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)
I chuckle. "The same way little ones are made anywhere. But most Salorians never appreciate the pleasures of flesh. We are taught that unless you are chosen to be a breeder, you must devote your life and energy to the empire. I was never chosen because my bloodlines were not pure enough. There are high-caste breeders and lower-caste breeders, to ensure that the Salorian people continue. If we relied solely on high-caste breeders, there would not be enough to rule the empire. I was born to a lower-caste breeder and thus my abilities are limited."
"Abilities?"
"Mmm. Mind-speech and command." I leave it at that. I don't want her to ask too many questions. "I was a general in the Salorian army. That was my duty. To rule over the drakoni troops and keep them in control. I was doing that when the Rift opened and swallowed us through."
She gives me a thoughtful look. "I guess I don't have to ask if you left anyone behind."
I snort. "No. No one. I do remember I was enamored with the drakoni queen when I was a stripling male. She was a very beautiful female, with a lovely smile. I don't think she was very drakoni, though. She did not live in the wild as they did. She lived amongst my people, and they trotted her out in front of the drakoni to…" I stop myself, because I cannot tell her the truth. That she lived amongst us as a hostage, a figurehead to keep the enslaved drakoni troops in line. The carrot dangling before the stick, as the humans say.
"To?" she asks.
"To lead celebrations," I finally say. "She was mostly ceremonial. Very lovely, though." I cup Melina's backside. "Not nearly as lovely as you."
My mate chuckles. "Good save." She smiles up at me, her expression dreamy. "You miss it? Your home?"
I consider. "Sometimes I miss it. I miss the beauty of the land. The red and gold deserts, the cliffs and mesas, and the brilliant sunsets. The warmth of it all. Your world is actually cold to me." I feel her chuckle, and it makes my mouth curve up in a reluctant smile of my own. "I think of the graceful, elegant buildings and how clean the streets were and how good everything smelled there. The gardens full of flowers. The politeness of the people. It's nothing like here."
"This world used to be better," Melina says in a soft voice. "I hope we can get back there someday."
"As far as I'm concerned, this world is already better because you are in it."
She sits up, frowning at me.
I blink. "What?"
"For a man that grew up in a sterile culture, that was a shockingly romantic thing to say." Melina's frown changes to a smile and she settles back down against me. "I'd say you're wanting to get laid, but you just did."
My hand squeezes her buttock. I could squeeze her here all day and all night. Just lie here, squeezing her backside over and over again, until they pry her from my corpse. "You have so little faith in my stamina."
"Then prove me wrong," she purrs, and her hand slides to my cock.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
MELINA
I'm still in a great mood weeks later. The sun is shining, this morning's breakfast was delicious and less extravagant, and Azar kissed me senseless before letting me head out for the clinic. The bugs are still everywhere, the cases of sickness less frequent now that Azar is trading food for goods. Not everyone trusts him, but we're making progress.
I'm…happy.
Mostly happy, anyhow. Azar's nightmares wake him up every night. He jerks from sleep, bellowing in terror every time.
It's trying to talk to me, he tells me. It's trying to get into my mind. We have to find an answer soon.
He hasn't slept much lately, but by morning, he's back to his normal self, reassuring me that all is well and there's nothing to worry about this day. That as long as we can see nothing coming through the Rift, we're safe a little longer. And then he kisses the heck out of me until I forget to ask more questions. That's Azar's way of dealing with difficult things—distraction. I get it, but at the same time, I worry. But Azar reassures me that Rachel and Gwen will both have their children reasonably soon, and another drakoni took a female—a woman named Jenny—from the barracks and claimed her as his. If Jenny gets pregnant, the swift gestation of drakoni babies will mean another child born by the end of the year.
Maybe that will be enough. I don't know, but Azar seems hopeful, and so I cling to his hope. I can't live in terror, so I choose to be happy this morning. I'm smiling as I head toward my clinic, wearing one of my typical gowns because they please Azar (and me too, if I'm being honest).