Crown of Draga

by Emma Dean

  Those cula’ting spiders hung above them. Joslynn shivered as she glanced up for the thousandth time. These spiders terrified her. They were so much bigger than the ones she saw on Pedranus, ragna – they called the sacred breed on Draga Terra. Bigger than the mice she’d seen in the barns.

  Those webs and spiders dancing along the ceiling of the ballroom were a great show of power and planning though. She wondered if that was the point – to put all but Adelina in a constant state of unease. The brilliance of it only made the respect she had for the tiny princess grow – the princess who managed to hide underneath that polite, submissive mask and then she delivered something like this…

  Joslynn sipped her champagne and tapped the fire opal at her throat. When she’d received the order for the gems a few months ago she’d never suspected what they’d be used for. A thousand half-carat fire opals were a strange order, but the Jeweler’s Guild ordered in large quantities all the time and they were her best customer.

  It was strange the guild had ordered them and not the princess herself unless she somehow had a connection in the guild. Joslynn knew there was the issue of a trade with the princess, but she had no idea how deep the charade went and now she was curious.

  “Can I get you something to eat?” Sirus fidgeted at her side. He was uncomfortable at such events, but he looked absolutely gorgeous. She couldn’t help but admire him in his all-white, gold trimmed suit – the colors of Scyria.

  “No thank you,” she murmured as she watched the various pairings, the slights, anger, and jealousy across the ballroom. “How much do you think all this cost?” she asked, waving at the splendor before them.

  Adelina spun around the ballroom floor with yet another male while Nash glowered in the corner. Joslynn smiled. There was more competition than the lost prince liked and with all eyes on the princess, or the crown princess, it seemed Joslynn and the lovely courtesan were all who noticed. Nadyah gave her a slight nod before turning back to her conversation with a guard.

  “More than my planet makes in a cycle,” Sirus growled.

  He wasn’t angry; it was simply how he was. The deep vibration in his voice was the fault of the injury marring his beautiful face. Joslynn thought it made him even more attractive, turning him from a pretty noble to a roguish warrior.

  “I don’t know about that, I pay your family quite handsomely for the protection.” Joslynn smiled up at him and the deep lines on his face eased. It was the best reaction she would get from the male, and more than most would ever receive in their lifetime. “Ask me to dance,” she told him.

  Sirus bowed and held out his hand as the music changed to something a bit slower. “As my lady wishes,” he murmured, never once taking his good eye off her.

  The skill he had on the dance floor surprised her. Joslynn hadn’t been sure he knew how to dance after so many cycles protecting the borders. She was whisked across the ballroom like a flower in the wind. “Have you thought any more about my proposal?” she asked lightly.

  It was anything but a light matter. Joslynn had decided to refuse to court anyone else until she knew for sure whether Sirus would be her husband or not. After two weeks in space she had fallen for him harder than she’d expected, and it wasn’t until he said he would leave to protect her people from the Neprijat she realized just how much she’d grown to depend on him.

  Depend was a poor choice of word.

  He held her close, hips to hers, moving with the exotic music. She hoped he would say yes. She didn’t just depend on him; Joslynn cared for him more than she would ever admit aloud.

  His ice blue eye glittered. “I have, but I still do not think choosing me as your husband would benefit your planet.”

  Joslynn gripped his hand harder than she needed to in irritation. “I believe I have done quite well ruling my planet up until now, don’t you?” she snapped.

  Sirus gave her a rare smile. “I concur, Countess.”

  “Don’t sass me.” This male seemed to love nothing more than to rile her up. Sirus had mentioned once how much he loved her temper. “No doubt you’ll tire of my anger,” she muttered.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that.” Sirus held her with a lover’s gentleness. They hadn’t been intimate since his starship, but he reminded her now what that had been like.

  “Then let me decide whether or not you would be a good choice for my planet,” Joslynn groused. It was difficult to keep the irritation from her voice which only annoyed her further. “You are of noble blood and a strong ally. This is one of the best choices available to me.” Just tell him, a small voice inside snapped. Tell him why he should marry you and not all the reasons he would make a good Count.

  The song ended before she could say anything more. Joslynn didn’t feel like another dance. She tugged Sirus towards one of the many couches along the edges of the ballroom. She grabbed champagne and handed him one before she sat. Sirus followed and was careful as he arranged his long limbs. The two of them watched the nobles and courtiers flutter around them.

  “What did you think of Masha’s performance?” she asked.

  The spectacle would be something she’d never forget. Tears had filled Joslynn’s eyes during the transformation from maiden to mother. She would never see such a thing on her own planet. She watched Masha blush as another admirer approached her. Perhaps the Avvis beauty would be willing to perform for her next Winter Solstice celebration. The performance that night had launched the Lady Masha’s career no doubt.

  The way the violet moon had framed her round belly…Joslynn sighed as she thought what it would be like for her own belly to grow and swell – heavy with her first child…

  Sirus cleared his throat awkwardly. “The performance was quite moving,” he admitted. Was he embarrassed?

  “And what do you think of children?” she asked, trying to keep her tone innocent.

  Sirus nearly choked on his champagne and gave her an incredulous look. “I’ve never thought about having my own children,” he finally said. “After I was captured I did not think I would wed let alone procreate.”

  The admission saddened her. Joslynn wished she could erase all the bad from his life, but knew he wouldn’t be the male he was today if she were somehow able to do such a thing. “Well, I believe you can have such things if you want them,” she told him, trying to steer the conversation back to a possible answer.

  Sirus turned to face her fully. “Is this what you truly want?” he asked, gesturing to his ruined face. “I would be gone for months at a time with border patrols and there is a war on the horizon, Joslynn. One day, I might not come back.”

  The gruesome reality was an emotional lashing and it made her flinch. “I’m aware, Sirus.”

  “So, you just want your heir and that’s it?” he demanded.

  Joslynn had known it would come down to this. Sirus needed her to admit there was more than a smart match between them. Why was she so nervous to say how she truly felt after everything they’d been through together?

  “Of course that’s not all I want,” she said, more defensively than she’d intended. “If I have to marry I want it to be with someone I can stand to be in the same room with – for there to be love and affection."

  That was not the right answer. She could see it on his face. He knew she held back. Sirus slowly got to his feet and bowed. “It’s getting late, Countess. Would you mind if I retired for the night?”

  The blood drained from her face and Joslynn felt faint, but she nodded and watched him go. His shoulders were stiff and the crowd parted for him out of fear and healthy caution. She had to fix this before the crack in their relationship widened and became too deep and impassible to mend.

  The music and the people became a dull roar of noise that set her apart as she practically jumped to her feet and ran after Sirus. The male moved fast, and when she burst out of the ballroom into the chilly night air he was gone. There weren’t many places he would disappear to, she just had to think. Where would a male from a border
planet go?

  The second she thought it, she knew where. Joslynn ran through the gardens to the conservatory, earning strange looks from the guards but no one moved to stop her or ask questions. The conservatory was a wonder of glass and wrought iron bent into designs. She waved her palm over the standing pad and the doors unlocked. Joslynn had to actually pull them open as they were programmed to keep the interior temperature precise.

  “Sirus?” she called.

  Scyria was a winter wasteland with no plant life on the surface. It was all below ground and minimal even there among the warmer caverns closer to the core of the planet. Sirus had found her planet calming, the plants and the grass all he’d focused on. Joslynn began to sweat as she walked each aisle, calling for him.

  Maybe she had been wrong; maybe he wouldn’t have come to the conservatory.

  “What do you want, Joslynn?” Sirus asked from behind, his voice flat and uncaring. “I thought you had other nobles to consider for procreation.”

  She whipped around and gripped her necklace, gathering what small shred of courage she had. Joslynn normally had no issue being outgoing, charming, and charismatic. But before her trip with Sirus, marriage was simply another business deal. Now a marriage had the possibility to mean so much more and it frightened her. She had love within her grasp and it would be so easy for it to be ripped away from her.

  “I want you to say you’ll marry me,” she said, standing up as tall as she could and throwing her shoulders back with false bravado. “Not because it would be a smart match – though we both know it would – but because the time we spent together has shown me how much I care for you, no matter how stubborn or self-deprecating you can be.” Joslynn glared at him, daring him to contradict her.

  Sirus studied her with a blank face. “Stubborn, eh?”

  “Yes,” she snapped. “You love to fight me on every single suggestion, it’s beyond aggravating.”

  “Too stubborn to spend three centuries with?” he asked, taking a step closer.

  Too late, she realized the trap she’d fallen into. Joslynn stepped back and felt the brush of leaves against her bare skin. The warmth of the conservatory had sweat dripping down her spine and her hands were clammy. “No,” she finally managed. “Someone needs to stand up to me every once in a while.”

  “As an equal?” Sirus pressed, reaching for her.

  The cutouts in her dress gave him too much access, access to her skin she wished he would take advantage of. “As an equal in all but rank in the Pedranus rule,” she admitted. “If I were to die my heir would inherit, not you.”

  Sirus nodded. “As expected.” He pulled her towards him by her hips and Joslynn didn’t resist. “So, you care for me then? I’m more than my ability to produce noble heirs?” His ice blue eye flashed and she almost swore he was teasing her.

  “Yes, you great lout. Now will you marry me or not?” Joslynn pushed back on his chest so she could look up and see his face. If he said no…

  “I suppose I could marry you,” he said, a corner of his mouth quirking up in a smile.

  Joslynn moved to smack his shoulder but he caught her hand and used her momentum to his advantage. He tugged her forward to take her mouth with his. She gasped at the fierce possessiveness, the passion, and the love in that kiss. “I want to hear you say the words,” he said against her lips.

  The way he held her, how he kissed her – he made it easy for her to say. “I love you, Sirus, and I want to spend the rest of my cycles with you.”

  The raw emotion on his face made her knees go weak and Joslynn held on to him for dear life. “I think I’ve loved you since the first time we met,” Sirus told her, touching her red hair with reverence. “I’ve never seen one person with so much fire in my life. You make me want to live, not simply exist.” He kissed her again while she still reeled from his confession. The sweetness of it made her heart ache and the taste of mint on his tongue made her hungry for more.

  The tenderness quickly turned to something darker, something hungrier. Sirus held on to her like a man starved. His tongue caressed hers, tickled her lips, and suggested wicked ideas. He tasted sharp and delicious. Joslynn couldn’t help her moan as his large hands gripped her bare waist. She ran her hands up his muscled chest and enjoyed the feel of his flesh under the fabric of his uniform.

  “You’re so beautiful, Joslynn. So utterly entrancing,” he rumbled against her lips.

  Joslynn wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him slow, soft, and languidly. She lost herself in the taste of him, in his wild scent and felt like she could kiss him forever until he swept her off her feet and then cradled her against his chest, never once breaking their kiss. “I don’t know if we should continue here,” he finally managed. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to hold back.”

  Joslynn looked into his ice blue eye, their foreheads touching. She didn’t give a damn about the location. She only wanted him, however she could get him and she wouldn’t wait. “Then don’t,” she whispered. “Everyone will be in the ballroom until dawn.”

  The sudden flare of heat in his eye made her glad he supported her weight. Joslynn wasn’t sure she could stand on her own as she melted against him.

  “You’re sure?” he asked.

  She answered him with a kiss, feeling the passion rise as her breath became ragged. Sirus carried her to a grassy knoll and laid her down with so much devotion. Joslynn reached up for the clasp of her dress. With a simple flick of her nail the dress tumbled to her waist, exposing her completely to the thick, warm air of the conservatory. Sirus drew in a sharp breath as he took her in.

  The gentle touch of his hand to her bare waist made Joslynn shiver. She let him look and touch and admire as she reached for the buttons of his jacket. She peeled it back once it hung open. Her fingers trailed over his shoulders lightly and Sirus bent to kiss her neck. The heat between her legs nearly burned. The pulsing ache was almost too much to bear, but Joslynn wanted to take her time and fully enjoy the massive male before her.

  Joslynn traced the scar tissue down his neck with her tongue, gently scraping her nails over his back. It incited the reaction she wanted. Sirus bent further and left a trail of kisses from her neck to her collarbone, down to the small curve of her breast and the hard, pink nipple there. When he flicked his tongue over the peak she gasped and her hands spasmed on his back with pleasure.

  The attentions he gave made her instantly wet and ready. But he wasn’t nearly undressed enough. Joslynn managed to gather enough sense to work the clasp on the waistband of his pants. With a flick the fabric parted to reveal a very hard, thick cock. Sirus groaned against her breast when she encircled him with her hand. With a little push she had him on his back and right where she wanted him.

  Joslynn bent and wrapped her mouth around him, slowly taking his whole length into her mouth, working him with her hand while she did so. Sirus shook under her gentle touch and it made her want him even more until the ache was nearly unbearable. She could feel how wet she was, just from the taste of his hard length.

  “Joslynn, stop,” Sirus pleaded, pulling her up. “I’m not ready to be finished.” The warrior took her mouth with his and then rolled her underneath him.

  His broad shoulders encased her and made her feel protected and loved. Joslynn stared up into his gorgeous eyes – one perfect and one shattered. His face was all the more beautiful for the scar marring its symmetry. She caressed the mark lovingly and sighed. “I love every part of you.”

  The unshed tears in his good eye made her heart swell with a painful, loving ache. She held him close and Sirus wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight enough she couldn’t easily move. Not that she would want to when she felt one hand slide down to tug up her skirts. The head of his cock against her entrance made her eyes roll back into her head with pleasure.

  “Sirus,” she murmured, digging her fingernails into his back. He arched at the pain and pressed the length of his cock into her, filling her in one smooth motion. She stre
tched to accommodate him and gasped at the intense pleasure of it. “Yes.”

  He pulled out slowly, teasing her as he stared deep into her soul. Joslynn couldn’t look away from the storm she saw in the icy blue depths. His eye was so light it nearly glowed. She held on desperately as he stroked back into her, gently but with determination. She took all of him, her hips rising to meet his as the tempo increased. All the while he kissed her slowly and sweetly.

  Joslynn couldn’t speak, she couldn’t think as she was stretched and filled with pleasure so intense she threw her head back. Sirus wrapped his large hand around the back of her neck and took her as he rode them both hard. The feeling grew until she thought her skin would burst.

  Her nails scored his back and she moaned his name onto his lips, tasting him. Her pleasure crested and Joslynn cried out. It was too much for him, and with a final thrust Sirus buried his face into her neck, muffling the roaring growl as he came. She shuddered and pulsed around him, milking every last drop from his cock, and his orgasm only continued hers until she could barely breathe.

  Joslynn collapsed and Sirus laid them both gently on the silky grass that reminded her so much of home. He kissed her adoringly, little brushes of his lips against her eyelids, her nose, her temples, the corners of her mouth. She smiled as she held him close and listened to his promises.

  “Now that you have me, you can’t get rid of me,” Sirus rumbled into her hair.

  Joslynn laughed and snuggled into him. “Good, you big brute.” He was anything but as a lover. She adored that about him. “I don’t want you going anywhere.”

  Sirus stroked her hair as they enjoyed the full, purple moon of Mala in the night sky above them. The glittering of stars and the purple glow helped her forget about the recent horrors. Joslynn let herself enjoy this moment and the way Sirus’s strong body felt against hers as he held her tight.