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  The king looked them over for an endless moment before he inclined his head. “You are dismissed with my thanks.”

  They bowed and backed three paces before turning and walking back through the endless halls filled with nobles, doctors, reporters and the members of the public who wished to see their king alive and almost well.

  Outside where no one was paying attention, Baengar asked her. “Why were you sure?”

  “The king likes to beat his lovers and at least three of the girls had memories of taking hits from him over a week ago when he was found in a coma. They were used to distract him while they got his men to take the duplicate away. Once the brothel was clear of his guards, they sedated him with a drug in his wine and kept him under with intravenous medications from that point.”

  He wrapped his arm around her waist and gave her a squeeze. “I am sorry that you had to read a man like that.”

  “He wasn’t that bad. His sexual habits are horrid, but he is a good king. His people are well fed and most of his nobles respect him. He’s basically a good guy, just a lousy lover.” Ali climbed up to Finder’s shuttle and gave her a quick hug while Baengar opened the hatch so they could return to the Howler.

  She dropped through the hatch with relief, landing in Baen’s arms.

  He rumbled in her ear. “Hello, sweetie.”

  She chuckled. “Home again, please.”

  He laughed. “I have a small detour planned. It will be fun, or at least interesting, I promise.”

  She sighed as he put her on her feet. “Well, if you promise…detour away.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Raxos was a newly colonized world with dozens of species settling in for the generational experience. Their little shuttle snuggled into a berth at the spaceport and Ali walked with Baen to the terminal where a man who bore a startling resemblance to her companion rushed toward him.

  “Baengar! How have you been little brother?” The man hugged her companion and then looked over to her. “You must be his fiancée, Aliiva. Welcome to Raxos and welcome to the Lekkal family.”

  She blinked as she was wrapped in a hug and twirled off her feet. “Hello. You are his brother?”

  “Vornar Lekkal. Pleased to meet such a lovely creature as yourself. The enclave is excited to host another wedding as well as the emissaries from Caneer.”

  She looked over to Baengar in shock. “Caneer?”

  Vornar laughed. “You are surprising your bride with a wedding? You have some balls, brother.”

  “Unhand my fiancée, Vornar, or you will end up with swollen balls.” The growl was unmistakable.

  Aliiva stalked over to her friend and would-be lover. “You are throwing me a surprise wedding? You have invited my family here and didn’t tell me?”

  He backed away as she stalked toward him.

  Her face broke out in a smile, “You are the sweetest thing.” She jumped into his arms and kissed him with a passion that had him growling and threading his hand through her hair to hold her mouth to his.

  A low growl of admiration came from behind her and she blushed furiously as she released Baengar and slid down his body to stand on the floor once again.

  Vornar laughed. “Come along, love birds, you have the families to meet before your rehearsal. Alpha Mathijen has been waiting at the enclave and his wife is driving him nuts.”

  Baengar snickered. “He was the one who had the bad judgement to fall for a Terran. Everyone knows that they are a little high strung.”

  Ali found this information fascinating. “Finder is a Terran.”

  “And Frost is a patient man. The two go together.” He threaded his fingers through hers as they took up a position in a covered skimmer and Vornar acted as pilot while Baen worked as tour guide, pointing out the sights and the new construction.

  She smiled at his enthusiasm and she knew exactly what he was going through. Caneer was a multiple-race planet with everyone melding together into a race that didn’t match any of its parent species. Raxos was aiming for the same type of blending and it was amazing to see how life on Caneer must have appeared at the start.

  Baengar vibrated with excitement as they climbed through the mountains and when the enclave came into view, she thought that he would explode.

  His blue eyes glowed as he met her gaze. “Aliiva, welcome to my home world.”

  Seeing her own family blotted out her excitement for meeting the Lekkal clan. Her mother and father hugged her tightly, her sisters looked at Baengar with speculative eyes and her brothers eyed the Oefric women with more than a casual eye.

  Her mother bundled her away to meet Gwen Mathijen, Matchmaker of Raxos.

  Gwen had a toddler at one side and was obviously pregnant with her second. “Aliiva, welcome to Raxos. I hear that this wedding is a little unexpected.”

  Ali smiled. “I was anticipating a wedding but not one in this short a time.”

  Gwen stared at her for a moment and smiled. “You and Baengar are a good match. Nice and solid.”

  “You can tell that this quickly?” Ali grinned.

  “Just like you could tell the same thing the moment that you met him. Just like he knew the moment he met you. For some Oefric, it is easier than others. They spend their lives analyzing anyone from the opposite sex, waiting for that zing of recognition.”

  Ali laughed. “So, Madam Matchmaker, what is in store for me tonight and tomorrow.”

  Gwen leaned forward, her little girl watching everything with wide blue eyes. “Tonight, you will be walked through the ceremony. It involves tea, vows and a lot of meditation. Then, there is a reception and a wild party while you release some silver butterflies that will fly to the next woman to be wed.”

  “Will you be there with my family? It would be nice to have another Terran nearby when I take this leap of faith.”

  “Another Terran? You have met another one of us?”

  “Two technically, though I think I should stick to their code names. Finder and Past Tense. They are posted on Teklan and are doing a lovely job as Guardsmen.” She smiled brightly.

  “Then, I would be honoured to be considered part of your family for the sake of the wedding. Now, let’s get you and your family to the tailor and dressmakers. They have roughed out the clothes but need to do some final fits.”

  Just like that, Gwen took her in hand and steered her from one appointment to the other.

  She was able to sit next to Baen at the rehearsal as they walked through the ceremony for the next day. A crowd of people kept them apart during the dinner and Ali was so desperate for the smallest touch that she had to close her eyes to keep from breaking into tears.

  Suddenly, all the time that she had kept him at bay seemed stupid.

  When the groom’s family went outside for feats of strength and shifting, she watched Baengar with a wistful hunger. She wanted him on her, over her and in her and she would have to wait until the next night to get what she wanted.

  The gown was a dreamy confection of floating panels and glowing silks. Every eye was on her as her family escorted her to the dais and then took their seats. Baengar was all she could see as he took his position beside her and they went through the rituals of an Oefric wedding.

  The meditation segment of the ceremony was long, but when they stood again, they spoke their vows and then kissed to a cheering audience of shifters and aliens.

  They held hands and kissed frequently as they fed each other from a single plate at the reception. They cheered on the feats of strength offered up by young males and young shifters alike.

  When she opened the butterflies, they focussed on an Oefric woman who had been dancing with Ali’s brother. The two both had a dazed expression on their faces and she senses another wedding on Raxos for him.

  Her mother had whispered that the Oefric enclave had offered them farmland three times the size of the parcel on Caneer, if they wanted it. Her parents were sincerely considering it.

  All thoughts of her family fled as Baengar lifte
d her into his arms and straddled a skimmer to take them to his home on Raxos.

  She admired the house briefly, but she was so busy kissing and gnawing gently at his neck that it slipped her memory. He carried her over the threshold and up the stairs, bouncing her lightly on the bed while he struggled out of his formal wear.

  “So, this was your whole plan? Get me here and wed me, then have your wicked way with me?”

  “It was a basic plan, but once I knew how your talent worked, it was a lot easier to manage.”

  She watched each inch of skin as he exposed it to her as quickly as he could. She sat up and started unlacing her gown.

  “Don’t you dare. Stripping his bride is one of the only perks to a groom’s wedding day.” He smiled and moved toward her, nothing on his skin but the scars she had noted before.

  She sat up and let him unlace the gown. The slow slide of the silk over her breasts preceded his mouth caressing her skin.

  She shivered as her body came alive under his hands as he tugged her gown over her hips and when the whoosh of silk was gone, she was naked. Her shoes had been kicked off while he carried her up the steps.

  He landed on top of her with a groan, supporting most of his weight but rubbing his skin along hers everywhere they touched.

  Ali groaned and parted her thighs. He knew she wasn’t a virgin, they had discussed it earlier, but he had insisted that their first time be on their wedding night. That was tonight and she wanted him inside her.

  As Baen slid home, she felt a pressure on the nub at the top of her sex that sent her arousal spiralling out of control. When he moved, the pressure point moved and her body soon shivered in a climax that shook the windows with her scream.

  His howl of satisfaction was marked by short, rhythmic jerks into her and she rolled to one side with him as he spent himself within her.

  She sent her hand down to examine his penis as he withdrew and she felt a strange nub above it that flexed and extended as she caressed it. “What is that?”

  “I am a shifter. My body has a form just for making love to my life partner. That is what this is.” He was laughing at her.

  “Do all Oefric have this?”

  “That one is mine, but they might have something like it.” He wrapped her in his arms, withdrew from her and then spooned against her. His deep sigh spoke of satisfaction of a goal accomplished.

  Silence rolled in between them and she wove her fingers through one of his hands, holding it to her chest. “Baen, thank you for knowing what you wanted and waiting to get it.”

  He chuckled. “Ali, thank you for holding out for your wedding night. It was so much better with our families celebrating with us and we might be able to visit them all at the same time by this time next year.”

  She grinned and wiggled happily against him. “Thank you for that. Caneer is nice, but it is losing its community feel. I think my family will blossom here.”

  He stroked one hand down her chest and over her hip. “I don’t care what they do, as long as you blossom with me as your mate. I can think of no greater achievement.”

  She laughed and turned to drape one leg over his hips while kissing at his jaw line. “The blossoming will continue, as long as you continue to support me when I have to scan bad people. It is a hard thing for me to do and knowing that you know it as well will make it easier for me to accept the sucky part of my job and get on with my day.”

  He chuckled. “Speaking of sucking…”

  His lips on her neck slowly trailed down her body and by the time she was panting for breath she knew one thing without doubt. She may end up being wrapped in strange thoughts, but Baengar would always be here to catch her and clean her mind of everything but affection afterward.

  And what he was doing now was taking all thought right out of her head. Hooray for wedding nights!

  Author Note

  Thanks for joining me and being Wrapped in Thought. Book 2 of Tales of the Citadel took some funny turns, but I am pleased with the happily ever after that was the final result.

  The next installment, A Healing Caress, will continue the exposure of the Citadel and their training methods.

  If you missed the beginning of the series, Soul Keeper is out and a cute read. I attempt to specialize in cute.

  Viola Grace

  [email protected]

  www.violagrace.com

  www.extasybooks.com

  www.devinedestinies.com

  About the Author

  Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. She has no pets and can barely keep sea monkeys alive for a reasonable amount of time. Her line of day job tends to be analytical which leaves her mind hopping to weave stories. No co-worker is safe from her character analysis. In keeping with busy hands are happy hands, her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain mail, and a few others that have been forgotten. It is quite often that these hobbies make their way into her tales.

  Viola’s fetishes include boots and corsetry, and her greatest weakness is her uncontrollable blush. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. It is an admirable thing and something that we should all strive for. To find one that we truly like, as well as love.