Date: 2020-12-19 05:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Romance; Erotica; Aliens; Science Fiction Romance; Fantasy
Description: Ellilah is a priestess…but not a very good one. She doesn’t seem to have the right temperament for quiet meditation. And even worse, she broke her vow of chastity at the Christmas party after a dark stranger drugged her punch. Now she’s being sent to the Priory of Extreme Atonement—an ominous place with no windows and daily beatings. But Elli has always had a mind of her own. Instead of handing herself over for punishment, she goes on a quest to find a cure for the old Priestess Superior who is dying. Elli’s quest will take her to the Tenebrian Court and put her in great danger…which is why th

The Priestess and the Thief

A Kindred Tales Novel

Evangeline Anderson

www.evangelineanderson.com

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The Priestess and the Thief, 1st Edition,

A Kindred Tales Novel

Copyright © 2020 by Evangeline Anderson

All rights reserved.

Cover Art Design © 2020 by Reese Dante

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writers’ imagination or have been used factiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to a retailer of your choice or evangelineanderson.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

Cover content is for illustrative purposes only.

Any person depicted on the cover is a model.

Contents

The Priestess and the Thief

Author’s Note

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Epilogue

The End?

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About the Author

The Priestess and the Thief

A Kindred Tales Novel

A Thief who has no honor

A Priestess who has broken her vow of chastity

Can the two of them complete a quest at the treacherous Tenebrian Court

Where they are required to “Mirror” the Crown Prince’s erotic activities every night?

Read The Priestess and the Thief to find out!

Ellilah is a priestess…but not a very good one. She doesn’t seem to have the right temperament for quiet meditation. And even worse, she broke her vow of chastity at the Christmas party after a dark stranger drugged her punch. Now she’s being sent to the Priory of Extreme Atonement—an ominous place with no windows and daily beatings.

But Elli has always had a mind of her own. Instead of handing herself over for punishment, she goes on a quest to find a cure for the old Priestess Superior who is dying.

Elli’s quest will take her to the Tenebrian Court and put her in great danger…which is why the Goddess sends her some help in the form of the very same dark stranger who drugged her punch in the first place.

Roke is half Havoc—a Kindred-like race of males who refuse to bond with females. He is none too pleased at being sent to protect the little priestess, but he doesn’t dare disobey the Goddess. Once he meets Elli again, however, he feels an instant attraction to her. He goes with her to the dangerous Tenebrian Court to protect her from the predatory nobles—especially the rapacious Crown Prince who insists that everyone “Mirror” his erotic activities at supper every night.

Will the two of them be able to complete their quest and leave the Court alive? Will Roke admit he wants to bond with Elli, even though he has sworn never to take a bride? And will Elli ever forgive herself for breaking her vow of chastity with the dark warrior?

Read The Priestess and the Thief and find out!

Author’s Note

The Priestess and the Thief is a stand-alone novel but it does refer to some characters and situations which happened in the Kindred Tales novel before it, Secret Santa Surprise. In that book, Elli, our main character, drank punch that was drugged with an aphrodisiac and broke her vows of chastity with a mysterious, dark stranger. This book, The Priestess and the Thief, is her story and tells what became of her after the breaking of her vows. You don’t really need to read Secret Santa Surprise to understand The Priestess and the Thief, but if you like Christmas books, I recommend you read them both.

Hugs and Happy Reading!

Evangeline, December 2020

Prologue

It came back to her often in dreams…

“Are you a virgin, little priestess?” he asks, his dark, unreadable eyes searching hers. They are in the small, dim closet together. Outside the clatter of the human celebration—a holiday called “Christmas”—is loud and happy.

But in the closet with him, the sounds are muted. Ellilah can hear her own heart pounding in her ears. The drugged punch he has forced her to drink is fizzing through her veins and she can feel the hot desire flowing through her body.

Her desire has always been a source of shame to her. She runs hot—as hot as the males in her family, she thinks. At least, all her brothers Joined with their mates young—though several of them were bonded before they got Joined—a great scandal on Torl Prime, her home planet.

But with males, of course, the urge to fornicate could be excused. Males have needs, after all, and as long as her brothers Joined with their brides before the brides’ bellies started to show, what harm was really done?

Of course, it’s different for a female—at last on Torl Prime. Elli knows she shouldn’t have desires at all—shouldn’t long to be touched and certainly shouldn’t touch herself at night, after lights out when everyone is supposed to be asleep. But she can’t help it—she’s always been drawn to self-pleasure…to desires of the flesh.

Like her knack with zorels, it’s not considered ladylike or proper in a female. It’s the reason she was sent to the Mother Ship to be a priestess in the first place. Or maybe her stepmother just wanted to be rid of her.

Either way, Elli has barely been here a month and already she is breaking the rules…Sneaking out after curfew to attend the human party. Joining in their festivities when she ought to be back at the Sacred Grove, meditating quietly instead.

Being around male warriors at all is grounds for punishment. For she hasn’t completed her Novicehood yet. And she has yet to partake in the Ceremony of Shriving and drink the Mortem Amore which will kill, once and for all, any desires of the flesh still lurking in her soul…

“Are you a virgin, little priestess?” he says again and this time Elli answers him.

“Yes,” she whispers, looking up into those unreadable eyes. She wished she knew what kind of Kindred he is. He looks like a Beast Kindred, with his braided beard and shaggy mane of black hair. But his eyes are dark, not golden as he looks down at her.

“I will not take your chastity,” he murmurs, tilting her chin up to his. “But forgive me—I must test the effectiveness of the potion.”

Then he bends down and takes her mouth in a kiss as sweet as Elli always dreamed her first kiss would be. Well, that is until she was shipped away to be a priestess. Now she’s not supposed to be kissing anyone. But she can’t stop—even though she doesn’t know him. Doesn’t even know his name.

But one kiss isn’t enough. As he pulls away, she reaches for him. Looping her arms around his neck, she pulls him back down. He doesn’t have to come—he’s nearly seven feet tall and immensely muscular while she’s barely five-five. But he comes anyway, allowing himself to be drawn down for more of the sweet-sticky forbidden kisses, flavored with the fruity punch he made her drink.

“Gods, little priestess,” he murmurs, when he pulls back at last. “That punch is potent stuff, isn’t it?”

He strokes her lightly, just over her breasts where her nipples poke against the coarse white fabric of her robes.

The touch is barely there but Elli feels her body respond at once—lighting up for him like the strange tree in the human’s party—the one they have strung with many small, twinkling lights. Her body feels like that now—sparking, lighting, coming to life under this stranger’s touch.

“Oh!” she gasps, her nipples peaking under his gentle caress.

“You like that, do you?” He cups one breast more firmly and strokes her tight nipple gently with his thumb. Even through the coarse robe, his touch stirs her almost unbearably. Elli feels as though the sparking has turned to a smoldering fire which might soon burst out into outright flame. More—she wants more.

And she suspects it isn’t just because of the punch, though that certainly helps things along. But thanks to the punch, she no longer feels any guilt or obligation to stop doing what feels good. What feels right.

“Easy, little priestess—you’re panting,” he murmurs. After stroking her nipple through the coarse white cloth of her robe a moment more, he pulls his big hand away.

But Elli doesn’t want him to go.

“Touch me,” she begs, reaching for his hand and placing it on her other breast.

He strokes it, almost reflexively.

“I should go now,” he murmurs, almost to himself. “Clearly the punch is working.”

“No—don’t leave me!” Elli thrusts her breast more fully into his big hand and rubs against him. Her whole body is on fire with need! “Please,” she begs, “Kiss me again—touch me some more!”

“Mmm, but I shouldn’t, little priestess…” Still, he allows her to pull him down for another long, sweet, lingering kiss. Elli slips her tongue between his lips and explores him eagerly. He makes a low growl in his chest and lifts her up, deepening the kiss as he pulls her close.

Elli feels like she can’t get enough. Her whole body is alight with desire and for once it doesn’t feel like a sin to indulge herself. She can do whatever she wants tonight and there is no one here to stop her. No stepmother, glaring at her and saying she ought to be ashamed, no Priestess Superior with her cold, judgmental eye. No one telling her it is wrong to do things that feel so good…so right.

She presses against the dark stranger eagerly and then takes one of his big hands—the one not busy fondling her breasts—and attempts to slip it under her robe.

She is bare beneath—having not been fitted for her special undergarments yet—and for a moment, she feels his fingertips brush the sensitive top of her mound. How she longs to feel those long fingers slip into her slippery inner folds and touch her secret spot—the one she’s never supposed to touch herself.

She knows she shouldn’t touch herself there—and she certainly shouldn’t let a male touch her there—but somehow, since she drank the punch, it seems all right. It seems perfectly fine to indulge the hidden desires she’s had for so long, the ones she only takes out and examines in the privacy of her own bed at night…

The male’s fingertips slip for just a moment into her slit and she feels him brush over the tingling button of her secret spot. Goddess, it feels so good!

But then he is pulling away—drawing back—a frown on his dark features.

“Forgive me, little virgin priestess, but I must go before I do something we both will regret,” he rumbles.

“Wait—no, please don’t go!” Elli begs him. But he is already gliding noiselessly out of the door and through the human party. No one sees him go—wearing the red hat with the white furry ball at the end, he blends in with the other Christmastime revelers.

Only Elli is left, standing alone, feeling as though her entire body has been plucked like a lyric-harp string and then left wanting and alone…

One

Elli woke up with a gasp, her hands going automatically to her breasts and sex—the parts of her that always tingled with need whenever she had the dream. She looked around but she was alone in her narrow cot in the priestess’s quarters, which were on the level of the Mother Ship directly beneath the Sacred Grove.

She gave a sharp sigh of frustration. She’d taken the antidote to the drug the mystery male had put in the punch. But though it had dispelled her depression, which was apparently the after-effect of the drug—it hadn’t stopped the dreams or caused the incessant desires they brought with them to lessen a bit.

Then again, she had always had wrong and illicit desires, Elli admitted to herself. The drug and the dream hadn’t caused them—they had only made them worse…more visible. They had exposed her secrets and made her vulnerable to the Ascending Priestess Superior, just like she had been vulnerable when her stepmother caught her touching her secret spot after the lights were out and everyone was supposedly asleep…

Elli had thought it was safe. She was in her room alone and the whole house had gone to bed. That was the only reason she had dared to take all of her clothing off and lay on top of the covers in the first place. Well that and the fact that it was a dreadfully hot night. She’d had the window open and a cool breeze had been blowing in. It felt delicious against her naked flesh and it made the tight little peaks of her nipples tingle as it brushed along her skin.

The tingling in her nipples had awakened another kind of tingling ache between her thighs. She had spread her legs and just for a moment allowed her hand to drift down to cup her mound. Somehow her fingers had slipped between her slippery nether lips—she was wet there, as usual—and started to stroke around and around her secret spot.

It had felt so good that Elli hadn’t even heard the soft, sneaking footsteps outside her room. So she had been completely surprised when her stepmother had flung open the door and caught her doing the unthinkable.

Why you filthy girl! How dare you lay here as naked as the day you were born and abuse yourself like this? Have you no decency? No honor? You have shamed yourself and this whole family!

Her stepmother’s voice echoed in her memory and Elli pressed her fingers to her temples, rubbing hard to try to drive it away.

“I’m sorry!” she muttered. “I’m sorry…I’m sorry!”

The old shame writhed inside her like a poisonous serpent and Elli writhed with it, turning over in her narrow cot to stare at the blank white wall as she kept massaging her temples. The priestess’s sleeping chambers were more like cells than actual living spaces. Bare and white, their only furnishings were a single cot and a tiny kneeling mat for meditation and prayer in the corner.

Lately, even Elli’s mat had been removed so that during meditation she was forced to kneel on the hard metal floor without it. The punishment was meant to make her reflect on the sins of the flesh she had committed. But to be honest, what she mostly thought about after kneeling for hours, was the pain in her knees. They were black and blue with bruises—not that anyone would notice with her long white robes in the way.

At that moment the lights came on all at once—a blinding flare of brilliance that meant it was time to start her morning.

The day of a priestess started much earlier than that of a regular person living aboard the Mother Ship. They rose hours before anyone else to worship the Mother of All Life, first meditating in their cells, and then going out to the Sacred Grove to have a communal Veneration of the Goddess.

After morning meditation and veneration, there were chores to be done. Some of the priestesses stayed to tend the Sacred Grove, making sure that the green and purple trees that grew there were healthy and whole, as a sign of their devotion to the Goddess. Others cleaned the communal living spaces or cooked in the food prep area which was exclusive to the priestesses.

The food prep area was important, since the priestesses weren’t allowed to eat what everyone else ate aboard the Mother Ship. All the food prepared and served to them was extremely plain and dull, without a hint of spice.

To Elli, who had been raised with four big brothers who liked to try and outdo each other in pepper eating contests, the bland food was a punishment. She missed the spicy veronie stew of her home world and the tangy, brine-shrup, so sour they made your mouth pucker with every bite.

Of course, not all the food on the Mother Ship was like the plain laba wafers and ualla bread soup served to the Priestesses, she thought resentfully as she knelt for meditation—wincing as her bruised knees connected with the hard metal floor. The humans who lived here ate all kinds of things—like the sugary, multicolored cookies they’d had at the Christmas party. Those had been delicious.

She sighed, reminding herself that she was supposed to be meditating on her recent sins and transgressions, not critiquing the food. But sometimes she wondered if she was going to be stuck here forever, trimming trees and singing hymns and eating bland paste for First Meal, Mid Meal, and Last Meal with never a break in the endless monotony.

There weren’t even any animals here to train and love! Elli thought with longing of the magnificent zorels she and her brothers had worked with on their ranch on Torl Prime. It wasn’t considered ladylike for a female to be good with such large animals, but her oldest brother, Pern, had defended her right to help in the family business.

“Elli’s got the lightest touch and the sweetest voice of all of us,” he’d said, when their stepmother had complained that it wasn’t right for a girl to be out riding and breaking the huge animals. “She can get even the most savage buck to do what she wants when the rest of us have to run lest we get trampled or clawed or steamed. It’s not her fault she’s a female.”

Elli sadly missed her lovely zorels—especially Thune, their best stud buck who responded to anyone else with savage kicks and hissing but who was as tame as a lambkin with her. She wondered how her brothers were managing him without her—he could get into a terrible temper if he wasn’t treated just right…

She had heard that the Earth people had animals called “horses” that were a little like the zorels of her home world—well, the back end of them was like a zorel, anyway—having powerful hind legs and hooves. But the front part of a zorel looked more like the mythical Earth creature called a “dragon,” with claws and scales and the ability to snort hot steam or even flames, in the rarest bloodlines.

Elli had never seen a ‘flamer’ but Thune could scald the skin off you if he was angry—not that he’d ever worked up a head of steam near her. They had been friends from the moment she looked in the buck’s golden eyes and touched his proud, arching neck with its long, feathered mane…

She sighed again, wishing for animal companionship. The priestesses were forbidden to have pets and even if they had been allowed, she doubted anyone would let her bring a zorel buck or even a zorel doe aboard the Mother Ship—they were too large and scary.

She had seen no animals since she arrived here but the Earth animals the humans sometimes brought to the parklands surrounding the Sacred Grove. Elli longed to go talk to them and pet the strange creatures, which wagged their tails and panted a lot, as though they were hot. She thought they might be called “cogs” or “bogs,”—but she was forbidden from interaction with the humans, as well as the Kindred warriors until after she had partaken in the Shriving ceremony and drunk of the cup of Mortem Amore.

Supposedly one sip from that cup would kill all the wrong and illicit desires that had been plaguing her all her life. Then she could put the shame of her past behind her and look forward to a serene existence, free of any lusts of the flesh.

From what Elli had heard, this used to be a voluntary ceremony—an extra step some of the senior priestesses took in order to make them be able to “See” into the minds of the warriors who came to them for help, without being infected by the scenes of sexual lust and pleasure they often witnessed during the psychic connection. But the Ascending Priestess Superior had decided that it ought to be mandatory for all novices before they could interact with the general population of the Mother Ship.

Thoughts of the Ascending Priestess Superior made her shiver and reminded Elli that she was supposed to be meditating. She tried again to fix her mind on the Goddess and closed her eyes.

Oh Mother of All Life, she prayed. I’m so sorry for what I did at the human’s Christmas party. I know it was wrong to want that male to touch me—though in my defense, he had given me the drugged punch.

Then she realized that sounded like she was trying to excuse her shame and she felt guilty all over again.

Not that it’s any excuse, she prayed on hurriedly. I have always had wrong desires—I admit this, Goddess. I crave spicy food and I love to work with zorels instead of sewing and baking as a proper female should. I am not ladylike enough and I am lacking in the social graces. I—

A loud chime sounded, letting her know that meditation time was over. But she had barely gotten any meditation done at all, Elli thought, feeling dismayed. She’d spent the whole time thinking of home and missing her old life, which was wrong.

But there was no time to berate herself more—she had to get to the Sacred Grove for the Veneration of the Goddess. If she was late, her punishment would only increase.

Two

Elli hurried through the plain white hallways with the other novices and priestesses and took the winding stairs up to the level with the Sacred Grove. As she stepped barefoot onto the cool, damp grass, she reminded herself that she was lucky to be allowed out of the lower quarters at all.

For an entire week after the incident at the human Christmas party, she had been in seclusion—forced to stay only in her cell doing endless meditation on the wrongs she had committed. By contrast the rustling green and purple leaves and the warm rays of the green sun above were a welcome relief.

But you’re not in the clear yet, whispered a little voice in the back of her head. The Ascending Priestess Superior has yet to pronounce your final judgment. Who knows what awful duties she might assign you or what punishment she might meet out when you finally come before her?

Elli tried to put that ominous thought out of her head and concentrate on the Veneration but it was difficult, especially since it was the Ascending Priestess Superior was leading the service.

“Let us venerate the Goddess, the Mother of All Life, who made and shaped us all,” she intoned in her chilly, distant voice. “Let us beg her to cleanse us of our sins that we might be worthy of her worship.”

The Ascending Priestess Superior was a tall, thin, cold woman whose hair and eyes were completely green from years of serving the Goddess. She was a cheerless person who absolutely never had a smile on her narrow lips and her sharp green-within green-eyes seemed to see right into your soul when she looked at you.

Elli had heard that life in the Sacred Grove had been lighter and less solemn under the Descending Priestess Superior and she could well believe it. Though she was dying of an incurable wasting disease, the old woman still had a twinkle in her eyes and a kind word for everyone. Elli had tended her as part of her novice duties until the Christmas party incident. Then she and the two novices who had sneaked out with her had been reassigned to “scut” assignments like cleaning the communal freshers and scrubbing the huge pots the gluey, bland ualla bread soup was made in.

But maybe I’ll get to see her again today, Elli thought hopefully. The old priestess reminded her of her grandmother, who had died when Elli was only nine cycles old. She missed the old lady—the two of them had really taken to each other in the time they’d had together.

I never should have sneaked out to the Christmas party, Elli thought as the Veneration ended and they all bowed to the marble statue of the Goddess, who had a benevolent look on her stone face. But she’d been curious about the new world she was now in—curious about the rest of the Mother Ship and its inhabitants. She was especially curious about the human custom of Christmas, which included bright decorations, delicious foods, and the giving of gifts.

Elli wished she had someone special who would give her a gift. And she wanted to sit and look at the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree and eat more of the sugary-sweet cookies with their bright green and red toppings. She wanted to know all about the human holiday which included some very odd details about a strange, portly male dressed all in red sneaking into your house at night to leave presents for children all over Earth.

How did he manage to get to all the houses in time, Elli wondered? And how did he know what gifts to bring? She had heard that this male—called “Santa”—kept a list of everyone and he had divided them all into two categories—“naughty” and “nice”. This was how he determined who got presents and who didn’t.

I suppose I wouldn’t get any gifts, even if I was allowed to celebrate Christmas with the humans, Elli thought sadly as the Veneration ended. I certainly would be on Santa’s naughty list, the way I’ve been acting lately.

Well, she was paying for her sins now, she thought as she went to the food prep area. It was her turn to scrub the soup pots—which was, admittedly, better than scrubbing the freshers—but not by much.

She just wondered if this was going to be her life forever. If only she could leave the Mother Ship and go back to her home planet or at least do something interesting and exciting. If only—

“Novice Ellilah, you’re wanted in the suite of the Priestess Superior.” The voice of the Head Cook, a priestess with doughy slabs for cheeks and small, critical eyes, spoke right in her ear.

“Oh!” Elli jumped in surprise, which splattered greasy dishwater from the sponge she’d been using all over her robes and the robes of the Head Cook.

“Now look what you’ve done!” The Head Cook’s eyes narrowed as she glared at Elli.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Elli gasped, dropping the sponge back in the half-scrubbed pot. “I didn’t mean to, I swear! I promise it won’t happen again, Head Cook!”

“No, it won’t,” the Head Cook said flatly. “Because you’re not coming back in my food prep area again—not even to scrub pots! From now on, you’re on fresher duty every day.”

“Oh, but—” Elli began.

“Let’s see if you’re better at scrubbing toilets than you are at scrubbing pots,” the Head Cook continued. She sneered at Elli. “I didn’t want you here, anyway. I heard what kind of filth you got up to with that warrior at the humans’ party.”

Elli felt as though the other woman had punched her in the stomach.

“I…he…he drugged me,” she managed to get out at last.

“A likely story.” The Head Cook’s words dripped with sarcasm the way her ‘special of the day’ dripped with grease. “Two other novices snuck out to that party, but they didn’t act like hoydens, did they?”

“They…they didn’t drink the punch,” Elli whispered.

Shame rolled over her again. If only she hadn’t told anyone what had happened to her with the mysterious stranger in the closet at the party! But she’d been so upset and frightened and the human doctor had told her it was all right to talk about it. Everyone in the Med Center had been so nice—not like the other priestesses at all. They seemed to think it was all Elli’s fault that the male had touched her—her fault that her body had reacted to his touch.

“Please, you don’t understand. I—” she began, desperate to explain herself. She was dismally aware that all activity had stopped around them and everyone in the whole food prep area was watching.

“I know your kind, missy,” the Head Cook interrupted, shaking a condemning finger at Elli. “You’re not fit to serve the Goddess—not even scrubbing pots or toilets! But here you are, so we’ve got to put up with you. Now, go see what the Priestess Superior wants, you miserable girl!”

Hot words rose to Elli’s lips, but she knew from experience that fighting with authority figures only ended in more punishments. She didn’t want to scrub toilets every day, but it was better than being assigned endless, monotonous meditation in her plain white room.

Also, at the moment all she wanted to do was get out of the spotlight. So instead of talking back and giving the other priestesses even more grist for their gossip mill, she turned and fled, going as quickly as she could to the suite of the Priestess Superior.

Never should have told, she thought, swallowing down tears of rage and shame as she ran along the corridors. Never, ever should have told!

Three

The suites of the Priestess Superior and the Senior Priestesses, who were her direct subordinates, were located on the level above the Sacred Grove. They had their own private lift-tube which ran from the main area, with the communal living space and the food prep area, right up to their small, private wing of the Mother Ship.

When she’d first come to the Mother Ship, Elli had come up this lift every day to tend the Descending Priestess Superior. But she still felt awe when she rang the chime and the door to the Priestess Superior’s suite slid open, revealing an opulent setting.

To start with, there was carpet on the floor instead of the bare, cold metal of her own little cell. It was a thick, rich pile in a deep blue and green swirled pattern that you sank into when you stepped inside. (Barefoot, of course, since none of the novices were allowed to wear shoes.) Then there was the furniture—the couch in front of the fireplace was huge and plush and overstuffed, covered in some kind of suede-like leather in deep blue that matched the carpeting.

On the walls were works of priceless art in gleaming gold frames and there were a few tables that had expensive-looking vases and knick-knacks scattered here and there. Elli made certain to stay well clear of those—she didn’t want to be accused of breaking anything.

“I was told to come and see the Ascending Priestess Superior?” she said to the priestess who had opened the door, making it a question.

The priestess scowled at her.

“Oh yes—you’re the novice who snuck out to the human party and shamed herself with a male, aren’t you?”

“I…” Elli felt the shame roll over her again but she decided not to let the priestess—who was only the maid of the Ascending Priestess Superior—see it. “I was told to come see her,” she repeated doggedly, not answering the other woman’s question.

The priestess maid’s scowl deepened.

“Come this way—she’s out at the moment but you can wait in her audience chamber.”

She jerked her chin at the hallway leading off from the living area—one that Elli knew well, since it also led to the bedchamber where the Descending Priestess Superior was slowly dying.

Elli said nothing and simply followed her down the hallway. The maid took her to the end of it and opened the door on the left, revealing a room with a large, gleaming wooden desk and several straight, uncomfortable looking wooden chairs in front of it.

“Wait there,” she said sharply and pointed to one of the chairs. Then she turned and bustled back down the hallway, not waiting to see if Elli obeyed her or not.

Elli waited until she was out of sight and then, instead of going into the left-hand door and the office, she carefully opened the right-hand door and let herself into the bedchamber opposite it.

The room was dominated by a large, richly decorated bed. Lying in the middle of it, looking shrunken and ancient, was the Descending Priestess Superior. Elli knew that she had led the Order of the Sacred Grove here in the Mother Ship for over fifty cycles. It was only recently, in the past few months, that she’d gotten too ill to go about her duties.

Her illness had begun shortly after the new Priestess Superior had been sent to help her because of her age, but until her predecessor died, the Ascending Priestess Superior wouldn’t truly hold the title. In the meantime, she was running everything anyway, since the old Priestess Superior was too ill to do anything but lie in bed.

“Hello, Priestess Superior,” Elli said softly, going towards the bed and leaning over the shriveled figure.

“Elli, my sweet—is that you?” The old woman’s eyes opened. They were bright as new buttons, though somewhat clouded by pain, Elli saw.

“It’s me,” she said, taking the withered hand that was seeking for hers gently. “How are you today, Priestess Superior?”

“I’m well, child—as well as can be expected until the Goddess takes me home to be with her. But where have you been? I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you, too. Who’s been taking care of you? They aren’t doing a very good job.” Elli got the soft bristled brush from the bedside table and began to gently tease the tangles from the old woman’s long, dry hair. It had once been a vibrant black but now it was silver with emerald green streaks.

“The maids come and mind me every now and then,” the old priestess murmured. “And of course, the Ascending Priestess Superior comes to give me my medicine. They’re all good enough girls but they aren’t as sweet as you.”

“Maybe they’ll let me come back and see you again more often,” Elli said. She finished tidying the old woman’s hair and smiled as she put the brush back. “Do you want a sip of water?” She knew the Priestess Superior’s mouth got dry from the pain medication she was on.

“Bless you, child—yes, please!” the Priestess Superior whispered. “I’ve been laying here thinking how thirsty I am but I don’t have the strength to hold the glass.”

“They ought to be checking you more often!” Elli said indignantly, picking up the half-full glass of water with its glass straw. Carefully, she lifted the old lady’s head so that she could sip as much as she wanted and then laid her gently back down again.

“Much better.” The old Priestess Superior sighed contentedly. “Now I can let the medicine work and drift off to sleep.” She squeezed Elli’s hand. “Thank you, child. You’re a blessing to me and I call the blessings of the Goddess down on you.”

“Thank you, Priestess Superior.” Elli squeezed back very gently. She refused to add “Descending” to the old woman’s title. It was cruel enough that she was dying, forgotten and alone in this back bedchamber, without reminding her of her lost status.

“You take care now, child,” the old woman whispered, her eyes fluttering closed. “And don’t worry about what to do—the Goddess will guide you. She has promised me she will.”

“What?” Elli frowned. “Guide me where, Priestess Superior?”

But the old woman had finally sunk into sleep and Elli’s only answer was a gentle snore.

“Goodbye then,” Elli whispered, placing the withered hand gently back on the old woman’s chest. “I hope I see you again before…” She gulped back sudden tears. “Before the end,” she finally managed to get out in a choked voice. The Descending Priestess Superior reminded her so much of her own grandmother, that it was almost like losing her all over again.

Sniffing back her tears, she prepared to go back across the hall and wait for the Ascending Priestess Superior. She wondered what punishment awaited her and tried to swallow down the nervous lump in her throat.

But honestly, what else could they do that they hadn’t already done? She’d had a week of seclusion already where she was locked in her room all day and night with nothing to do but meditate, and now she was going to be scrubbing toilets all day. What could be worse than that?

“Nothing, I hope,” Elli muttered to herself in a low voice. She put her hand on the doorknob and was about to turn it when she heard voices in the hall outside.

“Hurry up, Beedra!” That was the brisk, cold, no-nonsense voice of the Ascending Priestess Superior talking to her assistant—a plump priestess who looked sad every time Elli saw her. Probably because she used to work for the Descending Priestess Superior, who was much nicer.

“Yes, Priestess Superior,” Beedra’s voice could be heard saying. She always sounded like she was out of breath, probably from keeping up with the tall, whip-thin head priestess.

“Now then—what’s on the agenda for today?” The Priestess Superior asked, right outside the door.

Elli held her breath, hoping she wouldn’t open the bedchamber door to check on the Descending Priestess Superior. But she needn’t have worried—the Ascending Priestess Superior seemed much too busy to bother with the dying old lady.

“You’re meant to have a sentencing session with that novice—the one who led the others astray and got them all to sneak out of their rooms and go to the humans’ Christmas party,” Beedra said quickly.

Elli clenched her fists in indignation. She had not been the leader of the gang! She hadn’t even suggested going to the party in the first place. It was Kylin who had been talking about how bright and exciting the party would be and then Lelki had said she wished she could see it and then somehow the three of them had started making plans but Elli certainly hadn’t suggested it. She—

“Well, she’s late!” The Ascending Priestess Superior’s voice cut into Elli’s frustrated thoughts. “Let’s wait in the office for her and move on to the second order of business in the meantime.”

The office door opened and closed and Elli breathed a sigh of relief. Now she could sneak out of the Descending Priestess Superior’s room and knock on the door of the office as though she was just coming in.

She did just that, closing the bedchamber door with excruciating care so as not to make a sound and coming to stand in front of the office door. But just as she was raising her hand to knock, she heard the Ascending Priestess Superior’s voice again, raised in anger and irritation this time.

“What do you mean you’ve found something that can cure her?”

Four

Elli’s hand froze in midair. Instead of knocking, she pressed her ear to the door eagerly. They must be talking about the Descending Priestess Superior! After all, who else needed curing?

“The analysis said that her wasting sickness could be stopped and even possibly reversed by a tiny piece of the Healing Lattice held in the Tenebrian Court on Pok,” Beedra explained.

Elli’s heart jumped. Pok! She knew Pok—it was the second moon of her own home world, Torl Prime! In fact, half the inhabitants living on Pok were from Torl Prime.

The other half were Tenebrians, a humanoid species that was tall and thin with narrow faces, pale blue skin, and large eyes. Elli had only seen Tenebrians once, when a couple of them had come down to Torl Prime to buy zorels in the annual fair. Her older brother, Pern, had been impressed because he’d heard rumors that they were a good judge of animals.

“The Healing Lattice, hmm?” The Ascending Priestess Superior didn’t sound at all pleased.

“Exactly! Just a tiny sliver of it under her tongue—”

“And will the Tenebrians be willing to give up a ‘tiny sliver’ of their lattice?” the Ascending Priestess Superior demanded.

“Well, that is the problem,” Beedra said, sounding worried. “They’re supposedly extremely protective of it. It grows from a very precious material only found on their home world and it’s known as the ‘Heart of the Court.’ In order to get any of it, you either have to render a great service to their Crown Prince or pay some exorbitant amount of credits.”

“I see…” There was a rhythmic clicking sound and Elli could picture the Ascending Priestess Superior tapping her long green nails on the shiny top of her polished wooden desk as she considered the information.

“So I thought, if we asked Commander Sylvan for the credits—” Beedra began.

“Have you asked him?” The Ascending Priestess’s voice was sharp. “In fact, have you told anyone else about this? Anyone at all?”

“No, Priestess Superior,” Beedra said quickly. “I waited to speak to you first.”

“Good,” the other woman said shortly. “Well, well—so the only cure for the old woman is on Pok. It’s rather convenient, considering that’s where the Priory of Extreme Atonement is located.”

The Priory of Extreme Atonement? Elli didn’t like the sound of that at all.

“Yes it is.” Beedra sounded confused. “But what—?”

“Don’t you see? We’ll send a delegation to Pok to drop off that nasty little novice who shamed herself at the human party,” the Ascending Priestess snapped.

“Oh, and then we can go and ask to buy a piece of the Healing Lattice at the same time, right?” Beedra sounded excited. She must miss working for the old head priestess, Elli thought.

“No.” The Ascending Priestess’s voice was cool. “And then we’ll have sent someone to Pok, which makes it look like we tried to get a piece of the lattice.”

“Oh, but…we’re not even going to try to get a piece?” Beedra objected.

“Certainly not. The Descending one has had her turn leading the Order of the Sacred Grove,” the Ascending Priestess said coldly.

“But…but I did so much research!” Beedra sounded almost desperate. “And to not even try—”

“It is time for her to be with the Goddess,” the Ascending Priestess said sharply. “It would be wrong of us to keep her from such glory. Don’t you think, Priestess Beedra?”

“I…I suppose so.” Beedra sounded miserable now. She must have really tried hard to find a way to save the sweet old woman’s life, Elli thought indignantly. No wonder she was upset to hear that her plan wouldn’t be put into action!

“Good, then that’s settled,” the Ascending Priestess said. “Now, where is that wretched novice? The sooner we send her off to Pok, the better!”

There was the sound of a chair creaking and Elli realized, with alarm, that one of the women had gotten up to come and look for her. Quickly, she rapped on the door.

“Come in,” the Ascending Priestess called and Elli pushed open the door.

Inside, she saw the Ascending Priestess settling back behind the glossy desk in her plush leather chair. Beside her desk was the wooden cabinet where the golden goblet which held the Mortem Amore elixir was stored.

Beedra was sitting on one of the hard wooden chairs opposite the desk. She made a motion, indicating that Elli was to come sit beside her on the other chair.

“Yes, Ascending Priestess Superior?” Elli still felt numb as she sat on the edge of the chair.

The head priestess’s thin lips twisted in displeasure.

“Simply ‘Priestess Superior’ will do, novice.”

Elli wanted to point out that until the real Priestess Superior died, the woman in front of her was still only Ascending Priestess, but she sensed that wouldn’t be a smart thing to say.

“Yes, Priestess Superior,” she said woodenly. “The Head Cook told me to come and see you?” she added, making the statement a question.

“Indeed. It is time that you were punished for your indiscretions.” The Ascending Priestess steepled her long thin fingers and rested her bony elbows on the shiny surface of her desk. “I have thought long and hard about what might help you mend your wicked ways, Novice, and it seems to me that a year or two at the Priory of Extreme Atonement will serve you nicely.”

“The Priory of Extreme Atonement?” Elli echoed and licked her lips nervously. “I…I have never heard of it.”

“Not many people have,” The Ascending Priestess informed her. “It’s a facility for the redemption of shameless cases like your own.”

Shameless cases? Elli wanted to tell the head priestess that she had plenty of shame about what had happened at the human Christmas party, but the other woman was still speaking.

“At the priory of Extreme Atonement, you will be locked in a meditation cell for twenty-three hours a day,” she was saying. “There, you can think long and hard on your sins and beg the Goddess for forgiveness. You will eat a plain and simple diet of paste wafers and bitter milk.”

“Twenty-three hours a day?” Elli’s voice trembled. “Alone? Meditating? Never seeing anyone else?” Just one week of silent meditation had nearly driven her mad. She couldn’t imagine two years of it!

“Oh, you’ll see other people, my dear—never fear,” The Ascending Priestess sneered. “The last hour of your day, you will spend in chastisement. The priests who run the Priory will mortify your flesh in order to heal your soul.”

“Mortify my…my flesh?” Elli shook her head. “I don’t understand. How—?”

“In my understanding, they alternate using a leather strap and a hard wooden cane,” the Ascending Priestess snapped. “In all probability, you will bear the marks of your mortification all your life. Which is a good thing—it will be a reminder to you that a priestess must never break her vows of chastity!”

“But…but I was given drugged punch!” Elli protested. “I didn’t do anything on purpose.”

“Don’t lie to me.” The Ascending Priestess narrowed her eyes at Elli. “I know why you were sent into the priestess-hood in the first place. I know what your stepmother caught you doing! Don’t try to deny it.”

“I…I…” Elli shook her head, not sure what she could say to defend herself.

There was no defense, in fact. For how could she justify abusing her own body for pleasure and then begging the mysterious male at the party to abuse her as well? No matter that she’d been given the drugged punch, it was still wrong of her to have such feelings and to break her vows of chastity.

Still, she couldn’t bear the thought of being locked up in a meditation cell and only brought out to take beatings once a day. It was too awful!

“Please,” she begged, clasping her hands under her chin. “Oh please, Priestess Superior, I know I have wrong thoughts and desires—I admit it! But can’t I simply go through the Ceremony of Shriving and drink of the Mortem Amore so I won’t have them anymore?” She looked longingly at the carved wooden cabinet hanging on the wall beside the desk.

“Most certainly not!” the Ascending Priestess snapped. “You must pay for your sins before you can be forgiven and shriven of them. After a year or two, you can come back and drink of the cup of Mortem Amore—only then will you become a proper priestess.”

Elli wanted to cry out that she didn’t want to be a proper priestess! That all she’d ever wanted was to be a zorel trainer back on her home world. But the words stuck in her throat and she could only shake her head in horror.

“Now go and pack your things,” the Ascending Priestess said coldly. “You will be leaving within the hour. Dismissed.”

And with that, there was nothing else Elli could do but leave her office to go and pack.

Five

“Please, help me! Roke, I need you! Please!”

Roke woke with a start and a curse. The dream was so vivid he half expected to see the little priestess standing in front of him pleading for his help. Instead there was nothing but the empty air. That didn’t matter though—he could still see her in his mind’s eye. Her long blonde hair with delicate streaks of pale jade green…her big green eyes staring up at him with such a pleading expression as she begged him to come save her…

“This is fucking ridiculous,” Roke growled to himself. Swinging his legs over the edge of his bed, he planted his elbows on his knees and rubbed his temples hard. “It’s a dream,” he told himself over and over again. “Just a dream.”

The same dream he’d been having for the past two weeks, ever since he’d done the job on the Mother Ship.

“Should never have taken that job,” he muttered, still rubbing his temples.

But it had seemed like an easy mark. Usually when someone approached him with a job, he was trying to take something valuable away with him. In this case, all he’d had to do was smuggle in the tiny bottle of passion drug and put a few drops in the punch. And because he was half Kindred, nobody batted an eye when he came aboard the Mother Ship.

He wished now he hadn’t done it. Every night since, he’d dreamed of her—the sweet little priestess that he had corrupted. Gods, her lips had been so soft and she had pressed her breasts into his hands so eagerly…

Because she was drugged, Roke reminded himself. She never would have acted that way otherwise. Anyway, it’s time you forget about her and get on with your life. It’s time—

“Thief, you will go to the girl and aid her.”

The powerful female voice boomed in his cabin, and the presence that came with it seemed to fill his entire ship. Roke felt as he had once when he had dived too deep in the Yolesh Ocean and had run out of air. His eardrums bulged and his lungs burned as he tried to breathe.

“Wh-what?” he finally managed to get out.

“Your actions have brought harm upon the priestess, Ellilah,” the voice boomed again. “But I will use the situation for good and you will help. Go to her now—protect and aide her.”

“Goddess?” Roke muttered, having at last figured out who was speaking to him. He looked around his darkened cabin, as though the Mother of All Life might suddenly appear. “I…I don’t even know where she is,” he protested.

“She will be found on Pok, the second moon of Torl Prime,” the Goddess told him. “You must seek her near the palace of the Tenebrian Crown Prince. Now go!”

“But how do I get her to trust me?” Roke protested. After all, he’d drugged her and taken advantage of her the first time they met—she would be right to be extremely suspicious of him.

There was no answer to his question. The Goddess only repeated,

“GO.”

And then the room was silent and the huge, overwhelming presence which had filled his cabin like a thousand tons of water pressure was suddenly gone.

Roke ran a shaking hand through his shaggy black hair. He had never been a religious male—he’d always thought that the Goddess had set the universe in motion and then left to do whatever it was deities did, with no thought for her individual children.

Well, she’s certainly thinking of that little priestess you wronged, whispered a shaky little voice in his head. I think you’d better do what she says, Roke.

Roke had to agree with the little voice. He might be a thief and a scoundrel, but he wasn’t stupid. Clearly the Goddess meant business and he wasn’t about to contradict her.

Rising from his cot, he went to the navcom of his small ship to set a new course for Pok.

He just hoped he could find the girl when he got there, and that he could convince her to trust him. Though how he was going to manage that after their first encounter, he had no idea…

Six

“This is it—the Priory of Extreme Atonement.” The Blood Kindred pilot who had brought Elli to Pok gave her a sympathetic look. “Do you want me to come in with you?”

“No thank you,” Elli said numbly, shaking her head. “I…I think I’m supposed to go alone.”

“Of course.” The pilot nodded as he studied the Priory. “But it looks…kind of grim. You can stay here as long as you want to,” he invited. “I’m not in a hurry to get back to the Mother Ship.”

Elli appreciated his kindness. But as she stared at the foreboding black building with walls that seemed to reach to the sky and no windows whatsoever, she knew that if she didn’t go and turn herself in to the Priory now, she would lose her nerve. Or worse, she would start to cry. And then the pilot would try to comfort her and if any of the priests who ran the Priory saw it, they could be accused of inappropriate touching and then she would get even more punishment than she was already scheduled for.

“Thank you but I think…” She swallowed hard. “Think I’d better get…get going.”

“Of course.” The pilot pushed a button and the passenger side door whooshed open. “May the Goddess bless your stay here,” he said formally.

Elli wanted to laugh but she was afraid it would turn into a sob. Her broken vows of chastity to the Goddess were what had landed her here in the first place. Well, that and the fact that the Ascending Priestess Superior wanted to make it look like she had sent someone to ask about getting a piece of the Tenebrians’ Healing Lattice without actually doing so.

The thought stuck in her head as she bid farewell to the pilot, who nodded sympathetically again as she climbed out of the ship. She brought only a small case which contained a single extra robe and nothing else. Apparently she wouldn’t be needing much of anything here at the Priory of Extreme Atonement—everything was going to be provided for her—from the bitter milk to the beatings, she thought dismally.

She thanked the pilot again and watched as the ship took off and disappeared into the pale purple sky. Then she was left, standing on the dusty road in front of the Priory, trying to summon the courage to approach it.

Taking a deep breath, she plodded over the hard-packed dirt road, which hurt her bare feet, and stood in front of the vast arched doorway. It was made of some black wood, which matched the dull black stone the Priory was constructed of, and it rose at least ten feet above her head. There was an enormous metal knocker on the front of the door, shaped like a humanoid head.

Elli couldn’t tell if the head was meant to be male or female but one thing was certain—it was in terrible pain. The eyes were rolled up in anguish and the carved metal mouth was open in a silent scream. The sight of it made her shiver and for a moment, she couldn’t bear to raise her hand and grasp the knocker.

I can’t! she thought wildly. I can’t turn myself in to be beaten and starved and kept in isolation for most of the day, every day for a year—or maybe two! I’ll go crazy. I know I was bad, breaking my vows, but surely I don’t deserve this. The Ascending Priestess Superior only sent me here so it would look like she was trying to get a piece of the Healing Lattice for the old Priestess Superior, even though she’s not. The poor old Priestess Superior is going to die because nobody cares enough to try and save her!

As it had before, the thought stuck in her brain. And then she remembered the words of the old Priestess Superior when Elli had last seen her.

“You take care now, child,” the old woman had said. “And don’t worry about what to do—the Goddess will guide you. She has promised me she will.”

But how will she guide me? Elli wondered. Guide me to what?

Slowly, an idea began growing in her mind. Could it be that it wasn’t the Goddess’s will for her to go into the Priory and be punished? Could it be that she was here for a different reason altogether?

“Maybe I should try and get a piece of the Healing Lattice for the old Priestess Superior,” Elli whispered to herself. If the Goddess didn’t mean for her to be punished, why else would she have allowed Elli to get sent to Pok?

But how could she go about it? She didn’t know anything about Pok—or the Tenebrian palace. She was barefoot and the dusty dirt road seemed to stretch out forever in front of her. How would she even get there?

“Goddess,” Elli whispered, squeezing her eyes shut. “If you truly mean for me to go on this quest and try to get a piece of the Healing Lattice to save the old Priestess Superior’s life, then you have to give me a sign. Give me a way to get to where I need to go. Please, I just—”

Her prayer was interrupted by the sound of a woman shouting.

Seven

“Gee-up, Looney. Gee-up there, now!”

Opening her eyes, Elli saw a rickety wooden cart being pulled by a large, ornery looking zorel. Its front end was a patchy gray and the hind quarters were brown—a mismatch if Elli had ever seen one.

Must be a cross breed, she thought, her eyes roaming over the large beast. Its front claws were clumsily shod with iron, which looked heavy and bulky, and its arching back was bowed as it pulled the heavy load of thunder melons the cart contained.

Apparently the zorel wasn’t moving as fast as the hard-faced woman who was driving the cart wanted it to. She was whipping up the long leather reins, and shouting for “Looney” to “Gee-up, I said!” continuously.

Elli saw what the trouble was at once. The zorel was shying every time she put her left hind foot down. There was probably a stone in the heavy iron shoe nailed to her left hoof, pressing into the soft interior sole and causing her pain.

“Excuse me.” Elli stepped away from the foreboding door and its agonized knocker and back into the dusty road. “Excuse me,” she said again, waving at the woman. “But do you know how far it is to the Tenebrian palace from here?”

“Going to the palace, are you?” the woman sneered, yanking on the reins to slow the plodding pace of the zorel. “And what business might the likes of you have there?”

“I have to see the Crown Prince,” Elli said, lifting her chin. “Do you know how far it is?”

“As to that, it’s in Capital City, only about ten pikes that way.” She nodded down the dusty road. “I’m off that direction myself—gotta sell these thunder melons afore they get too ripe and start crackin’ open on their own.”

As she spoke, one of the round, pale pink melons—each about as big around as Elli’s torso—suddenly cracked open and a sound like late-afternoon thunder split the air. The zorel shied at the sound and shivered in her traces.

“Goddess damnit!” the woman swore, turning her head to look at the ruined melon. Its sweet, pale green flesh, flecked with purple was exposed. Elli knew—since thunder melons came from her home world—that in a matter of about an hour, it would go bad.

“Bad luck,” she ventured to say, nodding at the melon. “I’m Elli, by the way.”

“Laziness is more like it!” the woman said, glaring at the zorel, which had come to a complete halt now with its left hind leg raised so it barely touched the road. “I’m Tully and this blame animal here is Looney—and she won’t go no matter how hard I whup ‘er!”

“She’s got a stone in her shoe, I’ll bet,” Elli said. “Just get it out and she’ll go fine, I’m sure.”

The woman shook her head.

“Ain’t nobody but my mate able to touch Looney’s hind feet. She’s no flamer and she ain’t got much more than a puff of steam in her but she’ll kick and bite like there’s no tomorrow if anyone but him tries.”

Elli had a sudden inspiration.

“Give me a ride to Capital City and I’ll get the stone out for you—I have a knack with zorels.”

“Give you a ride, eh?” The hard-faced Tully gave Elli a measured glance. “Don’t you belong in the Priory, there? I ‘ent about to steal one of theirs—no, I ‘ent! I hear the screamin’ and wailin’ that comes outta that place and I don’t hanker to try any of whatever it is they’re dishin’ out if they find out I took a girl from them.”

“Then I guess you’ll be stuck here and all your thunder melons will split like that one did and you’ll lose an entire growing season’s profit,” Elli shot back, nodding at the melons piled in the back of the cart. “That would be a shame and I’m sure your mate wouldn’t be too happy about it either.”

“He’ll beat me, he will,” Tully muttered unhappily. “He’ll blame me for it, though it’s none of my fault.”

“Just let me try to get the stone out,” Elli coaxed. “Then we can both get to Capital City in no time.”

“Well…” The other woman seemed to consider for a moment. “All right,” she said at last. “But don’t blame me if she kicks the life out of you. Looney is a testy one, she is.”

“Let’s just see about that.” Putting her small case down on the side of the road, Elli came up to the zorel’s head. It was clear the animal hadn’t been well taken care of. Looney’s feathered gray mane was matted and tangled and her long muzzle was spattered with mud.

But to Elli, who had gone so long without seeing one of her favorite beasts, the zorel was a sight for sore eyes.

“Hello there, sweetheart,” she murmured, looking into the slitted brown eyes. Zorels had vertical pupils, much like the Earth creature called a cat.

It was clear that Looney wasn’t exactly a thoroughbred, but she seemed to be from good draft stock—hardworking and dependable. Elli had the strong feeling, as she ran her hands down the arching neck, that the doe was doing the best she could, despite the pain in her hoof.

“Whatcha doin’ pettin’ her like that?” Tully demanded. “Thought you were supposed to be getting the stone out of her shoe?”

“I will soon.” Elli didn’t break eye contact with the zorel as she spoke. “Just give me a moment to get to know her and let her know I only want to help.”

She stroked the zorel’s neck gently and looked into the long-lashed brown eyes.

“You’re a good girl, aren’t you, Looney?” she murmured. “And you’re going to let me help you, aren’t you?”

She felt some resistance at first but then the zorel shook her long head up and down and Elli sensed trust from her. She didn’t know if anyone else could sense these feelings she got from zorels—she had asked her youngest brother, Brill, about it once, and he had looked at her like she was crazy. But they came through clearly to Elli and she knew when she felt Looney’s trust, it was all right to touch her hooves.

“Good girl,” she said, stroking the zorel’s neck again. “Now just be still and let me look at that hoof.”

The zorel snorted, a faint puff of steam coming from her flaring nostrils, and nodded her head again.

“Good.” Elli ran her hand lightly over the long flank, stroking the rough scales—each as broad as her palm—that became feathery fur on the hindquarters.

When she got to the left hind leg, she took a moment stroking and soothing it. She could feel the heat and pain from the strained muscles—Looney had been favoring it for quite some time. Then, gently but firmly, she lifted the back hoof and looked inside.

The soft inner part of the hoof was called the “sponge” and Looney’s was clogged up with packed-in dirt. Sticking out of the left side of the dirt clod, and no doubt digging into the tender sponge, was a hard piece of purple quartz about twice as big as Elli’s thumb.

Finding a stick in the road, she dug quickly and carefully, clearing the dirt and muck and getting the quartz to come free at last. Looney shivered but held still for the operation. Elli finished clearing her hoof and then set it down gently on the road.

“Now try it,” she said, speaking to the zorel, not the woman driving the cart.

Looney snorted and took one tentative step, then another. She tossed her head and stamped hard on the dirt road—clearly the pain was gone.

“Good girl! That’s better, isn’t it?”

Elli smiled in delight and came up to stroke the arching neck again. When she touched the doe, she felt a rush of relief and appreciation coming from Looney.

“You’re welcome,” Elli told her, looking into the big brown eyes. “Now you should be able to pull this heavy cart to town with no problem because you’re such a strong, brave girl—aren’t you, Looney, my love?”

The zorel snorted and gave a little prancing step, as though she couldn’t wait to get started.

“There—she’s all ready to go.” Elli looked up at Tully, who was staring at her with something like awe on her face.

“Can you talk to animals, then?” she asked as Elli retrieved her small case from the side of the road and climbed up into the wagon to sit on the narrow wooden bench beside her.

“Well, anyone can talk to them,” Elli said as the other woman shook the reins and Looney started off at a brisk trot. “The question is, will they listen to you. Zorels mostly listen to me,” she explained. “They have since I was little. I just…understand them, I guess.”

“I guess you do,” the woman said, still looking at her wonderingly. “Why, I ‘ent ever seen that beast behave so! Quiet as a lambkin she was when you touched her, though I’ve seen her kick a grown man across the stable yard for even getting close to her hind quarters!”

“You just have to be kind to her,” Elli recommended. “Talk to her—let her know you only want what’s best for her. Look in her eyes and let her feel your love.”

“Ha! Feel my love indeed,” Tully snorted. But she didn’t make fun of Elli and she was willing to trade half the split thunder melon for the piece of purple quartz that had been clogging up Looney’s hoof.

As the wagon moved briskly down the dirt road and she ate the sticky-sweet melon, Elli felt her heart lift to the pale purple sky. She was leaving the awful Priory of Extreme Atonement behind and even better, she was on an adventure!

No, not an adventure—I’m on a quest, she told herself. A quest to save the old Priestess Superior’s life.

She was going to get a piece of the Tenebrian Healing Lattice no matter what she had to do to get it, she decided. But for now, she was just going to enjoy the ride—enjoy being outdoors and near her beloved zorels again. Truly, the Goddess was good.

Elli just hoped she would help her in the rest of her quest. But only time would tell about that…

Eight

They made brisk time now that Looney was no longer in pain. She was able to jog along, pulling the heavy cartload of thunder melons as though it was a load of feathers. As she ate chunks of the sweet, sticky thunder melon, Elli talked to Tully, trying to find out everything she could about Capital City and the Crown Prince of the Tenebrians and his palace.

“Don’t know much about ‘em but the rumors I’ve heard, to be honest,” Tully told her, taking a chunk of melon for herself. “They keep to themselves, mostly, which suits all of us. They’re humanoid, same as we are, but they’re strange, ya know?”

“Strange how?” Elli asked, licking juice that had run down her wrist. She was going to have to change to her clean robe before she presented herself at the palace—the one she had on was covered in dust and pale green thunder melon juice.

“Well, they’re odd about rain for one thing,” the woman told her. “The minute it starts to even sprinkle, they scatter like it was liquid fire rainin’ from the sky ‘stead of a few raindrops. Don’t know why that is.” She shrugged.

“Maybe it has something to do with a custom from their home world,” Elli suggested.

“Could be.” Tully nodded. “I hear tell they come from a planet that’s mostly dessert and Pok ‘ent like that—thank the good Goddess. Couldn’t grow thunder melons without rain!”

Elli had to agree with that. The reason thunder melons were so heavy was the fact that they were mostly water inside. Pok must have a fairly wet climate—or at least a wet growing season—to make them a feasible crop to grow here.

“But then, for all their fear of rain, I hear the lot of ‘em take baths together,” the woman continued. “I mean all of ‘em at once—the whole Court! ‘Ent that strange?”

“It certainly is,” Elli said, digging out another chunk of melon.

“And then, they got all these high falootin’ manners,” Tully said, frowning. “Always bowing and prancin’ around dressed up with gold and silver lace at their cuffs and collars.”

“They sound fancy,” Elli offered and the other woman nodded.

“Fancy—there’s a word for ‘em,” she said. “Stuck up is another. But listen to this—I’ve heard tell that for all they wear their fine clothes around the city, on the inside of the palace, they wear a lot less—especially to their fancy balls. They—” She stopped short, eyeing Elli. “Well, maybe I ought not to tell you what they wear and do at those parties of theirs. I don’t want to ruin your innocence.”

Elli wanted to protest that she wasn’t as innocent as all that—not after breaking her vows of chastity. But she thought she ought to keep that to herself. So she only said, “They sound like very…interesting people.”

“Interesting, my eye!” Tully snorted. “They just think they’re too good for everyone else. Why, they ride all over town on their fine bred zorels and they won’t hardly even look at one of us poor folk. It’s like we don’t even exist!”

That didn’t sound too promising to Elli. What if she couldn’t even get into the palace to see the Crown Prince? How could she possibly get the sliver of Healing Lattice if they wouldn’t even acknowledge her?

But the Goddess had brought her this far, she reminded herself. She had sent Tully with her lame doe and her cart full of thunder melons to give Elli a ride to Capital City. Surely, if she meant for her to succeed, she would send more help once she got there.

Have faith, Elli told herself. And no matter what happens, remember that at least you’re not back at the Priory of Extreme Atonement. Thank the Goddess for that!

The next step would be revealed once she got to the city—she was sure of it.

Well, almost sure…

Nine

Capital City was bigger than any city Elli had ever been to, back home on Torl Prime. The closest thing she could compare it to was Yamden town, where the annual zorel fair was held. She’d gone with her brothers and father the past five years to help sell their trained and broken zorels and buy new, unbroken ones to work. Of course, the Mother Ship was a huge place too, but it was laid out differently than a planet bound city and besides, Elli hadn’t been allowed to see very much of it.

As Tully drove the rickety wooden cart through the arching gates of the city and up the winding cobblestone road, Elli looked around eagerly. There were shops lining the main thoroughfares and clusters of houses down the side streets. At the very top of the hill the city was built on, sat the Tenebrian palace but she couldn’t see much of it yet, except as a dark shape far in the distance, rising into the sky.

Capital City was divided into districts, according to Tully. They went through the Silk District first, which was strung with lines, each displaying rich, colorful fabrics flapping in the breeze.

Looney was inclined to shy at these until Elli jumped down for a moment and talked to her. Once she had made the zorel understand there was no real danger from the flapping fabrics, they were able to proceed.

“You really do have a way with beasts,” Tully said, shaking her head. “Is that why you want to see the Tenebrian Crown Prince?”

“Something like that,” Elli said evasively. “But zorels aren’t that hard to deal with, you know. They’re actually quite intelligent. Some of them have the understanding of a five year or six-year-old child—I’ve even heard of some trainers teaching their zorels to read or count.”

Tully snorted.

“Readin’ and countin’ is all well and good but I’d just as soon Looney kept her mind on pullin’ the cart.”

“She will,” Elli assured her. “She’s a good girl—she likes to work hard, you know—as long as she’s not in pain or frightened of something. You just have to let her know everything is all right and then she’ll do her very best for you every time.”

Tully just gave her a sidelong glance and Elli realized she’d said too much. People always started looking at her like that when she told them how their zorels were thinking or feeling. They thought she was odd for knowing—or thought she was only pretending to know or, worse of all, thought that she was crazy. But understanding zorels came so naturally to Elli it was hard to remember she ought not to speak about it to other people.

“What’s that interesting smell?” she asked, to change the subject.

“Spice District up ahead,” Tully said shortly.

Elli saw that the flapping fabrics had given way to stalls with wide baskets of many-colored spices. The air was thick with their scents—sharp and sweet and bitter and tangy and aromatic and peppery all at once. Looney sneezed and snorted but kept pulling steadily as the road climbed upward.

After the Spice District, they passed by the Leatherworks District and then the Metalworks, where every shop seemed to have pots and pans hanging outside, banging and clanging noisily against each other. Elli watched anxiously as Looney laid her tall, tufted ears back at the noise, but the doe kept pulling steadily, so there was no need to get out and reassure her again.

The people in the streets seemed to be mostly humanoids from Elli’s home world of Torl Prime. Though every once in a while, she would catch sight of a Tenebrian, their tall, thin bodies swathed in lace and velvet, just as Tully had described them. Some were carried in jeweled chairs, borne on the broad shoulders of burly servants but most of them were mounted on zorels of extremely fine breeding. Their fore and hind quarters matched seamlessly and their feathery manes and the long tufts of their tails were done up in elaborate ribbons and bows as fancy as their owners’ clothing.

The Tenebrians carried themselves with an air of aloof grace. In addition to their great height and slenderness, they also had pale blue skin—which in their women was milky white, giving them an almost albino appearance. Their complexions and manners set them aside from the ruddy-skinned humanoids from Torl Prime. It was clear they were aristocrats, out for a ride among the peasantry with whom they had no wish to mingle.

Elli watched them with anxiety, wondering how in the world she was going to get any of them to notice her—let alone get one to let her into the palace so she could beg for a bit of their Healing Lattice. Well, she supposed the Goddess would have to make a way if she really wanted her to fulfill this quest she had set herself.

At last they came to the Greengrocers District where Tully was to sell her thunder melons. As they rounded the corner and climbed yet another hill, there was an opening in the shops and the tall, golden walls of the palace came into view at last.

“Ohhh…” Elli breathed, looking up at its tall spires and gleaming battlements. “It glitters just like gold!” she exclaimed.

“That’s only ‘cause it’s built of sparkle stone,” Tully said sourly. “Damn Tenebrians brought it with them from their home world. Goddess only knows how much it cost to transport all that lot but they done it all right.”

She spat over the side of the wagon, as though to express her opinion of the Tenebrians and their grand palace.

“It’s beautiful,” Elli said honestly. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Well, good luck gettin’ into it,” Tully told her. “It ain’t like they let just anybody who wants to waltz in there. Still…” She eyed Elli stained white robe. “Maybe they’ll make an exception for you—you bein’ a priestess and all.”

“Hopefully,” Elli said. “Well, thank you for the r—”

The words died on her lips. Directly across the street from them, in front of a store selling some kind of ripe, red fruit, was a Tenebrian rider dressed in a rich blue velvet cloak with silver lace at his slender neck.

But it wasn’t his rich clothing that drew Elli’s eye—it was the gorgeous zorel he was riding. It was a purebred steamer—white everywhere except for the feathery socks at its front claws and back hooves and its mane and tail, which were all midnight black.

It was a beautiful animal but what got Elli’s blood boiling was the fact that the Tenebrian rider was beating it, as hard as he could with a stiff leather crop.

“No!” Elli gasped. The sight of an animal being abused had never been something she could tolerate. Before she knew what she was doing, she had launched herself off the moving wagon and was darting across the street.

Ten

Now where in the Seven Hells was the little priestess, anyway?

Roke had searched the whole damn city twice and he had yet to find her. He had gotten several suspicious looks from the humanoids from Torl Prime. The few Kindred they’d had interbreed with them were the blond-haired, blue-eyed Blood Kindred. Though Roke himself was half Blood Kindred, he looked more like his Sire, who had been a Havoc. The result being that he was as dark as a Beast Kindred, though without the golden eyes. That difference was apparently enough to engender distrust.

The tall, skinny Tenebrians, on the other hand, mostly ignored him, which suited Roke fine. They were a strange people with even stranger customs and he wanted nothing to do with them.

He was just rounding a bend to enter the fruit and vegetable part of the market district for the third time, when he heard some kind of commotion going on. Looking across the street, he stared in surprise at the scene playing out.

A tall, pale blue Tenebrian rider was gripping the reins of one of those beasts they liked to ride here—a zorel, Roke thought they were called. They were strange looking animals—a mixture of a horse and a dragon—both Earth animals, though one of them was mythical. (Roke couldn’t remember which was the imaginary one, but he thought it was the horse.)

At any rate, the zorel was bucking and hot steam was coming from its flaring nostrils. The rider was attempting to get control of it by beating it with a crop and sawing on the reins.

“Be still, Sir!” he was shouting at the top of his voice, sounding like an offended gentleman who couldn’t believe he was being affronted by an underling who had failed to do what he was told. “I say, be still!”

Suddenly, there was a blur of motion and Roke saw a girl in a white robe jump from a moving cart and dash across the street. She grasped the tall Tenebrian’s arm on the downswing and ripped the riding crop out of his elegantly gloved hand.

The rider had been leaning to one side in the saddle. As the zorel chose that moment to buck again, he overbalanced and went flying out of his saddle and into the mud at the side of the road.

“You beast!” the girl shouted in a high, sweet voice like a little bird and Roke realized that she was talking to the rider, who was looking up at her with a dazed expression. “How dare you beat him?” she raged and threw the riding crop at the rider’s head. Then she turned back to the bucking, rearing, snorting zorel and somehow managed to catch it by the bridle.

The zorel was huge compared to the girl—the top of her head barely reached its shoulder. Roke started forward, afraid she would be clawed by the silver-shod front talons or trampled by the back hooves. But somehow she managed to dodge the flailing limbs of the great creature and pull down its bridle to catch its eye.

The moment she looked into the great, slitted silver eye, the beast stopped rearing and snorting and actually seemed to listen to her. Roke couldn’t hear what she was saying but it was low and soft and mesmerizing and it seemed to work miracles on the huge zorel.

After it had quieted, the girl calmly reached under its great belly and unfastened the girth which held the bejeweled, intricately worked leather saddle in place. The expensive piece of equipment fell off onto the dirty cobbled road and the girl inspected the broad expanse of the zorel’s back.

The rider, who seemed to have gotten over the shock of his fall, was getting to his feet.

“Here, now!” he exclaimed, standing up and reaching for the girl. “You can’t just—”

“Let her finish what she’s doing,” Roke growled, grabbing the Tenebrian by one skinny shoulder. He might be as tall as Roke was, but he had no muscle on his long, gangly limbs, so Roke was able to hold him back easily.

“But what is she doing? She got me thrown from my mount!” the Tenebrian exclaimed with a wounded air, glaring at the girl—who Roke had finally realized was the little priestess.

“Whatever it is, she’s not done yet,” he told the other male. “So be still and let her finish.”

Privately, he was still marveling at the change in the little priestess. Ellilah, he reminded himself. The Goddess said her name was Ellilah.

The female he had met at the human Christmas party aboard the Mother Ship had been shy and frightened—until she got a sip of the punch, that was. Then she’d been extremely insistent that he touch and kiss her. And so tempting he’d been forced to leave before he truly took advantage of her. But she had never displayed the kind of fiery wrath or reckless bravery he had just witnessed.

Clearly there was more to the shy little priestess than met the eye.

As he and the rider watched, the priestess continued to search the zorel’s broad back until she seemed to find what she was looking for. With a low, “Ah-ha!” she plucked something off of its midsection, just where the close-set scales of the front met the feathery hair of the hind end, and flicked it away.

“There now,” she said, going back to the zorel’s head. “It’s gone and you’re all right. I know it hurt but I got rid of it and it won’t bite you anymore.”

The huge beast put its head down and nosed her gratefully and the girl wrapped her arms around the massive head and gave the beast a hug. She didn’t seem at all frightened of its fangs or the dilated nostrils which were still puffing hot steam. She simply stroked the creature affectionately and murmured words of kindness into its great, tufted ears until it was fairly purring with contentment.

“I say!” The Tenebrian rider who had been angry at first, was now staring at the little priestess in apparent astonishment. “That beast has been the most recalcitrant, intractable, stubborn creature I’ve ever known! It took my trainer months to break him to the saddle and even now he snaps and hisses when I mount him—but she’s got him eating out of her hand in seconds!”

He went forward to the little priestess, who was still stroking the zorel’s long, soft whiskers and patting its nose. This time Roke let him go, though he kept right behind him, making certain to stay within reaching distance in case the Tenebrian threatened Ellilah again.

But the rider didn’t seem inclined to violence.

“How did you do that?” he asked the little priestess. “How did you quiet him so quickly?”

“By not beating him to start with,” she snapped at him, looking up with flashing green eyes. “Did you even stop to wonder why he was bucking before you started in with your crop?”

“I…” The Tenebrian looked shocked at being spoken to in such a frank manner by such a little slip of a female, but he finally answered. “I thought he was just being headstrong,” he admitted. “He is a most stubborn and disobedient beast, you know, Miss.”

“He was in pain,” Ellilah said, frowning. “He had a burrowing gnaw-worm right under his saddle! They’re obvious enough if you look for them—you should have seen it before you put his tack on.”

“I didn’t put it on myself!” The Tenebrian sounded offended, as though she’d accused him of doing manual labor unbefitting someone of his station.

“Well who did, then?” Ellilah demanded.

“My groom, of course,” the Tenebrian said loftily.

“Then you ought to fire him and do it yourself,” the little priestess lectured. “If you own an animal, you ought to take care of it personally. Otherwise, how can you know if something’s wrong?”

“I have never heard of any such thing.” The Tenebrian rider scowled like a scolded schoolboy.

“Well, now you have,” Ellilah said shortly. “This is a good, sweet boy you have here.” She stroked the zorel’s long muzzle again and it snorted gently and rubbed its cheek eagerly against her small hand. “You ought to be ashamed, letting someone else take care of him and just assuming he wanted to be bad instead of looking to see what was bothering him.”

“I say…” the Tenebrian said, and then seemed to run out of words. He shook his head and finally found his tongue. “Girl, do you know who I am? I am the Duke of the Closewild Lands. No one has dared to chastise me as you do since I left the nursery and my governess behind at the age of ten cycles!”

“I’m just telling you the truth—if you own an animal, you have to take care of it,” the little priestess said stubbornly.

“And just who do you think you are to lecture me like this?” the Duke demanded.

“I’m just—” Ellilah began.

“She’s the Zorel Entrancer,” Roke said, stepping out from behind the Tenebrian to get into the conversation.

Up until then, he had been standing back watching, just out of the girl’s immediate line of sight. Also, she’d been giving all her attention to the zorel—who had clearly fallen in love with her—and the indignant Tenebrian Duke. Now she seemed to see and recognize Roke for the first time, for her green eyes went wide and her cheeks flushed.

“You!” she exclaimed faintly.

“Yes, my lady.” Roke nodded at her and turned back to the Tenebrian. “This is Lady Ellilah—she is known far and wide as the premiere zorel trainer in the galaxy, which is why they call her ‘The Zorel Entrancer.’ If she tells you that you are treating your beast incorrectly, then you had better change your ways, Sir, because Lady Ellilah is never wrong when it comes to zorels.”

Of course, he spun the whole story off the top of his head. He had always been good at telling tales—too good, his Sire had always said. But he could see that it was working—the Tenebrian rider, who had been so indignant just a moment ago, was looking at the little priestess with new respect.

Ellilah, for her part, was still staring at Roke with an open mouth and wide eyes.

“So does she travel all around, training zorels?” The Tenebrian Duke asked Roke.

“It’s more accurate to say she trains people who own zorels how to train and handle them,” Roke replied.

Because as far as he could see, that was exactly what the little priestess had been doing—lecturing the tall Tenebrian on the proper care of his mount.

“It is a gift given to her by the Kindred Goddess,” he continued, spinning the story out to its logical conclusion. “And you should feel gratified, Sir, to have encountered her. She just saved your own beast from a pernicious bore-worm.”

“A burrowing gnaw-worm,” Ellilah corrected faintly.

“A burrowing gnaw-worm,” Roke repeated firmly. “If it had been allowed to continue what it was doing, it might have done great harm to what is obviously an expensive animal.”

“Yes, by the Gods—damnably expensive!” the Duke exclaimed, his pale blue skin flushing a darker shade as he spoke. “And I’ve been thinking of returning him to the breeder. It’s a waste of money, having an animal so stubborn and mean, for all he looks so fine in a saddle.”

“You don’t have to do that!” Ellilah exclaimed, still stroking the zorel’s nose. “I can teach you how to gentle him. He’ll be as sweet and quiet as a lambkin when I’m done with him.”

“Well…” The Duke looked at her thoughtfully. “I suppose I could procure you an invitation to the palace. There is a Formal Introduction period tonight and I am close personal friends with the Crown Prince,” he added importantly.

“That won’t be necessary,” Roke said quickly. He had heard of the strange customs of the Tenebrians and he didn’t want the little priestess anywhere near them.

But Ellilah looked up at him with fire in her green eyes.

“Yes, it will be necessary for me to get an invitation,” she said clearly. “How else can I get into the Tenebrian Court and help the Duke, here, learn to train his zorel?”

Roke frowned back at her. What was she playing at? Why in the world would she want to get into the Tenebrian Court? But clearly the little priestess had her reasons. Reluctantly, he held his tongue.

“I will leave word at the palace door that you are to be admitted tonight,” the Duke said.

“And me as well,” Roke said quickly. “I am Lady Ellilah’s bodyguard and companion—she cannot go anywhere without me.”

Ellilah opened her mouth as though to disagree but Roke gave her a quick shake of the head and she subsided, still frowning at him.

The Tenebrian Duke didn’t seem to think there was anything strange about this arrangement.

“Of course you must have your Heart’s Companion with you,” he said to Ellilah. “I will leave an invitation for him as well. Lady Ellilah and…?”

“Roke,” Roke said shortly and saw the little priestess’s eyes widen.

That’s right, he thought. The Goddess told me her name, but I never told her mine.

So this was a kind of introduction, in a way, he supposed.

“Yes, Lady Ellilah and Roke.” The Duke nodded and looked at Ellilah. “And now, if you don’t mind, I must be going.”

He bent down to pick up the heavy saddle—staggered under its weight for a moment—and tried to put it on the zorel’s back.

The zorel promptly side-stepped, leaving the expensive saddle to fall on the ground again.

“Blast!” the Duke swore, his pale blue face going indigo with rage. “This is why I always have the groom saddle him!” he exclaimed to Ellilah.

“Let me talk to him,” she said, frowning at the zorel. “What’s his name, by the way?”

“Wind Chaser,” the Duke said stiffly, picking up the saddle again.

“All right. Now, Windy…” The little priestess began stroking the zorel’s long muzzle and speaking in low tones in his tufted ears.

The ears drooped at first and Roke would have sworn the beast looked ashamed of itself. After a moment, though, the tufted ears perked up. Its nostrils quivered and it gave a snort of steam and nodded its head.

“All right, try it now,” Ellilah said to the Duke. “Oh, and you’re putting it on backwards,” she added. “Turn it around.”

The Tenebrian Duke looked embarrassed as he put down the heavy saddle and picked it up again, the right way around this time. He managed to flop it onto the zorel’s broad back and this time Wind Chaser stood perfectly still for the operation.

“Good boy!” Ellilah exclaimed and Roke wasn’t sure if she was talking to the Duke or his animal. Both of them, however, reacted to her compliment in a positive manner. Wind Chaser blew steam and snorted softly and the Duke smiled and nodded his head.

“Now let me show you how to tighten the girth,” Ellilah said to the Duke. “You have to make sure it’s not too loose—you don’t want it to fall off. But at the same time you don’t want to make it so tight that it pinches your zorel.”

She spent several moments showing him, during which the formerly restive zorel held perfectly still.

“And that’s why it’s important to check the equipment yourself—even if you trust your groom,” she finished at last.

“I see.” The Duke was nodding and looking at the little priestess as though she was an amazing fountain of information.

Actually, she was, Roke thought. He had never seen such an impressive display of bravery and knowledge. He wondered why Ellilah was a priestess at all. Surely she would be happier training zorels than chanting meditations in the Sacred Grove all day. Well, maybe he could find out once the two of them got to know each other.

At last the Duke rode off—not without promising again to leave an invitation for the two of them at the gates of the palace—and the curvy little priestess turned to Roke with fire in her green eyes.

“All right,” she said tightly, crossing her arms over her breasts. “Who exactly are you and what are you doing here?”

Eleven

Elli crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at the big warrior. She’d never imagined she would see the mysterious male from the Christmas party again—the one she’d shamed herself with—the cause of all her trouble.

He looked just as she remembered him—wild black hair and dark eyes—broad shoulders and a muscular form which was emphasized by his tight black shirt and trousers and his long black boots. He was tall too—much taller than her. But she didn’t care that he could pick her up and break her like a toothpick—she was angry at what he’d put her through and she wasn’t afraid to let him know it.

“All right,” she said tightly. “Who exactly are you and what are you doing here?”

“My name is Roke and the Goddess sent me to you,” he answered, which made Elli stare at him even harder.

“How can I believe that?” she demanded. “After all the trouble you caused me! Do you know where I’m supposed to be right now? At the Priory of Extreme Atonement. The Ascending Priestess Superior wanted to send me there to be beaten for a solid hour every day and locked up in solitary confinement the rest of the time! And all because of you!”

He widened his eyes and she saw that they weren’t only dark—they were actually concentric rings of dark green and dark blue—like the forest meeting the ocean.

“Forgive me, little priestess,” he said, bowing to her. “You can chastise me all you want, but can we do it somewhere else instead of out here on the road?”

Looking around, Elli saw that he was right—they were still on the winding, cobblestone street in front of the stall selling bright red fruit. No one had bothered them while they dealt with the Tenebrian nobleman, but now that it was just her and the rather disreputable looking Kindred warrior—if he even was a Kindred—some of the shopkeepers and customers were beginning to shoot them dirty looks.

“Fine,” she said tightly. “Let me just get my case and we can talk somewhere else.”

But when she looked around, she saw that Tully and Looney and the cartful of thunder melons were all gone.

“Oh dear.” She frowned anxiously. “Where did they go?”

“Where did who go?” Roke asked.

“I was riding in a cart,” Elli explained. “And it had my case with my spare robe in it.”

She looked down at her once-white priestess garments, which were dirtier than ever after her encounter with the Duke and his zorel. Adding to the dust and thunder melon juice, Wind Chaser had drooled on her when she was hugging his huge head.

“I can’t possibly go to the palace like this!” she exclaimed.

“You won’t have to,” Roke told her. He started to take her by the shoulder but Elli shook him off.

“Don’t touch me!” she exclaimed, glaring up at him. “The last time you touched me you took advantage of me and made me shame myself! You ruined my life!”

“All right, all right…” The big warrior held up both hands in a gesture of truce. “I swear I won’t ever touch you again unless you ask me to, little priestess,” he rumbled. “But in the meantime, come with me and tell me why you want so badly to get into the Tenebrian palace.”

“Well…” Elli bit her lip uncertainly.

“You might as well tell me,” Roke said, frowning. “I’ll need to know since I’m coming in with you.”

“What I’d like to know is exactly why you invited yourself along on my quest,” Elli snapped at him.

He scowled.

“Because there’s no way in all the Seven Hells I’m letting you go into that place alone, little priestess. It’s not safe.”

Elli’s stomach squeezed into a nervous fist.

“Why? What do you know about it?” she demanded.

“Tell me why you want to go and I’ll tell you what I know,” he countered. “But first, come with me to the Garment District.” He beckoned for her but Elli held her ground.

“Why the Garment District?” she asked, frowning.

“So I can buy you a new dress, of course,” he said, sounding exasperated. “As you said, you can’t go to the Tenebrian palace looking like that.” And he pointed at her stained robes.

“All right.” Elli felt her cheeks getting hot. “I’ll go with you as long as you don’t touch me.”

“I already promised I wouldn’t, didn’t I?” he growled. “Look, I’m not here to molest you, Ellilah—I’m here to protect you.”

“Who said I needed protection?” she demanded.

“The Goddess, when she sent me,” Roke said shortly. “Now come on.”

He turned and headed up the street and—after a silent moment of internal struggle—Elli followed him.

Twelve

Don’t trust him—why are you even going with him? whispered a doubtful little voice in Elli’s head.

Elli didn’t know the answer to that herself. But somehow she felt like she had no choice, so she followed the big warrior as he walked up the cobblestone streets of Capital City.

They left the Greengrocer District behind and entered the Garment District, just as he had said. There were fancy clothes hanging out in front of some of the shops and working clothes hanging out in front of others. But just as Elli was eyeing a silvery-blue gown with tiny yellow flowers sewn all over it, they came to a stop in front of a small café instead.

“What are we doing here?” Elli asked as Roke walked inside and took a seat at a small table in the corner.

“Getting some lunch.” He crossed his long legs with their tall black boots at the ankles and invited Elli to sit in the chair across from him with a wave of his hand.

“I’m not hungry,” she said sullenly but then her stomach growled, giving lie to her words. It had been some time since the thunder melon, which never really filled you up anyway, but just sort of melted away after you ate it.

“Oh!” Elli put a hand to her stomach, mortified, but the big warrior only laughed.

“Sit down,” he said. “Let’s have something to eat and get to know each other—since it seems we’re partners now.”

“You are not my partner,” Elli said firmly, though she did take the seat across from him.

“Until you’re out of danger, yes I am,” he said grimly. “I’ve been an agnostic all my life but the minute the Goddess spoke to me, I knew she was real—and not someone to disobey. So I’m going with you into that fucking Tenebrian palace, even though I don’t have any idea why you’d want to go to such a place.”

“I’m on a quest,” Elli said, lifting her chin. “To get a piece of the Healing Lattice to save the Descending Priestess Superior, who is dying.”

Roke nodded thoughtfully.

“A noble cause. And who sent you on this quest?”

“I sent myself,” Elli admitted. “But I believe it is the will of the Goddess. She sent me a way to get away from the Priory of Extreme Atonement. And she sent me a way into the palace,” she added, brightening at the thought.

It hadn’t really occurred to her until that moment, but meeting the Duke and his zorel had worked out perfectly for her. The Goddess really must be blessing her quest to save the old Priestess Superior!

“And she sent me to protect you,” Roke said dryly. “She was fucking relentless about it.”

“What do you mean, ‘relentless’?” Elli asked, frowning.

“Well, first I’ve dreamed of you every damn night since that human Christmas party,” he growled. He must have seen Elli’s eyes widen because he raised a hand. “Don’t worry—it wasn’t any form of Dream Sharing. I’m half Havoc and we don’t Dream Share or bond with females.”

“Well somebody in your family must have broken that rule,” Elli pointed out. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be only half Havoc.”

The Havoc were a branch of the Kindred tree which had been created by a Kindred scientist who had been left by the female he loved. Heartbroken, he had set out to genetically engineer a race with the intelligence, strength, size, and musculature of the Kindred, without their need to find and bond with a mate. The Havocs’ motto was, “We do not Bond.”

But clearly someone in Roke’s immediate family tree had disregarded that motto. The scowl on the big warrior’s face was a clear indication that she was right.

“My mother was Kindred and my Sire was Havoc,” he admitted. “And yes, he bonded with her—against his own Sire’s wishes. And then, when I was only ten cycles old, she died—leaving both of us desolate.” He frowned and looked down at his large hands, clasped on the small table. “So you don’t need to fear that I’m looking to mate or bond you, little priestess. I’m only here because the Goddess sent me—and to make up for ruining your life,” he added, looking up. “I truly am sorry about that—I didn’t think a few kisses would do you so much harm.”

“A few kisses!” Elli exclaimed.

Her raised voice drew the attention of several well-dressed women in the corner, who looked down their noses at her. Taking a deep breath, Elli tried again in a lower tone.

“It was more than a few kisses and you know it,” she murmured, glaring at the big warrior. “You…you touched me! Worse, you made me want your touch.”

“Yes, you were quite eager as I recall,” he drawled, raising his eyebrows at her.

“Because you drugged me!” Elli snapped. “I would never have…have acted that way otherwise!”

He grew suddenly sober.

“Forgive me. I had no idea that the drug I put in the punch would be so strong or the effects so immediate.”

“Why did you drug the punch, anyway?” Elli demanded. “On the Mother Ship they think it was some kind of espionage plot.”

Roke snorted.

“Nothing of the kind. It was a lovesick young warrior who approached me. He said he was in love with one of the human females but she wouldn’t give him the time of day. He’d gotten a potion he’d been told was sure to make her fall madly and desperately in love with him and he was willing to pay a premium price for me to slip it into the punch.”

“And you agreed?” Elli couldn’t believe the irresponsibility of his act. “Why, there could have been anything in there! It could have been poison!”

He frowned. “I’m not a fool—I had it analyzed first to be sure there were no poisonous compounds in it. The chemist I brought it to said it would cause intense desire in females but nothing else.”

“Did you know that it also caused guilt and shame and depression after the initial desire wore off?” Elli demanded. “And did you have any idea what it would do to me to break my vows of chastity? Did you even care?”

Roke looked startled.

“No—nothing was said about any after-effects. And it’s not like we actually made love, so you didn’t truly break your vows.”

“I broke them the moment I let lust into my heart,” Elli said, repeating what the Ascending Priestess Superior had told her. “If you had…had touched and kissed me against my will, I would have remained chaste.” She felt her cheeks heating as she spoke but she pushed on. “But that filthy drug you put in the punch and then made me drink, it made me want what you did. It made me beg you to…to…”

She broke off, unable to go on for the crushing weight of shame that had fallen on her shoulders.

“Gods…” Roke’s face was ashen and his deep voice was quiet. “I had no idea, Ellilah. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s too late for ‘sorry’ now.” Elli lifted her chin and swiped at the hot tears of shame which had come to her eyes. She sniffed, attempting to regain her calm. “Now I’m on a quest. And maybe—just maybe—if I fulfill it, the Goddess can forgive me and I’ll be allowed to go back to the Sacred Grove and drink of the cup of Mortem Amore, to cool all the wrong thoughts and desires forever.”

Roke frowned.

“But why would you want to go back to being a priestess? I’m sorry if this sounds rude, but you seem a lot happier when you’re working with zorels. You seem more…in your element. More at home.”

“Well, this is my home—sort of,” Elli said. “I come from Torl Prime and Pok is its second moon. So most of the people here come from my home world. Well, other than the Tenebrians.”

At that moment, a plump waitress with rosy cheeks came up and asked for their order.

Roke made an expansive gesture to Elli.

“The lady will be ordering for both of us,” he said. “She knows the local cuisine much better than I do.”

Elli was surprised but pleased.

“Do you have honey cakes?” she asked the waitress, who nodded. “And teezle berry sparkle?”

“Don’t have no teezle berry at the moment but we’ve got roozle sparkle,” the girl offered.

“That sounds nice.” Elli nodded. “Two plates of honey cakes with lots of gorze-nut chutney and two glasses of roozle sparkle, please.”

“Right away,” the girl said and bustled away to the kitchen.

“Whatever it is that you ordered, it sounds delicious,” Roke remarked, one corner of his mouth quirking up in a smile.

“I hope so.” Elli sighed. “It was always my favorite food down on Torl Prime. I hope they do it right here.” She licked her lips in anticipation. “It will be good to eat something besides plain laba wafers and ualla bread soup.”

Roke frowned.

“Is that all you get to eat aboard the Mother Ship? It doesn’t sound very good.”

“It’s not,” Elli admitted reluctantly. “That’s one of the reasons I snuck out to see the humans’ Christmas party that night. I wanted to try something new and I’d heard they had all kinds of strange and delicious holiday foods.”

“And did they?” He raised his eyebrows. “Besides the punch, I mean?”

“Oh, yes! Didn’t you see? They had these thin cookies with different colored sugars and icings on them,” Elli said eagerly. “They were delicious.” She sighed. “The humans have so many fun holiday customs. They also give each other gifts wrapped in brightly colored paper and they decorate a tree with strings of lights and sing special songs.” She shook her head. “I just wanted to join in the fun for once, instead of staying locked away in the Sacred Grove, that’s all.”

“The human Christmas traditions do sound like fun,” Roke said quietly. “I’m sorry you got more than you bargained for, little priestess. But it still sounds to me like you’d be happier training zorels than chanting meditations in the Sacred Grove all day.”

Elli sighed.

“I always thought I would be a zorel trainer—though it’s not considered a proper occupation for a lady. But my mother died when I was born and so I had only my father and my four brothers to raise me. My grandmother came to visit occasionally but mostly it was just me and five males. And since we run a zorel training ranch, well…it just sort of came to me naturally.”

“It certainly does.” Roke gave her an admiring look that made her blush. “I’ve never seen anyone handle a beast the way you did back there on the street. Fucking amazing.”

Elli’s cheeks got even hotter but she tried to shrug off the praise.

“It’s just in my blood, that’s all,” she said. “I’ve just always had an affinity with zorels. My father tells a story about how when I was a baby, just learning to walk, I toddled out of the open door of the house and disappeared and they found me in the stalls, right between the foreclaws of Killer—one of the biggest bucks on record. They were scared to death that he’d steam me or claw me to death.”

“Well, you’re sitting here, so I’m guessing he didn’t,” Roke said dryly, but he was smiling, apparently enjoying her story.

“Of course not.” Elli smiled back. “He did give my father a nasty burn when he tried to take me away, though. He still has the scar—just here—on his arm.” She indicated her own forearm, where her father’s scar was. “They had to wait until Killer went to sleep before they ‘rescued’ me.” She shrugged. “And I’ve lived most of my life in the stables training zorels ever since. Well…until I was shipped off to the Mother Ship to be a priestess.” She sighed.

“It doesn’t sound like you went by choice,” Roke pointed out.

“I didn’t,” Elli admitted.

“Well, then—who ‘shipped you off’ as you put it?” He looked genuinely interested. Despite their past encounter, he was surprisingly easy to talk to, Elli thought.

“My stepmother,” she said. “She never liked me—especially didn’t like the fact that I was good with zorels. She wanted me to give up training them and act quiet and ladylike—take up knitting and needle-work and that kind of thing.”

“And I’m guessing you don’t like ‘that kind of thing’?” Roke raised an eyebrow.

Elli shook her head.

“Not a bit. And by the time she came along, I’d been working with the zorels for years—all my life. Asking me to give it up was like asking me to give up breathing.”

“So you refused,” Roke said.

“Of course I did!” Elli exclaimed. “I loved working with zorels. They’re so beautiful and powerful and graceful and majestic—”

“So are you, when you’re working with them,” Roke murmured.

“What?” Elli looked up, startled.

“Never mind.” He gave her his one-sided smile again. “Go on. How did your stepmother persuade you to leave your beloved zorels and go into the priestess-hood?”

“She didn’t—she blackmailed me,” Elli still got angry when she thought about it. Angry and ashamed. “She caught me—” She stopped herself abruptly, realizing that she had almost told Roke her shameful secret. Gods, how could she be so careless? He really was dangerously easy to talk to.

“Caught you what?” he asked, leaning forward with interest gleaming in his dark eyes.

“Caught me…doing something I ought not to have been doing,” Elli said quickly, trying to gloss over the subject. “And that’s all you need to know,” she added primly, when he looked like he was going to ask more questions. “At any rate, she threatened to tell my father about my…indiscretion if I didn’t agree to sign up to be a priestess.”

“That’s low,” Roke growled—he was frowning now. “I’m a thief and a smuggler, but even I won’t resort to that. Blackmail is completely without honor. When you steal a male’s gold, he can replace it. But take his reputation and you ruin his entire life.”

Elli spread her hands.

“I’d be the first to agree with you, but what could I do? I cried and begged her for mercy, but she had none. She’d been looking for a way to get rid of me for five years—ever since she married my father. The minute she found it, she wouldn’t let up until I was gone.”

“She sounds like one of those evil stepmothers you hear about in legends sometimes,” Roke remarked.

“I certainly thought so,” Elli admitted. “But it was my own fault, really—a moment of indiscretion changed my whole life.” She looked up at Roke. “And then another indiscretion—with you at the Christmas party—changed it again.”

He shook his head.

“I’m sorry again, little priestess. I didn’t realize how strict your order was.”

“The Ascending Priestess Superior is exceedingly strict,” Elli informed him. “That’s why she decided to send me to the Priory of Extreme Atonement here on Pok. Well, that and so she could say that she’d asked the Tenebrians for a piece of their Healing Lattice when she actually has no intention of even trying to get some in order to save the old Priestess Superior.”

Roke frowned.

“So her plan is to let her predecessor die? Even when she knows what can heal her? She sounds as evil as your stepmother!”

“They’re certainly cut from the same cloth,” Elli admitted. She had often thought that the Ascending Priestess Superior reminded her of her stepmother.

“So the Priestess Superior sent you off here and you decided that instead of going into that Priory of…”

“Extreme Atonement,” Elli supplied.

“Right. Extreme Atonement. So you decided instead to go on a quest and get a piece of the Tenebrians’ Healing Lattice yourself?” Roke asked. “But how do you expect to manage it?”

“I don’t know,” Elli confessed. “From what I’ve heard, you either have to pay an exorbitant amount of credit or do a personal service for the Crown Prince.” She lifted her chin. “But I’ll find a way. I’ve come this far and I’m not going back to the Mother Ship without a piece of that Lattice!”

“Well, you’re determined—I’ll give you that,” Roke murmured. “And I give you my word, I’ll do my best to help you fulfill your quest.”

“You will?” Elli looked at him uncertainly.

“It’s the least I can do after I fucked up your life so royally,” he growled. “Yes, little priestess, I’ll help you get a piece of that Lattice if it kills me.”

“Hopefully it won’t come to that,” Elli objected. “I believe I’ll find a way to get a piece of it once I—we—get inside.”

Roke gave her that one-sided smile again.

“Well, I’m glad you’ve actually accepted me as your partner. And now, here comes the food.”

He nodded at the waitress who was bringing two plates piled high with fluffy honey cakes. As the sweet, spicy, delicious scent drifted towards her nose, Elli’s stomach growled again. She’d thought she would never taste the food of her home world again, after being sent off to the Mother Ship. How glad she was for the flavors of home!

As soon as the waitress put the plate in front of her, she slathered the top honey cake with the spicy nut chutney and dug in.

“Mmm, so good,” she nearly moaned as the familiar taste hit her tongue.

“Is that how you eat it?” Roke also slathered his top cake with the chutney.

“It’s a bit spicy,” Elli tried to warn him. “So if you’re sensitive to peppers or—”

“I can handle it.” He took a large bite and his eyes widened as he chewed. “That’s…” He wheezed a bit, his face going slightly red. “You were right—it’s spicy.” His voice was tight.

“Just the way I love it,” Elli said, smiling. “All the food they give us on the Mother Ship is so bland. When I go back, I’ll have to see if I can smuggle some peppers with me.”

“Well, you won’t have to bring many if they’re as hot as this.” Roke took a big drink of his roozle sparkle and surreptitiously scraped some of the spicy nut chutney off his cakes.

“This would probably last me for a while,” Elli said, nodding and taking another bite. “Mmm, I never thought I’d get to taste the food of my home world again! Or work with zorels either—I’ve missed it so much.”

“That’s something I’ve been wondering about—how do you get them to listen to you?” Roke asked, taking another bite himself. “I mean, the minute you looked that big beast in the eye, it calmed immediately. How did you do that?”

“Well…” Elli looked at him, wondering how much to reveal. Would he think she was crazy if she told the truth?

“Go on…” He made a gesture with his fork, urging her to continue.

“It might sound strange but…the minute I can get a zorel to look me in the eye, I have a kind of…instant connection with it. I can…feel what it wants—what it needs.” Elli shook her head. “I know that sounds strange…”

“Not strange at all,” Roke countered, surprising her.

“Really?” Elli looked at him uncertainly. “You don’t think it’s…odd?”

“The tonga herders on Feebish Five are said to have a telepathic connection with their beasts,” Roke said. “And the people on R’opp have an entire subset of priests dedicated to communicating with the Holy Olaph—a huge animal as big as a building that they worship as a god.” He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling with the gesture. “So why shouldn’t you be able to talk to zorels?”

This new view surprised Elli so much she stopped eating with a bite halfway to her mouth.

“I…never thought of it like that,” she admitted. “Every time I tried to tell someone back home how I can communicate with zorels, they just thought I was crazy. Even my brothers thought it sounded strange.”

“It sounds to me like you come from a fairly close-minded society,” Roke remarked. “When you’ve been around the galaxy and seen as many strange and wondrous things as I have, you tend to have a more open mind.”

“I guess so,” Elli murmured and finally got the bite to her mouth. As she chewed, she kept an eye on the big warrior. He was nothing like what she had expected him to be. She’d never admitted to anyone about her special communication with zorels without them getting a funny look in their eye and treating her like she was slightly crazy. It was nice to be believed for once and not thought of as “a little off.”

Maybe he’s not so bad after all, she thought, taking another bite of her honey cakes. Of course, that didn’t mean she ought to let down her guard around him. She’d done that once, at the Christmas party, and look where it had gotten her. But maybe she could consider the big warrior an ally—if not exactly a friend—in her quest.

Elli hoped so, since it seemed they were going to be working together until she got the piece of Healing Lattice and finally went home to the Mother Ship.

Thirteen

Roke watched with amusement at the quick, dainty bites Ellilah took.

She eats like a little bird, he thought, as he took another bite of the spicy honey cakes. The more he got to know the curvy little priestess, the more fascinating he found her.

For instance, what was it her stepmother had blackmailed Ellilah with in order to make her go into the priestess-hood? She had mentioned that one “indiscretion” had changed her life forever and then said a second one—the kissing and touching with him at the humans’ Christmas party—had changed it again. Did that mean that her first indiscretion had been sexual in nature too? If so, what male had she been with?

Roke found himself feeling jealous of whoever it was and made himself stop.

Don’t be foolish—you’re only here to help her with her quest. It’s not like you’d ever want to bond with her—or with anyone for that matter.

He could still remember the pain of losing his mother, but as bad as it had been for him, it had been ten times worse for his Sire. His mate’s death had gutted him—leaving him an empty shell of a male who could barely function. Roke had raised himself after that—his Sire had only been going through the motions until Roke was old enough to be out on his own. The moment he had seen his son off onto a ship at the start of Roke’s first job—

But Roke cut that line of thinking off. There was no use in reliving old hurts. No use in digging up the past and letting it give you pain all over again.

The main thing was, he didn’t intend to repeat his Sire’s mistakes. If you didn’t allow a female to worm her way into your heart, then you couldn’t be hurt when she died or left you. Far better to keep females at a distance—at least emotionally—than to let one in where she might devastate you, as his Sire had been devastated when Roke’s mother died.

But there was no denying that Ellilah was interesting and beautiful and honestly, fucking adorable. With her sweet, high voice and quick movements, she reminded Roke of a little bird who has only recently flown outside her cage. She was determined to fulfill the quest she had set for herself and yet innocent of the danger that lay in her way.

I’ll protect her, he thought, watching her as she ate. And not just because the Goddess told me to. Nobody is going to lay a hand on her unless they go through me first.

And in the meantime, just because he had sworn never to bond a female to him, didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy her company. Which he was, very much, now that he was getting to know her.

I just want to spend more time with her, Roke thought, watching her lovely face as she sat across from him. There’s no harm in that. No harm at all.

Fourteen

“Oh no, Roke—I can’t get this! It’s much too expensive!” Elli looked uncertainly at the vivid crimson gown with its shimmering emerald and gold needlework. It reminded her of the humans’ Christmas colors—there had been a lot of red and green and gold decorations at their party.

“You’ll need something striking if you’re going to impress the Tenebrians,” the big warrior rumbled. “Go on—try it on.” He nodded to the fitting room at the back of the smart little shop, which was located down at the end of the Garment District.

The saleslady beckoned her over and Elli went uncertainly with her. She had seen the price tag on the gorgeous crimson gown—it was more than she would have paid for a really nice saddle back home.

I just hope he’s not expecting me to pay him back, she thought. Since I don’t have a credit to my name!

With a little help from the saleslady, she got into the gown and she had to admit it looked magnificent. The high-necked bodice hugged her hour-glass shape closely, revealing her curves, and presenting her figure to the best advantage.

“Is this the kind of thing Tenebrian ladies wear?” she asked the saleslady, who was a little old woman with bright eyes and a pair of thin, spidery spectacles perched on her sharp nose.

“Oh yes, my dear—out here they do, anyway,” the saleslady said, turning Elli this way and that to show off the shimmering waves of crimson silk which fell to her ankles.

“Out here?” Elli asked, looking at herself in the 3-D viewer. “What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, well everyone knows the Teenies have some strange customs amongst themselves,” the saleslady said. “We sell the kinds of clothes they wear when they come out of their palace, but I hear tell they dress very differently inside their Court.”

“Differently how, though?” Elli asked.

But the only lady only shrugged.

“Don’t know, my dear. It’s all just rumors. Do you want the dress or not? It looks fabulous on you.”

“I don’t know,” Elli confessed. “Let me ask my…let me ask Roke.” She still wasn’t quite sure what to call the tall warrior, though he had declared himself her ‘partner.’

“Your Heart’s Companion?” the saleslady asked. “That’s what the Teenies call their sweethearts,” she added, smiling. “I hear them all the time when they come into the shop. Well, go on—go ask him.”

Elli came out of the fitting room and took a spin in front of Roke.

“Well, what do you think?” she asked, looking up at her.

“Hmm…” His dark eyes were suddenly half-lidded as he looked at her. “I think you look fucking gorgeous, little priestess,” he murmured. “That color suits you down to the ground—I knew it would.”

Elli felt her cheeks getting hot. She wished he wouldn’t look at her that way—it made her feel nervous and flushed and reminded her of the way he’d kissed her and touched her at the Christmas party.

I have to stop thinking about that! she told herself firmly. I have to make myself forget it or I’ll never be able to work with him!

“It’s really expensive,” she said, making an effort to drag her mind out of the past and back to the present where it belonged.

“Mmm-hmm, but you’re worth it, sweetheart,” he murmured. “We’ll take it,” he told the saleslady, who nodded and smiled.

“But—” Elli started to protest but the big warrior only strode past her to pay for the dress without another word.

After the dress shop, Roke had another surprise for her. He took her to a men’s clothing shop on the other side of the Garment District.

“Are we going to get you an outfit for Court, too?” she asked as they walked into the cool interior of the shop which smelled like leather and expensive fabric.

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea,” Roke rumbled. “But to be honest, I was thinking of getting something for you. Specifically, some trousers.”

“What? But I can’t wear trousers.” Elli was aghast. Her whole life on Torl Prime, she’d grown up in a society where women only wore skirts and dresses. And of course, when she’d become a Novice priestess, she was only allowed to wear the plain white robes that went with her station. Never had anyone suggested that she wear trousers like a male before!

“Why not?” Roke asked, raising an eyebrow at her. “Why can’t you wear trousers?’

“Well, I mean…it would be wrong,” Elli protested.

“Why?” he asked again.

“Because it’s unladylike,” Elli pointed out.

“So is training zorels, according to you, but you do that well enough,” he remarked.

“Oh yes, but…but I’ve always trained them in skirts,” Elli said.

“Don’t you find the skirts get in the way?” he demanded. “Aren’t you ever afraid one of those big beast’s claws is going to get hooked in the fabric and drag you down?”

“Oh, I’m much too quick and careful for that to happen,” Elli told him.

Roke frowned, his face going dark.

“Be that as it may, little priestess, I’d prefer not to take the chance. My heart was in my throat while I was watching you tame that big brute today—I’d prefer that you were as safe as possible.”

“But—” Elli started to protest again but by then the salesman had come forward.

“I need some trousers which will fit my curvy little friend here,” Roke told him, nodding at Elli. “Can you accommodate us?”

If the salesman was surprised by the big warrior’s request, he didn’t give any indication. He simply took Elli’s measurements with the long tape draped around his neck, gave a short nod, and disappeared into the back room for a moment.

When he came back, he had two pairs of trousers—one made of brown leather and another pair made of soft, black suede.

“Will either of these suit?” he asked Roke.

“I don’t know. Do you have a fitting area where she can try them on?” the big warrior asked.

“But of course. Right this way,” the salesman said.

And that was how Elle found herself trying on trousers for the first time and thinking how extremely strange they felt. They came right up between her legs and the seams rubbed her secret spot in a way that made her wiggle her hips in embarrassment. She wondered how males stood wearing them all the time—especially if the seams rubbed against their shafts the same way. She wondered if Roke was bothered by the tightness of his own trousers—his shaft certainly looked big enough to—

Stop it, Elli! she scolded herself fiercely. Stop it right now—you can’t start thinking about him that way! You need to have only clean and pure thoughts in your head.

But until she was able to take a sip from the cup of Mortem Amore during her Shriving ceremony, it seemed the struggle to keep from thinking immoral thoughts was one she was unfortunately going to keep having.

“How do they feel?” Roke’s deep voice rumbled from the other side of the fitting room curtain.

“All right… I guess.” The salesman had given Elli a man’s shirt—sized small—to put on with the trousers. She tucked the hem of it in, as she’d seen other males wear their shirts. It was too tight across her generous breasts, but other than that it seemed to fit well enough. Taking a deep breath for courage, she came out so the big warrior could see her.

“Mmm…” he growled, nodding approvingly. “Yes. See, now these won’t get caught in a zorel’s foreclaws when you’re training them,” he remarked, nodding at the too-tight trousers. “Much safer than long skirts.”

“But not nearly as ladylike!” Elli protested.

“Too bad. We’ll take them,” he told the salesman. “And anymore you have like them in her size as well. Thank you.”

And that, it seemed, was that.

Fifteen

Elli’s stomach felt like it was full of flutterbyes as she and Roke made their way to the front gates of the Tenebrian palace that evening. She was wearing the gorgeous crimson gown and a pair of little satin slippers that matched it. Roke had insisted on buying her several pairs of shoes and boots to go with the dress and trousers and shirts he had purchased for her.

Roke himself was dressed in his usual black leather trousers and tall black boots, but he had purchased a Tenebrian style frock coat which fell to his mid thighs and cinched tight at the waist. The royal blue velvet seemed to bring out the blue in his eyes and emphasize the width of his broad shoulders. The elegant silver lace at his cuffs and collar made him look like a dashing figure out of a romance vid, Elli thought. She just hoped the two of them looked good enough to be presented at the Tenebrian Court.

The entrance to the palace was watched by two Tenebrian guards wearing elaborate uniforms with lots of gold braid, who were stationed on either side of the closed gate. Each one was standing at attention under a little roof of sorts, which stuck out from the side of the palace wall and sheltered them from the sun—or maybe the rain Elli thought, remembering what Tully had said about Tenebrians hating rainy weather.

“Halt foreigners—why are you here and what business do you have in the Tenebrian Court?” the first guard asked, frowning at them as they approached.

“Lady Ellilah and her Heart’s Companion, Roke, here at the bequest of the Duke of the Closewilde Lands,” Roke said sharply. “We are here to attend the Formal Introduction Ceremony. I suggest you let us in before His Grace becomes displeased.”

The first guard consulted a handwritten list on a scroll of parchment and nodded his head, his plumed helmet bobbing.

“Yes, your names are here. You may proceed.”

He made a motion to the other guard who pulled a lever set into the side of the high palace wall, which glittered in the light of the setting sun.

With a creaking groan, the metal portcullis which guarded the front archway began to rise, until at last the spikes were high enough that they wouldn’t even brush the top of Roke’s head as they passed beneath.

“Enter, at the bequest of the Duke of the Closewild Lands,” the first guard intoned, nodding at the raised portcullis. “But remember that you must obey all the rules and customs of the Tenebrian people whilst you visit with us. For here, within the palace walls, we are no longer on Pok, but on Mother Tenebria.”

“Yes, of course.” Roke nodded and extended an arm to Elli. “Shall we?”

“Oh…oh, yes, of course.” Feeling flustered, she took his arm and they walked under the archway and into the palace courtyard.

She had no idea of all the strange things that would happen to her before she left again.

Sixteen

The first thing Elli noticed was that there were covered walkways everywhere. Even the open courtyard had many little covered lanes winding through it, all branching off from the main path, which she and Roke were walking on.

“Why in the world do you think they need so many walkways?” she asked under her breath. “And why are they all covered?”

“The Tenebrians dislike rain,” he murmured back. “They don’t want to get wet, apparently.”

“Oh, yes.” Elli remembered again that Tully had told her something like that on their ride to Capital City. She’d seemed to think the Tenebrians were frightened of the rain—though why would any people be afraid of water?

Elli didn’t know, but she wondered if she would get a chance to find out.

They made their way through the open courtyard and down a short set of steps to a set of elaborately carved double doors which seemed to lead into the main part of the palace. There were two more guards here, but they didn’t ask Elli and Roke’s names. They simply opened the doors silently, allowing them to pass into the cool, dimly lighted hall within.

The hall was broad and long with a high, arched ceiling, hung with banners and garlands of alien flowers Elli had never seen before. The floor was a checkerboard pattern of creamy white and deep brown. Both kinds of stone were polished to a high gloss and had little golden flecks inlaid in them, which made the entire floor glimmer in the torchlight.

The torches themselves were placed at three-foot intervals along the walls, held in brackets that resembled pale blue Tenebrian hands. Their flames were golden-blue and entirely smokeless.

There was no one else in the long hallway and Elli couldn’t help thinking she was glad Roke was with her. If she had been all alone, the spooky blue hand torch holders and the perfectly empty hall would have been deeply unsettling.

“Looks like we’re the only ones here,” Roke murmured, his deep voice echoing in the empty hallway. “Guess we’d better go find out where the rest of the Tenebrian Court is.”

“I guess so,” Elli murmured, disliking the way the empty corridor echoed her words.

They proceeded down the long hallway, Roke’s boots tapping on the cream and brown stone floor and Elli’s slippers making a soft shush-shush sound while her skirts swished around her legs. The silence and solitude was just making Elli think of stories she’d read as a little girl about enchanted castles where monstrous beasts lived, when suddenly a door at the end of the hallway burst open and the Duke of the Closewild Lands came rushing out.

“Oh, there you are!” he exclaimed, seeing Elli and Roke. “May all the gods be praised! Hurry up or you’re going to be late to the Formal Introduction and Announcement!”

He hurried them down the hall and through another set of thick, double doors and finally Elli saw where the rest of the Court had gone—they were all gathered in what could only be the ThRoke Room, since there was an elaborately carved golden thRoke sitting at the far end of it.

The Court of Tenebrian nobles were standing on either side of the thRoke, all of them dressed in expensive styles and rich fabrics and laces. Elli was extremely glad to be wearing the crimson gown Roke had bought her. Surrounded by such opulence, she would have felt like a peasant in her stained white Novice robes. As it was, her dress was a little plain compared to some of the more elaborate styles she saw around her, but not enough to be out of place.

In the center of the room was a carved wooden archway. It was decked with purple vines that sprouted richly colored flowers—crimson and ultramarine and vermillion blooms as big as a man’s head that looked like living jewels. The archway reminded Elli of the trellis in the Sacred Grove where the statue of the Goddess stood.

Elli wondered why she hadn’t been able to hear so many people when they were outside in the hallway—there must have been two or three hundred gathered in the vast thRoke room. But maybe it was because everyone was being quiet and focusing on what appeared to be a kind of ceremony taking place around the wooden arch.

There was a line of couples—about five of them—standing to one side of the arch. A Tenebrian in a black frock coat and an important looking silver hat with a single white plume sticking out from the middle, was bringing them through the arch and introducing them to the male sitting on the golden thRoke—the Crown Prince, no doubt—who was too far away for Elli to make out.

“We’ve only just made it in time,” the Duke breathed to them, keeping his voice low. “I shall stay with the two of you during your Announcement and speak for you to His Majesty during your formal Introduction. Simply do as all the others in line ahead of you are doing and keep your mouths shut and we shall all make out splendidly.”

“Of course,” Elli murmured and Roke nodded. As they spoke, the line moved forward and she realized that another couple had walked through the arch and were being introduced to the Crown Prince, who was sitting on the thRoke.

Now that they were a little closer, Elli was able to make out what was going on a bit better. As the man with the feathered hat brought each couple through the arch, they both bowed low before the thRoke and then the man dropped to his knees before the woman and did…something. It was hard to tell what, since the woman of the couple she was watching was standing with her back to them, hiding the man’s actions.

“What are they doing?” she whispered to the Duke, motioning to the couple on the other side of the arch. “After the man with the hat introduces them, I mean. Why is the man kneeling like that?”

“Oh, it’s simply part of the Formal Introduction,” the Duke murmured back. “After the Grand Vizier introduces a couple, the male must kiss his mate’s breasts, sex, and mouth to show that they are truly each other’s Heart’s Companion.”

“He what?” Elli gasped, apparently more loudly than she ought to, because eyebrows were raised in her direction and the Duke scowled at her.

“Have I said something that is unclear, Lady Ellilah?”

“No, but—” she began.

“But our people usually don’t do such things in public.” Roke took over smoothly. “We consider kissing—especially of the breasts and sex—to be a private activity.”

“That’s all well and good when you’re among your own people,” the Duke sniffed, frowning at them. “But here in the palace you are on Tenebrian soil. You must observe our customs if you wish to be welcomed into our Court.” He looked at Roke. “So you must kiss your mate’s breasts, sex, and lips when you are introduced to the Crown Prince. Do you understand?”

Roke didn’t answer but only shot a sidelong glance at Elli and she remembered that he had promised not to touch her again in any way unless she asked him to. But surely she couldn’t ask him to do this—could she?

“What if you don’t have a mate?” she asked the Duke. “What do single people do in this situation?”

“Single people?” The Duke’s frown deepened. “Why, no one is allowed to be without a Heart’s Companion in Tenebrian society, except the Crown Prince himself! There is my own dear mate as we speak, waving at me.”

He motioned to the right side of the ThRoke Room where a tall Tenebrian woman with milky white skin, wearing an elaborate pale blue dress which matched the Duke’s frock coat, was waving languidly with one slender hand.

“I see…” Elli murmured as the Duke waved back affectionately.

“No, I don’t think you do.” The Duke dragged his attention away from his wife and looked down at Elli. “Are you saying that this male—” He motioned to Roke. “Is not truly your Heart’s Companion? Because if he isn’t, then I’m afraid you shan’t be allowed through the Arch of Introduction to meet His Majesty, the Crown Prince.”

“Oh, uh, no! I mean yes—yes of course he is,” Elli said quickly. She looked up at Roke. “He’s my…my Heart’s Companion.”

“Of course I am!” Roke put an arm around her shoulders and drew her close to his side. “We’re just not used to such, ahem, public displays of affection. But we’ll manage, won’t we, sweetheart?” he asked, looking down at Elli searchingly.

As their eyes met, Elli knew what he was asking. Did she want to do this?

You shouldn’t—you know you shouldn’t! You’ll be breaking your vows all over again! whispered a guilty little voice in her head. But surely she was doing it for a worthy cause, Elli thought. Wasn’t saving the life of the sweet old Priestess Superior worth breaking some rules?

Yes, it is! she told herself. I’ve come this far and I’m not going to let anything stop me now. I’m going to do whatever I have to in order to get a piece of that Healing Lattice!

Lifting her chin, she nodded at Roke.

“Yes, darling,” she heard herself saying. “We…we’ll manage.”

“Good. I’m glad that’s all settled.” The Duke seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Glad we could accommodate you,” Roke said dryly. “But if you don’t mind me asking, why doesn’t Tenebrian society allow anyone to be without a mate?”

“Well because one must have a Heart’s Companion! Otherwise one has no one to Mirror with around the Royals.” The Duke sounded exasperated. “My own mate and I have been together since the age of five cycles, when our parents betrothed us. Of course, we did not consummate our union until the age of approval,” he added.

“Of course,” Elli echoed faintly. She couldn’t imagine getting engaged to the man you would spend your life with at such an early age. Still, it was apparently the Tenebrian way and nobody here seemed to mind it.

“Your turn is next,” the Duke breathed as the couple in front of them stepped through the wooden archway and bowed low before the golden thRoke. “Remember, let me do the talking when you are presented to His Majesty.”

Roke and Elli nodded and then, before she knew it, the man in the feathered hat was speaking in low tones to the Duke.

“And who might these two foreigners be?” he demanded.

“These are Lady Ellilah and her Heart’s Companion, Roke,” the Duke told the Grand Vizier. “They are here because of a special accommodation I arranged with His Highness ahead of time.”

“Very well.” The Tenebrian Grand Vizier appeared to be very old to Elli. His pale blue face was wrinkled and his features sagged like dough. But his faded green eyes were sharp and watchful as he looked at her and Roke.

“Come with me through the arch,” he instructed them in a low voice. “Once I announce you to the Crown Prince, you must bow deeply and then you—” He pointed at Roke. “Must drop to your knees and kiss your lady’s breasts and sex before rising to kiss her lips.”

“Over my clothes, right?” Elli couldn’t help asking.

“I beg your pardon?” The Tenebrian Grand Vizier raised one snow-white eyebrow at her.

“I said, he has to kiss me over my clothes—correct?” she asked. “I mean, he’s not going to have to, er, open my dress and, uh—”

“Oh, of course not!” The Grand Vizier looked shocked. “This is the Formal Introduction, not Bathing Day, after all!”

“Um, of course.” Elli nodded. “Thank you for the clarification.”

The Grand Vizier simply shook his head and muttered something under his breath about, “foreigners.” But the next moment he was ushering them through the wooden archway.

They walked forward about fifty feet and then stopped where the Grand Vizier indicated to bow low before the thRoke. Elli performed a kind of curtsey, as she had seen some of the other women doing, as Roke bowed at the waist.

They rose from the bow and then the big warrior was sinking to his knees before her. He was so tall that this new position still put them almost eye to eye and Elli found that their gazes were locked as Roke bent his head to place a hot, gentle kiss on her right breast.

“So beautiful, my little priestess,” he murmured and she shivered as his warm breath penetrated the crimson fabric and made her right nipple tighten in response.

Roke repeated the kiss on her left breast—again somehow unerringly finding her nipple—and then ducked lower and pressed his face into her skirts.

Elli swallowed a gasp as she felt his hot breath right at the apex of her sex, bathing her secret spot in a way she knew was wrong, and yet somehow felt incredibly good and right.

It seemed to her that Roke spent more time there than he really ought to, but she couldn’t exactly ask him to stop. Besides, if she was honest with herself, she didn’t really want him to stop. His warm breath and the way the big warrior was nuzzling against her was giving her all kinds of forbidden shivers and tingles that ran all through her body.

But nothing lasts forever. At last Roke rose smoothly to tower over her again. Looking down, he took Elli in his arms and pulled her close.

“Sweetheart,” he murmured and slanted his mouth over hers, stealing Elli’s breath with a long, slow kiss.

She could still taste the sweet honey cakes on his tongue, which slipped between her lips before she could stop it. And then she found she didn’t want to stop it—she wanted to kiss him back, to taste him as thoroughly as the big warrior was tasting her. Eagerly, she met his tongue with her own, exploring him as he had explored her, learning his hot, spicy-sweet taste as intimately as he had learned hers.

“Mmm…” Roke growled approvingly and pulled her even closer, sucking gently at her tongue as his big hands roved over her back and sides.

The slow, deliberate kiss made Elli remember their brief time together in the storage closet at the humans’ Christmas party. Once again, she found herself nearly panting with desire, her breasts and secret spot tingling and hot, her whole body alight with sexual need…

But I thought that was only because I was drugged last time, she thought, feeling dazed. I shouldn’t be acting like this right now—shouldn’t be reacting to his kiss the same way I was when the aphrodisiac was in my system…should I?

Before she could answer that question, someone cleared their throat loudly and Roke reluctantly pulled away from her, breaking the kiss.

“Ahem.” The Duke cleared his throat again. “Your Majesty, may I present Lady Ellilah and her Heart’s Companion, Roke. Lady Ellilah is the Zorel Entrancer I was telling Your Highness about earlier,” he added.

“Well, well—yes, indeed!” The high, fruity voice came from the Tenebrian Crown Prince sitting on the golden thRoke.

Earlier, when they’d been bowing and then observing the Introduction custom, Elli hadn’t had a chance to really look at him. Now she glanced carefully up through her lashes, trying to study the Tenebrian monarch’s face surreptitiously.

The Tenebrian prince was a bit odd compared to his people, she thought. For one thing, he wasn’t nearly as tall as the other Tenebrian males. Also, his skin was almost as white as one of their female’s, with only a hint of pale blue. He had slightly bulging eyes set in a broad, frog-like face and a little round pot belly which strained the rich fabric of his golden brocade waistcoat. He had tiny eyes which were a pale, watery blue—altogether, a rather ugly specimen of the Tenebrian race, Elli thought.

But she knew better than to judge someone on their looks alone. Maybe the Crown Prince was a lovely person and she just needed to get to know him.

“I have heard much of you, my dear,” he said to Elli. “The Duke here tells me you had that brute of his, Wind Chaser, eating out of your hand within half a minute of meeting him!”

Elli remembered that the Duke had told her he would be doing all the talking, but this remark seemed to merit a reply.

“Thank you, your Majesty,” she murmured, dropping another little curtsey. “It’s true—I do have a way with zorels.”

“You do, do you? I’d like to see that—yes, I ruddy well would!” the Crown Prince exclaimed, slapping one hand on the golden arm of his thRoke with a smack! “As it happens, I have zorel problems myself. Just bought a new mount—goes by the charming name of ‘Demon’ don’t you know. Big brute won’t let anyone near him—not even the grooms!”

Elli saw her chance and jumped on it.

“Oh, your Majesty,” she said, “I would be more than pleased to help you tame and train your new zorel—it would be my honor.”

“You would, would you?” The Crown Prince looked at her with one eyebrow raised. “And what would you charge for such a valuable service, my little Zorel Entrancer?”

“Just a single, tiny piece of your Healing Lattice,” Elli said quickly.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the Duke had a horrified look on his face but the Crown Prince still seemed to be listening with interest, so she pressed on.

“There is someone very dear to me who is dying from a mysterious wasting sickness,” she said, looking up at him earnestly. “And it has been determined that only a sliver of your Healing Lattice can cure her. Please, your Majesty, if you’ll only give me the chance to earn a tiny piece of it, I’ll do such a good job with your zorel—I promise you won’t regret it!”

“Well!” The Crown Prince sat back, his face unreadable. But the Court on either side of the thRoke was murmuring. Elli wondered if she had somehow committed an unpardonable sin asking for a piece of the Healing Lattice. Had she ruined any chance she had by mentioning what she wanted too soon?

“Your Highness, forgive this female’s impudence,” the Duke said quickly. “I never would have brought her, had I thought—”

“No, no—calm yourself, my good fellow.” The Crown Prince put out a hand to stop the Duke’s panicked words. “I like a female who knows what she wants and goes for it,” he said, speaking to Elli directly. “All right then—if you truly can tame my Demon and get him to allow me to ride him and let the grooms groom him, I’ll give you the chance to earn a small piece of our Healing Lattice, which is the Heart of our Court.”

Elli let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding and relief washed over her.

“Oh, thank you, Your Majesty!” she exclaimed, clasping her hands to her chest. “Thank you so much!”

“You’ll need to stay here in the palace, of course,” the Crown Prince went on. “You and your Heart’s Companion will be issued rooms in our guest wing.” He looked at the Duke. “See that it gets done.”

“Yes, your Highness.” The Duke bowed deeply, so Roke and Elli followed his lead, bowing again as well.

“Go on, now.” The Crown Prince made a shooing gesture with one beringed hand. “I’ll see you tonight at Supper and then again tomorrow in the zorel training ring,” he added, speaking to Elli. “I can’t wait to watch you work with Demon—he’s already trampled two grooms to death and fried a third with his flame,” he added in an offhand tone.

“Fried him?” Elli’s eyes widened. “You mean he’s a flamer?” She’d never been privileged to work with a flaming zorel before and she wondered uneasily if she would have the same connection with such an animal as she had with the steamers.

“Purebred.” The Crown Prince nodded and gave her a cruel little smile. “I hope you foreigners are more fireproof than we Tenebrians are, my dear. Otherwise tomorrow is apt to get a bit toasty for you and you’ll not get the right to earn a bit of our Lattice after all.”

Before Elli could answer him, he waved a hand at the Duke.

“Enough—take them away.”

Then the Duke was herding Elli and Roke away from the ThRoke Room, leaving Elli to wonder if she had just made a bargain to meet her own death.

Seventeen

“I don’t like it!” Roke was pacing up and down the carpeted expanse of their assigned bedchamber, which was located at the end of a very short hallway. There was only one other room in the “guest wing” of the palace—apparently the Tenebrians didn’t have very many visitors.

The room was luxurious enough, with thick purple carpet and gold and purple drapes over the floor-to ceiling windows. But the sleeping arrangements were rather odd, Elli thought. The bed was located in a little cubbyhole in the side of the wall and the middle of the large room, which would normally be where a bed would stand, was covered in an assortment of large, furry pillows in all shapes, sizes, and colors.

“I don’t like it,” Roke said again, kicking a lime green pillow out of the way as he paced.

“Don’t like what?” Elli frowned at him.

“What do you think?” he demanded. “I don’t like the idea of you dealing with a beast that has already killed three grooms! That’s what I don’t like!”

“I’m sure Demon is just a zorel like any other,” Elli said, hoping she was right. “They probably just don’t know how to treat him—that’s all.”

“It’s one thing for an animal to be dangerous and difficult to handle—it’s another thing entirely for it to be deadly,” Roke growled. “I think we ought to give this up and get out of here while we still can, Ellilah. I didn’t bring you in here to get burned or trampled to death!”

“This is the only way I can earn a piece of the Healing Lattice!” Elli exclaimed, glaring at him. “And there is no way I’m going until I get it!” She put her hands on her hips and walked over to him. Looking up into his face, she declared, “Listen to me, Roke. I will do anything I have to in order to save the life of the Priestess Superior—anything! That is my vow and I’m not breaking it.”

As she spoke the vow, a sudden ripple of energy seemed to leave her body and flow outward. Elli gasped—it was like a current of electricity had washed over her skin, making every hair stand on end with its power.

Clearly, Roke had felt the wave of energy as well, because he looked shaken.

“That was a strong vow you made, little priestess,” he murmured. “I believe the Goddess herself has witnessed it.”

“Well…good,” Elli said somewhat breathlessly. “Because I mean it! I—”

Just at that moment there was a knock at the bedchamber door. Roke gave her a last searching look and then strode over to open it, admitting a Tenebrian girl with an armful of fabric.

“Pardon me, my Lord,” she said to Roke. “But I was sent by the Duke to outfit your Lady for Supper tonight.”

“Outfit me?” Elli said uncertainly, coming forward. “But I already have a dress.” She nodded down at the crimson gown she was wearing.

“Oh yes—and a lovely dress it is for a Formal event in the ThRoke Room.” The girl bobbed her head eagerly. “But I’m afraid it won’t do at all for Supper. And what about the Bathing Days? You must have something to wear for them as well.”

“Bathing Days?” Elli asked, frowning. She had noticed that the opulent bedchamber didn’t have any bathing facilities, but had assumed that there must be someplace to shower or have a bath close by.

“Yes indeed, my Lady—when the Court all bathes together,” the girl said. “In the Underground Grottos, don’t you know? You’ll need an outfit for that as well, since the Duke says you’ll be staying in the palace with us for some time.”

“Oh, er, all right,” Elli said reluctantly. She didn’t like the idea of taking a bath with the entire Tenebrian Court at all—but at least she would have on a bathing costume while she did it.

“Here we are then.” The Tenebrian seamstress found a rectangular pink pillow which seemed to be much firmer than the rest. She beckoned for Elli to come step up on it so she could take some measurements.

Elli stepped up on the pillow-pedestal obediently and held out her arms so the Tenebrian seamstress could get to work.

“What about Roke?” she asked the girl. “Will he get new outfits as well?”

“Certainly, my Lady. Though I’m afraid it will take an awful lot of fabric.” The seamstress eyed Roke speculatively. “He’s so very broad through the shoulders and chest.”

“That he is,” Elli admitted. She was rather glad the big warrior wasn’t built along the slender, Tenebrian lines. He looked like a proper Kindred, for all that he was half Havoc.

“Now then, I think we’re in luck,” the seamstress said. “It will take me some time to sew up your bathing costume, but I do have a Supper dress that I brought with me which should fit you, my Lady, with just a bit of hemming. See here?”

She dived into the pile of fabric, which she’d deposited on another one of the cushions, and brought out a white lace gown. Or rather, the gown had some lace on it, Elli amended to herself. Patches of delicate white lace held together by some gauzy, see-through fabric that glimmered faintly in the light.

“Oh, that’s a Supper dress?” she asked, frowning at the way the firelight from the fireplace at the end of the room was shining right through the see-through patches of the gown. “Um, what do I wear under it?”

“Under it?” The Tenebrian seamstress seemed confused.

“Yes—this gown is practically see-through.” Elli pointed to the parts of the dress without lace. “If I put it on without underclothes, everyone will be able to see my, er…lady bits.”

“But what are underclothes?” The seamstress shook her head. “Why would you have a set of clothing to wear under your regular clothes? I’m sorry, my Lady, but I truly don’t understand. Is that one of your foreigner customs?”

“It is,” Roke growled, striding over to examine the gown. “But apparently ‘underclothes’ isn’t something the Tenebrians bother with.”

“But I can’t wear this with nothing under it!” Elli protested. “I’ll be indecent!”

“You’ll look like every other lady at Supper, my Lady,” the Tenebrian seamstress promised her. “Everyone must be appropriately dressed in the presence of the Crown Prince.”

“But I—I just can’t.” Elli shook her head.

“Then I’m afraid you won’t be admitted to Supper,” the seamstress said. “Which would be a great scandal, I’m sure, since I’ve heard that it was the Crown Prince himself who invited you! If you insult his Majesty by not appearing…” She shook her head, her eyes going wide. “I don’t even like to think of the consequences.”

“There is also the little matter of your vow,” Roke pointed out, raising an eyebrow at Elli. “Weren’t you just saying that you would do whatever it takes to complete your quest?”

“I…” Elli bit her lip. “I suppose I did,” she admitted in a low voice.

But she had been talking about facing down Demon, the flaming zorel when she’d made her vow. She’d never expected that exposing herself would be one of the things she had to do to in order to get a piece of the Healing Lattice! It would be easier, she thought, to walk into the training ring with the infamous groom-killer, Demon than to go to a public dinner with her body on display.

“Look, sweetheart,” Roke murmured, coming to stand in front of her. With Elli on the pillow pedestal, they were almost eye-to-eye. “I can tell you’re modest,” he murmured to Elli. “And I know you don’t come from a culture where this kind of thing is accepted or allowed. But I want you to know that I’ll be with you every step of the way. I won’t leave your side for a moment, all right?”

Elli bit her lip. She hated to admit—even to herself—that the thought of Roke seeing her half naked in the lace dress bothered her more than the idea of the entire Tenebrian Court seeing her. After all, they were strangers and aliens and she would hopefully never see them again after her quest was completed. But the idea of the big warrior seeing her in such a revealing dress made her feel hot and cold and shaky—in other words, exactly how she’d felt after he’d kissed her in the ThRoke Room.

Still, she had made a vow, she reminded herself. A vow witnessed by the Goddess herself. She must fulfill it.

“All right,” she said, nodding firmly. “I’ll wear it.”

“Very good, my Lady.” The seamstress sounded relieved—she probably would have gotten into trouble if Elli had refused her offerings. “Let’s try it on and get it hemmed up, shall we?” she asked brightly. “After all, Supper is coming up in under an hour—we must get moving.”

Eighteen

“Stop fidgeting—you look lovely,” Roke murmured, tucking Elli’s arm more firmly through his own as they made their way down the long hallway. He was still wearing the deep blue frock coat he’d worn to Court while Elli had on the revealing white lace dress.

“I’m just trying to get it to cover a little bit more,” she muttered, tugging again at the dress. The white lace patches mostly covered her more delicate bits— with a few notable exceptions.

There were two swirly patches positioned over her breasts and another over her sex, which was good. Unfortunately, her bottom was bare, except for a lace flower on her right cheek. But there were two seemingly strategically placed openings in the center of the lace swirls that covered her breasts.

Through these, Elli’s nipples could be clearly seen, pressing against the see-through fabric which held the lace together. They were like two pink dots in the middle of a pair of blooming flowers—or so the seamstress had declared. She had been delighted with the fit of the dress, which had only needed minor hemming to be wearable. But Elli couldn’t help trying to shift the lace this way and that to cover her tender points.

The problem was, the dress wouldn’t stay shifted. The minute she moved, it fell back into place and revealed her nipples again, pressed against the see-through, stretchy fabric.

“I told you—you look beautiful, little priestess,” Roke rumbled, giving her a frown.

“I look obscene,” Elli muttered. “That seamstress had better be right! If I’m the only female dressed like this—”

“You aren’t—look.” Roke gestured and she saw a Tenebrian couple coming up to greet them from the opposite end of the hall. It was the Duke and his Lady and she was dressed just like Elli, to Elli’s deep relief.

Although, she thought frowning to herself, the see-through dress with lace patches the Duke’s mate wore didn’t exactly have the same effect as Elli’s own dress. Probably because the Duchess—if that was her title—had such pale, milky skin. Even though her nipples were exposed like Elli’s were, they were a shade of white which nearly blended in with the lace.

“Ah, here you are! Delighted to see you again.” The Duke nodded at Roke and Elli affably enough. He seemed to have gotten over his anger at her for daring to ask for a piece of the Healing Lattice—probably because the Crown Prince hadn’t gotten angry at the request himself.

“Good evening,” Roke greeted the Duke. “Are you on your way to Supper? Is it this way?” He nodded down another long corridor which branched off from the one they were in.

“Yes, the Formal Dining room is this way,” the Duke said.

“Do accompany us.” The Duchess had a soft, dreamy voice which seemed to match her milky complexion, Elli thought. “We would be pleased to have you take the couch beside ours tonight.”

“Thank you.” Roke nodded at them both. “We would be honored to do so.”

“This way, then.” The Duke led them down the side hallway and through a set of double doors, into a lovely room made up like an arboretum.

There were potted plants and ferns everywhere and a bubbling brook took a meandering path through the room, its course cut in the shiny black stone of the floor. The water running through the channel was a milky, pale blue shade almost the same color as Tenebrian skin tones, Elli thought. She wondered if the color had any special significance.

All through the large room, long, soft couches were scattered. They were the kind with just one rolled arm at one end—a chaise lounge, Elli believed it was called.

Apparently Supper was a special event because there weren’t nearly enough of the low couches to accommodate the entire Court. She only counted around twenty-five or thirty scattered around the large room.

Most of the lounges were made of dark brown leather but in the very center of the room, on a raised dais, was a gaudy golden one. Instead of buttons between its cushions, it had diamonds and other precious stones studding its golden leather, which glimmered richly in the muted lighting.

“I’m guessing that couch in the center is for the Crown Prince,” Roke remarked, as the Duke and Duchess chose one of the lounges near the front of the room and indicated that he and Elli should take the one directly beside them.

“Oh yes—of course.” The Duke nodded as he sat back against the rolled end of his lounge and his wife settled between his legs. “How else could we Mirror His Majesty if he was not the center of attention?”

“Mirror him?” Elli asked, but before anyone could answer her question, there was a flourish of fanfare and the Crown Prince himself stepped into the room.

At once, every Tenebrian noble in the room rose and bowed low to their monarch. Elli and Roke followed suit, Elli watching from the corner of her eye to see what the Court would do next.

The Crown Prince walked to the raised dais with the golden lounge, but before climbing the steps that led up to it, he bent and removed his shoes and stockings.

Everyone else in the room did this as well. It wasn’t hard for Elli, who only had to slip off her little satin slippers but Roke had to fight with his tall black boots, a low curse coming from his lips as he finally got them off.

Having gotten his knee-high silk stockings and high-heeled shoes with their golden buckles off, the Crown Prince stepped into the stream that flowed through the room, submerging his pale feet in the milky blue water.

At once, everyone in the Court followed suit.

“Oh—it’s warm!” Elli murmured as she stepped into the part of the pale blue stream that ran closest to their lounge.

“It’s been infused with the chemicals of our home world,” the Duchess explained in her soft, dreamy voice. “To make it safe for delicate Tenebrian skin. So much nicer than that awful, cold stuff that falls from the sky here on Pok.”

“You mean rain?” Elli raised an eyebrow at her.

“Yes—that.” The Duchess made a face and shivered. “So harsh and abrasive—dangerously so!”

Elli had always liked rain herself—it made the world feel clean and refreshed. It had been one of the things she missed while living in the artificial environment of the Mother Ship. But apparently the Tenebrians hated it. She wondered if it was actually dangerous to them—maybe it ate into their skin like acid or something.

Just then, the Crown Prince finally stepped out of the stream and dried his feet on a towel that had been left on the steps of the dais for him. On cue, the Tenebrian nobles went back to their lounges and used the towels that had been stored under the long pieces of furniture, apparently for this purpose. Once their feet were dry, they did not put their shoes back on because the Crown Prince left his off. Instead, everybody sat back on their lounges with the males sitting behind and cradling their females between their legs.

“This reminds me of sledding down hills with my brothers when I was little,” Elli remarked, as she settled gingerly between Roke’s long legs, making certain not to press back against him too much.

“I beg your pardon, but what is ‘sledding’?” the Duchess asked as she got resettled between her husband’s legs.

“Oh—it’s something we did for fun whenever snow fell,” Elli answered. “You take a flat piece of board to the top of a hill and ride it all the way down.”

“Snow?” The Duke frowned in obvious confusion.

“When water—rain—freezes during the winter months, it falls down as snowflakes,” Elli tried to explain.

“That horrid stuff freezes?” The Duchess shivered. “Ugh! And I thought it couldn’t get any worse!”

“Oh, no! It’s actually—” Elli began but just then the Crown Prince cleared his throat and everyone in the room went utterly silent.

“Now then,” he said, rubbing his hands together and looking around the room. “Who shall be my Bride of the Night?”

The women in all the lounges sat up straighter and Elli noticed a great deal of preening going on. Some of the noblewomen were smoothing their dresses and patting their elaborate hairdos—some of which towered as much as three feet above their heads—and others appeared to be surreptitiously checking their make-up in small hand-held viewers.

“I think I shall choose…Lady Heekenbottom.” The Crown Prince pointed a finger at one of the women in the front row. Her pale cheeks went a pale violet and she rose at once and nodded to her husband before ascending the dais to curtsey before the Crown Prince.

“What’s happening?” Elli murmured to the Duchess. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, the Crown Prince has no Heart’s Companion, so every night at Supper he chooses one lucky noble to be his ‘Bride of the Night.’” the Duchess whispered back.

“Really?” Elli asked uneasily. “So then she sits with him and eats Supper with him?”

“And then goes to spend the night in the Royal Bedchamber.” The Duchess fluttered her long, white lashes expressively. “And of course, if the lucky girl gets impregnated by His Majesty, her status grows enormously!”

“Right along with her belly!” the Duke put in, with a chuckle.

“I don’t—” Elli began but she was interrupted by the husband of the woman who had been chosen to go to the Crown Prince.

“I choose…” he was saying, looking around the room. “I choose Lady Birthenbeak.”

The noblewoman he was pointing at rose and came forward to join Lord Heekenbottom on his lounge. Whereupon, Lord Birthenbeak, her husband, rose and began looking around the room.

“Does this happen every Supper?” Elli asked, as he called out the name of “Lady Pottymod” and another Tenebrian noblewoman rose and went to join him, leaving her husband to look for a new Supper partner as well.

“Oh yes,” the Duchess murmured. “That’s why the Court rotates their Supper dates—so everyone has a chance of spending the night with the Crown Prince at least once a cycle.”

“You mean all the women have a chance, correct?” Roke growled.

“Oh my no—that would hardly be fair, now would it?” the Duke remarked. “For the Ladies must have their chance to choose new companions too, at times. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes His Highness chooses a male to be his Bride of the Night. He is a remarkably giving lover,” he added, clearly speaking from experience.

“My darling Bertie was chosen as His Majesty’s Bride of the Night just six months past,” the Duchess confided to Elli proudly, nodding at the Duke. “You can imagine the jump in our status, I’m sure.”

“Of course,” Elli murmured, frowning. She had nothing against those who loved people of their own sex, but personally, she felt sorry for anyone—man or woman—who had to spend the night with the frog-faced Crown Prince just because His Majesty said so. “I just think—” she began but at that moment someone called her name.

“Lady Ellilah the foreigner,” a male voice said.

Looking up, Elli saw that a Tenebrian nobleman with long, dark blue hair done up in elaborate curls was pointing at her.

“Excuse me?” she asked blankly, not understanding.

“I choose Lady Ellilah, the Zorel Entrancer to keep me company tonight,” the nobleman said and beckoned at her. “Come at once, my Lady!”

Nineteen

Elli was so surprised she didn’t know what to say. But surprise turned to terror in an instant. Oh my God, I can’t do this—I can’t! she thought. Because she knew it wasn’t just Supper the Tenebrian nobleman wanted her for—he wanted to take her back to his bedchamber after wards and…and…

But she couldn’t make herself finish the thought. For a long moment she just sat there, staring blankly at the Tenebrian nobleman who was beckoning to her impatiently. Then she realized there was a low, angry growling coming from behind her.

Turning her head, she saw that the sound was coming from Roke. His eyes were blood-red and he was glaring at the Tenebrian nobleman who had called Elli’s name.

Oh my Goddess! Elli thought, staring at the big warrior. He might only be half Kindred but he’s definitely going into Rage!

Rage was the state of berserker fury a Kindred warrior went into when he thought that his female was being threatened. When fully in the grip of such fury, a Kindred warrior would kill or die to protect the female he loved.

But Roke doesn’t love me, Elli thought. Why would he go into Rage for me?

She didn’t have an answer but she was afraid things were going to escalate quickly if the Tenebrian nobleman insisted on having her as his “Bride for the Night.”

Speaking of the nobleman, he clearly didn’t understand what a mess he had made for himself.

“I said, I choose Lady Ellilah—come to me,” he demanded, beckoning to Elli as though she was a tamed pet that would come on command when her name was called.

“You…fucking…dare…” Roke’s deep voice was thick with fury and his eyes were blazing. “You—”

“Lord, Villaphone, you forget your place!” The Crown Prince’s high, fruity voice rang out through the large Supper room.

Everyone looked at their Monarch, who was standing at the edge of the raised dais and looking incensed. Elli wondered if he was really angry or if he just couldn’t bear to not be the center of attention for even a moment.

“Your Highness?” The Tenebrian nobleman asked, looking concerned. “Have I erred?”

“You damn well have, Sir!” The Crown Prince glared at him, his froggy eyes bulging with fury. “The Royal Zorel Entrancer is not in your class. She is not in anyone’s class but my own, as she is a special officer that I myself have appointed! Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Lord Villaphone bowed low. “Forgive me, please,” he added, bowing to Elli as well.

“Um…sure.” She nodded, feeling weak with relief. Behind her, she could hear that Roke had stopped growling. Good—at least he wasn’t so far gone into Rage that he couldn’t pull himself back from it.

“Leave the Supper Room,” the Crown Prince told Lord Villaphone. “There will be no companion and no Supper for you tonight!”

“Yes, Your Highness.” With an abashed look, the disgraced noble turned and fled—still barefoot—from the large Supper room.

“Now then.” The Crown Prince cleared his throat and lifted his chin. “We may continue with Supper. Everyone, please be seated.”

And he went back to his lounge to cuddle with his “Bride of the Night.”

“Um, what just happened?” Elli whispered from the corner of her mouth to the Duchess.

“Oh, there are strict rules about who may request whom as a Supper and bedchamber companion,” the Duchess whispered back. “No one of lower rank may request a companion of higher rank. I think that Lord Villaphone misunderstood your rank—which is apparently quite high.” She gave Elli a look that was half envious, half awed as she sank back against her husband’s chest on their lounge.

“He’s fucking lucky the Prince stepped in,” Roke growled. “He doesn’t know how close he just came to having his head torn off!”

“Really, old boy, there’s no need for such aggression,” the Duke said, looking shocked. “After all, one spends one’s whole life with one’s Heart’s Companion. It’s nice to have a bit of variety now and then.”

“Yes indeed.” The Duchess nodded.

“Well that’s not the way we do it in our culture,” Elli told them. She looked over her shoulder at Roke. “Are you all right?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“All right? Of course I’m all right!” He took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders as though to get rid of tension. “Why wouldn’t I be all right?”

“Maybe because you were going into Rage for me just now?” Elli said, raising both eyebrows this time. “Don’t deny it—I saw your eyes go red and you were growling.”

“I’m sworn to protect you, that’s all,” Roke said stiffly. “It’s not like I want to call you as my Bride—you know Havocs don’t bond.”

“I didn’t think they went into Rage either,” Elli remarked.

“I wasn’t going into…all right, I was,” he admitted in a low growl. “It just made me so fucking angry that some bastard just thought he could come and take you away from me and—” He broke off, shaking his head. “I just feel protective of you—that’s all, little priestess. And I’m thinking of my own hide, too. The Goddess sent me to watch out for you—what do you think she’ll do to me if I fail and you get hurt or abused in some way?”

“Probably what you were about to do to Lord Villiaphone,” Elli murmured, a little smile playing around the corners of her mouth.

“Be quiet and come here—the servers are bringing the food,” he ordered, scowling at her.

Elli settled back against his broad chest but she couldn’t help smiling. Now that the fright she’d had was fading, she found she quite liked teasing the big warrior.

She had no idea how soon he would be in a position to tease her back…

Twenty

What in the Seven Hells is wrong with me, acting like that? Roke asked himself. Like some lovesick Kindred mooning over a female he wants to call as his bride!

But he hadn’t been able to help his reaction, no matter how irrational it was. The minute that Tenebrian asshole had demanded that Ellilah come with him, a red curtain had dropped over Roke’s eyes and a fury so great it was unlike anything else he had ever experienced, had filled him like molten metal pouring into a smelter’s cup.

There had been only one word in his head—Mine! And though the Rage had passed, it echoed there still, as part of him still insisted that the little priestess was his by right and he would kill or die to keep any other male from touching her.

You’re a damn fool! Roke told himself. But he couldn’t stop the possessive and protective emotions that still filled him. Carefully, he cradled Ellilah’s small form to his chest, determined to keep her safe no matter what else occurred.

After all, Supper wasn’t over yet—who knew what else might happen before they got to leave and go back to the safety of their own bedchamber?

Twenty-One

Elli settled back against the big warrior, grateful for his presence at her back. It had been scary, watching him go into Rage. But it was also nice to know how strongly he felt about protecting her. So far Supper had been a strange affair and they hadn’t even had any food yet—she wondered what could possibly be next.

As a matter of fact, the next thing that occurred was the soup course. Or what apparently passed for soup among the Tenebrians.

“What is this?” Roke asked, disgust clear in his voice, as he dipped a spoon into the slimy green liquid filling the bowl at his side. When he tipped his hand, the green stuff poured out of his spoon in a viscous drool that dripped back into the bowl like mucus.

Servants had come and put folding trays beside each lounge with utensils for two—though they had been given only one bowl of the “soup.” Clearly they were meant to share—though as far as Elli was concerned, Roke could have the dish they had been presented all to himself.

“Oh, this is ashta-kali slime,” the Duchess told Roke. “It’s a specialty of our home planet, Tenebria.”

“Slime?” Elli echoed, feeling ill. “Um…where does it come from?”

“It’s a very delicate algae which grows on the edges of our underground lakes,” the Duke said, answering this time. “We harvest it at its peak ripeness, season it with a bit of pika spice, and serve it fresh.”

“What—so it’s not even cooked?” Roke demanded, frowning.

“Of course not!” The Duchess looked shocked. “That would ruin the lovely, delicate flavor!”

“I see.” Elli tried to smile. “Well, it looks really…special,” she offered at last—which wasn’t exactly a lie.

“You’re lucky to taste it,” the Duke informed her. “We don’t have it often—it’s a delicacy.”

“I can tell that it is. Mmmm…” Elli pretended to take a bite of the “soup” which was literally pond scum and smiled widely. Then she looked at Roke. “Try some—it’s delicious.”

“I’m sure,” he growled but pretended to try a bite anyway.

“I hope they’re going to give us something besides this to eat or we’re going to starve to death,” Elli murmured to him.

“Don’t worry—I’m sure we can get a servant to bring us something from the kitchens after we get back to our chamber. We—” Roke broke off talking and looked around the room with a frown. “What in the Seven Hells?” he muttered.

Elli looked around as well and saw that all of the nobles had stopped eating their slime soup and were now engaged in passionate kissing with their partners.

“Huh?” she muttered. “Why—” Then she saw the reason everyone had interrupted the soup course to kiss—up on the raised dais in the center of the room, the Crown Prince and his “Bride of the Night” were passionately making out as though they couldn’t get enough of each other.

“What’s wrong with you two?” the Duke hissed from the corner of his mouth as the Duchess kissed him.

“Yes, why aren’t you Mirroring His Majesty?” the Duchess whispered, in between kisses. “You won’t keep your high status long if you don’t Mirror properly!”

“What about it, little priestess?” Roke murmured, looking down at her. “Should we ‘Mirror’ the Prince?”

“Oh, um…” Elli felt her cheeks getting hot but she realized that they really had no choice. “I…I guess we should,” she whispered, twisting around so that she was facing the big warrior. “I just don’t know—”

But Roke cut her off with a kiss.

Elli knew she ought to protest or try not to kiss him back, but as before during their Formal Introduction, she was immediately lost. She pressed herself eagerly against the big warrior’s chest and threaded her fingers through his wild black hair to draw him even closer. He still tasted spicy and hot and his scent—a dark, smoky spice that reminded her of a night in the forest—rose around her, making her want him even more.

His scent, she thought distractedly. Is it his Bonding Scent? Do Havocs have Bonding Scents? But even if they did, why would Roke’s body make his special scent—meant to lure a female into bonding—for her? It made no sense considering that the big warrior had stated several times that he identified with the Havoc side of his heritage and he didn’t intend to bond with anyone…

“Stop! You two have to stop now!” she heard the Duchess hissing at them.

Breaking the kiss reluctantly, Elli turned to see that the Duke and his wife were back in their original position with the Duchess sitting between his legs—as was everyone else in the room.

“When the Crown Prince stops his amorous activities, you must as well,” the Duke lectured in a low voice. “That is the meaning of Mirroring.”

“Oh, uh, sorry,” Elli mumbled, feeling embarrassed. “I…I didn’t realize his Majesty had stopped.”

“That is why one of you must always keep an eye on the Royal Dais no matter what is going on,” the Duke told her. “Be careful—I’ve seen more than one couple tossed out of Supper for incorrect Mirroring.”

“We’ll watch it from now on,” Roke growled. “Come on, sweetheart—sit back against me.”

He pulled Elli back into position but she gave a little yelp when she felt something hot and hard pressing against the small of her back.

“Sorry,” Roke muttered in her ear. “Can’t help it. Now settle down,” he added, and pulled Elli back against him when she tried to sit up.

“But won’t I, er, hurt you?” she whispered, looking over her shoulder. “I mean, uh, leaning against it like this?”

The big warrior gave her an amused look.

“You really are innocent, aren’t you? No, little priestess, you won’t hurt me. Just relax and we’ll both be fine.”

Elli tried to do as he said, but the hard ridge of his shaft at her back seemed to throb with heat and she couldn’t help feeling anxious about it—and ashamed of herself for responding so eagerly to the kiss. What was wrong with her, anyway? She wasn’t drugged this time, as she had been at the humans’ Christmas party. So why was she acting like this every time Roke kissed her? She—

“The second course, my Lady,” a servant said as the bowl of slime soup was whisked away to be replaced by a platter of exotic looking fruits.

“Oh—this looks lovely,” Elli said, glad she didn’t have to fake her delight this time.

“These are the fruits of our home world,” the Duchess informed them, smiling. “Try one of the tooka-figs. They’re exquisitely juicy and sweet.” She gestured at the small, plump blue fruit she held in one hand, which she had already taken a dainty nibble out of. The flesh inside was pure white with tiny pink seeds.

Elli found a similar fruit on the tray beside their lounge and took a tentative bite. The tender skin of the fruit gave way easily under her teeth as she bit into the sweet, juicy flesh beneath.

“Mmm—so good!” she murmured and looked up at Roke. “Try one—they really are delicious.”

Roke ate one whole and nodded approvingly.

“A lot better than the soup,” he commented.

“Absolutely,” Elli agreed. Next she tried a tiny purple fruit, about the size of her thumb. This one had a slightly harder flesh and a nutty, spicy flavor she really enjoyed. It reminded her a little of the flavor of her grandmother’s spice cake. She was just reaching for a new fruit—a bright pink one, as long as her arm and tapered on one end—when she realized that no one else in the entire room was eating.

“Here we go again,” Roke muttered in her ear. “What in the Seven Hells is he doing this time?”

Elli realized he was talking about the Crown Prince. She looked up to the golden dais and what she saw made her bite her lip.

The Crown Prince had stopped eating and was running his hands all over his Bride of the Night’s body. She was moaning as his short, stubby, beringed fingers ran up and down her sides and over her breasts with long, caressing motions. Elli could scarcely tear her eyes away but after a moment she realized that the Duke and Duchess were hissing at her and Roke that they needed to be “Mirroring His Highness” if they didn’t want to get kicked out of Supper.

“You must Mirror!” the Duke was muttering to Roke. “Whatever are you waiting for?”

He’s waiting for me, Elli thought, looking up at the big warrior. Because he promised not to touch me without my permission—unless I asked him to.

“Little priestess?” he murmured, raising an eyebrow at her.

Elli bit her lip. Normally, she would never do such a thing, she told herself. But she must fulfill her vow to do anything she had to in order to get the Healing Lattice. And there was clearly no other way to get along in the Tenebrian Court.

“Yes,” she whispered, nodding her permission. “Go…go ahead, Roke.”

“As my Lady wishes,” he growled softly. And then he was pulling her back against him and running his big, warm hands up and down her body, which was bare beneath the mostly see-through lace gown.

Elli tried to hold still, but she couldn’t help shifting restlessly against him, especially when his big, warm hands ran lightly over her breasts. He was just barely touching her—teasing her, she thought—and though she tried not to want more, she couldn’t help herself.

Arching her back, she pressed her breasts more fully into his hands, her nipples feeling so tight and achy she didn’t know how much longer she could stand it.

“Sweetheart?” Roke murmured in her ear, his hands stopping their roving caresses as Elli pressed up against him. “What are you doing?”

“Just…just Mirroring, like we’re supposed to,” Elli whispered breathlessly. “We…we have to do it right, Roke. We don’t want to get…to get kicked out of Supper.”

At that moment, the noblewoman the Crown Prince had chosen as his “Bride of the Night” began moaning and gasping, drawing all eyes to the golden dais. In a minute, Elli saw why. The Crown Prince was not simply running his hands over her breasts now—he was actually circling her nipples with his fingers and then tugging gently at the stiff peaks, drawing cries of delight from his lover.

“Ellilah?” Roke murmured in her ear again. “Do you want me to—”

“Yes!” Elli pressed up against him. “Yes, do…do what you have to, Roke,” she told him. “Don’t stop!”

“As my Lady wishes,” he murmured again and then he was copying the motions of the Crown Prince, circling Elli’s nipples with his long fingers and tugging gently, which sent sparks of pleasure straight from her tight tips to the secret spot between her thighs.

“Oh!” Elli heard herself moaning as she writhed against him. “Oh, Roke!”

“Such an eager little priestess,” he rumbled, still stroking and teasing her nipples. “Is this making you hot, sweetheart? Is your little pussy getting all wet for me?”

His dirty words made Elli blush but they sent another shiver of pleasure through her too. Goddess, she knew she shouldn’t be enjoying this but she couldn’t seem to help herself…

“Don’t…don’t talk like that,” she begged him breathlessly. “I…I’m not…I’m only doing what…what we have to do.”

“Of course you are.” Roke chuckled softly. “We both are, little priestess. It’s no fault of mine that I find pleasure in stroking your beautiful, curvy little body and tugging your tight little nipples and no fault of yours for enjoying it.”

Elli opened her mouth to answer but only another moan came out. Goddess, she didn’t know when she’d been so hot and bothered! Well, during the Christmas party she had been, but then she’d had the drugged punch to blame. What could possibly be making her act this way now?

Elli didn’t know and she didn’t care. At this point, she had become a creature of pleasure—wanting only more and more of Roke’s big, warm hands on her body, cupping her breasts and tugging her nipples…

“I say—do stop it, you two! Supper is over.”

The Duke’s voice cut through Elli’s moans and she realized, with mortification, that she was the only female still writhing under her partner’s touch. Everyone else was rising and putting on their shoes and stockings.

Looking up to the golden dais, she saw that it was empty—the Crown Prince and his Bride for the Night were gone.

“Where…where did the Prince go?” she asked breathlessly as she sat up and reached for her slippers.

“Off to the Royal Bedchamber, of course,” the Duke said matter-of-factly.

“Really? But we only had soup and fruit,” Elli protested—not that they’d had much of either course. “Is Supper always so short?”

“The length of Supper depends entirely upon the Crown Prince and his carnal appetites,” the Duchess told her.

“Lately he’s been quite randy,” the Duke remarked. “I can’t remember the last time we got through four courses together—let alone five. However…” He shrugged. “Don’t worry if you didn’t get enough. Any of the servants will be happy to bring as selection of victuals to your bedchamber. Just let them know what you want.”

“Although it seems to me that what you two most want is more of each other.” The Duchess gave Elli a knowing smile.

“Oh, no! We don’t…that is, we wouldn’t—” Elli began but the Duchess only shook her head.

“Don’t worry, my dear—Mirroring can often have that effect. Especially when you’re new to it.” And she hooked her arm through the Duke’s and winked knowingly. “Goodbye. We’ll see you tomorrow, I’m sure.”

Then, arm-in-arm, the Duke and Duchess swept out of the large Supper room.

“Well…I guess we’d better get going,” Roke growled, reaching for his boots.

“I…I suppose so.” Now that they were alone together and not being forced to touch each other, Elli found herself feeling shy and ashamed of the way she had acted. Why had the big warrior’s touch driven her so crazy when she wasn’t even drugged? Why couldn’t she control herself when she kissed him?

She had no answer to either question, so she followed Roke silently out of the room as they headed for their own bedchamber.

Twenty-Two

“You all right, sweetheart?” Roke cast the curvy little priestess a sidelong glance. She’d been silent ever since Supper had ended so abruptly and now it seemed as though she couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes.

“Fine.” Ellilah looked down at her hands. She was sitting on one of the firmer cushions, picking at the selection of fruit Roke had ordered from one of the palace servants. But though she had professed to be hungry when he ordered it, she had scarcely eaten two bites.

Roke shook his head. He was sitting across from her—on the floor, not a cushion—so they could be more eye-to-eye.

“No, you’re not fine—not even halfway fine,” he said, frowning at her. “We’re partners here, Ellilah—you need to be honest with me and tell me what’s bothering you.”

She looked up, her green eyes flashing.

“Nothing’s wrong with me!”

“Bullshit!” Roke growled. “You’ve barely said two words since Supper! And when you do talk, you can’t even look me in the face. You’re moping around like a guilty convict about to face execution so tell me—what’s wrong?” He dropped his voice slightly. “Is it trying to tame the Prince’s zorel tomorrow? Is that what has you all tied up in knots, sweetheart?”

“Of course not!” Elli sounded exasperated. “Why would I be worried about a zorel? It’s…I just…” She shook her head, her jaw clenched as though she was trying to think how to say something. “Did you drug me again?” she burst out at last.

“What?” Roke stared at her blankly. This was the last thing he would have expected. “Drug you?” he asked, frowning. “Why would I drug you? And what would make you think I had?”

“The way…the way I reacted to you.” Ellilah sounded almost desperate. “When you kissed me and…and touched me. I was…I was shameless.” Her voice dropped to a whisper of self-recrimination. “Utterly shameless.”

Roke shook his head.

“So because you reacted when we were kissing and I was touching you, you automatically think I drugged you?”

“Well, I was acting and feeling the same way tonight that I was at the humans’ Christmas party!” she shot back. “What other conclusion am I supposed to draw?”

“Maybe the conclusion that you’re a normal, healthy female with normal sexual appetites,” Roke suggested.

“No, I’m not—I’m a priestess!” she cried passionately. “I’m not supposed to be susceptible to the sins of the flesh!”

“We weren’t sinning,” Roke said, frowning. “Not exactly, anyway. We were doing what we had to in order to keep from being kicked out of that fucking Tenebrian Last Meal ritual.”

“Yes, I know but I enjoyed it!” Ellilah cried. “I wanted more! Even now, my body is…is throbbing all over where you touched me! And even places where you didn’t touch me. It’s shameful and wrong!”

“It’s normal and natural,” Roke countered. “Of course it feels good when I touch you—we’re fucking attracted to each other. In fact, Gods…” He ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t remember the last time I wanted a female so badly,” he admitted recklessly.

“You…you want me?” Her green eyes went wide.

“The same way you want me,” Roke growled. “Don’t deny it, little priestess. I can smell your desire.” It was a warm, devastatingly feminine scent that filled his senses and made his shaft ache in the confines of his trousers.

“But I shouldn’t want you!” Ellilah put her head in her hands. “Oh, if only I had been allowed to do the Ceremony of Shriving and drink from the cup of Mortem Amore before I left the Mother Ship! This wouldn’t be happening now if I had!”

“You said something about that before,” Roke said, frowning. “What is this ‘Shriving Ceremony’ and how is drinking from some special cup supposed to help you?”

“It helps by killing all your wrong and lustful desires.” Ellilah looked up at him earnestly. “It keeps you from having sinful urges.”

“So it kills your libido? Your sexual passion?” Roke shook his head. “That’s fucking horrible, sweetheart! Why would you want such a thing?”

“So that I can stop being bad all the time.” Ellilah’s big green eyes filled suddenly with tears. “So that I can resist all the wrong urges I have and stop being such a horrible person!”

Roke was appalled at her sudden admission. Did she really think such things about herself? If so, whoever had raised her had done her a grave disservice.

“Come here, sweetheart.” He reached for her and though she resisted at first, he finally coaxed her into his lap so he could wrap his arms around her as she cried.

“I’m so bad,” she sobbed against his chest, her narrow shoulders shaking. “Why can’t I stop being so bad?”

“You’re not bad, sweetheart.” Roke’s heart was breaking for her as he held her close and caressed her back soothingly. “It’s not bad to have sexual desires—it’s normal, natural. The Goddess herself built us to have desires.”

“She did?” Ellilah looked up at him with wet eyes. “But why would she do that?”

“So we would reproduce and have children,” Roke said reasonably. “Otherwise, the first generation of Kindred would have been the last.”

Ellilah sniffed and swiped at her eyes.

“I…I never thought of it like that.” She shook her head. “But only males are supposed to have desires—not females.”

“Says who?” Roke demanded.

“My stepmother.” Ellilah looked up at him. “She said that females are meant to be a receptacle for a male’s pleasure and that females aren’t meant to feel anything at all.”

“The same way females aren’t supposed to tame and train zorels?” Roke asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

“Exactly.” She nodded. “It makes a girl unladylike to train zorels and to want to…you know…have pleasure.” She glanced at him shyly.

“Let me ask you something,” Roke said. “Did you feel like this before your stepmother came into your life?”

“Well…no,” Ellilah admitted. “But I grew up in a houseful of males so nobody ever talked to me about this kind of thing before she came.”

“So you were fine and free and happy before she came along and the minute she appears in your life she starts filling you with guilt,” Roke growled.

He wished he could meet Ellilah’s stepmother. He would never hurt a female physically, but he would certainly give the evil stepmother a piece of his mind. Imagine making the poor little female in his lap feel so bad and shameful about perfectly normal desires! She had poisoned Ellilah’s pleasure with guilt and driven her into the priestess-hood where, in Roke’s opinion, she did not belong.

Some people just weren’t meant to take a vow of chastity. And from the hot-blooded way the little priestess had reacted to his kisses and caresses, Roke was fairly certain that Ellilah was one of them.

“I just…don’t want to be bad anymore,” Ellilah whispered. She seemed all cried out now, for she rested tiredly against his chest like a weary child.

“Poor little sweetheart,” Roke murmured, stroking her shining hair. “You’re not bad. I don’t care what your wicked stepmother told you—having sexual desires and pleasure is not bad. The Goddess made your body to enjoy sex—to take pleasure in your own touch and the touch of another.”

“In…in my own touch?” This idea seemed to upset Ellilah all over again. She shook her head and pushed herself out of Roke’s lap, though he would have been happy to hold her all night. “No, I…I don’t believe that.”

Roke sighed and rubbed his eyes. Clearly he wasn’t going to convince her of her own innocence all at once.

“It’s late. Maybe we ought to get sleep and worry about this tomorrow,” he suggested.

“All right.” Ellilah swiped at her eyes again. “Um, I think the seamstress left me some night clothes.”

“I have some sleep trousers myself,” Roke said. “Do you want to change out here or take the fresher?”

“I’ll take the fresher,” she said at once and went to get the pile of clothing the Tenebrian seamstress had left in their room. She turned towards the small room at the far end of the bedchamber—then turned back again. “Roke,” she said, looking up at him with wide, wet eyes.

“Yes, sweetheart?” Roke asked gently. His heart fisted in his chest as he saw the uncertainty on her lovely face.

“Thank you for…for comforting me,” Ellilah said. She nibbled her lush lower lip, which made him think of kissing her all over again.

“Any time,” he murmured. “Now go get changed for bed. It’s been a fucking long day and tomorrow is going to be even longer, I’m sure.”

“You’re probably right.” She turned again and went for the fresher. Roke watched her, his heart still fisted at her pain. Gods, how he wished he could ease the ache of guilt she seemed to feel so strongly and help her understand that what she’d been taught was all wrong!

But he didn’t know if that was possible.

Twenty-Three

Stop tossing and turning! What’s wrong with you—are you claustrophobic?”

Roke’s deep voice was sleepy and irritated. Clearly he was trying to sleep and Elli’s movements were keeping him from it.

I should be sleeping too. I’ll need to be well rested before I go in the training ring with Demon tomorrow, Elli lectured herself. But the problem was, she couldn’t sleep—not the way she felt right now.

Because despite the guilt and the way she’d broken down and cried earlier, her body still throbbed and ached and called for attention—attention Elli knew she shouldn’t give it.

“It is a little bit claustrophobic in here,” she murmured, trying to give an excuse for her restlessness. Which was partially true—the strange little alcove their mattress was shoved into, was pretty cramped for two—especially when one of the two was as large as Roke. He had offered to sleep on the floor but Elli had declined, she hadn’t wanted to feel all alone in the big bed in the vast, spooky bedchamber.

Or maybe you just wanted an excuse to have him in bed with you, whispered a reproving little voice in her head.

“You can have the outside if you want,” Roke offered, motioning to the outer opening in the wall where the alcove was located. “Please—be my guest.”

“All right.” Elli crawled over him, very conscious of the way that her breasts brushed against his broad chest as she made the transition. She was wearing the night dress the seamstress had left for her—a long white gown made of some silky material which clung to her curves—and she was completely bare beneath it.

Roke must have noticed her breasts brushing against his chest because he shifted restlessly himself.

“Gods, sweetheart, try not to get so close,” he growled hoarsely. “You’re going to make me need to jerk off in order to get back to sleep.”

“Jerk off?” Elli asked rather breathlessly as she finally finished crawling over his big body and got settled on the other side of him.

“Forgot how innocent you are.” Roke sighed. “’Jerk off’ is another way of saying I’ll need to give myself some relief if you keep rubbing your beautiful body against me like that.”

“Give yourself relief? How?” Elli asked, frowning. “Do you mean…sexually?” she asked, feeling her heart begin to pound.

“Of course I mean sexually!” he growled. “How else would I be able to relieve the tension I feel when you’re close to me?”

“But it’s wrong to…to touch yourself that way,” Elli pointed out. “Wrong to give yourself pleasure.”

“Oh, so now it’s not only wrong to let someone else touch you, it’s also wrong to touch yourself?” Roke sounded exasperated. “I suppose those are more words of wisdom from your stepmother.”

“Well…yes,” Elli admitted. “That was why she sent me away to be a priestess.” Then she bit her lip—why had she admitted her most embarrassing secret to him? She hoped he was too sleepy to understand her.

But she hoped in vain. Roke was clearly wide awake now.

“So that’s what she blackmailed you with?” he demanded, turning over on his side and propping himself up on one elbow to peer down at her. “She caught you touching yourself?”

“I…yes,” Elli admitted. Inside she was squirming with shame. “I know I shouldn’t have, but it was so hot that night I left the windows open. Even with them open, though, I was still hot, so I took my night dress off. And the wind felt so good blowing against my body and well… somehow I found myself touching…touching my secret spot.” She bit her lip, ashamed all over again when she remembered it.

“Your ‘secret spot?’” Roke was frowning in the dimness.

“Yes. There’s a…a spot between my legs,” Elli tried to explain. “It feels really good when I touch it, only I’m not supposed to—not supposed to touch it, I mean,” she added quickly. “Because it’s wrong and bad.”

“That ‘secret spot’ is your Goddess pearl, sweetheart,” he murmured and Elli was relieved to see no condemnation on his strong features. “And there’s nothing wrong with touching it to make yourself feel good.”

“Of course there is!” Elli was shocked. “Everyone knows that!”

“Your wicked stepmother and all those narrow-minded priestesses might have told you it was wrong, but let me ask you this,” Roke said. “If the Goddess didn’t mean for you to have any pleasure from that ‘secret spot’ as you call it, then why would she create it in the first place? Why not just make you completely smooth between your legs with no way to get any pleasure at all if pleasure is such a sin? Can you answer that?”

Elli opened her mouth…and found she couldn’t answer his question—or refute his logic.

“I…I never thought of it like that,” she admitted in a low voice.

“Of course not—you just swallowed everything you’ve been taught without asking,” Roke said. “Well, maybe it’s time you started asking, little priestess.”

“You really don’t think it’s wrong to…to touch yourself?” Elli asked hesitantly.

“I know it’s not.” His deep voice was warm and firm. “You can do it now, if you want to, sweetheart.”

“Oh, I never…never said I wanted to do it now,” Elli protested, feeling her cheeks get hot.

“No, but you do,” Roke growled. “Don’t deny it, Ellilah. I can smell how hot you are and the way you were rubbing against me just now—”

“I was just trying to climb over you to get to the other side of the bed!” Elli protested.

“Sure you were, little priestess,” he rumbled. “And you didn’t take a bit of pleasure in the way your tight little nipples rubbed against my bare chest, did you? It didn’t make your soft little pussy wet one bit, to be so close.”

“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Elli whispered, biting her lip.

“Of course you do. You can’t tell me that your pussy doesn’t get wet when you touch your ‘secret spot’,” Roke growled. “I bet it’s fucking wet right now—go on, tell me I’m wrong.”

“I…I don’t know,” Elli said again, squeezing her thighs together tightly. Her secret spot was aching and throbbing and she wished the big warrior would stop saying such dirty things to her. But another part of her never wanted him to stop.

“You don’t know if you’re wet or not?” His voice had dropped to a low growl. “Then why don’t you find out, little priestess?”

“Find out?” Elli’s voice sounded breathless in her own ears.

“Sure. Pull up your nightdress, spread your legs, and stroke your soft little pussy,” Roke told her. “If it’s all hot and wet—like I bet it is—that means you need a sexual release—an orgasm.”

“Why would I need that?” Elli asked. She was already doing as he said, pulling up the thin nightdress to reveal her naked pussy and spreading her thighs, though she knew she shouldn’t.

“To make you feel good for one thing,” Roke told her. “But also to help you sleep,” he added, clearly sensing that Elli needed a practical reason to overcome the guilt of touching herself in such a forbidden area. “You’re going to be having a big day tomorrow—you need your sleep tonight.”

His words echoed her own thoughts and gave Elli the excuse she needed.

“I…I guess you’re right,” she whispered, looking up at him. “So I should just…just touch myself and see if I’m wet?”

“Part your soft little pussy lips and dip your fingers into your honey well,” Roke growled softly, his eyes finding hers in the dimness as he spoke. “Then stroke very softly over your inner folds. If the petals of your inner pussy are all wet and slippery, that means you need to touch yourself and give yourself a release.”

“I…I shouldn’t.” But Elli was already doing it. With trembling fingers, she parted her outer pussy lips and slipped her middle finger into her heated depths. “Ohhh,” she moaned as her seeking finger explored her inner folds.

“You’re wet, aren’t you?” Roke’s deep voice was a hoarse growl.

“So wet,” Elli admitted. “I…I can’t seem to help it.”

“You don’t have to help it, sweetheart,” he urged her. “Just go with it—touch yourself. Stroke around and around your Goddess pearl until you feel the pleasure peaking.”

“I…I’m not sure if I know what you mean,” Elli moaned, as she followed his advice. Goddess, it felt so good to finally touch this long-neglected part of herself again! And having Roke right beside her in the dim alcove, encouraging her and growling soft, dirty things in her ear, made her whole body tingle with pleasure.

“Stroke the outside of your pussy, but don’t forget your honey well,” he said softly. “Slip your fingers deep inside and explore yourself, sweetheart. Let your body know what it feels like to be filled.”

“It feels good!” Elli moaned, doing as he said. “Oh, Roke—it feels really, really good.”

“Of course it does, sweetheart.” He leaned over to press a brief but passionate kiss to her lips. “It feels good because the Goddess built our bodies to experience pleasure. It’s all right—keep touching yourself—let the pleasure build.”

Elli didn’t know if she ought to do as he said, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself now. Her fingers were wet with her juices and they slipped so naturally in and out of her well and then slid all around her aching, throbbing secret spot as the pleasure built and built inside her…

Something was missing though—something she knew could make her pleasure even better…

“Roke,” she begged breathlessly, looking up at him. “Roke please could you…would you touch me the way you were at Supper tonight?”

“Touch your breasts, you mean?” His eyes glowed faintly with lust in the dimness and his big hand hovered just above her chest.

“Yes.” Elli pressed her breasts up eagerly—shamelessly—moaning as the tight peaks of her nipples brushed against his palm.

“Of course I can, sweetheart—if you really want me to,” he murmured.

“I do,” Elli admitted. “I really do.”

“I will, then,” he promised. “But only over your nightdress so you don’t feel guilty later.”

Guilt was the last thing on Elli’s mind at the moment. As Roke began to stroke and tug her nipples, she continued sliding her fingertips around and around her secret spot. She felt like there was a wire deep inside her belly—a wire that was getting wound tighter and tighter and in a minute it was going to snap.

Elli wasn’t sure if the wire snapping would be a good thing or a bad thing but she did know she couldn’t stop now. She felt compelled to keep going as the pleasure climbed higher and higher, building to some unbearable height.

“Roke,” she gasped as she writhed under his touch. “Oh Roke, I feel…feel so close to…to something.”

“Coming. You’re close to coming, sweetheart,” he rumbled reassuringly. “It’s all right—just go with it. Just let yourself come and have that release we talked about.”

“I…I don’t know—Ahhh!” Elli gasped. For the wire inside had finally snapped and she felt as though every muscle in her body was clenching with unbearable pleasure at once. “Oh! Oh, Roke!” she cried, bucking against her own fingers below and his above, which were still teasing her nipples. “Oh Goddess, it feels so good!”

“Of course it does. It’s supposed to.” Leaning down, he captured her mouth in a long, hot kiss.

Elli kissed him back passionately. She had never felt such pleasure before—and never felt so close to another person. It was as though she had been locked out of a beautiful land for years and then Roke had come along with the key and opened the door to let her into it.

“Ohhhh…” She sighed. The pleasure was ebbing now, though little tingles and sparks still ran through her. She was finding that her secret spot was more sensitive than ever—almost too sensitive to touch.

Reluctantly, she pulled her hand from between her legs. To her surprise, Roke caught her by the wrist.

“May I taste your juices, little priestess?” he growled softly, nodding down at her fingers which were still wet with her honey.

“Oh, I…I guess so,” Elli said blankly. She wasn’t sure why he would want to do such a thing but if he really wished to…

Roke sucked her small fingers into his hot mouth, lapping carefully as though he wanted to get every last drop. At last, when her fingers were completely clean, he let them slip from between his lips.

“Fucking delicious,” he growled and then leaned down to kiss Elli again, feeding her the taste of her own honey on his tongue.

To Elli’s surprise, it was delicious. Moaning, she kissed him back eagerly and would have done more if Roke hadn’t pulled back.

“Enough, sweetheart.” His voice was hoarse with lust. “Scoot over and let me out for a minute, will you? I need to visit the fresher.”

“You do?” Rather reluctantly, Elli moved over to let him out of the sleeping alcove. She had thought by the way he was kissing her that he might teach her even more about enjoying her own body.

But the big warrior seemed to be in something of a hurry.

“I’ll be back in a moment,” he murmured, giving her another swift kiss.

Then he was gone, leaving Elli to lie back on the mattress as the pleasure ebbed gently away, leaving a sleepy heaviness and a surprising peacefulness in its wake.

Twenty-Four

Gods, how he wanted her!

The minute Roke made it to the fresher and closed the door, he ripped down his sleep trousers and fisted his aching shaft. Then, with the sounds of Ellilah’s soft cries of pleasure echoing in his ears and the taste of her honey on his lips, he stroked himself until he came.

The orgasm was a rough one—it was ripped out of him as jet after hard jet of seed shot from the tip of his cock. Roke braced himself with one hand against the stone wall as it shook him to the core.

Gods, if only the curvy little priestess wasn’t so damn alluring in her innocent pleasure! But she was, damn it! So much so that he’d been forced to get away from her quickly, before he did something they would both regret.

She’s a priestess, he reminded himself. She supposed to be off limits! But it was damn hard to remember that when Ellilah was moaning and writhing beside him with her nightdress pulled up as she explored her soft little pussy and made herself come for the very first time…

Wish I’d been the one to make her come, Roke found himself thinking. Wish I could have buried my face between her soft thighs and lapped her hot little cunt until she came all over my tongue…

But he knew how guilty Ellilah felt about giving herself pleasure—doubtless she would feel even worse about letting someone else give it to her. In fact, she might be curled up in the sleeping alcove sobbing with guilt and shame right this minute!

The thought made Roke hurry to clean himself up and pull up his trousers. He came out of the fresher and went back to bed, expecting to see the little priestess crying again.

But to his surprise and relief, she wasn’t. Instead, she was sleeping peacefully, one arm thrown over her head and her nightdress still above her waist. It was as though her first-ever orgasm had worn her out so thoroughly, she had fallen asleep before she could even pull her gown down.

The picture she presented was so innocently erotic that Roke felt his shaft come to life all over again. Gently, he pulled down her nightdress and shifted her over to the inside of the sleeping alcove. Then he climbed in beside her and slipped an arm around her shoulders.

Ellilah sighed in her sleep and cuddled against him, her cheek coming to rest on his chest in a gesture of utter trust that twisted Roke’s heart. He cradled her to him gently like she was a precious treasure that might break and stroked a strand of her long blonde hair out of her face.

“Sleep well, little priestess,” he murmured, looking down at her. “Sleep well and I’ll guard your dreams.”

Then, ignoring the little voice in his head that was warning him he was getting much too close to Ellilah for comfort—especially if he intended to uphold the Havoc tradition of never bonding with a female—he closed his own eyes and drifted off, holding her close in his arms.

Twenty-Five

First Meal turned out to be another communal meal but this time it involved everyone in the Court. The large Dining area was different from the Supper room, however—there were no plants and no stream running through it. It was just a vast, echoing room filled with long tables where the Tenebrian nobles sat in little carefully chosen social groups or cliques. Elli wondered uneasily where she and Roke ought to sit, since they weren’t a member of any of the groups.

Luckily, after a moment of looking around the large room, they saw the Duke and Duchess waving them over.

“Have a seat, old boy,” the Duke said heartily to Roke and the Duchess smiled and beckoned to Elli invitingly.

They sat down across from the other couple and the Duke immediately called a servant over and started ordering foods Elli had never heard of before.

“My, that’s quite a lot of food, my dear,” the Duchess said to him as the server left.

“Well, our resident Zorel Entrancer needs to eat well to have energy for today’s task,” the Duke said. He looked at Elli. “I hope you got plenty of rest last night—though after that display the two of you were putting on at the end of Supper, I rather doubt it.”

He winked at Elli and she felt a blush creeping up her cheeks when she considered exactly how she and Roke had spent the night before. She still wasn’t sure if she ought to have touched herself. Though Roke’s idea that the Goddess wanted one to give oneself pleasure was an interesting one, the guilt of touching her secret spot had been drummed into her thoroughly. So possibly she had committed a terrible sin last night.

Or maybe she had simply found an outlet for all those desires and needs that had been plaguing her for years—ever since her body had matured and she’d gotten her womanly curves.

Either way, Elli was determined not to dwell on it today. She had a job to do—a difficult and dangerous job, if what she had heard was correct. Taming Demon was the only thing she wanted to concentrate on and she refused to let herself go down a shame spiral over the events of the night before.

“We rested well,” Roke said shortly, answering the Duke. “How about yourselves?”

“Oh, we slept as well as we usually do after attending a Supper with the Crown Prince.” The Duchess giggled and batted her long white lashes coquettishly.

At that moment, the server came back with their food. He sat several plates and bowls down in front of them, as well as some steaming mugs. Then he whisked away to serve a group of nobles sitting at another table.

“All right, what’s this?” Roke asked, pointing to what appeared to be a very large egg—almost as big as Elli’s head—which was sitting in a broad, shallow bowl. It had come with what appeared to be a miniature hatchet with a very sharp blade.

“Oh, you must try some—this is oolie,” the Duchess said eagerly. “My dear—would you do the honors?” she asked the Duke, who nodded.

“Of course, my sweet. Here we go then…”

Picking up the enormous egg, he cracked it with a sharp blow from miniature hatchet and then broke it open over the serving bowl it had come in.

Green and black slime with purple chunks poured out into the bowl and the air was filled with a putrid smell.

“Oh!” Elli gasped, putting a hand to her nose. “What is that? Rotten egg?”

“Yes, it is rather pungent, isn’t it?” The Duke laughed affably. “Actually, it’s a kind of breakfast pudding from our home world.”

“They take a tava egg when it’s first laid and inject it with goob larvae while it’s still soft,” the Duchess explained, eagerly spooning some of the gooey green and black glop onto her plate. “As the chick in the egg grows, the larva start to eat towards it, consuming the white of the egg as they move towards the chick. When they finish with that, they get to the chick and—”

“I think we get the idea,” Roke said, giving the nauseous mess that had come out of the egg a sidelong glance. “I’m assuming those, uh, chunks are what’s left of the poor chick?” He pointed at the purplish-gray chunks in the black and green slime.

“Actually, those are the mature larvae,” the Duke said. “They die after they’ve eaten the chick and then we just let the whole thing ferment inside the eggshell for half a cycle until it’s ready to eat.” He took a big bite of the disgusting looking ooze and smiled blissfully. “Ah! This one is at the peak of ripeness! I must remember to send my compliments to the chef.”

“Do try some,” the Duchess said to Elli. “It’s quite delicious.”

“It looks wonderful but I’m trying to eat light today,” Elli said, glad she had an excuse not to eat the awful slime that had come out of the large egg. She picked up a large pink fruit with a thin skin and a firm, crispy orange flesh. “I’ll just have this. I’m going to be working with the zorels so I want to be on my toes.”

“Ah yes—you’ll be meeting the redoubtable Demon today.” The Duke shook his head. “I’m afraid he makes my Wind Chaser look as tame as a baby felinus.”

“What do you know about the three grooms he killed?” Roke asked sharply, leaning forward. “What were the circumstances of their deaths?”

Elli knew he was asking for her benefit and she was grateful he was so concerned. But she wasn’t sure if hearing about how the zorel she was supposed to tame and train had killed other people was helpful or not. Nevertheless, she listened as she ate the firm, juicy fruit which she believed was called a krisper.

“Why, the circumstances were, they were trying to break him to the saddle, I believe,” the Duke said, frowning. “They’d just brought him in from the wild lands, don’t you know, and the head groom advised against it but His Majesty was insistent that his new mount must be broken so he could ride him on his name day, so—”

“Wait a minute…” Elli put up a hand. “From the wild lands, you say? I thought he was a purebred flamer?”

“Oh, he is, my dear—he is.” The Duke nodded vigorously. “You see, what happened was that he had escaped from the paddock of his breeder and gone wild when he was little more than a foal. And they never could catch him, you know—he’s that fast.”

“His Majesty was at the breeder’s stables, looking for a new mount that would commensurate with his status, you see,” the Duchess said. “And the breeder showed him ever so many bucks and does, all of them of the finest pedigree…”

“But what caught the Crown Prince’s eye was this pure black zorel galloping around outside the paddock,” the Duke said, taking up the tale again. “A magnificent fellow—nearly twice as big as a regular zorel and breathing flames quite three feet long from his nostrils.”

“The breeder tried to explain to His Highness that the zorel he wanted was wild and there was no taming him, for he had kicked his way out of the paddock and run free several cycles before,” the Duchess said.

“But of course His Majesty wouldn’t stand for excuses,” the Duke said proudly. “He sent all his men to capture Demon and break him to the saddle and I believe that is when the unfortunate deaths occurred.”

“How were they breaking him? Or trying to break him?” Elli asked, frowning. For herself, she didn’t even like the term “breaking.” When she trained a zorel to the saddle, there was no breaking or forcing involved. It was more of an agreement between the two of them. For once the zorel understood what she wanted, it was almost always eager to comply.

“The usual way, I suppose.” The Duke shrugged. “With pain prods and such.”

“Pain prods?” Elli was horrified. “But that’s no way to treat a living creature! Goddess, no wonder the poor dear got upset!”

“That ‘poor dear’ killed three grooms in a matter of minutes, Lady Ellilah,” the Duke said dryly. “He’s a brute—I recommend you don’t take him lightly.”

“Of course I won’t,” Elli said. “But at least now I know why he was upset.”

“So you don’t use pain prods when you break a zorel to the saddle?” the Duchess asked, raising her snow-white eyebrows.

“Absolutely not,” Elli said firmly. “I never use any kind of pain.”

“Well, then this morning’s exhibition should be very interesting to see.”

The fruity voice behind her could belong to only one person. And from the way that the Duke and Duchess immediately got up and bowed low, Elli knew it must be the Crown Prince.

She and Roke rose and bowed as well before looking up to see that the Prince was draped in pale gold velvet and silver lace. His flat, frog-like face looked odd perched on top of the large, ruffled collar he wore which was quite three feet in circumference.

“Good morning, Your Majesty,” Elli said respectfully.

“Yes, to you as well, my dear. May I say that you’re looking exceptionally well this morning.”

The Crown Prince gave her a lingering look that made Elli want to cover her chest with her arms. She wished that the Tenebrian dresses weren’t quite so revealing!

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Roke growled, answering for her. “But I believe you were saying something about an exhibition this morning?”

“Oh yes—well, word has spread about our new Zorel Entrancer’s fabulous skills with even the most intractable beasts,” the Prince said. “So more than half the Court is coming down to the royal paddocks to see what miracles Lady Ellilah can work with my naughty Demon.” He tittered as though this bit of information was most amusing.

“Won’t having so many people watching spook the beast?” Roke asked anxiously.

“That depends on his personality,” Elli said seriously. “Zorels are like people—some of them are genuinely shy. But if Demon is half as magnificent as he is reputed to be, he might actually like putting on a show. Zorel bucks can be dreadful egotists.”

“By all the Gods, listen to how she speaks of mere beasts!” The Crown Prince gave his fruity laugh again. “My dear, even if you fail and you’re clawed or trampled or flamed to death, I must say that I will consider myself lucky to have known you and been entertained by your wit.”

“Ellilah isn’t going to die,” Roke growled, his eyes flashing a dangerous red. “And some would say that it’s inviting bad luck to suggest otherwise.”

“Well pardon me, I’m sure, for being amused!” The Crown Prince shot him a hard stare.

“I wasn’t trying to be amusing, Your Majesty,” Elli said quickly, hoping to defuse the situation. “I was being serious—zorels really do have their own personalities and they can be quite intelligent. I’m looking forward to meeting Demon.”

“Well, you’ll have your chance soon, my dear,” the Crown Prince said, smiling at her again. “I’ve ordered the royal grooms to let him out into the paddock to run a bit before the exhibition at ten this morning. You can go down and ‘work your magic’ on him then.”

“Oh—it might actually be easier if he was still in his stall when I first meet him,” Elli said quickly. “I need to be able to get close enough to look him in the eyes and let him know I’m not a threat.”

“Oh?” The Crown Prince frowned. “Very well then, I’ll have them put him back. But do be certain you’re at the paddocks by ten.” He shook one stubby, beringed finger at her and then swept away in a swirl of velvet and lace.

Twenty-Six

“I don’t like this,” Roke growled as they strolled through the open courtyards down to the royal stables located behind the palace. “Don’t like it one damned bit. We should leave while we have a chance, Ellilah. My ship isn’t parked that far from here. We could circle around and be there in no time.”

“Without the Healing Lattice? I don’t think so.” Ellilah frowned at him. She had a stubborn look on her lovely face that told Roke his pleas were falling on deaf ears, but still he had to try.

“This beast sounds genuinely dangerous,” he pointed out. “And I was sent by the Goddess to protect you.”

“And I was sent to get a piece of that Healing Lattice and this is the only way to do that,” she said firmly. “So I’m sorry if you don’t like it, Roke, but you’ll just have to deal with it. The same way I’m dealing with wearing trousers for the first time.”

She nodded down to the black riding trousers Roke had bought her and insisted that she wear during her first training session with Demon. They looked remarkably good on her, hugging her lush curves and emphasizing her full hips and behind in a way that would have had Roke drooling if he hadn’t been so worried for her safety.

A men’s white shirt and the sturdy but stylish riding boots he’d bought her completed her outfit. All in all, Roke thought she looked every inch the “Royal Zorel Entrancer” she was purported to be. He just wished he was as sure of her skills as Ellilah seemed to be.

They walked through another walled-in courtyard and out into the open area behind the castle. There, over a short rise, they finally saw the royal stables and paddocks. Directly in front of the stables was a fenced-in training ring and in the ring was the hugest, fiercest looking zorel Roke had ever seen.

The beast was pure, midnight black from its feathered forelock to its long, tufted tail. The only breaks in the black hide were the long, twisted ivory horns—each sharpened to a murderously fine point—which rose from the massive skull, and the sharp ivory fangs visible at the end of its long muzzle.

The fangs were visible because the huge creature had opened its mouth to roar—a deafening warning claxon of sound which appeared to be aimed at the two Tenebrian grooms who were dancing around it with sizzling pain prods. One of them had gotten a rope around the animal’s thick neck and, using the rope and the prods, they were trying to push the immense creature back to the stables.

But Demon apparently didn’t want to go back to the stables, because he was snorting and pawing the ground with his long foreclaws. His eyes were burning red and warning puffs of black smoke were coming from his dilated nostrils.

“Get back, y’great beast!” one of the grooms shouted, pressing the electrified end of his pain prod to the huge zorel’s side. “Back to the stable w’ye!”

“Somehow I don’t think he’s going to listen,” Roke remarked dryly. But when he looked down to see why Ellilah hadn’t answered him, he saw that the curvy little priestess was gone.

“Ellilah? Where in the Seven Hells are you?”

Then, looking up again, he saw her.

She was racing for the training ring and, as Roke watched—frozen in horror—she crouched low to slip under the tall fence and slide inside.

Twenty-Seven

“Stop! Stop that right now!” Elli shouted angrily, grabbing for the arm of the nearest groom. “How dare you shock him like that?” she demanded.

The Tenebrian groom looked down at her in obvious surprise.

“Why, Crown Prince says he’s got to get back in the stables, on orders of the Royal Zorel Entrancer—whatever that might be. Only the bloody great bugger don’t want t’ go, does he?” He shoved the sizzling prod in Demon’s face with one hand and yanked on the rope around his neck with the other. “You’d best get outn’ the ring lest you want to get killed, Miss,” he added. “Whoever you may be.”

“I’m the Royal Zorel Entrancer!” Elli snapped. “And I say stop shocking him!”

She grabbed for the man’s arm but just at that moment Demon reared and sounded his claxon cry again. Then, bending his head, the angry zorel blew a solid stream of fire from his nostrils right at the groom—and at Elli, since she was directly beside him.

It’s coming right at me—I’ll be burned to a crisp! Elli barely had time to think before a strong arm looped around her waist and yanked her to safety, just as the fiery jet descended.

She didn’t escape unscathed—the fierce pain of a fresh burn raced along the top of her forearm and the back of her hand. But she knew—in a rush of dizzy dread—that if she hadn’t been pulled away at that exact moment, she would have suffered a worse fate.

The only proof she needed was the Tenebrian groom, now wreathed in flames, as he screeched and screamed and ran madly about the training circle like a living torch.

“Put him out!” shouted Roke—for it was he who had grabbed Elli and whisked her away in the nick of time. “Throw water on him, someone—the water trough is just there!”

He was pointing at the large rectangular trough at the far end of the training ring, just past the gate which led to the stable yard. But the Tenebrian nobles, who had gathered to watch outside the tall wooden training fence, weren’t paying him any attention. They were staring at the screaming groom and Elli saw money changing hands—apparently the nobles were making bets on how long he would live before the flames consumed him.

“These fools are useless—I’ll have to do it myself,” Roke growled. He started to push Elli under the lowest bars of the fence, where she’d come through in the first place. “You stay out of the way. I’ll go help.”

“No!” Elli grasped at his arm urgently. “No, Roke—you mustn’t!” she exclaimed, holding him tight.

“What are you talking about? That idiot groom will die if I don’t put him out,” the big warrior growled.

“And you’ll die if you get anywhere near Demon right now,” Elli told him. “He’s in a Fury.”

“Yes, I can tell that,” Roke snapped. “But as long as I stay near the edge of the fence and keep clear of him—”

“No, you don’t understand.” Elli shook her head. “When a zorel goes into a Fury, no one and nothing can calm him down and he will kill anyone in his territory. In fact, we both need to get out for now.”

She squeezed under the fence and waited expectantly. Roke cast a last glance over his shoulder at the hapless groom, but the Tenebrian servant had fallen down by now and was only twitching. Demon was still rearing and tossing his head and now he rolled his red eyes, his gaze coming to rest on Roke, who was still in the training ring.

“Hurry!” Elli said anxiously. “He’s still mad with the Fury. You have to get out of his territory, Roke!”

As though to prove her words, Demon lowered his head and rushed towards them, black smoke billowing from his nostrils.

“Hurry!” Elli gasped again. “He’s going to flame!”

Roke seemed to believe her at last, because he squeezed under the fence—with a great more difficulty since he was so much bigger than her—and barely got out of the rampaging zorel’s way.

Finding his quarry gone, Demon screamed in rage and blew a stream of flame from his nostrils in their direction.

Elli ducked and pulled Roke’s head down at the same time. She was barely in time—she could feel the deadly heat of the huge zorel’s flames radiating against the back of her head and rippling down her spine. But thank goodness, nothing caught on fire.

“Stay down,” she muttered to Roke, hoping he would listen to her. “Just stay down—we have to wait until the Fury passes.”

The big warrior said nothing but he laid low with her until, with an angry snort, they heard the big zorel gallop away.

At last Elli dared to raise her head. She saw that Demon was galloping around and around the training ring fence, which was too high for him to jump, snorting angrily and blowing puffs of black smoke.

The Tenebrian nobles had backed a prudent distance away, all of them keeping a close eye on the huge, angry beast. Some of them also seemed to be settling up their bets for Elli saw money being exchanged. The sight made her sick and angry at the same time.

“What did I tell you?” Roke’s deep voice was shaky and furious as he looked up at her at last. “Didn’t I say that thing was fucking dangerous? But did you listen? No!” He stood and dusted himself off, glaring at her the whole time. “I mean, are you fucking trying to get yourself killed? Why in the Seven Hells did you rush in there like that?”

“They were hurting him!” Elli flared. “And besides, I didn’t know that they would make him so angry they’d send him into a Fury!”

“What does that mean? You keep saying that—in a Fury—what is that?” Roke demanded.

“It’s similar to when a Kindred warrior goes into Rage,” Elli tried to explain. “It’s sort of a temporary loss of sanity—the anger just takes over and there’s nothing you can do until it passes. As soon as he calms down, I can try again.”

“Try again? After what we just saw?” Roke demanded incredulously. “That beast just fucking killed a man and you want to try again?”

“Of course I do,” Elli said tartly. “As soon as he’s calmed down. I just need to get close enough to catch his eye so if I approach him slowly…”

“Like hell, you will,” Roke growled. “We’re getting the Seven Hells out of here while you’re still in one piece! If I have to, I’ll throw you over my shoulder and drag you back to my ship!”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Elli snapped, glaring up at him.

“You just watch me, little priestess! In fact, you’re coming with me right now!”

Roke made a lunge for her but Elli evaded him. She was about to dash to the other side of the training ring when a fruity, familiar voice remarked,

“Well, a rather disappointing show, I must say, I’m afraid.”

Whirling around, Elli saw the Crown Prince strolling towards them. He was using a golden walking stick that looked expensive enough to buy Elli’s entire village back home and his golden velvet frock coat glimmered in the weak sunshine.

“Your Majesty!” she gasped, keeping one eye on the Prince and one on Roke, who had straightened up but still looked ready to grab her and run.

“Most disappointing,” the Crown Prince repeated, scowling. “Tell me, my dear, did you simply exaggerate your skill with zorels or was everything you said to me an outright lie?”

“I didn’t lie or exaggerate!” Elli lifted her chin high. “But your grooms drove Demon into a Fury! That was why he flamed up and killed the man who was shocking him. But I can still tame him, once he calms a bit.”

“That man was our best groom,” the Crown Prince said dryly. “He was also—according to the other servants working in the stable—Demon’s ‘favorite’. Now tell me, my dear, how do you expect to do anything with the beast when he’s willing to kill his favorite groom?”

“His Majesty has a point,” Roke growled.

Elli wanted to stamp her foot in frustration. She knew how things looked to the untrained eye—a murderous, savage zorel who was completely out of control and a little slip of a girl who was claiming she could train him despite his violent actions. But the very fact that Demon had gone into a Fury proved to her that he was like the other zorels she had worked with on her father’s ranch. She could train him if only they would give her a chance!

“Look, Your Majesty,” she said, speaking directly to the Crown Prince and ignoring Roke who was glowering behind her. “I know how bad this looks, but zorels are like people—they have their limits. And unfortunately, your grooms pushed Demon past his. As soon as he calms down and the Fury passes, he’ll feel sorry for what he’s done and be easier to reason with.”

The Crown Prince snorted.

“Easier to reason with? You can’t reason with a beast like that! The only thing you can do with such a creature is break him to your will—and I am seriously beginning to doubt that you can do that, my dear Lady Ellilah.”

“You haven’t really given me a chance yet, Your Majesty,” Elli protested. “If I can just look Demon in the eye, I can communicate with him. I know I can!”

“I don’t think—” the Crown Prince began but his words were interrupted by a high, mournful keening coming from the training ring.

Looking over, Elli saw that Demon was nosing at the burned remains of the dead groom, who lay in a twisted heap at the far end of the ring. Delicately, with one foreclaw, the big zorel turned the limp form over and sniffed it. Upon seeing no signs of life, he lifted his great black head and keened again.

It was a high, lonely sound filled with grief. It raised goosebumps on the backs of Elli’s arms—well, on the arm which hadn’t had all the little hairs singed off it anyway—and sent a chill down her spine.

The sound of the zorel’s grief seemed to unsettle the Tenebrian nobles as well. They were glancing with apprehension at the training ring and muttering among themselves.

But to Elli, this was a good sign—it was exactly what she’d been hoping for.

“You see?” she demanded, pointing to Demon. “The Fury has passed and he realizes what he’s done. He’s sorry now—ashamed of himself. I’ll be able to deal with him much more easily now.”

“And how do you propose to do that?” Roke asked, frowning. “How are you going to get close enough to him to look him in the eyes without him clawing you or burning you to death?”

“He is extremely tall…” Elli said, frowning. “Which makes catching his eye a problem…”

Cocking her head to one side, she considered the situation. Her eyes lighted on the top of the wooden training fence and she had an idea.

“I know!” She turned to the Crown Prince. “Your Majesty, please have one of your servants run back to the palace and fetch me a ladder and a bowl full of those delicious pink fruits—krispers I think they’re called—and bring it back here to me at once.”

“Well…” The Crown Prince frowned and then shrugged. “All right—I suppose I may as well give you one more try. After all, if you die in the attempt, it’s your own fault. You there—boy!” he shouted to one of the stable hands.

The Tenebrian boy turned absolutely purple at being addressed by the Crown Prince himself but he rushed over at once and threw himself on his knees before the monarch.

“Yes, Y-y-your M-majesty?” he stuttered, barely audible with his face pressed into the grass. “What can this h-humble servant do for you?”

“Get up and do whatever it is this girl tells you.” The Crown Prince sounded bored. “And be quick about it, boy!”

The stable boy jumped to attention and faced Elli who repeated her request for a ladder and a bowl of krispers.

“And bring me some sweet biscuits too, if the kitchen can spare any,” she added. “I never knew a zorel yet that didn’t have a terrible sweet tooth.”

The boy nearly fell over again bowing to her and then he took off for the palace at a dead run, as though Demon himself was chasing him.

“All right, my dear.” The Crown Prince eyed her speculatively. “You shall have one more chance. Let’s see what you do with it.”

Then he strolled off, leaving Elli alone with Roke, who was still glaring down at her with barely repressed anger.

Twenty-Eight

“I told you—I just need to be high enough to catch his eye. This really is unnecessary,” Ellilah protested, tugging at the rope Roke was tying around her waist.

“It’s necessary for my peace of mind,” he growled. “And you’ll wear it so I can yank you down if I have to. It’s either that or I’m throwing you over my shoulder and taking you back to my ship right fucking now!”

“All right, all right.” She glared at him and sighed. “You’re getting all worked up over nothing, you know. As soon as I establish contact with Demon, he’ll be as sweet as a lambkin—you’ll see.”

“Right. I’ll believe it when I see it,” Roke said shortly. He still had more than half a mind to just toss the little priestess over his shoulder and carry her back to his ship. But he knew if he did that, Ellilah would never forgive him. Also, the fact that she was on a quest to save another priestess’s life gave him pause.

He knew the Goddess had tasked him with protecting Ellilah but presumably she also cared about the health of the one Ellilah was trying to save. So he had decided—very reluctantly—to let the curvy little priestess try again. But only with safety measures in place.

Ellilah’s idea was to sit on the top of the fence and try to catch Demon’s eye. Roke had approved this plan on the condition that she have a rope tied around her waist—a rope which he would be holding the other end of. If the huge zorel started rampaging again or tried to flame her, Roke intended to yank her backwards off the fence, catch her in his arms, and carry her to safety.

Ellilah didn’t like this at all, but Roke wasn’t budging. If she wanted to take a second shot at taming the huge, murderous beast in the training ring, she had to accept his safety measures or he was taking her back to his ship at once. Reluctantly, she had agreed, though she was still complaining even as he finished tying the knot securely around her waist.

“There.” Roke straightened up. “Now I feel slightly better about letting you try this.”

Ellilah sighed again and shook her head, but this time she didn’t protest. She simply climbed the ladder, which had been propped against the side of the training fence, and sat on the top of the fence with her legs dangling over the side.

Demon took notice of this new arrangement at once. Lifting his head from the body of the burned groom, he snorted and came trotting over.

The sight of the huge zorel approaching made Roke feel like someone had dumped a load of dry ice into the pit of his belly. His hands tightened on the rope and sweat broke out on his forehead as he prepared to yank the little priestess to safety if necessary.

But Ellilah seemed not to be worried at all.

“Pass me that bowl of krispers,” she whispered to Roke, from the corner of her mouth. “Hurry—I need them!”

Keeping one hand tight on the rope, Roke took a few steps up the ladder and handed her the silver bowl full of the round, pink fruits. Elli picked one out and took a big, loud bite out of it, making certain that the juicy sound of her crunching the fruit’s crisp flesh could be clearly heard.

Demon came cautiously closer to her, snorting uncertainly as he eyed the intruder who was right on the edge of his territory. Ellilah didn’t move until the huge brute was right beside her, his long muzzle just level with her knees. Then she looked up and appeared to notice him for the first time.

“Oh, hello, Demon,” she said pleasantly and took another juicy bite of the fruit in her hand. Then she held the rest of it out to the huge zorel. “Would you like to try some?”

At her gesture, Demon tossed his head and snorted smoke, taking a step back from her.

There was a collective gasp from the watching Tenebrian nobles and again Roke’s hands tightened on the rope around her middle. He was all set to yank her down into his arms. If Demon made one more threatening move…

But then Ellilah leaned forward and looked directly into the zorel’s slitted eyes.

“Now, don’t be like that,” she said gently but firmly. “Come here and let me get to know you—we’re going to be friends.”

Demon snorted again but this time he came to her. Ellilah put out her small hand with the half-eaten krisper and he sniffed at it. After a moment, he lipped it delicately from her palm and crunched it between his great jaws.

“That’s more like it. Would you like another?” Ellilah asked him.

Roke watched in disbelief as the huge creature actually nodded its head, as though it understood her! What power did she have over these beasts? Whatever it was, it seemed to come as naturally as breathing to Ellilah.

“All right. Here. But you have to let me pet you if you want it,” she told the big zorel, reaching into the bowl for another fruit.

Demon didn’t appear to have a problem with this deal. He came closer yet and took another krisper from Ellilah’s small hand. As he crunched this one, she stroked his broad forehead and long muzzle, patting between the flaring nostrils which now breathed only mild puffs of benign white smoke.

Roke was amazed all over again at the little priestess’s courage. Despite having seen the huge beast flame a groom to death not thirty minutes before, she showed not a bit of fear as she stroked the huge head and deadly jaws. And Demon, for his part, seemed to enjoy being stroked.

“Now, do you want to tell me what happened just now?” Ellilah inquired, just as though she was talking to a young child who had done something wrong. She pointed to the dead groom, lying at the far end of the training ring. “What happened there?”

Demon hung his huge head and snorted and Roke could have sworn that the massive beast was actually expressing sorrow or guilt for his misdeeds.

“All right now, all right.” Ellilah stroked the huge head again and looked into the zorel’s eyes. “You let your temper get away with you, didn’t you?” she asked gently.

Once more, the huge head nodded up and down.

“And you’re sorry now, aren’t you?”

Another nod and Demon let out a keening wail.

“I know you didn’t mean to.” Ellilah wrapped her arms around the massive muzzle and pulled it close, so that Demon’s head was resting on her knees as she stroked him. “They shouldn’t have poked at you with pain prods but you shouldn’t have lost your temper, either,” she lectured softly. “This is what happens when you let the Fury take over—you do things you’re sorry for and can’t take back.”

Demon keened again and Roke swore that the huge slitted eyes—now golden rather than red—were actually filling with what appeared to be tears of remorse.

“I know you miss him.” Ellilah leaned over to give the huge head a hug. “I know you’re sorry. But don’t cry, baby—I’m here now. And I’m going to take care of you.”

Demon nuzzled her anxiously, nearly knocking her off the fence with the force of his affection. But this time Roke felt no need to yank her down and save her. To his amazement—and the apparent astonishment of the whole Tenebrian Court—she had tamed the monstrous zorel whose head was bigger than her torso, and he was, indeed, acting as quiet as a lambkin, just as Ellilah had predicted.

“Well!” The Crown Prince had come up beside Roke. He was staring in wonder up to where Ellilah was sitting on the top of the fence, still cradling Demon’s huge head. “So she wasn’t lying,” he remarked to Roke, his bulging eyes wide with wonder. “She really is a Zorel Entrancer!”

“The finest one in all of Pok,” Roke said proudly, staring up to Ellilah as well. “And the galaxy, for that matter. Taming and training zorels is in her blood—it’s her purpose in life.”

And as he watched the little priestess with the huge, dangerous zorel, he really felt he must be right. This instant connection Ellilah had with zorels was more than a knack—it was clearly a gift from the Goddess herself. And just as clearly, Ellilah was most in her element when she was using it.

So why was she so determined to return to a life she clearly wasn’t suited to?

This is where she belongs, Roke thought, watching her stroke and cuddle the fearsome Demon. Or not here, exactly, but out on a ranch, training zorels. The Goddess wouldn’t have given her such a gift otherwise.

He just wondered if Ellilah would ever be able to use her gift again after her quest was complete.

Twenty-Nine

“So Demon’s truly sorry he killed that groom?” Roke sounded skeptical as he raised an eyebrow at Elli. They were resting in their room at the palace after a full afternoon of getting to know the huge zorel.

“Yes, he truly is!” Elli insisted, frowning up at the big warrior. “Albie was his favorite groom and he really didn’t mean to burn him. He was just trying to get away from the rope and the pain prods they were poking him with, poor darling.”

Roke snorted.

“That ‘poor darling’ nearly killed you as well, before you tamed him. Just look at this.”

He walked over and raised her right arm, showing the angry red burn she’d gotten from her first encounter with Demon. It really was painful, Elli had to admit, though she’d scarcely noticed it during her time with the big zorel.

“That was an accident,” she said, frowning as she pulled her arm away. “He said he was sorry for that, too.”

Roke frowned at her.

“You’re talking like he was actually speaking to you!”

“Well, you know—he almost was.” Elli leaned forward excitedly. “Do you know, with most zorels I usually just get a sense of their emotions—what they’re feeling, what they want or what they’re afraid of—things like that. But with Demon, the connection was so…” She shook her head, trying to think of how to explain. “It was so easy—so effortless. And yet so deep.”

“Deep, huh?” He still looked skeptical.

“Don’t look at me like that!” Elli exclaimed. “You didn’t look at me like that before when I told you I could communicate with zorels. You acted like it was perfectly natural—don’t try to make me feel crazy now, like everyone else I’ve ever talked to!”

“I’m sorry,” Roke relented at once. “It’s just that he’s so damn dangerous—maybe I don’t want you to have an instant connection with him.” He took her by the shoulders and looked into Elli’s eyes. “Or maybe I’m jealous,” he murmured. “Maybe I want to be the only one with a connection with you, little priestess.”

Elli felt her cheeks getting hot but somehow she couldn’t drop her gaze.

“Roke…” she whispered, remembering exactly how closely “connected” they had been the night before. “You don’t have to be jealous, it’s different with zorels. They’re a little like children—although I have to say, Demon is definitely the smartest zorel I’ve ever connected with.”

“Oh?” He released his hold on her shoulders and gave her an interested look. “What does that mean?”

“Well, to start with, it means he’s definitely trainable,” Elli said. “Though it’s going to take some work on my part. He’s never had a rider on his back before.”

“Are you afraid he’ll throw you or trample you?” Roke was tense at once, ready to suggest taking her to safety, Elli was sure. So she hastened to reassure him.

“No, no—I’m not afraid for myself at all,” she said quickly. “Demon would let me ride him tomorrow if I asked him, I’m sure. It’s getting him to let someone else ride him that worries me.” She shook her head. “If he does let someone ride him, they’ll have to be respectful and kind and earn his trust. He’s not the kind of creature who can be ‘broken’ to the saddle—he might agree to carry a rider, but it will always be on his terms.”

Roke snorted.

“Somehow I don’t think the Crown Prince is going to like that idea. He doesn’t strike me as the respectful and kind type.”

“Yes, that might be a problem.” Elli nibbled her lower lip thoughtfully. “I wonder if I might try to train him at the same time I’m training Demon?”

“Train His Majesty?” Roke gave her an incredulous look. “What makes you think that’s even possible?”

“It might not be, but it would be helpful if I could,” Elli said, frowning. “These Tenebrians really do have the most backwards ideas about zorel training. The idea of hurting or hitting an animal until its spirit is so broken it will allow you to sit on its back and carry you around is just the wrong way of thinking!”

“Oh?” Roke raised an eyebrow again. “And what’s the right way?”

“Communicating with it, of course!” Elli exclaimed. “Letting it know what you want and finding out what it wants as well. Promising to protect it and care for it. Loving it.”

“I’m not sure you’re going to be able to convince the Crown Prince of all that,” Roke said skeptically. “I have an idea the only person His Highness really loves is himself.”

“You’re probably right, but I have to at least try,” Elli said firmly. “Otherwise, getting him up on Demon’s back will be harder than…well, than anything I can think of,” she finished with a sigh.

“And how long do you think it’s going to take?” Roke asked, raising his eyebrows. “How long do we have to stay in this fucked-up Court where they all switch partners at supper every night and eat rotten eggs for breakfast the next morning?”

“I don’t honestly know,” Elli said, frowning. “A lot will depend on how willing the Crown Prince and Demon are to listen to me. But not too long, I hope, she added. “I need to get a piece of that Healing Lattice back to the old Priestess Superior as soon as possible.”

“Let’s just hope His Majesty is as willing to be trained by you as Demon is, then,” Roke growled.

Elli could only agree.

“At least we don’t have to go to Supper tonight,” she pointed out. “The Crown Prince said that he understands how ‘taxing’ my day has been and has excused us from dining with the Court.”

“That is good news, I suppose,” Roke remarked. “Although I must confess, I wouldn’t mind doing some more ‘Mirroring’ with you, little priestess.”

Elli felt her cheeks get hot.

“Roke, don’t talk like that!” she chided him. “You know we were only doing what we had to. It’s not like we were doing what…what we did because we enjoyed it.”

“Well, I certainly enjoyed touching your sweet, curvy body,” he growled softly, his eyes going half-lidded as he looked at her. “Almost as much as I enjoyed watching you find your own pleasure last night. The way you moaned and gasped…”

“Roke!” she protested, her cheeks getting hotter. But she couldn’t help remembering the feel of his long fingers tugging at her tight nipples as she circled her secret spot with her fingers…

Just the memory made her feel a rush of shameful desires, which Elli tried in vain to shut out. Why couldn’t she just forget what they’d done together and concentrate on the real reason she was here—training Demon so she could earn a piece of the Healing Lattice? Why—?

At that moment, a knock sounded at their door.

“I’ll get it.” Grateful for the distraction, Elli rushed to the door and flung it open to see the Duke and Duchess standing there, both of them draped in long, plush bathrobes and wearing stylized bathing slippers with plasti-rubber soles.

“Oh hello, my dear!” The Duchess gave Elli an affectionate kiss on the cheek. “There you are! But why aren’t you dressed for the Bathing?”

“The Bathing?” Elli looked at her blankly.

“Why yes—didn’t you know? Tonight is a Bathing night,” the Duke said. He smiled at Roke, who had come to stand by Elli in the doorway. “Hello, old chap—got your suit all ready to go?”

“Er…not exactly.” Roke frowned. “Ellilah and I had just planned a quiet night in this evening. She’s been working hard with Demon all day and the Crown Prince excused us from Supper.”

“You might be excused from Supper but nobody is excused from a Bathing Day!” the Duchess exclaimed. “I’m afraid it would be a dreadful insult to His Highness and the entire rest of the Court if you don’t appear at the Bathing Grotto!”

“It would?” Elli felt her heart sink. She’d been looking forward to a night in without any weird Tenebrian customs to contend with.

Then again, being alone with Roke might get her into trouble, she thought, looking up at the big warrior. Maybe putting on the bathing costume the Tenebrian seamstress had made for her and going out to splash around for a while would cool off the tension between them.

“I don’t really think—” Roke began.

“That we can afford to offend everyone by not going,” Elli answered for him quickly. “Just give us a moment to change into our bathing costumes,” she said to the Duke and Duchess.

“We really can’t wait, but we’ll save you a pool,” the Duke told her. “Just follow the main hallway down to the tunnel entrance and it will lead you straight to the Bathing Grotto below the palace.”

“We’ll see you there! Hurry up though—you don’t want to be late.” The Duchess gave them a little wave and then the two of them walked, arm-in-arm, down the hallway.

“Well, I hope you’re happy,” Roke growled, as they waved goodbye and shut the door of their room. “Now we’re stuck trying to honor more weird Tenebrian customs tonight, presumably while wearing fewer clothes.”

“I doubt that,” Elli said airily. After all, she couldn’t imagine an outfit that covered less than the white lace dress she’d worn to Supper the night before…

Thirty

“This is indecent! I can’t wear this!” Elli looked down at herself in dismay.

The “bathing costume” that the seamstress had left her consisted of two strips of fabric with long feathery fronds hanging from them. The smaller one went around her top, just under her arms, and tied between her shoulder blades while the larger one went around her hips and tied at the small of her back.

Neither one of them did very much at all to cover her naked body.

“I think you look fucking beautiful,” Roke growled. His suit wasn’t much better than Elli’s. It consisted of a kind of loincloth that barely covered the bulge of his shaft—which seemed to be growing alarmingly larger as he looked at her.

“I look obscene,” Elli objected. And she really did. The white, silky fronds of fabric were so thin and fine they didn’t do much at all to cover her breasts and sex. In fact, it seemed that every time she looked down, the pink tips of her nipples were showing through!

“Well, at least you won’t be the only female dressed that way,” Roke pointed out. “And hopefully I won’t be the only male in a fucking loincloth,” he added, looking down at his own suit in distaste. Elli thought it made him look amazing and showed off his long, muscular legs and firm ass to perfection—not that she would tell him that—he might get the wrong idea.

“I suppose we should get going,” she said with a sigh, reaching for the plush robe the seamstress had left for her. “We don’t want to be late and offend everyone.”

“Wait a minute.” Roke caught her arm before she could push it through the furry sleeve. It was the arm that had been burned with Demon’s flame and Elli winced as he examined it.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“There’s something I want to try.” He looked up at her. “I told you my mother was Kindred but I didn’t tell you what kind of Kindred.”

“Oh?” Elli frowned at him, wondering where he was going with this.

“She was Blood Kindred,” Roke said.

“Really?” Elli asked, surprised. “But you look almost Beast Kindred—I would have sworn you were when I first met you, except for your eyes.”

He nodded. “In appearance, I take after my Sire. I didn’t take after my mother enough to get proper fangs like a true Blood Kindred, but I do have tiny ones—just here.” He bared his teeth and pointed to where a human male would have his canine teeth.

“All right,” Elli said blankly. “But why are you telling me all this?”

“Because…” Roke sighed. “Because I wonder if I might be able to heal you, the way a Blood Kindred would heal the…the female he cares for.”

“Can you produce Essence?” Elli asked, interested. Essence was the pale blue liquid secreted by a Blood Kindred’s fangs which could heal their mate. It was also used in bonding, but she already knew that Roke wasn’t interested in that.

“I never have before,” he admitted. “But I think…maybe…Look, I’d just like to try it—all right?” He frowned at the burn on her arm. “I don’t like the idea of you being marked for life and having a scar!”

“I’m a priestess, not a beauty queen,” Elli reminded him. “It doesn’t matter if I have scars—the Goddess doesn’t mind.”

“Well, I mind.” Roke looked at her intently. “Will you let me at least try to heal you, little priestess?”

Elli felt her breath catch in her throat at the serious look in his blue and green eyes.

“All right,” she whispered. “I…I guess it couldn’t hurt to try.”

“Thank you.”

Leaning over her hand, Roke stared at the backs of her fingers and began to lick.

At first Elli felt nothing but the gentle warmth of his tongue, but then a cool tingling began. The feeling spread as Roke continued to lap gently along her arm, moving up the back of her hand and along the angry burn that ran the length of her forearm.

When he finally pulled back to survey her arm, Elli gasped.

“Oh! It worked!”

Indeed, the angry red burn had turned from red to pink and, as they watched, the pink turned to her normal pale, creamy skin tones and Elli knew the burn was healed completely.

“You did it!” she said, looking up at the big warrior. “You really did it! You healed me.”

“I thought I’d be able to,” he murmured and cupped her cheek in his hand to tilt her chin up to his.

“You…you were right. But what made you think you could in the first place?” Elli tried to speak normally but her voice came out sounding breathless in her own ears.

Roke searched her eyes with his own.

“Maybe because I’ve been getting entirely too close to you, little priestess. And I can’t seem to stop myself from wanting to get closer still…”

“Roke, don’t,” she whispered, but she didn’t pull away when he kissed her. In fact, she pressed her body to his, enjoying the way the fronds of her bathing costume parted to allow her bare breasts to rub against his hard torso…

They might have done much more than kiss except for someone suddenly banged on the door to their bedchamber, which Elli gasp and jump away.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, reaching for her bathrobe and pulling it on quickly to cover herself. “Who can that be?”

“Don’t know,” Roke growled as he pulled on his own robe. “But they’d better have a damn good reason for interrupting!”

It turned out to be a servant sent by the Duchess to find out what was taking them so long.

“Begging your pardon, my Lady,” the girl said, panting—clearly she had run all the way from the Bathing Grotto. “But the Duchess says hurry up quick—His Majesty is due to arrive at any time and you don’t want to offend him by being late!”

“All right—we’re coming right now,” Elli promised. “Can you show us the way to the Bathing Grotto?”

“Right this way, my Lady and hurry, please!” the girl gasped and started off at a trot down the long hallway, which forced Elli and Roke to follow as quickly as they could.

It’s just as well she came when she did! Elli thought as they hurried after the servant girl. Roke and I were about to start something that would have been extremely hard to stop!

She wished again that she wasn’t so hot blooded and that the cool, dispassionate grace of a priestess came more naturally to her. The very minute she got back to the Mother Ship she was going to sip from the cup of Mortem Amore so she could be rid of her carnal desires forever!

But for now she was stuck with them, so she would just have to try harder to keep control of herself.

Elli just hoped that was possible. She had never felt so strongly drawn to anyone as she was the big half-Havoc/half-Kindred warrior and it was getting harder and harder to stop herself from acting on her desire for him.

Thirty-One

The Bathing Grotto was an underground cave with a high, arched ceiling, lit by floating lamp-glows which cast a golden light over the shimmering surface of the hundreds of little pools that dotted the smooth stone floor.

Each pool was filled with the same pale, milky-blue water which had run through the stream in the Supper room the night before. And from each pool came a gentle cloud of steam, indicating that they were substantially warmer than the stream.

“Oh, there you are! We were worried you’d gotten lost!” the Duke beckoned them over to one of the steaming pools where he and the Duchess were relaxing. “Look—we saved you the pool next to ours,” he added, indicating the pool beside the one he and the Duchess were occupying.

All the pools were the same size—around five feet in diameter—and all of them surrounded a much larger pool in the center of the Grotto, which was at least three times as large as the smaller ones.

“Hurry and get in,” the Duchess said to Elli. “We had to fight off the Vanderbeaks and the Chinstraps to keep that pool for you, and the Crown Prince will be here at any moment!”

“Of course, sorry!” Elli said. Taking a deep breath for courage, she slipped out of her robe, baring herself to the scrutiny of the Tenebrian nobles around her—not to mention Roke, who was watching with interest. Keeping her chin high, she laid the robe to one side of the pool and slipped into the steaming water, catching her breath at its warmth.

“Feels lovely, doesn’t it?” the Duchess purred, as she leaned back against the Duke’s narrow chest. To Elli’s relief, she was wearing the same kind of bathing costume Elli was. Though her pale white nipples didn’t stick out nearly so much between the white fronds of her suit as Elli’s pink peaks did.

“It’s really nice,” Elli said, submerging herself up to her neck. At least the water was opaque, she thought, so no one could see her mostly naked body through its milky blue depths.

“Reminds me of a bathing pool on one of the Kindred ships,” Roke said, also discarding his robe and slipping in beside Elli. He looked at the Duke. “Will we be doing any, er, Mirroring again tonight?”

“Of course, old boy!” the Duke said heartily. “Whenever the Crown Prince is the center of attention, his motions must be mirrored! It is our only way to reflect His Majesty’s greatness!”

“Of course,” Roke echoed dryly. “That makes perfect sense.”

Elli felt her heart rise into her throat and start thumping. What sort of things would they be required to do tonight? And why did she feel such a mixture of anticipation and desire at the thought, when she knew that what she ought to feel was fear and shame about the no-doubt erotic actions they would have to engage in?

At that moment, the Crown Prince entered the Bathing Grotto, draped in a golden bathrobe. He was already attended by one of the Court Ladies—presumably she had been chosen ahead of time—and he strolled to the large, steaming pool in the center of the grotto and began to disrobe.

He took off his robe in a leisurely manner, as though to give everyone time to admire his physique, which they certainly seemed to, since the whole Court murmured “Ooos” and “Ahhs” as the Crown Prince allowed the golden bathrobe to slide slowly down his narrow shoulders and fall to the floor.

He was wearing a loincloth that was also golden of course, but Elli thought it clashed horribly with his pale blue skin and emphasized his pot belly rather too much. Still, the entire Court seemed enamored of their monarch, so she tried to “Ooo” and “Ahh” along with everyone else as he finally slipped into the large steaming pool with the noblewoman he had chosen.

“Welcome to another Bathing Day, my fellow Tenebrians,” the Crown Prince said, lifting his voice so that it echoed through the high-ceilinged grotto. “A rather auspicious Bathing Day at that, for today our new Royal Zorel Entrancer made great strides in taming my brute of a zorel, Demon. Please everyone—let’s acknowledge the brilliance of Lady Ellilah!”

Elli felt her cheeks get hot as the attention of the entire Bathing Grotto was suddenly transferred from the Crown Prince to herself. Every eye was on her as the Tenebrian nobles clapped and called out congratulations.

“Jolly good show!”

“Well done, you!”

“Most excellent!” were some of the shouts directed her way.

“Thank you.” She nodded her head, which was the only thing visible above the milky blue surface of the pool, since she had sunk down to hide her breasts. “Uh, thank you so much.”

Luckily for her, the Crown Prince couldn’t bear not to be the center of attention for long. After a full minute of applause for Elli, he cleared his throat and spoke again.

“Now then, let the bathing commence! Lady Carloota, my dear, would you be kind enough to wash my chest?”

“With pleasure, Your Majesty,” purred the noblewoman beside him. Reaching towards the side of the tub, she picked up a small round pot of cream and scooped some out to rub on the monarch’s narrow chest.

“Um…I guess we’d, uh, better start Mirroring,” Elli said rather breathlessly, looking up at Roke.

“Be my guest, sweetheart. You won’t hear me complaining.” The big warrior spread his arms and leaned back against the side of the pool, giving Elli a mocking, one-sided grin. “If you dare, that is.”

“Of course, I dare!” Elli exclaimed. Determination overcame her shyness and she reached for the small pot of bathing cream which was located beside their own pool and got a double fingerful of the stuff. Rubbing it between her hands, she waded over to Roke and began rubbing it over his chest. It was broad and muscular and mostly smooth except for a little patch of dark curls between the flat copper disks of his nipples, which led down in a thin trail over his abs and down towards his…

Elli pushed that thought aside and tried to concentrate on washing the big warrior thoroughly.

“Mmm, your soft hands feel good on me, little priestess,” Roke rumbled, looking down at her with half-lidded eyes.

“Be quiet!” Elli pinched one of his flat nipples sharply, making him jump.

“Hey, now—none of that!” he growled, frowning at her.

“Well, stop trying to distract me with your dirty talk!” Elli demanded, still scrubbing for all she was worth. “We need to be better than we were last night and not…not give into temptation again.”

“If I recall right, you were the one giving in to temptation,” Roke reminded her, still frowning. “Not that I blame you,” he added in a low voice. “And you shouldn’t blame yourself either, little priestess. It’s natural to want to explore and pleasure yourself.”

“Quiet!” Elli exclaimed, pinching his other nipple fiercely and making him yelp. “I don’t want to talk about that!”

“All right—all right!” Roke held up his hands in a “don’t shoot” gesture. “Forgive me for mentioning it, my Lady!”

“Just behave yourself,” Elli lectured him sternly. “And remember we’re only doing what we have to do in order to prevent giving offense. We—”

“Now, switch,” the Crown Prince’s fruity voice interrupted her words. “My dear Lady Carloota, pray, allow me to return the favor by washing your lovely breasts.”

“Oh, uh…” Elli watched, her cheeks flaming, as the Crown Prince scooped some cream out of the jar and began rubbing it on the noblewoman’s bare breasts. She moaned and cooed in pleasure, thrusting her breasts eagerly into her monarch’s hands as though she couldn’t get enough of the pleasure he was giving her.

“You were saying?” Roke said dryly.

“Um…” Elli dragged her attention away from the scene in the royal pool to the big warrior. Somehow she had drifted away from him and was now at the opposite side of the pool.

“I believe you were talking about doing whatever we have to in order to avoid giving offense?” he rumbled, cocking an eyebrow at her.

“Yes, well…” Elli swallowed hard, wishing her body wasn’t so eager for the big warrior’s touch. “I guess we’d better…better do what…what everyone else is doing.”

And indeed, the Duke and Duchess beside them were already at it with the Duke rubbing and fondling his wife’s breasts while she moaned her pleasure. All the other Tenebrian nobles were as well, leaving only Elli and Roke who weren’t “Mirroring” the Crown Prince.

“Don’t worry, little priestess—you know I’ll be gentle,” Roke murmured, scooping out some of the cream and rubbing it between his long fingers. He beckoned to her. “Come here now, sweetheart, and let me wash you.”

Feeling as though she was drawn by an invisible magnet, Elli found herself going to him. She even stood taller, so that her breasts were above the surface of the water and watched as the big warrior cupped her full globes.

“Mmm, so soft and ripe,” he growled softly, as he caressed her breasts and plucked gently at the tight tips of her nipples. “Gods, I love the way your breasts fill my palms, little priestess!”

Elli tried not to make a noise but she couldn’t help moaning as sparks of pleasure shot through her entire body—especially to the secret spot between her legs. As Roke continued to “wash” her, she pressed her thighs together tightly, trying to control the ache she felt growing there in response to his gentle touch.

Just when she felt she couldn’t stand it anymore, she heard the Crown Prince speaking again.

“My dear Lady Carloota,” he remarked, smiling at the noblewoman whose breasts he had been caressing. “You seem to enjoy being bathed very much. It makes me think you must be a very…dirty…girl.”

He growled the last words, looking into her eyes and Lady Carloota giggled and blushed.

“Maybe I am, Your Majesty,” she murmured, fluttering her long white eyelashes at him. “Maybe I need to be washed all over.”

The Crown Prince’s pale, bulging eyes narrowed with lust.

“You naughty girl! Get up on the side of the tub so that I can wash you where you need it most!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Giggling, the Tenebrian noblewoman scrambled out of the tub and sat on the edge with her legs spread wide. Clearly, she knew exactly what her monarch wanted and she was eager to give it to him.

“Oh my Goddess,” Elli whispered as the Crown Prince began caressing Lady Carloota’s pale, inner thighs. “He’s not really going to…to wash her there, is he?”

“You mean is he going to wash her pussy?” Roke growled behind her. “I think it’s obvious he is, sweetheart.”

As he spoke, the Crown Prince dipped his fingers into the jar of cream and then dipped them into Lady Carloota. As she gasped and moaned, he thrust them vigorously deep inside her. And all around them, the other Tenebrian nobles were following suit.

“Oh my Goddess,” Elli whispered again. “Roke, we can’t.”

“I’m afraid we’ll have to if we don’t want to offend anyone,” he said grimly. Then he lowered his voice and looked into her eyes. “But don’t worry, little priestess—I promise you I’ll be gentle. I won’t even penetrate you if you don’t want me to.”

“You…you won’t?” Elli asked him breathlessly.

He shook his head.

“Not unless you ask me to. I can just caress and ‘wash’ your sweet inner folds. No one should be the wiser—they’re all too preoccupied with their own ‘washing’ to notice what we do, I would think.”

“All right then…” Shaking—though with fear or desire she wasn’t sure which—Elli climbed out of the pool and sat on the edge. Then, like every other woman in the room was doing, she spread her thighs, baring her pussy to the big warrior shamelessly.

“Mmm, such a sweet little pussy,” he rumbled. Brushing the fronds of her bathing costume aside, he revealed the tiny patch of blond curls at the apex of her sex and the pink outer lips which looked shamefully swollen with desire—at least to Elli.

“You…you really think so?” she asked, biting her lip.

“Gods, yes! The sweetest I’ve ever seen,” Roke assured her. “Now I’m just going to wash the outside of your sex first, little priestess. You tell me if you want me to continue and wash your inner folds as well.”

Elli bit her lip even harder. Her heart was thumping in her chest and she had never felt so exposed…or so hot. But she knew she ought to try and resist the carnal urges she was feeling.

“Just…just the outside, then, please Roke,” she made herself say.

Roke nodded.

“As my Lady wishes,” he growled. And then he was caressing the swollen outer lips of her pussy with his long, slippery fingers, rubbing the cream into her inner thighs and outer lips with firm but gentle strokes.

Of course the problem was, that once he started rubbing her outer pussy, her lips started to part and open to show her slippery pink inner folds. Elli bit back a moan as she felt her secret spot throbbing—almost begging for attention, as Roke went on carefully stroking and massaging only her outer pussy, even though her sex had now bloomed like a flower begging for the sun.

“Roke,” she heard herself saying, though she knew she shouldn’t. “Maybe…maybe we’d better do a little more. I mean, we wouldn’t want anyone to…to say we weren’t Mirroring correctly and get offended, right?”

“If you think it’s necessary, sweetheart.” He looked up at her, his dark eyes half-lidded. “Would you like me to wash your inner folds as well?”

“Yes,” Elli whispered. “Maybe…maybe you should.”

“As my Lady wishes,” he said again and then his long, clever fingers were slipping into her swollen inner folds and circling around and around her secret spot—just where Elli longed to feel him touching her.

“Oh!” she moaned, throwing her head back and bucking her hips with pleasure. “Oh, Roke! That feels so good. Please…keep washing me!”

“Of course, little priestess,” he rumbled. “I’ll keep washing your soft little cunt as long as you want me to.”

As he spoke, he was circling her secret spot—her “Goddess pearl” as he had called it earlier. Around and around he stroked, sliding delicately over her most sensitive area and sending shockwaves of pure pleasure through Elli’s entire body.

Had she thought that touching herself felt good? Well, it felt even better to let Roke touch her. Maybe it was because of the element of surprise—she didn’t know where or how he would touch her next—she only knew it would feel incredible.

“Roke,” she moaned, bucking her hips. “Oh Goddess, Roke!”

Just then she felt something new. As he circled her aching secret spot with his fingertips, two other fingers had found the entrance to her honey well and were pressing inward lightly.

Elli looked down at him uncertainly.

“Roke?” she asked, making his name a question.

“Do you wish me to wash inside you, little priestess?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. “Just the once—so you can feel what it’s like to be filled?”

“Oh…” Elli nibbled her lower lip. “I…I don’t know if we should.”

“The Crown Prince and his bathing companion are,” he pointed out. “But if you’d rather I didn’t—”

He started to withdraw his other hand but Elli stopped him with a hand on his wrist.

“No, wait! I…” She swallowed hard. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt to try it just…just the once. As long as you promise to stop if I ask you to?”

“Of course.” Roke gave her a gentle smile. “I’ll never hurt you, sweetheart—never do anything you don’t want me to do.”

“All right, then.” Elli nodded. “Then do it, Roke. Wash…wash inside me.”

“As my Lady wishes,” he growled for a third time. And then Elli felt two long, thick fingers sliding deeply into her tight virgin well.

“Oh!” she moaned, throwing her head back at the surprising sensation. “Oh, Roke, it feels…it feels good.”

“You like to be filled, sweetheart?” he murmured as his long fingers touched bottom inside her. “You like the feeling of your little pussy being so full?”

“I…I do,” Elli admitted breathlessly. “I probably shouldn’t but it feels…feels really good, Roke.” She was leaning back on her elbows now, head thrown back in pleasure as she reveled in the feeling of being filled for the very first time.

“Of course it feels good, sweetheart. I told you the Goddess built this part of you for pleasure.” He stroked gently in and out of her with his long fingers while he continued to circle her secret spot with his thumb.

“Oh…oh!” Elli moaned. She was writhing all over the place, bucking her hips, helpless to stop the pleasure that was building inside her. The wire in her belly was back, twisting tighter and tighter, ready to snap at any moment…

“And now I believe we ought to switch, my dear,” the Crown Prince remarked, his voice breaking through her building pleasure.

Panting, Elli looked up to see that the noblewoman the Prince had been pleasuring was slipping back into the steaming water and His Majesty was taking her place on the edge of the pool.

“Now then, my dear—wash me,” he told her, pulling his loincloth to one side to reveal a stubby, dark blue member which looked more like a grubby finger than a shaft—at least to Elli’s untrained eyes.

Roke had stopped touching her and had withdrawn his hands. Now he looked at her with eyebrows raised.

“Ellilah?” he asked, making her name a question. “Do you want to—”

“I…I don’t think we have any choice.” Elli swallowed hard and slipped back into the steaming pool, her whole body throbbing with unfinished pleasure. “Go ahead,” she told Roke. “Sit on the edge of the pool.”

He did as she asked, sitting with thighs spread and his legs dangling down into the milky blue water of the pool. Carefully, he lifted the sodden loincloth aside, revealing a massive shaft.

Elli’s eyes went wide when she saw it. She’d felt it against her when it was covered by his trousers, but she’d never expected it to be this big!

“Ever seen one of these before?” Roke asked, raising an eyebrow at her as she came slowly to stand between his muscular thighs.

“I mean, I’ve seen the zorels mating and my brothers used to have peeing contests when they thought I wasn’t looking but not…not really up close,” Elli admitted. She licked her lips nervously. “I, uh, guess I should start…start washing you.”

“Only if you want to,” Roke rumbled. “Not that I mind feeling your soft little hands on me, but I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

“I…I’m not uncomfortable,” Elli denied. “And anyway we’re just…just doing what we have to, right?”

As she spoke, she reached for the pot of bathing cream and got a good amount on her fingers. Rubbing it over her palms, she began caressing the thick, throbbing length of the big warrior’s shaft, exactly as she saw the Duchess doing with the Duke in the pool beside them.

Roke groaned low in his throat and tilted his head back, his eyes tight-shut. He held completely still as Elli stroked him, but she could feel the tension in his big body, as though it was taking every ounce of determination he had to keep from thrusting up into her hands.

After the first moment of uncertainty, she found she liked touching the big warrior so intimately. The skin of his shaft was petal soft, though beneath he was as hot and hard as an iron bar heating in a forge. His scent was stronger here, too—the dark spice that made her want to get closer to him. The scent that would have been his Bonding Scent if he’d actually wanted to bond her to him, Elli thought as she stroked up and down his thick length, her hands slippery with the bathing cream.

“Gods, little priestess!” Roke’s voice was ragged with lust. “Your soft little hands feel so fucking good on me!”

“Your hands felt good on me, too,” Elli admitted softly, as she continued to stroke. She couldn’t fit her fingers all the way around his thickness, but she kept stroking anyway, using both hands on the throbbing pole of flesh that stuck straight up against his flat belly.

“I could tell,” he murmured, looking down to catch her eyes. “By the way you were moaning and crying while I fingerfucked your soft little pussy.”

“Is that what you call it—the, uh, penetration with your fingers?” Elli asked, feeling her cheeks get hot.

He nodded.

“Mmm-hmm. Did you enjoy it?”

“Yes,” Elli admitted. “I…I probably shouldn’t have but, well, it felt good.”

“What you’re doing to me feels good too,” Roke growled. “Stroking me off with your soft little hands. You’d best be careful, though—I’m fucking close to coming, sweetheart.”

“What happens when you come?” Elli asked curiously. “Will your seed shoot out here?” She touched the small slit at the tip of the broad, plum-shaped head of his shaft curiously and Roke groaned.

“Yes, exactly,” he told her. “And it can make a fucking mess so if you don’t want it all over your hands, you’d better take things slowly.”

“What if I don’t mind if it gets on my hands?” Elli asked, looking up at him from under her lashes. “What if I want to make you come, Roke?”

“Gods, you’re so fucking tempting, little priestess.” He was gazing at her with half-lidded eyes. “If you want to make me come, go ahead then. Just keep stroking and you’ll see what happens.”

“You’re awfully big and thick,” Elli remarked, still stroking, as he had said to do. “I mean, you’re much bigger than the Crown Prince,” she added softly, mindful that someone else might be listening, though at the moment the entire Tenebrian Court seemed to be rather preoccupied with Mirroring His Majesty’s erotic actions.

“I’m Kindred and Havoc,” Roke reminded her. “Of course I have a big shaft. What’s your point, little priestess?”

“Well, I was just wondering…” Elli bit her lip. “Wondering how…how it could possibly fit.”

“In your soft little pussy, you mean?” he growled, raising his eyebrows.

Blushing, Elli nodded and looked away.

“I mean, just two of your fingers filled me up,” she said. “I don’t see how…I mean, not that we would ever, you know. But if we did, how…?”

“Well, it helps that you’re definitely a Numalla,” Roke murmured. “A female who makes a lot of pussy honey,” he added, in case she hadn’t understood.

“I am?” Elli squeezed her thighs together tightly and looked up at him.

“Mmm-hmm. Definitely.” Roke nodded. “So as long as I made sure your little pussy was all hot and ready for me, I should be able to slide my shaft right up inside you, little priestess.”

“Oh!” Elli’s breath was coming faster as she continued to stroke his thick shaft, which was throbbing in her hands. “Roke, you shouldn’t say such things!”

He shrugged.

“You wanted to know. But of course, you also wanted to make me come. And I’m damn close right now, sweetheart.”

“You are?” Elli looked from the thick shaft she was stroking up to his dark eyes, narrowed in pleasure.

“Sure am.” His voice was low and thick with passion. “Just keep on stroking, little priestess. In a minute you’ll see what happens. Gods!”

His last word was a low, hoarse shout, and then the thick shaft in Elli’s hands seemed to get even harder and thicker. It jerked in her fingers and a thick jet of creamy white shot from the tip, fountaining out to coat the backs of her hands as she continued to stroke.

“Oh!” Elli exclaimed as another jet followed. And another and another until at last Roke groaned and seemed to relax, though his shaft never wilted in her hands but remained hard.

“Gods,” he groaned again and exhaled deeply. “That was fucking amazing,” he growled, looking down at Elli.

“I…I’m glad you think so. I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right or not.”

“You did it just right,” Roke promised, giving her his one-sided smile. “Or couldn’t you tell by how much I came? Made a fucking mess.” He nodded down at his crotch.

“Um…I…” Elli wasn’t sure what to do next but Roke solved her problem by gently moving her hands and slipping down into the pool with her again. He pulled her close and kissed her gently on the mouth, making Elli want to kiss him back, though she knew she shouldn’t.

But just then, everyone around them started getting out of their respective pools.

“Hey…” Elli looked around as all the Tenebrian nobles began wrapping themselves in their long, plush bathrobes. “What’s everyone doing? Where are they all going?”

“Probably back to their bathing chambers to finish what they started,” Roke murmured. “Look—the Crown Prince is gone.”

Looking over at the large central pool, Elli saw that it was true—the Crown Prince and the noblewoman he’d brought in with him had left the Bathing Grotto.

“Come on,” Roke climbed out and offered her a hand out of the pool as well. “We’d better get going. Clearly Bathing time is over.”

Elli supposed that was probably a good thing. Who knew what else might have happened between herself and the big Kindred if the Bathing time hadn’t ended when it had?

But she couldn’t help feeling achy and unfulfilled as she stepped out of the pool and wrapped the long, plush bathrobe around herself. After all, she hadn’t come yet and now it didn’t look like she was going to.

It doesn’t matter, she told herself sternly. You shouldn’t be worried about pleasure—you ought to be thinking about taming Demon and getting a piece of the Healing Lattice.

But it was difficult to remember that when her entire body seemed to cry out in unfulfilled longing as she and Roke made their way back to their bedchamber.

Thirty-Two

“What’s wrong, little priestess? Feeling restless again tonight?” Roke raised his eyebrows at Ellilah, who had been tossing and turning beside him in bed ever since they’d slipped between the sheets.

He knew well enough what was probably bothering her. He’d brought her right up to the edge of orgasm without actually pushing her over and then left her wanting. Of course, he hadn’t done that on purpose—it was no fault of his that the Crown Prince had decided to switch positions before the little priestess could come. But it had doubtless left her feeling restless and needy—problems Roke would be happy to help her with—but she had to ask him first, he decided.

He didn’t want to force anything on her—not even when it was clear how badly she needed it.

“Feeling restless?” he asked her again, since she hadn’t answered him the first time.

“I…I don’t know.” She shifted again and pressed her thighs together. The pink tips of her nipples were pressed hard against the silky, semi-transparent material of her white nightdress, making Roke’s mouth water to suck them. Not to mention how badly he wanted to lick her soft little pussy…

But no—he couldn’t do any of that unless she asked.

“What is it then?” he asked, frowning. “Are you in pain of some kind?”

“Yes, pain!” Ellilah seemed to grasp at his words eagerly. “I…I am in pain, Roke,” she admitted softly.

“Oh?” Roke rolled on his side and propped himself up on one elbow so he could look down at her. “And where are you in pain, sweetheart?”

“I…um…I don’t know if it’s pain exactly,” Ellilah hedged, nibbling her lush over lip. “But I do feel really achy and…and hot. Does that count as pain?”

“Depends on where it is,” Roke growled, though he thought he could guess. “Why don’t you show me, sweetheart?”

“Well…here.” Ellilah pointed hesitantly to her tight nipples.

Roke shook his head.

“Too damn hard to see with your nightdress in the way. Why don’t you lift it up and show me?”

“I…I don’t know if I should…” She nibbled her lush lower lip.

“I’ve already seen you wet and naked at the Bathing pool tonight,” Roke reminded her. “It can’t hurt to let me see one more time, now can it?”

“I guess not.” Hesitantly, she raised the hem of her silky nightdress, first above her waist, and then all the way up to her neck, baring her plump, naked breasts for him.

Roke bit back a groan. Gods how he wanted to suck those luscious pink nipples! But he didn’t want to do anything she didn’t want.

“Is this where you hurt, sweetheart?” he asked, circling one tight peak gently with a fingertip. He felt a shiver go through Ellilah’s curvy body and she seemed to be trying not to moan. Gods, she was sensitive—and so incredibly responsive! He loved that about her.

“Yes,” she whispered. “I ache, Roke. And I was thinking…”

“Thinking what?” he prompted her gently, as she paused uncertainly.

“Well, I was thinking about how…how you healed my arm and took away the pain before…before we went to the Bathing Grotto.” Her soft, sweet voice was coming out high and breathless, betraying her desire—as was the delicate feminine scent of passion rising from her

Roke raised his eyebrows at her.

“You mean you want me to lick and suck your sweet little nipples and take away the pain?”

Biting her lip, she nodded.

“If…if you don’t mind?”

“Hell no, I don’t mind,” Roke growled. Now that she had finally asked him, he was eager to do what he’d been dreaming of. He was just glad that Ellilah had found a convenient excuse for the two of them to follow their natural desires.

Leaning over her, he sucked the first pink, puffy nipple between his lips and laved it with his tongue. Ellilah gave a little gasp of pleasure and pressed up to meet him, pushing more of her nipple into his seeking mouth. Obligingly, Roke took as much of her breast between his lips as he could and sucked hard.

He was rewarded by her soft little fingers in his hair and the sound of her moaning his name. Roke felt a shiver of lust go through him as his shaft hardened in his sleep trousers. Gods, he loved to hear his name in that sweet, bird-like voice of hers! He sucked harder, loving the taste of her skin and then switched to the other nipple, torturing it sweetly while she bucked and writhed under his mouth.

Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw one of her small hands slipping down her belly to cup her soft little pussy mound. Letting the nipple he’d been sucking slip from between his lips, Roke reached down and caught her by the wrist.

“Hey now, little priestess—what do you think you’re doing?” he growled, looking at her sternly.

Her green eyes widened in fear.

“I was just…I thought…thought you said it was all right to…to touch my secret spot?”

“It is—most of the time,” Roke told her. “But tell me this—is your ‘secret spot’ throbbing and aching right now, like your nipples were?”

Her eyes widened again—this time in understanding.

“Yes, I guess so,” she admitted. “But you wouldn’t want to…to try healing me there would you?”

There was nothing Roke wanted more at that moment than to sink to his knees and bury his face between her thighs. But he tried to keep the eagerness from his face and voice, not wanting to frighten her.

“I would very much like to heal you anywhere you’re hurt, sweetheart,” he told her gently.

“Even…” she bit her lip. “Even my secret spot?”

“Especially your secret spot,” Roke assured her. “If you’d like, I can heal you there now.”

“You can?” She asked, her eyes going wide again.

He nodded.

“All you have to do is spread your thighs for me and let me open your soft little pussy with my fingers. Then I can lap your sweet Goddess pearl and get my tongue deep in your hot little honey well.”

“Oh!” Ellilah looked at him with trepidation. “You want to put your tongue there too? Inside me?”

“Don’t you ache there, too?” Roke asked softly. “Doesn’t your little pussy throb to be filled?”

“I…I guess it does,” she admitted softly.

“Then let me fill it,” Roke told her. “I can’t fill you with my shaft, but I can with my tongue. So spread your thighs and let me in, little priestess. Let me lap open your soft little cunt and tonguefuck you until you feel better.”

“But when will I feel better?” she protested innocently, even as she spread her thighs for him.

Roke was already kneeling beside the bed and arranging her so that her legs were hanging off the side.

“When you come,” he said and leaned down to taste her soft, trembling pussy for the first time.

Thirty-Three

Elli gasped at the feeling of the big warrior’s hot, wet tongue sliding between her outer pussy lips and finding her aching core. She had never felt anything like the sensation of him lapping slowly, deeper and deeper into her, slipping his tongue into her inner folds and then laving the aching button of her secret spot.

“Oh!” she gasped, reaching down to slide her fingers through his thick, black hair. “Oh, Roke!”

Her only answer was more licking—the sensation of his tongue sliding delicately around and around her aching button and then slipping down to find the entrance of her honey well.

Elli bucked her hips up as she felt him enter her. His tongue felt different than his fingers had—hotter but still incredibly good.

Shouldn’t be doing this! Shouldn’t be letting him, whispered a guilty little voice in her head.

He’s healing me—that’s all, Elli told herself, pushing back against the guilt that was trying to ruin her pleasure. I have to let him—have to be open enough to let him heal me and make the ache go away!

Feeling somewhat justified, she was able to push the guilty voice away and open herself again to the delicious sensations of the big warrior tonguefucking her deeply.

“Roke! Roke!” she cried, pulling his hair and bucking her hips shamelessly. “Oh Goddess, that feels so…so good. But I need…I want…”

“I know what you need, sweetheart.” He looked up briefly, his eyes half-lidded with lust, his mouth wet with her juices. “You need to come. So just relax and let me bring you all the way—relax and let me make you come.”

“All right, Roke.” Obediently, Elli spread her thighs even wider, ready to give him anything he wanted.

To her surprise, she felt not his tongue but his fingers sliding into her honey well this time.

“Oh!” She looked up at him. “Roke?”

“It’s all right,” he assured her. “Just going to fingerfuck your soft little cunt while I lap your Goddess pearl, sweetheart. It’s the fastest way to make you come and heal that ache you’re feeling.”

“Yes, Roke,” she whispered, bucking her hips a little, to help him penetrate her more deeply. “If…if you say so.”

“I do, little priestess,” he growled softly. “So just lay back and let me make you come. Let me heal your soft little pussy.”

Then he bent forward and sucked her secret spot between his lips, lapping it over and over with the tip of his tongue until Elli gasped and fishtailed under his hot mouth.

Her orgasm wasn’t long in coming after that. As the big warrior thrust into her with two long, strong fingers and sucked and lapped her Goddess pearl, Elli felt that by-now-familiar wire in her belly snap and a heart-pounding flood of pleasure washed over her in a heated rush that made her toes curl and her entire body stiffen.

“Oh yes! Yes, Roke—yes!” she heard herself chanting as she bucked against his tongue. “Yes, yes, right there—right there—yes!”

Roke rode out her orgasm, lapping and thrusting deep in her pussy, making Elli cry and beg as she rode his tongue and fingers shamelessly. It felt so good—even better than the orgasm she’d given herself the night before—and she wished it might never end.

But at last she began to feel that her secret spot was getting too sensitive to be touched and started twitching her hips away from the big warrior.

Roke seemed to understand that she had reached her limit of pleasure, because he pulled back with a last, sweet, sucking kiss to her pussy, and looked up at her.

“Gods, you taste delicious little priestess,” he growled, his voice hoarse with lust. “Do you feel better now? Is the ache all gone?”

“Yes.” Elli nodded, still breathless from the intense pleasure. She felt limp and tired and completely contented. “Yes, Roke—you healed me just right. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart.” He kissed her again, this time on the small, springy mound of curls at the apex of her sex. “And listen, if you start hurting and aching again, just let me know.”

“You mean you’ll…you’ll heal me again?” Elli asked him, nibbling her lower lip.

He nodded.

“Any time at all, little priestess. If your nipples or your soft little pussy starts aching, just tell me and I’ll be down on my knees, lapping your soft little cunt before the words are out of your mouth.”

“You must like to heal,” Elli remarked, twitching her hips. His hot, dirty words were making her throb again.

“I fucking love it,” Roke growled. “But only when it’s you, sweetheart,” he added. “I don’t want to heal anyone else. All right?”

“All right.” Elli nodded. “Thank you, Roke.”

“Any time,” he murmured. Then, kissing her mound again, he rose slowly and slid back into bed beside her. “Now go to sleep, little priestess. Tomorrow is another big day.”

“Yes, I…I suppose it is.” Elli sighed and shifted to get more comfortable in his arms. She loved to pillow her head on his broad chest and listen to the comforting deep rhythm of his heart.

But inside, she was already wondering when it would be appropriate to ask Roke to “heal” her again…

Thirty-Four

The next few days, they fell into a kind of routine. They got up early for the communal breakfast and then Elli spent most of the day in the training ring with Demon while Roke watched her work.

Now that she had a connection with him, the huge zorel was coming along nicely. He truly was one of the most intelligent zorels Elli had ever worked with and he understood at once what she was asking of him and was willing—even eager—to do it.

However, Demon was only willing to work with her—he still snorted warningly when the other grooms came near and he didn’t much like the Crown Prince either. Elli knew she had a way to go with him—unfortunately he was what her father used to call a “one person zorel” and he had apparently picked Elli as his person. She had to find a way to transfer his affections, though she wasn’t sure how she was going to manage it.

In the meantime, she spent some time educating the Tenebrian grooms. She had ordered them to throw away their pain prods and because she was now the Royal Zorel Entrancer with the favor of the Crown Prince, they had to obey. Some of them grumbled about it but Elli was devoting an hour of every day to teaching them the correct way to handle zorels without using pain as a motivator.

“Zorels are beautiful, intelligent creatures who want to work with you,” she lectured them sternly. “You don’t need to hurt them to make them do what you ask—you just need to make them understand what you need and give them a motivation to obey.”

“Pain’s a good motivation, though,” one groom pointed out sullenly. He was clearly still missing his pain prod, Elli thought with a frown.

“It’s a good short-term motivation,” she said. “But in the long term, a zorel will do much more for you if you treat him or her with kindness and respect. Now come here, Yanus, and let me show you the proper way to use the reins when you’re guiding a zorel.”

The head groom came forward willingly—he at least seemed to take some interest in what Elli was trying to teach them all.

“Very good,” Elli remarked. “Now, I’ve noticed that a lot of you are sawing and yanking on the reins when you’re trying to direct a zorel you’re training or riding.”

“But how else are we s’posed to get the bloody greats beasts to go where we want them to?” Yanus asked in honest bewilderment.

“Just show them and tell them where you want them to go,” Elli told him. “Then offer a reward if they do as you ask. Zorels are highly intelligent beasts. They can learn direction like ‘go left’ and ‘go right’. Or you can point and say, ‘go to that post,’ or ‘stop here.’ You need barely touch the reins at all with a well-trained zorel who knows what you want and is willing to work with you. Watch…”

She was using the Duke’s mount, Wind Chaser, as an example because he really was an extremely pliant zorel when he wasn’t being bitten by bore worms. Grabbing his long, feathered mane, she swung herself up onto his broad back and took the reins lightly in one hand.

“Windy, dear,” she said, stroking his strong neck caressingly. “Do you see the water trough over there?” As she spoke, she pointed to the trough, which stood just outside the stables.

Wind Chaser looked in the direction she was pointing and snorted once—a definite affirmative.

“I want you to go to the trough and stop,” Elli told him. “And there’s a nice fresh krisper for you if you do it nicely.”

Wind Chaser snorted eagerly and trotted quickly to the trough, stopping just in front of it. He bent his head for a sip from the trough and then turned his long, flexible neck back towards Elli for the promised reward.

“Good boy!” she exclaimed, giving him the krisper she had in her pocket. “Aren’t you just the best good boy?” She stroked him lovingly as he chewed and Wind Chaser fairly purred under her caresses.

“That’s most impressive, Miss,” Yanus, the head groom said, frowning. “But it’s clear to see you’ve got a gift with zorels—how can the rest of us make them do what we want when we don’t have the same gift as yourself?”

“You don’t have to have a gift to get along with zorels,” Elli told him. “None of my brothers or my father have the same, er, connection with them that I do, but they train zorels every day.”

“Yes, but I’m bettin’ as that they was raised with the creatures,” another groom protested. “Beggin’ your pardon, Miss, but none of us had anything to do with them before the Crown Prince decided he wanted to move the castle to Pok and took us all with him—may he live forever,” he added quickly.

“You don’t have to be raised with zorels to work with them,” Elli said firmly. “You just need to be a kind and patient person. Yanus, come here. I want you to take my place on Windy’s back and ask him to return to his stall.”

“Well…I don’t know if he’ll listen to me as he does to you, Miss,” the head groom said doubtfully. “But I’ll try.”

He walked over as Elli was swinging down from the large gray zorel’s broad back. As she was handing the reins to the head groom, she couldn’t help noticing that he had some strange purple blotches on the backs of his hands and forearms. The color stood out against the pale blue of his regular skin tone and the flesh there almost looked melted and disfigured.

“Oh, Yanus—what happened to your hands?” Elli exclaimed, filled with concern.

The head groom flushed, his pale blue face going nearly purple with embarrassment.

“If you please, Miss, it’s nothing—just an incident with the water trough, that’s all.”

“But the water trough is filled with water—not acid!” Elli exclaimed. “What in the world happened?”

“He got splashed, Miss,” another groom explained. “Our skin don’t react well to the water here, is all. That’s why we’re all of us so careful of the trough and try to keep out of the way when the sky spits on us.”

“You mean when it rains?” Elli asked.

“Yes, Miss.” Yanus nodded. “Please don’t worry,” he added, clearly seeing the concern on Elli’s face. “It doesn’t hurt anymore and it ‘ent like I’m one of the nobles and have to be careful of my complexion.” He laughed roughly. “A groom don’t have to be pretty, you know. It ‘ent like the Crown Prince is going to choose me as his Bride for the Night anytime soon.”

This brought a collective roar of laughter from the other Tenebrian grooms which seemed to ease the tension. But it made Elli realize exactly why they hated normal water and could only use the milky blue stuff that had been treated with chemicals from their home planet.

Regular water was disfiguring to them. No wonder all the nobles, who were so vain of their complexions, ran if it started to rain!

I must tell Roke, she thought as she went on with the lesson. The big warrior was back at the palace at the moment, though he usually stayed and took lessons with the grooms. He had never worked with zorels before but he was proving to be a natural—he had a deft touch and the zorels seemed to trust him and love his deep, rumbling voice almost as much as she did herself.

But by the time she got back to the palace, it was almost Supper time and Elli’s head was filled with thoughts of the Mirroring they might have to do that night.

Supper or Bathing Time was also a part of their daily routine. One that Elli secretly looked forward to—though she would scarcely admit it, even to herself. Every evening it seemed that she and Roke were forced to push their personal limits, going further and further down an extremely erotic road, doing things that Elli would never have dreamed of doing on her own.

Often these erotic interludes left her aching for release but Roke was always eager to “heal” her later in their room. The big warrior seemed to love lapping her nipples and pussy and for her part, Elli loved being “healed.” She didn’t even try to protest any more. The minute they got back to their room, Roke had her on the bed with her legs across his broad shoulders as he buried his face between her thighs and lapped until she came for him—often more than once.

Elli welcomed him in. The feeling of his hot tongue caressing her inner folds was addictive. And though she still felt guilty for breaking her vows, she told herself everything she did was necessary to her quest. After all, they had to Mirror the Crown Prince—otherwise they would get kicked out of the Court. And since the Mirroring caused such a deep ache in her most sensitive areas, she had to allow Roke to heal her as well.

To assuage her constant, underlying guilt, she promised herself that the moment she got back to the Mother Ship, she would take a sip from the cup of Mortem Amore and kill all her wrong desires forever. She wouldn’t even wait for the Shriving ceremony first—she knew where the cup was kept so there was nothing to stop her. Then she would beg forgiveness, which she hoped the Goddess would grant her, since she would be saving the life of the old Priestess Superior.

After that, she would live the life of a devout and chaste priestess ever after and never even think of what she and Roke had to do together in order to get the piece of Healing Lattice in the first place.

But what about Roke? whispered a sad little voice in her head. You’ll never see him again. Is that what you want?

It doesn’t matter what I want, Elli told herself firmly. What matters is healing the old Priestess Superior and doing the right thing. I must purge myself of my desires and without desire, why would he want to be with me?

She knew the big warrior enjoyed their physical relationship as much as she did—he was certainly eager to “heal” her all the time. Though he was careful not to push things too far—doubtless because he had no wish to bond with her, as he had stated before.

Even if I did want to stay with him, I couldn’t, Elli reminded herself. He’s half Havoc and they don’t bond. He had no interest in tying his life to mine—or to any female’s for that matter. After this is all over, he’ll fly off and have more adventures and probably forget all about me.

The thought made her sad, so she pushed it away when it occurred and focused on living in the moment. Right now her task was clear—train Demon to carry the Crown Prince without bucking him off or burning him, and get a piece of the Healing Lattice in return. That was what she needed to center all her thoughts and attention on, for she was determined to succeed.

And so the days slipped by and she didn’t even notice she was falling in love…

Thirty-Five

“How are things going with Demon’s training?” Roke asked as they got ready for Supper one night about a week after they’d been introduced to the Court. He had missed that day’s training session because the Duke had invited him on a hunting party.

Roke would have rather stayed and watched Elliliah work—it was fascinating to see how the zorels responded to her. But it had been made clear to him that to refuse the hunting invitation would be discourteous and offensive and so he had reluctantly gone along, riding a sleek, white zorel doe named Sun Bright. But the hunt had been uneventful and he was eager to know how the training session with Demon and the Crown Prince had gone.

“Well…” Ellilah sighed and stopped brushing her hair for a moment as she looked at him in the mirror mounted to the fresher wall. “It could be better. Demon just doesn’t like His Majesty at all.”

Roke snorted.

“Big surprise there. Don’t they say zorels are a good judge of character?”

“They’re an excellent judge of character,” Ellilah said, nodding firmly. “But whether Demon likes the Crown Prince or not, I’ve got to get him to accept His Majesty as his rider.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t help that the Crown Prince doesn’t really like Demon either—or any zorel for that matter.”

“What? But I had the impression one of the main reasons he moved the Court to Pok was so they could have their own stable full of pure-blooded zorels,” Roke protested. “That seems to be the consensus around the Court, anyway.”

“Oh, I have no doubt he did,” Ellilah said seriously. “But he did it for appearances—not because he really liked zorels. He’s actually terribly afraid of them, though he tries not to show it, especially if any of the nobles are around.”

“Well, I don’t blame him for being frightened of Demon,” Roke remarked. “It always sends a shiver down my spine when I see you cuddled up with that great beast. He could bite off your head as easily as you take a bite out of a krisper, you know.”

In fact, Ellilah’s work with the monstrous zorel had caused him several sleepless nights. Only the fact that she communicated with them so easily and naturally and the fact that Demon was so obviously completely smitten with the curvy little priestess gave him any relief from his anxiety for her.

Demon isn’t the only one who’s smitten, whispered a sarcastic little voice in his head. Be careful, Roke—you’re getting a lot closer than you should to falling in love with her and you know it.

“You don’t need to worry about me,” Ellilah told him, arching an eyebrow at him in the mirror. “Demon would run off a cliff before he’d hurt me—I’m his person.”

“His person?” Roke frowned.

“The one person he loves,” Ellilah clarified. “My father always used to say there were two types of zorels—the kind who would get along with just about any rider and the kind who loved only one person. Demon is the second kind and I’ve become his person.” She sighed. “Which is kind of a problem, since it would be much better if he had chosen the Crown Prince instead.”

“Who could choose that frog-faced bastard over sweet, curvy you, little priestess?” Roke growled, coming up behind her and putting his hands on her full hips.

He saw Ellilah’s pretty face flush in the mirror and grinned at her in the silvery surface as he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

“Roke!” she protested but he noticed she didn’t try to move away. “It’s a real problem,” she pointed out. “I’ve given up on trying to get Demon to transfer his affections. I can barely get him to tolerate the Crown Prince—even when every one of His Majesty’s pockets are stuffed with krispers and sweet biscuits—let alone love him.”

“Well, then what can you do?” Roke asked, frowning. “It sounds like a hopeless cause.”

“It wouldn’t be if the Crown Prince truly loved Demon and wanted his love and affection in return,” Ellilah said. “But he doesn’t. He only wants to look grand and brave riding on him once or twice a year. If I can just get Demon to allow that, we should be all right.”

“When do you think you’ll get Demon accustomed to the Prince?” Roke asked, frowning.

Part of him wanted to hurry their mission along—he was, after all, getting dangerously close to a commitment he didn’t want to make with the little priestess. But part of him never wanted their time together to end—which made him wish that Demon might never accept the Tenebrian monarch as his rider.

“Well, I got him to allow the Crown Prince to mount up and ride around the training ring today,” Ellilah said thoughtfully. “Of course, I had to be in Demon’s eyesight the entire time because he was listening to me and not His Majesty but it’s a start.”

“A definite start,” Roke agreed. “I take it the ultimate goal is for the Crown Prince to ride Demon without you being there?”

“Yes, I believe the Prince wants to ride him where everyone in the Court can see him looking fine and grand just once. After that, maybe he’ll give me a piece of the Healing Lattice.”

“I’m curious to know what the Lattice looks like,” Roke remarked. He had tried once or twice to catch a glimpse of it, but it was secreted in the very center of the palace in an inner sanctum ringed with guards day and night. Though he was an extremely competent thief, he had to admit there was no casual way in or out of the inner sanctum where the Healing Lattice was kept.

“I’d like to know, too.” Ellilah sighed. “This quest is taking longer than I thought it would. My one comfort is that the wasting sickness the old Priestess Superior has is supposed to take a long time to kill its victims. So she should hopefully still be all right by the time I get back to the Mother Ship.”

“Hopefully,” Roke murmured, kissing her on the top of her head again. “Are you almost ready to go? You know the Duke and Duchess won’t like it if we’re late.”

“I know,” Ellilah said. She made a face. “I just hope we have something better than slime soup and rotten eggs tonight.”

It was true that the Tenebrian cuisine still left a lot to be desired. Luckily, they had a few simple dishes which the servant class ate and their fruits were delicious. Roke and Ellilah had taken to just pretending to eat during the formal Suppers and then calling for the more simple fare to be sent to their room later.

Of course, their second supper often went cold since they couldn’t keep their hands off each other after all the Mirroring they were required to do, but that was certainly a price Roke was willing to pay to taste his curvy little priestess and feel her coming against his tongue…Gods, just the thought of it made him hot!

“You’re looking lovely tonight, little priestess,” he murmured, running his hands up and down Ellilah’s sides and then reaching around to cup her full breasts, which were clearly exposed by the mostly see-through Supper gown she was wearing. Tonight the lace patches held together by the silky transparent fabric were deep crimson, but none of them covered either her breasts or her sex, which meant her curvy body was beautifully on display.

“Roke…” She blushed prettily in the mirror but didn’t try to stop him when he circled the tight points of her nipples through the silky, see-through fabric. In fact, she pressed her breasts forward into his hands, eager for his touch.

“Mmm…” Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to the tender side of her throat, feeling his fangs itch and ache as he did so.

Lately the stubby little fangs he’d barely noticed his entire life had been bothering him in ways they never had before, but Roke paid them no mind. He was more focused on Ellilah.

“We have a little time before Supper,” he murmured. “Are you aching, little priestess?”

“How can I help it when…when you’re teasing me like that?” Ellilah said breathlessly, nodding down to where he was gently twisting her tight peaks.

“Just trying to get you ready for our Mirroring tonight,” Roke murmured and nipped gently at her slender throat.

For a moment he wished he could actually bite her, but that was foolish. He wasn’t really a Blood Kindred, after all—he was Havoc and that was the only side of his heritage he wished to claim.

“Why don’t you let me heal you before we go?” he asked softly in her ear.

Ellilah bit her lip, her brow furrowing in anxiety.

“Roke, you really shouldn’t be, uh, healing me before we have to start Mirroring, should you? And besides, didn’t you just say that the Duke and Duchess would be upset if we were late?”

“Let them wait,” Roke growled. Dropping to his knees before her, he pressed her back against the wall and raised the silky skirt of her dress to bare her plump little pussy mound, which drew him like a magnet.

Pressing his cheek to her small patch of blonde curls, he rubbed against her, marking her with his own scent while inhaling hers—loving the sweet, feminine aroma of her desire.

“You’re already wet, my Numalla,” he growled, looking up at her.

“I…I am?” Ellilah was biting her lip but her vivid green eyes were half-lidded and glazed with desire. Her small hands, when she reached for him, didn’t try to push Roke away. Instead, her fingers stroked lovingly through his hair, sending a shiver of lust down his spine. “How can you tell?” she asked.

“By your sweet scent,” Roke told her, nuzzling her again. He had never known a female to get so wet so fast. Though she tried to deny it, Ellilah was hot-blooded—as sexually needy as any male, he thought. Her appetites matched his own, which was something he loved about her. “Should I prove it to you?” he asked, looking up at her.

“Roke, you shouldn’t…” she protested but she didn’t try to stop him when he spread her thighs. In fact, she widened her legs to let him in, allowing him easy access to her soft little pussy.

Carefully, Roke parted the plump outer lips with his thumbs, revealing her slick inner petals, already pink and swollen with need and so fucking wet, just as he’d known she would be.

“Gods,” he groaned, his mouth watering as it always did to taste her sweet juices. “Didn’t I tell you, sweetheart? Your soft little pussy is already wet and swollen with need. And I bet you’re aching already, aren’t you?”

“I…I shouldn’t be,” Ellilah whispered. “We…we haven’t even had to do any Mirroring yet.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Roke growled. “Let me just give you a few licks and spread some of my healing Essence over your inner folds. That should make you feel better before we go to Supper.”

“All…all right,” she whispered, running her fingers through his hair again. “If you really think I need healing…”

“I do,” Roke assured her hoarsely. “I really do, sweetheart.”

And then he was pressing his mouth between her thighs to take a long, loving lick. As her secret flavor exploded across his tongue and he felt her fingers tighten in his hair, he thought that there was no place he would rather be than down on his knees before her, tonguing her sweet pussy until she came for him, came all over his face…

But just at that moment, a loud rapping sounded at the door of their room.

“Oh!” Elli gasped, bucking away from him. “Who could that be?”

“No one,” Roke growled. Hands on her hips, he pulled her back into position and prepared to lap her thoroughly until she came on his tongue. But the loud banging sounded again and a voice outside shouted,

“Open in the name of His Majesty, the Crown Prince!”

Thirty-Six

“Oh!” Elli exclaimed, pushing Roke away more firmly this time. “We have to go, Roke—it’s the Prince!”

Pulling down her see-through dress with its pattern of red lace patches shaped like flowers, she ran to the door of the room. Roke followed a bit more slowly behind her still licking his lips and looking irritated at having been interrupted in the middle of healing her.

When Elli pulled open the door, she saw that, sure enough, the Crown Prince was standing there. He was surrounded by his usual coterie of favored nobles and royal guards, dressed in gilded armor. He himself was wearing his usual golden velvet with silver lace at his throat and cuffs.

“Your Majesty!” Elli bowed low to the squat monarch and Roke did the same. “To what do we owe this honor?” she asked, when she finally came up from her bow.

“My dear, I’m in a mood to favor you tonight,” the Crown Prince announced with a magnanimous smile. “I’ve made so much progress in my training of Demon—with your assistance of course—that it puts me in quite a good humor.”

“That’s very kind of you to say, Your Majesty,” Elli murmured. Her heart was beating—was he about to give her the piece of Healing Lattice she needed to fulfill her quest?

“It is very kind of me, isn’t it?” The Crown Prince nodded with satisfaction. “You have quite a way with zorels, my dear. In fact, I have half a mind to make you my Bride of the Night at Supper tonight,” he went on musingly, his bulging eyes running over Elli’s nearly nude body beneath the see-through dress.

“Oh, uh…” Elli’s stomach clenched into a sudden fist. “Your Majesty, that is so very kind of you but—”

“But we are a monogamous race,” Roke growled behind her. “Strictly monogamous.”

Elli didn’t have to look at the big warrior to know that his eyes were glowing a dangerous red. His menace radiated like heat up and down her spine. The Crown Prince—who was often oblivious to everyone but himself—must have taken notice of Roke’s impending Rage as well, because he blanched, his pale blue skin going lily-white, and cleared his throat.

“However, I do not know if giving you Bride of the Night status would be appropriate,” he said hurriedly, his voice even higher than usual. “So instead, I believe I will give you a tour of the Inner Sanctum, where the Healing Lattice grows.”

“Oh, that would be just perfect, Your Majesty!” Elli clasped her hands between her breasts in excitement. Finally she would get to see the thing she had come to get! And maybe if the Crown Prince was feeling extra generous, he would give her a piece of the Lattice tonight!

“Yes, well—as I said, I’m in a mood to honor you, my dear.” The Crown Prince nodded regally. “So if you’d like to accompany me?” He held out one arm to her courteously.

Elli knew that Roke wouldn’t like it, but she took the Tenebrian Monarch’s arm anyway. After all, she couldn’t snub him and still expect him to give her a piece of the Lattice. She heard a low growl from behind her but it was a growl of irritation, not possessive Rage, so she considered it safe.

“Almost no one gets to see the Healing Lattice,” the Crown Prince remarked as they strolled down the broad hallways to the center of the Palace. “It comes directly from the Mother Lattice on our home planet and so it must be kept in the same planetary conditions to keep it healthy.”

“How fascinating!” Elli widened her eyes at him, hanging on his words as she had seen all the Tenebrian nobles do. During their time here at the palace, it had become abundantly clear to her that the more one flattered and fawned on the Tenebrian monarch, the more likely he was to give you what you wanted. It was ridiculous but necessary and she couldn’t help thinking that she would be glad when her quest was over so she wouldn’t have to do it anymore.

“Yes, yes—most fascinating indeed,” the Crown Prince remarked, in his fruity voice. “And in fact, here we are!”

They had come to a stop outside the inner sanctum—an octagonal room at the very heart of the place. Though there was only one doorway in, the sanctum had a guard at every one of its eight walls—and four more guarding the door itself.

The guards all stepped aside and bowed low when they saw the Crown Prince.

“Your Majesty! How may we serve you?” the head guard asked.

“Just open the door to the inner sanctum, there’s a good fellow,” the Crown Prince said loftily. “I have guests here who wish to view the Healing Lattice.”

“But Your Highness—the Lattice has never been viewed by non-Tenebrian eyes!” the head guard protested.

“Well, it will be now!” the Crown Prince snapped, his pale eyes bulging in sudden fury. “And how dare you speak back to me? Give me the key to the sanctum at once!”

“Yes, Your Majesty! Forgive me, Your Majesty!”

The head guard bowed low and drew a golden key on a silver chain from around his neck. With trembling hands, he presented it to the Crown Prince.

“Good!” The Crown Prince snatched it away and glared at the hapless guard. “Who is your second in command here?”

“I…I am, Your Highness,” quavered the Tenebrian soldier standing next to the head guard.

“Rejoice,” the Crown Prince said dryly, handing him the golden key on its silver necklace. “You are now the Head Guard in charge of guarding the inner sanctum of the Healing Lattice. And you,” he continued, turning to the former head guard, “May go out to the royal stables where I believe, there is an opening for a dung shoveler.”

The former head guard paled.

“B-but Your Majesty, I have served you well for over twenty cycles—” he began.

“Go!” the Crown Prince snapped. “Unless you prefer the executioner’s block to shoveling dung?” he asked, glaring at the hapless man.

“N-no, Your Majesty,” the demoted guard gasped. He made a low bow and then scrambled away as quickly as possible.

“Good.” The Crown Prince gave a long-suffering sigh and turned to the new head guard. “Now open the door for me.” He motioned imperiously at the golden door in the octagonal stone room.

“Yes, Your Majesty! At once!” The new head guard hastened to obey, fitting the golden key into the lock and opening the heavy golden door. It swung inward silently on well-oiled hinges.

The Crown Prince beckoned to Elli and Roke.

“Come, my friends. You and you alone shall accompany me into the inner sanctum.”

The new head guard, as well as some of the nobles, looked like they wanted to protest this. But after the petulant and capricious display with the former head guard, no one seemed willing to risk their position—or their head—to do so. So Elli and Roke followed the Crown Prince into the inner sanctum and His Majesty shut the door behind them.

“This way,” he said to Elli when the door was firmly shut. He led her and Roke through a short, twisting hallway that felt almost like a tunnel. After several sharp twists and turns, it opened out into a high, airy room with a huge structure right in the center.

No, not a structure—a growth, Elli thought, gazing in rapt amazement at the giant thing in the middle of the room.

The center of the inner sanctum was like a solarium with a high, arching ceiling that was made of frosted glass, which let a gentle glow of sunlight in. Just as in the Supper room, there was a milky blue stream winding its way through the room and in the center, growing up through the glittering sparkle-stone flagstones, was the most marvelous thing Elli had ever seen.

“Why…it’s a tree,” she murmured, looking up at the sparkling branches which reached for the light above. Indeed, the Healing Lattice did look remarkably like a tree from the Sacred Grove, except it seemed to be made of shining crystal instead of bark and wood. The branches spread wide and grew high. There were no leaves but none were needed, for even the tiniest twig glimmered in the muted sunlight like a rainbow come to life.

“It is much more than a tree,” the Crown Prince lectured. “This is the Heart of the Palace—the place that makes our colony here on Pok possible. For from the Healing Lattice flows the water that we need for life—since the disgusting stuff which spits from the sky on this world is poison to us.”

Looking at the base of the shimmering crystal trunk, Elli saw that the stream did, indeed, have its origins at the base of the Healing Lattice. So this was where the chemically altered milky blue water came from. She’d had the idea that the Tenebrians were taking regular water from Pok and then treating it with chemicals, but apparently she had been wrong—all their water flowed from here—from the center of the palace and the Healing Lattice.

“I have heard much of the Lattice’s magical healing properties,” she said reverently, looking up at the gleaming crystal tree. “I am most hopeful that a tiny bit of it will heal my old Priestess Superior and restore her to health.”

“Ah yes, I did promise you a chance to earn a piece of the Lattice, did I not?” the Crown Prince mused.

“You did indeed,” Elli said carefully. “And I have been hopeful that you might consider the piece you promised me earned very soon—since Demon’s training is coming on so well,” she added quickly at his petulant frown.

“Well, yes, as to that…” The Crown Prince cleared his throat. “I’m afraid that just training the great brute isn’t enough to earn you a precious piece of the Lattice.”

“Ellilah is out there risking her life with that dangerous creature every damn day,” Roke growled. He had been standing under the lowest branches of the Lattice, looking up to study it but now he turned to glare at the Tenebrian monarch. “What more do you want of her?”

“Well…” The Crown Prince cleared his throat and frowned at Roke. “Step back from the Lattice if you please, Sir. No one who is not of royal blood is allowed to touch it.”

“Of course.” Roke took a step back. “But please answer the question—what more do you expect Ellilah to do in order to earn a piece of the Lattice?”

The Crown Prince frowned at being spoken to in a less than fawning tone but instead of answering Roke, he turned to Elli.

“I dare say, my dear, that it hasn’t escaped you that Demon and I don’t get along…quite as well as one might wish.”

“Demon is a difficult zorel to get to know, Your Majesty,” Elli said carefully. “But I’m sure with just a little more training, the two of you will become great friends.”

“Well, I don’t wish to be friends with the great brute!” the Crown Prince snapped, glaring at her. “In fact, I’m bloody sorry I ever bought him in the first place! But I can’t give him up now without at least riding him in public once.”

“I understand.” Elli nodded. “You made a big deal over buying him and now you need your nobles to see you ride him.”

“Of course I do!” the Crown Prince exclaimed. “Why, I would be the laughingstock of my own Court if it became known that I’m not able—that is…if it became know that Demon is unable to be ridden.”

Elli nodded again, as sympathetically as she could.

“What would you like me to do, Your Majesty?” she asked.

“We’ve a parade planned for tomorrow,” the Crown Prince said. He ran a hand through his hair, took a deep breath, and seemed to calm himself. “The Grand Parade, which will mark the anniversary of our arrival on Pok,” he went on. “I, of course, must ride at the head of the procession. And I wish to confer a singular honor on you, my dear.” He looked at Elli earnestly with his bulging eyes. “I shall allow you to lead my mount—Demon—through the streets of Capital City for the full parade.”

“Meaning you think he’ll behave if Ellilah is holding his reins and you’re afraid he’ll throw you or flame you if she’s not,” Roke said dryly.

The Crown Prince flushed an ugly purple and glared up at the big warrior.

“Of course not! I am proposing to confer a great honor on your Heart’s Companion, Sir! And to give her a chance to earn a piece of our precious Healing Lattice in the offing.”

“I’m most gratified, Your Highness and very grateful for the honor you’re bestowing on me,” Elli said quickly. “I would be honored to lead Demon in the Grand Parade. And of course, if I hold the reins, that will leave your own hands free to wave to the adoring crowd,” she added, thinking that it was an especially clever touch.

She was right—the Crown Prince puffed up with pride at her words.

“Of course! I must have my hands free to wave—otherwise I would, of course, hold the reins and guide Demon myself.”

“Of course you would,” Elli said, smiling. “And, Your Highness…” She hesitated delicately, hoping he would be in a receptive mood now.

“Yes, my dear?” The Crown Prince smiled at her expansively.

“Might I suggest that after this Grand Parade, Demon should be put out to stud?” Elli asked. “It’s just that he’s really not well suited for riding. But I know if you bred him with some of your more docile does, he would sire fawns that would make wonderful mounts in the future,” she added quickly.

“Hmm…” The Crown Prince frowned thoughtfully, considering her words. “Is that your official advice as a Zorel Entrancer?”

“It is,” Elli said, nodding firmly. “And,” she added, having a sudden inspiration. “You can tell everyone in the Court that I said he’s too dangerous to ride and that only you have been able to mount him and tame him and no one else dares to try. That’s why he must go to stud after the Grand Parade.”

“My dear, you are simply full of good ideas!” The Crown Prince smiled at her and clapped his beringed hands together excitedly. “That is simply perfect.”

“I’m so glad you approve, Your Majesty,” Elli said, smiling. “So then…after the parade tomorrow…?” She let the sentence trail off hopefully.

“Yes, my dear—after a successful showing in the Grand Parade tomorrow, you will have earned the right to earn a piece of the Healing Lattice.” the Crown Prince nodded magnanimously, as though conferring an honor on her. “Oh, and in the meantime, you might start spreading the word that Demon is so dangerous that he will be retired to stud after the parade tomorrow—with me his one and only rider.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” Elli nodded graciously. Behind the Prince’s shoulder, she could see Roke making a sour face as though he wanted to say something. Quickly, she gave the big warrior a short, sharp shake of her head. There was no point in antagonizing the Crown Prince, especially when he was in such a good mood.

“Good! Then, it’s settled.” The Prince clapped his hands together once more and nodded. “Now, let us go to Supper together. And perhaps tonight, I shall honor you after all, my dear.”

At this, Roke uttered a low growl and came to stand possessively in front of Elli, so that she had to peek out from behind his side.

“Pray, don’t worry Sir Roke,” the Crown Prince said, frowning. “I have already promised that your Heart’s Companion will not serve as my Bride of the Night. There are other ways to honor those who deserve it, you know.”

“I’m sure there are, Your Majesty,” Elli said quickly, stepping out from behind Roke. “Forgive my, er, Heart’s Companion—he’s just very protective, that’s all.”

“Yes…” The Crown Prince looked at Roke speculatively. “So I’ve noticed. Well…” He clapped his hands together a third time. “Shall we go? Supper awaits and I find myself with a healthy appetite.” This time it was Elli his pale, bulging eyes ran over, which made her want to step behind Roke again.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Roke said stiffly. He hooked his arm through Elli’s before the Prince could offer his own and nodded. “We would be honored to go with you to Supper.”

“Very good then.” The Prince gave them a slightly sour smile and then preceded them out of the inner sanctum.

As they left, Elli cast one last glance at the towering crystal tree and its glittering rainbow branches. Hopefully by this time tomorrow she would have a tiny piece of it in her possession and then she could go back to the Mother Ship and…

And what? whispered a little voice in her head. And go back to a life you don’t really like, let alone love? Go back to the dull existence of a priestess and never see Roke or ever train a single zorel again?

None of that matters, Elli told herself firmly. All that matters is getting a piece of the Lattice and healing the old Priestess Superior. I’ll worry about everything else after I accomplish that.

But she couldn’t shake the feeling of sadness that her quest—and her time with Roke—was almost over.

Thirty-Seven

“Well, you handled that situation well,” Roke remarked as they got settled in a lounge in the cavernous Supper room. “In fact, I’m beginning to wonder if you might not be a Royal Entrancer as well as a Zorel Entrancer.”

“Hush!” Elli murmured. “I just told him what he wanted to hear—that’s all. It doesn’t take any special skill—after living with a father and four brothers all my life, I know how to deal with males, that’s all.”

“He’s not just any male—he’s a fatuous idiot,” Roke growled, glaring up at the Crown Prince, who was getting settled on the golden dais in the center of the Supper room with the noblewoman he had chosen as his “Bride of the Night.”

“Roke!” Elli hissed uneasily. “Keep it down, will you?”

But the big warrior was clearly incensed.

“I can’t believe he has the nerve to ask you to lead Demon in the parade tomorrow and pretend he’s conferring some great honor on you when he’s actually just scared shitless to ride without you near!” he muttered.

“Hush!” Elli begged him. “Please, Roke!”

“We ought to leave tonight,” he went on. “Let him see if he can handle Demon on his own without your help. He’ll probably end up as crispy as that groom we saw fried our second day here!”

“I can’t leave until I get that Lattice,” Elli hissed back at him. “And until I’m sure that Demon is safe from the Crown Prince.”

Roke snorted and raised an eyebrow at her.

“Don’t you have that backwards? Isn’t it His Majesty who’s in danger from Demon?”

“When he’s riding Demon, yes of course,” Elli said impatiently. “But you know how petulant he can be! If he has a less than stellar performance in the Grand Parade tomorrow, he’ll have Demon put to death and I couldn’t bear that!” She looked at Roke seriously. “So you see, I have to stay and see this through. Not just for the Healing Lattice—although that’s why I came in the first place. But to make sure that Demon is safely put out to stud. It would just kill me if something happened to him now!”

Roke looked at her speculatively.

“You really care for Demon, don’t you?”

“I’m his person,” Elli said simply. “I can’t abandon him—I need to know he’s safe and taken care of before we go.”

“Of course you do.” Roke sighed and nodded. He cupped her cheek. “My loyal little priestess. Once you give your heart, you can’t take it back, can you?”

The look he was giving her was so searching and serious that Elli felt her heart start to pound and she had to drop her eyes.

“I…I guess not,” she whispered. “But, Roke, I—”

“And now, tonight, I have a special treat for you all.” The Crown Prince’s voice rang out, interrupting her.

Elli looked up quickly to the raised dais and its golden lounge. Roke looked up as well, frowning.

“As you all know, I have declared a Grand Parade for tomorrow, in honor of the anniversary of our Court coming to Pok,” the Crown Prince continued.

“Here, here!”

“The Grand Parade!”

“Jolly good!” the nobles called from their lounges.

“Yes, yes, of course!” The Prince nodded. “I myself will be heading the Grand Parade, riding upon my formidable mount, Demon. And I have conferred the honor of leading him through the streets of the city upon none other than our Royal Zorel Entrancer—Lady Ellilah!”

He pointed at Elli, who found herself in the uncomfortable position of being the center of attention. She bowed and nodded, trying to smile though she disliked the feeling of everyone looking at her.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” she said, bowing again at the Crown Prince. “I shall treasure the honor forever.”

“Indeed you should, my dear.” The Crown Prince nodded at her. “And so,” he went on, speaking to the entire room again. “In honor of Lady Ellilah, we shall have some special zorel Mirroring tonight—that of a buck and his amorous advances to a doe.”

There were murmurs of surprise from the nobles. The Crown Prince didn’t usually name a theme for his erotic exploits—he simply did what he wanted with whichever noble he had chosen for his pleasure and expected everyone else to follow along. Elli wondered uneasily what tonight’s special Mirroring would involve.

But the next moment her mind was set at ease because the Prince’s first words were, “Now, as males, we bucks must frolic with our lady-does!” And he began to chase his chosen noblewoman playfully around the golden lounge.

Elli met Roke’s eyes and the big warrior shrugged as if to say, “Where’s the harm?” He reached for her and she danced out of the way, giggling as she dodged his long fingers.

Roke grinned and reached for her again, whereupon Elli dodged to the other side of their lounge and pretended to hide. From the corner of her eye, she could see the Duke and Duchess chasing each other around and around and laughing. In fact, everyone in the Supper room seemed to be having a wonderful time Mirroring the Prince tonight.

This is fun! she thought, ducking away from Roke again. It’s too bad the Prince doesn’t make a game of the nightly Mirroring more often!

But just as she was thinking that, the Crown Prince raised his voice again.

“But when the time for play is over, we much catch our does and bend them to our will!”

Looking up, Elli saw that the Prince had “captured” the noblewoman who was with him. He had caught her from behind and his arms were tight around her waist as he nibbled her ear. It reminded Elli of the way Roke had been holding her from behind earlier, when she was brushing her hair in the mirror. As she felt the big warrior slip his arms around her waist again, a shiver of desire went down her spine.

“Well, there may be something to this ‘buck and doe’ game after all,” he growled in her ear.

“Maybe…maybe so,” Elli murmured back breathlessly.

“Of course, we must tease our does to make them receptive to our advances,” the Crown Prince went on. He cupped his partner’s breasts so that everyone could see. But instead of cupping them through her lace dress, he raised the flimsy fabric and began stroking her bare breasts—which was something Elli had never seen him do before. Usually he only touched his partners over their clothing, never beneath it. What was going on?

Before she could find out the answer, Roke’s big, warm hands were slipping up under her own dress and cupping her bare breasts.

“Oh, Roke!” she half moaned, turning her head to look at the big warrior.

“Is this all right, sweetheart?” he murmured, tugging lightly on her nipples and making her gasp.

“I…I guess so,” Elli whispered. “We…we have to Mirror correctly, right?”

“Of course,” he murmured and stroked her nipples some more, twisting the stiff peaks gently and sending sparks of pleasure straight to her pussy, which was already getting hot and wet.

“Mmm, such lovely plump breasts,” the Crown Prince said. But when Elli looked up, she saw that he was looking at her—not his chosen partner for the evening. The Tenebrian monarch gave her an unreadable look and then directed his attention to the room in general and spoke again.

“Such play must, of course, excite a lovely young doe and make her ready for her buck,” he announced. “But the buck must be certain to check that she is ready for his advances.”

As he spoke, one of his hands slipped down to cup his partner’s mound. She moaned and pressed into his hand, as though begging for more.

Elli found a moan on her own lips as well, as Roke’s big, warm hand slid down her body to cup her pussy. Again, he was touching her bare sex, since that was what the Crown Prince was doing, though he usually never touched below the garments his partner wore.

“Spread your doe wide, bucks—stroke her soft, quivering inner folds to be certain she is ready for you,” the Crown Prince said.

Elli bit her lip to stop a little cry of pleasure as Roke followed directions and parted her outer pussy lips to slip his long fingers into her heated depths.

“Mmm, such a soft, wet little pussy,” the big warrior growled in her ear as he slid one fingertip around and around her secret spot. “I love how wet you get my Numalla!”

“Oh, Roke!” Elli gasped as one long finger slid deep inside her honey well, as though to test her wetness. They had only gone this far in private before and it felt naughty to be on her knees with the big warrior behind her, raising her dress to fondle her breasts as he caressed and fingered her pussy. But it was incredibly erotic too, especially since everyone else in the room was doing the same thing and apparently enjoying themselves immensely.

But the Crown Prince’s next instructions, knocked the wind right out of her sails.

“And now,” he said, pushing his partner to her hands and knees on the golden chaise lounge and raising her dress high to bare her naked behind. “It is time for the buck to mount his doe.”

Thirty-Eight

Roke frowned as he watched what was happening on the golden lounge. This was something he had worried about from the first moment he realized what was expected of them while they were “Mirroring” at the Tenebrian Court. For though he had touched and tasted every inch of his little priestess’s body, they had never crossed this particular line before—nor did Roke think they should.

For one thing, it was breaking Ellilah’s vows more egregiously than anything else they had done. Despite all their erotic activities, the little priestess was still a virgin—which she wouldn’t be if he slid his shaft deep inside her tight little pussy. And for another thing…

You’re afraid your control will snap and you’ll bond her to you, whispered a little voice in his head. Admit it, Roke—you’re damn tempted to toss caution to the wind and tie her to you for life. Well, look how that worked out for your Sire!

Roke pushed the voice away. Of course he could control himself—that wasn’t the problem. What worried him was taking Ellilah’s virginity without her consent.

“Ellilah?” he murmured in her ear, making her name a question.

She turned her head to look at him, her eyes wide and uncertain.

“Roke?” she returned. “I…I’m not sure what…if…”

“The buck must mount his doe!” the Crown Prince was saying again. Up on the golden lounge he had his partner on her hands and knees with her legs spread wide to bare her pussy. With a flourish, he unfastened his own trousers to allow his stubby member to spring forth.

“Goddess, he’s really going to do it,” Elliliah whispered unsteadily. “He…he’s really going to mount her like a zorel buck mounts a zorel doe!”

“It looks like it,” Roke said grimly. “The question is, what do you want to do, little priestess? I don’t want to hurt you or take your virginity if you don’t wish me to.”

“Oh, but Roke—what choice do we have?” she whispered back.

“We could fake it,” Roke offered, frowning. “There’s always a choice, sweetheart.”

“I don’t think we could,” Ellilah protested. “Haven’t you noticed how sharply the Prince is watching us tonight?” She nodded at the raised dais where, sure enough, the Crown Prince’s bulging, froggy eyes were directed to Roke and her even as he was pushing his shaft into his partner’s pussy.

“He does seem to be keeping an eye on us,” Roke growled. “But I don’t think—”

“I think you should do it.” Elliliah looked up at him with big eyes. “I think…think you should…should put your shaft inside me, Roke.”

She wants this, he realized, as he caught a whiff of her desire. The idea of me filling her turns her on.

The thought made his shaft surge—as always, his little priestess was hot-blooded. But did she truly understand the implications?

“Ellilah,” he murmured, cupping her chin and looking down into her eyes. “Do you understand that if I put my shaft deep in your tight little cunt you won’t be a virgin anymore? Even if I just hold still inside you and only pretend to fuck you, your virginity will be gone forever.”

“Better my virginity than my head,” she whispered back. “The Crown Prince is staring at us, Roke and you know how volatile his temper is!”

Roke had to admit she was right. They weren’t Mirroring like everyone else in the Court—it was a direct insult and if the Crown Prince called them out on it, he might decide they deserved to be punished or executed for their crime.

It was no longer a choice, but he still vowed not to go too far—not to take any more than he should.

“All right,” he said grimly. “On your hands and knees, little priestess and spread your soft little pussy for me.”

“Yes, Roke,” she whispered obediently and was about to obey but he stopped her with a hand on her cheek.

“Wait,” he said, searching her eyes. “I’ll enter you, Ellilah, and fill you with my shaft but I won’t fuck you or bond you to me. And I most certainly won’t shoot my seed inside you—do you understand?”

For a moment, he thought he saw a look of hurt pass across her lovely face. But then she lowered her eyes and nodded.

“Yes, Roke,” she murmured. “I understand. We’re going to pretend.”

“Having my shaft to the hilt inside you is a great deal more than just pretending,” he growled. “But yes, you get the idea. Now hurry—on your hands and knees and spread for me before the Crown Prince says something about us not Mirroring properly.”

Submissively, Ellilah did as he said. Getting to her hands and knees, she raised her dress and spread her legs, baring the soft, pink, inviting folds of her bare pussy.

“Gods!” Roke groaned as he took his throbbing cock out of his trousers. This was going too far and he knew it—but what else could he do?

Carefully, he fitted the flaring crown of his shaft to the open mouth of her little pink pussy and began to push slowly inside her.

“Oh…Oh, Roke!” Ellilah moaned as he breached her entrance and then stopped just a moment to give her a chance to feel him opening her.

“Does it hurt, sweetheart?” he asked anxiously. Kindred females didn’t have maidenheads to worry about like the females of many other species, but an untried passage could still be tight and give pain on entry if the one doing the entering wasn’t careful.

But she shook her head and looked over her shoulder.

“No, I…I was just surprised, that’s all. It’s so much bigger than your…your fingers or tongue.” Her lovely face was pink with pleasure and embarrassment. “You can go deeper now,” she murmured.

“All right. But slowly, sweetheart.”

Roke stroked her back caressingly. He might be taking her virginity, but he was determined not to hurt her. Slowly…carefully…he slid more of his thick shaft into her tight, sucking pussy.

Gods, she felt so hot inside! It was like a warm, slippery, velvet glove was clasping him—it was all he could do not to ram deeper into her at once. But he had sworn not to hurt her and it was a promise he intended to keep.

“How does it feel, sweetheart?” he asked again, when he was halfway into her. He had never been more glad that she was a Numalla. The copious amounts of pussy honey she made were easing the way and making it much easier than he had feared to slide his shaft into her tightly-stretched pussy mouth.

“It…it feels good.” Ellilah’s cheeks went even pinker with shame as she admitted her pleasure. “Please, Roke—put it all the way inside me,” she begged softly.

Roke felt his shaft surge. Suddenly he needed to be all the way in her—needed to feel the head of his cock kissing the mouth of her womb.

“As my Lady wishes,” he growled and slid the rest of his shaft hilt-deep into her trembling pussy.

Thirty-Nine

“Oh!” Elli gasped as she felt him bottom out inside her. Back before she’d become a priestess, she had always wondered if her first time would hurt. Of course, she didn’t know much about sex, but she had imagined that it would go just like this, mainly because the only mating she’d ever seen done was between the zorels who always mounted from behind.

But having Roke buried deep inside her didn’t hurt—oh, there was a bit of stretching pain but it was a good feeling—the feeling of being completely filled by the man she loved.

Wait—what did you just think? whispered a worried little voice in her head. You can’t love him, Elli—you mustn’t let yourself fall in love!

But it would seem that it was too late. As the big warrior filled her pussy, Elli felt her heart overflowing as well. She wished she could beg him to take her all the way—to bond her to him forever. She wished the moment might never end.

“Are you all right, little priestess?” Roke growled from behind her. His deep voice was somewhat strained and Elli wondered if it was hard for him to just enter her and not thrust in and out as she saw the other couples doing. Which gave her an idea.

“I…I’m fine, Roke,” she said, twitching her hips a little to get him better seated inside her. “But, well…I’m worried.”

“Worried about what, little priestess?” he murmured.

“Worried that…that we’re not Mirroring correctly,” Elli told him. “Everyone else is…is moving. All the males are…are thrusting in and out of their females. All except us.”

“That ‘thrusting in and out’ is fucking,” Roke growled. “And fucking leads to me coming deep in your pussy which could lead to bonding and possibly my baby growing in your belly. All of which adds up to the end of your career as a priestess, wouldn’t you agree, sweetheart?”

Elli had to admit he was right. She knew that some women became priestesses after having had a relationship with a male. Even though they weren’t virgins anymore, they could take a vow of chastity and promise not to have any future relationships with a male, but none of them had children. That was because, with very few exceptions, a female couldn’t get pregnant by a Kindred warrior unless he bonded her to him.

“I understand all that,” she murmured to Roke. “But, well, couldn’t you just pretend you’re, uh, fucking me? Push against me some? I don’t want us to get into trouble.”

He growled uncertainly but after a moment, he tightened his grip on her hips.

“All right, sweetheart,” he murmured. “Get ready to pretend with me. I want you to spread your thighs even wider and go down to your elbows. I’m going to push against you and pretend I’m thrusting deeper into you and fucking you. Understand?”

“Yes, Roke,” Elli whispered obediently. Heart pounding, she did as he told her. She had been up on her hands and knees but now she lowered herself to her elbows and, at the same time, spread her thighs even wider.

As she did so, she had to bite back a moan.

The new position had the effect of tilting her hips and pelvis up and allowing Roke’s thick shaft to slide even deeper into her. The head of his cock was pressing hard against the mouth of her womb, giving her a deep, intimate kiss Elli had never expected to receive from the big warrior.

Oh Goddess, had she ever felt so open—so vulnerable as she did now? With her dress raised high, her bottom thrust into the air, and Roke’s thick shaft filling her to the hilt? Elli didn’t think so. And it wasn’t over yet—now he had to pretend to fuck her—to breed her as a buck bred a doe.

“Hold on, sweetheart—going to ‘fuck’ you now,” he growled from behind her. And then his big hands tightened on her hips even more and he began a slow, forward thrusting that pushed him even deeper inside her.

Elli couldn’t help the moan of pleasure that escaped her at the deep penetration. Roke might not be drawing his shaft out of her pussy and thrusting back in, but with each stroke he was pressing it deeper inside her and making her feel even more open and helpless and hot.

“Is this all right, sweetheart?” he growled behind her as he continued to move against her. “Does it feel all right to have me so deep inside you?”

“It…it doesn’t hurt me,” Elli assured him, since that seemed to be what he was asking.

“Good. Work with me, then,” he murmured. “Move with me—pretend we’re really fucking just like everyone else.”

“Yes, Roke,” she gasped and tried to do as he said, bucking her hips against him as he filled her.

“Gods, such a tight little pussy,” she heard him rumble behind her and then he was pushing into her even more vigorously.

Elli moaned in pleasure. The new motion caused the heavy sac which hung beneath his shaft to slap against her secret spot, which was exposed by her spread pussy lips. The resulting sparks of pleasure made her whole body tremble.

Goddess! she thought, tilting her hips to get more of the delicious sensation. It’s almost like he’s really fucking me—really breeding me!

As though in answer to her thoughts, she heard the voice of the Crown Prince again.

“Of course,” he called out, panting from sexual exertion. “A buck doesn’t…doesn’t finish breeding his doe until he shoots his seed inside her. And a doe hasn’t been properly bred unless…unless one can see the buck’s seed dripping from her pussy when he finally withdraws from her!”

As he spoke, he grunted and gripped his partner’s hips before thrusting as deeply into her as he could. His face contorted and Elli thought he must be coming inside his chosen noblewoman—filling her womb with his seed. Then, with a low groan of pleasure, he pulled out of her and had her turn her bottom to the room. From between her spread legs, Elli could clearly see his seed dripping.

She bit her lip at the sight.

Clearly the Crown Prince had come inside the Tenebrian noblewoman and just as clearly, Roke would have to fill Elli’s pussy with his own seed or they would be accused of incorrect Mirroring.

What were they going to do?

Forty

Gods, what in the Seven Hells were they going to do now?

Roke stared with disbelief at the scene on the raised dais. The Crown Prince was looking right at him and Elli. It was clear they weren’t going to be able to fake this.

But I can’t come in her, he protested to himself. If I come in her, I’ll want to bond her to me. Hell, I already want to bond her!

Indeed, his fangs, which had been little more than vestigial stubs his whole life, had suddenly grown and they were itching and throbbing to sink into the side of Ellilah’s vulnerable neck and fill her with his Essence, thereby bonding the little priestess to him for life.

Can’t do that! he told himself sternly. I am Havoc—and Havoc DO… NOT…BOND!

But then what was he going to do?

Ellilah seemed to have the same question. She turned her head to look at him, her eyes wide with uncertainty.

“Roke?” she moaned softly, looking up at him. “How…what…?”

“I don’t know,” he growled. “I only know I can’t bond you to me!”

For a moment he saw that flash of hurt on her lovely face again, and then it was gone.

“All right,” she said, tilting her chin defiantly. “I…I understand. Then can you…can you spill your seed in me without bonding me to you?”

Roke explored the newly sharpened points of his fangs and winced as he cut the tip of his tongue against one of them. Oh yes, he could fill her pussy with his cream without bonding her. He didn’t want to—his entire body cried out at him to bite her at the moment of orgasm and bond her to him. But it could be done.

“Yes,” he said shortly. “I can fill your pussy with my seed without bonding you to me.”

“Then do it, Roke.” Setting her jaw, she raised her bottom even higher, pressing his shaft even more deeply into her tightly-stretched pussy. “Do it—fill me with your seed. Come inside me.”

“Gods, little priestess—I shouldn’t!” he groaned. “Shouldn’t be doing any of this.”

“But we have to.” She caught his eyes with hers and looked at him directly. “So do it, Roke. Fill me up until your seed drips from me when you finally pull out of me. There’s no other way to get through this. And if…” She licked her lips, betraying a bit of nerves on her part. “And if you have to actually…actually fuck me to do it, then go ahead. I don’t…don’t mind.”

“Sweetheart, I don’t—” Roke stopped in mid-sentence. It was true that in order to build the necessary friction to orgasm, he might indeed have to fuck her more fully. But not much, he swore to himself. I’ll only do what’s necessary.

“Roke?” she asked, looking back at him again.

“Just…” He licked his lips. “Just a few strokes then, sweetheart. Just enough to help me come in you.”

“Do what you have to do,” Ellilah whispered. And then she shifted position again, laying her head down on her folded arms and lifting her curvy little ass even higher in the air, even as she spread her legs wider for him.

The submissive posture pulled him even deeper into her sweet, sucking pussy and suddenly Roke couldn’t hold himself back any longer. With a low roar of lust and need, he gripped her hips and pulled almost all the way out of her before pounding back into her no-longer virginal pussy so that he filled her to the hilt.

Ellilah gave a little gasp but didn’t try to pull away from him. Indeed, she opened even wider, welcoming his shaft as he drew almost all the way out and thrust deeply into her for a second stroke and then a third…a fourth…a fifth…

Gods, I’m fucking her—really fucking her, not just pretending. I shouldn’t be doing this—shouldn’t be taking her innocence, her virginity. She’s a delicate little priestess and I’m plowing into her as though she was nothing but a common whore! I can’t be doing this—I have to finish.

“Oh! Oh, Roke,” Ellilah gasped, writhing beneath him, though she made no move to get away from his punishing thrusts.

“Gods, my little priestess!” he groaned.

Guilt and pleasure overtook him at the same time as Roke drew out and took a sixth and final thrust deep into her tight pussy. Feeling himself touch bottom and the head of his cock pressing hard against the mouth of her womb, he at last began to come.

At the same time, he bit hard into his own lower lip, sinking his newly-grown fangs into his own flesh in an orgy of pain and pleasure as jet after jet of his seed filled her and his Essence—which also should have filled her—went deep into his bottom lip where it stung with impotent rage at having been misused so badly.

Inside his head, one thought repeated over and over again.

Must not bond! Havoc do not bond! I must not bond her to me! Must not bond!

But still, it was all he could do not to pull the little priestess up to her knees and sink his fangs into the side of her neck as he came inside her.

Forty-One

Elli bit her lip as she felt him finally truly fucking her and filling her to the hilt. His thrusts were hard and deep, as though he had been holding himself back. They hurt and felt good at the same time and she didn’t try to shy away from them. Instead, she opened herself more fully, taking the big warrior’s thick shaft as deeply into her body as she could, letting him fuck her as hard as he needed to, in order to come deep in her pussy.

To come in me but not to bond me, she thought with a trace of bitterness. He wants me, but not enough to form a bond with me. He doesn’t love me or he would want to bond.

Well, that was all right, she told herself. She didn’t need or want to bond with the big warrior—she had a life to go back to after this. She didn’t know if she could be forgiven for this night’s debauchery but she couldn’t think about that now. For now she had to give herself to the moment—give herself to Roke—and worry about the inevitable regrets she knew she would have later.

“Oh!” she gasped as he pounded into her. “Oh, Roke!”

“Gods, my little priestess!” he groaned and then she felt him give one last deep thrust and his shaft seemed to swell even thicker inside her, stretching her to the limit. She gave a little cry and then something hot was jetting deep in her pussy.

Coming, she thought deliriously as he filled her again and again. He’s coming inside me—pumping me full of his seed! Shouldn’t let him…shouldn’t do this…

But it was too late—the deed was done. And it seemed that Roke couldn’t wait for it to be over. He had barely finished coming inside her before Elli felt him pulling out. As his shaft exited her body, a hot rush followed and she felt his cream dripping down her inner thighs.

“That’s enough.” Roke’s voice in her ear was brusque, almost angry. “Come on—everyone can see that we Mirrored correctly. Now it’s time to go get cleaned up.”

“What?” Elli looked up, feeling dazed. Her body felt different—opened, used. Her legs were too weak to hold her up. When she tried to scramble off the couch, she nearly fell.

“Here.” Roke swung her into his arms, though he wouldn’t look her in the eyes. The other nobles were gathering themselves as well and the Crown Prince was gone. Elli wondered dully if he had gotten the noblewoman he’d been mounting pregnant—then she wondered if Roke had gotten her pregnant. It was rare but not completely unheard of for pregnancy to occur without bonding.

Pregnancy had seemed an acceptable risk before, when she was so filled with desire and pleasure, but now she wondered why she had thought so in the first place. What would she do if her belly started to swell once she got back to the Mother Ship? Where could she go to have the baby? She wouldn’t be welcome back home—that was for certain. Maybe the Ascending Priestess Superior would send her someplace to be punished for her sins…

The thought caused tears to leak from her eyes, though she tried not to cry out loud. But she couldn’t help letting out a muffled sob, which drew Roke’s attention.

“What is it?” He looked down at her anxiously. “I hurt you, didn’t I? Damn it—I was too rough. Gods, I’m so sorry, little priestess!”

“N-no,” Elli whispered, shaking her head. “You didn’t…didn’t hurt me.”

“Then why in the Seven Hells are you crying?” he demanded. “Of course I hurt you. I pounded into you even though I knew you were a virgin. May the Goddess damn me!”

“Don’t say that.” Elli swiped at her tears. “I’m fine—see?”

“No, you’re not. You’re not fine at all,” he growled. “And I’m the cause of it.” He shook his head again. “May the Goddess damn me to the worst of the Seven Hells.”

Elli said nothing but inside, she felt as though she was already damned.

Forty-Two

Roke slept on the floor that night—their last night together. Elli didn’t ask him to, he simply did it. It was as though now that he’d had her, he wanted to put as much distance between the two of them as possible. At least, that was how it seemed to Elli.

She felt horrible—sinful and used and dirty. Curling up on the far side of the bed—which felt huge and empty without the big warrior beside her—she put a pillow over her head and sobbed as quietly as she could.

It was the worst night she could remember since the one when her stepmother had caught her touching her secret spot and threatened to tell her father unless Elli agreed to become a priestess and move away to the Mother Ship. Only this time, she really had committed what felt like an unforgivable sin and there was no place she could go to get away from it.

In the morning, Elli felt horrible. And when she looked in the mirror hanging in the fresher, she looked pretty bad too. Never had she wanted a hot shower more in her life, but of course, there was no bathing facility except for the communal baths in the Bathing Grotto. The best she could do was splash her face with some of the lukewarm, milky blue water which flowed sluggishly from the tap and press a damp facecloth to her eyes to try and ease some of the swelling from crying all night.

When she came out of the fresher, she was fully dressed in the red dress she had worn during their introduction at Court. It covered more than any of the Tenebrian dresses the seamstress had made for her and it looked grand enough for the parade—she hoped. Her hair was neatly braided and pulled back from her face, which was pale, but serene. Elli knew, because she had practiced the look in the mirror until she felt ready for Roke to see her.

“He doesn’t want you and that’s all right,” she whispered fiercely at her reflection as she practiced. “It’s all right because you’re not here to fall in love. You’re here to earn a piece of the Healing Lattice to save the old Priestess Superior’s life. So keep your chin up and do your duty, Elli! All you have to do is get through the parade today and then Demon will be safely put out to stud and you can take the Lattice back to the Mother Ship. Just concentrate on that.”

Her self-pep talk had helped because when Roke took her by the shoulders and said, “Ellilah, we have to talk,” she was able to step coolly back from him and reply,

“I’m sorry, Roke, but there’s nothing to talk about.”

He looked ready to argue but then there was a knock at the door, which turned out to be one of the Crown Prince’s servants coming to fetch her for the Grand Parade.

“I’ll come with you in a moment,” Elli told him. She turned back to Roke, who was scowling unhappily. “I’ll meet you here after the parade,” she told him. “We can say our goodbyes after the Prince gives me a piece of the Healing Lattice. Then we’ll never have to see each other again.”

“Damn it, Ellilah—that’s not what I want!” he exclaimed.

“What you want doesn’t matter,” Elli told him coolly. “What matters is that I must get a piece of the Healing Lattice back to the Mother Ship in time to heal the old Priestess Superior.”

“And how do you expect to do that?” he demanded, glaring at her. “Do you have a ship standing by, waiting to take you?”

“Well…no,” Elli had to admit. “But I’m sure I can find a way.”

“At least let me take you there,” Roke said and for a moment his scowl slipped, to be replaced by a look of desperate unhappiness and regret. “Allow me to see you safely home—let me do that much for you, little priestess.”

Elli swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to keep her voice calm.

“Thank you. I accept your offer.”

“Good. Ellilah—” Roke reached for her but she stepped away quickly.

“And now I really have to go—you know I can’t keep the Prince waiting. I…I’ll see you here, after the parade,” she told him.

Then she left, before he could see the tears stinging her eyes overflow down her cheeks.

Forty-Three

“Damn it all to the Seven Hells!” Roke swore as he watched her go. How had everything gotten so fucked up in just a few short hours?

He had no idea, but he wished he could go back in time to just before the Supper last night and make some excuse to keep from doing what he had done to Ellilah. Taking her virginity had been wrong, even though at the time it had seemed like the only choice.

You used her, a savage little voice in his head accused. Used her with no intention of bonding her to you. What kind of life will she have now? Can she even be a priestess now that her vows have been broken so irrevocably? Have you condemned her to a life of punishment and exile?

Roke had no answers—only guilt.

Should have bonded her to you when you had the chance, whispered that same little voice. Now it’s too late—you’ve lost her forever.

But he didn’t want to bond with Ellilah or anyone—did he? He was a Havoc, damn it! Well, half Havoc, but that was enough.

Closing his eyes, Roke remembered his Sire’s unending grief after the death of his mother. He had been a shell of a male—hollowed out by the emotional agony of losing the one who mattered most to him in the world.

The minute Roke was out of the house and safely on his own, his Sire had taken his own life. It was as though he had lived just long enough to raise his son and then given in to the grief that had been bearing down on him for years.

They said he must have killed himself within the hour after I left, Roke thought, remembering his first and last vid-call home, when he had learned of his father’s suicide. He did his duty by me and then went to meet my mother the moment I stepped out the door. He simply couldn’t live without her anymore.

Was that what he wanted, Roke asked himself? That constant vulnerability to endless, heartbreaking, debilitating grief? Because that was what he would be letting himself in for if he bonded the little priestess to him. He would live with her, happy in the euphoria of her love, but always in the back of his mind would be the knowledge that if something happened to her he would be driven mad with the agony of loss…

It’s better to let her go—safer, he argued with himself. And she doesn’t want to bond with you anyway. She’s a priestess—she has another life aboard the Mother Ship.

A life he might have ruined for her forever.

And then the guilt came back and he was right back where he had started, having come full circle. It was maddening.

I’m a fool, Roke told himself. An indecisive idiot.

Forget going back in time to stop the events of the night before—he wished he could go all the way back to the human’s Christmas party aboard the Mother Ship and stop himself from drugging the punch. Maybe even stop himself from meeting Ellilah in the first place!

If only it was possible to do that—to go back and stop himself from meeting her—to stop himself from falling in love.

But it was too late for that, Roke admitted to himself. Too late to do anything but call himself a fool and try to live with the consequences of his actions.

Forty-Four

The parade was long and tiresome, winding as it did through all the long cobblestone streets of Capital City. Elli was glad she’d decided to wear her riding boots under her long red dress. If she’d worn the thin satin slippers that went with it, her feet would have been horribly sore long before the splendid spectacle was over.

At least Demon was behaving himself beautifully. Elli had explained to him before the parade what was expected of him and though he didn’t like carrying the Crown Prince, he was docile and quiet because she was at his head, leading him through the cheering crowds.

Elli was well aware of what destruction the big zorel could wreak if he wanted to, and she was glad that Demon had adopted her as his person and was willing to obey her. However, it made her sad to think of leaving him behind and going back to the Mother Ship.

He’ll miss me, she thought and brushed away a tear that rolled down her cheek. And I’ll miss him, too!

He’s not the only one you’ll miss, whispered a little voice inside her head. It’s too bad you let Roke into your heart, you know. You should have tried harder to stop yourself from loving him—then parting wouldn’t hurt so much.

But it was too late for regrets now. All she could do was get through the parade and then receive her piece of the Healing Lattice so she could go back to the Mother Ship and try again to live the life of a chaste priestess.

I’ll drink from the cup of Mortem Amore the minute I get back, she promised herself for the hundredth time. Surely it will ease my pain.

She had heard that the elixir within killed not only the desires of the flesh, but also the regrets of the heart. And that was what she wanted right now—she wanted to feel numb to the pain that was tormenting her—the pain of losing the big warrior who had come to mean so much to her in such a short amount of time.

At last the parade was over and she was able to lead Demon back to the palace stables. The last mile or so the big zorel had been growing restless—he really disliked the Crown Prince and having a person who he detested riding on his back for so long was a trial to him.

But it wasn’t like the Prince could get off early—he needed the mounting block to get off and on any zorel, let alone one as big as Demon. So Elli coaxed the big animal along, promising him sweet biscuits and plenty of krispers as long as he behaved himself.

“It’s all right, Demon,” she murmured, stroking the big zorel’s long muzzle as she led him at last to stand restively beside the mounting block. “You’re a good boy—just hold still so His Majesty can get down.”

Demon snorted smoke and pawed at the ground with one foreclaw but held still enough for the Crown Prince to clamber stiffly down from the ornate, jeweled saddle which had clearly been crafted more for style than practicality.

“Well!” he said, straightening his golden riding cloak, which glimmered richly in Pok’s weak sunlight. “That was quite a success if I do say so myself!”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Elli said dutifully, trying to smile. “You and Demon looked magnificent and all the people were amazed by your bravery and gallantry.”

She had a hard time making her face match her flattering words, but the Crown Prince didn’t seem to notice.

“Yes, I was rather splendid, wasn’t I?” he exclaimed, puffing out his chest. “And of course, no one but me could have ridden this big brute!”

He slapped Demon on the side, which caused the big zorel to shy. He swung his head towards the Crown Prince and hissed menacingly, blowing a large cloud of black smoke in His Highness’s face.

“I say!” The Crown Prince jumped back quickly, coughing and choking from the smoke. He looked around to see if anyone had noticed his moment of cowardice but all the grooms and stable hands were wisely keeping their eyes down and had become suddenly very busy with their various tasks.

Elli acted quickly to defuse the situation.

“You were amazing, Your Majesty, but I think I’d better put Demon in his stall now. It’s been a hard day for him, with all those flapping flags and banners and the crowds who came to see you, cheering in his ears. He needs a little time to himself to recuperate.”

“Yes, just as well, I suppose.” The Crown Prince nodded stiffly. “Well, then, I dare say I’ll see you when you get him safely locked away.”

Elli felt hope swell in her heart.

“So you’re going to wait for me, so that you can give me a piece of the Healing Lattice?” she asked. “As we agreed, Your Highness?” she added, reminding him of his promise.

“Yes, I did agree that a good showing in the Grand Parade would earn you a chance to earn a piece of the Lattice, didn’t I?” He looked at her musingly, his bulging eyes raking over the tight-fitting red dress in a way that made Elli feel as naked as she did when she was wearing the see-through Tenebrian dresses all the Court ladies favored.

“Yes, you did,” she said, standing her ground and resisting the urge to cover her breasts with her arms.

“Very well then—I shall wait for you here.”

The Crown Prince started to sit on the mounting block, then examined it more closely and frowned. He removed a gold lace handkerchief from his inner cape pocket and spread it fastidiously over the dirty wooden block before sitting gingerly.

“I shall wait for you here,” he said again. “But don’t be long—I’m not accustomed to waiting.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Elli bowed quickly and took Demon by the halter. “Come on, sweet boy,” she told him. “I think I promised you some sweet biscuits and krispers so let’s get you unsaddled and settled down.”

Forty-Five

By the time Elli had locked the heavy jeweled saddle back in its special case and given Demon a quick rub-down, she was completely exhausted. She left the huge zorel contentedly munching the pile of krispers she had given him and shut the heavy stall door securely behind him.

Demon’s stall was reinforced in order to keep him in—otherwise he doubtless would have kicked the door down and escaped long ago. Because of the weight of the door, the latch was stiff and tricky to get right. Elli spent a moment fiddling with it, trying to make it latch securely. She almost had it when a heavy hand fell on her shoulder and someone spun her around.

“Oh!” Elli gasped. Looking up, (though not very far, since he wasn’t much taller than her) she saw it was the Crown Prince who had grabbed her.

“Did I not tell you to hurry, girl?” he demanded, glaring at her. Grabbing her by the arm, he pulled her out of the stables. “I’m not accustomed to waiting, you know!”

“Forgive me, Your Majesty,” Elli exclaimed, stumbling after him. She was flustered by the quick trip from Demon’s stall to the outside of the stables. “I just had to see to Demon—he worked hard for you today, you know. I couldn’t leave him without at least a quick rubdown!”

“As to that, I wouldn’t mind a ‘quick rubdown’ myself.” The Crown Prince leered at her. Then he grabbed her hand and put it on the meager bulge under his golden breeches.

“Ugh!” Elli made a face and yanked her hand away. All her honeyed words of flattery deserted her and she could only demand, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“What I’ve been doing is sitting out here with my cock as stiff as a tree branch waiting for you to finish with that big brute so I could fuck you!” he snapped. “But you have the nerve to keep your Monarch waiting!”

“What are you talking about? You said you’d wait for me to give me a piece of the Lattice!” Elli exclaimed, staring at him. “You said that I would earn it by helping you make a good showing in the Grand Parade today.”

“I said nothing of the sort,” the Crown Prince said coolly. “I said that if we made a good show in the parade today, you would earn a chance to earn a piece of the Healing Lattice. Which you have and your chance is here—I will fuck you now so that you may earn the Lattice. So pull up your skirts and let’s get on with it!”

“No!” Elli gasped, when he reached for her again. “I won’t do that, no matter what you say!”

“You will too, you little whore!” The Crown Prince’s flat face turned an ugly shade of purple. “I saw how eager you were to take your lover’s cock last night.” He leaned forward, taking Elli by the throat before she could get away. “Only think how much more you’ll enjoy being plowed by a royal cock, my dear,” he purred, shoving his face into hers.

His breath smelled like rotten eggs, making Elli want to gag—but she could barely breathe with his fingers wrapped around her throat.

“Help!” she gasped, trying to push back from him. “Someone help me!”

But her voice came out weak and soft and anyway, as she looked around, Elli realized that all the grooms and stable hands who had been around just a little while ago were now gone.

“I sent the servants away, my dear,” the Crown Prince murmured, giving her an ugly smile. “I prefer to take my pleasure in private sometimes—does that surprise you?”

“Leave…me…alone!” Elli gasped. Things might look hopeless, but she hadn’t been raised with four older brothers for nothing—ever protective, they had taught her how to defend herself.

Putting her hands to her throat where the Tenebrian monarch was holding her, she managed to grab one of his fingers and bend it sharply backwards.

“Ouch!” the Crown Prince yelped and jerked his hand away. “How dare you lay a finger on my royal person?” he demanded, shaking his wounded hand.

“Well, you were laying more than a finger on me!” Elli pointed out, backing away towards Demon’s stall. She hoped the Crown Prince wouldn’t follow her further into the abandoned stables, but His Majesty was clearly used to getting what he wanted and unfortunately what he wanted right now was her. He followed, glaring at Elli.

“Listen, you little whore,” he snarled. “You’re going to give me what I want or you’ll never get a piece of the Healing Lattice! This is your one and only chance to earn it so you’d best behave!”

Elli felt sick.

“You’re disgusting!” she said, her voice shaking. “And ungrateful! You never could have gotten near Demon—let alone ridden him—if I hadn’t helped you!”

“Ah, Demon—you really care for the big brute, don’t you?” The Crown Prince sneered at her.

“Of course I do!” Elli exclaimed. “He’s got a lot more honor than you,” she spat, glaring at the man advancing on her. She was still backing away, though there was really nowhere she could run. The back doors of the stables were locked and only the head groom had the key.

“Well if you really give a damn what happens to him, you’ll give me what I want,” the Crown Prince snapped. “Otherwise I’ll have him shot right in front of you. How do you like that?”

“You wouldn’t!” Elli was filled with horror. How could she have so misjudged the Tenebrian monarch? She’d thought him a fop—a foolish man who cared more for his vanity more than anything else, but harmless nonetheless. Now she saw he was a monster—but the realization had come too late. He had her cornered and there was no way out.

I’ll fight him! she thought fiercely. I’ll never let him do what he wants!

But even if she fought the Crown Prince off, then what? He was holding the life of the old Priestess Superior and Demon’s life over her head like a threat. Both of them would die if Elli didn’t give him what he wanted. But she couldn’t just let him rape her, could she?

“You know I would,” he said now, advancing on her again. “I’ll kill the big brute and you’ll never get a piece of the Healing Lattice unless you raise your skirt and spread your legs like a good girl to earn it!”

He lunged for her again and Elli gasped and tripped backwards, knocking into Demon’s stall door. The loose latch rattled at the impact and Demon snorted from inside.

Before she could right herself, the Crown Prince used Elli’s moment of weakness to his advantage. Gripping her by the shoulders, he smashed her to the ground, right outside the huge zorel’s stall, and climbed on top of her.

“No! No, stop!” Elli shouted at the top of her lungs. Now that it came to it, she found that she simply couldn’t let herself be raped. She kicked and fought, screaming for help as loud as she could—help that she knew would never come because Roke was back in the palace and everyone else was too afraid to stop the Crown Prince from taking whatever he wanted…

Suddenly Demon’s stall door rattled alarmingly and then banged open with a hollow boom as it hit the door beside it. One good kick had broken the loose latch and given him his freedom.

Out of his stall, charged the huge zorel. Pawing the ground with his long foreclaws, he roared his displeasure at seeing Elli in danger.

“Demon!” Elli gasped. “Demon, help me!”

“What? What’s all this then?” The Crown Prince looked up.

He had been so busy trying to push Elli’s voluminous skirts up and get his own stubby member out of his golden breeches that he’d barely noticed anything until Demon roared. Now he looked up at the immense zorel, his bulging eyes going wide with alarm.

“Steady now, boy,” he said, holding up a hand to fend off Demon, who was glaring down at him with red eyes. “Just go back in your stall now, there’s a good fellow.”

“I think you’d better get off me now,” Elli told him, her voice shaking with emotion. “Demon isn’t one of your servants you can order around. He won’t like it if he thinks you’re hurting me.”

At her words, the huge zorel snorted menacingly and took a step forward, pawing the ground again.

“How dare you!” The Crown Prince looked both frightened and angry as he glared from Demon to Elli and back again. “How dare you threaten me with my own beast?”

“Demon isn’t yours,” Elli said clearly, glaring back at him. “And neither am I. Now get off me before I tell him to flame you, Your Majesty.”

“You little bitch!” His fury overcoming his fear, the Crown Prince struck her, hard across the face. “How dare you deny me!” he shouted in Elli’s face as she gasped and clutched at her hurt cheek. “How dare you—”

And that was when Demon roared with fury and a stream of flame hit the Tenebrian monarch squarely in the chest.

Forty-Six

“Warrior, the one I sent you to protect is in danger! Go to her now!”

The urgent words caught Roke by surprise. For the past half hour he’d been having a nagging, worried feeling about Ellilah but he had pushed it away and kept packing. He was sure it was just his own conscience telling him that he had treated her wrong and he told himself she didn’t want to see him any more than necessary. So he had ignored the feeling, though it continued to grow until at last the Goddess—for it must be her—actually shouted at him.

“Goddess!” he gasped, looking around for the deity’s unseen presence. “What…where…?”

“Go to her!” the Goddess repeated, and then she was gone.

Galvanized into action at last, Roke rushed from the room and ran through the palace as fast as he could. He knew without asking where his little priestess was—she would be down at the stables, saying her last goodbyes to Demon.

Has he attacked her? Roke thought, his heart in his mouth. He had always felt uneasy about Ellilah getting so close to the monstrous, vicious beast. Had he turned on her and flamed her as he had his favorite groom the first time they saw him? Would Roke see her shrieking and wreathed in flames when he finally got to the stables?

Fear spurred him on as he rushed through the courtyards, heading for the stables. Would he get there in time? He knew now that the uneasy feeling he’d had must have been sent by the Goddess. And yet, like a fool, he had ignored it. Would he be too late to save Ellilah?

As he burst out into the open space before the stables, his heart leapt into his throat. There was, indeed, a figure screaming and burning right out in front of the stables. Like a human torch it shrieked and writhed as it staggered to and fro, drunk on pain and fear.

“Ellilah! No!” Roke roared.

Putting on another burst of speed, he reached the flaming figure and grabbed it around the middle. Heedless of the flames licking at his own arms, he heaved it into the water trough, extinguishing the fire with a great hiss of steam and smoke.

“Roke! Roke, in here!” a voice called from behind him.

Spinning around, Roke squinted to see who was shouting from the dimness of the stables.

“Roke, it’s me—I’m here.” Ellilah came out from behind the pawing, snorting Demon, who was guarding her protectively. “It’s all right, Demon,” she told him, stroking his neck. “It’s just Roke—you know him, right? He won’t hurt me.”

Her words felt like a knife in Roke’s heart, but he tried not to show it.

“If you’re safe in here then who did I just throw in the water trough?” he demanded roughly. “And who hit you?” he asked, seeing the red mark forming on her swelling cheek.

“You ungrateful foreign bastards! You’ll pay for this! You’ll pay!” A high, angry shriek followed by a splashing sound answered his questions.

Turning, Roke saw the Crown Prince himself climbing out of the water trough. His fine clothes were mostly burned away, though it was clear they must have saved him from the worst of the flames. At least, he didn’t look burned…though his skin did have a strange, melted look about it. Also, it had turned from pale, delicate blue to a blotchy, mottled purple.

“Look at me!” The Crown Prince shrieked, holding out his now disfigured arms. “Look what you’ve done to me! You threw me in the poison and now my beauty is ruined—ruined!”

“You were never much to look at in the first place, you frog-faced bastard,” Roke growled. “What happened? You hit Ellilah and Demon flamed you for it?”

“He did more than hit me.” Ellilah’s voice was shaky. “He…he tried to…to…rape me.” She seemed to be struggling to get the words out and when Roke looked at her, he saw that she was hanging onto Demon for dear life, her arms wrapped as far as they could go around the big zorel’s neck.

Demon had one forelimb curled protectively around his little mistress and he was glaring at the screaming Crown Prince with red eyes, as though he might be thinking of flaming him again.

“I’ll have the lot of you executed!” the Tenebrian monarch was shouting, his voice a high-pitched, angry whine. “And I’ll have that big brute drawn and quartered while he’s still alive! Oh, my beautiful skin! My perfect complexion! Ruined! Guards—guards!”

Roke looked around reflexively and saw that the distressed monarch’s wailing was having some effect. The grooms who usually worked in the stables were coming back and one or two royal guards were beginning to come from the palace.

“Quick!” He turned to Ellilah. “We have to get out of here!”

“But I never got a piece of the Lattice!” she protested. “And I won’t leave Demon for him to kill,” she added, glaring at the Crown Prince, who was looking worse every moment. Most of his luxuriant hair had been burned away, Roke saw, and his newly bald scalp, which was an angry shade of purple, was peeling and melting at the same time.

“We’ll bring Demon with us,” he told Ellilah. “There’s room for him in my cargo hold. But we have to go now! If the guards catch us, we’ll never leave the palace alive.”

“Kill you! I’ll kill you all!” the Crown Prince was shrieking, as though to make Roke’s point for him. “Guards, guards—execute them at once!”

“All right.” Ellilah lifted her chin. “Then we’ll go. Come on.”

She swung herself up on Demon’s back as naturally and easily as though performing a practiced dance move. Then she nodded at Roke.

“Up behind me—hurry!”

Roke didn’t like the idea of riding on the menacing Demon—especially not bareback—but there was little choice. He had to admit they would be faster on the great beast than on foot.

“Fine.” Taking a deep breath, he hoisted himself up behind her and threw a leg over the broad back.

Demon shied a bit, but Ellilah stroked his neck and said something that calmed him down. Then she gripped his long, feathery mane and turned her head to look at Roke.

“Hold on to me,” she told him. “Demon will get us out of here but you have to hold on.”

Roke wrapped his arms around her waist as she urged the huge zorel forward.

“Go Demon—take us away from here!” Roke heard her say. And then he felt the enormous animal gather himself and Demon leapt away, galloping out of the stable, past the screaming, melting prince, and out into the wild lands beyond the palace grounds.

Forty-Seven

“Head West!” Roke shouted as the wind whistled past their ears.

“West,” Elli repeated, pointing for Demon’s benefit. The zorel snorted and turned at once, heading where she was indicating. This was the first time he had ever showed her his true paces and the big zorel was so fast it nearly took her breath away. He had taken them easily out of range of even the guards’ long range weapons and now they were galloping free across the rolling plains.

“Will we make it?” she asked Roke, turning her head to look at him.

“We should,” he said grimly. “I parked my ship away from the main part of town just in case of trouble.”

“We’re in trouble all right,” Elli admitted. “I should have told you not to throw the Prince in the water trough—regular water melts the Tenebrians’ skin.”

“I was just trying to put him out. Though if I’d known what he was trying to do to you, I would have let him burn,” Roke said, his eyes turning red. “Did he manage to—?”

“No,” Elli said quickly. “Demon stopped him. He…he only tried.” She turned back around, looking between Demon’s long, silky ears to distract herself.

“I should have been there to stop him myself,” Roke growled in her ear. “Gods, I’m so sorry, little priestess.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for.” Elli lifted her chin and pointed at a sleek silver craft in the distance. “Is that your ship?”

“That’s it,” Roke told her. “Come on—we’re almost there!”

Leaning forward, Elli urged Demon on. Almost there—they were almost there. And soon she would be gone, leaving Pok and its angry prince and all the memories she’d made here behind forever…

Forty-Eight

“Where do you want to take him?” Roke asked, once they were safely in the air with no sign of pursuit behind them. The skies were empty right now but he was sure the Tenebrians would send someone after his ship if they hung around long enough.

Which was why he had no intention of hanging around.

“Him? Oh, Demon.” Ellilah sank into the passenger’s chair beside him wearily. She’d been holding Demon’s head and reassuring him during take-off so that the massive beast wouldn’t kick his way out of the cargo hold. Apparently he was settled now, or she wouldn’t have left him to come up to the front of the ship.

“Yes. I’m assuming there isn’t room for a beast his size aboard the Mother Ship?” Roke raised an eyebrow at her.

“You’re right.” For a moment she looked like she might cry. “They’d never let me keep him there. Or any other zorel for that matter. The humans would consider them too dangerous.”

“Do you have a place in mind where he’ll be safe, then?” Roke asked. “I’m sorry, but he can’t stay with me either, little priestess,” he added gently. “I don’t know how long he’d be willing to tolerate my cargo hold without you. You’re his person—not me.”

Ellilah looked deep in thought for a moment, her forehead creasing in concentration.

“There’s a patch of wild land out behind my family’s ranch on Torl Prime,” she said at last. “He can be free there and no one will bother him.”

“Are you sure?” Roke asked, frowning. “You don’t want to give him to your family?”

Ellilah shook her head firmly.

“Demon was never meant to belong to anyone,” she said softly. “Some creatures just can’t be owned—not unless they own a piece of you, too.” She looked up at Roke briefly. “Do you know what I mean?”

Roke felt his heart throb with pain and regret.

“Yes, little priestess,” he said, his voice low and harsh. “I do.” He cleared his throat. “Don’t worry—we’ll get him safely to Torl Prime.”

“Thank you.” She looked down at her hands. “And…thank you for coming to save me at the stables.”

“I should have come a hell of a lot sooner,” Roke said savagely. He was still angry with himself for ignoring the feeling of concern the Goddess had been sending him. “Thank the Goddess that Demon was there to save you from that bastard’s advances. I should have let him burn to fucking death!”

“I think the punishment of looking like he does now and living in a Court full of vain nobles who care more about looks than anything else is a worse punishment than death,” Ellilah said thoughtfully.

“You’re right. I doubt he’ll want anyone ‘Mirroring’ him now,” Roke said—and then wished immediately that he could call the words back. The last thing he wanted to do was bring up the disastrous Mirroring from the night before. “Ellilah,” he began. “I didn’t mean—”

“Don’t worry about it.” She looked away from him, staring out the viewscreen at the round globe of Torl Prime growing in the ship’s field of view. “Let’s just get Demon somewhere safe so that horrible Prince can’t hurt him.”

“Of course.” And clamping his jaw shut on all the stupid, useless things that wanted to come out of his mouth, Roke shut up and flew.

Forty-Nine

“Now, you be good.” Elli stroked the soft black muzzle for the last time. “Be safe and take care of yourself,” she told Demon. “There’s plenty of grass and a nice cold stream down in the woods over there.” She pointed towards the forest at the far end of the rolling plane, making sure the big zorel knew what she meant. “So you should be just fine here.”

Demon snorted a question and she shook her head in answer.

“I’m sorry, sweet boy but this might be the last time I see you. I’ll try to visit you, but I can’t…can’t make any promises.”

Demon snorted again and this time Elli felt sorrow coming from him when she stroked his glossy neck.

“I know—I’ll miss you, too,” she whispered. “If it was up to me, I’d come back here and make a ranch near my family’s and live with you the rest of my life—you and a whole herd of zorels. But it’s not up to me. I’m sorry.”

Throwing her arms around the proud, arching neck, she hugged the big zorel as well as she could.

“You’re a good boy,” she told him. “I’ll write to my family and tell them to send a zorel doe or two to come and visit you sometimes. I think you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Demon snorted in agreement and wrapped one foreleg around her legs protectively. He understood that Elli was saying a final goodbye and he was saying one as well.

As she hugged the big creature, tears flowed down Elli’s cheeks and into his feathery mane. She wasn’t just saying goodbye to Demon—she was saying goodbye to the life she loved more than any other—training and riding zorels. She would be going back to the cold, sterile life of a priestess with no one to love and no one to love her—no one to hold her at night or kiss her or—

No! Realizing where her thoughts were taking her, Elli pushed them away. She knew it wasn’t just Demon or ranch life that she was crying for—it was the loss of Roke. The big warrior had gotten into her heart and now Elli didn’t know how to get him out again.

Yes, you do, whispered the little voice in her head. Just a sip from the cup of Mortem Amore will erase your pain. Just get back to the Mother Ship and do what you need to do.

With a final caress, she left Demon and walked to the edge of the pasture, where Roke was waiting. There was only one way to get rid of the guilt and loss she felt and Elli was determined to do it.

Fifty

“Where to now? Back to the Mother Ship, I guess?” Roke asked, raising an eyebrow at Elli as she buckled herself into the passenger seat of his ship.

Elli nodded.

“Yes, I suppose. Though I don’t really have an excuse to go back since I never got a piece of the Healing Lattice for the old Priestess Superior. Still…what else can I do?” She sighed.

“As for that, I have something I think might help.”

Roke reached into an inner pocket and drew out a carefully folded white handkerchief of the same fine linen all the Tenebrian nobles used. Unfolding it, he held out his hand to Elli, who stared in surprise and delight.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, nudging the tiny crystal twig—about an inch long—that rested in Roke’s cupped palm. It glittered like a captured piece of rainbow, throwing multicolored shadows on the ceiling of the cockpit. “You got a piece after all! How did you do it?”

Roke shrugged and gave her a crooked grin.

“Told you I was a thief. I had a feeling the Crown Prince wasn’t going to keep his word, so I helped myself to a piece while the two of you were busy planning how you would lead Demon in the Grand Parade, to make him look brave and noble.” He made a face. “The bastard.”

“This is wonderful!” Elli exclaimed. “Now I don’t have to go back empty handed! And maybe if I heal the old Priestess Superior, I won’t be punished as much!”

Roke frowned as he put the handkerchief with its precious contents into her hand.

“You expect to be punished?”

Elli looked down at the tiny crystal shard.

“After the way I behaved, yes, I’m afraid so,” she said in a low voice.

“But it wasn’t your fault—it was my fault,” Roke protested. “Look—let me go with you and try to explain. Let me take the blame.”

“You didn’t break any vows—I did,” Elli reminded him. “Look…” She took a deep breath. “I’d really rather not talk about it right now, okay?”

“But it’s not right,” Roke growled fiercely. “I was the one who—”

“Who broke my heart?” Elli flared, her sorrow turning suddenly to anger.

His face twisted with self-recrimination.

“Ellilah, I never meant to—”

“It was my fault in the first place,” Elli said quickly. “I never should have let myself love you. I…” She shook her head, unable to finish.

“You…love me?” Roke’s deep voice was hesitant. Almost hopeful.

“I thought I did.” Elli shook her head quickly, not wanting to reveal her weakness. “But I was just being foolish. I was in love with the idea of being on an adventure—going on a quest. And working with zorels again.” She looked down at the tiny piece of Healing Lattice again. “I’ll never do any of that again. I’ll spend the rest of my life in the Sacred Grove—unless the Ascending Priestess Superior decides to send me back to the Priory of Extreme Atonement, which I suppose she might.”

“You shouldn’t have to go through all that, though,” Roke exclaimed. “You shouldn’t be a priestess at all, Ellilah! You clearly don’t have the temperament for it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She frowned at him.

“You’re hot-blooded, sweetheart. You were never meant for chastity.” Reaching out, he stroked her cheek gently. At once, Elli’s heart began to race and she felt herself flush with heat.

“Roke…” she protested uneasily, drawing away from his hand.

“And you’re clearly much better with zorels than saying morning and evening prayers and scrubbing pots and trimming trees,” he went on. “You have a gift from the Goddess—why don’t you use it?”

“Because I made a promise!” Elli exclaimed. “I swore vows to serve the Goddess all my life and just because I’ve broken those vows—at least some of them—doesn’t mean I can just abandon my calling! I took orders as a priestess and I must fulfill them.”

“All right, all right…” He held up his hands in a “don’t shoot” gesture. “If you’re really so determined to do something you hate the rest of your life…”

“What choice do I have?” Elli flared at him. “I might not have chosen this life, but I’m stuck in it now and that’s all there is to it. So please, just take me back to the Mother Ship and drop me off and you’ll never have to see me again.”

“You know I don’t want that,” he said in a low voice. “Don’t want to part from you forever, little priestess.”

“We have no choice.” Elli shook her head. “Do you really think the Priestess Superior will let me see the male I broke my vows with? You’ll be lost to me, Roke—as lost as Demon is. I…I’ll never see either of you ever again.”

And with that, the tears that had been threatening to overwhelm her rose to the surface and she couldn’t hold them back anymore.

“Ellilah—” Roke reached for her but Elli pushed his hand away. She fumbled blindly with the seat harness and released herself. Walking on legs that trembled and swayed, she somehow made her way down the aisle towards the back of the ship, where she could cry in private.

“Ellilah,” Roke called again, but she only shook her head.

“Tell me…tell me when we get to the Mother Ship,” she managed to get out.

Then she turned and fled.

Fifty-One

“Just drop me off and leave again,” Ellilah told him as Roke landed his ship in the Mother Ship’s Docking Bay. He was relieved that he’d been allowed in at all, after he’d drugged the punch during the Christmas Party. But apparently the Ship Controller who granted access hadn’t flagged his vehicle as belonging to anyone but another solo Kindred warrior coming for a visit to the Mother Ship.

He was also relieved that the little priestess was no longer crying. It tore his heart to see her so upset and know he was the cause of it. But now Ellilah seemed to be all business—ready to go back to her old life and damn the consequences.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Roke asked, frowning. “If you’re so determined to confess, at least let me take the blame. I can explain everything.”

“The Ascending Priestess Superior won’t care what you say,” Ellilah told him. “In fact, having you there would probably make her even angrier.” She shook her head. “No, Roke—I have to do this alone. And you need to leave before someone realizes you’re the one who drugged the punch at the Christmas party.”

“But I don’t like letting you take all the blame! I can’t fucking stand the idea of you being punished for something you couldn’t help!” he protested.

“I could have helped it,” Ellilah said grimly. She was standing in the aisle, ready to go through the door as Roke just sat there in the pilot’s chair watching her go. He wanted to get up and do something—wanted to beg her to stay—but he felt frozen to the spot. She had all the momentum now and he had none.

“Ellilah—” he began.

“I could have stayed at the Priory of Extreme Atonement where I was meant to go in the first place—then I never would have broken my vows so badly. Instead, I chose to go my own way.” She lifted her chin. “Now I have to pay for my choices, that’s all.”

“But—” Roke began again.

“I have to go…while I still can. Thank you again for getting me a piece of the Lattice.” Leaning down, she pressed a sweet, lingering kiss to his lips. Cupping his face in her small hands, she looked into his eyes. “Goodbye, Roke. I’ll never forget you.”

Then, before he could say anything else, she was gone.

Fifty-Two

Elli hurried through the Docking Bay and the rest of the Mother Ship. She noticed, as she went, that there were still Christmas decorations everywhere, though the human holiday was past now. Well, maybe the humans were reluctant to take them down—they did make the huge ship seem festive and cheery.

Luckily, nobody she saw seemed to recognize her. Maybe because she was still wearing the red dress she’d put on for the Grand Parade that morning— Goddess, that seemed an age ago but, it really wasn’t that long—instead of her long white Novice robes.

She took the fastest route she could to the Sacred Grove and then took the lift to the upper level where the senior Priestesses lived. This was going to be the ticklish part—if anyone saw her or if the Ascending Priestess Superior was in her living quarters, things could go sideways very quickly.

Heart in her mouth, Elli approached the door that led to the Priestess Superior’s suite.

Please Goddess, she prayed silently as she rang the chime and waited for someone to answer the door. I know I broke my vows in the worst way possible, but please help me just one last time—please let me be able to get the Healing Lattice to the old Priestess Superior!

The door slid open and Elli was surprised to see no one standing there at all. Where was the priestess who served as a maid? Had the door opened up on its own?

Maybe the Goddess heard my prayer and opened it, Elli thought. Sending up a heartfelt prayer of thanks, she slipped into the Priestess Superior’s suite with a rustle of her long red skirts.

Quietly, she walked down the long hallway which led to the Ascending Priestess Superior’s office on one side and the bedroom where the Descending Priestess Superior lay dying on the other.

When she came to the end of the hallway, she hesitated a moment. Should she slip into the office and take a drink from the Mortem Amore elixir first, or go into the bedroom and give the piece of Healing Lattice to the old Priestess Superior? Her heart was aching from leaving Roke behind and she longed to be rid of her wrong thoughts and desires, but she knew the old lady was in pain.

The Priestess Superior should come first, Elli decided. I can take a sip of the Mortem Amore afterwards.

But just as she put her hand on the doorknob of the old Priestess Superior’s bedroom, she heard a rustling inside and the maid’s voice saying,

“Now then—you should be more comfortable in a bit once the Ascending Priestess Superior comes in with your medicine. Though why she won’t let me give it to you, I don’t know. But I’m sure she won’t be much longer.”

Heart pounding, Elli slipped into the office opposite the bedroom and shut the door as quietly as she could. She pressed her ear to the door, listening to see what would happen next. If the maid decided to come in and clean the office, she would be caught for sure!

I can’t be caught before I do what I came to do, Elli thought. I must heal the old Priestess Superior and take a sip from the Mortem Amore. Then they can do what they like with me, but I must get those two things accomplished.

To her relief, Elli heard the bedroom door open and close and then the sounds of the maid moving back down the hallway, towards the main living area of the suite. Thank the Goddess! Apparently she had a little more time to do what must be done—but only a little, since the Ascending Priestess Superior would be here soon to give the old Priestess Superior her medicine.

Have to hurry! she told herself and was about to slip back out of the office when her eyes fell on the carved wooden cabinet which was hanging on the wall beside the Priestess Superior’s shiny, varnished desk. Though she had meant to see to the old Priestess Superior first, it occurred to her that she might as well take a quick sip of the Mortem Amore since she was already here where it was kept.

She walked quietly over to the cabinet and used the ornate golden knob to open its tiny door. It was just big enough to hold the sacred golden chalice which contained the Mortem Amore elixir and had been built especially for that cause.

As she lifted the heavy golden goblet out of its small cabinet, Elli felt a twinge of uncertainty in her gut. The liquid inside the rich vessel was a thick, oily black and when she sniffed it, a bitter whiff that smelled almost poisonous assaulted her nostrils.

Should I really drink this? she asked herself. But then she remembered her parting from Roke—their last, sweet kiss and the way she would never see the big warrior again. Even now she longed for him—a longing that made her ache deep inside.

She loved him so much it hurt, and Elli didn’t want to hurt anymore.

Lifting the chalice to her lips, she sipped carefully from its dark, oily contents. The elixir seemed to coat her tongue with bitterness and Elli drew back hastily. She’d meant to drink more, but it seemed she didn’t have to. For as the slimy mixture slipped down her throat, she felt the burning pain of love and guilt extinguished at once, like a torch being put out in a bucket of water.

Or like the Crown Prince being thrown into the zorels’ water trough, whispered a little voice in her head. But that memory seemed suddenly very far away. Even though Elli knew it had only happened a few short hours ago, it felt like a lifetime ago—or like it had happened to another person. Thinking about it didn’t give her pain. In fact, nothing seemed to give her pain anymore—she felt completely calm and at peace, which was nice after so much emotional turmoil.

“I am cured of my sorrow,” Elli murmured, replacing the golden goblet carefully in the small carved wooden cabinet. “Thank the Goddess.” She was careful not to spill the thick black elixir—she had taken so little she was sure the Ascending Priestess Superior would never know the difference.

She was cured of her sorrow and guilt—which was wonderful—but was she also cured of her lust and hot-bloodedness? As an experiment, Elli closed her eyes and pictured Roke kissing her. She felt nothing. She thought of Roke doing more than kissing her—she remembered all the “Mirroring” they’d done together—still nothing.

Even picturing the night when Roke had taken her virginity had no effect on her. Oh, she knew it had been wrong, but it seemed like something that had happened to someone else a lifetime ago. The memory gave her no thrills or chills—it didn’t make her feel hot and cold and breathless with desire at all. She simply felt…nothing.

A little part of Elli felt sad at this realization. But it was a small part and she was sure it would fade soon. And she would never be troubled with wrong desires and forbidden lust again, for the Mortem Amore caused a permanent change. That was why the Shriving Ceremony was so solemn—when a priestess drank of the elixir as Elli had done, she gave up her carnal appetites forever.

It was good to be purged of her sinful lusts of the flesh, Elli told herself firmly as she shut the cabinet and turned back towards the door. She still remembered her past misdeeds and felt sorry for them, but she had no urge to commit them ever again. She had been shriven of her desire and now she could do the will of the Goddess and heal the old Priestess Superior with the fragment of the Healing Lattice. She could—

Suddenly the door to the office banged open and someone exclaimed,

“Ellilah? What in the Goddess’s name are you doing here?”

Fifty-Three

Roke couldn’t do it.

He tried, but he simply couldn’t leave Ellilah behind.

He cut the motor to his engine, which he had been revving indecisively for the past several minutes, and unbuckled his seat harness. He didn’t care how foolish it was or what a risk he was taking, he had to find the little priestess and make certain she was all right.

Shortly after Ellilah had left, just as he was about to take off again, the nagging feeling of worry about her had begun to grow in his mind. At first, he had brushed it off, thinking it was just his lingering regret at losing her. But as the worry grew, he realized it must be something else.

Remember the feeling you ignored back at the palace, a little voice whispered in his head. Remember what almost happened when you ignored that! If Demon hadn’t been there to protect her, Ellilah would have been raped!

Not that he thought the little priestess was in danger of being raped here aboard the Mother Ship. No Kindred warrior would ever take a female against her wishes. But the nagging feeling of anxiety and unease grew and grew until he was certain she was in some kind of danger.

Have to find her—have to make certain she’s all right, he told himself, as he climbed out of his ship. Have to—

And that was when a Kindred guard pointed a blaster at his chest and said,

“Hold it right there—you’re wanted in connection with an incident of espionage.”

“What?” Roke tried to paste an innocent expression on his face. “Look, friend, you have the wrong male. I’m just here to—”

“Save your excuses,” the guard barked. “I’ve been ordered to bring you to Commander Sylvan for questioning at once. Now, move!”

There was nothing Roke could do but obey.

Fifty-Four

“Goodness gracious, is that really you, Ellilah?”

It was Beedra, the assistant to the Ascending Priestess Superior, standing in the doorway of the office and staring at Elli as though she’d seen a ghost.

“What are you doing back here on the Mother Ship?” she demanded. “You’re supposed to be at the Priory of Extreme Atonement on Pok! And why are you dressed like that?”

“It’s kind of a long story,” Elli told her. “I did go to Pok—only I didn’t go to the Priory of Extreme Atonement. Instead, I went to the Tenebrian palace—that’s why I’m dressed this way.” She indicated the long red dress with a sweep of her arm.

“But why in the world did you go there?” Beedra looked at her blankly.

“Because I heard you tell the Ascending Priestess Superior that a piece of the Tenebrians’ Healing Lattice could heal the old Priestess Superior. And look—I got one!”

Elli pulled the delicate linen handkerchief out of her pocket and unfolded it to reveal the glittering piece of rainbow crystal.

“Ohhh!” Beedra breathed, leaning over to study the tiny crystal. When she looked up at Elli, there were tears in her eyes. “Bless you, my dear! I wanted so much to get the old Priestess Superior a piece of that lattice but…” She trailed off, looking guilty.

“But the Ascending Priestess wouldn’t hear of it—I know,” Elli said grimly. “I heard your whole conversation.”

Beedra flushed, her plump cheeks going pink with guilt.

“I never meant to—that is, I never thought—”

“Never mind,” Elli told her. “I can tell you’re ashamed but I’m not going to condemn you—I’ve done things I’m ashamed of too, lately.”

Though she no longer felt very guilty about the sins she had committed, she knew she would have to confess them eventually. Still, it wasn’t time for that—not yet.

“We need to give the old Priestess Superior this piece of the Lattice,” she told Beedra. Before the Ascending Priestess Superior comes to give her medicine.”

The guilt cleared from the other priestess’s face and she nodded firmly.

“You’re right—come on!”

They slipped across the hall into the old Priestess Superior’s bedroom, but Elli barely had time to realize that the poor old woman looked worse than ever when they heard a hard, sharp voice in the hallway.

“I must give the Descending Priestess Superior her medicine and then I’ll be back to sort out those rosters. Have them laid out in my office, ready for me.”

It was the Ascending Priestess Superior, presumably talking to her maid. Elli and Beedra exchanged a panicked glance and then dived into the closet together.

“Hush,” Beedra breathed in Elli’s ear as they huddled side-by-side in the darkness. “We mustn’t let her know we’re here. Just wait until she gives the old Priestess Superior her medicine and goes—then we can come out and administer the Healing Lattice.”

“All right,” Elli whispered back. “We can keep an eye on her through here.” She indicated the rather wide crack where the door met the frame of the closet. It actually did offer a very good view of the old Priestess Superior’s bed, which was directly across from it.

As they watched, the Ascending Priestess Superior swept into the room, her pure white robes swishing around her dramatically. She came to sit on the side of the old Priestess Superior’s bed and shook her—none too gently—by the shoulder.

“Wake up!” she demanded as the old woman opened her eyes tiredly. “Time for your medicine!”

“I don’t want it.” The old Priestess Superior shook her head. “It tastes so bitter—can’t we skip it just this once?”

“Certainly not!” The Ascending Priestess Superior scowled as she drew a tall, bright green bottle out of her pocket. It had a dropper on one end and some strange writing on the side of it that Elli couldn’t read. Beside her, she felt Beedra stiffen.

“Oh my Goddess!” the other priestess murmured.

“What? What’s wrong?” Elli breathed, turning to look at Beedra’s stunned face, which was barely visible in the faint glow coming in from the crack.

“That…that’s not medicine!” Beedra whispered. “Those are Altherian Dreaming Drops!”

“What?” Elli shook her head in incomprehension. “What do you mean? What are Altherian Dreaming Drops?”

“A type of anxiety medicine—my mother used to take them,” Beedra breathed. “But if you take too much, they drain your energy. And large doses can be fatal!”

As she spoke, the Ascending Priestess Superior was filling the dropper of the bright green bottle with a dark purple liquid.

“Just take your medicine like a good girl,” she was saying to the old Priestess Superior. “I’m going to give you an extra big dose today and then I promise you’ll never have to take it ever again, all right?”

“Never again?” the old Priestess Superior quavered hopefully.

“Never again. In fact, you’ll never have to do anything ever again after this dose.” There was a cruel smile on the Ascending Priestess Superior’s thin lips. “I think it’s time your suffering was over and you went to meet the Goddess, don’t you?”

“I…I don’t know.” The old woman’s eyes were clouded with pain and uncertainty. “I suppose that would be nice.”

“Then open your mouth, dear, and take your medicine,” the Ascending Priestess Superior urged.

Obediently, the old woman opened her mouth.

“She can’t take that much!” Beedra whispered to Elli, her eyes wide with horror. “It will surely kill her! My mother only took a drop a day and even that turned out to be too much for her in the end!”

“We have to stop her!” Elli whispered back but Beedra shook her head, her eyes wide with fear.

“We mustn’t cross the Ascending Priestess! You don’t know her, Ellilah—she’s deadly.”

“I don’t care about that,” Elli argued. “We can’t just let her kill the old Priestess Superior!”

She couldn’t stay silent in the closet anymore. With a wild cry, she burst out and knocked the dropper of “medicine” out of the Ascending Priestess Superior’s hand.

“What in the Seven Hells?” The Ascending Priestess’s eyes flashed with anger as she turned to Elli. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Keeping you from poisoning the Priestess Superior!” Elli glared at her. “Did she ever have a wasting sickness at all, or have you been giving her those Dreaming Drops for months to make her ill?”

“What?” The Ascending Priestess Superior rose from the bed in one fluid motion to tower over Elli. “How dare you accuse me? And what are you doing back here, anyway, Novice? You’re meant to be at the Priory of Extreme Atonement!”

“I decided to go to the Palace of the Tenebrians to get a piece of the Healing Lattice to cure the old Priestess Superior instead,” Elli snapped. “But now I wonder how she got sick in the first place!”

The Ascending Priestess Superior arched one thin eyebrow at her.

“So you think I have been poisoning her for the past six solar months in order to take over her position?”

The glare she was giving Elli was so foreboding that Elli was tempted to tuck her head and apologize to the woman who was in authority over her. But one glance at the wasted form of the old Priestess Superior in the bed let her know she couldn’t do that.

“That’s certainly what it looks like,” she said, lifting her chin.

“Well, as a matter of fact…you’re absolutely right.” To Elli’s surprise, the Ascending Priestess Superior nodded her head. “I’ve been giving my predecessor there, Dreaming Drops in her tea from the minute I came aboard the Mother Ship. Once she was confined to her bed, I was able to give them to her straight from the bottle as ‘medicine’. The Dreaming Drops made her look like she’s got a wasting disease so nobody will be the wiser when she finally dies and I take over.”

“You…you admit you’ve been poisoning her?” Elli asked, feeling stunned.

“Of course I admit it—why shouldn’t I?” The Ascending Priestess sneered. “After all, it’s not like you’re ever going to get a chance to tell anyone.”

As she spoke, she drew a blaster from her robe pocket and pointed it straight at Elli’s chest.

“You’re never going to tell anyone anything ever again, Novice,” she spat, her finger tightening on the trigger.

Fifty-Five

Elli stared at the muzzle of the blaster, feeling numb.

“You…you won’t shoot me,” she said, her voice shaking. “You wouldn’t dare! How would you explain what happened to me?”

“Why should I have to?” the Ascending Priestess Superior asked coolly. “After all, you’re not supposed to be aboard the Mother Ship at all. As far as anyone knows, you’re back at the Priory of Extreme Atonement. I’ll just dispose of your body and tell everyone I decided you ought to stay there for the good of your soul.”

“You can’t…can’t fool everyone, you know,” Elli protested.

“Why not?” The Ascending Priestess Superior shrugged. “I’ve fooled them about everything else—including the illness and death of my predecessor.” She nodded at the old Priestess Superior, who was blinking uncertainly, still curled on her side in the bed. “I could shoot her right now and then hide the blaster wound and nobody would know the difference.”

She aimed the blaster at the old Priestess Superior, as though deliberating a much quicker and more violent ending for the old woman than she had originally planned.

“You won’t kill her—you can’t!” Elli exclaimed, a protective rage rising over her. She felt as though her own grandmother was being threatened! She ran to the bed and put herself between the old woman and the Ascending Priestess Superior. “You can’t!” she repeated.

“You stupid little bitch, move away from her!” The Ascending Priestess was beginning to sound annoyed. “You can’t save her now—you can’t even save yourself. The minute I blast you, I’ll make her drink the rest of the Dreaming Drops in the bottle and she’ll drift quietly away while I blow your body out of the airlock!”

As her finger tightened on the trigger, Elli closed her eyes and said a final prayer that the Goddess would forgive her for all her sins. She was trying to brace for the burning sting of the blaster’s deadly ray when—

“Stop!” a low, angry voice growled from the doorway. “Drop your blaster, Priestess or you’re going to be very, very sorry.”

Fifty-Six

Looking up, Elli saw that the speaker was none other than Commander Sylvan—the head of the Kindred High Council himself—and he had a blaster of his own and two armed guards behind him.

But her attention was soon pulled back to the Ascending Priestess who was still holding the blaster pointed at Elli.

“I’m afraid I can’t drop my blaster, Commander Sylvan,” she said calmly. “You see, I caught this rogue Novice here trying to assassinate our beloved old Priestess Superior. I’m afraid if I let her move an inch, she’ll finish the job.”

“What?” Elli couldn’t believe her ears. “What are you talking about?” she demanded. She looked at Commander Sylvan appealingly. “The Ascending Priestess is the one who’s been trying to kill the old Priestess Superior—not me!”

“Lies.” The Ascending Priestess’s voice never rose or wavered a bit. She was perfectly calm as she accused Elli. “She’s been poisoning the old woman for months. Look—I caught her with this.” And she held up the bright green bottle of Dreaming Drops for the Kindred commander’s inspection. “She was tasked with taking care of the old Priestess Superior when she first came aboard the Kindred Mother Ship,” she told Commander Sylvan. “But all this time, she’s been giving her these drops which simulate a wasting sickness when given in too large a quantity.”

“That’s not true!” Elli protested. “Please, Commander Sylvan—I’m trying to save the old Priestess Superior! I even went to the Tenebrian palace to get a piece of the Healing Lattice to heal her! If you’ll just let me show you…” She reached for her pocket where she had stuffed the linen handkerchief with the tiny piece of Lattice wrapped in it.

“Shoot her!” the Ascending Priestess shouted. “She’s going for a blaster!” She trained her own blaster on Elli again and started to pull the trigger.

“No!” With a cry of long pent up anger and frustration, Beedra jumped out of the closet and knocked the blaster out of the Ascending Priestess’s hand.

“No!” she shouted again, in the other woman’s surprised face.

“Beedra?” the Ascending Priestess said blankly. “Whatever do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m doing what I should have done from the beginning!” Beedra gasped. “You’ve bullied and belittled and frightened me from the minute you stepped on board this ship but I won’t let you lie about poor Ellilah and then shoot her in cold blood. I won’t, I won’t, I won’t!”

“Oh, Beedra, thank you!” Elli exclaimed.

“I should have done it before.” The other priestess burst suddenly into noisy sobs. “I’m just s-sorry it t-took me so l-long to get enough c-courage to confront her!”

The Ascending Priestess was clearly astonished by this surprise attack by her assistant, but she recovered her composure quickly.

“What in the name of the Goddess are you wailing about, Beedra?” she snapped. Turning to Commander Sylvan, she shook her head. “Commander, I must apologize for my assistant. She’s been acting rather erratic lately but I had no idea she had gone completely crazy. I really think the best thing for her is to be locked safely away and sedated for a while.”

“I don’t think so.” Commander Sylvan’s voice was hard as he frowned at the Ascending Priestess. “You’re the one who’s going to be locked away, Priestess.”

The Ascending Priestess widened her eyes innocently and put one skinny hand to her chest.

“Me? But Commander, I assure you—”

“Save your assurances—and your lies,” he snapped. “I heard what you said to Novice Ellilah before I came through the door. You’ve been up to no good from the moment you stepped aboard the Mother Ship and may the Goddess forgive me for not noticing sooner.”

At last the Ascending Priestess’s cool veneer cracked and she shot Commander Sylvan an ugly look.

“If you heard everything I said, why didn’t you say so earlier?” she snapped.

“I wanted to see how far you’d go with your lying,” Commander Sylvan said calmly. “Now I see that your duplicity in the search for power knows no bounds.”

“Why shouldn’t I want power?” the Ascending Priestess demanded. “You have it—why shouldn’t I?”

“The Goddess assigned me to my position—I never sought it,” Sylvan said quietly. “And I certainly never tried to kill anyone for it.” He motioned with his blaster. “Get up—you’re going with these guards to be locked up until your trial.”

“My trial? So you can get rid of me and put someone else in my place? I’d rather die!”

And the Ascending Priestess raised the bottle of Dreaming Drops to her lips.

“Stop her! She’ll kill herself!” Beedra gasped through her tears.

Commander Sylvan charged forward, seized the bottle, and threw it against the wall. It exploded in a shower of green glass and purple liquid which oozed sluggishly down the wall in long, thin streams.

“Guards!” he shouted as the Ascending Priestess tried to run. “Take her away!”

The armed guards grabbed the struggling priestess and dragged her out the door, shouting and swearing in a most un-priestess-like way.

Commander Sylvan turned to Elli, who was still reflexively shielding the old Priestess Superior from harm.

“It’s all right, Ellilah…” His voice was gentle this time. “I know what you’ve been through to try and save the life of the old Priestess Superior.” He shook his head. “I’m just ashamed that I was taken in by this ruse. I examined her myself, when she first fell ill you know—and I didn’t catch the Dreaming Drops at all.”

“They’re almost impossible to detect, Commander,” Beedra offered in a watery voice. She had stopped sobbing but her eyes were still red and she still looked terrible. “My own mother was addicted for years before we found out she’d been taking them.”

“I still consider this whole situation at least partially my fault,” Commander Sylvan said heavily. “I should have tried harder to find out what was wrong with her.” He looked sadly at the old Priestess Superior.

At last Elli found her voice.

“Commander, do you mind…can I still try giving her this piece of the Healing Lattice?” she asked, pulling out the handkerchief and opening it to show him the shining piece of rainbow crystal. “I know she doesn’t really have wasting sickness but, well, this is supposed to cure just about everything, I think.”

Commander Sylvan examined the piece of Lattice for a moment and then nodded.

“I don’t see why not. I’ve read about the Healing Lattice of the Tenebrians—it’s supposed to be excellent for all kinds of internal ailments.”

“All right—thank you.” Gently, Elli lifted the old Priestess Superior’s chin and looked into her faded eyes. “Priestess Superior, do you remember me?” she asked softly.

“Of course I do, dearie.” The old woman smiled. “I’ve missed you—where did you go?”

“To find something to make you feel better,” Elli told her. “All you have to do is let it melt under your tongue.” She showed the piece of Lattice to the Priestess Superior. “Do you think you can do that?”

“I suppose so,” the old Priestess murmured. “Though I hope it won’t be so bitter as that other medicine they’re always giving me.”

“It won’t be, I don’t think,” Elli said cautiously.

Actually, she had no idea what the Lattice would taste like but when she brought it close to her nose and sniffed, it smelled a little like a ripe krisper.

“Open up now,” she told the old Priestess. “I’m just going to pop this under your tongue and hopefully you’ll feel better soon.”

Obediently, the old lady opened her mouth and lifted her tongue. Elli placed the tiny rainbow piece in her mouth and watched anxiously as she sucked it. She was hoping for an instant result but for a long moment, nothing happened.

Then, just as Elli was beginning to give up hope and feel that she had broken her vows for nothing, the old woman’s eyes—which had been half closed—popped wide open.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Oh my goodness!”

“Oh my goodness!” Elli echoed her words and Beedra shouted,

“Look!”

For the old Priestess was changing in front of their eyes. Her long white hair, which had been so dry and brittle, suddenly became jet black with emerald streaks again. Her faded eyes were suddenly bright and alive and her pale, sunken cheeks filled out and flushed pink with health.

She sat up suddenly in bed, moving without help for the first time since Elli had known her.

“Ellilah, my dear,” she said, turning towards Elli. “Whatever did you give me? Why, I feel thirty cycles younger!”

“You look thirty cycles younger too!” Impulsively, Elli threw her arms around the older woman who no longer looked like an ancient, sick grandmother—now she might have been Elli’s aunt.

The Priestess Superior hugged her back tightly, surprising Elli with her grip. When she pulled back, her eyes were filled with tears.

“Thank you, my dear,” she said to Elli. “Didn’t I tell you the Goddess would bless you? I prayed for a miracle and she sent me one in you.”

Elli was crying too, now—with happiness.

“I’m so glad you’re better,” she told the Priestess Superior, swiping at her eyes. “You’ve been so sick for so long.”

“Well, I feel better now.” The Priestess Superior blotted her tears and lifted her chin resolutely. “What did I miss?”

“Quite a lot I’m afraid, Priestess Superior.” Commander Sylvan bowed his head to the senior priestess reverently. “But nothing you can’t catch up on, I’m sure.”

“Well, thank goodness you came when you did, Commander,” the Priestess Superior said. “My memories are pretty foggy, but it seems to me that if you hadn’t, young Ellilah here and I would have been gone for good!”

“Yes, thank you, Commander,” Elli said, ducking her head shyly. “But there’s something I don’t understand—how did you know to come here? Did the Goddess tell you?”

Commander Sylvan shook his head.

“Not exactly. Though she did tell me to listen to someone who was certain you were in danger.”

“Really? Who?” Elli’s thoughts finally caught up with her mouth and she put a hand to her lips. “Not…not Roke?” she whispered.

Commander Sylvan smiled.

“Why don’t you go up to the Sacred Grove?” he said gently. “There are several people there who are very eager to see you.”

“I’ll go but first…” Elli turned to the Priestess Superior. “I…I broke my vows,” she confessed to the older woman. “All of them. I know that was wrong but I’ve already taken a sip of the Mortem Amore elixir so please don’t send me to the Priory of Extreme Atonement like the Ascending Priestess Superior wanted to do!”

“My dear, I would never send anyone to such a place!” The Priestess Superior cupped Elli’s cheek gently. “It sounds to me like you’ve already punished yourself enough for your indiscretions with your grief and remorse. But if it makes you feel better, I recommend that you go up to the Sacred Grove and confess your sins before the statue of the Goddess. That’s where I always go when I need absolution.”

“All right.” Elli nodded. “Thank you, Priestess Superior. I’ll do as you say.”

“Do that my dear—go now, for I can tell your heart is heavy.” The Priestess Superior gave her cheek a fond pat and then turned to Commander Sylvan. “Now then, let’s talk about what I missed…”

Elli left them talking and Beedra—who was happy to be working for her old mistress again—taking notes. She let herself out of the suite and found the lift to the Sacred Grove.

She just wondered who she would see there when she went to confess her sins to the Goddess.

Fifty-Seven

“There she is! Ellilah! Over here!”

Elli looked up at the sound of the voices and was surprised to see the human doctor Liv and the human girl named Sonja coming towards her through the green and purple trees of the Sacred Grove. Both of them were barefoot, since the Sacred Grove was holy ground, which made Elli realize that she still had her riding boots on. Hurriedly, she took them off and went to greet her friends.

“Hello,” she said tentatively, putting out her hands to them. “What are you two doing here?”

She didn’t know them very well—Sonja had been the one who had gotten her to admit what had happened during the Christmas party and Liv had been the doctor who had examined her—but both of the human women were kind and sweet.

“We’re looking for you!” Sonja exclaimed, taking Elli’s offered hand and squeezing it.

“We heard you were back on the Mother Ship,” Liv said, taking her other hand. “We’ve been trying to get to see you for days but the Ascending Priestess Superior just kept telling us you were in ‘seclusion’ whatever that means.”

“In fact, we were in a meeting with Commander Sylvan, complaining that we couldn’t get to see you when the man who drugged the punch at the Christmas party got dragged in by the guards,” Sonja continued.

“And he told us that you haven’t even been on the Mother Ship for the past week—he said the two of you were on Pok on some kind of quest,” Liv went on. “Of course, Sylvan didn’t believe him at first—”

“But then this booming voice came out of nowhere saying, “The warrior speaks the truth! Go to the suite of the Priestess Superior where you will find the novice is in danger,” Sonja finished. She shivered. “Whew—I was scared to death! I’d never heard the Goddess speak out loud like that before!”

“She certainly makes an impression,” Liv agreed. “But are you all right?” she asked, looking at Elli anxiously. “You’re not hurt, are you? Sylvan got to you in time?”

“I’m fine,” Elli assured her. She squeezed both their hands. “Thank you both for coming, it’s very kind. But…”

“But the person you really want to see is your man, right?” Sonja looked at her shrewdly. “I take it you’ve forgiven him for drugging your punch?”

Elli nodded.

“That seems like a lifetime ago. He and I can’t ever be together but…but I’d still like to see him one more time.”

“Of course, you do,” Liv said gently. “Go on—he’s waiting at the other end of the Sacred Grove. Sonja and I are just glad to see you’re safe.”

”More than glad!” Sonja gave her hand another squeeze, then let her go and gave Elli a gentle push on the shoulder. “Well? Go on—go talk to him. He’s waiting for you.”

Elli thanked them once more and then went in the direction her new friends had pointed. Though she knew it could be nothing but a bittersweet meeting, she wanted to see Roke one last time and tell him that they had succeeded in their quest and the old Priestess Superior was healed.

Fifty-Eight

Roke was pacing back and forth in front of the statue of the Goddess. The Goddess’s face was calm and serene and her statue was placed on a slightly raised dais. A woven arch laden with flowering vines curved gracefully over it. It reminded him of the arch he and Ellilah had passed beneath during their formal introduction to the Tenebrian Court.

Gods, that seemed like years ago now—hard to believe it was barely more than a week! So much had happened, so much had changed.

Roke himself had changed.

As he had tried to explain his situation to Commander Sylvan, to tell about the adventures they’d had and explain how he felt that Ellilah was in trouble and needed help, he had felt something shift inside him. It was as though telling someone else—an outsider—about what he had seen and done and experienced with Ellilah, had allowed him to see what he felt for her clearly for the first time.

The fear of commitment that he’d felt all his life, ever since his mother had died and his father had descended into agonizing depression, had suddenly lifted. And Roke had realized that, Havoc or not, he wanted to bond with her—to bond her to him and love her all of his life. Finally, he was ready to take the risk he’d been avoiding for so long—finally, he was ready to love.

He just hoped that Ellilah would feel the same way.

I’ll tell her I love her, he thought as he paced back and forth in front of the statue. I know it’s not fair of me to ask her to break her vows permanently and come away with me but I have to at least ask. I’ll live with regret all my life if I don’t.

The memory of his mother’s death and his Sire’s suicide was still in the back of his mind—an aching wound that would never completely heal. But those awful old memories no longer had power over him. He was free now—free to love Ellilah the way she deserved to be loved and cherished.

If only she would consent to love him in return…

“Roke?” her soft birdlike voice—the voice that had tamed the fearsome Demon and had tamed his own reluctant heart as well—came to him through the trees.

“Ellilah?” Looking up eagerly, he saw her coming through the Sacred Grove. “Ellilah!” Running to her, he took both her hands in his. “Sweetheart! Are you all right? Did Commander Sylvan get to you in time? I wanted to come too but he wouldn’t allow it.”

“I’m fine,” she assured Roke, smiling up at him.

But Roke thought there was something sad in that smile—something that troubled him.

“Why did you come back?” she asked. “Weren’t you worried about getting caught?”

“I was caught,” Roke said. “And I’ve promised to make reparations. But I came back for you, Ellilah—I had a terrible feeling you were in trouble.”

“Well, you were right,” she said seriously. “It turned out that the old Priestess Superior wasn’t dying of a wasting disease after all—the Ascending Priestess was giving her Dreaming Drops to make it look like she was. We caught her trying to poison the old Priestess Superior once and for all with an overdose and then things got a bit tense.”

“A bit tense?” Roke demanded, raising his eyebrows. “What does that mean?”

“She pointed a blaster at me,” Elli admitted. “But don’t worry—she never even got off a shot,” she added quickly, obviously seeing his horrified look. “And the piece of the Healing Lattice worked on the old Priestess Superior even though she didn’t have a real wasting disease and now she’s much better. So, well…” She shrugged, looking suddenly shy. “That was all I wanted to tell you. I just thought you’d like to know. So I guess…” She looked up at him. “I guess now that you know everything is all right and you’ve vowed to make reparations for drugging the Christmas punch in the first place, you’re going to go.”

“No, I’m not,” Roke said firmly. “That is…” He took a deep breath. “I don’t want to go without you, Ellilah.”

“What?” Her eyes widened as she looked up at him in incomprehension.

“I love you!” Roke said, more harshly than he’d meant to. He ran his fingers through his hair and began pacing again. “I’ve tried for so long not to love anyone—to stay true to the Havoc side of my heritage and never bond. But I can’t help it, Ellilah—I love you and I want to bond with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He raked his fingers through his hair again. “Hell, I know it’s not fair of me to ask you to give up your vocation as a priestess, but I think you feel the same way I do. And if you do, I want to ask you to Join with me and bond with me and spend the rest of your life with me. So will you, sweetheart?” he asked, turning to face her at last. “Will you bond with me?”

But to his dismay, Ellilah was shaking her head and tears were rolling down her cheeks.

“What is it, sweetheart?” Quickly, Roke dropped to his knees in the grass before her. “What’s wrong? Is it that you feel like you can’t leave the Mother Ship? That you have to keep your vow to be a priestess all your life?”

“No.” Ellilah shook her head and swiped at her tears. “Or, that’s only part of it.”

“What’s the other part, then?” he demanded urgently. “Tell me the reason we can’t be together!”

“Roke, I…” She rubbed at her eyes again and took a deep breath. “I already drank of the elixir of Mortem Amore,” she told him. “If you’d told me all this before I left your ship, I would have jumped at the chance to bond with you. But now…” She shook her head sorrowfully. “Now, well, I have no desire left to bond with you. I have no carnal lusts or desires at all, anymore. And I never will again.”

“That can’t be true,” Roke said blankly. “It can’t be! Little priestess, you’ve always been hot-blooded! Your passions match my own—it’s one reason I fell in love with you—though certainly not the only reason. Look here—”

He drew her down beside him on the grass and tilted her chin back. Cupping her cheek, he kissed her urgently, putting all the love and lust and need and desire he possessed into one kiss.

But he might as well have been kissing the statue of the Goddess on the dais above them. Ellilah was cold in his arms—pliable but somehow ungiving. Unable, he realized, to return his love and his passion.

“I’m so sorry, Roke,” she whispered and there were tears in her lovely green eyes again. “I wish I hadn’t drunk of the Mortem Amore but it’s too late now—the effects can never be reversed.”

“They cannot be reversed by mortal means. But I am more than mortal.”

The rich, familiar feminine voice sent a chill down Roke’s back. Looking up, he saw the most amazing thing—the statue of the Goddess had come to life and stepped off its dais.

It—or she—was now looking down at Roke and Ellilah with an unreadable look on her stone face.

Fifty-Nine

“Oh, Goddess!” Elli gasped, looking up at the stone features which had somehow come to life. She struggled out of Roke’s arms and threw herself on her face at the statue’s feet. “Goddess, I’ve been so bad,” she babbled. “I’ve broken all my vows—multiple times—and I disobeyed and did so many things I shouldn’t have done!”

“For which you are forgiven, daughter,” the Goddess said.

“I…I am?” Elli looked up at her uncertainly. It was uncanny to see the white marble statue animated by the living Goddess, but she was getting a little more used to it now.

“Yes, daughter—you are forgiven.” The Goddess looked at Roke. “You, also are forgiven, warrior. Providing that you leave your life as a smuggler and thief and take up a better, more noble profession.”

“Yes, Goddess.” Roke’s voice was dry and strained. “I swear it.”

“Very good. Then it seems the two of you have much to speak about—though there is something I must do first.”

Reaching down, the Goddess brushed Elli’s forehead lightly with her fingertips. The marble should have been hard and cold but instead, Elli felt warmth flowing through her like a gentle tropical wave. Everywhere the wave touched, she felt pieces of herself thawing. The cool, disconnected sensation she’d felt from her inner desires from the moment she sipped from the golden goblet of Mortem Amore, abruptly melted and she found that she could feel again.

“Ohhh,” she whispered, awed at the change. “Oh, thank you Goddess—but I don’t understand why you did it? Wouldn’t having no desires of the flesh make it easier for me to be a good priestess for you?”

“Daughter, you were never meant to be a priestess,” the Goddess said gently. “I have given you other gifts—other talents that you can use to bring me glory.”

“Do you mean her gift with zorels, Goddess?” Roke asked, looking up at the statue.

“You have seen her gifts for yourself, warrior,” the Goddess answered him. “I charge you to support Ellilah in helping to utilize her special talent. For the zorels are my creatures too, and when she trains them and takes pleasure in her special relationship with them, it gives me pleasure as well. I love to see my creatures well treated.”

“You have my word, Goddess,” Roke vowed hoarsely. “I’ll help and support and love and protect Ellilah all the days of my life.”

“See that you do. And now go—I absolve you from all vows,” the Goddess told Ellilah. “Go and do what I made you for—find pleasure in the talent I gave you and honor me with it.”

Then the white marble statue climbed back onto the dais and abruptly froze—though not in quite the same position it had been in before the Goddess inhabited it. There was a faint, knowing smile on its lips now and the arms were outspread, as though to welcome her children in with love and understanding.

Elli stared at it in awe and then looked at Roke.

“Roke,” she whispered, holding out her arms. “I…I’m ready and able to love you now if you still want to be with me.”

“Sweetheart,” he rumbled, sweeping her into his arms. “I’ve never wanted anything more in my entire life.”

“Then shall we have the Joining ceremony at once?”

The new voice surprised them both and Elli turned to see the old Priestess Superior walking over the grass to meet them. She looked wonderful—like a woman in her middle years rather than a grandmother—her eyes were bright and her white robe was clean and crisp. It contrasted beautifully with her raven hair streaked with emerald.

“Forgive me if I intruded on your moment, my dears,” she said. “But I thought I might be needed.”

“You are!” Elli exclaimed. “Priestess Superior, I hope you don’t mind but the Goddess has absolved me of my vows and I no longer wish to be a priestess.”

“I don’t mind at all, my dear—though I will miss you,” the Priestess Superior said gently. “I don’t believe you were ever meant to be a priestess but I do think the Goddess allowed you to become one for a short time so that you could subvert the plot that was happening here aboard the Mother Ship.”

“I’m very glad I was able to help with that,” Elli said seriously. “I know the Ascending…well, the one who wanted to replace you intended to rule over the Order of the Sacred Grove with an iron fist.”

“She intended to rule over the entire Mother Ship,” the Priestess Superior said grimly. “She admitted as much to Commander Sylvan—as soon as she’d gotten rid of me, she intended to set her sights on him. She planned to invite him for tea and then begin slipping him those same Dreaming Drops she used to incapacitate me. Then she was going to announce to the High Council that the Goddess had chosen her to rule over all the Mother Ship.”

“That’s terrible!” Elli shivered. They had all had a very narrow escape! She felt honored that the Goddess had allowed her to be part of stopping the other priestess’s wicked plot.

“The Goddess intends everything for a purpose, my dear,” the Priestess Superior told her. “Your short time as a priestess has saved many from heartache and sorrow. But now I think it’s time to let you go. So I repeat my offer—would you like to be Joined to your beloved this very hour?”

“I would!” Elli looked up at Roke with shining eyes. “You don’t mind, do you? I don’t need a big Joining ceremony—I just want us to be Joined when you…” She felt her cheeks heating up. “When you finally bond me to you.”

Roke grinned down at her and cupped her cheek in his hand.

“I agree, sweetheart—the sooner the better.”

“Now then, we’ll need some witnesses, of course…” The Priestess Superior looked around.

“Here we are!” Liv and Sonja came rustling through the trees of the Sacred Grove.

“Did somebody say they needed a bridesmaid?” Sonja asked eagerly. “Because Liv and I are ready and willing!”

Elli laughed.

“This is perfect,” she said, smiling at both of them. “I’d be honored to have the two of you stand with me at my Joining.”

“And I’ll stand with our new friend, Roke.” Commander Sylvan came through the trees as well. “To make sure he doesn’t get away without paying his reparations,” he added, giving Roke a friendly smile to take the sting out of his words.

“I’d be honored,” Roke told him. “It’s bad luck for a male not to have someone to stand with him at his Joining.”

“Well then, if we’re all ready, my dears, let’s assemble here before the statue of the Goddess,” the Priestess Superior said. “For she, too, is an honored guest at your Joining, since it was she who brought the two of you together.”

Elli couldn’t agree more. And so it was that she and Roke were Joined in the holy bonds of love and devotion right before the statue of the Goddess. And through the ceremony she felt her warmth and love beaming down upon them all, as the Goddess herself witnessed the Joining of…The Priestess and the Thief.

Epilogue

“Oh, you didn’t have to do all this!” Elli looked around the room in delight. Sonja’s living area was filled with Christmas decorations, from a red and green wreathe on the door, to adorable little wooden soldiers called “nutcrackers” on the mantelpiece, to a full-sized Christmas tree in the middle of the room.

“It’s no trouble at all!” Sonja made a shooing gesture. “I always keep my Christmas decorations up past New Year—I love them! So when your man, Roke, was telling me how much you loved the Christmas party and how he wanted to recreate it, I thought this might do.” She shrugged modestly.

“Might do? Why, it’s perfect!” Elli exclaimed.

“Look—I even have some Christmas cookies made by my good friend, Melanie. She wanted to thank you and Roke because if it wasn’t for that spiked punch, she might never have gotten together with her men, Clear and Strong—they’re Twin Kindred,” Sonja added, in explanation as she offered Elli the platter of red and green sugared cookies.

“Oh my, really?” Elli asked, taking one of the cookies and biting into it. “Mmm--delicious!”

“Yeah, Melanie and her men make some mean cookies,” Sonja said and giggled. “Though as I understand it, ‘making cookies’ means something different to the three of them now.”

“Sounds…interesting,” Elli murmured. “But I don’t understand—why does Roke want to recreate the human Christmas party we first met at?”

“Well, I think he wants to give you a gift—which is a big part of our Christmas traditions,” Sonja said. She raised an eyebrow at Elli. “Although maybe he already gave you a pretty good gift last night? I mean, it was your bonding night, right?”

“He…he did,” Elli admitted, feeling her cheeks get hot.

Their lovemaking the night before had been completely different from their Mirroring in the Tenebrian palace. It had been slow and tender and perfect.

Roke had kissed and tasted her everywhere, “healing” her aching nipples and pussy with his tongue for a long, long time until Elli came for him, moaning and gasping his name.

After that, they sat on the couch naked together, with Elli straddling the big warrior’s hips and his hard shaft bare between them.

“Slowly, sweetheart,” he’d murmured, looking into her eyes. “And gently, this time. I want to take my time bonding you to me.”

And, as Elli had taken his thick shaft deep in her pussy, he had held her gaze with his, right up until the moment when he had bitten her on the neck, injecting his Essence and bonding them together for all time.

It had been a beautiful and moving moment and also private, which was important to Elli since they’d had to do so many things publicly at the Tenebrian palace. To add to her pleasure, her new mate’s Essence in her bloodstream had made her orgasm immediately and then again, over and over, as Roke continued to bond her to him all night long.

All in all, it had been the most beautiful night of Elli’s life and she’d woken up hungry for more of the same. However, Roke’s side of the bed had been empty. But he had left her a note, letting her know he had a little private business to attend to but not to worry—he would have a surprise for her that night.

Apparently, Elli thought, as she nibbled the delicious Christmas cookie, and looked at the red and green decorations and the blinking lights on the Christmas tree, this was the surprise. It made her happy to think that Roke would go to so much trouble for her, but she wondered where her new mate was. She hadn’t seen him all day and she missed him terribly.

“I’m here, sweetheart and I missed you too.”

It was Roke, speaking through their new mental link. Elli looked around for him and saw the big warrior walking through the door of Sonja’s suite.

“Welcome!” Sonja greeted him with a big smile. “And now I think I’ll leave you two alone.” With a wink, she left the suite as Roke and Elli thanked her.

“This is beautiful,” Elli said, motioning to the decorated living area. “I love it, Roke. But why did you go to all the trouble of recreating Christmas for me?”

“Well, the human Christmas party was the first place we met,” he reminded her with a grin. “And while that meeting wasn’t exactly ideal, I know how much you love this human holiday.”

“I really do—it feels so special.” Elli looked around the room again. She especially liked the twinkling star at the top of the tall Christmas tree.

“You know another Christmas tradition I bet you’ll like?” Roke asked. There was a mischievous twinkle in his dark eyes. “The giving of gifts.”

And he pulled a box wrapped in shiny gold and red paper out from behind his back and handed it to Elli.

“Oh Roke, you shouldn’t have!” she exclaimed, as she took the present. “I didn’t get anything for you.”

“Are you kidding, sweetheart? You gave me yourself last night.” Leaning down, he nuzzled her neck and nipped her lightly with his fangs, which had grown considerably since they’d become bonded. “I couldn’t ask for a better gift than that,” he murmured in Elli’s ear, making her blush.

“Thank you, Roke,” she said, blushing harder. “But what in the world did you get me?” she asked, looking down at the brightly wrapped gift box.

“Open it and find out!” Roke was grinning with anticipation. “I can’t wait for you to see it!”

With trembling fingers, Elli unwrapped the box and opened it. Inside was a long scroll made of the official parchment they used on her home world of Torl Prime for property deeds. So she already had half an idea of what it was before she unrolled it. But when she read the elaborate script on the scroll and finally understood what Roke had done, a little scream of excitement bubbled up and burst out of her lips.

“Oh, Roke!” she exclaimed, staring up at him. “You bought me the wild lands where we dropped Demon off?”

“And a herd of zorels to go with it,” he said proudly. “Well, we will buy a herd—I didn’t want to pick any without you. But as soon as we get a house and stables built, we’ll go wherever it is they sell the very best zorels and you’re going to pick as many as you want.”

“Oh my goodness, but that’s so expensive!” Elli looked at him with wide eyes. “Can you really afford all this, Roke?”

He grinned.

“Sure, sweetheart—I just had to move some assets around. I sold my ship and bought a smaller one—won’t be needing one with smuggling space anymore. And I have quite a lot saved back. So please don’t worry—it won’t be a problem.”

“Oh, I just can’t believe it!” Elli’s eyes were filling with tears of joy. “My very own zorel ranch! Close enough to see my brothers and my father but far enough away that my stepmother can’t come over very easily—not that she’d want to.” She made a face. “And I’ll get to see Demon again—we can use him as our first stud buck. His fawns will be beautiful if I can find the right does to breed him with!”

“You will, sweetheart, and you’ll train them perfectly too.” Roke gathered her into his arms and kissed her again. “You’re going to do what you love for a living,” he murmured in her ear. “And I’m going to help you do it.”

Elli looked at him seriously.

“But what about you, Roke? Will owning and running a zorel ranch be doing what you love for a living?”

He looked thoughtful.

“Well, I know I don’t have nearly as much experience as you do, but I’d like to think I was getting the hang of it when you were giving me and the grooms lessons there on Pok,” he told her. “Running a ranch will be a nice change from thievery and smuggling. And what I really want is just to be with you, my little ex-priestess—all the days of my life.”

“That’s what I want too,” Elli murmured, snuggling against him. “Thank you, Roke—the chance to do what I love and be with who I love forever is the best Christmas gift anyone could ever ask for.”

“Then Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” he sent through their link, since his lips were busy kissing her. “Now how about if we go back to our own suite and bond all over again?”

“Mmm, I think I’d like that,” Elli sent back as she returned his passionate kiss. “Let’s go!”

So they did. It was a somewhat belated but very, very Merry Christmas for both of them.

The End?

Of course not!

There are always more Kindred Tales and Brides of the Kindred books coming. If you have enjoyed reading The Priestess and the Thief, please take a moment to leave a review HERE. Good reviews are like gold for an author in this crazy-crowded e-book world. They let other readers know it's okay to take a chance on a new author or series. Plus, they give me the warm fuzzies. : ) Thanks for being such an awesome reader!

Hugs and Happy Reading!

Evangeline, Dec 2020

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Also by Evangeline Anderson

Below you'll find a list of available and upcoming titles. But depending on when you read this list, new books will have come out by then that are not listed here. Make sure to check my website for the latest releases and better yet, sign up for my newsletter to never miss a new book again.

Brides of the Kindred series

(Sci-Fi / Action-Adventure Romance)

CLAIMED (Also Available in Audio)

HUNTED (Also Available in Audio)

SOUGHT (Also Available in Audio)

FOUND (Also Available in Audio)

REVEALED (Also Available in Audio)

PURSUED (Also Available in Audio)

EXILED (Also Available in Audio)

SHADOWED (Also Available in Audio)

CHAINED (Also Available in Audio)

DIVIDED (Also Available in Audio)

DEVOURED (Also Available in Audio)

ENHANCED (Also Available in Audio)

CURSED (Also Available in Audio)

ENSLAVED (Also Available in Audio)

TARGETED (Also Available in Audio)

FORGOTTEN (Also Available in Audio)

SWITCHED (Also Available in Audio)

UNCHARTED (Also Available in Audio)

UNBOUND (Also Available in Audio)

SURRENDERED

VANISHED

IMPRISONED

TWISTED

DECEIVED

STOLEN

BRIDES OF THE KINDRED VOLUME ONE

Contains Claimed, Hunted, Sought and Found

BRIDES OF THE KINDRED VOLUME TWO

Contains Revealed, Pursued and Exiled

BRIDES OF THE KINDRED VOLUME THREE

Contains Shadowed, Chained and Divided

BRIDES OF THE KINDRED VOLUME FOUR

Contains Devoured, Enhanced and Cursed

BRIDES OF THE KINDRED VOLUME FIVE

Contains Enslaved, Targeted and Forgotten

BRIDES OF THE KINDRED VOLUME SIX

Contains Switched, Uncharted and Unbound

BRIDES OF THE KINDRED VOLUME SEVEN

Contains Surrendered, Vanished, and Imprisoned

All Kindred novels are now available in PRINT.

Also, all Kindred novels are on their way to Audio, join my Audiobook Newsletter to be notified when they come out.

Kindred Tales

The Kindred Tales are side stories in the Brides of the Kindred series which stand alone outside the main story arc.

These can be read as STAND ALONE novels.

MASTERING THE MISTRESS (Also Available in Audio)

BONDING WITH THE BEAST (Also Available in Audio)

SEEING WITH THE HEART (Also Available in Audio)

FREEING THE PRISONER (Also Available in Audio)

HEALING THE BROKEN (a Kindred Christmas novel) (Also Available in Audio)

TAMING THE GIANT (Also Available in Audio)

BRIDGING THE DISTANCE (Also Available in Audio)

LOVING A STRANGER (Also Available in Audio)

FINDING THE JEWEL (Also Available in Audio)

BONDED BY ACCIDENT (Also Available in Audio)

RELEASING THE DRAGON (Also Available in Audio)

SHARING A MATE (Also Available in Audio)

INSTRUCTING THE NOVICE (Also Available in Audio)

AWAKENED BY THE GIANT (Also Available in Audio)

HITTING THE TARGET (Also Available in Audio)

HANDLING THE HYBRID (Also Available in Audio)

TRAPPED IN TIME (Also Available in Audio)

TIME TO HEAL (Also Available in Audio)

PAIRING WITH THE PROTECTOR (Also Available in Audio)

FALLING FOR KINDRED CLAUS (Also Available in Audio)

GUARDING THE GODDESS (Also Available in Audio)

STEALING HER HEART (Also Available in Audio)

TAMING TWO WARRIORS (Also Available in Audio)

THE KINDRED WARRIOR’S CAPTIVE BRIDE

DARK AND LIGHT

PROTECTING HIS MISTRESS

UNLEASHED BY THE DEFENDER

SUBMITTING TO THE SHADOW

SECRET SANTA SURPRISE

THE PRIESTESS AND THE THIEF

KINDRED TALES VOLUME 1

Contains Mastering the Mistress, Bonding with the Beast and Seeing with the Heart

KINDRED TALES VOLUME 2

Contains Freeing the Prisoner, Healing the Broken and Taming the Giant

KINDRED TALES VOLUME 3

Contains Bridging the Distance, Loving a Stranger and Finding the Jewel

KINDRED TALES VOLUME 4

Contains Bonded by Accident, Releasing the Dragon, and Sharing a Mate

KINDRED TALES VOLUME 5

Contains Instructing the Novice, Awakened by the Giant, and Hitting the Target

KINDRED TALES VOLUME 6

Contains Handling the Hybrid, Trapped in Time, and Time to Heal

KINDRED TALES VOLUME 7

Contains Pairing with the Protector, Falling for Kindred Claus, and Guarding the Goddess

Kindle Birthright series

(Sci-Fi / Action-Adventure Romance)

The Children of the Kindred series

UNBONDABLE

Born to Darkness series

(Paranormal / Action-Adventure Romance)

CRIMSON DEBT (Also Available in Audio)

SCARLET HEAT (Also Available in Audio)

RUBY SHADOWS (Also Available in Audio)

CARDINAL SINS (coming soon)

DESSERT (short novella following Scarlet Heat)

(Also Available in Audio)

BORN TO DARKNESS BOX SET

Contains Crimson Debt, Scarlet Heat, and Ruby Shadows all in one volume

Alien Mate Index series

(Sci-Fi / Action-Adventure Romance)

ABDUCTED (Also Available in Audio)

PROTECTED (Also Available in Audio)

DESCENDED (Also Available in Audio)

SEVERED (Also Available in Audio)

ALIEN MATE INDEX VOLUME ONE

Contains Abducted, Protected, Descended and Severed all in one volume

All Alien Mate novels are now available in PRINT.

The Cougarville series

(Paranormal / Action-Adventure Romance)

(Older Woman / Younger Man

BUCK NAKED (Also Available in Audio)

COUGAR BAIT (Also Available in Audio)

STONE COLD FOX (Also Available in Audio)

BIG BAD WOLF (coming soon)

The CyBRG Files with Mina Carter

(Sci-Fi / Action-Adventure Romance)

UNIT 77: BROKEN (Also Available in Audio)

UNIT 78: RESCUED (Also Available in Audio)

The Institute series

(Daddy-Dom / Age Play Romance)

THE INSTITUTE: DADDY ISSUES

(Also Available in Audio)

THE INSTITUTE: MISHKA’S SPANKING

The Swann Sister Chronicles

(Contemporary Fairy / Funny / Fantasy Romance)

WISHFUL THINKING (Also Available in Audio)

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR (Also available in Audio)

Nocturne Academy

(Young Adult Paranormal/Action-Adventure/Romance)

LOCK AND KEY (Also Available in Audio)

FANG AND CLAW (Also Available in Audio)

STONE AND SECRET (coming coon)

Detectives Valenti and O’Brian

(1980s M/M Romance)

THE ASSIGNMENT

I’LL BE HOT FOR CHRISTMAS

FIREWORKS

THE ASSIGNMENT: HEART AND SOUL

Compendiums and Box Sets

ALIEN MATE INDEX VOLUME ONE

Contains Abducted, Protected, Descended and Severed all in one volume

BORN TO DARKNESS BOX SET

Contains Crimson Debt, Scarlet Heat, and Ruby Shadows all in one volume

BRIDES OF THE KINDRED VOLUME ONE

Contains Claimed, Hunted, Sought and Found

BRIDES OF THE KINDRED VOLUME TWO

Contains Revealed, Pursued and Exiled

BRIDES OF THE KINDRED VOLUME THREE

Contains Shadowed, Chained and Divided

BRIDES OF THE KINDRED VOLUME FOUR

Contains Devoured, Enhanced and Cursed

BRIDES OF THE KINDRED VOLUME FIVE

Contains Enslaved, Targeted and Forgotten

BRIDES OF THE KINDRED VOLUME SIX

Contains Switched, Uncharted and Unbound

HAVE YOURSELF A SEXY LITTLE CHRISTMAS

Contains Kidnapped for Christmas, Cougar Christmas and Season’s Spankings

KINDRED TALES VOLUME 1

Contains Mastering the Mistress, Bonding with the Beast and Seeing with the Heart

KINDRED TALES VOLUME 2

Contains Freeing the Prisoner, Healing the Broken and Taming the Giant

KINDRED TALES VOLUME 3

Contains Bridging the Distance, Loving a Stranger and Finding the Jewel

KINDRED TALES VOLUME 4

Contains Bonded by Accident, Releasing the Dragon, and Sharing a Mate

KINDRED TALES VOLUME 5

Contains Instructing the Novice, Awakened by the Giant, and Hitting the Target

KINDRED TALES VOLUME 6

Contains Handling the Hybrid, Trapped in Time, and Time to Heal

KINDRED TALES VOLUME 7

Contains Pairing with the Protector, Falling for Kindred Claus, and Guarding the Goddess

NAUGHTY TALES: THE COLLECTION— Volume One

Contains Putting on a Show, Willing Submission, The Institute: Daddy Issues, The Institute: Mishka's Spanking, Confessions of a Lingerie Model, Sin Eater, Speeding Ticket, Stress Relief and When Mr. Black Comes Home.

ONE HOT HALLOWEEN

Contains Red and the Wolf, Gypsy Moon and Taming the Beast

ONE HOT HALLOWEEN Vol.2

Contains The Covenant, Secret Thirst, and Kristen’s Addiction + BONUS: Madeline’s Mates

Stand Alone Titles

(Sci-Fi OR Paranormal Action-Adventure Romance)

ANYONE U WANT

BEST KEPT SECRETS (Step-Brother romance)

BLIND DATE WITH A VAMPIRE

BLOOD KISS

BROKEN BOUNDARIES (M/M romance)

CEREMONY OF THREE

COMPANION 3000 (coming soon)

DEAL WITH THE DEVIL (Also Available in Audio)

DEFILED

EYES LIKE A WOLF (Foster Brother romance)

FOREVER BROKEN (M/M romance)

GYPSY MOON

HUNGER MOON RISING

MADELINE’S MATES

MARKED

OUTCAST

PLANET X (Also Available in Audio)

PLEASURE PLANET

PLEDGE SLAVE (M/M romance)

PURITY (Also Available in Audio)

RED AND THE WOLF

SECRET THIRST

SEX WITH STRANGERS

SHADOW DREAMS

SLAVE BOY (M/M romance)

STRESS RELIEF

SWEET DREAMS

TAMING THE BEAST

TANDEM UNIT

THE BARGAIN

THE COVENANT

THE LAST BITE (M/M romance)

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH

THE LOST BOOKS (M/M romance)

THE PLEASURE PALACE

THE SACRIFICE (Also Available in Audio)

’TIL KINGDOM COME (M/M romance)

Stand Alone Titles

(Contemporay Romance)

A SPANKING FOR VALENTINE (BDSM)

BOUND AND DETERMINED, anthology with Lena Matthews, includes The Punishment of Nicollett

COUGAR CHRISTMAS (Older Woman / Younger Man)

DANGEROUS CRAVINGS (BDSM)

DIRTY GIRL

FULL EXPOSURE (with Lena Matthews)

KIDNAPPED FOR CHRISTMAS (BDSM)

MASKS, contains The Man in the Leather Mask and Masks (BDSM)

MORE THAN FRIENDS (BDSM)

PICTURE PERFECT (Step-Brother romance) (Also Available in Audio)

STR8TE BOYS (M/M romance)

Naughty Tales

(Short Reads to Get You Hot and Bothered)

CONFESSIONS OF A LINGERIE MODEL

PUTTING ON A SHOW (Step-Brother romance)

SIN EATER

SPEEDING TICKET

THE SWITCH (An erotic interlude with the characters of DANGEROUS CRAVINGS)

SEASON’S SPANKINGS

WHEN MR. BLACK COMES HOME

WILLING SUBMISSION

NAUGHTY TALES: THE COLLECTION— Volume One

Contains Putting on a Show, Willing Submission, The Institute: Daddy Issues, The Institute: Mishka's Spanking, Confessions of a Lingerie Model, Sin Eater, Speeding Ticket, Stress Relief and When Mr. Black Comes Home.

YA Novels

THE ACADEMY (Also Available in Audio)

About the Author

Evangeline Anderson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Brides of the Kindred, Alien Mate Index, Cougarville and Born to Darkness series. She is forty-something and lives in Florida with a husband, a son, and two cats. She had been writing erotic fiction for her own gratification for a number of years before it occurred to her to try and get paid for it. To her delight, she found that it was actually possible to get money for having a dirty mind and she has been writing paranormal and sci-fi erotica steadily ever since.

You can find her online at her website www.evangelineanderson.com

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