Sari
came awake to the slow throb of an agonizing headache. Her first
instinct was to groan, but life made her cautious. She lay still
instead, forcing her breathing to remain steady as she silently dealt
with the pain and tried to absorb her surroundings without the benefit
of sight.
The air was cleaner than she was used to, and sweetness lingered
with every breath, smelling of burning herbs of some sort. The scent
was pleasant. As was the feel of silk sheets against her bare skin.
It was then Sari realized she was naked. She couldn’t help
stiffening, especially when a low male voice cut through the silence.
“What are we to do with her?”
“We gave her some healing waters while we waited for you, but she needs more,” Macro said evenly. “Care for her.”
“Are we a medical unit? I missed that on our list of duties.”
“Cal, stop. We care for each other often enough. We can care for
her too,” said another male. This one’s voice was more soothing in
pitch than the first. Sari was still frozen in fear, even when she
recognized Macro’s voice, but this new male was noticeably concerned.
Sari felt some of the tension draining from her shoulders as he
questioned, “Who would do this to a female?”
“You think as a consort.” Macro sounded tense. “Life has been
cruel to her. Not all males appreciate the divinity of females. She’s
been abused.”
“Raped?”
“I find that hard to believe. But certainly abused. That’s why I
brought her to you. I thought your presence would be soothing to her.”
“She’s beautiful,” the concerned man said with a catch in his
tone. “How could any male abuse her? She’s clearly Rayian. Harming any
female is unimaginable, but a Rayian? With the queen still missing, what
fool would offer anything but aid to a female with her appearance?”
“Have the ones who harmed her been put to death?”
“Not yet. They are in custody and awaiting a ruling. Just
marring a sister’s skin is a death crime, but this is a far more serious
offense than simply striking a female. It requires deliberation by the
judgment panel.”
“Where’s her family?”
“She has none,” Macro said sadly. “She’s alone in the world.”
There was a deadly silence in the room before the more cynical of the two males asked, “Are you certain she’s not—”
“The queen is still missing,” Macro cut him off abruptly. “She
is simply a Rayian female who was left alone to a world that abused her
because of her beauty and rarity.”
“How many Rayian females are there? Even one going unclaimed and unnoticed is unimaginable.”
“I’m not arguing with you anymore, Calder,” Macro said in
annoyance. “Do you want to care for her or not? I can send her away and
leave you to other distractions. Your happiness is, as always, my
primary concern.”
“I want to care for her,” the other man said before his friend
Calder could answer. “It’s not fair for her to suffer for misdeeds of
others, Cal. I know you know that.”
“She’s Rayian, Taryen. Her needs will be the same as the rest of
them.” Calder sounded determined and protective. “Do you need to
attract the attention of another Rayian female when you already have so
many to contend with? Better to leave her to me and stay out of her
sights.”
“No, we will care for her together.” Taryen’s voice grew closer
to where Sari lay feigning sleep. “She’s been injured. That’s a crime
against nature and our people. We should right the wrong.”
“She will be angry and inclined to punish if others of our sex have abused her.”
“That’s all right,” Taryen whispered a breath away from Sari. “I
will bear their punishment for them if that’s what she needs to heal.
It won’t be the first time I’ve felt pain at the hands of a sister.”
“You know how I feel about that, Taryen,” Macro snapped. “You
were only supposed to endure a cycle in their hands to prepare you for
the queen, and that’s it. Our sisters should not be hurting you in the
name of pleasure training.”
“There’s nothing to be done. Why do you continue to try?” his
friend Calder asked with dark cynicism. “You are powerful, Macro, but
even you cannot force justice on Rayian females. They answer to nothing
but their own conscience.”
“The balance has been disrupted. They should be answering to the
queen. The great mother would never allow others to hurt you,
Calder—either of you.”
“You don’t know that. She could be the same as her sisters. She could be worse for all we know.”
Macro gasped. “That’s blasphemy.”
“I apologize.” Calder’s voice was suddenly as compliant as
Taryen’s. “Forgive me for my misspoken words of my queen. Serving her is
a sacred privilege. I am honored to do whatever need be for the great
mother and our people.”
“I believe you.” Macro huffed. “You suffer the punishment of
training for her without complaint and have done so far longer than
nature ever intended.”
“I do,” Calder said without hesitation. “I will gladly serve her
sisters until my queen is found. Leave this newest sister to us. She
will be well cared for.”
“I thought she might be.” Macro’s voice was still low and
pained. “I ask once again for your permission to speak out against your
mistreatment. I realize I cannot bring those who hurt you to justice,
but I am not bound to blind obedience of them in the queen’s absence
either. Your soul is bound to the great mother. That makes your body as
sacred as hers. I have no problem reminding them you two are to be
cherished, not abused.”
“There is no abuse.” Calder sounded strong and confident, but
Sari could clearly hear the lie in his voice despite his obvious attempt
to hide it. “Serving my queen’s sisters is never anything but divine
pleasure for me.”
“Taryen, I implore you to let me do my job and protect you for
our queen. How can I face her when she is found if I have failed to
protect her most treasured companions?”
“You do your job just fine, Macro.” Taryen’s voice rang with
honesty as clearly as his friend’s had rung with deception. “We’re more
than strong enough to endure for our people while we wait. Your guilt is
unnecessary.”
“I thank the gods that my birth did not deem me a consort. You
both bear more than I can imagine. She’s my blood. We all feel her loss,
but life has been cruelest to you by taking our queen from you. I make
an offering for her return every day just to see you both under her
protection.”
“Do not make an offering for us.” Taryen was still frighteningly
close to Sari, the bed dipping as he rested his hands on it. He studied
her in a way that caused her skin to tingle despite not seeing him to
do it. “Make an offering for our people, who suffer greatly with our
queen gone. The skies have been dark for nearly twenty cycles. She needs
to return home to Calder and I so we can bring sunshine back to our
people by protecting her and dedicating ourselves to her happiness.”
“Gods be blessed. I will gladly make an offering for that. I miss seeing the sun.”
“I do not remember the sun.” A smile sounded in Calder’s tone. “But I think he and I would be great friends.”
“You would,” Macro said. “I will leave you with your charge. Shall I send in the attendants to help?”
“Yes.” Taryen ran a hand tenderly over Sari’s forehead. “She
needs female company if males frighten her. They will offer her
comfort.”
“Of course.” Macro’s voice grew distant as his footsteps echoed
on wood flooring. “I will send them straightaway. Care for the new one.
Protect her.”
Sari’s breathing fell shallow against her will as the sound of a
door opening and closing indicated she was alone with these strangers.
She tried to remind herself of what she had heard, that these two males
were actually the birth consorts to their people’s long-missing queen.
Everyone from the highest-ranking rulers in the Sacred City to the
lowest peasants were aware of these two Rayian males’ special service to
their people as consorts to the queen. Not only were they feared
warriors, ones trained since birth to be deadly in defense of the great
mother, they were also tasked with keeping her sated and content at all
times. When the queen was happy, her people and her planet felt the joy
along with her. One need only look out a window to see that. The skies
had been volatile for as long as Sari could remember. Storms thundered
on a daily basis. Their world and way of life was in jeopardy unless the
queen could be found, because it was obvious wherever she was now made
her miserable and unhappy.
The consorts were rumored to be the most beautiful males in all
of Auroria. Girls whispered behind hands about them, pondering their
good looks and talents with pleasure, which were supposed to surpass
even their legendary skills with a sword. They were a great mystery,
carefully guarded for the queen, prized, but deadly birds kept in the
gilded cage of the Sacred City to await the return of the Rayian female
who reigned supreme over their people.
To say Sari was more than a little nervous to be left alone with
them was a profound understatement. Though she did not think they would
hurt her—they seemed kind enough for such lethal defenders—laying eyes
on one of them would still earn a death sentence.
“You can stop feigning sleep,” Taryen said softly. “Macro is gone now.”
Sari squeezed her eyes shut tighter. She wasn’t certain if
speaking to a queen’s consort was an instant death sentence like laying
eyes on one was, but she was going to have to risk it because of the
situation she found herself in.
“Go away,” she whispered, keeping her voice low just in case. “I
know what you are. Do not think I am unhappy enough to desire certain
death by looking at you.”
“Are you unhappy?” Taryen sounded curious.
“My entire body is black-and-blue. What do you think?” Her eyes
were still squeezed shut tightly in fear of seeing males designed for a
queen’s pleasure only. “I’m a street kid, but even I know I’m forbidden
to look at you.”
“That is a half-truth made up to romanticize something that
isn’t nearly so fantastic as you make it seem. A commoner casting eyes
on us is forbidden, but I doubt one would actually die for it.” Calder
came closer to the bed as a laugh burst out of him. “Besides, you’re
Rayian. The rules do not apply to you. Do you not carry the mark of the
gods on your body?”
Sari did have a marking on her body, one she had always wondered about. “W-what does the mark of the gods look like?”
“It’s the shape of our two moons when they are cresting,” Taryen offered helpfully. “Would you like to see mine to compare?”
The unbidden image of her training with the Order of the Seven Swords rose up in her mind. Sari shuddered. “No, I
do not want to see yours.”
“His markings as a Rayian,” Calder clarified. “You’re one of our
queen’s sisters. Looking at us is not a threat to you, my lady.”
Her finely honed survival skills made her cynical. Despite
hearing the truth of his words, she asked, “Why should I believe you?”
“We’re Rayian males. Do you not think we know our own kind?” Calder asked in amusement.
Against Sari’s better judgment she let her eyes blink open and
got her first look at Taryen leaning over her bed. She caught a glimpse
of dark hair and a bare, muscular male body, but she avoided looking at
his face. Her gaze darted around the room, taking in the opulent
surroundings, which were enough to cause her jaw to go slack.
She had never seen such a beautifully appointed area. Even
spending many cycles of her life catering to the rich had not prepared
her for this. The enormous bedroom was decorated brightly and surrounded
on three sides with large windows. The room was so stunning, even the
dark weather and a fresh storm rumbling in the sky could not take away
from it. She looked up at the ceiling, seeing a beautiful painting of
what she had always imagined a sunny sky would look like, with fluffy
white clouds and a bright sun casting warmth over the countryside. She
wilted, staring at the painting and admiring the large, healthy trees,
green grass, and colorful flowers that all flourished beneath a bright
blue sky and warm sun.
“It’s lovely,” she whispered in awe.
“Yes,” Taryen agreed. “When our queen is returned to us, Auroria
will be like that again. Calder and I will guard her and make her happy
for you, my lady. You will see a real spring day, not a painted one.”
“I would like that.” Sari continued to stare up at the painted
ceiling, admiring the birds flying through the clouds and the sheer
brightness and joy that radiated from the sun casting life over all of
nature. “Do you think she will actually be found?”
“I hope so.” Taryen reached out and touched Sari’s forehead once
more, his large hand cool against her skin. “You have a fever, my lady.
Will you let my lifemate and I care for you?”
“I don’t know,” Sari mumbled, letting her eyes drift closed as
she enjoyed the feeling of his hand against her injured forehead. She
took a calming breath and felt herself reel from the scent in the room.
It was spicy and compelling, filling her with a strange warmth that
rolled over her skin with a shiver. “Perhaps I do have a fever. I feel
unnaturally warm.”
“Mmm,” Taryen hummed, the sound of his voice suddenly hypnotic.
“You need not fear looking at us, my lady. You’re Rayian, blessed and
protected like we are. You belong here in the Sacred City. We’re your
brothers.”
“You can call me Sari,” she corrected, hating that they kept addressing her as someone to serve.
She let her eyes flutter open because the scent in the air had
her feeling light-headed. His voice was so lulling, the comfort of it
was impossible to resist. She frowned, wondering if her fever was
playing tricks on her. The face hovering in her line of vision was too
beautiful to be real. Dark, seductive eyes stared at her in concern. His
hair was black as midnight, curling into silky waves at the base of his
neck. Like Sari’s hair, which was unique for an Aurorian, Taryen’s hair
was streaked, but the thick patches of white blond that ran from his
temples on both sides just made the blue-black hue more startling.
Beyond his magnificent hair, it was his skin that had Sari
gaping at him. It was deeply tan in a way she had never seen before.
“How do you get so dark? You look like the sun has kissed your skin.”
“Artificial light.” A smile tugged at his full lips, which were
inviting in a way Sari had never noticed on a male. “It gives skin color
as the sun would. When you are healed, we’ll show you. Lying in it is
very soothing. It warms you from the inside out. You’ll enjoy it.”
“All right,” she agreed, still admiring his skin, so healthy it
seemed to glow. Sari had never seen an Aurorian with color to their skin
like that. Most were all painfully pale due to the sun being constantly
hidden by storm clouds. She studied Taryen’s face, realizing the rumors
hadn’t been exaggerations. The queen’s consort really was surreally
gorgeous, a perfect male specimen, with a strong jaw, long eyelashes,
and a compelling gaze. “You’re radiant.”
“Thank you, my lady.” He gave her a bright smile, showing off even, white teeth. “As are you.”
“Liar.” She let out a pained laugh as she tried to sit up. She
had to bite her lip to hold back a scream as agony shot through her body
from the effort. “I feel awful, and I probably look worse.”
“The men who did this to you will surely suffer an excruciating
death. I would enjoy watching their agony before they pass over.” Calder
leaned over the bed next to Taryen and tilted his head as he studied
Sari. “Strange as it is, I feel true rage over your injuries, my lady.”
She stared back at him just as curiously and was surprised to
find he was every bit as handsome as Taryen, though in a completely
different way. His hair was a light, sandy blond with streaks of black
running through the sides of it. His skin was also tanned, though it was
a warmer, tawny color, as opposed to the dark olive of Taryen’s skin.
He had broad shoulders, and a cut, muscular body that was rare in its
perfection. But it was his eyes that were awe inspiring—the lightest
shade of blue she had ever seen. It made them stand out starkly against
his tanned skin. Just like Taryen, he was an example of divine male
beauty, and Sari could only gape at the two of them, with their opposing
coloring making them a complete complement to each other in a way she
had never suspected. These two men could have made a fortune for the
Order of Seven Swords. They were easily the most attractive males she’d
ever seen, and she’d seen many.
Calder smiled, raising his eyebrows at her appraisal of him. His
teeth were straight and white, standing out against tanned skin. “She
is very beautiful, even under dirt and bruises. Dare I say she is the
most radiant of the queen’s sisters?”
“I thought the same.” Taryen turned to Calder, his dark eyes
studying his fellow consort silently before his voice became lower,
taking on a more hypnotic sound as he switched languages and whispered,
“I’m drawn to her, Cal.”
Calder met Taryen’s concerned look with one of his own as he said in the same strange language, “As am I.”
Sari forced her features to stare at them blankly rather than
reveal she had a gift for understanding all languages. She never knew
why she could understand all voices regardless of what tongue they spoke
in, but she had learned at a young age to hide the talent or risk
putting herself in danger for being vastly different from others. She
just stared at both men, wondering if perhaps it was a gift all Rayians
had. If she was truly one of them, perhaps they had the same talents as
her, but she couldn’t risk exposing her gift just yet.
Calder whispered to his lifemate, “It has been two nights since I’ve taken the herb.”
“Longer for me.” Taryen’s eyes darted back to Sari. “We should
feel nothing toward her, yet I’m drawn to her—as powerfully as I’m drawn
to you.”
“What language are you two speaking?” Sari cut in, deciding to
find out once and for all if they knew she could understand them or if
she was eavesdropping on a private conversation.
For some reason the hitch in Taryen’s voice when he admitted to
being drawn to Sari as powerfully as he was drawn to Calder left her
uncomfortable. She hadn’t known the consorts were attracted to each
other. That was a secret kept from the Aurorian people. They were led to
believe the consorts exclusively served the queen and desired only her
pleasures, but Calder and Taryen were real lifemates to each other just
like any other Aurorian male couple. It may have not been true of all
consorts in the past, but it certainly was of these two. They stared at
each other like men in love. She swallowed hard against the pulse of
something strangely pleasurable as she admired the two of them looking
at each other lustfully.
She almost felt guilty for ruining the moment but knew they
probably didn’t mean to be so obvious as she clarified, “It’s very
unique. I’ve never heard it before.”
“It’s the queen’s language.” Taryen turned away from Calder to
give her an embarrassed smile. “Only Calder and I speak it. We
apologize. Sometimes we forget ourselves. We know it’s rude to use a
language not understood by others.”
“Only you two speak and understand it?” Sari asked cautiously,
her gaze darting back and forth between them. “No one else in the Sacred
City does?”
“Darin does. He is the surviving consort to the old queen. He’s
the one who taught us.” Calder looked back to Sari. His beautiful,
crystal eyes studied her in a way that left her uncomfortable simply
because his gaze was so intense. “It’s a holy language reserved for the
queen and her consorts so their conversations can always remain intimate
and private. No others understand or speak it.”
“No other Rayians understand it?” Sari repeated, silently
thankful she had not revealed her gift for languages, all languages
apparently, even secret ones reserved for the queen. “I heard a rumor
Rayians knew all languages, that they are so powerful nothing could
escape them.”
“Another rumor, my lady.” Taryen gave her an indulgent smile.
“We’re not as powerful as our queen. We need to work at learning new
languages the same as any other Aurorian. We speak the queen’s language
because Darin was in charge of our care until we reached puberty. We
spoke it exclusively at home for many cycles as he taught us the fine
arts of being a consort.”
“What happened after you reached puberty?” Sari asked in
concern, remembering Macro’s worry over both these men. “Do you not
still see him?”
“We do.” Taryen smiled. “He’s like a father to us. The only one we’ve ever known. We see him nearly every day.”
“But he didn’t care for you as teenagers?”
“No. Once we hit puberty and started releasing pheromones, our
education fell to our queen’s sisters. He is a guide, someone who makes
sure we keep our other skills as consorts honed, but most of our
education is in our sisters’ care now.”
“What do they teach you?”
“How to care for the queen when she returns.” Calder’s voice
became low and hypnotic once more. “How to pleasure her and make sure
all her needs as a female are taken care of. They are kind enough to let
us practice on them.”
“I see,” Sari mumbled, hearing a catch in his speech, something
that betrayed abuse she knew all too well. “I thought you were supposed
to remain pure for the queen.”
“We are pure.” Taryen pulled back as if she had insulted him.
“We just pleasure them. We would never bond with the sisters by entering
them.”
“You can do many things without penetration.” Sari closed her
eyes as dark, horrible images assailed her mind. “Many unpleasant
things.”
“Pleasing our queen’s sisters is never unpleasant. It is always an honor that gives us nothing but happiness.”
“I hear your lie.” Sari tried to sit up more fully, biting back
another groan of pain. “Don’t worry. I won’t betray you. We’re similar
souls. I too know what it’s like to be a slave to others’ passion for
you.”
“You were raped?” Calder questioned. “Macro needs to know that.
The perpetrators need to be punished appropriately. Raping a Rayian
female requires punishment much more agonizing than death.”
“I wasn’t raped,” Sari put in defensively, her voice low and bitter. “I’m
pure too. They never entered me. I never allowed that. I did anything to prevent it—anything.”
“You were violated and abused,” Calder whispered, his breathing
hitching in a way that was surprising. Sari got the impression he cared
very little for Rayian females, yet he was concerned for her as he
reached out and brushed her hair off her forehead. “That’s as bad as
rape. You should have never had to grovel to keep yourself pure. You’re
one of the queen’s sisters. You’re blessed by the gods.”
“So you say,” Sari hissed through the pain. “The point is that I
won’t tell. You can admit that you hate groveling to the other
sisters.”
“She is a similar soul,” Taryen contemplated in the secret
language of the queen, raising his eyebrows as he stared down at Sari
wistfully. “I never thought to find one in a sister.”
“You look like a lovesick fool.” Calder also spoke the secret
language, both of them unaware that Sari was following their
conversation easily. “Stop making yourself so vulnerable.”
“Sorry.” Taryen continued to stare at Sari longingly before he
switched back to traditional Aurorian that rang with the refined accent
of one very well-bred. “Will you let us care for you, my lady? We have
healing waters here in the palace. They will cure your injuries.”
Sari nodded hesitantly. “I will, but I need clothing.”
“To bathe?” Calder asked in amusement.
“Usually, yes. I spent too much time being bare. Now that I’m
free, being naked is something I avoid at all costs.” Sari pulled the
sheets higher around her, feeling her nudity keenly beneath them. “It
leaves you exposed to predators. Have you not learned that?”
“Being vulnerable while bare is a state of mind, not a state of
being,” Calder countered with his eyebrows raised and his light eyes
shining in both understanding and pain. “Besides, we are not predators.
Your will is ours. Harming a sister is impossible for us.”
Sari considered that, her life making her skeptical of any male
claiming to be anything other than a predator. It was curiosity that had
her pushing back the sheets in front of them, exposing her bare body
from the waist up.
Predictably both their gazes fell to her chest, but instead of
lust she saw sadness mirrored in their gazes. “You need the healing
waters,” Taryen whispered in horror. “We didn’t know your injuries were
so severe. Macro should have taken you immediately to the baths.”
“She is quite strong,” Calder mumbled, his eyes growing wider as
he stared at her. “Any other sister would be screaming and crying.”
“What purpose do either serve?”
“You are wise, my lady.” Taryen reached to help her up. “Will you let us aid you?”
“I suppose.” Sari gritted her teeth again. “Where are these attendants Macro was supposed to send?”
“Oh, gods, you distracted us.” Calder jumped up, turning to walk out of the room.
“I trust you, Taryen,” Sari whispered when he leaned down,
wrapping one strong arm around her waist. She gripped his broad
shoulders, steeling herself for what she would have to endure to stand
up. “How far are the waters?”
“The consort baths are private. Just down the hall. You can cry out. We will not judge you.”
“Good to know.”
Sari would have liked to say she endured the pain stoically, but
it would have been a lie. She couldn’t help the cry of pain that
escaped her. Despite Taryen’s soothing presence and his spicy, enticing
scent, which was temptingly distracting, Sari was nearly flat on her
face after a few steps. Her lip bled from how deeply her teeth cut into
it to keep her agony silent. She knew instinctively that her pain was
hurting Taryen as if it were his own, perhaps more so, and she wanted to
protect him from it.
Calder walked back into the room, three female attendants following him. “Come here.”
Sari gasped when he pulled her gently away from Taryen and swept her into his arms as if she weighed nothing to him.
“What’re you doing?” she choked out, the pain still making her vision foggy. “I’m naked.”
Calder rolled his eyes, careless of her being uncomfortable as
he walked out of the room he shared with Taryen and down a long, richly
decorated hallway. Sari should be more concerned with her nudity in such
a public domain, but the pain was making her forget everything. As was
Calder’s scent. Like Taryen, he smelled divine.
“You smell good,” she mumbled, not knowing what it was about
these two males that left her feeling safe to the point that she trusted
them even while naked. She turned her face toward his chest, inhaling
deeply. “Different from your lifemate. His scent is more exotic. Yours
is a clean, crisp scent—both are nice.”
“We wear different scents,” Calder explained, taking long, fast
strides toward his destination, not even sounding winded from her
weight. “The attendants try to use oils they feel suit us.”
“They do a good job,” Sari whispered as she focused on the way
he smelled, his strong arms holding her, his smooth, tanned skin that
felt so good against hers. Calder was an effective distraction from the
pain. “I think I’m attracted to you.”
“Very likely,” Calder agreed matter-of-factly. “Most Rayian females are.”
“You sound unhappy about that.” Sari found him unique as well as
handsome. “Females are rare. Most males would consider themselves lucky
to have such attention.”
“If you say so.” Calder turned around, looking to the attendants
and Taryen behind them. “She’ll need something to dull the pain.”
“We brought it, my lord.”
Sari frowned. “I thought the waters—”
“Trust me on this.” Calder winced. “You want something to dull the pain.”
Sari opened her mouth to argue but was hushed by Calder as the
attendants opened the doors. He carried her into a room that looked like
a large, communal bath. Beautiful pillars and decorative lounge chairs
surrounded a massive pool with sloping sides that would be nice to rest
against in the water.
One of the attendants leaned over Sari as she rested comfortably in Calder’s arms. “For you, my lady.”
Sari blinked up at the young woman, fighting to keep her face in
focus. The scent in the bathing area was aromatic and full of burning
leaves like Taryen and Calder’s room. It was a strangely lulling scent,
and her eyes felt heavy. Despite the fog to her thinking, Sari refused
to open her mouth to the small cup of unknown liquid the pretty
attendant was offering.
“It’ll help your pain. You’re gravely injured,” the attendant coaxed when Sari shook her head, refusing the offering.
“I don’t drink strange substances. It could cloud the mind.”
“It
does cloud the mind,” Taryen assured her as he
brushed her hair tenderly off her forehead. “The waters’ healing is
painful when the injuries are grave. Be thankful you can take it.”
Sari stared at Taryen with his dark, soulful eyes that shone
with empathy. “Will you protect me while my mind is clouded?” she asked,
feeling seduced by his beauty and kind nature. “Will you keep the
predators at bay until I can do it myself?”
“There are no predators here, my lady.” Taryen’s voice was
entrancing. “But if there were, Calder and I would protect you. We’re
well trained to protect the females we serve.”
Sari surprised herself by believing him. She leaned up in
Calder’s arms, stifling a scream and choking down the horrid-tasting
liquid the attendant held to her lips. “It’s awful.”
“Is it?” Taryen asked curiously, his large hand stroking her hair in a way that was calming.
She squinted at Taryen, who became fuzzy around the edges almost instantly. “You’ve never tasted it?”
“Neither of us have.” Calder pushed past Taryen and walked with
Sari toward the pool. “As Taryen said, be thankful you can take it. This
is going to be painful. I apologize in advance.”
“Not your fault.” Sari’s tongue felt thick. The drugs were
obviously doing their job as her eyes grew heavy. “As long as it doesn’t
kill me, I can endure.”
“All right.” Calder waded into the waters with her.
Her feet touched the water first, and she jerked from the
searing burn. Her first instinct was to tell him to stop, but she fought
the urge to flee, wanting her strength back, even if the healing was
agonizing.
“Fast,” she choked, her body stiff not just from the pain but in anticipation of more. “Do it fast. End it now.”
A scream burst out of her when Calder obeyed, dropping down in
the water, plunging her into the steaming pool. Her entire body
convulsed from the level of pain that seared through her.
“He has to obey you. Your will is his.” Taryen jumped into the
waters with them, helping Calder hold on to her as she fought against
the torment that was blinding in its intensity. “Breathe, my lady. Long,
slow breaths. Listen to my voice and the pain will fade.”
“It’s not fading.” Her attempt at long, slow breaths sounded more like hyperventilating. “I’m dying.”
“No, no, you’re not.” Taryen cupped her face with both hands. He
turned her head toward him as she fought to break free of Calder’s
strong grip. “You said you trusted me. Hear me when I say you aren’t
dying. Just look at me and see the truth of my words.”
Sari panted through the pain, her eyes wide and stunned as it
continued to rip through her. She stared at Taryen as instructed,
finding that on some level it did help. His eyes were strangely dark,
with the irises hard to find even in the brightly lit room. She became
entranced, feeling suddenly as if he were some sort of mirage. She
stared for several minutes, following his instructions to take
concentrated breaths in a long, slow manner.
It worked. The pain started to fade faster than anticipated,
though she knew instinctively it was Taryen’s beauty more than his
instructions on how to breathe that was distracting her. He was so
alluring. Taryen almost radiated with something stronger than good
looks. In the distant part of her mind not dazed by drugs and pain, she
recognized an oddly healing vitality that seemed to pulse off him. His
hands on her cheeks felt warm, as if exuding some sort of restorative
life energy.
“The queen is very lucky,” Sari whispered in a heavy voice she
didn’t recognize as her own while she studied Taryen. “I’m attracted to
you.”
“Thank you.” Taryen’s voice was still soft and hypnotic. “Appealing to you pleases me.”
“It should,” she told him, lifting her eyebrows to emphasize her
point. “I’ve never been attracted to a male before. I don’t crave
sex—ever.”
“All Rayian females crave sex.” Calder sounded harsh and cynical. “Give yourself time and you’ll catch on.”
“I never crave it. I never even think of it except to avoid it,”
Sari explained, feeling too hazy and dazed to argue more than that. “I
think it’s you. There’s something strange about both of you.”
“Our life force is bound to the queen,” Taryen explained, his
voice making Sari’s eyelids heavier with its lulling pitch. “We
naturally release a pheromone designed to entice her. It’s very strong.
It appeals to all Rayian females.”
“I don’t understand,” Sari mumbled.
“You don’t have to.” Calder held her tighter, making her feel secure and protected. “It
is us. We apologize if it upsets you. If we could turn it off, we would.”
“It doesn’t upset me.” Sari fell lax in Calder’s arms, and gave
up the battle to keep her eyes open. “It makes me feel sort of nice.”
The water’s healing was no longer painful. It was warm and
calming, much like Calder’s arms around her as he waded over to the
shallower side of the pool. Then he lay back against one of the sloping
sides with her. Taryen’s fingers were still in her hair, stroking it
softly away from her face. She hardly noticed the attendants bathing her
while she lay in a dazed realm of half sleep, with strong, hard arms
shielding her and the smell of burning herbs mixing with the enticing
combination of Calder and Taryen.
Feeling comfortable and safe for the first time in her memory,
Sari fell into an exhausted, drug-induced sleep nothing could disrupt.
Unusual that these two strangers were able to give her that gift when
Sari rarely trusted, but Taryen and Calder didn’t feel like strangers.
The sleep brought a bizarre clarity that told her on some level her soul
knew these males even if they should be completely alien to her.Copyright © Kele Moon
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