Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 117336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
A Salorian shows his vulnerabilities to no one.
Melina joins me again for dinner, her hair mussed and her dress limp from sweat. It's been a warm day, if all the human chatter is to be believed, but the heat does not trouble me. The deserts of my world are scorching, and this reminds me of home. The servants offer to come in and fan me through dinner, but I decline. I eat the delicious human food and watch Melina, but she has no inclination to chat through dinner. She simply shovels food into her mouth with grim determination, finishes quickly, and then leaves.
I am irked.
But I let her have this show of defiance. I am taming a glorious creature, after all. I cannot expect her to be eating from my hand the first day. Where is the challenge in that? I like her spirit, and I have no wish to break it. So I give her time alone, retreating to my library with candles when it grows too dark to read by natural light. When it is time to retire, I head to my quarters.
Melina is there, waiting for me. She is not in the bed this time, nor does she wear the flimsy little sheath she wore last night. Instead, the bed is freshly made, the sheets perfect. The window is open, the ugly metal shutters pulled back and she gazes out at the stars. The moment I enter, she gets to her feet and gestures at the window. "It was stuffy in here, so I opened that. I hope it's all right."
I shrug, eyeing her clothing. She's still fully dressed.
She licks her lips, approaching me. "Last night was a mess. I was upset, and I didn't know what you wanted, and I think we both got off on the wrong foot." Her expression is calm as she comes to stand before me. "So…you tell me what you want from me and I'll do it."
Like a servant. She will service me because she has to. And just like the dinner from before, she will make it as quick as possible because she cannot hide her distaste at being in my presence. I hide my displeasure at the thought. "I should like for us to sleep in the same bed. It will please the people to see that my consort and I share a bed, like other couples do."
"O-kay," she says, drawing out the word. "What about…touching?"
"I told you. I want your willingness. If I do not have it, I am not interested." I drop my robe to the floor and get into the bed. "Goodnight."
I can practically feel her confusion vibrating in the air. I close my eyes and fold my hands on my chest, the blankets loose at my waist. I normally sleep on top of them, but this is another human thing I am learning to do, just like using a fork. I close my eyes, projecting calm, and all the while, I pay attention to her. I listen to the slither of her garments as she moves across the floor. The swish of clothing as she changes into something new, and the sag of the bed as she climbs into it. The blankets shift, and then she gets under them, and goes still. Her scent is in my nose, enticing and sweet, her body close enough that I could just get on top of her…but I meant what I said.
I am not interested in breaking her to my will. I want her as majestic as she is…but on my side.
We continue in such a manner for several days.
Every night, we share a meal. Most of the time it is in silence. Every time I attempt to speak to her, she rebuffs me, eating as quickly as she can before rising to go bathe and then change into her bedclothes. When we both retire to sleep, it is in the same bed, but on separate sides. It is all part of the plan. I want her to become used to my presence. I want her to find my nearness and my presence as part of her normal day. That we are companions. She will eventually settle in, and then I can press for more.
In the meantime, I set other plans in motion. I watch my men closely, and there are a few I have selected as more clever, more loyal, more eager to please than the rest. I call four of them in one morning and invite them to eat with me. The staff sets out a banquet of food and the men give me wary looks, not eating. They look uneasy, and I bite back a flash of annoyance at how difficult it is to read humans sometimes. I gesture at the food, taking another piece of bread onto my plate even though I ate a short time ago with Melina. "If you are not hungry, I will tell the cooks to distribute this food to the barracks. Otherwise, you should eat."