Swept Off Her Feet

by Camille Anthony

  “Dog!”

  “Deceiver!”

  “Trickster!”

  “Kidnapper!”

  The epithets rang out and Devtorvas blinked, nonplused by the vehemence displayed by the fem. He spread his hands, calling on his usual diplomatic mien to subdue and calm this group—gaggle?—of fem. “If we might have a little quiet, please?” When the noise level dropped to a low-voiced buzzing of disapproval, he continued, “That’s better! Now, gentle-fem, what seems to be the problem?”

  The room erupted again. Dev gave up trying to make sense out of the commotion, turning instead to Nnora, who stood in the midst of her overly-vocal supporters, aloof and cool. “Have you any idea what this is all about?” he yelled to be heard over the ruckus.

  “You have injured their pride by insulting their Crown Princess, kidnapped the lot of us and made yourself an enemy of our Chyya. They are not inclined to forgive that barbaric behavior and neither am I!”

  “Insulted you how, Nnora? By loving you…by offering you the treasures of two worlds and access to a thousand more? What are you talking about?”

  “I am talking about our marriage contracts, and the fact that I have yet to see them, let alone sign them, you bastard!” She was in high dudgeon, and the fem echoed her sentiments at the top of their lungs.

  He groaned and tried to get closer to Nnora, only to find himself outflanked, cut off by three enormous fem-in-waiting determined to thwart his every move. After two abortive attempts to sidestep them, he gave up the useless endeavor. The wily fem didn’t intend to let him pass without physical intervention.

  Had to be Dohsan. How else could all his plans have gone awry so quickly and so completely? Shooting an “I’m-going-to-kill-you-the-first-chance-I-get” look towards Dohsan, he held out his hands in a conciliatory manner. “I can explain—”

  “Oh, I’m sure you can.” The love of his life sneered at him, eyes glinting coldly, and his heart sank. “You can explain why this ship is heading away from Mars with two royal princesses. If you put your mind to it, you could probably even convince us we are not all hostages to ensure my father’s compliance to your will. However, I do not wish to hear your explanations.”

  He ran nervous fingers through his hair, pushing the damned unruly locks off his forehead, while sparing a quick thought to his missing hair-tie. Oh, yes, he recalled fondly, Nnora’s clutching fingers had ripped it off while he’d been lapping at her delicious pussy. But all that was in jeopardy now.

  What would be an acceptable approach? At a loss at how to deal with an angry fem, one he was desirous of pleasing in every way, he listened to her quiet, driven comments, his heart hurting in tandem with the pain he heard in her low words.

  “You have manipulated my emotions, lying to me from the very beginning—” She broke off, shakily sinking her teeth into her plump bottom lip, battling to withhold the tears that hovered on the edge of her thick eyelashes. He might just cry with her. His emotional state was so entwined with hers that all his celebrated statesmanship flew out the door, reducing him to the lowly status of a hapless male pleading with his mate, ignorance his only argument.

  “Nnora! Please, Nippa, if you would just listen to me—”

  “I listened to you in my bedroom, and look what it got me.” She had the misfortune to blush as she obviously remembered just what listening to him had gotten her…several times.

  Dev worked at suppressing the smile that wanted to escape his lips at her tell-tale coloring. It broke loose as he tracked Nnora’s blush. He recalled the incidents as well as she did. “You liked what it got you!” he retorted, taking the opportunity to move in closer.

  “Can you honestly say you regret our interactions in the bedroom, Glennora?” He kept his voice low, not wanting the others privy to their intimate conversation.

  She hesitated, then took a different tack. “Why didn’t you tell me my sister and these others were also going back to Rb’quarm to be groomed as wives for your favorites?”

  “I planned to tell you everything. I was waiting for the right time. If these crises hadn’t cropped up—one of them helped along by your spoiled brat of a sister, I might add.” He threw another disgruntled look at Dohsan, who retaliated with an evil, saccharin-sweet smile that chilled him to his bones.

  He knew himself a brave man, but if Chyya Glenbrevchanka had only had the one daughter, he might have been returning home unmated. He did not envy the unsuspecting Rb’qarmshi who would eventually take that Deth-brat to wife. The poor male would end up her slave, or a raving lunatic.

  He got back to the safer prospect of cajoling his fiancée. “I wanted to concentrate on our situation without all these added distractions.” He indicated the others with a wave of his hand.

  “Don’t listen to him, Princess. He’s lied before, and he’s no doubt doing it again!”

  “That’s right!”

  “I say dump him and find someone worthier!”

  Dev growled low in his throat, seeing his hopes for a painless extraction going down the tubes. Nnora had managed to put the length of the room between them again, and he worried she was seriously considering taking the advice of the interfering fem. He had to do something fast, before the situation deteriorated beyond repair. Keying his wrist communicator and opening up his secured priority channel, he hailed GanR’dari.

  “Chyya?” His second’s voice came clear and undistorted through the powerful miniature speaker.

  “The uzak has hit the Riahc generators. Scan my coordinates and translate the mr’nok squadron to me immediately.”

  For a split second, silence sounded loudly from the wrist unit. Then, “At once, Sire!” GanR’dari’s voice betrayed his shock.

  Dohsan’s face screwed up into a disgusted frown. “Oh, shit!”

  “Watch your language, young lady!” Nnora ordered sharply. “You’re still an adolescent, regardless of how sexually advanced you are. There is a certain standard of behavior I demand of my younger sister. You better learn fast that a woman cheapens herself when she uses such gutter language.”

  Outside of the bedroom, that is.

  Nnora blushed as she caught Dev’s knowing gaze, raised eyebrows and quickly hidden smirk.

  “We are not women, we are fem. I keep telling you behavior norms are different for us. And you’ll be cussing in a minute,” Dohsan warned, grimly. Pointing an accusing finger at Dev, she spat, “That…that tyrant has sent for the goon squad, his bully-boys…reinforcements.”

  “Yes, I have, Dohsan. You have instigated quite a mess here, little Princess, and now I am going to straighten it out.” Dev widened his stance, crossing his arms. Intense satisfaction blossomed, as he watched Dohsan’s face darken with anger.

  “By placing us all under cabin arrest again?” Dohsan sneered, her anger at his earlier treatment of her plain on her face. “Pretty high-handed of you, Princey-boy-toy.”

  Princey-boy-toy? He was not amused.

  “Yes, if I must, Princess-brat.”

  The thought of upsetting the little horror almost made up for having Nnora mad at him…almost.

  “Those guards were not for her protection? You had a Royal Princess—my sister—placed under cabin arrest?” Nnora’s disgruntled voice intruded upon his war with Dohsan. “Why?”

  Dev pushed away from the wall, aware his hopes of fucking Nnora anytime soon were fast flying out the space dock. He’d better tailor his explanations so they placated her protective feelings for her sister.

  He tried to gather his arguments, aware of heat building inside as he felt Nnora’s eyes following his every movement. He hid his smile, hoping she recalled how she’d felt when he’d held her in his arms, lavished her with all the love he felt for her. He thrilled, heart pounding out a triumphant beat when he saw her tongue swipe her lips in a nervous gesture as she shifted her stance, releasing the sharp sweet scent of her aroused pussy.

  His cherzda jerked and swelled, pushing boldly against the tight, form-fitting material of his shi
p suit and Dev turned so his condition was evident to Nnora’s wide-eyed stare, while shielded from Dohsan’s. It seemed a good idea to let Nnora know she affected him too. “Perhaps I did it because your sister delights in causing trouble. No sooner had she set foot aboard, than my second-in-command caught her urging on a fight between two of my most trusted warriors. The idiots were vying for her immature favors, totally forgetting she has yet to enter into her initial pava. Rojas and Deth help us when she does get her first flowering!”

  “Surely you are not trying to blame Dohsan for the unruly actions of your own men.” Nnora’s delicate eyebrows rose in disdain. “Perhaps they simply followed your own sterling example of how to treat us Colony-born fem—”

  “On top of that…” He paused, but chose to ignore, for the moment, Nnora’s snide dig. If he succeeded in winning her back, there would be time to deal with it. “On top of that, we caught her spying in posted off-limit areas.

  “Admit it, fem.” Devtorvas growled at Dohsan from between gritted teeth. “Go on. Or will you lie to your sister?”

  “Dohsan?” Under Nnora’s disapproving, questioning gaze, the young princess hung her head and scuffed her feet, blushing. On an almost eight-foot tall being, that diffident stance should have been incongruous, yet even Dev was moved to pity by the predicament the youngling destined to become his “little” sister found herself in. Dev could see how much Dohsan worshipped her older sister, wanting Nnora’s approval and love.

  Nnora let loose a long-suffering sigh. “Why do I have a sinking feeling I really don’t want to know what my rebellious sister has been up to?”

  She tapped her foot when she received no response. “My baby sister’s continued refusal to meet my eyes isn’t doing much to alleviate my fears. Dohsan.”

  A stubborn expression turning her youthful face sullen, Dohsan glared at him before turning to meet Nnora’s worried gaze. “Okay, already! I was having a bit of fun with his men—it was no big deal! As for spying, I was just exploring the area out of boredom. There was nothing of interest to see, anyway. Besides, according to the deal made with our father, we are supposed to be allies, so there was no reason for Mr. High-and-Mighty to throw me in his version of the clink.”

  “This is a military ship, young fem.” He knew his voice was sharp, but Dohsan had a lesson coming. Best it came from him. From Nnora it would wound her badly. “It is not a playground for your childish pranks. Be thankful I only confined you to quarters. By rights, I can still have you stripped and lashed for insubordination, then dumped in a shuttle and returned to your father!”

  The color fled from Dohsan’s face. She bit her lip, focusing beseeching yellow-green eyes on her sister.

  “May I speak with you alone?”

  Nnora’s voice sounded diffident, her tones softer than they had been. Good.

  “You may speak with me anytime…anywhere. I will always be available to you, cherzda’va.”

  Offering his arm, he led her to an unoccupied section of the room. He relished the bright stain on her cheeks, which bloomed when he pulled her close and tucked her under his shoulder.

  “For all her flamboyance and bravado, Dohsan is still an adolescent, with adolescent needs and little trust in the adults about her.”

  The warm weight of her curvy body summoned his desire for her. No matter how many times he tasted her, had her, he hungered and thirsted after her like a man dying in an arid desert.

  “Here, light years away from our father, I am the only parent-figure she has. I know she has acted abominably, but…please…couldn’t we just allow her to stew for a while, get good and scared? I will guarantee her behavior is appropriate from now on. If I tell her I am the one who will be punished for her future misdeeds, I don’t believe she will let me down.”

  A smile welled up from the depths of his soul. Still swamped with lust and now growing respect for Nnora’s compassionate heart, he could only marvel at how she lightened his world with her goodness.

  The smile she awarded him in return brightened the entire room. It dimmed when he tightened his hold. “I will let your sister off the hook, but you taking her place and her punishment will be no mere verbal invention.”

  Nnora’s gaze snapped to his. He caught a fleeting look of unease, quickly hidden in their tangerine depths.

  He glared down at his fidgeting mate. He worked at keeping his expression fierce, finding he felt more hurt than anger. “Let us discuss spying and juvenile acts of rebellion, Nippa. I would dearly like to know why my bulkheads are stained with a bright smear of…uzak. I also want to know why I find you here when you gave me your word you would do no more adventuring without a guide?”

  The silence was deafening.

  “So…?”

  He paused, giving her time to provide an answer. None was forthcoming. “I see. While you bargain for my leniency for your sister’s misdeeds, recall that you have earned none for yourself. Dohsan’s punishment is negotiable…yours is not.” His voice hardened as his anger rekindled.

  Why did she continue to resist him? How could he get through to her? Make her see how much she had grown to mean to him? When would she stop fighting him?

  “You lied to me, Nippa. I will tolerate no dishonesty between us.”

  Nnora raised her stubborn chin in answer to his low-voiced challenge, her proud spine stiffening in battle readiness. Her stance declared that if he thought her cowed, he had a few surprises coming.

  A fierce feeling of pride swelled through him as he realized Nnora would never allow him to see her fear.

  “I didn’t lie, exactly…” Nnora’s voice was low and hesitant. Her words trailed off at his pointed glare. “Well, at least, I didn’t mean to…and the lipstick will come off easily. See?” She held up her fistful of treated Kleenex. “I brought these along to wipe off the line on my way back to my cabin. I’m sorry, Dev. I just…I was so bored waiting for you to come back.”

  Her inner struggle showed on her lovely face. “I missed you, Dev. I needed something to take my mind off of what we’d shared.”

  Something tight eased in his chest at her words, at the evidence she offered, proving she had not been rebelling against their growing relationship.

  “You have just earned my leniency,” he whispered, lowering his head to take her lips. He never completed the move, distracted by the commotion at the front of the cabin.

  When the panels of the cabin door retracted into the walls, revealing a squadron of ten muscular Rb’qarmshi males—GanR’dari at the fore, each warrior a prime specimen of virile maleness—Dev felt and heard Nnora’s breath catch in her chest. Her throat worked, swallowing repeatedly; her pussy gushed wetness, scenting the air. He knew she had never seen so many mature, attractive males. Still, his brows snapped together at her involuntary feminine reaction.

  With a growl of angry possessiveness, he caught her up and took her lips in a hard, driven kiss. One hand swept down her back, clutched the round swell of her ass and jerked her closer, silently but graphically staking his claim. Satisfied all had gotten his message, he lifted his head. In a fierce voice almost a snarl, he rapped out specific instructions to his second-in-command.

  GanR’dari, stern-faced and grim, stepped forward and took reluctant charge of Dohsan.

  With a final command for his men, Dev returned his attention to Nnora, none too gently propelling her down the corridor, away from her sister and the other fem.

  Behind her, Dohsan cupped her hands to her mouth and hollered after her sister. “Don’t let him bully you, Nnora. Remember you have the upper hand!”

  “Keep up this talk of upper hands, fem and you’ll soon feel one on your bottom!” GanR’dari hauled her along behind him as the rest of the warriors cleared the remaining fem from the room.

  * * * * *

  Dev grinned to himself while Nnora pretended to give her surroundings her full attention. True, there was a lot to peruse, since his quarters were twice as large as her assigned cabin. As the ruling Rb’qar
mshi Prince, he was widely traveled and his travels showed in his eclectic collection of art and artifacts. His accommodations overflowed with the bounty of a hundred worlds, more than enough to occupy one jittery fem. Still…

  He bit his cheek, reining in his humor. Nnora deliberately ignored his presence, seeking to put off what she thought of as her coming punishment. She moved about, touching everything, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over all his exotic items.

  Arms crossed as he leaned against the door of his cabin, he patiently watched her flit nervously about, her graceful, almost airy movements calling to mind the flutterbies of Novus Ten. Yet her dainty looks belied his memory of her surprisingly powerful struggles and the equally strong grip of her hands in his hair. He replayed her eager, lusty response to the numerous explosive orgasms he’d given her and reminded himself she was sturdier than she looked.

  His heart thudding with heightened awareness, full arousal only a beat away, he pondered how he would take her first. She was smaller than the normal fem…petite, actually. Their first joining might be so painful she would find no pleasure. He wanted to make it good for her, but he feared he would lack control. Much as he ached to fuck her, he didn’t want her memory of their bonding to be one of pain and disappointment.

  He wavered, desire, love and fear pulling him first one way, then another. Should he claim her now, make her his cherzda’va in reality or allow her request and wait the length of their journey to home-world?

  His breath caught anew in his throat as he watched her, glorying in the simple fact that she existed. For twenty dry, barren years, he had worked and labored for his people…for what? For the opportunity that now lay within his grasp: the chance to claim his mate. A part of himself, joined with him, the only being who could send the life pulsing through his veins, pounding in his cock. Nnora was the culmination of his dreams, the realization of his hopes. She was the reason his heart beat. He loved her.