Terran Times Second Wave # 10 - Liberty (7 page)

Rajon caressed the tiny opening with his fingertips and said with wonder, “It is amazing that I fit.”

She leaned up on her elbows and stared at him. “I had my own doubts last night.”

He looked up, grinned and used his palm to press her flat to the bed. “You are distracting me from my morning snack.”

She was stuck staring at the ceiling while he exhaled on her skin, warming her before he applied his tongue. She arched and hissed while he worked his tongue into her sex and began a slow, stroking lap that made her gasp.

Each inward thrust parted her, and his withdrawal ended with a slow, upward stroke that dragged across her clit with the wide path of his tongue.

She stared at the canopy of the bed and the mural of starlight painted in the centre while he teased and stroked her. Her breath came faster; light moans increased in frequency and intensity as his tongue slithered around and around.

Libby arched and shrieked, reaching for his shoulders and piercing his skin with her nails.

Inside her, another pulse began, hotter and stronger than her own orgasm. She dimly heard a laugh as she shook and twisted on the bedding.

It felt like hours but was obviously only a few minutes. When her head cleared, Rajon was still lying between her thighs, but he was grinning with delight.

“That was fun.” He chuckled and moved up her body until his cock was nudging between her thighs, but he seemed to have no inclination to begin thrusting into her.

“It is an interesting way to describe it. So, what exactly is going on again?”

He eased back and grinned again. “You want the Miexhar mating details right now?”

“Just a few things. Is that dart in me right now?”

He nodded. “It is. Your body was altered to accept it. That was what your time in the tank was about. Your reproductive assembly had to be elongated and a change to your genetics provided the nerve bundle to nest the spine in.”

Libby thought about it, and then, slapped his face without warning. “If you ever do anything like that to me again, I will take the nest of your spine and mount it on the wall.”

He turned his head back to face her. “No one strikes the duke.”

She gave him a grim look. “I just did. You took my humanity so that you could get your groove on. I am a Terran, first and foremost, and now, I am your duchess by your own hand. Damn it, where is my tiara?”

She struggled to sit up, and he pinned her down again.

His lips were twisted in a wry smile. “I know that you are upset and that you will no doubt take it out on my hide in many different ways. Your alteration was necessary as you knew it would be. It was in your contract.”

She blinked back tears. “Fine, but I still want my tiara.”

He rolled and cuddled her against him. To her surprise, he reached under the pillow above his head and produced the tiara. “I thought you might want it handy.”

She was startled into laughing. “You had that ready?”

He winked. “It is either that or I have a bunch of them stashed around the bedroom just in case. You decide.”

The idea made her laugh, and she held her breath while he put the tiara back on her head.

“Thank you.”

“I might not always do what you ask, but I will always try.” Rajon said it solemnly.

She grabbed his cheeks and kissed him, noting the prickle of hair on his chin. She blinked. “You shave?”

He chuckled. “I do. There is a whole morning ritual that goes into making me the stunning creature that sits in the audience chamber.”

“I was wondering how you got those gems in your hair.”

He smiled. “You can help me remove them. They are hell to sleep on.”

It seemed that grooming was their next task. Naked in her jewels, she sat up and he moved to the edge of the bed, shifting the tray of food to one side.

For an hour, she picked gems out of his hair while he undid the myriad braids on her head. She tugged his hair straight with her fingers, and he sighed when she got up to his scalp. She smiled when he ran his fingers through her hair.

“That feels nice.”

“I agree. Now, shall we take a long, hot soak so you can acclimate to your new status and field test that tiara?” He winked and lifted her in his arms, carrying her to the bathing room and the enormous tub.

He sat her on a marble bench and ran his hand along the edge of the floor-set bathing pool. Small panels slid back and water poured into the pool from all sides.

“You will have to show me how you do that.”

Rajon chuckled. “Let’s save something for the second day.”

As the water churned around her calves, he pulled her onto his lap and settled her against him.

She snorted. “Is my relative size an issue? It seems you enjoy man handling me.”

He hugged her. “I do enjoy it. Your personality is such that I will take any advantage I can get.”

Liberty sighed. “So, when do I get to remove the jewels? I get the feeling I am going to be stronger just by wearing them.”

He grinned. “You could have removed them last night; I just like seeing you in the marks of our union and nothing else.”

She wanted to punch him, but instead, she took the cuffs and scraped them down his torso. She didn’t even feel the necklace anymore, but she watched him shudder as the gems scraped his skin.

“You are into pain?”

He leaned forward and displayed the marks in his shoulders. “I enjoy it if the motivation is worth it.”

She blushed and settled against him, reaching between them to grasp his cock and stroke it slowly.

“Apologies for the pain.”

“I will heal quickly, and you are the first woman to dare to mark me. It seems that being in a mating situation was all I needed to cause me to allow myself to enjoy the experience.”

She looked up at him with wide eyes. “Will you feel the same way in two hundred years?”

His gaze was becoming a little unfocused. “You tell me.”

Libby shifted and carefully straddled him. “We will fade into the next world surrounded by our children and grandchildren. I have to tell you, it is one damned big room.”

Rajon laughed and held her tight, tipping her back into the water, kissing her wildly.

He lifted her back to the bench and settled her on his lap. He lifted her up and pressed his cock against her, easing her into him.

It was the most stimulating bath she had ever had. She left feeling far dirtier than when she had entered the tub sweaty and sticky.

Her tiara stayed on.

Three days later, they stood in the audience chamber. Liberty was introduced to the court and she was seated next to Rajon.

Each and every member of the Miexhar court was expected to come and swear fealty to her. For this event, Abin-Da had provided her with gloves to keep her from reading the deaths of the court. Something told everyone with a brain that the courtiers were not going to live and die normally.

When the woman with the evil gaze appeared in front of her and glared instead of bowing, Libby knew that the time for a little confrontation was upon her.

Shoklek had filled her in on the details, but it took her aback to see Lohra-Ahn.

Liberty had to admit that the ex-mistress was stunning. She extended her hand to the woman, and Lohra-Ahn took her fingers in a hard grip.

“Welcome to Miexhar, Your Grace. Let’s see how long it takes for him to tire of you.”

Libby cocked her head. “I do hate to disappoint you, but I have seen our children and grandchildren.”

The woman jerked back, but Libby turned her hand quickly and held the taller woman in place.

“How could you…”

“I am a seer, Lohra-Ahn. I saw my death and I have seen his. Together, we will pass to the next world with our loved ones around us. I hope that you have the same blessing.” Libby released her and the ex-mistress stepped back.

The lady of the court looked from Libby to Rajon and back. Her hostility transformed to confusion as she scuttled away.

Libby looked sideways at Rajon, and he winked sheepishly at her.

“Well done, Your Grace.”

She snorted at his comment and continued to meet the rest of the court. Somehow, speaking with Lohra-Ahn had changed how they viewed her. The first round had been a little contemptuous of her, treating her like the duke’s toy. Now that she had faced down her rival, the rest were far more cautious.

Two hours later, Shoklek was grinning at her in a private dining room. “You have done well, Your Grace.”

She made a face at him and inhaled as much as she could in the tight corset of the new gown.

Rajon lifted her hand to his lips. “You did very well, Liberty.”

“Thank you.”

Shoklek chuckled. “You have nine requests for death readings, Your Grace. I am working to gain you a social secretary to keep track of these requests. My cousin has a girl with a gift for organisation. She can be here by the end of the week.”

The food began to arrive.

Rajon applauded. “Excellent, Shoklek. Don’t forget her court.”

Libby had been rubbing her hands together as the food arrived, but she paused when she heard that. “My court?”

He smiled at her. “You need attendants, love. Shopping and travel companions when we leave the city for processions and festivals.”

“Will we be doing that a lot? Can I get away with a hand puppet or something?” She forked some cutlets and reached for bread, making herself a sandwich with hot mustard.

Rajon was watching her as she attacked her meal. He laughed helplessly. “I think not. You will interview and select four women of the court that Shoklek has pre-interviewed. Your accounts will include stipends for travel and their wardrobes.”

She blinked at him. “I get accounts?”

He laughed. “Your clothing is now paid for by the Miexhar people. You represent them and will have input into all treaties that are negotiated from here on in.”

She finished her sandwich and glared at him. “You could have given me a briefing before this all got rolling.”

He chuckled. “I was far more interested in sealing the deal and getting you wrapped in safety.”

Libby winced. “Right. Sorry. I forgot.”

He frowned. “I think that the physicians need to scan your mind if your memory is that bad.”

Shoklek nodded. “She has a scheduled check in medical after lunch. I will have them do a full scan with cognitive investigation.”

Libby sipped at a cup of juice and glared from one overly tall male to another. “Is that supposed to be funny?”

Shoklek gave her a sober gaze. “I never joke about mental health.”

They held their serious faces for a full minute before they broke out laughing.

She relaxed a little and speared some fruit for dessert before it was time to head to medical for a once over.

The doctors gave her a complete scan with Rajon standing by. They checked the settlement of the spine in her abdomen and were very happy with the lack of an immune system response in regard to the invader.

For the first time, Libby saw the spike on the scans and her eyes widened at the three inches of whatever it was made of embedded far higher than her uterus had any business being. Her organs had been shifted to make room for a womb that boggled her mind. Everything else had simply gotten longer.

When she got pregnant, she was going to be peeing every nineteen seconds. A child of Miexhar blood was bound to be a little bigger than normal.

Just when she was working herself into a panicked state about what could happen, Rajon took her hand. “Easy. There has been a contingency provided for this. We can either have a surrogate take over the pregnancy or have the child grown in a gel tank until it is ready for decanting.”

She slowed her breathing and noted the fluttering of his pulse along the thick cords of his neck. “You could feel that, couldn’t you?”

He smiled sheepishly. “Did I neglect to mention that pleasure is not the only thing that we share now?”

“It just goes one way, does it not?”

“Well, it will take you a while as you are not born to the stimuli. In a few years, it will be an even exchange.” He ran his thumb across her palm.

She chuckled. “I can hardly wait. You laugh far too often at my expense and I am wanting to know why.”

“I can tell you why.” He leaned close to her and whispered in her ear. “You make me happy. That is why I laugh.”

She turned her head and looked into his ruby-red gaze, smiling slightly. “I am glad. Now, get me out of here so I can call home and tell them that I am a duchess on a world they can’t imagine… and then show me the world. I like the palace, but it will get a little stale after a while.”

She lifted her face to his and kissed him in full view of the medical team while they monitored her body. When he touched her arm, the monitors began chirping as her arousal spiked from the light contact. Embarrassment was pushed aside for enjoyment as he moved his hand over her breast, and she jolted in surprise as she soared toward orgasm on the wings of exhibitionism.

Libby had never considered herself a public-display kind of person, but having his hands on her under the scanners in the medical centre were enough to have her on the brink of release in a few seconds.

When he slipped his hand inside the medical gown and squeezed each breast in turn and he pressed his thigh between hers, rocking her against the hard muscle of his leg, she squealed and he caught the sound with his kiss.

As Libby came back to herself, the doctors were gathered and muttering around the readouts. It was a little perturbing to be ignored for a set of displays, but Rajon eased her out of the scanner stand and into the dressing area.

“Don’t feel bad. They have never seen a transplant take this well. I knew that you were going to come into it easily, but I don’t know how I could get this lucky.”

He was lacing up her corset with astonishing dexterity. Apparently, she had something to thank his previous mistresses for.

The moment her gown was secure, she turned in his arms and enjoyed the feel of them wrapping around her. The sensation might fade over time, but right now, it burned hot and she enjoyed the heat.