by Judy Mays
Jamiros nodded. “Plans can be pushed forward.”
“What are you going to tell Xdana?” Jenelle asked.
“Everything except that Char married the woman. Since the marriage is a sham, there’s no reason to upset her or Crystas. They’re too deep in their plans for finding him the perfect wife this Solstice.”
Jenelle snorted. “You mean Crystas is busy finding Char the perfect wife. Xdana just agrees to keep peace in the family.”
Rodane frowned. He really didn’t want to talk about his wife. “I think you’re making a mistake, Father. Mother won’t be happy when she discovers you’ve kept Char’s marriage from her.”
“A marriage that will be dissolved, possibly before he even arrives home? I think not. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go tell your mother the important parts of the message.”
Jamiros left the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
Rodane glanced at Jenelle. “Father is making a mistake, Grandmother. Even if this marriage is just a sham, this woman will be entitled to Alalakan clan status, among other things.”
Jenelle pursed her lips and stared steadily at her grandson. “Tell me, Rodane, could Char deny Bakom access to this woman on his own ship if he truly wanted to?”
“Of course. Char is his own man. No one tells him what to do on his own…”
Rodane’s eyes widened as what he was saying registered in his own mind.
“Exactly,” Jenelle said. “Why then did he marry this woman? I think that this Solstice will prove very interesting.”
* * * * *
Staring out at the darkness of deep space for what had to be the millionth time, Brianna contemplated her situation. She hated not being able to go anywhere, hated being stuck in the Char’s quarters day after day after day. She felt as if she’d been there two years rather than just over two months. And whenever she said anything to Char about seeing another part of the ship, he just smiled, said it was too dangerous, and then made love to her.
To make matters worse, she was having a particularly frustrating day with her studies. She knew she was close to bringing the two alphabets together, but a few sounds just would not mesh.
Brianna glanced over her shoulder. Char was lounging on the sofa with a book.
Damn him! How could he be so relaxed when she was ready to climb the walls! She was sick of being locked up in this room working on this stupid alphabet! She was sick and tired of everybody telling her how sorry they were that she couldn’t go anywhere else on the ship. They weren’t the ones penned up here. She was!
Grinding her teeth together, Brianna stomped back to the table and glanced at Char again.
He looked up and smiled at her.
Brianna clenched her fists. What was he smiling about? Asshole. She was nothing more than his sex kitten. As long as she purred, he was happy.
Crumbling a handful of the papers scattered before her, she threw them up into the air. “I can’t stand this anymore! I’m tired of being penned up in this room, locked up like some kind of animal!” As she whirled to face Char, a wave of dizziness swept over her, and she grabbed hold of the chair to keep from falling. Then she burst into tears.
“Brianna!” Char’s book tumbled to the floor. He leaped to her side and tried to pull her into his arms.
Brianna pushed him away. “Let me go, you, you sex-starved kidnapper. Take me home. My family doesn’t even know if I’m alive or dead.”
Spinning away from Char’s worried expression, she took one step and crumpled to the floor.
A sharp pain stabbed Char’s chest in the general location of his heart. When he picked Brianna up, her head lolled back against his shoulder. What was wrong with her! Nothing must be wrong with her. I need…
Char shied away from his own thoughts, unwilling to venture into such uncharted territory.
On his way to the bedroom, he opened his com-link to control. “Dr. Sendenton to my quarters immediately!”
Banging his shoulder against the control panel of the bedroom door to open it, he entered and carefully laid Brianna on the bed. The outer door toned, and he had to leave her side. She still had not regained consciousness when he returned with Lorilana.
“What’s wrong with her?” he asked anxiously, hovering. “She just collapsed.”
“I don’t know. Her pulse is normal and her breathing seems fine,” Lorilana said mostly to herself. A thoughtful expression appeared on her face. “Wait in the other room, Char.”
“But…”
“Go!”
Scowling, he obeyed.
Lorilana chuckled quietly. Things were getting interesting.
A foul odor brought Brianna back to consciousness. Coughing, she pushed the vial away from her nose. “God, what is that stuff?”
“Brianna? Does the female of your species follow a monthly cycle?
“Of course. Why do you ask?”
But Lorilana didn’t have to answer.
Brianna’s eyes opened wide, and her hand went to her upper arm. “Where is it? What happened to it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The birth control patch, the small patch under my skin. It prevents conception.”
A guilty look crossed Lorilana’s face. “We noticed it when we were treating you for your wound. Since it was a foreign object, we removed it.”
“Oh my God! I’m pregnant.”
Char paced his outer room while Lorilana remained closeted in the bedroom with Brianna. She couldn’t be sick. She couldn’t die, could she? Was there some kind of germ or bacteria she’d contracted?
The bedroom door opened and Lorilana walked out. “Go in to Brianna, Char,” she said before his frustration could explode. Then she left the room before he could question her.
Clenching his fists and swallowing his anxiety, Char managed to stifle his frustration at Lorilana’s seeming callousness. Carefully shaping his face into a neutral expression, he entered the bedroom.
Still pale, Brianna lay back against the pillows and watched him warily.
He eased himself down on the bed beside her, gently brushing some stray strands of hair from her forehead. “Do you feel better now?”
“I’m pregnant.”
Stunned, Char stared at his wife. Of all the possible scenarios that had flashed through his mind, the possibility of pregnancy had never occurred to him. That can’t be possible. No species gets pregnant so easily. She hasn’t even been in my bed three months yet!
“Char… Char?” The worried expression on her face brought him back to himself.
“You’re going to have a baby?” he asked stupidly.
Brianna gulped a breath and nodded affirmatively, now completely unsure of herself.
Collapsing back against the pillows next to her, Char stared at the ceiling. Pregnant! “Are you sure?”
“Almost. Lori will know for sure in a few minutes.”
A slow smile appeared on Char’s face. Now, now I have the perfect bait to trap Bakom. When the Council discovers he wants to “test” a pregnant female, they’ll censure him. He might even lose control of the Academy.
When Char began to smile, Brianna began to relax. “You’re happy about the baby?”
Her question brought Char back to himself. He allowed his grin to widen then rolled over and kissed her soundly. Lifting himself up onto an arm, he looked deep into her eyes. “Yes, I’m happy about the baby.”
Tears welled in Brianna’s eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
Char rolled onto his back taking Brianna with him. “Please, don’t cry, Brianna.”
“But I’m so happy!”
Bemused, Char stared at her. “You cry because you are happy? Am I ever going to understand you?”
Brianna hiccupped. “I hope not.” She sniffed. “You’re not angry?”
She thinks I’m angry? “Why would I be angry about having a child?”
“You weren’t exactly shouting with joy when you found out!”
“Oh no, you
don’t!” Char exclaimed as he hugged her tight. “I refuse to quarrel with you.”
Brianna relaxed. Char wasn’t upset. Smiling coyly, she began to purr as she moved sensuously against him. His eyes narrowed, but he continued to smile. “Are you sure you know what you are starting?”
“I know exactly what I am starting,” she answered with a low, sexy laugh. Her hand began to massage the bulge between his thighs, a bulge that began to harden and lengthen with her first caress.
Char’s breath caught in his throat. Though Brianna had always been a willing partner, this was the first time that she had initiated sex.
Her hands moved to the buttons on his uniform. Once she had them open, she began to rub his chest sensuously. Then her head dipped and she began to suck on his flat nipples.
Pushing himself to his feet, he stripped off his clothing and then divested Brianna of hers. Stretching out on his side next to her, he rested his hand gently on her stomach. His head followed and he kissed her gently. Grasping his hair, she pulled his mouth to hers.
Char woke Brianna with a kiss.
Smiling sleepily, she said, “Shouldn’t you be driving the ship?”
Char shook his head. Another one of her odd expressions. “Ademis checked in earlier. When I told him you were pregnant, he told me to stay with you today. I’ll take his shift later.” He put his hand on her stomach. “When?”
“Lorilana thinks I’m about a month pregnant, but she’s wrong.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Why is that?”
Char slid his hand down her belly and buried his fingers in her fiery curls.
Arching, she gasped, “I believe I got pregnant the first time we made love.”
“The women on your planet know these things?” he asked and licked newly sensitive nipples.
“No!” Brianna began to squirm.
His fingers were working their usual magic between her thighs.
“Then how can you be so sure?” he countered as he kissed and nibbled his way down her torso.
“Because, I just know. Char!” Brianna exclaimed as his mouth replaced his fingers.
Threading her fingers through his hair, she arched into his mouth.
Heat exploded low in Brianna’s stomach as Char stabbed his tongue into her.
“You taste so sweet,” he murmured as he sucked and lapped. “Honey, Drakian honey.” He nipped her clit.
“Oh God!” She squeezed his head between her thighs. “More, please, more.”
Chuckling, Char parted her labia so his tongue could play with the sensitive bud hidden between them. He sucked, lapped, kissed, and nipped, all the while inhaling her lusty scent and relishing her unique taste. No woman had ever tasted so sweet.
Brianna closed her eyes as her stomach muscles clenched. Char’s tongue was just as magical as his tail.
When Brianna tensed, Char slid up her body, sliding his cock into her until he was deeply embedded. He captured her open mouth and sucked her tongue into his mouth. After only a few powerful thrusts, her internal muscles gripped his cock. Oozing moisture surrounded him and he exploded.
As usual, Char regained control of himself first. He watched intently as his wife lay panting, struggling to regain her composure.
Once her breathing quieted and her heart stopped racing, Brianna shot a perplexed look at him. “Why haven’t you done that before?”
“Because, after marriage, that’s the first gift a Drakian husband gives to his wife when he learns of her first pregnancy,” he answered with a chuckle. “Ademis wouldn’t deny you your first gift.”
Her face almost the same color as her hair, Brianna bolted upright. “You mean he knew exactly what you’d be doing?”
Char nodded, stretching and resting his hands behind the back of his head. “You’ll have to get used to the Drakian preoccupation with sex, love,” he said gently. “We aren’t being cruel. It’s just the way we are.”
Her expression was resigned. “I know, but it’ll take time. You’ll have to be patient. Just don’t ever expect me to be nonchalant about people around me being nude. And don’t expect me to walk around naked if anyone else is around. It’s not going to happen.”
Char pulled her into his arms. “I am a very patient man.”
Brianna relaxed against his chest, her fingers tracing his dragon as they often did. “Do you want a boy or a girl?”
His answer was immediate. “It really doesn’t matter. I’ll love it no matter what, and either a boy or a girl can become the Alalakan heir.”
“The Alalakan heir?”
But Char was silent, the ramifications of what he’d just said dawning on him. The Alalakan heir. That means I’ll head the clan now. But Rodane was supposed to…
“Char?”
“What? Oh. The first child of a generation who produces a child of his or her own, in marriage, becomes the clan heir. Though my brother has been married a number of years, he and his wife have no children. You, my love, have made me the heir apparent to the Alalakan clan,” Char explained, wonder now in his voice.
Brianna stared at her husband. “What exactly does that mean?”
“Eventually, I’ll take my father’s place as head of the clan. If this child you now carry presents us with our first grandchild, that child will eventually take my place.”
“But if we have another child who marries and has a baby before this first one, then that one will take your place?”
He nodded.
Brianna shook her head. “Your clan is really going to love me. Not only will you be bringing a new wife from an unidentified planet, she’ll be pregnant. Your parents will probably want to throw me out on my ear.”
Char answered with a kiss to her nearest nipple. “My parents will love you.”
“Humph! How many men have said that and lived to regret it? Are there any special customs I need to know about?”
“Customs?” Char asked in a drowsy voice as he closed his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know,” Brianna answered honestly. “I still don’t know how your culture works. What’s expected of a pregnant woman?”
“That she look beautiful,” was the sleepy answer.
“I can see you aren’t going to be much help,” Brianna muttered in vexation. “Thank goodness Meri is here.”
Staring at her relaxed husband, Brianna continued, “We have some customs on Earth you probably don’t know about. One is circumcision for male children.”
Char settled into an even more comfortable position. “Circumcision?”
Brianna propping her elbows on Char’s chest to watch his reaction. “Hmmm. That’s when the foreskin is cut from the penis to help prevent infections and disease.”
Char’s eyes snapped open. “What!”
Brianna began to laugh. His reaction was all she’d hoped for.
“You are making that up!”
She smiled. “No, I’m not.”
Char glared.
Smirking, she looked down her nose at him.
“On Drakan,” he continued, “there’s only one way to handle a tease.”
Gripping her upper arms firmly, Char flipped her onto her back and buried his face between her thighs. Before she lost the ability to think, Brianna made a mental note to herself to tease her husband on a regular basis.
Chapter Nine
Two-and-a-half months later
Ademis appeared in the doorway and motioned for them to follow him. “Hurry! Bakom is occupied in his quarters, and Odam and Eliana are checking their equipment. The shuttle has docked at the front of the ship. Our luggage has been transported down. All we need do now is follow. I just hope this pilot of yours knows what he is doing, Meri. His docking struck me as a bit riskier than it should have been.”
Meri grabbed Celene. Then she and Brianna hurried down the passageway.
Beti and Kahn were waiting at the end of the corridor.
They led the way to the forward airlock, where Char waited. “That pilot takes mor
e chances than I like, Meri. Who’d your father send to get you?”
“It couldn’t be,” Meri muttered as the airlock door slid open to reveal a tall figure. With a joyful shriek, Meri practically tossed Celene to Brianna and flung herself into the man’s arms.
“Damn,” Adem muttered.
A string of expletives erupted from Char’s mouth.
Brianna stared at the man who hugged Meri so enthusiastically. “Who is he?” she asked her husband.
Char only cursed more.
The stranger released Meri. “Where’s the new Hardan Princess, Cousin? I hear she has a tail. Won’t that set dear Grandmama on her ear?”
At first, his attention was centered on Celene, but then he glanced at Brianna’s face. In one stride he stood before her and took her free hand in his. “Beautiful lady, my heart is yours. Come with me and I will fly you to the stars,” he murmured seductively as he lifted her hand to his lips.
“Let up, Bandalardrac,” Char snarled as he slipped Brianna’s sleeve off of her shoulder to display her dragon. “She carries the Alalakan heir.”
Sending a shocked glare at Char, Brianna struggled to hold Celene and readjust her dress as it fell halfway down her breast. “Char!”
“Don’t argue, Brianna,” Char snapped in a voice she had never heard him use before.
Ademis lifted the cooing Celene from Brianna’s arm and in an unenthusiastic tone said, “Hello, Ban.”
Releasing Brianna’s hand slowly, the stranger smiled, but his eyes never left Char. “As usual, Char, you find the finest of everything and have the good sense to know when you do.” Turning to Meri, he continued, “I was told to get you down to the palace immediately. Shall I land in the central courtyard?”
“You wretch,” Meri said in a relieved voice, “knowing you, you’d enjoy trying to land there just to annoy Father.”
“Now, Meri,” he said motioning them through the airlock and into the shuttle, “I don’t try to annoy your father. I don’t really think I could because he always laughs. I try to annoy Grandmama.”
“There’s no time for a family reunion,” Char growled.
