“Oh, of course!” Lemesh exclaimed. “I am light sensitive myself, you know. I’m sure I have an extra pair of blockers…”
She ran to the back of her shop and returned with a strange contraption which looked like a long, rounded metal wire with a black square attached to either end.
“Look, you wear it like this—if you’d just lean down…” She motioned to Sazar.
The big Kindred leaned over obligingly and Lemesh looped the wire around the back of his neck. Then she brought it up and pressed the black squares together to form a long, dark rectangle which fit over his eyes.
“There—that should work.” She nodded approvingly.
“I thank you,” Sazar rumbled but he was looking at Sarah as he spoke.
“My pleasure,” Lemesh said, smiling.
“Yes, thank you, Lemmy—you’re a lifesaver.” Chandra gave the other girl a hug and they pressed their cheeks together briefly.
“We really do appreciate your help,” Sarah said, smiling at the Alquon girl. Though it was going to be excruciatingly embarrassing to walk out in public completely exposed, the clothier really had done her best for them. She was good at her job—Sarah just hoped she could be as good at hers.
“You’re welcome, my dear.” Lemesh smiled back warmly. “I’ll have the other clothes and the bottle of compound packed up and sent over to your guest quarters.”
“Thank you, Sazar said gravely. “And now it appears the minister is eager for us to go.”
“Yes, yes—hurry up, won’t you?” Obglod exclaimed impatiently. “We cannot keep the Lord Magnate waiting for one moment longer unless you wish us all to be thrown to the grike.”
Sarah wasn’t sure what a grike was and she certainly didn’t want to find out.
“We’d better go,” she said. Waving at Lemesh, she followed Minister Obglod and Chandra out of the small dark shop and back into the brilliant corridor. She immediately wished she’d asked for a pair of the sunglasses herself but it was too late now. They were going to the palace to meet the Alquon ruler and she would be squinting all the way. She was also going to have to fight the urge to cover herself again once they got into public.
God, whoever would have guessed when she took this job that she’d be walking around bare-breasted on an alien planet? What had she gotten herself into?
And yet, when she stole a glance at Sazar, striding along beside her, she couldn’t feel sorry about the strange turn her life had taken…and she also couldn’t help remembering how hot his mouth had felt on her breasts or the intense way he looked at her when he’d sucked them.
Was she falling for the big Kindred?
You’d better not be, whispered a stern little voice in her head. He’s your boss and this is still a professional relationship—don’t forget that, Sarah!
But somehow it was hard to remember when her nipples were still tingling from his mouth and her body was on fire from his touch.
Chapter Eleven
The light blockers helped a lot, though the brilliant radiance still sapped his strength. At least he could see, however—in fact, Sazar had to admit to himself, maybe he could see too well. With the dark lenses shielding his eyes, it was obvious exactly how many males were staring at Sarah in open admiration.
Sazar tried to tell himself that some of their interest in her was doubtless because she was alien to their planet with different skin and hair tones than the Alquons were used to. But some of the attention she was getting was undoubtedly lust.
It’s her breasts, he thought, frowning as the eyes of the Alquon males followed his little human assistant’s every movement. They’re so large—much larger that the Alquon females’ endowments.
In fact, they were larger than he was used to himself—Malinda had been quite small up top. Sazar had loved her to distraction—breast size wasn’t an issue with him. But he had to admit his new assistant’s assets were definitely distracting.
So big and soft and sweet, he couldn’t help thinking. His hands itched to cup them again and he couldn’t help remembering how good her nipples tasted or the soft little moans she made when he sucked them.
The Blood Hunger tortured him and his fangs were long and sharp, longing to pierce her there and drink from an area where only a Pitch-Blood Kindred could call a vein. But he didn’t want to hurt her and there was no doubt taking blood from such a sensitive area would be painful unless he pleasured her first.
Not if she’s your Fated Mate, whispered a little voice in his head. Then it would be nothing but pleasure for her, were you to drink from her breasts or between her thighs.
But Sazar couldn’t take that chance. Fated Mates were rare and his idea that Sarah might be his was probably just wishful thinking.
I can’t drink from her there, he told himself. In fact, I can’t drink from her anywhere for at least a standard week. I’ll just have to keep the Blood Hunger in check and concentrate on doing my job.
And right now his job was to make contact with the ruler of Alquon Ultrea—The Lord Magnate.
“Now you can tell we’re entering the territory around the palace because of the light,” Chandra said, looking back at him and Sarah. She had been playing the tour guide as they moved through the busy tunnels that housed the city streets, pointing out various landmarks, businesses, and the private residences of leading citizens, but Sazar had been paying scant attention to her.
Sarah, however, was looking all around her with wide-eyed awe. Sazar reminded himself that this was the first time she’d been off her own little planet. This was just another diplomatic mission to him but to her, it was all new and fascinating.
“How can we tell? What about the light?” she asked Chandra.
“Well, it’s golden—can’t you tell, my dear?” The Alquon girl’s big purple eyes widened dramatically. “Everything around The Lord Magnate must be golden—even the light. His plates and cups and utensils are all gold.” She dropped her voice. “Some say even the pot he does his business in his gold and I believe it!”
“Wow,” Sarah said. “That’s, uh, really something.”
“Yes, isn’t it?” Chandra giggled. “Now here we are—the Palace of Idd.”
She threw out a hand and Sazar saw that they were indeed approaching a tall structure with many towers and turrets, all of which gleamed in the golden light. They approached a tall gate made of golden bars and two guards dressed in golden armor shaped like interlocking fish scales stopped them.
“Open in the name of Minister Obglod,” the old minister snapped at the guards, who were pointing golden trident-like weapons at him. “The Lord Magnate is expecting us.”
“Yes, Minister.” The tridents were withdrawn and the golden gates opened. Inside Sazar noticed that even the plain path they had been walking on had become gold-plated. He wondered if gold was less rare here than it was in other parts of the universe. There was known to be miniscule amounts of it in the seawater of Earth—perhaps the Alquons had found a way to process the waters of their home world and extract it.
“This is…quite a palace,” he remarked to Minister Obglod as they walked up the solid gold-plated path to the golden castle rising before them.
“Yes, isn’t it? But it’s all the work of the late Lord Magnate—the father of the male who now sits the throne of Idd,” Obglod informed him.
“He was a proud male who sought status above all else,” Chandra said in a low voice. “Nothing like his son who is the soul of sweetness and generosity. Why, he’s always having balls and helping young women find their place in society. He helped me find mine and I’ll always be grateful.” She smiled.
“He sounds really…nice,” Sarah said but Sazar thought there was a peculiar flat tone in her voice. “So do we just go right into the palace to meet him or what?” she asked, motioning to the tall double doors of the castle which were, of course, solid gold.
“One of his Privy Council will be coming out to bring us in and announce us,” Obglod answered. “Ah—here he is
now. Councilor Rando—how nice to see you! Thank you for making our abject apologies to The Lord Magnate for our tardiness.”
“It will cost you later,” said Councilor Rando—a small, oily looking male with a thin face and beady eyes like a weasel’s, Sazar thought. His lank, black, kelp-like hair was greasy, as though it hadn’t been washed in a long while. “So who have you brought to meet The Lord Magnate?” he asked, coming up to Sarah and Sazar. He spoke to Minister Obglod but his eyes were glued to Sarah’s breasts.
“This is Commander Sazar and his pair partner, Sarah,” Obglod said, nodding at them.
“Pleased to meet you both,” Rando said, but he had eyes only for Sarah. “And you, my dear—aren’t you lovely. You have such large…assets.”
He reached out and grasped the golden chain swinging between her breasts. Before Sazar could stop him, he gave the chain a hard tug, eliciting a startled gasp from Sarah who moved at once to get away from him. But she couldn’t get far—she was tethered by the breast chain which Rando still gripped firmly in one hand.
Sazar felt a blinding rage come over him as quickly as though someone had dropped a red curtain across his vision. With a low growl, he caught Councilor Rando’s wrist and squeezed until the weasely little male released his hold on Sarah’s breast chain and shrieked in pain, his face going pasty pale.
“Here now, stop that! What do you think you’re doing?” Minister Obglod exclaimed.
“Sarah is mine.” His words came out in a low, possessive growling tone that was completely different from the calm, diplomatic voice he usually spoke in while on a mission. Part of him knew this wasn’t right—wasn’t the way he ought to handle this situation at all—but Sazar found himself completely beyond reason. A deep, possessive voice inside him insisted that his female was being hurt or molested and he had to put an end to it right now.
“Oh Commander Sazar, please—you’ll break his arm!” Chandra gasped.
“Stop at once! You cannot treat a member of the Privy Council like this,” Obglod declared.
Sazar didn’t give a damn for either of them or for the squealing Rando who’s face had gone a strange mint-green color. He could have broken the male’s wrist or at least several of his fingers and enjoyed it thoroughly but there was one soft voice which got through to him.
“Sazar please,” Sarah pleaded with him. “Please—the mission! Don’t forget our mission.”
That’s right, we’re here on a mission. I must conduct myself professionally…diplomatically.
And the way he was acting right now was anything but diplomatic.
Abruptly he dropped Rando’s wrist and wiped his palm on his robe, feeling he had touched something dirty.
The Privy Councilor whimpered, holding his wounded hand to his skinny chest.
“You cannot do this to me! I am a member of The Lord Magnate’s inner circle! How dare you treat me so?”
“My…apologies,” Sazar said, struggling to keep the angry growl out of his voice. “But you cannot manhandle my mate. Sarah is mine and I will allow no other male to touch her.”
“But tugging on a breast chain is just a standard greeting between a male and a female,” Chandra protested. “It wasn’t as though Councilor Rando bent Sarah over and tried to breed her!”
The very thought of anyone doing such a thing to Sarah brought a fresh rage which Sazar had to struggle to control.
“We didn’t know that,” Sarah said soothingly. “Tugging, uh, someone’s breast chain would be considered extremely rude back on the Kindred Mother Ship or on my planet of Earth.”
“Well you are not on the Kindred ship or on Earth—you are on Alquon Ultrea,” Rando snapped.
“Exactly! And while you are here as my guests, I must insist that you act in a civilized manner!” Obglod exclaimed.
“Agreed.” Sazar straightened his robe, still trying to regain control. “But no other male must touch or approach Sarah. She is mine and I refuse to allow her to be molested, no matter what your customs are here.”
“Molested?” Minister Obglod looked incensed but Chandra stepped up and touched him timidly on the arm.
“It’s all right, Commander Sazar—we can tell how deeply you love your pair partner and I’m sure we can accommodate your customs,” she said quietly. “Just keep Sarah at your back and I’ll walk behind her and run interference to make certain no other male tries to, er, greet her.”
“It’s her breasts,” Rando complained, still nursing his sprained wrist. “Why did you bring a female with such large and enticing breasts if you didn’t intend to let any other male greet her or taste her favors?”
“Taste her favors?” Sazar glared at the other male and the Privy Councilor flinched and edged away from him.
“It’s not an unusual request from one male to another! I don’t know what kind of backward culture you come from but in civilized places males share.”
Sazar frowned. Was this something the Alquons did? Did they trade partners or allow other males to use their females sexually? He had heard of such things happening on Earth but to him the very idea was repugnant. Kindred warriors mated for life and were intensely loyal to the females they claimed. A Kindred would no sooner allow another male to take his female sexually than he would cut off his own hand.
“I repeat,” he growled, glaring at Rando. “Sarah is mine. I refuse to ‘share’ her in any way.”
“Come,” Chandra said, apparently still trying to defuse the situation. “We really must go. The Lord Magnate is still waiting.”
“Go in yourself then,” Rando sneered. “See how far you get without someone to introduce you.”
“But Councilor Rando, you promised you would make the formal introduction of the Commander and his pair partner to the Lord Magnate yourself,” Obglod protested. “You said—”
“That was before I had a broken wrist to deal with,” Rando sniffed. “I must go seek medical attention at once. You are on your own.”
And he spun on his heel and flounced off in a huff.
“Well, now I don’t know what to do!” Obglod exclaimed. “Everything is ruined—just ruined. We cannot appear before The Lord Magnate without a formal introduction and since he’s already expecting us, we will get into terrible trouble when we don’t appear at all. Either way it will be an affront to the palace and we’ll all be thrown to the grike!”
“No, we won’t. Calm down, Minister dear.” Chandra patted his stooped shoulder soothingly. “Everything will be all right.”
“Why can’t we introduce ourselves?” Sarah asked.
“What? Impossible!” Obglod sputtered. “You must be introduced by a person well known to The Lord Magnate.”
“Don’t you know him?” Sazar asked.
“Of course I do! But I am sponsoring you.” Obglod wrung his withered hands in exasperation. “You cannot be introduced by your sponsor—it simply isn’t done?”
“What about Chandra?” Sarah asked. She turned to the Alquon girl. “Didn’t you tell me The Lord Magnate gave you your start in society?”
“Well, yes…” Chandra preened nervously. “But the introduction is usually made by a male…”
“Is that a hard and fast law?” Sarah demanded.
“Well, no…” Chandra said slowly. “You know, I suppose I could introduce you. I was always a favorite of The Lord Magnate’s.” She drooped her voice to a low, confiding tone. “He even bred me once and gifted me with his seed. If it had given me a big belly, I would have remained in the palace as a concubine.” She dropped her voice even lower, speaking to Sarah. “Don’t tell anyone but I was rather glad it didn’t. I love my partner Kendro too much to want to leave him.”
“So you’ll introduce us?” Sazar asked, impatient with the Alquon girl’s gossip.
“Yes.” Chandra nodded decisively. “Yes, I will.” She took Minister Obglod, who was still protesting loudly, by the arm and tugged at him gently. “Come on Minister—everything is going to be all right. You won’t end up in the
belly of the grike. Not today, anyway.”
* * * * *
Sazar kept Sarah protectively behind him although, as Chandra was leading the way, there was no one to run interference from behind as the Alquon girl had originally suggested. Sarah made sure to stay close to the big Kindred—she didn’t want a repeat of the “greeting” she’d gotten from the oily little Councilor Rando. Her nipples were still sore from his vigorous tugging.
And it was clear from the way the men they passed in the palace halls were looking at her that they would have been happy to literally yank her chain. Sazar stared them all down, though—a low, warning growl rising in his throat so that males who came forward as though to speak to them or greet Sarah soon had second thoughts and wandered off in the other direction.
It’s my breasts, Sarah thought unhappily. They were still causing her problems, just as they had at the Compound. She’d been able to hide them for years under the shapeless, baggy garments she’d worn but after Sister Hope had gotten pregnant, Father Caleb had turned his eyes to her and had noticed how enticing her larger than average bosom was.
I should get a boob job, Sarah thought savagely. I should get a reduction done. Anything to stop this kind of attention! I hate it!
You didn’t mind it when Sazar was paying you attention, a little voice in her head remarked. In fact, you loved it. And what was the deal with him going all caveman with that Rando guy?
She could still remember the deep shiver that had gone through her entire body when she’d heard him claim her. “Sarah is mine,” he’d growled and that was the right word for it—growled. Like a wolf or a bear or some other predator prepared to fight to the death to protect its mate.
Sarah had never heard her new boss sound so animalistic—not even the night before when he’d been feeding on her blood. Did he actually feel something for her? Or was he just defending her honor?
Sarah wished she knew but she didn’t have much time to ponder the situation. Before she knew it, they had come to another set of golden double doors—even finer than the front doors—with diamonds embedded in curling patterns on them.
Healing the Broken: A Kindred Christmas Tale (Brides of the Kindred) Page 12
