That was a bit encouraging. "How old are you?"
"I have lived forty-four years."
Geesh. Longer than I have. He had to be loyal. Or low-caste to be held under his mother's paw. And after the way he thought only of mating, that's one impressive paw. I don't want to be an evil queen who chained my sons to celibate service. I curled my fingers around his palm and laid back. "Nap with me?"
He crawled along the length of my body and stretched out, never relinquishing my gaze.
There was no doubting he felt something for me. The fact we wore our clothes and just rested at the moment stood for something besides Aisling is merely a sex toy.
A knock rattled at the door.
Borun shot me a smile. "Now you will meet my Aunt Morna. She raised me, Aisling, until I was old enough to ride a war beast and join my half brothers in the Royal Guard. And she is the only female aside from my mother and mate who has looked upon my face."
"Alright." I sat up and prepared to meet my first Luvk female who wasn't a queen. I think. She was a queen's sister. "Does she wield as much power as your mother?"
Borun almost buckled at the waist and placed a finger against my lips. "She is low-caste," he whispered. "Say nothing of the sort. Please." He hopped to his feet and trotted to the door.
Effortlessly in that black leather. God I loved to look at his body too much.
The light ushered in a woman who stood about my height. She had long loose black hair hanging down to her hips. Her clothing was a long straight black leather skirt and a white blouse with long flowing sleeves, the hem tucked into the skirt, the shirt fashioned from something that had to be similar to cotton by the lightness of the material.
Her glowing amber gaze locked upon mine.
That was all I could make out of her features aside from her black silhouette the sunlight presented to me.
Borun took her elbow and led her quick strides toward me.
Crap. I sprawled upon the bed like a brood mare. I shoved up to look her in the eye. After all, she knew more about this world than I could ever hope to understand. And she'd raised Borun. She had to hold quite a bit of rank being the Queen's sister. The last thing I wanted was to look like a womb and vagina.
The door snapped shut, blocking the blinding light.
Firelight began to paint Morna's features as she stepped into the soft amber dome cast by the hearth. She had thin black stripes like delicate tattoos filled in with orange on her face. Combined with those golden eyes, she looked downright sinister.
Taking caution with her would save my ass. But she was my gateway into the village if what Borun said was true about her. If I could ask her for anything. And I'd have to begin soon.
Morna halted a step away, looked up into Borun's gaze, and patted his cheek. "You will have beautiful younglings, Borun." Her gaze slid back to capture mine. "I am Morna, the most fortunate female in all of Luvk for the ancients have sent me a vision in my dreams. I saw you coming. To my Borun. And I knew you would bring us peace."
Oh shit.
A chill gripped my body.
"When I held him as a youngling, he seemed so determined to make the others treat each other well." Morna pointed toward the door. "And then I heard you defy my sister and the other Queens before their guards upon your arrival when you told them you wouldn't follow their rules."
Another chill wormed across my skin beneath every stitch of my clothing.
Morna patted Borun's upper arm.
Apparently, aunties can touch warriors all they want.
"And Lord Borun chose you the finest of the guards from the seven realms. You have come to save us." She clutched her hands together. "Tell me how I can help you unite the clans."
How? Words escaped me at the woman's confession.
My knees wobbled.
Borun caught my elbow. "Morna, please. You've tied her tongue."
"Oh forgive me. Where are my wits today? But I couldn't help but blurt my mind after she rode that war beast over the palisade with you, my dearest Lord. And before all the people. They speak of nothing else. Nothing but you taking a mate at long last. And nothing but her beauty and determination to stand steadfast against tradition."
Borun just smiled sweetly at her.
Auntie Morna was obviously dear to him. Probably because she'd been the one constant throughout his childhood. His social mother. And she still saw him as her prized child regardless of the fact he towered over the largest Royal Guards of the seven realms.
"Come now, Morna. Sit by the fire and introduce yourself." He led her to the hearth where she stood while he collected her some flat square pillows.
Okay. Let's try this again. I walked to her side and extended a palm for shaking. "It's nice to meet you."
She stared at my hand a moment then took it. "Is this a tradition from your home world?"
I took her palm, gripped it for a shake with mine, and squeezed to follow through with the greeting. "Yes. We introduce ourselves this way. Males and females."
"Oh," she gasped and reciprocated with a hardy shake. "Tell me more about this place of peace."
Now how to break it to her that there rarely was peace on Earth?
Borun tossed a pillow on the ground for each of us and descended onto one himself where he proceeded to study our conversation.
Fine. I'll indulge his aunt. I descended.
Morna followed.
The woman was obviously absorbed in politics. And Earth had plenty of that to keep her entertained. "My planet is called Earth."
Morna nodded with enthusiasm. "This I have learned from the Royal Guards. They speak of it often because of your language which is now the language of the Royal Guards."
"Well, do they know Earth history?"
"No. But you can teach us so we will learn to live as people on your home world."
That's so not what I wanted to hear. "But your culture has value. It exists on its own by its own rules. And it's your heritage. You should embrace this heritage. It is your legacy."
Morna's brow furrowed. "But we do not live in peace. You saw the fools from other realms try to steal you away from Borun in his very own Starry Sky realm as if he couldn't protect you on the soil of his birth."
"But it's not my way to change people. I can offer suggestions of how you can live in peace. But I don't want to change you. Don't you enjoy what it is to be Luvk?"
* * * *
The conversation had gone in an unexpected direction for Borun where he sat watching his mate and aunt. But Aisling's replies and heartfelt expressions meant she spoke honestly and with integrity, he mused. How in the stars did she fall into my lap when nothing but trouble came through that portal?
"Tell me of ways to live in peace then," Morna insisted.
I should have realized Morna would drill Aisling for information. The clans had spoken of new ways to reduce the tension between them for centuries. But with all the unmated nobles squabbling for mates, it was impossible to keep dissention from ruining any progress to unite the realms.
"There are many ways to bring regions together. Many failed through time though. The process by which one fix works the best is one that requires constant maintenance. You must have supervisors and people willing to accept change. And that's the ultimate crux of the problem on my home world. Humans fear change. So, we rarely live in peace."
Maybe Morna was right. Something from Earth might give them a new way to keep the peace among the realms. Only then would we unite to stop the sky demon raids. "Aisling?"
She turned her sweet face to me.
What then is the root of all evil on Earth? "You say there are no queens on Earth?"
"Just one who rules a country that I can think of. A realm, I mean. It's near my realm but separated from the United States by an enormous ocean. But there could be more queens. I wasn't very interested in nobility back in school. I had more fun studying ruins and bones."
"Only one queen?" Morna gasped. "That's why there is no peace on E
arth. She rules all the realms the way my sister would! See, Borun, your mate knows many things."
Aisling's gaze squeezed halfway shut as if she suddenly learned I doubted her.
"I never said you knew nothing, little one. I met you three days ago. I haven't been away from you long enough to speak with anyone about you. So, please bear with me as I attempt to speak around a rambling old woman."
Morna started to cackle.
"Kings ruled in my world more than queens ever had the chance," Aisling announced. "It's like a natural order of things even though we females hate to admit that. But males didn't have to stay home and nurse babies. Throw in they had to fight for what they wanted plus their larger builds and you can see kings tended to be in control more than queens."
"Like in ancient times," Morna blurted. "Listen to her, Borun."
As if I don't know the histories. "But those days were so long ago. And the Queens will not be happy to hear us speak of this."
"Kings ruled when the sky demons found our world," Morna countered.
She forgot the most important fact. "And the Kings lost most of what we had to those sky demons. It's the Queens who kept our society together."
"Oh?" Aisling glanced between Morna and I, finally studying me with those blue eyes. "Things were very different when the Slakens discovered your world? Since that's why I'm here, I'm ready to hear the stories."
She would. I brought Morna into meet my mate. And now my mate is corrupted with tales of old. "They can wait until tomorrow. Today you will rest." But soon we would discuss these options so someone was ready to implement a new method of uniting the realms when the time presented itself.
* * * *
Aisling stood next to the five chests of gifts sent by the Queens. And wondered what to do about refusing them. If Borun thought I was going to just dig through the chests of loot, he was insane. "I don't want dowries for my guardsmen to come and bust their asses guarding me. It's bad enough I have to keep a harem. But the Queens don't have to pay me to keep them! They'll work off their keep just doing their jobs."
Borun nodded thoughtfully. "But would you risk insulting our traditions? Save the guards the disgrace and humbly tuck their gifts away. These warriors are legends among the seven realms. Treat them with the respect they are due."
I didn't want to look like a queen. All these gemstone studded belts and black leather reeked Queen. But I can't insult them. "Are you certain these guards weren't among the crazy ones out to capture me?"
"Yes, Aisling. I know every warrior by his stripes and mask. Even their mounts are easy to recognize. You can trust your guards."
Well, when in Rome. But Classical archaeology just wasn't that interesting. I flipped a trunk's lid open and stared at the rim of a golden bowl slightly exposed among the leather wrapping the glinting yellow metal. "So they gift me all these precious things when they should be using their wealth to fund their defenses."
"You're thinking again, little one." He slid a hand around my waist and pulled me under his python arm.
The room shrank, becoming very cozy.
Way too warm and fuzzy. No, he wouldn't change my train of thought with an intoxicating embrace. I stared into his golden eyes. "These gifts are wasted on me. The money should be used to strengthen relations between your clans."
His palm slid down my side to my squeeze my ass. "The wealth is doing that. Wedding gifts strengthen clan ties. Accept them."
How could a girl argue when her big sexy hunk of man meat was gripping her ass? "But it feels so frivolous. So wasteful. I am here to help. Not to hinder."
He groaned and took my elbow, leading me back to the bathing pool.
Not sex again. "Borun, this isn't something you can just make disappear with mating!"
"Although I told you Royal Guards only think about sex, I'm not at the moment." He ushered me through the darker room, around the glowing pool, into the back wall which wasn't a wall at all because he opened a door.
Proy stood on the other side, apparently guarding the door opposite a bed covered in someone's sleeping skins.
Like I want to come face to face with one of my harem near his bed.
?
Chapter Twelve
Proy nodded at them in a shaft of sunlight cutting through the dark living area between Aisling's tall bodyguard mate and where Proy stood. The shadowy space fluttered with movement as the other Royal Guards crawled out of the woodwork.
Oy! There was just nothing worse than having a harem forced on you, she thought.
"Gather around the table," Borun commanded.
And his men followed orders while his python arm nudged me toward the descending warriors. The door swung wide at the end of the space, producing the black and white Mart in his mask. He saw me and whipped off the horrid armor--mask.
Apparently, he'd been guarding the door. Borun must have commanded him inside with mindspeak.
"Aisling has issue with wedding gifts. She says they are wasted on her and should be used to unite the clans."
Geesh, give him an inch and he conquers the world. "I don't want to insult anyone." She scanned the raised black eyebrows around the room.
Something told me that these men weren't going to agree with my perspective. Borun really was onto something in selecting the most intimidating males for consort service.
"They are uniting the clans, Aisling," Mart stated.
So the scholar agreed with Borun or felt comfortable enough stating his viewpoint. And I didn't want to debate the point with six over-sized males. Okay, maybe Mart was a good half a foot shorter. But I'm certain his brains made up for his lack of height.
"I understand that point as well as Borun has informed me I'm insulting you all by refusing the gifts. But my intention is to direct funds where they will be utilized the best. And I'm not a queen. I don't need to stroll the village walks in grandeur. I just need food and a dry place to sleep." Okay, make that safe dry place to sleep.
Lehd leaned back against the wall near the window at the table. "Aisling, don't you think it wise to appear to follow tradition until you have learned what you need to know to unite the seven realms?"
Is everyone going to nag me about uniting the clans? I rolled my gaze to Borun's. "Is Morna rallying the troops?"
His lips split into a sparkling grin. "I'd say yes, but you're the one who stood up before the Queens and said you'd come to aid us in ending the sky demon raids. How can you do that if you break with Luvk tradition? A few gifts are harmless. Use them to feign compliance." He drew my side against his. "Tell the warriors about the queen in your world and about how she doesn't control all the realms."
Not again. "Does anyone on this planet think of anything else?"
"We don't know, Aisling," Lehd said. "We haven't heard yet."
Oh, was he being a smart ass? His gaze followed me like a lovesick puppy though. Nothing was coming off cocky from him. I suppose just admitting how things differ politically on Earth will get me out of this situation. I sank onto the empty wooden chair in front of me at the wooden table.
All eyes in the room followed my descent.
But those eyes didn't widen beyond belief when I said mostly kings ran the countries of my home world in history. These Luvk warriors leaned into the declaration wholeheartedly.
Borun stepped up to press an encouraging knee into my shoulder blade and pat my shoulder. "Now, little one, tell us about your realm's king or queen."
The fact of my reality seemed to be one of political badgering. I was the badgered. The only way I could save myself was to come clean with the goods. I studied each warrior with a second of respect and looked up at Borun. "There are no kings, queens, or noble sons in my realm."
Borun's smile twisted into his left cheek. "And how do they manage that, little one?"
"A long time ago, peasants were starving and their nobles couldn't feed them. So, the poor rebelled. This was after a religious movement that sent people into the unknown, across an ocean, to fi
nd a new place to live and follow their beliefs. Both events brought together ideas that the poor lower class people no longer wished to be controlled by their royalty. So, they found a new land, the land of my realm, where they created a place without kings and queens. They use a group of elected officials to decide what the group should do about problems." Hopefully that was basic enough to get the point across without stirring up too many questions.
Mart stirred to life. "You say these officials find ways to solve problems? How do they go about finding resolutions?"
Oy! It's going to be a long afternoon. "It's complicated because the way they are voted into power creates animosity among regions in my realm. And there's a person selected to represent the realm. Although, the person doesn't have the authority of a king or queen, the representative often appears to hold the same rank. It's hard to explain given you haven't thought of this before. But many men and women serve in two councils to see the people are represented. In doing so, they just don't seem to get much accomplished-in my mind. But I'm an anthropologist and rarely does anyone understand what I see. They feel anthropological perspectives oppose their own and decide they're threatening. So, I study history."
"What is an anthropologist?" Lehd asked.
Well, he managed to listen even though he was drowning in a pool of puppy love. "The term for those on my home world who study people in the sense of culture."
The warriors shot confused gazes between themselves but let the foggy issue die. Apparently, the clinical terms of science weren't part of the English they knew.
"Culture is leaders, wise men, children, weapons, homes, hairstyles, clothing, songs, stories, beliefs, rules, masks… Culture is everything that a group of people shares, including the thoughts about things you can touch. It is essentially what it is to be Luvk."
Feral Fever Page 12
