Did he want to give himself to her? Did he long to serve and protect her not because it was his job but because his altered DNA and training were making him long for it?
Need to be careful, he told himself, turning over in the narrow cot he had set up outside her bed chamber door. He normally didn’t sleep so close but considering the fact that two attempts had been made to drug her, he felt it was better to be nearby, in case whoever it was decided to try a more direct approach. Need to watch your feelings—be sure you’re not going too deep.
But how deep was too deep? Some might say that holding the curvy little female on his lap and letting her kiss him and milk his fangs for his essence was going much too far. But how could he stop when he’d promised to give her his immunity to poisons, which could only be gained by repeating the process numerous times?
Already he could feel his shaft hardening in his trousers at the thought of doing it again—of feeling her slight weight on his thighs, pressing against him as she kissed him, darting her soft, sweet little tongue around his fangs while she rubbed herself against him…
Stop it! Ty lectured himself sternly. Stop thinking of her that way. You’re only here to protect her. Not…do anything else.
As if he would—or could. It was clear from what she’d told him tonight that the Chorkay had an already proscribed plan laid out for Ellina’s mating—one that didn’t involve an off-worlder commoner. And their plan was designed for one thing only—to impregnate her with an heir. A perfect little girl who had the Sacred Blue skin, like her mother.
But Ty didn’t like to think of what was supposed to happen to Ellina in order to get that perfect child. From the way she’d described it, the Chorkay idea of sexual intimacy was little better than rape. The idea that sweet, innocent Ellina should be subjected to such roughness was unbearable. Even the thought of some male taking her that way—“battering” inside her as she had put it—while she cried out in pain made his hands curl into fists and a low growl rise in his throat.
Easy, Ty tried to tell himself. You’re getting too involved. That’s the way they do things here! It’s the local custom.
But it didn’t matter what he told himself—he didn’t like the idea of anyone doing such things to Ellina. And, local customs or not, he didn’t think he could stand by and see her abused in that way.
Well, hopefully he wouldn’t have to, he consoled himself. As Ellina had said, her Heat Cycle might be a long way off. He would probably be gone back to the Mother Ship by the time she felt the need to be “bred.”
At least Ty hoped so. Because the thought of the curvy little female he was beginning to care much more than he should for being put into that position was more than he could bear.
Chapter Twelve
The next morning Ellina was up a dawn, going over documents and matters of policy with various ministers. It seemed now she was Potentate, the paperwork never stopped. At last, however, they left her alone and she breathed a sigh of relief. She was going to have a leisurely lunch in her apartments before she had to get ready to go to the much-dreaded Holy Mists, she decided. It would relax her and put her in a better frame of mind for what was certain to be an ordeal.
But just as she was sitting down to a lovely repast of hot hondel-paste sandwiches and bindle weed soup, all cooked exactly to her liking, the captain of the Kindred guard stuck his head in the door and announced,
“My Lady, his Eminence the High Priest of Thufar and Baron Hennessey Tolland are here to pay you a visit.”
“Oh, really? Now?” Ellina groaned, before she could stop herself. This was the first spare minute she’d had to herself all day and she was longing to enjoy it! Now she would have to spend her lunch hour not only with the pompous Lord Kikbax but also her old nemesis, Hennessey Tolland—the very same boy who had tricked her and bragged about kissing “the freak” when she was younger.
Still, it didn’t seem like such visitors could be sent away or denied. Especially not the High Priest, who would no doubt cause no end of trouble if he felt she’d slighted him in any way.
Ellina wished at least that she had Ty here for comfort. But after tasting her food and drink carefully, he had nodded his approval and gone off to do some training maneuvers with her new Chorkay guards, which he had handpicked himself.
“You’ll be fine and safe as long as you stay in your apartments, my Lady,” he’d told her, when she’d asked him to stay for lunch. “I must take this opportunity to check the progress of your new personal guard. I want to be certain they’re perfect before I leave you to go back to the Mother Ship.”
Ellina didn’t tell him that the thought of him leaving made her heart fist in her chest—although it certainly did. She was afraid she was becoming rather more fond of her Kindred bodyguard than was absolutely proper. So instead, she had nodded her head regally and bid him go.
Now, however, as the High Priest and Baron Hennessey Tolland were ushered into her dining room, she wished she’d asked him to stay. This meeting would be so much more tolerable if only she had his presence at her back, looming over the other two males menacingly and letting them know she was not to be tampered with.
Still, she had power in her own right, Ellina reminded
