Raze fought for words. Her beautiful tanned face so close to his that he could taste her breath in his mouth. His erection kicked into high gear and he fought to hold back his inner saber as it clawed its way to the surface to mark her all over.
"You... don't have to wear the underclothes if you don't want to," he managed. Behind Affina, Raya tried to keep a straight face.
"If she's tried them on, I'm afraid you have to pay for them," she said.
"I'll pay." Raze looked down at Affina. "But she doesn't have to wear them if she doesn't want to."
The look in Affina's eyes and the desire wafting off her skin almost made him ruin his pants right there.
Damn. He hadn't been around another saber in so long and of course it had to be the one saber that he'd dreamt about for years after coming to Earth. The one he'd envisioned every single time he'd taken a human into his bed. The one who'd trained him, taught him and protected him back on Aurora.
"Do you like them?" Her voice came out husky.
Raze cleared his throat. "I'm sorry?"
"Sorry for what?"
"No, I mean, I don't understand your question."
"I asked, if you like these uncomfortable pieces of itchy cloth that I've bound very little of my body in."
How the hell did he answer that? Raze swallowed hard. "It's customary here for women to wear them."
"Yes, but do you like them? On me?"
Did he like them on her? Hell, he liked them so much he wanted to see them tangled in his own clothes on the floor at the foot of his bed.
"Yes." He'd never been able to lie to her before, and apparently he still couldn't.
She stepped out of his grasp and turned to Raya, showing him again her curvy rear.
"I will take several. Different colors." Affina's regal command struck a familiar chord. She strode back to the dressing room and Raya hurried over to the lingerie section and pulled a collection of underwear and bras from the racks.
Raze dropped into a deep plush chair. Every nerve ending lit on fire. His pants pulled so tight against his erection that he feared he'd burst the zipper. For years he'd thought of her, awaiting the day she and the rest of their clan would come to Earth for good. He'd expected her to have found a mate, but instead it was just the two of them now – and his saber had determined she was to be his mate.
Affina remerged from the dressing room in a pair of long black slacks and a peachy chiffon blouse sheer enough for him to know that she still wore the lacy pink bra underneath. The black heels that had been paired with the outfit lengthened her long legs even further. She towered over Raya, once again reminding him of how superior his saber race truly was.
Her ebony locks cascaded over her shoulders and down her back just like her saber mane did when she shifted.
"Doesn't she look amazing?" asked Raya.
Raze stood and nodded.
"We'll keep her sizes on file for you so if you need anything in the future we can grab it and have it sent over immediately."
"I was told I was a sixteen," said Affina.
Raya smiled up at her. "Oh we don't go by numbers here." Raya walked to the counter and began ringing up the items.
"What do you go by?" asked Raze.
"We have standard sizes of petite, lovely, beautiful, gorgeous, perfection. And then we custom create any sizes our beauties may need."
"What am I?" asked Affina.
"You my dear are gorgeous," Raya replied.
"She sure is."
Both women looked at him and Raze fumbled in his pocket for his wallet. He hadn't meant to say that out loud.
Hell. He needed to keep it together. Less than a few hours together and already Affina had him acting like a dopey lovesick teenaged slave again.
****
Affina stared out the window at the millions of people as they hurried from place to place. Lights flashed on giant boards making her squint. Why had she said that to him? Why had she cared if he liked the underthings on her? Stupid, Affina. Stupid. What was getting into her? First she'd been possessive of him over the girl Bethany. Now she was asking his opinion on the underwear she chose? She berated herself for her juvenile reactions toward him. Surprisingly though her saber remained happy as ever.
"How do you deal with so much... so much?" she finally asked.
"Earth is different from Aurora that's for sure. But you come to love certain things about it."
She turned and looked at him. "Like what?"
"Like the food and conveniences. I can get everything I need just by using my phone."
"Back home we got what we needed by going outside and getting it. Or by asking a slave to get it for us."
"Yes," he nodded. "I remember." The tone of his voice belied resentment. It struck her in the gut. She'd never heard him speak like that before.
"Did you not like your place in my father's clan?"
He snorted. "Being a slave wasn't quite what I'd hoped for my life."
"And this is?" she asked. "Fancy clothes and little squares that you can pay for things with? Was it really so bad back on Aurora?"
"You did what you wanted, when you wanted. You weren't considered lesser. Always at someone else's beck and call because your father made a stupid arrogant choice that ended in either you joining him in death or becoming a slave."
Affina stared at him for a moment and shook her head. How had she never seen this side of him before? "I must have been truly blind then. I never remember treating you that way."
Raze swallowed. "I didn't mean to-"
Her saber told her to shut up but she couldn't let it go. "How did you get here?"
"I told you. Your father sent me to find a place for our clan."
"So he trusted you? Trusted you enough to send you here. Obviously he didn't send you empty-handed or you could never have sustained yourself. And after all that trust you still wanted more. Tell me Razor's Edge, when did you ever see my father give me so much or entrust me with so great a responsibility? The most he did was to push me through a portal and tell me to have babies. Not to let his name die out."
He stayed silent.
"While you were here on this planet buying and getting, we were fighting to survive. Losing family and friends. Struggling to eat and spending every last piece of value we had just to buy an orb to get here. So you will excuse me if I have no sympathy for you while you were in my father's service. Sleeping in a warm bed, being fed whenever you wanted."
She turned back to the window as anger rose within her. Her fangs lengthened as did her nails.
"Highness-"
She whipped back to him and growled. "You spent five years in my father's service, but you've spent more than double that amount of time living like a king."
He swallowed hard and dropped his gaze.
He'd become soft in his time on Earth. If that's what she had to look forward to, she'd rather go back to Aurora and take her chances with the other clans.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The elevator opened up into Raze's penthouse apartment and he walked across the marble floor carrying the many bags of clothing he'd purchased for Affina.
"I'll put your things in your room," he said. "I'm sure you would like to rest."
"Actually I'd like to go back for my father and the rest of the clan."
He stopped and turned. "If they've survived they will come through the portal. Sending you back will do no good. They will have left the area."
"I can track them."
"Even you said the others had slaughtered almost all of our clan."
"It's better than sitting here and doing nothing with my life besides shopping and eating."
Raze blew out a long, slow breath. He didn't need words to know what she was thinking of right then, he could hear it in her voice, in the way she tilted her chin up and crossed her arms over her breasts, feet planted on the floor, just the way he'd seen her mother do a hundred times.
"I will put these in your room and order you some food. I
have meetings to attend. I may be back late."
She grabbed the bags from his hand. "I can fend for myself. I'd hate for you to be put out by me asking you to do anything for me."
Affina stormed past him and slammed the door to the bedroom.
Raze ran his hands through his hair as his saber grumbled. A deep part of him wanted to go and apologize. To garner her favor and see her smile like he used to, to hear her laugh and see her full of life. But he knew it would do no good. He knew this side of her all too well. When she became offended it was better to let her have her space, like all sabers. Cornering or confronting her was more than likely to get him a fresh scar.
His phone buzzed and he looked at it. He had thirty minutes to get to his first meeting.
He walked to her door. "If you need anything call down to the front desk and they will get it for you."
Raze waited but she didn't reply. He listened to the sounds of her room, but heard nothing beyond her breathing.
****
Affina waited for the elevator doors to close before she slid to the floor and let go of all her pain. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks as thoughts of her mother, father, and clan members floated through her mind. Gone. All gone. Her home gone. Her life completely altered now. Worst of all... the one person she had considered her best friend was completely changed and all that time in her father's house he'd hated being there. She'd mourned his loss more than anyone- even her mother. That night she'd thought he'd been killed had almost broken her. She'd not eaten for days afterward. Following the group, wandering place to place, wishing her heart would stop beating so the pain would cease. And now, to find out that he'd been sent to this world to become a self indulged brat like all the other royal males she'd met. It was too much to take.
Affina shoved the tears from her eyes and her saber growled. This was not the way her father had raised her. She would not be weak. She would not be ordered around. She had told Raze she could fend for herself and she'd meant it.
Affina pushed to her feet and opened the door. She headed into the living area and scanned the cream colored furniture. So different from the colorful array of furniture her parents had furnished the palace with. So drab. Like all the other colors on Earth.
She strode to the kitchen and ran her hand over the dark black rock counters. Surely Raze didn't clean this place himself. She walked to the large metal refrigerator and opened the door. A whoosh of cool air washed over her bare arms. Inside sat small containers of various foods. She opened them one by one and smelled them. The scent of chemicals and various states of mold made her wrinkle her nose. How could he eat that?
She closed the door and opened the other cabinets one by one. Some held plates and cups. Others held metal cans of what claimed to be food but looked nothing like food she would eat. In the end she spotted a basket on the counter and picked up several pieces of fruit and scarfed them down.
She threw the peels in the trash and headed back to her room. This was unacceptable. She had to eat. She crossed the apartment to Raze's area and threw open the door. A huge bed weighed down by a million pillows took up the entire middle of the room. Her heartbeat skipped at the idea of him sleeping in the bed. For the first time she wondered if he'd shared it with anyone of consequence. She headed to his closet and opened the double doors. His scent permeated the small room, sending a wave of longing through her.
She stared at the long row of impeccable suits lined up meticulously. All muted, dark tones. She ran her fingers over the suit jackets and across the crisp white shirts to the end. She stopped as she felt a familiar leather skin jerkin. She pushed the shirts aside and stared at the deep tanned leather. Stepping in closer she inhaled its scent. The smell of Razor lingered on the skin. Not Razor now with his fancy hair products and smelly perfume. But the smell of Razor from back on Aurora. Musky and hard working, but with a hint of playfulness. She inhaled deeply once more and then dropped the soft leather. All of those smells no longer described Razor. He may be hardworking still, but not in the same way.
Affina walked out of the closet and looked around the room. He'd always been more organized than she was, but his room, as with his entire apartment was almost picture perfect. Like a façade. A show. She couldn't find even one touch of personality in the place. As if he purposely kept himself hidden from the world.
Her stomach growled and she clutched it in pain. She needed to eat. Affina walked to a table on the side of his bed and opened the drawer. Inside sat some bottles of colorful liquid and several boxes of items she didn't bother with. Underneath lay a gold clip with green pieces of paper folded inside. Money. She pulled it out and pulled out twenty, hundred dollar bills, shoved them in her pocket and tossed the rest back into the drawer.
Her saber paced uncertainly as she headed for the elevator. If this was her life now she had to show Raze she could take care of herself. She had to be self-sufficient otherwise how would she ever survive?
Affina stepped out into the lobby and walked across the wooden floor to the front desk. A petite brunette looked up at her and smiled. "How can I help you?"
Affina fanned the money over the counter. "Is it enough to get me some food?"
The woman chuckled. "That's two thousand dollars. You can buy enough food for months with that."
Affina nodded and put the money back in her pocket. "Where is a place here I can get food?"
The girl glanced around and then looked back at Affina. "Do you have a purse?"
"A what?"
"A purse? A pocketbook? A wallet?"
Affina shook her head.
"You shouldn't be walking around the city with that much money in your pocket. It's dangerous."
"I can take care of myself."
The girl nodded. "Here. Take my purse and you can give it back when you're done." The girl pulled a small black bag out from underneath the counter and poured everything inside into a drawer before handing it to Affina.
Affina took the bag and shoved the currency into it. "Thank you."
"What kind of food are you looking for?" asked the girl.
"I don't know. Meat? Fruit?"
The girl nodded. "Okay. Well there are several restaurants down the block. I can get you a driver-"
"I can walk," said Affina.
"Of course." The girl pulled out a card and handed it to Affina. "Here's my card. If you get stuck or lost or just need help, feel free to call me."
"I don't have a phone."
"Oh... well, keep it anyway. Just in case."
Affina shoved the card into the purse. "Thank you." She turned and walked to the door, bracing herself she stepped out onto the sidewalk. She could do this. She had to.
****
Raze sipped his wine and stared at the beautiful woman across from him.
"Thank you again," he said. "For securing the lodge for me."
She smiled and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Of course. And thank you for the nice commission."
He nodded. "It's only fair."
She slid her hand across the table and ran her fingertips down his. "So is this a thank you dinner, or did you want something more?"
"Actually I do need something more from you."
A twist in the corner of her mouth and the flush of heat that colored her neck and chest told him exactly what was on her mind.
"I'm more than happy to go back to your place and give you anything you might require." She pushed her breasts forward, exposing her cleavage.
Twelve hours ago he would have taken her up on that offer, but now the sight of her small perky breasts was barely enough to make his body twitch.
"I was thinking more along the lines of business than pleasure. Besides, I have a- house guest." Raze's saber growled and he pulled his hand away. He flipped on his phone and pushed it across the table. "I need this."
She picked up his phone and looked at it. "You just bought three hundred acres, you could build anything you want."
"But I want this piece. It
comes with an additional five hundred acres."
"Is it even for sale?"
"Not yet." He flashed her a smile. "But I'm sure you can convince the owner to sell."
She stared at the phone for a minute and then handed it back to him. He wasn't sure why he still wanted it, knowing now that there was no one else left but Affina and himself. The only thing he could say was that it had been Affina's father's wish for him to find them a place and in his years here on Earth he'd not found anything that more closely resembled their home than these pieces of land.
"I'll find the owners in the morning but I can't promise anything," she said.
"I have faith in you- and the power of money."
She sipped her wine and gave him a sexy grin. "So you have a house guest."
"I do."
Her smile broadened. "I don't."
****
Affina strolled down the crowded street letting the city bombard her. She sniffed every person she passed in an effort to acclimate. She read the flashing signs. Watched the vehicles move around, squawking at each other and stopping for the red lights. Couples kissed, children cried, dogs barked- dressed up like babies and being pushed around in small wheeled baskets. Everything made no sense, yet in the chaos she felt the energy of the world buzzing and pulsing with life. Something that had been dying in her people for decades.
Music floated toward her from up ahead. Light and upbeat, in a style she'd never heard before. She headed toward it and found herself in front of a small establishment full of people moving in a gyrating seductive dance. Men stood on a stage in bright white puffy shirts and large colorful hats strumming brown instruments that looked like lutes only bigger. One blew a horn and another played something else she'd never seen. The scent of spicy food made her stomach growl.
Affina headed toward a large dark skinned man who stood at the door. He held his hand out as she tried to enter.
"I.D."
Affina blinked. "I'm sorry?"
"I.D." He pointed to a sign. "You have to be over twenty one to enter."
"I am twenty one." She stepped forward and he held up his hand again.
Paranormal Dating Agency: Taming his Saber (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 5
