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  “Hold a moment, please.” The screen went blank for a moment. “The Carlisk is on its way back to the station. Aleyn will be taken into custody. I apologize for the actions of our agent in this matter. The Citadel will decide on its own disciplinary measures after you have her in custody.”

  “Excellent. I thank you for your understanding and look forward to dealing with you again in the future.” Baileez cut the transmission and leaned back in the com chair. He put his feet up and crossed his legs at the ankles. Yes, he was feeling smug. He would get his way. He always did.

  Chapter Three

  “What do you mean that I am wanted for crimes against the Alliance and the Hickom Royal Family?” She didn’t fight, much. But it still wasn’t too difficult for the security guards to take her to the brig on the Carlisk.

  She sat in silence, wondering what the hell was going on for what seemed like hours, but was only, in reality, a few minutes. Aleyn heard the collision of a ship against the airlock and she winced. Her heart began to hammer in her chest. Before she could even see him, Baileez rang in her mind. She could feel him from two decks away, he was getting closer and he was both smug and pissed off.

  This was not going to be a fun reunion.

  “Aleyn, so nice to have you wait for me to catch up.” Smugness radiated in his tone and she looked up through the small window in her cell. His face was filling the small space and she could only meet the flint in his eyes for a moment.

  She didn’t say a word.

  The door was opened and he swaggered in, only a day before she had found his proud strut endearing. Now it was a triumphant walk on her grave. “You will stay with me while our child grows.”

  She blinked furiously at him, trying not to tear up and failing miserably. She had known the instant that her egg had let one of his sperm in. The energy that her body had produced had been measurable by her Citadel trained senses and she had almost wished that their coupling had been unsuccessful. If it had been, she would have been able to stay, to talk, to know more about him before she stole life from him to complete her own.

  “No sweet words for me? Ah well, come along.” He hauled her to her feet and almost dragged her past the guard, the crewmen and a few passengers who had come to gawk. Baileez grinned at them and said, “She forgot to fill out customs forms before leaving Hickom. She is transporting wildlife.”

  She almost cracked her silence with a laugh, wildlife? She supposed it could be construed as such. It certainly wasn’t farm raised.

  He hauled her past his grinning guard and tucked her into a chair, fastening her in and locking the closure. “You aren’t getting away from me again.” In a move that left her blinking, he gave her a quick kiss to the forehead before strapping in to his own chair. He shot her a wink and gave the pilot the nod to uncouple from the Carlisk.

  The falling drift away from the passenger ship made her a little queasy, but as soon as their ship began to lay on the speed back to Hickom, she felt better. Straight lines were always best for Citadel personnel. Their minds did not like being adrift.

  She folded her hands in her lap and tried to keep the serene aspect that Minders were trained to use, no matter what horror their patient’s mind unfolded. He didn’t speak a word to her the whole way back to Hickom and she was just fine with that. She didn’t know what she could say to him. I know I committed high treason by stealing breeding rights from an official of the Alliance, but you were really the best match for me, so what the hell?

  That would go over really well. Her assignment here was dependant upon her being able to pull it off unnoticed. She had failed and now she had to pay the penalty. She just didn’t know if she could bear losing her child and going into exile. She would probably go mad first.

  The ship was surprisingly advanced. She really wanted to ask about it, but she wasn’t going to break her silence. If she did, she would burst into tears and blubber all over him, and that thought lacked a certain dignity.

  Instead of stopping at the station, the ship continued directly to the planet, landing in the rear of the royal palace. Half the guards filed out while the others waited for Baileez to free her and haul her through the palace by one arm until they reached his quarters.

  “Now. We will talk.” The guards that stationed themselves by the doors looked as implacable as stone. He closed the doors to his rooms and looked at her, really looked at her.

  She knew what he was seeing. Black hair braided at the temples to wind around her head, dark hazel eyes with sunbursts around the pupils and ample curves that made her clothing shopping hard to do. Her breasts were large, her waist small and her hips wide. An annoying hourglass. Her olive skin was her favourite feature. It made people wonder where she had been born when she was on earth, and here in the Alliance, she fit right in.

  “So, Aleyn Zargas, Minder of the Alliance, why did you choose me as your breeding partner?” He was sitting on the bed and leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “I confess to a certain curiosity.”

  She squashed her lips together and crossed her arms.

  “You will have to tell me eventually. You aren’t going anywhere in the Alliance until I release you from the charges laid against you. You still might find yourself under charges if the Citadel gets into it.”

  “Fine! You were the only one I could stand to touch me. The others did nothing for me, but when I saw you, I knew you were the one.” She was miserable. She huddled in on herself, pulling her shawl over her shoulders. The confession hurt.

  “So I satisfied your aesthetic?” He was amused at her expense and it wasn’t a good feeling.

  She fidgeted before answering. “Yes.”

  “Hmm. Lucky me.” He took a long look at her and didn’t like what he saw. “For the stars sake, woman, I am not going to harm you. Look at me.”

  She sighed and met his gaze. He really did meet her personal preferences with his multicoloured blond hair and royal blue eyes. The fact that he had a body to die for didn’t hurt matters either. If only he had been willing to contract with her, she would never have had to resort to seduction. She was defeated, it showed in every angle of her body and she knew it. “What do you want me to do? The deed is done.” His eyes suddenly went flat and angry. She could almost see his ears shift to lie flat against his skull.

  “Yes. About that. You know that I had a ban on reproduction for myself. I was not going to create an heir of my blood. I was simply going to appoint one when the time came.”

  “I am aware of it.”

  “And still you came to me, knowing what the result of our coupling would be?”

  “It is to be my child. Not yours.” She was getting a little irritated herself. He didn’t want it, but it was hers.

  “Ah, that was the case before it existed, but now I know of it, it will be my heir, a burden that I had never wished on any child.” He sighed heavily. “Go to bed, Aleyn. You have not rested and you are exhausted. We will deal with this matter later.” Baileez got to his feet and was out the door before she could respond.

  His bed was wonderfully comfortable, she remembered that much. Sleeping had not been on their minds however. A jaw-cracking yawn decided her. She made up her mind and kicked off her shoes. The bed was just as sinfully soft as she remembered it. Sleep rushed in on her and she let it take her under.

  Chapter Four

  It wasn’t the heat of the sun that woke her, it was the heat of a mouth on her breast, kissing, licking and suckling at her. Her body became alert far before her mind did, rolling to her back to allow her dream lover full access to her flesh.

  He took full advantage, running his hands across her skin in a feverish pattern that left her gasping. His fingers parted her thighs, slipping between them to delve into her channel in a hard motion that had her arching and mewling for more. She tried to open her eyes and found them bound by a soft length of fabric.

  “No. This time I control and you feel.” Baileez’s husky voice thrummed along nerves deep in her se
x. He had had this effect the first time that she had met him. Seducing him had never been an arduous task. Laying still for his touch was beyond her however.

  “I don’t know if I can stay still.” She was writhing under his touch, arching to meet his fingers as they pumped into her, shifting so that his free hand could play with a breast.

  “Then simply feel and react. Just don’t take off the blindfold.” Steel was in his voice while he said that and then his mouth was at the side of her neck, licking and sucking his way down her torso. Goose flesh was all over her, each inch of skin called to him, wanting his touch. She mewled in surprise as his tongue wormed its way into her navel and raised her hips to his chest in reaction. He used both his hands to hold her hips to the bed, then raised her weeping centre to his mouth. His tongue lapped at her, parting the lips of her sex as she panted and strained against his grip. She tried to undulate against him, to bring his tongue deep into her, but he held her still.

  She reached down to hold his head and found thick fur there instead. His ears were more canine and pointed, but as long as he didn’t stop doing what he was doing, he could grow another head for all she cared. She spread her thighs wider and pulled his head toward her. He laughed again.

  His tongue lapped at her, swept to lap her clit and then returned to delve into her. She was mindless with sensation and, when her orgasm began to sweep over her, she screamed her release. The second that her body began to convulse, he moved up and the head of his cock parted her, driving deep. The palpitations of her release kept time with his thrusts and soon she reached another peak. She wrapped her legs around him and held him close, feeling the brush of fur against her flesh.

  She held him tight as he rode her for his own release. It was only fair, she had done the same to him the day before. She loved the feeling of equality he was giving her. That and the orgasm that was rising in her for a third time. She squeaked in surprise as she shook again in reaction and finally his howl of satisfaction rent the air. Her body was completely limp as he drew out of her to lie beside her. She smiled and groaned as he curled her limbs against him, snuggling them together.

  “Can I take the blindfold off now? I know you are transformed.” She smiled against his chest.

  “You knew?” His fingers fumbled at the back of her head, loosening the fabric he had bound her with. It was her scarf from the night before. She wondered where it had been.

  “I knew that a certain amount of the population of Hickom has the ability to shift. It stands to reason that their king would.” She blinked and then focused on his snout, the teeth, that very talented tongue and his thick pelt of fur. He was still bipedal, but not by much. “Can you shift completely?”

  “Of course.” His voice was the same, even in this form. His chest was around the same size, but his throat was thicker. There should have been some change. He met her eyes and then slowly moved away as he altered his structure to become a complete wolf.

  She had always wanted to meet a werewolf when she was back on Earth and now she had slept with one and was carrying his child. It was enough to cause her mind to snap. She looked at him and was surprised to see her own arm extended and her fingers were digging into his thick ruff. She gave up all decorum and hugged him, rubbing her face in his fur.

  “Sir, I have the seamstress for my lady’s…oh my.” A half-shifted Hickom came through the door without knocking and froze at the sight of her naked form caressing Baileez’s furred one.

  Baileez reacted immediately by putting himself between her and the new male. He snarled and the servant bowed quickly and left. The instant the door closed, he shifted back to his humanoid form. “I am sorry about that. I had Von send for a seamstress for a new wardrobe for you and then I saw you resting and, well you know the rest.”

  He had peeled her clothing off her and gently woken her with her own responses. Her lips twisted in amusement. It was her own fault for being a sound sleeper.

  “So that person was Von? Is he half-shifted a lot?” Bai rolled from the bed and she watched his ass flex as he crossed the room to the wardrobe.

  “Von’s mother shifted while she was pregnant. It happens. The offspring becomes a combination of the two forms, they are called Reycans.” He was dressing, covering up the planes and angles of the body that she adored. After he tugged his boots on and was once again presentable, he took a spare shirt from his wardrobe and tucked her into it. It fell to mid-thigh. “Von is still outside with the seamstress. I should not have let myself be distracted.” He took her mouth in a kiss that woke all of her senses again.

  “But…” Aleyn was staring at his back as he left the room and let in Von and the seamstress. He bowed to her and then closed the door.

  “My lady. This is Mara, the royal seamstress. She will take measurements for an appropriate wardrobe and fit a few ready made items to you.” Von bowed and left the room.

  “Hello, Mara, I am Aleyn.”

  “Hello, my lady. Welcome to Hickom.” Mara was a mature female, her hair greying at the temples and staining the black in a most striking way. “Do you have colour preferences? Your formal gowns will have to be red, of course, but your daily wear is a little more flexible.” She moved to a corner of the bed and pulled out a low podium. “Step on here, please.”

  Aleyn turned scarlet because as she moved and the evidence of Baileez’s attentions began to snake down her left thigh. “Perhaps I could clean up a bit first?”

  Mara laughed. “It is nothing that I have not seen before. Not with Baileez, but with his mother and father. There was a couple that could not keep their hands off each other. They brought me to the palace when their son was made king. I have been dressing the nobles ever since.” She helped Aleyn balance on the podium. “It will be a pleasure to dress one such as you. At least I know my work will not be destroyed in a shift.”

  Aleyn chuckled and held still as the efficient one moved around her, measuring, touching and muttering to herself.

  “Von, bring in the gowns.” She didn’t even raise her voice, but the door instantly opened. His ears perked with curiosity and his nose twitching with the scent that Baileez had left behind, he came in with an armload of fabric.

  “You had best get used to Von seeing you naked, his will probably be the first face you see most mornings and he will be in charge of your care. That includes dressing you in some of the formal garb that you won’t be able to manage yourself. He is here to learn as I dress you, to see how to do it.”

  “Do you mind, Von? To be turned from manservant to ladies’ maid?” Aleyn wished she could have swallowed the words, but now they were out there.

  “There is no difficulty in it, lady. To serve one such as you, who will not abuse what she has been given, is an honour. Plus, there is no one that Baileez will trust more than myself, so to be given your care is even more elevation than one such as myself could expect.”

  “Wow. Well, glad to have you aboard.” She leaned forward and extended her hand. He blinked at her for a moment and then took it in a firm grip. His claws curled around her hand and she met his gaze for a long moment. He finally dropped his chin ever so slightly and she smiled, her lips curling and not exposing her teeth.

  Mara laughed. “So you are used to our ways? That is more than I have seen of any others that have come to visit.”

  “Visit? I came to breed.” Aleyn smiled again at Mara’s startled look. “Oh, yes. I came to steal Baileez’s child from him. I would not have joined with a race I did not understand.”

  “So why are you still here?” Mara was efficiently stripping her of the tunic and dropping a gown over her head.

  The gown was completely transparent and Aleyn could not see the sense in it, but she stayed still as the gown was hemmed. “He caught me. I wiped his mind of any trace of me, but I had not counted on his senses. He came after me.” She touched her belly, feeling the bright spark that had flared to life when they first joined. There had been no doubt in her mind that she was pregnant, her sen
ses told her the instant that the two cells collided.

  “Then you did not choose to be queen?”

  “Hells no. I wanted to take my child and rear it on a small colony where it would not have to fear for its life. Where my skills would not colour its acceptance, and where I could forget the minds I have touched.” Mara’s hands guided her arms up and she held the flowing sleeves away from the transparent red gown as Von stepped forward with a black length of silk. Around and around he went, wrapping her from breast to thigh, a tight fitting column that supported and covered her.

  She would never be able to get into this clothing alone. It wasn’t physically possible. A knock on the door and Von nodded at her, then went to answer. He came back with two boxes and a set of slippers embroidered and embedded with jewels. Mara held her hands while Von slipped them on her feet. It was a pretty good fit, just a little too loose.

  The boxes held rubies, big honking rubies. Again, Aleyn stood still as they played dolly dress-up with her. She was weighed down by the tiara, neckpiece, rings, girdle and jewellery, but held her head upright with an effort.

  “You are ready.” Mara looked her up and down, then smiled, showing pointed teeth. “I did not think you would look it, but you are my Queen.” She went down on her knees as did Von.

  Slowly, calmly, she held out her hand to Mara, who sniffed it and Von did the same. When they rubbed their heads on the back of her hand, she said, “Rise and be at ease. For I will be Queen at your lord’s sufferance.” She winked at them both, “Yes, I read your minds. It is the one advantage I have here and I will use it.”

  Chapter Five

  “So you see my lord. Since you have decided to take a queen, we would petition you to choose one from the nobles.” Lord Keril was trying not to make demands, but it was obvious to Baileez that his choice of a Terran woman was not sitting well.