He cupped her back and rolled over, taking her with him. Stretching his arms, he pulled the coverlet over them both so she wouldn’t get cold.
Diyar stroked his hand down her spine, and he smiled into the darkness. He had his woman now, and he had been right, she did have to drop from the stars just for him.
His mother would have to get used to his choice of bride, because he wasn’t parting with her. The care she had taken while she touched his scars had almost moved him to tears. He had been expecting disgust, but her eager curiosity was a clean and fresh emotion that he had not anticipated.
He would be a good husband and attend to her every need. If they had made a little girl, he would be the most protective father he could. Warriors would tremble if they wanted to court his little treasure.
Diyar mentally shook his head as he planned out ways to frighten off unsuitable suitors. The odds of them having a daughter were one in a hundred, but he was willing to take that chance over and over again as long as Jadoree was his wife.
Chapter Eight
Dawn sent a surge of energy through her, and she shifted out of Diyar’s embrace to walk to the window wearing nothing but light.
“If this is what you do at dawn, I am suddenly in favour of becoming an early riser.” He grinned and put his hands behind his head, watching the view she presented him with.
“The light calls to me. It sings, and I want to answer it.” She lifted her hands and turned slowly, allowing the light full reign over her.
He got to his feet and came up to greet her, a light kiss that carried traces of the energy in its wake. “Good morning, wife.”
“Is it really so easy… husband?”
“There are registrations of planet of origin and blood samples but that is it. The Asku require no formal ceremony. When you have a species like ours that tends to steal its females, you really have to mate fast and lock it in.” He chuckled and gave her a hug.
“You are in good spirits today.”
“You have no idea. I feel like you gave me a new life last night. I can resume work for my people and my family with you at my side until you get pregnant.”
Jadoree froze in place. “And then what?”
“You return to the women’s quarters where Enari and my mother will pamper you and keep you busy until the child is born, I will try to be there for the birth, but I will not stand for you being in any danger during your pregnancy.” She lifted her hand and a black swirl of power shot up before dissipating in the dawn light. “I don’t think I will be in any danger.” He gave her another squeeze. “We don’t know what that is, so until we do, use it sparingly. I have a question for you. Have you ever seen a rainbow?”
Jade frowned. “A what?”
“Prism effect. If you haven’t seen one, I think I know what your plan for today is after you have breakfast with Enari.”
“Do you?”
“Dress for slightly cooler climates and wet weather.”
She blinked and looked down at her body.
“How? The warmest things I had, I wore yesterday. The women’s quarters are not kitted out for hiking.”
He chuckled. “Let Riveh know, and she will find something for you. She will be here in a moment. Now, I hear you are learning our language very easily. Can you spell your name in High Asku?”
Jadoree quirked her lips. “I can. I mean, I think I can. The knowledge is there, I just haven’t applied it yet.”
He walked to a desk and brought out a data pad and a stylus.
She thought about her name and swiftly made the glyphs that made up the pronunciation. “That can’t be right.”
He looked over her shoulder and laughed. “It is the correct pronunciation. Jah-doe-Rey-Yih-Ix, the summoned darkness.”
She leaned back against him and groaned. “Oh, your mother is just going to love that.” Diyar pressed soft kisses to her shoulder. “I do not care what she does and does not love, as long as you are with me, you are the only woman whose opinion matters.”
“Ah. Music to every woman’s ears. Well, you helped me undress last night, so now, I need you to help me find my clothes.” They went on a hunt and located her outerwear, but the underwear was nowhere to be found.
She scowled. “Did your floor eat them or something?”
He gave her a sheepish grin. “They might have been torn in the excitement. I promise to replace them.”
Jadoree punched him in the abdomen and then moved to put on what remained of her clothing.
Her inner thighs were sticky, but she didn’t want to remain in his quarters and take a shower.
She might never escape.
Diyar walked her back to the women’s quarters, and he must have sent a message to Riveh, because she was waiting for them.
Diyar kissed her goodbye, and he left her with a wink and a delicate touch on her cheek.
“See you in two hours, Jade.” She drew in a shaking breath, and Riveh escorted her back to her rooms, asking her details about what Diyar had requested for clothing.
While she showered, Riveh went wherever the clothing was stored and she returned just as Jadoree was towelling her hair dry. “That’s quick.”
“Once I don’t need to worry about colliding with you softies, I can move faster than the eye can see.” Riveh inclined her head.
The clothing that Riveh was holding was made of polished animal hide, including a pair of boots.
“I have to wear all of that?”
“Yes. It goes on in layers. I will help with that. Since you are breakfasting with Enari, we will begin with the base layers.” Riveh laid the clothing out neatly on the bed, one layer at a time.
Starting with underwear, Jadoree got dressed.
The leather trousers felt peculiar on her legs, but she liked the softly woven shirt with the long sleeves.
“Enari is in the garden again. You can join her at any time. I will leave the outer layers for you.” The layers she mentioned were a long vest that would reach past mid-thigh with a wide belt and a long cloak of the same soft fabric that Jadoree was already wearing.
The boots were snug but not tight, so after she had stomped around a little, she patted Riveh on the hand, thanked her and went off in search of Enari.
“Greetings of the day to you, sister.” Enari inclined her head.
Remembering the formal mention from one of the files, she replied. “May the sun shine brightly on your endeavours, sister.”
“You do learn quickly, don’t you?” Enari leaned forward and poured the tea. “So, I hear that Diyar is getting his mark this morning. Congratulations.”
“I don’t know if congratulations are in order. It simply feels right without hesitation or argument. Some things in life are like that.” She chuckled and added milk and sugar to her tea.
“I know. Being with an Asku takes some of the romance out of childhood fantasies, but they make up for it after the fact.” Enari smiled. “Nishka was adamant that if their culture would not allow them to slowly court the woman they wanted, they would court them every day of their life together after that.”
“I will enjoy seeing if her teachings extended to Diyar.” She smiled and handed Enari the morning pastries before taking one for herself.
They ate, chatted and Enari asked if she had figured out what the pulse of power had been yet.
Jade shrugged. “I have no idea, but it does happen as I absorb the light from your universe. The scientists last night were very excited when I showed them my constellation map. Our stars lined up, my dark stars and your bright ones. Once every two thousand years, they lock into alignment for a few minutes. That is when a pod or probe can pass between, though I wouldn’t recommend the trajectory to anyone.” She shuddered in remembrance.
“What do you mean?”
“To follow the line of the stars, you have to head toward your sun, the pod that the Velu’s ancestress designed absorbed the dark energy of our star and at the moment before overload, a release of that energy takes
you from one universe to the next, following the line of the stars. I have no idea how it works, I only know I am lucky to have survived it.”
“And it brought you here. I, for one, am grateful. With Diyar being confined to the planet until his recovery, I have a sister to keep me company.” Enari reached over and took Jade’s hand.
Jadoree smiled and winked at Enari. She was going to have a talk with Diyar about when he would return for a medical exam. From what she remembered, the first few weeks of a new baby were very hard on the mother if the father or family was not there to help. If Drion was not back before the child arrived, Diyar was not going to take Jade anywhere.
If she had to use her dark tendrils to anchor her to the floor, she was not going to leave Enari until she was ready to take care of the new arrival.
Chapter Nine
Wrapped in the vest and cloak, Jade was delighted with the outer garments. The wind and rain were beating on the exterior of their shielded skimmer.
She was cuddled up next to him and watching as he flew them through the rainstorm. “Where are we going?”
“A little further until we reach the passing edge of the rainfall.” There was confined eagerness in his voice. Excitement at showing her something she hadn’t seen before.
He landed the skimmer on a hilltop, and they waited until the raindrops faded to a trickle. A moment later, he opened the canopy and helped her out of the skimmer.
“Close your eyes.” He placed his hands on her waist and walked her a few steps away from their transport.
She kept her eyes closed though she gripped his hands on her waist for support.
He brushed the hood of her cloak back and turned her to face light coming through the clouds. “Open your eyes.”
She blinked and welcomed the light that streamed out of the grey mist. A gasp followed as she saw bright colours painted across the sky.
“Oh, my.”
Diyar wrapped his arms around her and pressed his chin to the top of her head. “It is wonderful, isn’t it? No matter which world I am on, the sight of a rainbow always warms my heart.”
“It is light, isn’t it? Coloured light.” She watched, and to her shock, a second bow happened within the first.
“It is light. On icy days, you can see a phenomenon called sundogs, multiple visible suns due to an atmospheric effect. It is quite startling.” She turned to look up at him. “I look forward to it. What season is it now?”
“It is spring. We have four distinct seasons but none are very violent.”
Sighing, she returned to watching the rainbow.
“Can we stay here for a while until Enari is settled with her new arrival?”
“Of course. I don’t have to report to medical for another six weeks anyway. I just had a check before you arrived.” He gave her a squeeze. “I also look forward to meeting my new nephew.”
She chuckled. “As do I.”
“Why the concern over being here?” Jadoree sighed, “When my eldest sister, Kara, had her first baby, she told everyone everything was fine. I went to visit her, and the house was a wreck, she hadn’t bathed in days or slept in a week. Her husband was off on business, and she couldn’t manage on her own. I called in my other sister, and we straightened the house and took care of the baby while Kara slept for two days almost straight. We only woke her to feed Lilieth. In a few days, she was in a routine, and we checked in less and less frequently, but those first few days were horrible.”
“We will stay.” He hugged her again.
She smiled and stayed staring at the colours of light until the effect faded. She turned in Diyar’s arms and went up on her toes to kiss him. “Thank you.”
He returned the kiss, his hand on her waist, holding her tightly to his body. “You are welcome.”
The light of the rainbow had a strange effect on her. Her thighs trembled and her body ached, the edge of release was just out of reach. The rainbow may have dissipated, but the effect on her body remained.
Jadoree wondered how long the ache in her body was going to continue, because if it didn’t wear off, she was going to go insane.
Back at the palace, in Diyar’s rooms, they took turns peeling the heavier clothing off each other.
She was wearing more layers than he was, so it took a while, all of a minute, but when she saw the mark of her name on him, she couldn’t resist touching it.
He shuddered at the contact and closed his eyes.
She leaned in and traced the marks with her tongue, and he groaned heavily. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled the last scraps of fabric free.
Diyar lifted her in his arms and pressed her against the wall between the windows. He rubbed his cock against her, and in a few small adjustments, he slid into her, inch by enthralling inch.
She reached out and held him close as he rocked into her with strong, punching thrusts.
Jade held on as her body bucked and wrapped around the pulsing length of his cock. The position caused intense pressure on her clit, and when her second wave of release struck, she screamed and clawed at his shoulders once again.
He shoved deep and held himself to her as she felt him jerk and jet inside her.
She slowly stroked her fingers over the raised marks she had left. He lifted his head from her shoulder and whispered, “Leave them.”
“But… I think I drew blood on a few spots.”
“I know. Leave them. I will feel them as I move around and think of you all the time.” Diyar chuckled.
“All the time? We have only been together for a day and a half.”
“With the future stretching before us, I look forward to thinking of you at every opportunity.” He pressed kisses against her neck and slowly started to move inside her again.
The slick advance and retreat brought her senses flaring out of control. He kissed her as her back pressed against the unyielding surface. She cupped his jaw and intensified the kiss, her tongue mimicking the pace she wanted him to use. After a few moments, he took the hint, and she rocked with his hard and fast motions.
Friction and heat mingled with pleasure and the fine edge of pain as they writhed together.
They cried out together, and the surge of energy brought them together, binding them with dark light.
Diyar staggered to the bed and fell on his back, bringing her with him, the binding of her energy keeping them together. He asked, “Do you know how long we will be locked together?” She shook her head. “This is as new to me as it is to you.”
“Good. I would hate to think you had ensnared others with dark light in the few moments you have been out of my sight.” He caressed her buttocks and the flare of her thighs.
Her light kept them wrapped together for close to an hour.
Diyar moved them occasionally so that she wouldn’t cramp up, and when they came free, they both sighed with relief.
“Thankfully that doesn’t happen every time.” She rubbed her thighs, massaging the tense muscles with both hands.
He took over and worked on her limbs. She was aching but mobile by the time he finished.
“What do you think caused that, Jade?” Diyar assisted her to her feet and bullied her into the shower for a hot pelting to loosen stiff muscles.
“I can make a guess, but let’s just let it go for now.” She patted his chest while the heat from the water relaxed her.
“Fine, but if it happens again, I want to know why.” He grumped a little, but she distracted him by offering to scrub his back.
If she were right about her supposition, the wrapping wouldn’t occur again for close to a year.
Jadoree crossed her fingers that she would get to see a little of the light universe before she was returned to the home world of the Asku.
Epilogue
Jade was eager to return to the palace, she hung over Diyar’s shoulder as they approached the home of the Velu family.
“I hope we made it in time for Rion’s birthday party.” Jade was almost hopping with eagerness.
“It isn’t sundown yet. We will be fine.” He was grinning.
A few more minutes across the city and they settled on the secure landing area. Jade dove into the packs of gifts and hauled them out with a light oof. “Easy, love. I will help you.” Diyar was laughing as he eased her aside, and he took the parcels from her with the grace of long practice.
Jade was full of energy, surprising in her advanced pregnancy. It always shocked her sisters-in-law to see her running around until the moment she went into labour, but the light powered her and even at night the light was everywhere.
The guards around the palace snapped to attention as they entered the archway that led into the interior of the private residence. A high-pitched laugh directed them toward the garden where a riot of children were chasing a bot with a fluffy tail attached.
The adults raised their hands in greeting as Jade and Diyar stepped into the garden.
Diyar only barely managed to put the presents on a nearby table when the treasure of the Asku swamped him. They hugged him first before carefully moving over to hug Jade.
“Jaxa, Hoxa, Vela, and Neema. Are you enjoying the party?” Jadoree looked down into the solid black eyes and black hair that were reflections of her own. Four small voices immediately chirped at her in the affirmative.
Every night while she travelled with Diyar, she contacted her little ones and caught up on their day. Her first daughter had been a surprise to the physician, the second an amazement, the third a miracle, and by the fourth, folks had been watching her belly with anticipation.
Daughters of the Asku were rare, and it had taken three years for Jade to realize that that was the whole purpose to her arrival. With the girls able to offer their spouses the chance to have girls, offers were already streaming in from Asku colonies, warships and outposts. Waiting decades was not out of the question when it came to a species that lived for a few hundred years.
The girls resumed their play, and Jade walked to sit with Enari, Nishka and Avvel. She huffed lightly as she sat, and Enari shook her head. “I have no idea how you do that.” Jade shrugged and watched the collection of children running amok on the lawn. Rion was the oldest at ten, and he tried to control his cousins, but they simply went around him in a shrieking wave.
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