Dark Matter: SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE

by Jessica Loft

  Clara gasped as her eyes went wide. “Really?”

  Katy laughed and nodded her head. “Yes. And the warrior that bought Emily wouldn’t resell her, but she’s been granted special access to the castle whenever she wants.”

  “How do you know all this?” Clara asked, not believing her ears.

  “I told the King of my communications background, so he told me about an assignment for him with the task of figuring out easier security and clearance measures. Not that I had a choice, but I immediately accepted. There was quite a stir with the family that had bought me when they found out, but what could they do? The King had already given them the down payment.”

  Emily nodded her head gravely. “I hear people talking; in the markets. There are a lot of citizens that see us as equals, but there is still a few that feel that slaves should remain as property. From what I hear, the King is trying to change that.”

  “He is?” Clara asked, shocked.

  “You mean you didn’t know?” Katy asked, surprised. “Haven’t you been working with him?”

  Clara didn’t answer. Her mind went back to the mountains of paperwork that she had been filing and sorting for the King, and now she realized she had had no idea that she was managing the legal papers for her own freedom.

  CHAPTER 5

  A few hours later an attractive, tall, and muscular Guardianite came to retrieve Emily, and the three of them dispersed. They talked, it had seemed, non-stop about the new world they were living in and the politics that Clara had been shut out of by living under the protection of the castle.

  Long after Emily and Katy left, Clara spent a while absorbing all that they had told her, and watching the glowing orbs that suspended above her change colors as she stroked a happy and purring Jupiter.

  When they started to glow a bright light blue, she decided to go against the King’s advice and get up and go for a walk to try and clear her head. Not wanting to get lost, she picked up a ruby red glass bottle and sat it outside of her door so she would know which one was hers. Never before had she walked the fern and flower covered walls of the castle at night, but what she found was breathtakingly beautiful. The trumpeted flowers that only bloomed at night seemed to grow on their vines as Clara walked past them. Each of them held a pastel shade that let off a subtle glow against the dark green of the fern background.

  She followed them until they led her into a huge and forest of a garden just outside the entrance of the castle. There were fecund gardens, beautiful clear pools with interesting looking fish and marine animals, and glowing insects, much like Earth had, only they were glowing purple. The sight of it took her breath away, and she couldn’t help but smile as she took it all in.

  “What are you doing here?” A deep voice asked, startling her. Clara turned away from the large moss covered tree she was looking at, and came face to face with the King. She recalled his warning to not walk at night, and begged her mind to come up with a quick excuse.

  “Jupiter ran away and I followed the trumpets,” she blurted. What the hell did I just say? She asked herself. Across from her, Riordan raised an amused brow.

  “Oh?” He asked, intrigued to hear more of her excuse.

  Clara giggled and turned the question on him, hoping he would answer. “What about you, your highness? What are you doing up and about?”

  Riordan stood stone faced for a moment, and then cracked a small smile that made Clara go weak in the knees. It was then that she realized that she had never thanked him for bringing her friends to her. It was a truly selfless gesture on his part, and not only did he find them, but he made it so that they could come and go as they pleased.

  Stepping forward, she boldly reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. He obliged by bending his knees and touching her hips with his fingertips.

  “Thank you. For everything. For Katy and Emily. For Jupiter. You have no idea how good it felt to see them again.” She whispered.

  Riordan’s fingertips grew bolder as they brushed back and forth over Clara’s hips. “I’m glad you enjoyed my gift,” he replied, the gold sparks in his eyes glowing brighter as they bodies came closer. He spared a glance behind Clara, and turned her body so that the back of her head could lean comfortably on his chest.

  “And to answer your question, this is my favorite place in the castle. It was a small piece of paradise that my mother and I had. No one is allowed in here besides selected guests and myself. I was on my way here when I received the alarm that someone had stepped into the territory.”

  Clara blushed, and apologized. Riordan chuckled deeply, and kissed the top of her head in a deeply familiar way, as if they had known each other for centuries instead of days. Somehow, she had wormed her way into his heart. It was not that it was frozen or cold before. It was merely silent. Not once had any maiden he’d lain with caused a stirring within him that Clara did.

  “Come,” he said suddenly, grabbing her hand and pulling her with him. “I want to show you something.”

  ~

  Clara sighed in wonder as she took in the view from the top of the tree. Riordan had led her to the trunk, which, at first glance, appeared to be just any normal rooted tree. However, when he pushed on the large knothole, it fell away to reveal a set of natural root steps that spiraled all the way up to the large canopy of the tree. The steps brought them to a vine-covered tree house that had been carefully constructed with living plants. From the top she could see out over the city for the first time, and it was a wonder.

  Lights of all shapes and colors floated and sped all over the place below. In the background she could hear the faint sound of a concert with live music that held a slow and almost hypnotic melody. Somehow, the lights seemed to move with the beat, creating a beautiful living canvas.

  “What do you think?” Riordan asked, his mouth touching her ear as he whispered the question. The closeness sent a chill up Clara’s spine, and she couldn’t help but smile.

  “It’s magical,” she whispered, leaning back into his chest.

  “Riordan…what is this?”

  The handsome humanoid turned Clara around in his arms, knowing that she wasn’t talking about the tree or the view, but their feelings. The undeniable bond that had formed and was now palpitating between them. They hadn’t talked about it yet, and he had done so on purpose. He wanted to wait until a better time to handle it, but desire, it seemed, didn’t care about time frames.

  “I want you,” he told her, his voice low and incredibly sexy. “You’re annoying and sarcastic, and you’re smart and funny, and by the Gods of the infinity you are a beautiful being. I cannot claim to know why or how this bond has been created between us, I only know that it is there, and I want you like I have never wanted anyone before.”

  The King said little to anyone, but when he did his words hit home. Clara’s lips parted in surprise as her ears heard his confession. He didn’t promise fake love or beat around the bush like human men often did. He simply put it out there for her to see.

  “I want you too,” she breathed, her body trembling with the heated desire that was mounting between them.

  “I want you so much that I dream of nothing else.” She admitted.

  Her confession was all Riordan had to hear, and in the blink of an eye he had wrapped her tight in his arms with his lips pressed passionately into hers. Clara melted into him like she always did, and a small breathy moan escaped her lips when she felt his tongue part her lips and slip into her mouth. With no space between them she was made aware of the long, throbbing hardness of his desire that pressed through the thin material of his shandjyt. Boldly she slipped her hand between them and cupped him through the fabric, gasping at how large he felt in her hand.

  CHAPTER 6

  Among the canopy was a hidden bed framed with vines and flowers that Riordan was all too happy to carry Clara to. Once there he tore through the thin fabric of her dress and removed his own scrap of clothing. He loved the way Clara gasped and bucked her hips as his lip
s and fangs kissed and scraped along the sensitive spot on her neck just above her collarbone.

  Travelling further down her curves, he took his time sampling each plump breast, taking the turgid nipples one at a time into his mouth with his tongue. Each nibble or suckle drew out another moan from Clara until his ears were filled with the beautiful song of her pleasure. He loved how sensitive she was and how her body jerked and trembled in response to him. As he travelled farther down her pliant body his hand felt the warm, moist center between her legs, and with a single thrust of his wrist he slid his middle finger inside of her.

  Clara gasped at the penetration, her hips already bucking against it in a sensual motion. She wasn’t sure how long she was going to be able to last, but she prayed it would be for a long, long time. Riordan’s finger swirled erotically inside of her as the palm of his hand massaged back and forth against her clitoris slowly, teasing her to no end.

  “Take me,” she breathed, her body already close to an orgasm.

  “Is that what you wish, little one?” Riordan asked, his sinful voice in her ear as he dove deeper between her legs. Her yes came out as a moan, and that was all the permission he needed. Already she was pouring juices for him, so once he slid his finger away it was easy for his rigid cock to find the slick center and thrust inside.

  Riordan gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath as he felt her tight walls clench around him; holding her to him in the most intimate way. When he looked down, he saw that Clara’s pupils dilated in both a mixture of pain and pleasure. He moaned at the sight of her pink cheeks and parted plump lips, and surged forward until he was completely buried inside of her.

  As soon as she felt his cock rub against her most inner walls Clara’s nails dug into his back and her legs went around his waist. He was a lot of man to take, and though she hadn’t told anyone, it had been over a year since she’d last had sex. And that had been with a human man, not a Guardianite. Though she wasn’t sure if all of them were the same, she knew that this one undoubtedly had an extremely large phallus.

  Still, her body soon forgot the pain of being stretched as soon as Riordan began to rock his hips above hers. Blooming flowers of passion burst inside of her as she felt every little ridge and contour of him slide deliciously in and out of her tight, hot walls.

  When Riordan felt her walls tighten he knew that she was about to explode, and laughed darkly. “You’re not going to come yet, are you?” He asked, suddenly picking her up as if she weighed nothing. He pulled her into his lap and in one swift motion he was sitting cross legged on the bed with Clara bouncing seductively up and down his cock. This angle was even better than the last, and as she wrapped her arms around his neck, she felt her own pulse rise as he bit down, sliding his two sharp fangs into her skin.

  A fevered heat like she’d never felt before passed through her, and Clara’s orgasm exploded inside of her, trickling her juices all over Riordan’s lap and the sheets below it. Even as she had reached her orgasm her only thought was don’t stop. Please, never stop. She had never been bitten before during sex, and she had no idea that it would feel so erotically beautiful. In that moment she didn’t care if there was blood, if he was drinking it, or if she imagined it. All she could feel was her intense pleasure taking control of every sense she had.

  In his life Riordan had lain with many humanoid women of many species. All had had a trick or two up their sleeve to make their time with him memorable, but none had ever felt like Clara felt. It wasn’t just her physical body he was feeling, so perfect and warm and full of pleasure. It was also her heart. He felt her soul wrap around his in the most intimate way as he came with her, tying them together in a bond that he had never before dreamed of.

  ~

  “Are you okay?” Riordan whispered. They had just finished making love for the third time, and had yet to speak. Not wanting to stop touching her, he pulled her into his arms and began to trace lines with his fingertips down her back. When she heard his voice, she opened her large emerald eyes and smiled softly at him.

  “Yeah,” she breathed. “Just incredibly comfortable. I wish I could stay here.”

  Riordan pulled her even closer and gently kissed her lips. He too wished they could. But he knew they would have to, at some point, return to the rest of the castle. He wondered if anyone had heard their cries of passion throughout the night, and then he realized he didn’t care.

  “So,” Clara asked, leaning back just far enough so that she could see his eyes. “Katy told me you were working on changing some laws for your people, and that some weren’t happy about it. Why didn’t you tell me you were trying to free slaves and make them citizens?”

  Politics was not exactly the romantic conversation he’d had in mind for their post-coital bliss, but it was a good question, and she deserved to know.

  “I wanted to take action as quickly and silently as I could. There are many older and richer Guardianites that can and will fight this new law. I was hoping to keep it a secret until everything was in order, but someone from my cabinet must have told someone, and once word gets out it becomes difficult to deny it.” He explained.

  “There also have been rumors about a mysterious human slave who is somehow controlling the good king with dark magic. I’ve been trying to get to the bottom of everything myself by having you work on the paperwork written in ancient Guardian, while I investigate the leak. But, I didn’t tell you because I wanted to keep you safe.” He looked down.

  “That’s why you won’t let me leave the castle,” Clara murmured in realization.

  Riordan nodded his head solemnly, his dark eyes deadly serious. “Yes. I told you the truth, that above all things, I want to keep you safe. We’re at the start of a revolution in our politics, and people are hungry for someone to blame, no matter how innocent they are.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Ajax pushed a female slave hard, sending her sprawling across the floor. “Out of my way!” He snarled, his vision red. He had gone on his mission for Riordan thinking that the king would not do anything stupid. Then, a day before he was meant to come back he had overheard the tail ends of the whispers. A change in politics and citizenship! How dare he! He forced the trip to end early and ordered everyone back onto the ship so that he could confront Riordan personally. The time for kindness was over. Ajax now had to reason with the king with violence.

  He marched through the halls, pushing away anyone that tried to stop him. By the time he reached Riordan’s chambers he was all but breathing fire. With enormous strength, he pushed at the large doors and they blew open. What he saw made him roar with anger. Riordan was sitting up in his bed with the human slave hiding behind him in the pillows. They were both naked, and from the pheromones that came flooding out of the room it was made obvious that they had had sex.

  “Ajax,” Riordan called, sliding out of the bed and bringing Clara with him, keeping her behind him at all times. “What is the meaning of this? How dare you come barging in like this?”

  Ajax balked at the question. “How dare I? How dare I? You’ve betrayed our people, Riordan. You’ve betrayed me! We’ve been friends since birth, and you go behind my back because of some human slut? What has she done to you?”

  Riordan’s vision went red as he heard Ajax’s words, and he charged his ambassador. The two men fell grappling to the floor, throwing powerful punches and kicks at one another until some of the guards came in and pulled them apart. As two of them held Ajax, his gaze fell on Clara, and he saw the marks on her neck, and he froze.

  “You claimed her?” Ajax asked, not believing his eyes.

  Riordan commanded the guards to let them both go and they immediately obeyed. For a moment, the two Guardianites caught their breath as they stared down at one another.

  “Yes. I did,” Riordan stated, not ashamed of it. “She is mine.”

  For the first time since he heard the news, Ajax felt himself calm down. He didn’t know much about love or marriage, but he knew that Guardianites onl
y take another’s blood to link their souls. There was no magic powerful enough in the entire infinity that could sway that connection.

  “Guards, leave us.” Riordan commanded. They looked uncertainly at one another for a moment, then left.

  “I had a plan,” he continued, taking a step towards his old friend. “I wanted to put it into action long before Clara. But yes, she spurred it into action. Come brother, let me explain. I will make you see, along with the others, that this change will be a good thing for our people.”

  Timidly, Clara stepped forward, the bed sheet wrapped tight around her as if it could offer protection. Riordan took her warmly under her arm and kissed the top of her head. He whispered for her to go back to her quarters, with a promise to be there as soon as he could. Knowing that they needed their privacy, she simply nodded her head and exited the room. She was nearly to her quarters when someone grabbed her from behind and clamped their hand over her mouth.