Ynyr (Tornians Book 3) (3 page)

Ull found himself paling at her accusation.

“
Ynyr
was the only one who at least
tried
to do the right thing. Even though it apparently ‘broke’ your Law
he
did the right thing. He knew it would never benefit him and you want to
punish
him for it? Shame on you! Shame on all of you.” Abby’s voice broke as she finished.

Abby had never liked to draw attention to herself. She had learned at a young age that if she did bad things happened. Her parents had tried to help her overcome her shyness and her desire to be ‘small’ with their love and unwavering support. And with their help, her confidence had slowly grown and she had been able to overcome that painful part of her life, but there were times, like now, where it would rise back up and all she wanted was to disappear. Suddenly she was surrounded by the warmth and protection of Ynyr’s arms. Turning, she let herself sink into his embrace and cried.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Oryon watched as the brave little female who had claimed his third male seemed to crumble as Ynyr’s arms wrapped around her and then she disappeared into his embrace. She was powerful, for such a little thing. She had stood up to them all and told them they were wrong.

Stood up to him, a Lord.

To Ull, his first male and future Lord.

She even stood up to Ynyr, her chosen male and Lord.

She had even confronted Isis, another female. She had confronted them all and made them face their poor decisions, made them face how it had affected others. It was something none of them had truly done. Oh, they had been outraged at some of the things that happened, but at the heart of it, they were all as guilty as Bertos and Risa had been. It would take time for them to get over that, but for now there was something more to take care of and that was Abby.

“Ynyr, take your Lady to your chamber and calm her. I will deal with the rest.”

Nodding to his manno Ynyr swept Abby up into his arms and with one last angry glare at Ull, carried Abby out of the room and to the resting chamber he had been using since his parents' arrival.

Oryon waited until Ynyr and Abby were gone before turning to his first male.

“What could you have possibly been thinking?!!” He roared at Ull. “To accuse your own brother!”

Ull stiffened before his manno. “Because it is truth!” Ull fired back. “What he did broke the Law! No male was to speak to the females! If not for what he did….”

“What did he do Ull?” Isis’ soft question had both males pausing. “That you see as so wrong? That he was able to calm a female that he never saw or touched? That he stepped aside. Allowing her to go through the Joining Ceremony when he wanted to claim her for himself? Or was it that he tried to make sure that you, his brother, had the chance of obtaining a female? Tell me offspring of mine, just what did he do that was so wrong.”

Ull felt the weight of his mother’s words and saw their truth but still his anger would not calm. “There has to be more. She knew who he was. Recognized him. She chose him.”

“And not you.” Isis knew that was what was really bothering him. “You. The first male of Lord Oryon. You. Who has more than proven yourself not only to your manno and Lord, but to the Warriors you will one day rule. You
are
a fit and worthy male Ull and one day you will rule House Rigel and Betelgeuse. You have worked hard amassing the necessary wealth to attract a female yet not one Earth female chose you. Abby actually refused you twice and
that
is what you are angry about.”

“No.” Ull began, his mother’s words, making him sound small and spiteful.

“Yes, my offspring.” Isis contradicted him. “It is. Your pride has you lashing out at your brother. I saw you when Ynyr was named Lord. You sat up straighter, were filled with pride that only a brother can have. You knew Ynyr was more than capable of the task assigned to him by the Emperor just as he has always known you would be when it was your time to rule Betelgeuse. All of you compete against each other,” Isis’ eyes traveled over her other two males, “but you have always supported each other, stood together. Now, because Ynyr was the first to be chosen by a female you would withdrawal that support? When he needs you most?”

“She
knew
who he was.”

“Yes, she did. Are you saying a female
shouldn’t
know the male she is Joining with?”

“No, but they…”

“Weren’t supposed to… is that right Ull? Is that fair or even what the Law intended?” When Ull didn’t answer, Isis continued. “I will tell you truth Ull, but whether you believe it or not is up to you. I only learned of what had happened between Abby and Ynyr earlier today when we found Abby crying in the garden. She had seen Ynyr earlier in the week when he had gone to meet with King Grim. She recognized his voice but did not know his name. She had planned to return to Luda with the other females and hoped that he would submit his name so they could ‘officially’ meet. She only learned his name when he was named Lord.”

“So
that is
why she chose him” Ull had known he had been right all along.

“No!” Isis instantly denied. The sharpness of his mother’s tone shocked Ull, she had never spoken to him like that before. “
That
was why she was crying, because she believed that now she could never claim him.”

“What?” Ull wasn’t the only one looking at her in confusion.

“Abby believed that because Ynyr had been named Lord that he would not have the time for a female, at least not one like her. She believed he would look elsewhere for one that would be brave and strong like the Queen and the Empress.”

Oryon found himself snorting at that. Abby may be lacking in height, but bravery was not something she lacked. She had just stood up to five Tornian warriors and not batted an eye.

“I agree.” Isis said understanding her male’s thoughts perfectly. “But Abby does not see herself that way so she was crying because she thought she had lost Ynyr. I convinced her that any male would willingly accept her. It was only then that she revealed his name.”

“Ynyr did not know?” Vali questioned his dark eyes intense as he listened intently to everything his mother had said.

“No, he did not.” Isis told him. “I had not even told your manno about it. There wasn’t time.”

All eyes turned to Oryon. “Your mother speaks truth. I did not know until the request was made.”

“He still should not have spoken to her.” Ull claimed, but with less anger now.

“As Queen Lisa has said, ‘there are Laws and there is justice’ and sometimes they are two very different things. Would you punish your brother for doing the
right
thing Ull?”

Ull looked from his mother to his brothers and finally to his manno and saw they all believed Ynyr had done the right thing. Turning, he walked out of the room.

Ynyr kicked the door shut behind him as he carried the still sobbing Abby across his resting chamber to sit on its lone couch. The room was the one he had only started using since his family had arrived for the Joining Ceremony. Before that, he had rested with the Emperor’s guard on the other side of Tornio, near the female gardens.

His family had arrived the day
after
he had first spoken to Abby, the day before the original Joining Ceremony
would
have occurred, if Queen Lisa had been with the group. They had planned to arrive earlier, but a problem with their ship had delayed them.

Had they arrived a day early Ynyr never would have been walking past the garden wall. He never would have heard his Abby crying. That small problem on the Hunter had changed Ynyr’s life and he thanked the Goddess for it because without it he would not be holding his Abby now.

“Please calm hunaja. I vow you are safe. No harm will come to you here.”

Abby struggled to get herself under control. She knew her crying solved nothing. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she pushed back against Ynyr’s chest and looked up at him.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked.

“Tell you what?” He asked in confusion as he took in her tear-streaked cheeks.

“That talking to me could get you in trouble. What happens if Ull tells the Emperor? Will you be punished?” The questions rolled off Abby’s lips.

“Shhhh, it will be fine Abby,” he told her.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because it is always the female’s choice to whom she will Join with and you have chosen me.” Something Ynyr still found hard to believe. “It was witnessed not only by the Emperor, but by your protector King Grim who gave his permission. There is nothing that anyone else can say now that can change it, only you have that power.”

“Me?” Abby asked, looking up at him confused.

“You can request to be removed from a male’s protection, if you find it lacking.
You
must claim that, Abby.” He stressed to her. “No male can claim it for you.”

“But Luuken did, with Lisa.”

“Because it was outside the Joining Ceremony.” Ynyr saw she still didn’t understand. “It will be fine Abby, trust me.”

“And Ull?”

Ynyr sighed heavily. “My brother will calm. Right now he is just….”

“Hurt.” Abby finished for him.

“Yes.” Ynyr nodded in agreement. “You have to understand, Abby. Ull is a strong and powerful warrior. Brave. Loyal. Everything a first male should be, especially the first male of a Lord. One day he will rule House Rigel and he will rule well for he truly cares about our people. To be passed over….”

“I didn’t mean to hurt him. None of us did. We just didn’t want to be forced to Join with males we didn’t know.”

“I know this hunaja and he will come to understand that too. It will just take time.”

“What does that mean?”

“What?”

“Hun… hunaja, that’s the second time you’ve called me it.”

“Hunaja?” Ynyr frowned slightly, trying to explain. “It is a very rare substance on my home planet of Betelgeuse.”

“The Hunter’s Planet right?” Abby asked.

“Yes.” A smile broke across Ynyr’s face. “You know about it?”

“It was part of the information in the educators they put on us after we were drugged.” Abby told him and Ynyr lost his smile.

Drugged…

They had drugged these females, had incapacitated them. What could one such as Luuken have done to them when they were in that state? Ynyr’s shame grew.

“Why is it so rare?” Abby prompted softly, not knowing where Ynyr’s thoughts had gone.

“Because it takes many mehilainen to make it.”

“Mehilainen?”

“Yes,” Ynyr paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain it. “They are small flying creatures that live only in the most remote areas of Betelgeuse. They gather the nectar from blooming plants and make Hunaja, which they guard fiercely. When harvested it is a thick, golden, sticky substance that is very sweet and reserved for only the most important of occasions. It is highly sought after… it is the color of your hair.” He said reverently touching the darker strands of her hair, amazed at how silky it was.

“Honey?” Abby asked, frowning at him. “You are talking about honey?”

“I do not know this word.” Ynyr admitted.

“It is something on Earth that is made by bees, little flying creatures.” Abby put a space between her finger and thumb indicating the size and Ynyr nodded his understanding. “It too is sweet and the bees defend it. Some call my darker hair ‘honey blonde’ I just call it brown.” Abby told him touching where his hand still lingered.

“It is beautiful,” Ynyr whispered, his gaze moving over along the streaks before returning to her blue eyes. “It was what first caught my attention when you entered the Assembly. I couldn’t take my eyes off it.”

“But you didn’t know it was me,” Abby whispered.

“I did not and it shamed me that I could find another so desirable when all I wanted was the one I spoke to.”

“But we are one and the same.”

“I know that
now
.” Carefully, he ran a knuckle along her cheek, searching for the slightest sign that she feared him, instead she pressed her cheek against him. “I searched for you. Did you know that?” He whispered. “I would find the smallest of reasons to go to King Grim’s Chambers and speak to him, hoping to hear your sweet voice.”

“I heard yours,” Abby admitted. “One day when I was walking towards the gardens I heard you. You were talking to Grim. I hid behind a plant.” She gave him a sheepish look.

“Why?” Ynyr asked to find it hurt to think that she would hide from him. “Why did you hide Abby? Do I frighten you?”

“No!” She immediately denied.

“Then it is because you learned who I was… about my family…” Abby didn’t understand the sadness that filled his eyes. “That I am a third male.”

“What does your family have to do with it? Or that you are a third male? You will always be a third male.”

“But now I am also a Lord.”

“And you think that matters to me?” Abby couldn’t believe it and found her anger returning. How could he think that! Moving out of his arms, she stood to face him, hands on her hips, her eyes blazing. “You think I chose you because of your
position
?”

“Of course. It was that lack of position that had you hiding behind a plant.” He said simply.

“Bull shit! One has nothing to do with the other. First, I hid behind that planet because I wanted to make sure it really was you. You weren’t talking that loud and I was about to approach you when Grim led you away. The next time I saw you, you were so enamored with Kim and Lisa that you didn’t even acknowledge that I had walked in, so I left.”

“I…” Ynyr couldn’t believe he had been that close to her and not known it and what did this word mean? “What is en… enamored.”

“It means fascinated by, attracted to.”

“I was no such thing!” Ynyr immediately stood, towering over her, but Abby didn’t back down. “I only showed them the respect they deserved.

“Yes. I could see that. You showed great
respect
for them, for their beauty and for what they had done. How was I supposed to compete with that?”

“Compete?” Ynyr was now totally at a loss.

“Yes compete! I’m nothing like them! I’m not tall and thin. I’m not brave and strong. I’m just me, Abby Jamison from Earth.”

Ynyr looked at Abby unable to believe what she was saying. How could she see herself as anything less than the spectacular creature she was? She thought he had desired the other females, that he would find her lacking if he saw her. Impossible. It seemed Queen Lisa was right, there were going to be misunderstandings.

“Abby…”

“I decided I would wait to see if you petitioned to come to Luda. If you did then I might still have had a chance, but then you went and became this important and powerful Lord, instead of just a male. A Lord that the Emperor had personally assigned a daunting task to. I knew then that you would never come to Luda and that you would never choose me even if you did. Hell, I didn’t even know your name until the Emperor announced it. You need someone like Lisa or Kim at your side, a female a male can be proud of, one who can help him, not plain old Abigail Jamison.”

“You are
not
plain!” Ynyr gripped her upper arms and pulled her to her toes as he leaned down glaring angrily at her. “
Never
speak of yourself that way again!” He would not stand for it. “You are beautiful and amazing and brave!
Any
male would be
honored
to have you choose him, but you will not,” he quickly told her, “for you have chosen me! You are mine!”

Ynyr jerked Abby off her feet, crushing her against his chest as his lips claimed hers with an instinct as old as time.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Abby let out a little shriek when Ynyr jerked her off her feet, but it was quickly silenced by his lips. Oh God, he was kissing her. Ynyr… was… kissing her. Her fingers instinctively dug into the hard bulging muscles of his shoulders that strained the black shirt he wore. So many nights she had lain in her bed, dreaming about him kissing her, about him loving her, even before she had even known what he looked like. Once she had seen him… she had wondered what it would feel like to have those beautiful full lips pressed against hers. Now she knew and it was wonderful.

Groaning in pleasure Abby’s tongue lightly caressed those lips. When they opened, she slipped inside wanting a taste and what a taste she got. Her entire body shivered in pleasure and her taste buds went crazy. He tasted bold and strong yet smooth with an underlying hint of sweetness just like the rich dark coffee she loved to drink, especially when she added the slightest hint of cream and honey to it. God, she loved that taste, she loved
his
taste.

She wanted more. Ynyr’s shirt was soft and silky but she wanted to feel skin, hot… male… skin. Sliding her hands up, she gripped the back of his neck meaning to slide them under his shirt when she was distracted by the large hand that flowed over her generous curves before it found her ass.

She was about to pull her mouth away, to make some smart comment when his fingers sunk into that generous flesh and he lifted her, grinding his cock against her and she lost her train of thought.

Oh God, she wanted that. She wanted that inside her. Abby wasn’t very experienced, only ever having been with one other person before, years ago and Ynyr wasn’t that boy.

When Ynyr pulled his mouth away from hers, she tightened her hold on him and whimpered in protest.

 
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Ynyr found himself lost in the sensation that was Abby as he pressed his lips to hers. Goddess this was more than he had ever dreamed it could be and his dreams had been limitless. Ever since he had seen Grim kiss Lisa on the Assembly floor he had wanted to do the same with the female he had talked to. He had wondered what her lips would feel like and know he knew. They were so soft and lush that he was sure nothing could ever feel better, and then her large full breasts pressed against his hard chest and he discovered that something could.

Goddess it was as if she had been made just for him, as if they had been carved from the same piece of wood, separated by time and distance to only now be reunited. Her softness surrounded all his hard edges, welcoming him home. He couldn’t help but gasp when her tongue boldly touched his lips and when her tongue slipped inside, wrapping around his own in a sensual caress, he felt himself tremble.

When she retreated, he followed, unwilling to lose the feelings she was creating. He didn’t care where she led as long as he was with her and where she led was a place he never wanted to leave, for in this amazing place he discovered she tasted sweeter than the hunaja he so loved. He took his time exploring her mouth, making sure he left no inch untouched or unappreciated in his need to get to know her, to claim her, to make her his. Goddess if her mouth tasted this good what would her core taste like?

The thought had him wrapping an arm around her shoulders holding her in place so his hand could explore her lush curves until it reached her glorious ass. Gripping it, he lifted her higher, grinding his rock hard shaft against her.

Goddess he wanted to release inside her. He wanted to feel her softness surrounding that part of him that was now harder than any Tornian sword. He wanted to know what it felt like to have her soft thighs wrapped around his waist urging him on just as her arms were doing around his neck.

He wanted her under him, over him, all around him. He wanted to give her such a release that she would forget any male that had come before him, he wanted… pulling his mouth away from hers, he took a deep breath trying to gain control of himself.

Her soft whimper had Ynyr suddenly realizing just what he was doing, just how tightly he was holding her. Goddess he was hurting her!