robe. She sat quietly onthe bed, seemingly unsure what to do with herself. He fixed that bypulling her down into his arms for a kiss. “I’m not in the habitof leaving a woman hungry,” he told her, his hand trailingteasingly over her hip. “Say the word.”
She groaned and pulled away. “Your brand of satisfaction istorture.”
He caught her hand before she could slide off the bed, brought it tohis lips. “For now, I will let you rest. It won’t be long beforewe’ll be spending days in bed...and there will be no resting then.”He bounded up and swept her into his arms on the way to the shower,where, in spite of himself, he did get a little carried away. Soapand hot water and a naked woman could do that to a man.
He did not, however, take her virginity. She did not thank him forthe favor.