“Kiss it,” he begged. Jenna puckered her lips around him. He stopped swaying and began thrusting the tip in her mouth. At first it was shallow but the more excited he became, the deeper he tried to plunge. She lifted her hands to his thick shaft, partly to stroke him, partly to keep him from choking her.
Both hands found her head. She sucked harder. He jerked, finding release into her mouth. Rafe let go of her head and joined her on the shower floor. Kneeling, he cupped her face and leaned in to kiss her.
A loud knock sounded, and Rafe pulled way before their lips could meet. His eyes flashed as he looked toward the door. He stood, helping her to her feet. “Are you expecting someone?”
“Who would I be expecting?” Jenna asked. “Though the queen did say something about a dressmaker.
The knock sounded again, louder and faster.
“It’s my brother,” Rafe stated.
“How do you know?”
“I’d know his irritation anywhere.” Rafe gave a small laugh and moved as if to answer the door naked.
“Hide.” Jenna grabbed his arm and stopped him.
“Excuse me?”
“Hide.” She pulled him toward the bed. “Get under the bed.”
Rafe grinned in amusement as he went to obey.
“One moment please,” Jenna yelled. She looked at her dirty Earth clothes on the floor and kicked them aside. Hurrying to the bed, she pulled off the top covers and wrapped them around her body. Rafe’s hand came out from underneath to caress her ankle. She lightly kicked him off. His laugh sounded, and she leaned over to whisper. “Be quiet.”
“As m’lady so decrees,” he whispered back.
Jenna wrapped the covers around her like a dress. She pushed her wet, messy hair behind her shoulders and went to the door. Rafe was right. It was her guardian.
“Hi, sorry, I was not sure how to shut off the shower.” Jenna tried to act innocent.
Ivar held a stack of clothing. He stepped into the room and placed them on a wooden chair. “I was told you need the services of a dressmaker. Until it can be arranged, I brought you these.” Next he moved to the shower cat and pulled its paw. The water stopped raining, and the shower began the retraction process. “Do you require anything else, m’lady?”
“No, thank you,” Jenna said. She purposefully did not look toward the bed and kept her eyes on Ivar.
“There is a feast tonight in honor of your coming.” He lifted is hand to gesture to the button the queen showed her. “Press here if you need assistance.”
“I will. Thank you.” Jenna forced a smile and waited for him to leave.
“Rafe, make sure she makes it to the feast on time,” Ivar commanded.
Jenna held her breath.
“Yes, brother,” Rafe answered just as loudly.
Jenna closed her eyes and didn’t move.
“If he bothers you, scream and I will come,” Ivar said. She heard the door close behind him.
Jenna remained with her eyes closed.
“Lady Jenna?” Rafe called playfully. “How long would you like me to remain in hiding?”
“You suck at being discreet,” she mumbled. Then louder, she added, “I thought I told you to be quiet.”
“It’s dusty down here,” he complained.
“That’s your punishment for scaring me.” Jenna went to examine her new wardrobe. The gown looked like a simpler version of the queen’s—bodice with laces, long skirt, capped sleeves. The second dress was more of a white frock. Opting for the more comfortable version, she pulled it over her head.
“What if I apologized? I came in from a run and thought I heard you in danger, but I was mistaken. Then I saw you and… What are you doing?”
“You were the danger. I thought you were going to eat me.” She smoothed down the gown and crossed to where the toiletry items were hidden in the wall cupboard.
Rafe slid his head and shoulders out from under the bed. He grinned. “I was going to eat you but we were interrupted.”
“You know what I mean.” Jenna grabbed a handle-less brush and set to work on her hair, anything to keep her hands busy. “I’m talking about the first time you came in here.”
“The first time?” His grin held a few moments before falling. He pushed out from under the bed and moved toward her. When she didn’t stop brushing, Rafe took her wrist and forced him to look at her. “What do you mean the first time?”
“The first time,” she stated. She forced her wrist from his hold and finished brushing her hair. She pulled a little too hard and fast while trying not to look at the fact he was still delectably naked. “When you came in here, cornered me in the shower and then ran out only to come back in seconds later and stalk around the room.”
Rafe looked around the room as if something might materialize. “Jenna, that wasn’t me. Why would you think I came in here?”
“You transform into a black jaguar.”
“I’m what you call a black panther.”
“Black panther is a catch-all term for several types of cats with black fur. In America—”
“You’re saying you thought you saw me twice?” Rafe stiffened. “I’m not the only one with black fur. It’s a common trait amongst the Var.”
“That wasn’t you?” Jenna dropped the brush. “You’re serious. That wasn’t you. Then who was it? Why did they want to hurt me?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he smelled your, ah, scent like I did and couldn’t resist coming in?”
“No. If it wasn’t you playing around, then I’m pretty sure that cat wanted me dead. I don’t know why it stopped unless he heard you coming.” Jenna’s heart started to pound, and she felt lightheaded.
“No one will harm you.” Rafe sounded so sure of that fact. “I will find who threatened you and they will have to answer for it. Until then palace guards will be placed in the hall outside your chambers, and I will not leave your side.”
“You plan on staying in this room with me?”
“Or we can move to my chambers.” He touched her damp hair. “You are my bride.”
Jenna shook her head in denial.
“You are very contrary,” he said in frustration. “I know you feel us.”
“And you are a hardheaded pain in the ass. All you think about is getting married. Have you actually thought about what it would be like to actually be married?”
Rafe looked at the bed and grinned.
Jenna hit him on the chest. “Relationships are complicated and take work. We don’t know each other. What job will I have? Will we want children? If we have children how will we raise them? Do we have the same values? How will we live? How—”
Rafe placed his fingers over her mouth and slowly shook his head. “You think too much. Your job will be as a princess. Of course, we will have children. We will raise them as our children. I value you, and we will live as husband and wife. These are not complicated questions.”
He seemed so sure. Jenna didn’t know if she wanted to hit him or kiss him. She pressed her palms to her closed eyes. “You are so frustrating.”
“And you are stubborn.”
Jenna dropped her hands. “I’m hungry. When is this feast happening?”
“Put the rest of your dress on and I’ll take you.” He pointed in one direction. “Ivar is that way.” He pointed the other direction. “My chambers are just down the hall. I’m going to dress and come back for you. If you scream, I’ll hear it. If you whisper, I’ll hear it. No one will hurt you. I swear my life on it.”
“Thank you,” Jenna said as he opened the door to go.
“You are welcome, m’lady.” He shut it firmly behind him.
“But you’re still a pain in the ass,” she mumbled.
Rafe’s laughter sounded outside the door before fading as he moved down the hall.
Chapter 14
“It cannot be a coincidence that someone threatens Lady Jenna the first moment she is alone.” King Ainmire studied his sons. The sound of the dining hall filtered thr
ough his office door, and he moved to shut the noise out. A low fire burned, casting orange light over black shadows. Ivar sat before the fire, an ankle resting on his knee. He seemed more interested in the fire than the conversation, but Rafe knew his brother considered everything.
Rafe had left Jenna with his mother, overlooking the gathered crowd. Nothing would happen to her in such a public place. Even so, he wanted to go back to her side.
“And you’re sure no one followed you in the forest?” The king leaned against the mantel to face his sons.
“No one,” Ivar stated.
Rafe stood behind a chair, resting his arms on the back. He dropped his eyes to the empty seat cushion. “My thoughts were occupied elsewhere, but I did not detect a threat.”
“I knew the Nutef faction was becoming more vocal but I did not imagine they would dare to try anything in our home. This goes too far. It is one thing to kidnap a Draig princess, but another to threaten a royal Var ward.” The king’s face shifted partially into his tiger form in his anger. “Why can’t they see we opened the portal to help the people? Our ancestors mated with humans. They are the perfect vessels to carry our children.”
“They claim it was the human-shifter mating that drove us from the Earth,” Rafe said.
“Rewriting history to fit your doctrine does not make it true,” the king interjected.
“They gain more support,” Ivar said. “They are no longer content to preach against cat-dragon marriage. The old stories still linger in the villages. People fear the human world. We have seen this world, father. It is chaotic. Culturally, humans are still children. Maybe it is their shorter life spans. They have little time before the next generation takes over.”
“Our people fear them only because they don’t understand them,” Rafe said. “The humans are not children. They are just different than we are. It does not make them better or worse.”
“Have you seen them in their revelry? Puking on their streets? Drunken fools fighting and preening?” Ivar gave a short, humorless laugh. “They have plenty women but the good ones are rare. We have been where the unmarried gather to find mates. Sadly, I think those women even understand they can never be royalty. I tell them I am a draqueen, and they instantly go in search of other mates. It is a wonder they manage to perpetuate a culture at all. Their process is barbaric. They even finger shackle each other because their bonds are not strong enough to radiate for all to see.”
“Fear is born of ignorance,” the king stated. “But we will not change Nutef opinions with a couple marriages. It will take time to prove there is nothing to fear from human wives. If the human armies try to march through the portal—if they can even find the way in—then we kill them as they come through, one by one. If by some fluke they make it across, then they will have to fight through dragon territory before reaching us. Our people have nothing to fear.”
“The sooner more women are brought through, the better it will become.” Rafe thought of the way he felt when he was with Jenna. Nothing about that could be evil or wrong. “They’ll see their fears are unfounded. They’ll see the happiness of mated couples.”
“Happiness in mating? What did those humans do to my son?” the king teased. Rafe ignored him.
“That plan might prove challenging,” Ivar said, sharing a look with his father.
“Why?” Rafe straightened and crossed his arms over his chest.
“The Draig have proposed we only go through the portal on the night of darkness.” They wish to make it a sacred celebration and the only time men can find mates.” King Ainmire’s eyes flashed and remained shifted.
“But that is only once a year,” Rafe said. With three suns, their planet was always cast in light except for the one night of darkness a year. “Why would we limit our search to one night?”
“Control over the portals,” Ivar said. “To keep people from sneaking through like the one who kidnaped Princess Eve.”
“Refuse the proposal.” Rafe crossed over to the door and pulled it open a crack to listen to the hall before shutting it again. Jenna was safe. “Think of how many trips it took me to find Lady Jenna, how many places we traveled. If we only go once a year…”
“The odds are not in our favor,” Ivar finished.
“I fear we might not have much of a choice. These things have to be handled carefully. Being far away from the portal gave our people safety from any potential human invasions, but it also gave the dragon’s control over it. We can’t risk them locking us out or trapping us on the other side.” The king leaned his head back and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “The Draig are our allies. We have no reason to doubt their intentions, but I have the Var future to think about. I will let them know I do not like the idea of limiting portal travel to one night. The need is too great.”
“It’s a bad idea for both peoples—cat and dragon,” Rafe said. “One by one is hard enough. We need more women.”
“I am not sure what to think of your sudden passion on the matter,” the king said, “but if this is Lady Jenna’s influence than I welcome it. You have bowed out of Var politics for too long.”
“We can’t very well grab a bunch of females and let them loose in hopes that they find a mate,” Ivar said. “But I also don’t like the idea of my future being in the hands of the dragons’ fears. I don’t want to see the portals closed or limited, but should that happen we need an alternate plan. I say we more actively pursue offworld relations.”
“The Draig do not want more aliens coming here,” Rafe said. He would naturally do his duty by his family, but the dragons were his friends. He had grown up running the forests with Prince Finn. “They make valid points, too. We have lived centuries in peace because we kept to ourselves.”
“We won’t make an issue out of it, at least for now.” The king straightened. “But I agree, we will continue to encourage interplanetary relations. I met the queen in such a way. If we are lucky, the Nutef faction will die out because they refuse to take non-shifter wives.”
Ivar chuckled.
“Until then, they are a threat,” Rafe insisted.
“Lady Jenna will be protected,” the king assured him. “And we will find the man responsible for threatening her.”
Chapter 15
Jenna’s smile was frozen on her face. She knew she must look like a crazy person, knew her eyes were too wide and her gestures too measured. How could they not be? She was eating on a freaking stage like a sideshow curiosity. The only thing missing from her personal zoo exhibit was steel bars, manmade rock landscape, and a sign that read, “Jenna Kearney, Homo sapiens, Earth. Please do not feed the animals. They are on special diets.”
She tried to focus on anything but the numerous eyes staring at her. Like the rest of the palace, white gauze strung over the red stone walls. Arched windows let light into the room, revealing the long stretch of landscape below. They were on the fifth story overlooking the front yard and forest. A low blue sun rested above the tree line, which made staring in that direction hard.
Tables were set around the hall, below the stage she was on. The queen roamed the floor, making the rounds to talk to her subjects. The low murmur of voices surrounded her but did not engage her. Jenna eyed the door where Rafe disappeared with his brother and father. The only ones who approached were servants who placed small trays of food in front of her. She ate because she was starving after a breakfast of berries in the forest. There were various meats and fruits, a blue-tinted bread, and a pasty substance that smelled like uncoated vitamins and tasted like what she imagined to be moist cattle feed.
When the food was cleared, and she was still left sitting alone, Jenna tried to keep smiling. After many long, uncomfortable minutes, she finally decided to excuse herself. She stood slowly, intent on making her way to the door. The second she was on her feet, ready to step down, the gathered crowd stopped talking amongst themselves and turned their full attention to her.
Jenna froze. They all watched her, expect
antly. The queen straightened from where she leaned over a table and tilted her head.
“Ah, thank you for a lovely meal,” Jenna said, her words quiet. She cleared her throat. “You have a lovely, ah, palace.”
They continued to stare.
“I like…” Jenna glanced around, not finding anything to help her with her unprepared speech. “Liked the bread. It was good. Excuse me.”
She awkwardly bowed her head and walked quickly to the door. Once she was out of the dining hall, she jogged to the enclosed stairwell and made her way to the fourth floor to find her guest suite. Shutting herself inside, she leaned against the door and took a deep breath.
Tog-tog was draped over the back of the couch, it’s fur not moving. Apparently, the rug monster liked being her roommate.
“I liked the bread it was good?” She smacked her palm against her head.
“Lady Jenna?” She heard her name before a loud knock sounded at the door. “M’lady?”
Jenna suppressed a groan and moved to pull open a door. The man wore a Var shirt with an embroidered cat emblem on the chest. Rafe had told her it was the symbol of the palace guard. “Yes?”
“I am Hector, m’lady. Prince Rafe ordered me to stand guard until the threat has passed. Are you in any danger within your chambers?” The guard had the kind of militant expression that said he took his job very seriously. Considering what his job entailed that was most likely a good thing.
Jenna needlessly looked over her shoulder and then back at him. She shook her head in denial. “No. I don’t think so.”
“May I enter on the prince’s command?” Hector insisted.
Jenna vaguely wondered what he’d do if she refused. Instead, she opened the door wider and let him inside. As Hector searched the suite, she stayed by the open door. Another guard waited in the hall. She gave him a tight smile, and he bowed in her direction, “m’lady,” before stiffly resuming his post. Neither man appeared threatening or aggressive, but she watched them carefully. The silence felt awkward, but she didn’t know what to say to start a conversation with the men.
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