“As would Trask, but how would they know?” She began searching under the work bench until she found the metal box she’d stumbled upon a few days back. “I have something we can use.” Opening the lid, she held up a pipe. “I think this is Aylan’s stash.”
“Kerr’s uncle? The elder?”
“What do you say? I’m dying to know what Primarian pot is like.”
It didn’t take much more convincing for Lana to join her.
An hour later, they were reclining in the thick grass of the garden, staring up at the sky and making up stories about the clouds that lazily floated by. And, of course, they were giggling.
“Look at that one, Eva,” she tittered. “It’s rather phallic shaped.”
“It looks more like a wiener dog with that oval one over there as the head, and the smaller two his floppy ears.” She pointed to the sky as she described what she saw as plainly as the nose on her face.
“No,” Lana argued. She rolled over and with both hands craned Eva’s head in the opposite direction. “Look at it this way and the floppy things won’t look like ears anymore.”
From a different perspective the phallus took shape. “Ah,” she said, giggling. “Now I see it. But that’s not Kerr’s. It’s way too small.”
“Or Trask’s. There isn’t enough sky to do him justice.” Then Lana laughed, wrapping her arms around her waist as she pulled up her knees to her chest to form a laughing ball.
“They’re blazed,” a familiar rumbling male voice stated.
“What do you think they got into?”
“My guess? Aylan’s medicinal box.”
Eva spun around. Kerr and Trask stood side by side, both with arms crossed and matching dour expressions. She elbowed her friend in warning.
“Aylan’s menicidal box,” Lana repeated, too high to care and giggling when it came out all wrong. Then she frowned and tried again. “Mecidinal.”
Despite being caught red-handed and high as kites, that cracked Eva up. Half laughing, half crying, she wagged a finger at her friend. “You are so stoned.”
“Am not!” Lana fired back.
“Are too! Totally baked!” Throwing her head back, she let out a great peal of laughter.
“Trask,” she whined. “Tell Eva I’m not stoned.”
“Are too!” Eva taunted, with a low, throaty chuckle.
Lana’s mate easily scooped her up. “Let’s get you home, paulova.”
“Okay,” she sighed as she slid her arms around his neck. “Are you going to carry me the whole way?”
“I’m not sure you could make it otherwise.” To Kerr, he said, “I think we’ll miss dinner.”
“Understood,” amusement evident in his voice. “We’ll likely be absent too.”
When they left, Kerr took Lana’s spot and stretched out beside her in the grass.
“My uncle isn’t going to be happy about this.”
“He won’t notice a little bit gone.”
“Doubtful. He guards it well.”
“A box under the workbench isn’t much of a hiding place. I could teach him a few tricks.”
“But you won’t.” He rolled half on top of her, her breath catching as his hair fell forward in a silky curtain on one side.
“You are the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.” He stared down at her for a moment, then his face broke into an arresting smile. She couldn’t resist touching him to make sure he was real, her fingertips tracing along the full bottom lip and out to the ends that curved up softly. “Especially when you smile.”
“And you are beautiful, even while giddy on volanta, which has also made you adorable and sweet. I like this uninhibited side of you, mate. Too bad what you smoked is illegal without a healer’s express order.”
She made a face. “Primaria is so old-fashioned,” she complained. “My evolved planet legalized it eons ago.”
“We found our societal productivity was negatively impacted.”
She giggled at that. “Scavenging for munchies keeps you busy. Wait,” she said, sobering for a moment to make a point. “You have alcohol. Doesn’t that impact productivity?”
He tilted his head, an eyebrow arched.
“That drink you gave me the night you captured me.”
“Ah, the vilo. That fermented fruit juice is very mild in comparison to what you two were smoking, and highly regulated. And you’re right, it can also have similar adverse effects, but it is favored by the elder council who like to imbibe periodically, unlike the volanta plant. The former is allowed in moderation, while the other will cost you.” Her skin tingled where he stroked his knuckles along her cheek. “You’ve broken the law, little one. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“I say I’m hungry. Got any Doritos?” Then she collapsed into another fit of giggles. Again, he looked puzzled which only made her laugh harder, until he lowered his head and stopped her silliness with his lips. Without thought, she put her arms around his neck and pressed against him, molding her soft curves to his solid contours.
Rolling again, he brought her over him, his hands sliding down to her ass where his fingers got busy slowly bunching up her dress. “A fitting punishment for your crime is a bare bottom spanking.”
“No, Kerr. That’s not fair. I didn’t know.”
He quirked his brow in challenge as his hands curved around her ass cheeks. “I surmise you strongly suspected it was forbidden well before you inhaled the first illicit puff.” His fingers slid into her cleft, separating and squeezing as one tip circled the sensitive skin of her puckered hole, gently testing its tightness. She groaned, wiggling atop him. “Admit it.” He watched her closely, his gaze dropping to where she caught her lower lip between her teeth as he eased his finger inside. “You knew I wouldn’t approve, and were testing me.”
“I admit nothing, other than the hope that you’ll take me right here in the garden.”
“I always want to take you, and the way you come apart for me when I do, tells me you greatly enjoy when I do. Which makes it a reward, not a penalty for your crime.”
A delicious shiver of need ran through her as his broad finger sank in to the first knuckle. She’d never been taken there before, although the idea had intrigued her. As the allure of the forbidden aroused her, she found herself pushing back against his finger. He obliged by sinking deeper, the rumbling response in his chest as he did half groan, half chuckle.
“My insatiable sprite, I’d thought some anal discipline might make you toe the line, yet at every turn you challenge me to find an incentive to make you more compliant.”
“I respond well to positive reinforcement, Kerr. Keep going.” She tossed her head back, angling her hips more as he pushed in past the second knuckle, then slid in up to the third. He shifted beneath her, freeing his cock and guiding the head to her drenched channel, pausing to slide in a second finger before he drove up inside her. The added fullness of the invading digits as he thrust home was incredible, and she cried out, the sound reverberating throughout the garden.
She buried her face against the corded muscles of his neck and hung on as he moved inside her, his fingers and cock finding a stunning tempo that sent her soaring. She rode the wave of pure pleasure as he stroked tirelessly into her until long moments later, he found his own release, groaning roughly against her ear.
Eva couldn’t move, nor did she want to, preferring to lay languidly over him like a limp blanket, enjoying the slow, intimate caress of his hands over her bottom, hips and thighs, basking in both the warmth of his arms and the glowing pink suns as they dipped lower in the sky.
They might have lain there forever if her stomach hadn’t intruded by growling.
He chuckled. “I should get you fed. It’s past supper.”
“Does that mean you’re not mad at me anymore over the pot? I wasn’t really testing you. When I found it, I got curious and had to see if it was like what we have on Earth. I couldn’t resist.”
“Did I seem angry, Eva? How could I be wh
en you were so cute, giggling and happy. I’d like to see more of that —when not drug induced, of course.”
Her smile faded. “This has been very difficult for me, Kerr. More so than the others, except Eryn. We’re proving the most difficult.” She went quiet, her eyes refocusing on his smooth chest. “What if we never…?”
“Not possible, mate. It will happen in its own time.” While still joined, he curled them both into a seated position with her straddling his hard thighs. “Now, before you spoil my afterglow, let’s go down and see what Janus has stocked in the kitchen. I’m starved.”
She angled her head, considering his dogged tenacity in his continued denial of what she felt was an inevitability. He looked relaxed and she felt the same way, for a change. She decided not to press, instead avoiding the inescapable for the moment, taking the easier course of action. “I’m up for a munchie run.”
“Munchie run?” He set her on her feet, giving her a grin.
“Uh…” She hesitated, unwilling to bring up her drug crime again, since she’d gotten off so lightly. As he pulled her along toward the door, she giggled at her choice of words. She’d gotten off all right, but definitely not lightly. Her goofy grin drew an amused — though questioning — look.
“It’s an Earth term for raiding the kitchen,” she said. “I hope you’ve got something I recognize. If not nacho chips or powdered donuts, maybe Cookies and Crème ice cream. Wait! Even better... pizza rolls.” While she knew it was a pipe dream, her taste buds did not and her mind still conjured up vividly distinct memories of the tasty treats, her mouth began to water.
In the end, Kerr cooked for her while she assisted, creating his version of nachos, although she didn’t dare ask what kind of meat he had browned up or what the blue stuff was that he sprinkled on top. That it was tasty was all that mattered. As he fed her bites with his fingers, they worked side by side, laughing a lot, and for that brief time, she forgot that she wasn’t really his mate.
Chapter 13
The next morning, Kerr left her with a sweet goodbye kiss, and walked swiftly from their suite, his mood lighter than it had been in weeks. Eva popped out of bed in his wake and readied herself for the day. She chose a sleeveless, vee-neck dress made of a wispy material in dark eggplant purple with beading at the shoulders and also at the mock belt at the waist. From there it fell in full frothy folds to the floor. It was dressier than anything in her closet at home, and never something she’d dare wear while walking through a greenhouse, let alone working in one. Used to the same uniform day in and day out while on a mission, or her standard issue jeans and a t-shirt back home, it amazed her they dressed this way every day. All of her new clothes were beautiful, ultra-feminine and made her feel that way. She figured that was what these dominant men were going for.
Still, she felt like a princess.
Before she headed out, she grabbed the apron that Aylan had surprised her with one day following a mishap where she’d sloshed saturated soil all down the front of her.
Such a nice man.
She wondered how he would react if he found out she and Lana had purloined some of his pot stash. Hoping Kerr hadn’t ratted her out already, item number one on her agenda that day was hiding any evidence of her research into Primarian weed. She’d already decided it was a “one and done” for several reasons. First, she really was a law-abiding citizen, no matter which planet she happened to be residing on at the time. Second, volanta as Kerr called it, had kicked her in the butt, being much more potent than what she’d remembered from her experimental college days. Third, although he’d been tolerant and amused, she didn’t want to push the big man to see how much of her antics he would tolerate. And fourth, she’d forgotten that a weed hangover was a real thing, the dry mouth and mild headache a reminder of why her college trials had been very brief.
She turned down the main hall, heading for the stairs on the opposite end, slowing when she heard voices drifting from Kerr’s office. That he was home surprised her. In fact, she hadn’t known him to use the residence office for work since she’d arrived. She kept walking, despite the fact she was dying to find out what things occupied his day. The walls were simply too thick though, and the voices too muffled, frustrating any attempt to eavesdrop.
At the door to the gardens, she paused, frowning at Janus’ vacant sentry post. Their young chamberlain was always at his station that time of day and would bid her good morning, offering to arrange an escort should she need it. She hadn’t taken him up on it, nor did she plan to today.
Oddly, the doors to the lounge stood open. She glanced curiously from them, to the empty office, and then back down the hall. Something was going on. With her hand on the lever that would access her rooftop sanctuary, she pondered the three unusual occurrences when voices in the nearby lounge caught her attention.
“What is all the ruckus, Udo?” a man asked.
“The others have arrived.”
What others?
The first man snorted. “I don’t envy the young warriors corralling that group of undisciplined females.”
His companion chuckled. “Has it been so long, Udo, that you have forgotten the rewards that come with a taming? Especially with a female as beautiful as our new Prima.”
Taming.
Ignoring the compliment, Eva bristled at the distasteful term. She’d heard it before, but it didn’t get less offensive with repetition.
“Is she truly so beautiful, Druan? I’ve seen her twice and can’t decide,” the first man replied.
That sure brought her ego down a notch.
“Truly? You don’t find the Earth females appealing?”
“Their coloring is different, exotic even. The Prima’s eyes, especially, being Uladite green, which is interesting.” Udo sighed. “I suppose as father to an unmated daughter, I’m biased in my opinions. I had great hopes she might match with Kerr.” Wistful at first, his tone changed, a touch of bitterness creeping in. “Even so, I can’t help thinking it would have been better for the Princep to hold out longer and have joined with a Primarian female.”
“He’s thirty,” the one called Druan, stated. “None of our women have come close to matching as high as Prima Eva in all that time.”
“Yes,” the first man reluctantly agreed. “And we shall have to abide the one chosen by the Maker for him, although Zalina would have been a perfect first consort.”
“That old romantic tale?” his companion said, clearly amused. “I never thought you’d be drawn into that nonsense. You’re as bad as the women. What’s next, will you color your lips and wear your hair in a golden fall?”
“Is it so wrong to be partial to one of our own kind?” Udo snapped.
Eva couldn’t stand it anymore, peeking around the corner to put faces with names. As she leaned in, she brushed against one of the doors, and the mechanism holding them open engaged with a loud click and a whir. The two men, who had been seated with their backs to the door, turned. Upon seeing her, they froze, their ears turning crimson at the realization of what she’d overheard.
Although she was guilty of eavesdropping, they were as much at fault for gossiping. Yet, was it gossip if it was true?
Eva didn’t care, nor did she apologize or act embarrassed about being caught. A different destination in mind — anywhere but there — she quickly walked past the two slack-jawed, chagrined elders, and out the doors into the hall. Dashing to the staircase, she took the steps two at a time, wondering if she’d ever get the complete picture of what she was up against. Each day added a new twist. That day’s hurdle du jour seemed to be xenophobia.
“And who the fuck was Zalina?” she whispered to herself as she rounded the second floor landing.
The beautiful name sparked an image of an equally beautiful, tall, dark-haired female. Regal in bearing in her mind’s creation, she pictured the woman standing beside Kerr, smiling proudly, her eyes flashing with the same golden glow as Kerr’s. Then, as she turned, she imagined her mate’s marking, intri
cate and stunning on the delicate skin of the woman’s nape. Eva’s heart ached as she pushed herself faster.
Reaching the main floor, she wound her way through the crowd, a gathering much larger than the last time she’d been there at midday. And the air of excitement felt different; something was definitely going on. She didn’t hang around to find out though, the oppressive feelings of doubt and confusion weighing heavily upon her. She needed air, now.
She rushed through the huge front doors and went down the steps to street level, dropping her pace so as not to draw more curious attention than she already did. She turned in the opposite direction of the market; there were too many curious eyes there. Instead, she strolled up the street, smiling blandly at the greetings of “prima” and “Kerr’s mate,” all the while wishing fervently that she could turn back the clock and go back to being just plain Eva again.
For some time, she wandered through the streets, lost in thought, not paying attention to her path, or her surroundings at all. That was until a sudden wave of dizziness claimed her, nausea gripping her belly. Only then, when she looked around to find a place to sit down, did she notice that she had lost sight of the large capital building. Blaming her symptoms on stress, and lack of sleep — and skipping the morning meal once again — she spied some benches in a park where a boisterous crowd had gathered. She made her way toward them and took a seat in the shade.
Sinking heavily onto the stone slab, she leaned forward, gasping for air in hopes the stomach upset and slight vertigo would quickly pass.
Then what?
Did she go back to where she wasn’t truly wanted, where she’d been settled for? What happened when the transformation didn’t take? And ultimately, what would be her fate when she didn’t conceive the required heir?
Suddenly, she sat up. Could that be the cause of the nausea and dizziness? Could she be pregnant already? She did some quick calculations. It was a real possibility. They’d been going at it like rabbits. She snorted. Wouldn’t Kerr be tickled about this?
Not feeling at all well, she settled back and rubbed her brow.
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