I slipped out of bed and found my silk negligee hanging on the back of a chair—right where he’d left it. I looked back at his slumbering form and felt the ache he created between my legs. Each step hurt a little but it was okay because it reminded me of him and our time together.
I turned the key in the lock. I worried the click might wake him and was relieved when it hadn’t. Then I slipped the door open and shut it behind me.
I took my time heading back to my room. I had a cocky sway and a swagger in my walk. I felt like whistling.
The castle was silent, though I knew the guards might make regular patrols of the hallways. And I was still wandering around wearing the same silk negligee. Why didn’t I just grab his robe? Because I was still glowing from our long night of lovemaking.
Is that what we’d done? Made love? If we had, it was the most aggressive brand of love available on the market.
I let him pummel me into oblivion the first two times we had sex. I knew what he needed and I was more than willing to give it to him. But the third time was my time.
He watched me, enthralled, as I rode him hard. He braced my hips and angled himself so I could drive him as deep as possible.
When I finally brought him to his climax, he lay back and let me do it for him, coaxing every last drop from him.
Delicious.
I got to my room and shut the door behind me. It was dark, so I switched the lights on to make sure the room was empty. I was still a little perturbed from discovering a Changeling in my palace room. They were slimy, slippery creatures.
I leaned inside the bathroom but found nothing there either. I flicked the lights off and got in bed. It was cool against my skin. I reached over and patted the empty half of the bed. Where he should have been.
Right beside me.
I regretted leaving him. But until we both understood what this relationship was it was better for us to be careful. Especially since I would be gone soon.
The communicator.
I needed to check it. The Changelings might have sent me instructions on how I was supposed to get home.
I crawled out of bed and reached under the mattress.
I had three new messages:
MEET IN TRAINING YARD AT 2 AM
I gulped and checked the time in the tiny screen’s corner. It was 2:40.
Shit.
I checked the next message:
WHERE ARE YOU?
It’d been sent at 2:10 AM.
At about that time, I was furiously grinding against Kal. But I doubted they wanted to know about that.
The final message said:
COME BY 3 AM OR DEAL IS OFF
Now my heart raced. I grabbed the dressing gown and put it on. I moved to the window and peered down at the wide-open expanse of the miniature training yard. I couldn’t see anyone down there. Maybe they were inside the main building?
I quickly typed a message:
WAS ASLEEP - COMING NOW
The Changelings weren’t the most understanding of creatures. I wondered how I was going to be punished for being late to one of their meetings. I ground my teeth and edged back out the door.
The castle was silent as I crept through the empty halls and standing suits of armor. I doubted it would matter how long I lived in this castle. There would always be a new hallway left to explore, new treasures, and items unique to the Titan culture to uncover. I made a mental note of my location so I could come back here again.
If I ever got to return.
I’d completed my mission. I expected to head home soon.
That made me both happy and sad.
When I reached each corner, I paused and listened for the tap of nearby feet and rattling armor of the guards. The smart thing to have done was ask Kal how the guards conducted their patrols, then I wouldn’t have to be constantly on alert.
I’d have to remember for the next time I was recruited by an alien race to spy on their recently vanquished foe. Somehow, I doubted I would get to sharpen my spying skills in the future.
There were moons in the night sky but they were dim. Most of the light came from the host planet. Big and bright, it was far brighter than Earth’s moon. It flooded the world with red light. It looked eerie and more than a little alien to my eyes.
The training yard seemed like a strange place to meet until I realized it was probably the closest they could get to the castle without setting off the guards that patrolled along the walls.
I reached the outer courtyard where the training yard was housed. The guards paused in their march along each wall. They were not difficult to make out. Their touches flashed as they turned around and headed back the way they had come. All I had to do was wait for them to make another turn and I could dash toward the building in the center.
I took a deep breath and waited. The moment their torches swung around, I stole across the open ground. The dirt was hard-packed by thousands of footsteps. My slipper made a soft noise but even that was louder than I’d like.
I reached the building. It was not made of stone like the rest of the castle but fallen timbers. I pressed my back to it just as the guards made another about-face.
I felt for the door and gently eased it open—just enough for me to squeeze through. I shut it so gently I might have been handling a newborn.
If they caught me, what excuse was I going to come out with?
That I was sleepwalking?
Yes, that sounded good. I would do my best to look as sheepish as I
