Wrapped in Fire Read online

“Good morning, Marteli.”

  “Congratulations on you finding a companion.” She smiled. “She’s tired out.”

  “It was an eventful day.” He raised his brows. “Now, any objection to diverting fifteen percent of the water to your segment?”

  “No objection as long as the stipulations are put down in writing and authorized by yourself.”

  “Of course.” He inclined his head.

  The morning’s planning session went by quickly with only a few raised voices that were hushed by elbows of other councillors. It was quiet and orderly, with a lot of knowing grins directed at Dorra.

  When he broke for lunch, she looked up at him. “An eventful day?”

  “How long have you been awake?”

  “Since you caught me.”

  He grinned. “You mimic sleep rather well.”

  She nodded. “It comes in handy. Now, can I stand?”

  “Not. Quite. Yet.” He leaned in and kissed her.

  * * * *

  Dorra froze but then realized that the remaining council members were watching with indulgent grins. “Fine, but you are going to be wearing my lipstick.”

  He smiled, and they made contact.

  The heat of him was wonderful; she wrapped a hand around his neck and held him to her as the kiss went on and on. When his tongue eased into her mouth, she shivered and clenched her hand in his hair. Her whole body was melting, and he was the only solid thing in the universe. His hand pressed against her lower back, and she realized that at some point, she had gone up on her knees in his lap. He trailed two fingers up the inside of her thigh and paused when he felt the slick moisture.

  She gripped his wrist with one hand and pushed downward. She looked at him, miserable. “Not in public, please.”

  He blinked and removed his hand from her thighs but kissed her again with a slow thoroughness that made her shake.

  When he leaned back, she lifted her hand and stroked his lips with her thumb out of reflex. He blinked. “What was that?”

  She held up her thumb and showed him the dark smudges. “Lip colour.”

  He chuckled and drew his fingers around her mouth. “I return the favour. Now, would you like to have a meal? We are adjourned for two hours.”

  She was going to say that she wasn’t hungry, but her stomach growled softly. Apparently, more time had passed during her nap than she had accounted for.

  “Um. Yes?”

  He nodded and set her on her feet. Her face flamed as he took the two fingers that had been between her thighs and licked them absently. His eyes narrowed, and he gave her a hot look. “That is definitely on the agenda for this evening.”

  “Uh, what is?”

  He took her hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm as they left the council chamber. “To find out if you taste as heady from the source as you do from your skin.”

  She shivered. “I don’t think that is necessary.”

  “Oh, I do. I want to know everything about you. What makes you shiver, and what makes you moan. These are things I must know.”

  “Um, it is a little much for a first date.”

  He smiled. “Yesterday, you had me naked on my back and covered with oil, so wasn’t that the first date?”

  There were a few locals and servants who heard him and stared at her in astonishment. She blushed again. “That wasn’t... they now think that I...” She exhaled and covered her eyes with her hand.

  He chuckled. “They won’t think anything. You have been presented as my companion, and I am sure that you are aware of what the majority of that post entails.”

  “I did not get anywhere near your post,” she muttered.

  He snickered. “Ah, but I live in hope.”

  She stared at him, surprised by his sudden amusement. “Where are we going?”

  “There is a common house nearby that has an excellent lunch.”

  Dorra wrinkled her nose. “Let me guess, you have a seat somewhere in the middle where folks can come up and chat with you.”

  “I did not know you had been there.”

  She sighed. “You are very funny today.”

  “I am enjoying something new.” He smiled. “I have not had a companion before.”

  “If you start by parading lovers in public, I can see why.”

  He looked at her and smiled. “I thought we were not lovers... yet.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  He wagged his eyebrows and grinned. “Yes. I do.”

  She sighed and settled for her face feeling like it was on fire. Bantering with him was not something she was going to win. He was on his home turf, and she was just visiting. She entered the common house with him, and the server immediately ushered them to the seat that was everything that she feared.

  It was funny how rapidly she could get used to the bondservant class wearing only skirts or trousers. Bare breasts and chests didn’t even get much interest from her. Seen one, seen... wait, did the waitress have three?

  Chapter Six

  Dorra looked at her plate. “I have no idea what this is.” She leaned from left to right and tried to understand what she was seeing. It was sort of a pie, sort of a mashed thing, and shredded meat was sticking out.

  “It is a common lunch item. Driff. Use the second fork and try it.” He nodded. “That’s an order.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him but prodded at the mashed stuff. It was kind of sweet potato-ish. The pastry was flaky, and the meat was softer than the appearance would indicate.

  Being a picky eater in space was difficult. She had been put on bland ration packs three times to keep her health up. Forcing herself to eat was still tricky, but if she ate the things she could and then went back for the unfamiliar, she could get enough to maintain her.

  “So, why do you eat like that?” He watched her pick at her meal.

  She nearly spit out her food, but she chewed and swallowed. “My parents used to load my plate with food that I did not care for, and when I wasn’t able to eat the large portions, I was forced to sit at the table until I had managed to clear it. It means that I don’t like eating food that I haven’t eaten before in a public setting, and I really don’t like being watched. If leaving the Earth wasn’t my only option to survive, I would still be there eating familiar foods and watching the skies grow dark and cold.”

  He scowled. “What would you prefer?”

  She set the fork down. “I don’t know. I had a hard enough time with breakfast. It isn’t digestive; it is psychological. I have to get used to the idea that this is what food looks like.”

  He blinked. “They have rations on the floating station.”

  “Yeah. I had about an eighth of a block per day and tried to get used to eating when we had something fresh in our quarters. I literally haven’t seen this before. I don’t know what things taste like, and it is frustrating because there are currently twelve people looking at me and wondering what my problem is.”

  She swallowed and sipped at her water before picking up her fork and trying again.

  “They didn’t let you out into the station?”

  “No. It wouldn’t have mattered if they did. We didn’t have any money. All funds went to our bond, and we were only paid for the clients we took on.” She sighed. “I don’t even know how much I made over the last two years.”

  He nodded. “I will find out. I will order an audit of the floating station.”

  She frowned. “There is an audit every six months.”

  “Is there now? Hm. I shall just have to order the documentation then and an independent auditor who is not assigned directly to the station. My concern is those in your situation.” He frowned.

  “Why the sudden concern, and why only the bondservants at the floating station?” She nibbled another one of the bitter asparagus-type vegetables.

  He chuckled. “Fair enough. I will do an overhaul of all bondservants on Hellaz. Just in service to the community
to make sure that anyone who has legitimate rights to apply for citizenship can.”

  Her food was cold, and she made a face as she went to take a few more pieces of the pie thing.

  Hreon put his hand on hers. “Stop. We will get you something else.”

  “I’m sorry.” She fought the tears that wanted to start. She didn’t want to wreck her makeup.

  “It is fine. You are making an effort to adapt. I can respect that.”

  He gestured to the server, and when she came over, he ordered something that made the woman blink. “One, Master Hreon?”

  “One and only one set of utensils. Also, she is done; please, remove the rest, Eymira.”

  She nodded, and Dorra’s plate and place setting disappeared.

  “Uh, I would like to apologize again.” She folded her hands in her lap.

  He ran a hand down her back. “Do not worry about it. New world, new foods, you have to know what everything tastes like before you know what you do and don’t like.”

  “Thanks for being all right with it. What did you order?”

  “Something I think you will like. It has visible components, different layers, and it is sweet. It is also easy to eat with a spoon.”

  The server returned with a platter that was heated, but on the tray were tiny pastries piled with fruit and topped with thick cream.

  She smiled. “We usually serve this to children.”

  Dorra sighed. “I am just off the station and am not used to real food yet.”

  Understanding dawned in her eyes. “Oh, you poor thing. Anytime you are here, ask for Eymira, and I will try and help you find something.”

  Dorra picked up the spoon and prepared to attack. She glanced at Hreon. “Thanks for this.”

  He smiled. “I will ask you to sacrifice one of the spoonfuls to me at your leisure.”

  She shrugged. “We will see.”

  She scooped up one of the tiny pastry islands and put it in her mouth. The familiar flavours covered her tongue for the first time in a long time, and she wanted to clap her hands. She chewed, swallowed, and went for a second bite. It was just as nice as the first now that she knew what she was eating. Having the berries and cream for breakfast had helped her identification of what she was eating.

  When she got to the third mouthful, she balanced it on the spoon and turned to Hreon. He leaned forward, put his elbows on the table, and propped his head on his fists. He opened his mouth.

  She blushed furiously and fed him the spoonful. She was pulling the spoon back when he gripped her wrist and licked all traces of cream from it while making direct eye contact. She pulled lightly, and he calmly turned her hand with the spoon over to make sure he got it all.

  “Are you having fun playing?”

  He chuckled. “Am I that transparent?”

  “Yes. Can I have my hand back? My food is getting... room temperature.” She wrinkled her nose at how silly that sounded.

  He kissed her hand and released it so she could continue to eat.

  When she was down to her second-to-last scoop, she looked at him, and he smiled. She held out the spoon again, and she squinted with one eye while he took the bite and was just as tidy as he had been the first time.

  She took her hand back without a fight this time and got the last bit of dessert off the platter, chewed, and swallowed. She set the spoon down onto the platter, and the moment she sat back, he grabbed her and pulled her into his lap, kissing her in full view of the public.

  Dorra whimpered and held onto him as his fingers held the back of her head and his tongue slid into her mouth. He tasted like berries and cream, and his other hand was sliding under the napkin on her lap. He stroked her swollen sex, and when she jolted slightly as his fingertip passed her clit, his digit returned and stroked his fingertip over it. When she flexed her fingers on his arms, he sped up his caress.

  She kept herself silent as he stroked her until she came in the middle of the restaurant. As she exhaled silently, he inhaled, and she saw stars moving in his eyes. She stared at him and saw his expression. “Oh, fuck.”

  Whatever had been dormant in him, it had just woken up.

  The afternoon session was short. He was still polite, but there was a lot less of the affable overseer they were used to, and a few of them glared at her, making the connection between Hreon’s mood and her. She couldn’t quite bring herself to blurt that he was in that mood because he didn’t have sex during the break.

  He kept his left arm around her waist with his fingers stroking the curve of her hip. The morning session had taken three hours. The afternoon session took one. When everything was ratified, he got to his feet and picked her up.

  He carried her out of the council hall, and she muttered, “I can walk.”

  “Not fast enough. I now know why the Hmrain insist on a week to get to know their companions.” He murmured it to her. “If I had known you would appear here, I would have closed the session.”

  “This wasn’t exactly booked into my calendar as well,” she muttered. “I wasn’t supposed to be in this situation.”

  He chuckled as he walked at a rapid pace. “So, against all odds and reason, we are together, and you are the one that provides me with what I am missing.”

  “Fingering someone to orgasm in a restaurant?” She grimaced.

  He laughed. “Perhaps not my best moment, but the more I felt your pleasure over the dessert, the more I needed to taste it.”

  “Is that what the Hmrain do?”

  “Yes. Our search to find a partner that we won’t destroy with our needs takes up most of our time. I used to believe that I would find a nice Hellaz woman and live my life with her, but I tried it, and she did not last. She began to fail after three months.”

  “How do you know I won’t do the same?”

  He snorted. “Because I got more in the kiss in the council hall than I did in the whole three months she was with me. In the common house, you set my blood on fire.”

  “I noticed. You have stars in your eyes.”

  He stopped in the centre of the walkway, and he kissed her intensely before heading back to the residence. He greeted the servants and charged up the steps to his rooms before locking the door behind him and then walking to the bed and dropping her lightly.

  He peeled open his shirt and dropped it to one side, grabbed her leg, and pulled it toward him. She squeaked, and he settled with his hands under her butt, lifting her sex to his mouth. She yelped when his lips and tongue started to explore and whimpered when he teased her opening with his tongue. She moaned as the heat slid into her, and she gripped the bedding next to her head, arching toward him, and he licked and twisted his tongue into her.

  She panted and groaned as his teasing continued until she covered her mouth and shuddered as she rocked her hips against his lips. He continued to stroke her until she sighed and relaxed, twitching occasionally.

  His eyes were glowing with swirling constellations, and he moved up her body to kiss her. She tasted herself on him and threaded her fingers into his hair. She bent her leg and ran it up the outside of his hip.

  The door slammed open, and Hreon glared at the intrusion.

  Dorra looked toward the door and saw an angry Hrothan. “Hey, General. This is exactly what it looks like.”

  He paused, and a grin crossed his features. “Ah. I haven’t heard you make those sounds before, so I thought you might have been in distress.”

  “Nope. Get back to your deathbed, or put some pants on.” She waved him off with her hand.

  He laughed. “Hreon, you look... different.”

  “Grandfather, get out or meet your ancestors. Ignore anything you hear unless she is requesting assistance.”

  Dorra looked at him and stroked his cheek. “I can just keep my mouth shut.”

  Hrothan grinned. “I will ignore it or use it for my own personal enjoyment. You will never know.”

  He closed the door and left them al
one.

  Dorra looked at Hreon. “So, did that wreck the mood for you?”

  He smiled slowly. “Not a bit.”

  She stroked his cheek. “I should probably take my makeup off.”

  “That is not what I am going to be focusing on.” He stroked her neck and reached behind it to undo the clasp of her top.

  She smiled when he tried to pull the top away, but it was still knotted behind her. She giggled and laughed at him when he flipped her to her stomach to release her clothing. It was a refreshing break from the intensity of his expression.

  He pressed his lips to her neck and slowly worked his way down her spine with warm, soft kisses. He licked his way back up to her neck and rolled her to her back with his eyes burning. Oh, there it is.

  Chapter Seven

  For all the intensity in his gaze, he was gentle and careful with her. She was nervous when she felt the first graze of his teeth against her skin. She had noticed the longer teeth when they kissed, but she hadn’t thought about what they were for. As he got more enthusiastic, the fangs were more in evidence.

  He experimented with her reactions, and she really wished it was darker in the room. Mid-afternoon wasn’t something in her repertoire for first contacts.

  When he licked his way across her breasts, she inhaled sharply and covered her eyes so that she didn’t have to look as he gripped her breast before nipping at her nipple, soothing it with his tongue and slowly sucking on it. She felt like her soul was leaving her body. He did the same to the other side, and she didn’t know if the noise she made was encouraging or strangled, but he seemed to take it as permission to continue.

  She threaded her fingers through his hair, and he continued to make his way down her torso. He flicked his tongue in her navel, and she giggled before covering her mouth with her hand. He bit her stomach gently. “Stop stifling your sounds.”

  “Hrothan is listening.”

  He moved up until they were face to face. “This was his grand scheme. From the moment he met you, he knew that we would be on the same frequency.”

  “Ah. I did wonder why he came in so often.” She couldn’t meet his gaze. The sparks in his eyes were hypnotic.