by Zara Zenia
I sighed and patted her thigh. I wanted to do more. I ached to graze my fingertips up and down her naked inner thighs. I wanted to touch the secret places between her legs and feel the wet, warm desire puddling there from my touch.
I felt a tingle between my own legs. I couldn’t help myself. She was a sexy woman and she was half naked with a revealing white nightgown, laying in my bed. I was a man with needs. I couldn’t wait to explore the sexual chemistry between us.
I wanted to relieve the tension. It was so tightly wound that I thought that the spring in my mind might snap at any second. My manhood throbbed, urgently craving to bury itself in between her warm thighs.
“Well let’s get this underway,” I said. “I will call a doctor to come examine you and perform the brain scan. It will be someone that we can both trust and feel comfortable with. Does that sound fair to you, love?”
There was a twinkle in Ariana’s eye, but I also noted some underlying wariness. I housed empathy for her. I couldn’t imagine what it felt like to not feel in control of your own mind. I wished I could do something to take away her apprehension, but I knew that the brain scan would be a great place to start because she had requested it.
A few hours later, I had a doctor who made house calls in the medical unit of my palace. He introduced himself as Dr. Stifend to Ariana. She was sitting on top of the examination table, looking a little pale but otherwise determined to complete the procedure and become one step closer to freedom over her own mind.
I tried to keep my trepidation about the brain scan a secret from Ariana. I stifled my worry, pushing it down to the cobwebs of my mind and the depths of my soul. I didn’t want to cause any further emotional drama and I wanted to show her that I had the capability of being a supportive partner.
I wasn’t going to get a second chance to save Ariana and I didn’t want to sabotage my blossoming relationship with her.
As Dr. Stifend began to prepare Ariana, telling her the details of the procedure and how it was going to work, I got a phone call.
It was from David Yadav. I glanced up at Ariana.
“Is it important?” she asked, giving me a curious glance. But in her eyes, there was already mental confirmation.
“It’s Yadav,” I said.
Her features softened. “Go ahead and take it.”
I took her hand and squeezed. “I won’t leave you while you undergo the brain scan.”
“You are the kindest man I’ve ever met,” she said with a radiant and poised smile. “But I assure you, I am in good hands in your palace. I feel safe and secure. I don’t feel threatened in any way and I am the one who wanted to get this testing done, remember?”
I nodded and smiled. “I know, love.”
“So, I want you to take the call from David Yadav. He might have something important to relay. He usually does. He wouldn’t just be calling you to chit chat about the weather.”
“You have a valid point there.” I chuckled.
She gave me a telling look. “So, go. Talk to him. I’m curious to know what he has to say. Then, when your conversation is over, you can go over the details of what you learned with me when my scan is finished.”
I kissed her soft, cherry red lips. They were rich and perfect, intoxicatingly inviting.
“I will be right back,” I said and quickly left the room to answer David’s call.
“Hello?” I asked into the receiver with guarded nervousness. “Yadav?”
“It’s me,” he confirmed. The sound of his voice was chipper and significantly helped me relax.
I walked a few steps down the hallway. “What do you have for me?”
“I actually have favorable news that I think you will enjoy. In fact, I know you will find it pleasing.” Yadav’s voice chimed.
“Okay,” I nodded. “That is promising. Have you uncovered any downloadable evidence from before Nora had her castle fortresses spontaneously implode?”
“A couple of things actually. First, the AIs that helped us were able to jump onto our server through a wireless link and didn’t die when the island exploded. They are indeed sentient and are safe, I have a feeling that will please your Ariana.”
“It will indeed, I will be sure to share that with her.” I took a breath. “You said a couple of things, what else did you discover?”
He chuckled. “We have been able to recover something that I’m certain Nora Morse wouldn’t have wanted us to discover.”
“Great. What is it?” Yadav had me hanging on the edge of my seat.
“One of the items the security inspection team was able to recover was a physical item,” David continued. “A recently used genetic scanner.”
I frowned, feeling budding confusion. “A genetic scanner? I haven’t used a genetic scanner.”
“I know that you didn’t,” Yadav clarified. “But Nora did.”
“Where would she even have gotten a genetic scanner to utilize?” I questioned.
“That part is still up for debate,” Yadav said, “but it was the results of the scanner’s usage that appear to be beneficial to you and Ariana and prove that Nora wasn’t as superior as she thought she was.”
I snickered. “You’ve got that right.”
“Anyway,” Yadav continued. “When my team of intergalactic specialists examined the device, they found that Nora apparently used it on Ariana before she sent her into the virtual fortress.”
“And?” I could hardly take another second of the suspense.
I could hear the grin in Yadav’s voice when he spoke next. “The genetic scanner revealed that Ariana was genetically compatible with you.”
“Are you serious?” I was floored with excitement that rippled through me.
It was an exhilarating moment, a sensational twist that gave me more liberation than I had expected.
“Yes,” Yadav confirmed. “The scanner’s programing showed one hundred percent compatibility for Ariana’s genetic DNA.”
Yadav was only confirming what I felt in my heart already, but I still had a few questions.
“How could it have revealed one hundred percent compatibility with me if I wasn’t there to scan her myself?”
Yadav chuckled. “That, my dear prince, is a common misconception.”
“It is?” My heart drummed with optimism.
“Yes. The scanner doesn’t need to be held by the one wishing for results to get the results one needs, as it goes with the requirements of genetic scanning.”
“But how can we be sure that scanner is accurate?” I asked.
“I had Akrawn look it over, he pulled the insides out and tested them himself. When he sent out the repair to all the connected scanners, it too was repaired,” Yadav confirmed, “I just thought that it would give you the vindication you needed to truly be aware of how perfect Ariana really is for you.”
I felt myself beaming, glowing from the inside out. “You are right about that. Although I will say, I would never need a computer device to tell me what my heart and mind was already shouting to me all along. Ariana is a perfect fit, the missing puzzle piece to fill my soul with the kind of happiness that I had been searching for all along.”
“Well, of course.” David chuckled lightheartedly. “Anyone would be a fool not to pick up on your chemistry with her. And the way you look at her…”
“I really give myself away that much, huh?” I laughed.
“Let’s put it this way,” David gently teased. “You looked like a love-struck puppy staring at her in awe.”
“I can’t argue with that,” I said.
I was thrilled with the results of the genetic scanner, even if they weren’t necessary as proof for Ariana and me to be together.
“Do you think that Nora kidnapped Ariana because of the results of the genetic scanner proving that Ariana was genetically compatible with me?”
It was a dark question and I was pretty certain that I already knew the answer, even though I felt compelled to ask it anyway.
“Inde
ed, I do think that was the case with these circumstances,” Yadav said.
“What a wicked woman,” I said in retrospect regarding Nora, wishing that there was some kind of fool proof way we could find her and bring her to judgement.
“Nora was a frazzled woman, obsessed with preventing interbreeding if the one doing the interbreeding wasn’t her,” Yadav stated.
I scoffed. “She was scanned and not compatible.”
“Yes,” that is very true, Prince Jinurak,” Yadav agreed.
“She wanted what she couldn’t have,” I said, feeling bitter resentment for everything we had been through on account of Nora’s selfishness. “If she couldn’t live happily ever after with her Trilyn Prince of choice, then she didn’t want anyone else to be able to do that either.”
“Now you can move on with your life,” Yadav stated gently. I knew what he was doing. He was attempting to change the subject off of Nora and help me remember what mattered most, the fact that I had Ariana with me now. I appreciated his efforts, but I still harbored scorn for Nora in the bottom of my heart and the secret corners of my mind.
“I don’t know if I can rest until I know that Nora has been captured,” I said.
“Well, in the meantime you can focus your attention and efforts on Ariana and making sure she feels loved and nurtured. I’m sure she could really use the company and the protection at this time.”
“I know,” I said. “And believe me, I intend to pamper her. I already have been doing so.”
“Good.” Yadav sounded pleased.
“Nora just wanted to take any woman I showed any remote interest in and kidnap her so that said woman would never get the chance to be courted by me.”
“I’m just glad we were able to beat Nora at her own game,” Yadav said.
“We almost beat her,” I said with a chime of bitter-sweetness ringing in my voice. “If I had her in my custody it would be the icing on the cake.”
“You can move on with your life without losing that hope of finding Nora one day,” Yadav mentioned.
“That’s true.” I craned my neck and glanced into the room where Ariana was still undergoing the brain scan procedure.
The doctor noticed me peeking in and beckoned me inside.
“I have to go now, Yadav, but thank you for sharing the good news with me,” I said. “I really appreciate it.” I hoped my tone sounded genuine to him.
“Take care of yourself,” Yadav said in a friendly voice. “And especially take care of that beautiful jewel of yours,” he added.
I grinned. I knew he was referring to Ariana. “I will, I can assure you of that much.”
After hanging up with Yadav, I walked into the medical room where Ariana appeared to be sleeping on the bed with a few probes and attachments connected around her head.
“We are about halfway completed with the scan,” the doctor whispered. “Everything looks good so far.”
I sighed with relief. “That is such good news to hear, doctor.”
He smiled at my reaction. “So far, I don’t see anything on my monitors to reflect that Ariana has any permanent brain damage, or memory loss from the time she was put to sleep in the virtual space.”
“That’s great.” I nodded and nodded at her. She looked peaceful. “Can she hear us?”
“No,” Dr. Stifend shook his head. “She’s under anesthesia right now, but it’s a low dose, so don’t worry. And it won’t affect her mental state when she wakes up. I assure you it’s perfectly safe. She might be a little groggy when she initially comes around again, but there should be no lasting effects of the anesthesia either.”
I patted Dr. Stifend on the back with fondness and respect. “I really appreciate you making the trip out here for this house call. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about her going through with the procedure, but she was insistent. I’m sure she’ll be relieved when she wakes up to hear the good news that her mind hasn’t suffered any permanent effects.”
The doctor chuckled. “Well for the price you offered, how could I resist?” I knew he was only joking when he added, “In all honesty, it was my pleasure. I want to bring reassurance to any patients that I can.”
“Well you certainly completed that role today,” I said. “Do you mind if I sit beside her and hold her hand until the scan is over? I want to be the first person she sees when she wakes up.”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Dr. Stifend agreed. “Anything you can do to reinforce her mind of familiars sights, places, smells…it will all be beneficial in improving her memory and otherwise making her feel back to normal again.”
I sat down beside Ariana with a sigh and looked into her contented face, admiring her rosy cheeks and cascading, feathery hair. She was simply stunning, and she was mine. Not just because of a genetic scanner, but because she wanted to be. She chose to be here with me, and that was the best feeling in the world. I took her hand and clasped it tenderly, knowing I would never let her go.
Epilogue
Ariana
When I woke up, the first face I saw was Jinurak. He was standing over me, blinking with features etched in both love and concern. I sat up straight, jolted because for a few moments, I couldn’t focus on anything. My brain wouldn’t center itself.
I felt discombobulated. My eyes were fuzzy. I blinked and raised my hands to rub them over my groggy eyes as if I expected them to become squeaky clean after that. My arms felt heavy as if I had lead weights attached to them.
“Where…am I?” My throat felt scratchy and my voice sounded hoarse.
Jinurak’ eyes widened in alarm. He glanced over his shoulder and beckoned to someone else in the room, waving in my direction. A blurry figure shifted into focus that I soon discovered was another male. Only, this one didn’t look Trilyn and he was wearing a white doctors coat.
“Dr. Stipend?” Jinurak asked in an unusual high-pitched voice. “She doesn’t know where she is.”
“But I know who you are,” I blurted out, reaching out to Jinurak. “For the record, I just thought that maybe you should know that.” My eyes darted between them expectantly.
The doctor approached us and smiled at me. He had a pen in his hand with a light at the end tip. He shined it into my eyes and told me to look to the left and right.
“Her pupils are dilating. She should start recalling short and long term memory functions within the next twenty-four hours.”
“I remember undergoing a brain scan,” I said.
“Well that’s promising.” Jinurak nodded at me and then glanced up at Dr. Stipend. “Right?”
“Yes, absolutely.” Dr. Stipend didn’t appear the slightest bit worried, which gave me a little boosting consolation.
“So, where do we go from here?” I asked the million dollar question.
The doctor gave me a kindhearted smile. “Now it’s best that you take the time to rest. Let your mind recover. Don’t put yourself in situations where you might become easily stressed out. The rest will heal over time. There’s nothing alarming on your brain scan results to cause me deep concern, and I don’t think you need any sort of medication going forward either.”
I finally allowed myself to relax and I slowly exhaled, feeling the depth of gratitude penetrate my soul to the very core.
Jinurak looked over the moon. He stood up and enthusiastically pumped Dr. Stipend’s hand. “Thank you so much, Doctor. I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to come and do this. I’ve already transferred the funds to cover the scan into the account that your assistant provided to me,” Jinurak added.
“I truly appreciate it, Prince Jinurak.” Dr. Stipend cast Jinurak a respectful bow.
I had no idea how much money the brain scan had cost, but I was certain it must have been a hefty amount. I felt like I owed my entire life to Jinurak, but he was so gentlemanly that he never made me feel one ounce of guilt or uncomfortable. He never made me feel like he expected anything in return for his gracious services and protection over me
.
“Let’s get you dressed and out of this fluorescent room,” Jinurak said with an eager grin. “And I have news to share from Yadav.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea to me.” I sighed. “Medical rooms always make me feel a little stiff. Tell me what he had to say?” I said as we walked.
“Your fairy friends? They are apparently safe and well. They were able to jump servers through a wireless link.”
I grinned. “That is wonderful. I am so glad they are safe.”
“There is more, but I want to save it for later.”
“Okay,” I replied, giving him a curious look.
He opened the door to his room and led me into his closet, where he presented me with a gorgeous red gown. It was sleeveless and had twills at the bottom. I gasped as soon as I saw it.
I looked at him, feeling utter shock. “Is that dress…for me?”
“Yes, my darling,” Jinurak confirmed with an animated grin and a sparkle in his eyes.
“Wow.” Hot tears of joy blurred my vision. “I don’t even…”
“Know what to say?” Jinurak chuckled humorously and finished my sentence for me.
I peered at him with curious adoration. “What is the occasion?” I asked.
“Just put it on,” he said and reached into a drawer in the center of the enormous closet. “It will go perfect with this necklace.”
As soon as he pulled it out, I noticed it was diamond studded. Each magnificent piece of diamond shone brilliantly with a reflection of prisms that appeared to be every color of the rainbow.
In the center of the necklace was a beautiful ruby stone that paired with the dress in the most amazing way. It was a perfect match.
“A ruby…” I began and felt my voice begin to crack. I lifted my chin and gazed with affection into Jinurak’ eyes. “Its…my birthstone.”
“I know.” He took my hands and cradled them in his giant ones. “I had this ruby necklace made for you the minute after I booked your plane ticket to Baltimore.”
“You did?” A couple of single, yet joyous tears began to roll down my cheeks. I was tremendously touched by his gesture.
