Myka Michaels has been a Healer specializing in obstetrics for years. Her assignment on Dremarai is one she both revels in and dreads. She wants to be the best Healer she can be, but riding a horse-beast from town-to-town isn't really her idea of a fun work environment. Elite D'hai Bosun has been selected as her escort through the countryside, his dragon tattoo proudly proclaiming his ability to summon magic. When Myka begins to feel an attraction to her escort, she doesn't know how to tell him, then the custom of Hospitality raises its head. All Myka needs to do is to ask D'hai to fulfill his obligations to her as her host, to give her the Hospitality of his body. Will her Terran prudishness override her urge to ride the dragon accompanying her?
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Enchanted
Copyright © 2010 Viola Grace
ISBN: 978-1-55487-481-1
Cover art by Martine Jardin
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
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Enchanted
A Terran Times Novella
By
Viola Grace
Chapter One
Myka Michaels stood before the High Prefect of the Dremarai colonies and bowed her head. The other people in the room were kneeling, but she kept her legs straight as per Alliance protocol.
“Thank you, High Prefect, for allowing me to come and practice my talent in your lands. I know that your previous Healer was well loved and I do not seek to replace him.”
“That is good, for you cannot replace him. As a male, he was allowed to travel unescorted throughout our lands. You do not have the same ability. No females are to travel alone in the colonies. The moons are getting far to close to alignment for you to be alone and undefended.” He was sitting in a relaxed pose on his throne. His robe gaped open to display some lovely embroidered trousers, embroidered boots, a wonderful sash and a tattoo of a dragon writhing on his pale blue chest. He was of middle age, light gray at his temples, but in complete authority of all around him.
“High Prefect, my gender does not impede my ability to do my job. I have references from three other limited-tech colonies and each has found my skills up to par.” She did not lift her eyes again, but kept her gaze on the floor. If protocol wouldn’t persuade him, perhaps diffidence would.
“Let me think on it for a day or so. You will be shown to your quarters in the palace until I have reached a decision.” His tone was dismissive.
Myka looked up and met his quicksilver gaze with her own bright blue glare. “Thank you, High Prefect. I look forward to your decision.” She followed his gesture to a courtier near his left hand and followed the woman out of the audience chamber and down a quiet hallway where only the patter of servants’ feet broke the silence. No one wore shoes in the house, it was a hard and fast rule, soft leather slippers were provided to each person who entered. Myka’s feet were enjoying the soft press of leather on her feet. When the courtier stopped in front of a door, slid it open and gestured for her to enter, she knew that she had reached her prison until the High Prefect made up his mind.
* * * *
“Do what you want with the girl, but leave me alone!” Nilong cowered as the shadow pressed into the cave where the kidnappers had kept them. He hid at the side of the cave entrance as the shadow entered their small space.
“Get out of here, Nilong. My father is aware of your dereliction to duty and you will be dealt with appropriately on your return.”
The voice was a deep boom. A stronger version of the High Prefect’s voice, but he would not have sent his son for an Alliance Healer, would he?
Myka gathered her shredded clothing to her. The bandits had been disgusted when they saw she was an off-worlder female. They had tried to steal the clothing of a scholar that her escort had dressed her in. When her breasts were revealed, they had recoiled in horror. It was at that moment that they had sent a message to the High Prefect, demanding ransom.
“Are you alright, Healer?”
He was kneeling next to her and his scent was enough to steal her speech. She tried three times to answer and finally croaked, “I’m fine.”
“Did they…” he left it unsaid.
“They only tore my clothing. When they saw I was a woman, they immediately sent a note to your father.”
“That note is what made him dispatch me.” The voice was amused, but she wanted to see the face. She needed to see his face.
She struggled to her feet, holding her shredded tunic to her breasts. “Can we go somewhere else and discuss this? Somewhere warmer?”
“There is room by the fire. The bandits are gone.”
“Was that all the screaming that I heard?”
“I may have startled them. Please, Healer, come with me.”
He took her by one hand and led her to the fire. The bandits were gone—some had even left their horses. They had been in quite a hurry. She sat on one of the rocks that was near the fire and tried to tie her clothing into something that was dignified. She failed miserably, but at least it was in one ragged piece.
“Don’t worry about your clothing. We will get you something more appropriate to your station at the next village.”
She looked up at him and finally saw the face that belonged to the voice that made her want to crawl all over him and do strange and alien things to him. He had very similar features to his father, silver eyes with a sharp tilt, blue-black hair bound behind his neck, black arching brows and a jaw line that framed a sensuous mouth under a severe nose. He wore the sleeveless open robe of the Elite of the colony, lovely trousers and embroidered boots.
“The next village? I am being allowed to continue?”
“On a trial basis. We will travel for two months together and I will assess the usefulness of your skills to our people.”
He looked so comfortable sitting there in the glow of the firelight, while she was shivering her way through her meagre clothing. She scooted down the rock, dangerously close to the fire, and finally felt some warmth.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to get warm. They haven’t fed me in two days, so I am a little hypothermic. Please bear with me and don’t let me roll into the fire.”
It was close to dawn. The light was burning away the darkness of the previous evening. Myka kept shivering and shuddering until there was enough light for her saviour to saddle up some horses.
“Come, Healer. There is a village only a few hours away on horseback. We will get food and a bath for you there.”
“I know I smell bad. Sorry.” She struggled up onto the horse he held for her while three of its six legs pranced. The word for them in Dremarai translated into horse in Alliance, so Myka just went with it.
“You cannot help it, but I am hoping it is not your natural state of being?”
She was embarrassed. From what she had learned of his people,
cleanliness was essential for proper etiquette. Body odour was a sign of disrespect for those around you. His scent made her want to run her hands over him, but with the way she currently smelled, he was not sharing her pheromone-related lust.
Her body was sore from being cold, shivering and beaten by the bandits. She wanted nothing more than to be safe and warm, but that was still hours away. Myka took a deep breath and held to the pommel of the saddle on her beast as her rescuer led the way. They were moving at a good clip in a matter of minutes.
She comforted herself that each step brought her closer to being safe and warm, even as it jarred her bones.
* * * *
The Healer was not going to last long if she didn’t get some warmth and rest. D’hai Bosun contemplated his options as he pulled the leads of her beast closer to his own. She was swaying in her saddle as they moved and they still had hours to ride. He sighed and brought her beast even with his as he took her off her mount the instant she fell asleep.
He settled her in front of him, curling her limbs inside his robe so that she made contact with his flesh. D’hai winced as her icy limbs touched him. She had to have been in that cave for days before the message was sent.
His fury at Nilong’s idiocy was boundless. No bandit would have touched a woman dressed properly as being under the High Prefect’s protection. Dressing her as a man was Nilong’s idea of letting himself slip through the hills and mountains. When the message came, it had only taken a few questions of the other courtiers to find that Nilong had been sending shipments of restricted technology through the mountain passes and he didn’t want to be discovered with an off-worlder. It would bring him unwanted attention and if they asked her if she was the source and she told any of the lawgivers, he would be up on charges in minutes.
The off-worlder. Under the scent of her captivity was the heady scent of female arousal, he smiled a little at the fact that she found him pleasing to the eye. It was mutual. The scruffy appearance of her clothing and the baggy fit did nothing to conceal the curves that had shocked the bandits. Their apologies had been effusive when she identified herself as the travelling Healer. At least they had been apologetic when writing to his father. The ransom demand had been more pro forma than aggressive.
D’hai shifted in his saddle and tapped the beast’s side with his heels. The rocking gallop did not wake the Healer. In fact, she curled even more tightly against him as they raced into the dawn. He poured magic into the steeds and spurred them on. They were a blur of movement in the early-morning light. The sooner they reached the village, the sooner the woman could be warm, fed and rested. In this form, his magic could only move them so quickly and it chafed him to have to work around his natural talents for this out-worlder.
The true reason for the tech restriction at the Dremarai colony was simple—magic and tech didn’t mix.
Chapter Two
The servants were silent as they filled the tub for her. The instant that she and her rescuer had entered the village, the inhabitants had scrambled to attention and followed his orders. It was a miracle that she hadn’t fallen off her horse as she rode, but when he shook her shoulder, she was firmly on her horse with her feet in the stirrups. The early marks of dawn were long gone.
The water steamed invitingly, scented with spring flowers. Myka stood and let the maids remove the tatters of her clothing. They began to whisper the instant that her Terran tattoos were revealed, but Myka ignored them and stepped into the welcome water. Her marks were part of her now, but she was used to the chatter they caused. Most cultures she visited did not mark women with tattoos.
Sliding straight to the bottom of the tub, she soaked her hair until the matted sweat let go and strands of pale gold floated free. It was pure bliss to have her whole body warm, but reluctantly, she had to come up for air. She was not expecting to see her rescuer staring down at her body in fascination, but she wasn’t upset.
“The maids are fetching a second tub, but in the meantime, they asked me to look at your Magus marks.” His lips twitched in amusement as he looked at her abdomen. “You were so dirty, the water clouded almost immediately, so I will need you to rise to assess the gravity of the situation.”
“Rise? As in, out of the tub?”
“Yes. A maid is standing by with a robe once I have finished my assessment.” He saw her confusion and explained his presence. “Here, at the Dremarai colonies, one is born with the marks of magic. Each marking has a meaning, denotes a bloodline.”
“Mine were applied to keep track of my race. The marks are a design that resembles my home in space.”
“It matters not. Please stand so I can read the marks for traces of magic.” His full lips twitched in amusement at her expense.
“Fine.” She stood and the water sluiced off her body, exposing the pale expanse of her flesh to his gaze. He flicked his gaze over her from her head to the water before settling on her belly. He reached out his hand and touched the marks, closing his eyes.
She felt a pulse in her belly that had everything to do with his touch on her skin and began to turn a hot pink with arousal and embarrassment.
He opened his quicksilver eyes and met her gaze. “You do have magic within you. It supplements the psychic talent that you carry. If you wish, your clothing may bare the markings to denote your rank.”
At his nod, a maid standing behind her wrapped her in a robe while a parade of maids brought in a new tub while releasing the water out of the old one through a drain in the floor. The instant the dirty tub was drained, the new one was put in its place and the filling parade began.
Myka held the robe closed and turned to bow to her rescuer. “I beg pardon that I did not ask your name when we first met.” The heat from the first bath was dissipating rapidly, but she finally remembered her manners.
“D’hai Bosun, first son of the High Prefect, Master of the Elite. You are Healer Myka Michaels, Citadel trained, of the Alliance Protectorate of Terra.” He gave her the nod of his head, an appropriate acknowledgement of their difference in rank.
“What may I call you?”
“Elite D’hai.”
One of the maids gasped in shock at the familiarity he was allowing her. She quickly emptied the hot water she was carrying and scuttled away.
“Thank you for the honour, Elite D’hai, I am commonly addressed as Healer Myka, or Myka if you prefer.”
“Myka then. It is a lovely name. Now, do you wish your marks exposed by your clothing?”
“Not for everyday wear. I find your weather a little cool for my body. The more of me covered up, the better I think.”
D’hai looked as if he would disagree with that, but he nodded. “I will leave you to your bathing then. Please join me for dinner on hour.”
The last was a demand and not a request, so Myka bowed and let the temptation of the water draw her closer to the tub. The instant that the enigmatic D’hai slid the wooden door panel shut behind him, she was out of the robe and back into the tub.
The water was glorious and it helped distract her from the still-unsettling effects of his touch. With the soap and cloth the maid handed to her, she scrubbed from the toes upward, exfoliating and cleansing as she went. Her hair was taken up by the maid and scrubbed until it floated freely. A conditioner of sorts was applied that bore the same wildflower scent as the bathwater. It untangled her locks and after a quick rinse, the maid started to comb her waist-length hair into order, draping it over the back of the tub.
Finally, Myka felt clean and it was just in time. Another maid slid into the room quietly with an armload of clothing and gestured for her to leave the tub. Bracing her hands on the edge of the tub, she levered her body upward, almost buckling under the weight of exhaustion. Food, then sleep and she would be right as rain.
The clothing was very practical, a split skirt that fell to the tops of her feet and tied around her waist. Perfect for riding. A breast band to hold her and give her support during the bouncing of the horses. A fitted, long
-sleeved tunic in a lovely velvety fabric with frog closures from hip to neck. A robe was also included. Open without any sleeves. The mark of a magic user.
Once she dressed, the maids forced her to sit while they dressed her hair. Braids looped over a chignon at the back of her head, an elaborate hairdressing that was exceedingly comfortable.
A maid took her by the hand and pulled her out of the bathing room. She released her at the door of another room and knelt to slide the panel open. Myka entered the room and knelt at the table across from Elite D’hai.
He was sitting cross-legged in a casual pose, his long, bound hair over his shoulder with metal bands marking every six inches flowing from his scalp. There were five bands visible, making quite a striking contrast against the tattoo on his chest.
“I see you are much improved after your bath. You look lovely in the dress of my people.”
“Thank you. I do feel much better. I hate being dirty.”
“It didn’t suit you.” He smiled at her, a genuine smile. It showed the sharp teeth that Dremarai were known for. In Terran terms, the Dremarai were a cross of races. The djinn of the Middle East folktales crossed with the dragons of the Asian mythology blended into a single colony. It explained the bluish skin as well as the sharp teeth.
She nodded her thanks. “The bath and the clean clothes are helping tremendously. A meal and a good night’s sleep and I will be able to start the work that I came here for.”
“Our population will be grateful. We have healers of our own, but the power that you can bring to the healing is something that they cannot manage. The assistance during birthing, for example, is increasing our birth rates with every Healer-assisted delivery.”
“So I was informed. I am happy to be of service to the Dremarai by whatever means.”
Enchanted Page 1
