Chapter Seven #4
He walked over, looked through the lotions, took the tub, and slathered his hands with it. She was still on her stomach when his hands began to rub the lotion into her.
“This week, it is the lotion to help the skin under your very pretty scales so that it can flex as your curves finish filling out. I do remember this muscle.”
She snorted as he kept moving his hands over her, getting more lotion, and then returning to keep going until she was covered on the one side. When she was eased over and lying on her back, he smiled, and his gaze focused on her.
“Oh, that doesn’t look predatory at all.”
His grin showed a lot of teeth. “You will get used to it.”
She snorted. “How long do I have with my family before you sweep me away?”
“When you are healed, you come with me.” He prepped his hands and started on her neck before rubbing her shoulders and each arm. When he massaged the lotion into her breasts, she gave him a narrow-eyed look.
“They need extra attention?”
“Definitely. They need to be able to withstand a lot. Having never had a mate of my own before, I intend to immerse myself in you frequently.”
“Promises, promises.”
He worked his way down to her hips and then skipped her belly and took care of her legs.
When he worked his way back to her belly, she was watching him closely.
He seemed fascinated by the feel of her as the lotion was swirled around.
Her body was absorbing it readily. She had her thighs together when he slid a finger in between.
“What now?”
“There is tissue here that needs reinforcement.” He gripped her hips and pulled her to the edge of the table.
He knelt at the edge, and she flailed around before holding tight to the sides of the table.
She knew how she was going to react. The tongue touched her sex, and heat built rapidly.
Zukker had used oral sex to unwind after a mission, and the feel of a forked tongue was familiar to her.
The tongue slid around and in, then out, and it did a circuit around her clit.
It repeated the motion faster and faster as her slick joined his saliva.
She panted and clutched at the bed and then gasped and moaned as her clit pulsed and her body shivered. A slow whine came from her.
His thick tongue moved around inside her as her channel pulsed around it. She gasped and twitched, her thighs around his head.
She muttered, “That was not on Zera’s treatment plan.”
He pulled his tongue out of her and licked her clean. He leaned back, smiling. “I improvised.”
She huffed. “Next time warn me. Half the courtyard is staring up here.”
He grinned. “I know. No one will be able to meet your grandparents’ eyes for a while.”
“More like they will high-five my grandfather.”
He laughed. “I will set them straight.”
He straightened and went to get a different lotion. First, he spread it over her face and then took a dollop and rubbed it over her sex.
“There we go.” He was very smug.
“Why do you look so happy?”
“Even unable to hold you as I would like, I could still bring you pleasure.”
She sat up completely and focused on how her body felt. It felt cooler and more flexible.
“How do you feel?”
“Fever is gone, skin feels more flexible, and I am relaxed and hungry at the same time.”
He lifted a gold gown and smiled. “Arms up.”
She snorted and got dressed with his help. Her hair was down to mid-back but seemed to be slowing.
“There was no pubic hair.” He helped her stand and got her slippers for her. “Not complaining.”
“No, there never was. It is one of those things that makes folks recalculate my age over and over.”
He snorted. “I remember you as a child. I know how old you are.”
“You don’t want some young, little omega to look at you with huge and terrified eyes?”
“No. They tried that. He wanted none of them. He said we could wait, so we would wait. Then, we met you, and then they told us you were dead. We had waited so long, listening to others talk about their mates in flowery terms, in longing terms, wishing that they could be off mission and back between her thighs.”
“Oh, wow. You worked with Zukker.”
“Yes. He wanted you more than he wanted children. His mother hated that.”
“I am aware.”
“Why were you getting so skinny while he was gone. His mother said you pined for him, but that wasn’t true.”
“No money. No food. I rationed what I could. His funds went to his parents in Thorassen, as is their custom. She was responsible for feeding me, and she didn’t. Didn’t get me new clothes either. I looked a wreck when Zukker got home, but he always came home, so I stayed.”
“I will always come home, and you will have all of my accounts to care for you.”
“It’s not necessary. I have my own funds.”
He chuckled. “And you will have more. Once we are together, you will be the aunt of the crown prince and great aunt to his children.”
“Wow. That’s... something.”
Riimal put her sash on and slid it so the closure was forward-facing. It forced his knuckles to brush against her breasts, but he looked willing to take on the discomfort.
“Okay. I look like I changed clothing. I just want to take a look down at the gardens.”
She edged forward so that she could see the gardens, and there were a lot of alphas who were looking toward the open spans, and when she peeped at them, several turned and grinned, making sounds that every woman had heard before.
She leaned back but thudded into Riimal.
When he appeared, the younger males fell silent.
He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. “I wonder what their problem is?”
She grinned and looked up at him. “No clue. Shall we rejoin my family?”
“Of course. I think my thirty minutes are up.” He chuckled.
“Yeah, I think the third time I came was about that moment in time.”
He sighed. “Probably. I wasn’t running on a clock. Ready to go for dinner?”
She touched his jaw and urged him down to her with hands that didn’t feel as raw as they had.
The kiss was sweet and very visible from below.
Ival stroked his tongue with hers and felt him tense against her.
When she stopped stroking his jaw and backed up, he lifted his head with a dazed expression that rolled into satisfaction.
“This is going to be so much fun. Promise.”
She laughed, and they walked back to the family room, where her grandparents looked wary. Ival smiled, and her family settled around the low table while Priana served dinner.
Priana was looking at Riimal like he was dangerous, but Ival patted his thigh under the table as they had a family meal.
He smiled and leaned toward her. “The queen would like to meet with you tomorrow morning.”
“With Ylara?”
“No. Not at first. This is just so that you may meet as sisters.”
Ival paused. “Does she have guards that enforce protocol?”
Riimal thought. “They may.”
“It is acceptable for me to have a bodyguard, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Nandy, do we have enough room for a bodyguard’s room?”
Her grandmother nodded and smiled. “We do.”
She smiled, typed something into her com, and then waited. She looked at Riimal. “What are your household colours?”
“Gold and dark blue.”
She typed the colours into her com and then waited again. When she got the notice that her assignment had been taken on, she waited. A glowing orb appeared in the centre of the room, and it got larger.
A woman with tattoos running down her arms and legs, as well as across her face, appeared. The tattoos were vines and lightning. Her eyes were white-blue, and her hair was black, a thick wave of black to her mid-back.
“Hello, Roar. Would you like dinner?”
“No, thank you, Ival. This is your family and your partner?”
“Yes.” Ival made the introductions of her grandparents and Priana, and then she smiled. “And this is Riimal. He’s the king’s brother.”
“Hence, needing me to ride herd on the household guards. Easy enough. It is nice to be back.”
Riimal blinked. “You as well? How many actives have we thrown away?”
“A rough estimate is five hundred. Only obvious omegas get an education, so it forces families to feed those of us who are late bloomers. Getting rid of us to keep our prettier siblings or the alphas in the family. It is more fiscally responsible for the poorer families to sell off their children. I was sold for five thousand credits and ended up across the world.”
Riimal shook his head. “What the actual hell? Why did they sell you?”
“My brother needed to buy a home for his new bride. I was fifteen, half-starved, and grubby with a bad attitude, and that meant I wasn’t a boon to the family. He convinced our parents to sell me, and it didn’t take much convincing.”
Riimal frowned. “Are they still around?”
“No. Well, I mean, their homes were destroyed in a weirdly localized storm, and they were forced to seek shelter at the stronghold. I don’t know if they are still in the commons, but their little house got trashed.
Very sad.” She grinned. “The stronghold should really keep track of its young ladies. There is a wave of power coming through, and it is finally addressing the balance. Mother Nature is finding her lost daughters.”
Ival smiled. “I feel found at long last. Ramera is back to be a cheerful thorn. Roar, I think you are here to make a point.”
“Oh, I definitely am.” Roar looked down and grinned. Her outfit was a loose dark blue top and two panels that became the skirt. Her feet were in knee-high boots, and the marks that were on her slowly started to move. She looked like she was dressed in warrior casual.
Priana was looking at her in surprise. “May I show you to your quarters, miss?”
“Please. Everyone else should finish their meal.”
Priana smiled. “We are done. I will show you your rooms.”
Roar went with Priana, and Ival smiled. “There. Now I feel better about being obnoxious about bowing.”
Riimal snorted and lifted her hand to his lips. “I will see you tomorrow to escort you to Himera’s quarters.”
She frowned. “Oh, right. The queen. Nearly forgot.”
He sighed. “She will become your sister when we formalize things.”
“Great. I have done so well with relatives so far.”
Her grandparents looked stricken, and she had to ease their minds. It took a while.