Shattered Stars (10 page)

Her new friend
leaned forward. “Explain it, and I will see if I can help out.”

Hannah
explained her idea, and Szriata’s eyes widened before she burst out
laughing. “That would definitely be one for the records. You would
need to practice that, just so your movements were right for the
costume.”

“Should I ask
Mero about it?”

Szriata stuck
out her hand. “No! You won’t know the response until he sees it, so
a dry run is definitely warranted. We will arrange things with your
seamstress this afternoon.” Her dance master grinned.

“And the
jeweller. This is going to be fun.”

Hannah stood in
place as the last touches were put on her trial costume for the
first night of the Hmrain gathering.

Jiita leaned
back and blinked. “It sounded mad when I heard of it, but it is
actually quite stunning.”

Hannah looked
at the other servants and the artist who had painted her, and she
sighed. “Now, I just need to know what Mero thinks.”

Dk’ket came in
and paused, her mouth open. “Lady, you look stunning.”

Hannah looked
at herself in the mirror and had to admit she would make an
impression.

Her body was
painted silver with constellations picked out in deep blue. Her
back wore the design of the constellation containing Earth, and her
front was Mero’s domain. Blue lines and wings made patterns on her
arms and wrists. Rings had been painted into place, and she was
decorated from collarbone to toes, with a chain skirt covering her
groin but leaving the rest of her exposed.

“Is it time for
dinner?” The dressing had taken hours.

“It is,
lady.”

She thanked the
women who had worked on her and pattered out of the bedroom and
down the hall. Her hair was confined with a crown of chain with
silvery strands lying along her hair. The chains around her hips
clashed gently with every step.

Mero was
reading his daily reports as he did every night. She entered the
dining room, and he looked up; a moment later, the data screen in
his hand cracked.

His voice was
low and rough, “Hannah, what are you wearing?”

“I thought this
would be appropriate for the first night of the Hmrain
gathering.”

He was staring
at her as if he couldn’t decide if he wanted to cover her or devour
her.

She walked up
to him, the chains swaying. “So, as I will be representing you, I
thought it would be a good idea to get your opinion of this method
of dress. What do you think?”

“Dress is an
overstatement. Turn for me.”

She lifted
slightly on her toes and turned in front of him with elegant
slowness. Her time with Szriata had paid off.

“What is the
purpose of this?”

She took his
hand and placed it on her shoulder. “The idea is that I am yours,
and anyone who tries to touch me will leave a mark, and I will mark
them.”

He lifted his
hand and smiled at the paint. “It washes off?”

“Oh yes. Very
easily.” She leaned in until her lips were an inch from his. “I was
just wondering if you thought that it conveyed the right idea about
me.”

She flicked her
gaze to his, and he was sitting so tensely, he was vibrating.

She closed the
distance and licked his lips, slowly and with deliberate focus to
gaining his cooperation. He bent his head toward her, and she
locked her lips with his, deepening the kiss quickly and whimpering
at the days of frustration that she had dealt with.

When his hand
cupped her head, she groaned in relief. The next moment he had
lifted her to the table, spread her thighs and opened her sex to
the one part of her that she hadn’t painted. He tongued her, and
she rocketed toward a climax, holding back as long as she could
until he stroked her clit with his fingers while his tongue ravaged
her.

She screamed
and clutched at the edge of the table as her body bucked against
his tongue. She continued low, panting cries while he licked and
sucked every ounce of her orgasm from her.

Just when she
thought it was over, she felt her blood warming again.

He flipped her
over, and her belly was pressed to the cool surface of the table.
She gripped the table tightly as he worked into her pussy, and a
squeak came from her lips when his retractable appendage worked its
way into her ass.

He didn’t
thrust, he never did, but both impaling objects twisted inside her,
and she gasped, twisted and clung to the table while he tortured
her.

When her orgasm
struck, she let out a strangle noise followed by a keening cry that
went on and on. He whispered encouragement in a gruff tone. “Keep
on, give it all to me.”

She shuddered
again as aftershocks gripped him in slow, luxurious pulses.

She moaned low,
and he continued to twist and surge inside her.

He withdrew
from her slowly, turned her to her back and moved between her
thighs again. He slid into her, and she took him easily.

He stroked a
hand between her breasts and then used his fingers to knead and
pull at her breasts and nipples. She was already more stunned than
tired, but her body had been denied, and it was eager to play
again.

With her
nipples sharply alert and eager for more play, she arched her back
toward him.

He gripped her
hips and pulled her into his lap, holding her head with one hand to
bring her in for his kiss.

She moaned as
his tongue slid along hers; they tangled, and he mimicked the
motions of the thick column of his cock churning inside her.

Hannah held
onto him, caressing his chest, his belly, his arms, anything she
could reach. She left trails of the silvered paint all over him,
and she didn’t care.

Her body was
rocketing toward another orgasm as the slow twist rubbed all the
nerve endings that were interested in her release.

She fed at his
lips, moaning and whimpering as she sought more. He gave her what
she asked for, slipping a hand between them and squeezing her
breasts, giving the tiny bit of pain that heightened the pleasure
swamping her.

His stroking
and squeezing of her breasts and nipples, the twist of the thick
column of his cock inside her and the wild kisses that drove her
higher culminated in her jerking against him with her mouth open on
a silent scream with stars bursting behind her lids. Darkness
swallowed her and she was happy to go.

Light kisses
feathered her eyelids, and she opened her eyes to find Mero
smiling. “So, you do have some affection for me after all.”

She laughed.
“This was how you can tell?”

“That you would
display yourself so vulnerably and wear my marks on you. It shows
that you take my pride to heart. It is a good sign.”

“I did miss
you. This was my way of getting you to make the first move, so I
didn’t feel silly.”

He laughed.
“So, instead, you are nearly naked in my lap, and you still have to
have dinner.”

She blushed.
“Dk’ket has seen worse.”

“Not recently.
You are very circumspect. Well, you were until today.” He stroked
her cheek.

“I saw it in a
vid once, and it seemed like the best way to make an impression.
Unfortunately, the side effect is that the silver is all over
you.”

He nodded. “I
know. It makes me want to start all over again and see how many of
those designs I can smudge.”

She blinked and
bit her lip. “I didn’t intend it as a challenge.”

“No, but for my
brethren, it will be a taunt.” He kissed her softly and whispered
against her lips. “It’s perfect.”

As Mero’s companion,
she was considered the lady of the manor when it came to greeting
their guests.

The new dress
she was wearing was formfitting without being indecent, and it made
every movement she made a dramatic flutter.

She stood at
Mero’s side as his family arrived for the meeting that would take
up the rest of the month. Hannah had been briefed. She was not to
leave her patron’s side while his relatives were present. She
wasn’t a living being, she was food.

Szriata landed
a skimmer full of her siblings outside the front gates, and the
flightless ones walked toward them.

Seven females
were outnumbered by the sixteen males flying toward them. It was an
oddly attractive swarm.

The wings were
in an astonishing variety, as were the physical appearances of the
incoming Hmrain. They were all lovely and compelling; their
designers had obviously held aesthetics in high regard.

Mero whispered,
“Are you ready?”

“Am I
dressed?”

He chuckled.
“You are.”

“Then I am
ready.” She smiled and then schooled her face into passive
lines.

She was
relieved when Szriata made the introductions, and Hannah met women
who made her question her own sexual orientation. The Hmrain women
were stunning. Feminine, differing shapes and curves, but all
oozing grace and good nature.

The women took
her hands one by one, and she inclined her head with each
introduction.

The men lined
up to greet their brother, and when the ladies had cleared her and
stepped to the sides, Mero introduced his brothers one by one.

Each male took
her hands and kissed them. A few used tongue. Hannah had been
warned, so she stood, smiled and didn’t jerk her hands back.

The men she was
looking at were ice, fire, shadows, starlight and over a dozen
other colourations, but the wings fell into three categories. The
wings on them were either dragonfly style, the bat wings like
Mero’s or eagle wings.

They addressed
her as Lady, which was appreciated, but when they entered the
courtyard and headed for the ballroom where a conference table had
been set up, she carefully wiped her hands on her dress.

Mero laughed
and kissed her quickly before following his siblings into his home.
It was time to begin discussions of planetary and star-system
management.

Hannah stood at
his side for hours until Dk’ket waved at her and informed her it
was lunchtime. She bent and whispered in his ear. “Please excuse
me.”

Mero turned,
wrapped a hand around the back of her head and pulled her in for a
kiss. Her cheeks heated as his slow exploration of her mouth was
done in full view of twenty-three pairs of very interested
eyes.

She was stiff
for a few moments, and then, she surrendered, sliding into his lap
and wrapping her arms around his neck.

The council of
Hmrain waited while they kissed. When Mero finally lifted his head,
she was a little dizzy, but her smile was wry.

“See you later,
Hannah.” He stroked her hip.

“Yes, sir.”

He boosted her
to her feet, and she nodded to those assembled before escaping.

Out in the
hall, she exhaled with a gust, expecting to hear laughter, but
instead, there was an urgent question-and-answer session, all
revolving around how many of her species there were.

Hannah shrugged
and headed to the kitchen for her only meal that day. She wasn’t
going to have dinner after the body paint was on. It wasn’t a
particularly good look.

The old
servants were on duty, and the younger ones had been given duties
far away from the Hmrain.

It was time to
eat and then stand perfectly still for hours while she was
painted.

This time, her
hair was braided and bound like Mero’s was, heavy makeup was
applied, and she was already tired before she stepped out of her
quarters covered in designs that Mero had chosen, with the chains
clashing against her thighs.

Her appearance
and dancing would begin the evening meetings. Szriata had coached
her via long-range communications, and they were both confident
that she could pull this off.

She had been
working with live-bladed fans for three days. Mero had only had to
lick two wounds closed, and she had thanked him appropriately.

The halls were
silent as she walked the stairs, and the moon was up outside. Her
bare feet pattered softly on the stone, and the silence was enough
to fill her with tension.

She stepped out
onto the patio that led to the gardens, and all of the Hmrain were
standing around comparing wines.

Mero smiled and
inclined his head as she came into view.

The Hmrain
froze in place, and they all stared.

Mero came up to
her and kissed her on the forehead. “You look amazing.”

She smiled.
“Thank you.”

“You are most
welcome. I am looking forward to smearing that paint later in the
evening.”

She quirked her
lips slightly. “Please let it be while we don’t have an
audience.”

“It depends on
how you move me while dancing.”

She chuckled.
“War dances it is.”

He kissed the
only unpainted portion of her again and winked as he returned to
his guests.

Hannah picked
up the bladed fans and used the control in one of them to start the
music. Soft drumbeats let her move while turning the fans in her
hands until she was in the centre of the stone patio.

The beat picked
up and so did her movements, twisting and turning, rotating the
fans to flash them in the moonlight.

Her audience
was rapt, and she had no idea if she was doing a good or bad
version of the dance.

After three
minutes, she was sweating lightly and ready for her big finish.

She linked the
bladed fans together so they formed a circle, and she leaned back,
rolling the razors across the top of her breasts before catching
them on the opposite arm. She did the reverse and caught the fans,
separating them and going down on one knee, snapping the fans shut
as the music stopped, and she bowed her head.

Her breasts
were heaving as she tried to calm her tripping heartbeat.