Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Starblade’s thoughts soon flew right out of his head when Vardox picked him up and tossed him gently onto the bed. Then Vardox began to disrobe, and Starblade could not stop from staring at the Masnok’s stunning body.
His deep red skin and sharply defined muscles made Starblade look soft in comparison. The tentacles on his back that he usually kept hidden under his cloak undulated in the air as if conducting a symphony only they could hear.
When Vardox’s pants fell to the floor, Starblade prayed he wasn’t drooling as he ogled Vardox’s thick, erect cock. Far too many times to count, Vardox’s manhood had brought him immeasurable pleasure. But it had also been quite some time since they were last intimate like this.
Starblade’s attention was instantly drawn to the tentacle Vardox had injured during his Blood Duel with Khamos. Several inches of it had been chopped off and Starblade had fretted over it for weeks.
As if Starblade was broadcasting his thoughts, Vardox gave him an amused look and waved said tentacle in the air.
“I told you it would grow back, darling. It’s fine.” Vardox stepped closer to the bed until he was standing over Starblade. “In fact, it’s quite eager to get involved in the action.”
That’s when his healed tentacle whipped in Starblade’s direction and tore the clothes from his body until he lay nude and eager for Vardox’s touch.
—The Tentacular Tales of Captain Starblade, Ch. 171
River
After lunch, we head back to our suite to put on our undercover attire for the afternoon.
I appropriate Kai’s Inigo Montoya wig and mustache, while I have him wear what I like to call his Men in Black sunglasses to hide his beautiful amethyst eyes—which, by the way, soooo complement the heartstone in our matching cuffs, just like I told him—from the canny gazes of my intrepid fans.
Once we’re ready, we attend the first panel of the afternoon featuring several fan fiction writers considered to be experts on my series.
They have a lively debate around their predictions about the future of the series, and more importantly, the relationship between Captain Starblade and Lord Vardox.
I’m tickled pink by the whole thing. Witnessing their impassioned conversations and the enthusiasm of the audience, especially during the Q and A portion, is super energizing.
I don’t consider myself to be a super vain person on the whole, but like most creatives, I get a lot of encouragement when I hear from those who love and appreciate my work.
The stories I create can never please everyone because enjoyment of such things is always majorly subjective, but the realization that there are other geeky weirdos like myself out there who get me and my stories is like finding another family I didn’t even know I had.
And when I meet people who value my tentacle porn space opera to the point of being inspired to make their own Starblade fan fiction or fan art, it’s both humbling and gratifying.
Sure, I get lots of fan mail at the Alliance these days, especially now that Kai’s not keeping it from me—although he still screens everything for my safety, the sweetie pie—this is different.
The in-person energy has a totally next-level vibe that I am digging big time.
After two panels, Kai and I wander over to a fan art exhibit for my series.
All the pieces on display are being voted on by congoers and the three with the most votes will win prizes.
Talk about cool. We stroll through the room, studying the pieces, and I marvel at the sheer variety of drawings, paintings, collages, and sculptures in tribute to my work.
I’m also not terribly surprised that a lot of them veer into NC-17 territory.
Looks like I’m inspiring horny minds on an intergalactic level. Heh.
When we leave the exhibit, we run into Nirblob, who’s practically glowing with excitement. He’s definitely in his element here.
“How are you enjoying your honeymoon? And, of course, Tentacular Tales Con?”
“The honeymoon’s been great so far,” I tell him.
Kai murmurs his agreement.
“We’ve been taking some much-needed downtime to relax and recuperate from… everything.”
Nirblob nods his oversized head sagely. “Quite understandable.”
I smile. “The resort is working wonders on us.”
After I give him a quick account of our amazing spa day together, he rubs his tiny, gloved hands together.
“I also love a good gelatinous mud bath. I will have to make an appointment for myself before we leave.”
We fist-bump. “I totally recommend it, my friend.”
Nirblob shoots a look at Kai, who’s been silently watching our exchange with obvious amusement.
“Have you told River about this evening?”
I look up at Kai questioningly. “Ooh, what’s happening this evening? More surprises?”
“Not exactly…” Kai murmurs. “Remember how I told you the other day that Nirblob and I had coordinated a secret signing event for you?”
I perk up.
Kai grins. “It’s happening tonight.”
I squee and jump into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and kissing the bejeezus out of him.
“You’re the absolute fucking best, babe.”
He blushes but smiles proudly.
“Don’t worry,” Nirblob assures me. “We have coordinated appropriate security for the event. I promise you won’t be mobbed by your adoring fans.
Well, not too much. The event is limited to ticket holders who purchased the VIP package for the convention.
That should keep things manageable. I’ll try to keep the line moving steadily, but I recommend having whatever signing implements you prefer on hand. ”
I tighten my monkey-hold on Kai and grin. “This is going to be so fucking awesome. I can’t wait to make my grand entrance.” I shake my head sadly. “I’ll admit, it’s been super hard to hold myself back, even though undercover agent mode was pretty fun.”
Kai laughs. “I appreciate your restraint thus far, my love.”
I poke him in the side where he’s ticklish.
“Hey!”
Nirblob continues, unfazed by our lovey-dovey honeymoon vibes. “We’ll also be broadcasting the event to other convention goers, so those who are not able to participate in the signing can still get a peek at their favorite author.”
I frown. “I wish I had time to meet everyone. I hate to let my fans down, but I also don’t want to take too much time away from my superspecial alone time with my precious hubby-boo.”
“That’s perfectly understandable, and what I predicted,” Nirblob says.
“You’ll make your grand reveal tonight, and then you’ll be able to move freely around the convention as yourself on the last day if you wish.
We’ll be keeping some security on hand so they can monitor the situation in case anyone gets out of hand.
But Tentacular Tales Con fans are good people, as you Earthlings like to say. ”
I lean down from Kai’s arms and shake my friend’s hand. “Thank you for doing all of this. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were one of the event organizers.”
“Ah, about that,” Nirblob says, his voice full of chagrin. “I actually am one of the organizers.”
My mouth drops open. “Shut the front door.”
“Given our context, you should really say Shut the spaceship door,” Nirblob offers with a chortle.
“I’m not mad or anything, but why didn’t you tell me?”
He shrugs. “You had a lot on your mind, and I didn’t want to trouble you with such inconsequential details.”
“I’d hardly call it inconsequential, man. It’s super fucking cool.”
“I did tell you when we met that I’m one of your biggest fans. This really shouldn’t come as any surprise.”
“He’s got a point there,” Kai interjects dryly.
I shake an admonishing finger at Nirblob. “This is something we’ll have to talk about later, because I totally want to get in on the action for a future Tentacular Tales Con and help plan some of the events.”
Kai face-palms. “Of course you do.”
Nirblob does a little twirl on his roller skates and chortles again. “How wonderful! Together we can make Tentacular Tales Con legendary!”
I turn to Kai. “We’ll be legendary. Did you hear that?”
“All too clearly, my dear.”
“I’m afraid I must leave to moderate the next panel. See you both this evening,” Nirblob says with a wave as he skates away.
Kai and I head back to our suite, where I tug his shirt to pull him closer.
“Have I told you lately how much I fucking love you?”
He gives me a lopsided grin. “It’s been a few hours, but I don’t mind hearing it anytime you want to tell me.”
I chuckle. Kai’s sense of humor can be on the bone-dry side, but I find it adorable.
He tugs at the wig on my head. “Please tell me I can take off this wig and mustache. I much prefer your gorgeous blond curls.”
I toss the fake hair pieces aside with a flourish and shake out my own smooshed and sweaty curls. “There you go. Au naturel, baby!”
“Much better,” he growls, running his fingers through my hair, a possessive glint in his eyes.
“How long do we have before the signing?” I ask breathlessly. I’m definitely having some bow-chicka-wow-wow honeymoon vibes at the moment.
“A couple of hours,” Kai says with a knowing smirk.
Hell yeah. He’s totally in the mood too.
I leer at him. “Plenty of time for us to indulge in some newlywed sexy times.”
He doesn’t waste a moment picking me up and carrying me over to our bed. In an instant, our clothes have flown off and we’re gloriously naked and pressed against one another. My heart flutters a little at the sight of the matching cuffs on our wrists.
“Thank you, again, for these,” I whisper. “I’ll treasure mine for the rest of my life, and I’ll tell our kids the romantic story of how these special amulets found us. Even when they become teenagers and they think it’s annoying and gross, I won’t stop telling them that story!”
Kai barks out a laugh. “I have no doubt. What I can’t wait to discover is whether any of our kids can get the best of you in a debate. Few can.”
“That’s because I’m a fucking badass who can talk himself into and out of trouble with my silver tongue.”