by Sadie Carter
She grinned, the image of tough, grumpy Koran having a panic attack was pretty damn funny. “Classic. I am so going to keep that one up my sleeve when he’s in one of his dictatorial moods. I swear that man is getting grumpier every day. Last week he yelled at me for climbing on a chair. Lord knows how Mila is putting up with him. Her being pregnant has turned him into an overprotective mama bear.” She looked up at him, expecting him to agree with her that Koran was acting crazy.
Instead, he frowned. “Why were you climbing a chair? That does not sound safe.”
“You know, you’re lucky you guys are so cute.” She patted his chest before moving towards where Rastian stood holding Elodie.
“This conversation is not over, my own.”
She smiled. She looked forward to the argument. Or more specifically the making up. This weekend was going to be perfect.
Chapter Three
“This weekend is a complete and utter disaster.”
“It has not been a total disaster, Empress,” Rastian replied mildly as he sat, cuddling Elodie on the large sofa in the living room area of the villa they’d rented. Ulrika was the most beautiful place she’d ever seen. Everywhere she looked there was something gorgeous to view. An amazing mountain range enclosed the valley. Their villa was situated right on the shore of a huge lake. Trees surrounded the twenty-five villas on this side of the lake, giving them privacy from their neighbors. The villa was enormous. It could have easily catered for twice as many people as they’d brought with them. Not that she would ever say that to Dex. His ego was big enough as it was.
No need to inflate it by telling him he was right.
Boris stood leaning against the wall of the living room as she paced back and forth, looking as calm as usual. Nothing much ever rattled him, not even being sold at auction as a slave, which is where she’d first met him, umm bought him, but so she could free him.
Wasn’t her fault he found her company so irresistible he’d decided to stay with her rather than returning home when he had the chance. At least that’s what she liked to tell him. He didn’t speak so it wasn’t like he could argue back. While it was sometimes frustrating that he didn’t talk, she had to admit she kind of liked being able to chat without being interrupted. She especially hated when she was in the middle of a rant, and someone interrupted to reason with her.
Uhh, reasonable. She didn’t need reasonable. She needed some sympathy. So she turned her glare on Rastian, who hastily stood. “The baby needs a nap.”
Zoey leaned down and kissed Elodie’s head, breathing in her sweet scent. “Have a good sleep, baby girl. Ignore mama’s grumbles.”
Elodie smiled up at her and Zoey felt her blood pressure drop.
Rastian moved out of the room, and Zoey’s temper skyrocketed once more. “Ten hours. Ten hours we were here before he was pulled away for something important.” She turned to look at Boris. “All right, I get it. He has duties he has to perform. But I wasn’t asking much. Three days, that’s all. Three days of his company. Three days to spend together. Three days of some hot loving.”
Boris grimaced.
She waved her hand. “Yeah, I know. TMI.” She sat on the sofa, and immediately Giz snuggled into her. She ran her hand through his fur. “What am I going to do, Giz?”
Giz snuffled then rubbed his face against her, conveniently wiping away the few tears that had slipped free. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t someone who sat around and complained. Well, okay, she liked to complain a little bit. Who didn’t? She should just march into that room Dex had commandeered as an office and demand that he spend some time with her.
Only thing was, she knew whatever he was doing probably was really important. He wasn’t just her mate or Elodie’s dad. He was the Emperor of Zerconia.
She straightened her shoulders. Well, so what if Dex couldn’t accompany her everywhere she’d planned to go. Didn’t mean she couldn’t go alone. And maybe by tonight, he’d be finished with what he was doing and they could get some lovey-dovey stuff happening. All right, so not lovey-dovey. Dex was a warrior. He liked to hit things and bark out orders.
But he also knew exactly where she liked to be touched and licked and kissed…
“I’m going out.” She stood and looked over at Boris. He frowned. “You stay here with Elodie, and I’ll take Macon.”
Boris shook his head.
“Fine. You come with me, and I’ll tell Macon where we’re going.”
He raised one eyebrow in question. She smiled. “Where are we going? We’re going to do what I always do when I need cheering up. We’re going shopping!”
She turned away, and could almost swear she heard him groan from behind her. But it must have been her imagination, right?
***
Three hours later, her feet were aching, her head was pounding, and even she had had enough of the bustling, busy market in the middle of Ulrika’s major city center. It was miles away from the peaceful setting of their villa on the lake, and if she was honest with herself, she was regretting her decision to come here. Right now, she could be sitting on the porch of their villa, looking out at the peaceful lake and drinking some sola. Or giving Elodie cuddles. Or she could have snuck into Dex’s office, crept under his desk and done all sort of wicked things to him.
She shivered at the thought. Yum. Now, why hadn’t she thought of that before? That would have been much more preferable to pushing through crowds of sweaty, smelly people to buy things she didn’t even really need. She’d brought presents for everyone during the first hour.
She shuffled the bags onto her left arm, why hadn’t she brought someone to help her carry all this stuff? Boris couldn’t, not because he only had one arm but because he was her only guard. He needed to be free if there was any threat.
Idiot. She really hadn’t thought this through.
“Let’s go bac—hey! Watch where you’re going!” she cried out as a small, hooded figure in a dirty green cloak slammed against her, sending Zoey and her shopping flying. Boris reached for the person, but they quickly took off. As Zoey stood, she heard shouts and watched as a large creature stormed its way through the marketplace. It must have been close to eight feet tall, its body covered in coarse, brown hair, its chest bare. It looked like a cross between Chewbacca and a boar. Not a pretty combination. Black straps covered its bare chest, loops attached to the straps held a variety of weapons. A small piece of black cloth covered its private area. Thank the Lord.
Suddenly, it let out a roar and moved towards where the person who’d just slammed into her was trying to sift their way through the crowded marketplace. It thundered forward, people screeching as they moved out of the beast’s way. Zoey watched in fascination as the small cloth covering its private area swayed back and forth precariously.
She didn’t want to watch. But she just couldn’t look away.
A woman cried out as the beast picked her up and threw her to one side without a care. She missed landing on a small child by mere inches. Zoey’s temper sparked.
Time for a Zoey intervention.
She glanced over at Boris who gave her a quick shake of his head in warning. She knew he wouldn’t approve of her plan. But then, she wasn’t actually asking for his approval. But what could she use as a distraction? Suddenly, Giz took off, running straight towards the beast.
“Giz!” she yelled out, knowing immediately he intended to give her the distraction she needed. Giz was so in-tune with her that sometimes it was scary. But she didn’t want him to get hurt just because she’d decided to interfere. “Giz, no!”
She chased after him, even knowing she wouldn’t reach him in time. He took a flying leap and attached himself to the big beast who paused with a yell. He turned, trying to shake him off. But Giz just dug his claws in and held on. Zoey winced knowing that had to hurt.
She came to a stop in front of the beast and placed her hands on her hips. She took a calming breath.
“Oh my God, I am so sorry,” she said in a falsely
sweet voice, using Standard, the common language many races used. “Giz Is so naughty sometimes. He got away from me. He does so like a strong, handsome male to climb.” Okay, that might have been taking things a bit far. She actually felt a little ill.
She batted her eyelashes, hoping to hell this thing understood her. Or at least didn’t try to eat her.
“Get. It. Off.”
Good. So he understood. He attempted to reach back for Giz who bounced down off his back. The beast turned, but Giz wisely bounced away.
“Oh dear, his itty-bitty claws didn’t hurt you, did they?” she asked, hoping to deflect his attention away from Giz. The beast turned back and let out a giant roar.
Holy fuck balls.
She placed her hand over her mouth, gagging. Tears streamed down her face, her eyes burning. “Oh my God, have you ever heard of dental care? Or mouthwash? Jesus, I’d offer you a mint, but it would be totally wasted.”
She’d never smelt anything like it before. It was disgusting, horrific, without a doubt the worst thing she had ever smelt. She gagged as the beast lumbered off. Right now, she didn’t care what he did. She was too busy trying to breathe without vomiting.
Worst shopping day ever.
Chapter Four
“Zoey, you are back.” Dex strode down the stairs towards the small shuttle as his mate climbed from it, looking disheveled, exhausted and ill. Macon had informed him when she had left to go shopping. He didn’t like the idea of her in a foreign place without him by her side, but he knew Boris would protect her. However, when she was gone longer than he had anticipated, he had started to worry. He’d been just about to contact her when the shuttle pulled up.
He knew she wouldn’t be pleased with him for working during their weekend away. And he felt guilty, even though he’d been pulled away by something that couldn’t wait.
“What is wrong? Are you ill?” He looked over at Boris as he spoke, but Zoey’s guard was looking decidedly ill himself. Suddenly, about three feet away from his mate, he came to a sudden stop, an awful scent assaulting him.
It was difficult to describe. It was like rotting garbage mixed with decaying flesh and fresh feces.
And the smell was emanating from his mate.
“Don’t say it,” she warned. She coughed then gagged. “I know exactly how I smell. I was just trapped in a small shuttle with this smell.” She glanced over at Boris and Giz. Boris looked as ruffled as Dex had ever seen him, although Giz seemed unaffected. “Sorry, you had to put up with that.”
Boris gave a stoic nod.
“What happened?” Dex asked. “Are you injured?” Carefully breathing in and out of his mouth, he stepped forward, reaching for her. Shock filled him as she stepped back before he could touch her.
“Don’t,” she warned. “Don’t touch me.”
He knew she would be angry at him but was she so mad she could not bear his touch? Normally when she was angry, she yelled, sometimes she stomped a foot, or paced back and forth until his neck ached from watching her. But she had never rejected him.
“I don’t want you to be infected.”
“Infected?” Alarm filled him. “You are ill. I will call Racar.”
“Wrong choice of word. I’m not ill. I just stink, really, really bad. I’m going to throw myself into the lake. Maybe you could bring me some soap and some new clothes. We’ll need to burn these clothes.”
Relief filled him. She was not ill or mad. “I do not think soap will help, my own.”
“Just bring it all. Whatever you think will help. I’ve just got to get this smell off me cause there really is nothing left in my belly to throw up.”
***
Three hours later, Zoey was finally able to breathe without wanting to vomit. And it was bloody awesome.
“I never thought I’d be clean again.” She smiled down at Elodie who was sleeping quietly, the excitement of her mama coming home smelling like a stink bomb had been too much for her. Of course, Rastian had kept her safely downwind from Zoey as she attempted to wash herself with anything they had on-hand. It was finally Racar who had come through with a concoction that had rid her of the terrible smell. She still smelt slightly off but not enough to truly bother her. Hopefully by morning that lingering scent would have disappeared.
“Come, my own. You are exhausted.” Dex slipped his arm around her waist as she swayed.
She yawned as he led her out of Elodie’s bedroom. “Who knew bathing could be so tiring?”
“You have had a busy day.” There was a note of censure in his voice as he steered her into their bedroom. Dex led her to the private balcony that looked out over the lake. He sat on one of the large, padded seats and pulled her onto his knee. The sky was filled with a soft pink light as the sun set over the mountains. The view was spectacular, and she sighed with happiness. It had been a horrid day, and now, thankfully, it was nearly over.
“Lean into me,” he ordered.
“I still smell,” she protested.
“Do you think I care about a slight smell? I spent the last three hours scrubbing your skin and hair clean.”
She winced. “This isn’t exactly the romantic trip I had planned.” She laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “Maybe it wasn’t meant to be. I was aiming for sexy and irresistible instead I managed to make you vomit.”
“I did not vomit.”
“It was pretty close. Admit it. You vomited just a little.”
He didn’t say anything, but when he pushed her against his wide chest, she didn’t resist. She was exhausted, and he was warm, and he smelled sooo good.
“I’m sorry, Dex.”
He had been rubbing her back with long gentle strokes, but he paused at her words. Placing a finger under her chin, he raised her face. “For what?”
“Umm, isn’t it obvious? I’ve ruined the whole weekend.”
“You have?”
“Well, yeah.” She sat up to frown at him. “You’re acting weird. Why aren’t you doing your stern, I-am-in-charge-and-you-will-obey-me routine?”
He smiled and that just worried her even more. What was going on? She’d told him the whole story while he was helping her bathe and he hadn’t said anything then, but she’d figured he was holding the lecture in until they were alone.
“You wish me to lecture you?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that I wish you to give me a lecture. But you’re freaking me out with this whole mellow attitude.”
He placed his hand around the nape of her neck. “Am I upset that you put yourself in danger? Yes. Do I wish I could lock you up somewhere and keep you safe forever? Yes. Do I want to make you promise to never do anything like this again? Of course. But I feel that I am more to blame for this than you.”
“You?” She looked at him in surprise. “But you weren’t there.”
“I should have been. Or perhaps you would not have been there had I been giving you my full attention as I promised.”
Oh. She leaned against him. “Look, I might have gone shopping today because I was annoyed that you were working. But that wasn’t very mature of me or very fair. I mean, you have an important job, and you can’t just turn it off. I should be more understanding.”
He was silent for a long time, and she finally started to shift around on his lap. What was he thinking?
“Dex? Come on, say something. You know I don’t deal with silence very well.”
“I am sorry, my own. I was thinking that perhaps it is I who need to be more understanding.”
“You?” She nearly fell off his lap in shock.
“Is that so surprising?”
“Well, yeah.”
“I know I can be, what do you call it, bug-headed?”
“Bull-headed? Stubborn. Commanding. A Neanderthal.”
He held up his hand. “I believe that is enough.”
“Oh, sorry.” She hid her grin.
“You have adapted to life on Zerconia, to being my mate, an Empress, a mother without complaint.”
/>
She snorted. “Okay, have you hit your head or something?”
He felt over his head. “No. Why?”
“Doesn’t matter. But have you forgotten all of my complaints?”
“Perhaps there have been a few complaints,” he admitted. “But I have asked a lot of you. And when you asked for some time with just our family, I bring along a number of others, and I leave you on your own to attend other matters. So while my actions do not excuse yours and we will be having words about your tendency to leap into dangerous situations without thinking of your safety, I do not wish to spend any time during this time alone arguing or lecturing.”
She bit her lip. “What would you like to spend your time doing?”
His eyes glowed amber. “Go climb onto the bed and I will show you.”
Oh hell yes. He didn’t have to ask her twice.
Chapter Five
Feeling more relaxed and happier than she had in a long time, Zoey strolled next to Dex along the lakeside. “I almost don’t want to leave this place,” she said, leaning against his wide arm and placing her hand on Elodie’s back. Dex held their daughter against his chest, and she babbled happily.
“I know,” Dex said, surprising her. “I admit I did not understand why coming away for a few days was so important to you, but I have enjoyed myself.” He gave her a pointed look, and she blushed, glad that Jaxan, Macon, and Boris were too far enough away to hear his low-spoken words.
“Come, we should get Elodie home to bed.” As Dex turned, a figure half-stumbled out of the trees a few feet away. Immediately, Jaxan, Macon, and Boris were there, standing between them and the small figure who swayed before them.
Zoey glanced around Boris’ back. She got a quick glimpse at the person who stumbled about, looking as though they were drunk or about to collapse before Dex pulled her back.
“Boris, it’s the same person from the market,” she said, recognizing that dark green cloak. She still couldn’t tell if it was a male or female.
