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“I have a new gown for you, but the dressing will have to go fast. The sun is setting, and you are due for dinner in twenty minutes, including walking time.”

“Let’s do this then. You get the gown, and I will get out of my clothing.”

With their assignments set, Ari removed the sleeves from her arms, and she carefully removed her blouse up and over her head. Not snagging on the headdress was the tricky part, but she got it off and shucked out of her skirt.

The breast band was all that she wore now, and when Nexica held the gown out and jerked her head, Ari removed it as well.

The gowns of Hredu were always wrapped. The headdresses that the women wore excluded the possibility of the gown going over the head. Stepping into one meant that a woman had a maid on hand to assist her. It was a class situation, and while she worked for a living, Ari was in the emperor’s household and she got the instant status of a lady of the court.

The gown was dark red, heavy silk and fastened on with a series of latches and strings until it fit snugly from her armpits to the top of her hips. The catches were covered with a gauzy silk wrap that wound around and around to hide them.

Nexica was sweating and swearing as she got Ari into the black slippers that matched the gown.

“Done. You are ready.” Nexica was sitting on the floor and breathing hard. “I am going to kill that dress designer.”

“You did an amazing job.”

A three-panel mirror showed her that she appeared striking. Nexica got a gold mask on a stick and handed it to her. “Just for the hallways.”

“Thank you, Nexica. I really mean that.” She squeezed Nexica’s hand with a smile.

“I would accept your thanks if you got going and arrived on time.” Nexica winked. “Lady.”

Her maid bowed low, and Ari knew when she was dismissed.

Chuckling, she left the empress’s rooms, moved through the central causal space, and when she was a hand’s breath from the door, it opened to show Captain Kredik. “Are you ready?”

She put the mask over her face. “When you are.”

Four imperial guards supported two of her keepers and the good captain. They walked her through public areas and to a private dining room.

Usorn was waiting for her as she stepped through the door. “You are late.”

“By how much?” she lowered the mask.

He shrugged and smiled. “Forty-five seconds.”

She chuckled. “My fault. I threw a shoe. I hit Captain Kredik in the back of the head with it.”

“You are joking.”

She held up her hand and walked to the door, “Captain?”

He came in and his shoulders were shaking.

“Turn around, please.”

The clear impact mark was on the back of his glossy helmet.

“Thank you, Captain Kredik.” She patted him on the shoulder, and he left the room, closing the door behind him.

She approached the emperor, and she bowed low. “Good evening, Emperor Usorn.”

He sighed and closed the distance between them. “Stand up, Ariadne.”

She rose, and he swooped down for a kiss. She dropped her mask and wrapped her arms around his waist, holding on tight.

Ari felt herself rise, and she moved her arms to support her against his shoulders. His lips curled against hers, but she didn’t care. He could dangle her upside-down; she was just relieved that he was out of his mood. After a delightfully thorough greeting, he leaned back and set her on her feet again.

“You really are not afraid of me.” There was wonder in his tone.

“Why would I be?”

“You saw what I did earlier. I could do that to you now.”

“I could stab you in your sleep. Just because a person can cause you injury does not mean that they will. Even the assassins that you splattered were only killed because they were there to kill me.”

She stroked his cheek and smiled. “If you are not afraid of sleeping next to me, then there is nothing you can do to instil fear in me.”

“It seems you are trying to set some of that fear in me.” He grinned and pressed his cheek into her hand.

“Yes, well, if I had known that you sought me out specifically, you may have been in danger far earlier.”

He gave her an innocent look and took her arm, leading her toward a table set for two. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Right. There were thirty-two more-qualified scribes in the area. Why did you choose me?”

He held her chair out for her and settled himself at the chair next to her. “Who told you?”

“It doesn’t matter. Why me?”

He narrowed his eyes in an attempt at intimidation. She didn’t fall for it.

“Fine. Your genetic pattern was compatible, and like the women in my family before you, you are inheritance neutral or a class zero. It is the prime characteristic that my family looks for in a bride.”

That was a surprise.

“Oh.”

He tilted his head. “You seem disappointed.”

“I guess I am. I thought it was something different.”

“That I fell in love with your looks? There are many women of great beauty on Hredu. You were different.”

She kicked him under the table.

He jumped and laughed. “I didn’t mean that. You were attractive enough by my standards, but your mind and task fixation were characteristics that I wanted in my offspring. It takes a great deal of focus to wield the kind of energy that my mind produces, and your mind has the kind of structure that would make the process easier.”

“You wanted me for my mind.” She nodded and looked around for something to hit him with.

“I did, though the body that it comes with is amazingly hypnotic.” He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the palm.

“You are digging yourself out of the hole…slightly.” She grimaced.

He drew a pattern on her skin with his tongue, and she shivered.

When the servers arrived to bring in the food, he didn’t let go of her hand, but he did press a final kiss to her palm and held her hand on the table for any of the servers to see.

Ari had never done anything to elicit gossip before, but she sensed that behind the scenes, the buzzing would be tremendous.

She was forced to eat her meal with one hand, which was more difficult than it had to be. Usorn just wouldn’t let go.

“Since we are here off the books, so to speak, I still don’t have a contract for working here.”

He paused. “Do you want a contract?”

“That was the idea. I was supposed to outline my duties here so that I didn’t go wild doing everything that I could think of.”

“Oh, is that all? We can draw one up this evening.”

She was relieved. “I do better with boundaries and limitations.”

He smiled and kissed the back of her hand. “I can respect that.”

Five courses were served, and when they left the dining room, she was swinging the mask and humming absently.

“So, Emperor Usorn, why don’t you need more guards than I do?”

“Because, Scribe Longway, my life is not in danger. Yours is and it will be until I wed and have an heir.”

She blinked. “Why is that a thing?”

“When there is an heir, there will be proof of continuation of my bloodline. That will ease things as it does in every royal family around the world, or the universe for that matter.”

“Why did you look for a Terran?”

He smiled. “The Guardians have a network, and your species was spoken of highly when it came to being able to handle psychically inherited traits. The women that volunteer to leave your world also have more of a strength of character than many of those who are raised on other worlds.”

She quirked her lips. “I come from a culture that moved away from their homes over and over until they could find a place to make their own. Their methods were not always pleasant and they created lasting scars on our society, but they did something that their people had not done before. Throwing themselves into the void, even if it was on their own world.”

He grinned. “Much as my ancestor did when he reshaped his world. No one had thought to do it before, and no one else was willing to take the risk. It is a heavy inheritance, but my family has managed to bear it.”

They were at the imperial apartments, the doors opened at Usorn’s mental touch and closed behind them again.

Before she could do anything, Usorn had her backed up against the wall, and his hands were pulling the pins free of her hair, removing the wrapped headpiece and freeing her hair for him to pull the smaller pins.

Her locks unravelled down her back, and he sighed and buried his fingers in her hair.

“I am guessing you like the hair.” She quirked her lips.

He tightened his hands into fists and pulled her head to his. He grazed her lips with his teeth. “Yes, it is one of your more fascinating attributes.”

Ari enjoyed the sting of his teeth, but as he worked his way down her neck, her clothing began to unravel.

“It took Nexica forever to get me into the dress.”

He grinned. “She did not design it.”

The wrap slipped to her feet, and she felt the connections part and surrender to him as his mind undressed her.

“Cheater.”

He chuckled and knelt to bury his face between her breasts. “You say that a lot.”

“You cheat a lot.” She shivered and tangled her hand in the crest of his hair.

He suckled hard at her breast, flicking the nipple with his tongue before drawing back. Her knees buckled, and she held tight, but he suddenly stiffened and stood up.

“Damn it.”

He pressed his hand to his ear and he growled. “Acknowledged. Fall is on the way.”

She realised what had happened, and she crouched, picking up her gown and slipping it over her shoulders. “Duty calls?”

He nodded. “A skirmish between three kings. I am sorry.”

She swallowed. “Don’t be sorry, go and come back. I will work on that contract. I don’t think I will get much sleep.”

He sighed, kissed her sweetly and stroked one hand down her body. When he withdrew, she felt hot and cold at the same time. He walked into his room and stripped off, putting on a form fitting suit. A few moments later, he was out the balcony doors and flying toward the moon to a ship hovering in the distance.

Ari shook her head and found her kit, writing her contract out, trying to be as fair as possible.

When it was done, she left it on her desk and crawled into the empress’s bed. Worry over what Usorn was up to eventually faded and she fell asleep.

Being tucked into a cold bed was enough to wake her up. “Usorn?”

“Yes, Ariadne. Home and safe.” He crawled into bed next to her and wrapped her in his arms.

She turned to him and bent her leg to slide it up his thigh. “You are so cold.”

“I have been outside, darling.” He kissed her neck and caressed her waist.

“You are warming up quickly.”

“You have that effect on me.”

He stroked his fingers between her thighs, and when he found her hot and wet, he shuddered.

He rolled her to her back and moved until he was between her thighs. He lapped at her, and when he obviously enjoyed what he found, he lifted her buttocks in both hands and raised her to his mouth.

She had never felt devoured before, but her breathing increased in violence until a low, groaning wail broke from her. Her body was one entire pulse and Usorn was controlling it.

When he finally ceased the slick pressure of his tongue, he rolled her to her stomach, tucked a pillow under her hips and placed the head of his erection against her.

His weight bore him inside, and she was still slick from the attentions of his tongue, so he eased into her.

She felt the heat of his chest against her back, and he ran his hands over her again and again, as he rocked in to the hilt. When he began to thrust in earnest, she flexed her hands in the bedding and pressed against him as best she could.

The deep penetration and pounding heat ran through her, pushing her up and back against him as he slid into her.

He gripped her shoulders and held tight as he shouted his release. Ari was so close, but she may as well have been back on Earth for all the good it would do.

To her surprise, after he had stilled, he stroked the nape of her neck and his phantom hands ran over her, the cool-hot touch moved on her clit, slid into her ass and stroked her breasts.

Her tense senses overloaded as every erogenous zone she had sparked and flared at the same time. Her body flared with flames as she choked out a cry and lost herself to her release.

When she managed to return to herself, he had withdrawn from her and was cuddling her against him. He pressed soft kisses to her face and smiled. “I do so love your climaxes. You hold nothing back.”

She was still dazed. “Should I?”

He stroked her neck and kissed her again. “Never. I want to hear a thousand versions of the song, and then, I want to revisit my favourites over and over.”

Usorn ran his fingers between her breasts and flattened his hand against her belly. “Sleep, Ariadne. We will go over your contract when you wake.”

She didn’t need to be told twice. She was out in a dozen heartbeats.

It wasn’t Nexica’s blunt demands that woke her. A strong hand rubbed her back slowly and eased her into waking.

“There you are.” Usorn smiled at her.

She blinked and shoved her hair out of her way. “Oh. Am I late?”

“You will have the day off. This looks like it will require another draft.” He nodded his head at his lap, and she saw the lap desk, the vivid purple ink and the pen that he was using.

Ari sat up. “What are you doing?”

“I am rewriting the contract. I am the emperor. I can do that, you know.”

She rubbed her eyes and scowled. “Why? It was a fair contract.”

“To me, not to you. You shorted yourself and demanded much in this contract. I will not have it.”

He handed her the revised document.

She read it, paled and read it again. “This says you want to marry me.”

“I do.”

“Why?” she blinked and rubbed her eyes again.

“You really do not wake up well.”

She made a face. “Nexica’s bath usually gets me up and running, with outrage if nothing else. I have to admit, she is thorough.”