Imperial Governess Read online

  “See? You are getting better with every minute. We put a broadcast jack into your download port, and you have been giving me guidance since the day we slipped you into the tank. I am engaged now, by the way. There is a formal reception tomorrow, and I hope that you will attend.”

  “If I am allowed to sit up by then, things should be fine. I mean, I don’t have anything to wear but otherwise fine.” Amber chuckled.

  The doctors finished their exams and lifted Amber’s right hand. “The scars were unavoidable, but they will fade. I am amazed you survived, actually. That kind of poisoning is very quick, and the acid was burning your nerve endings.”

  Amber smiled. “That is what it felt like.”

  Emera looked to the doctor. “Can I take her back to her quarters?”

  “Certainly. If she has any dizziness or becomes lightheaded, bring her back.”

  Amber touched her face. “I feel a little naked without the mask.”

  “It is waiting in your chambers. We moved your rooms closer to mine.”

  “That is probably inappropriate. That area is reserved for the nobility.”

  “Inappropriate can fuck itself.”

  She groaned. “You really did have me in your mind for a while.”

  Emera laughed as they walked. “It did me good. But, as you may have guessed, I don’t need a governess anymore. The tutors were able to use your lesson plans and have declared me bright and keen-witted. I even anonymously applied for three different universities for distance learning programs. I was accepted to all three, so my next few years are going to be busy.”

  Amber swallowed and kept her voice cheerful. “So, what are you going to study?”

  “Mechanical and civil engineering. You highlighted the importance of the confidence that comes from knowing how things work, from sewage to shuttles.”

  “Well, I am... was... a very good governess.”

  “Would you consider being one of my lady’s companions?”

  Amber snorted. “Those positions are reserved for nobility. I think I will have to go in search of another posting. I don’t want to create any trouble for you.”

  “There won’t be trouble. I am making a posting in my companions for worthy service.”

  Amber noticed the deeper bows to Emera. “So, you have taken on the position of Imperial Heir formally?”

  “More or less. I am being confirmed as empress tomorrow. That is the reception that I want you to attend.”

  Amber stumbled, and Emera helped keep her up. “Well, that is something.”

  Moments of conversations started to trickle through her mind, and she heard voices whispering. The words grew faster, and the knowledge of the passage of time started to swirl through her thoughts. “Oh, my. Well, I am glad that we were able to have that talk about the intimacies of adult life.”

  Emera grinned. “What you may not be pleased about is that if you look through your memories, my uncle did make you explain it to him first.”

  The call and response of thoughts occasionally had a different pitch, and Amber was mortified.

  “Ohmygod.”

  Emera chuckled. “Well, tomorrow is his last day as regent and your last day as governess. You will have a place here for as long as you want it.”

  Amber nodded. “I have to go where I am needed. That has always been a thing with me.”

  “Wait until after tomorrow’s reception before you make up your mind.”

  Amber nodded, and when they paused at one of the noble’s doors, she was surprised when it was opened, and a lady’s maid was waiting. “Miss Huffner, please, come in. We will do something with that hair, and you will be fit for dinner this evening.”

  Emera smiled. “I leave her in your hands. Take care of her.”

  The woman who was about to become empress kissed Amber’s cheek and left the room. She had gained another six inches in the last year and a half. Amber was left being the smallest person in the room again.

  “I am Naia, Miss. We will get you out of that med gown and into the shower. Dinner is in two hours, and it will probably take me that long to learn the methods of manipulating your hair.”

  Amber was prodded, bullied, brushed, and oiled. Her skin gleamed, and the scars from the Yinshin bite were silvery webs across her right hand. She could still move it, and there was plenty of nerve sensitivity in it, but she resented it. It had cost her half her time on the alien world she had come to love.

  The gown that Amber was wrapped in was not her standard governess gown. The wrap was tight, the cleavage was extreme, and it fluttered when she moved. With her hair up in elegant loops and braids, she looked as little like herself as it was possible to. She hadn’t felt so unfamiliar to herself since she came out of the first tank.

  “Oh, miss, you look wonderful.”

  Amber asked, “Do I have a mask?”

  “No, miss. It is in the imperial museum. Lady Emera did mention that if you needed concealment, I could offer you a veil.”

  Amber exhaled. “Please. My own face is unfamiliar to me.”

  The veil went on, and she relaxed. That was more like it. Now, she could face whatever came next.

  Chapter Eight

  The knock on the door came just after the veil settled into place. Naia went to the door and nodded when she saw what was on the other side. “Miss, your escort is here.”

  Amber got to her feet and inclined her head to the guards, who snapped to alert attention. “So, are we off to the dining room?”

  “Yes, miss!”

  She gestured with her hand and smiled. “Shall we?”

  They formed up around her and walked her down the halls. Folks bowed low, and Amber was confused. Those bows were for someone of high rank. She was brought to the dining room, and she entered the secure chamber with a sigh of relief. There wasn’t anyone else there aside from the servants.

  She walked toward the table, and one of the servants stepped forward to pull the chair second on the left from the head of the table. She nodded. “Thank you, Toiva, but I would like a pot of tea if that is possible. I want to walk around a bit and stay on my feet as long as possible. I have spent enough time doing nothing recently.”

  The servant paused. “You remember me, Miss?”

  “Sure. You, Madak, Liiman, Rashith. I was in this room for nearly every dinner for a year and a half. You even stopped that young person. Harmat, I think? From dropping hot soup in my lap.”

  His shoulders relaxed. “Yes, miss. He had been bribed to do it by some nobility who wished to embarrass you.”

  “And so, I dropped the soup on myself, and you provided a refill.” She grinned.

  Emera entered, and she said, “And thereby, you let me know that ridicule was in no way something to be feared. The servants put it out that you had done so to save the hands of Harmat from punishment, and you ended up looking as wise and magnanimous as you could be.”

  Amber smiled, and she sighed. “You grew up when I wasn’t looking.”

  Emera laughed. “You were watching, just not through your own eyes. You are smaller than I remember.”

  Amber snorted. “I know. I know. This is about average height for a woman of my species and several inches taller than I started off.”

  Emera smiled. “And a few inches more with the Possitt genes. You are now at the low range of height for one of us, but you are within Possit norms, just below average. Your mask no longer fits your slightly larger frame, but if you truly need one, I can have another made for your new size.”

  “I can make do with the veil until I depart.”

  Emera cocked her head. “What if I order you to stay?”

  Another arrival in the room said, “You cannot order loved ones to remain with you. You either help them find a reason to stay, or you let them go.”

  The veil helped Amber look at Antoth. She curtsied deeply. “Imperial Regent. It is good to see you again.”

  He chuckled and wal
ked up to her, lifting her veil up and away. “I would rather see you, governess.”

  She looked up at his crimson and gold eyes, and then, she lowered her gaze. Amber was stunned by what happened next.

  Antoth lifted her to her feet and kept going. He lifted her up and kissed her. Mindful of her audience, she kept her hands to the front of his chest until he slowed the kiss and coaxed her into participating.

  Her hands crept around his neck, and she tilted her head as the kiss deepened. Her stomach was fluttering, a deep, slow throb was starting between her thighs, and the embroidery of her gown was scratching her now-erect nipples. His arms held her tight against him, and she shivered and ran her fingers through the cool silk of his hair.

  She was content to stay where she was, but the door closed sharply, and she jerked back, suddenly realizing where she was and what she was doing. Antoth slowly lowered her to the floor. “Krazz, I am going to beat you until you learn to close a door properly.”

  She had gone from arousal to panic in a second. Her heart thudded in her chest, and she tried to step away from Antoth, but he kept his hands around her waist.

  Emera was looking at them with a small smile on her face. “I thought that that was what would happen, but I wasn’t sure. You really can keep your mind on your work, Amber. When was the last time you kissed someone?”

  Antoth murmured, “Three years minus a day.”

  Emera looked at him, and her eyes went wide. “Is that why you haven’t had a mistress, concubine, or any other lover despite everyone watching and waiting to see who you had chosen?”

  Amber tried to ease away from him, but he held her tight. Apparently, now that he had her, he wasn’t letting go. More strangely, she didn’t want to push him away.

  Emera stifled a grin. “It seems the strength of the imperial governess has failed her.”

  Amber made a face. “What if I don’t want to get away?”

  Antoth kissed her again, and there was a bit of laughter from familiar voices behind them.

  Hynin muttered, “This is rather fascinating, but are we going to have dinner?”

  Amber slowly opened her eyes and stared into Antoth’s at close range. She didn’t feel the pressure on her mind, but he was definitely in there. She leaned back, and he smiled. He slowly set her on her feet, and he walked her to the table, setting her to his left. Emera chuckled and simply moved Amber’s tea over to her place setting.

  Amber muttered, “I am not supposed to be here.”

  Emera leaned over. “You have done the research. He is an adult male who hasn’t had a female in three years. I am guessing that this isn’t the moment that you want to put your foot down.”

  Possitt wars had been started by celibate rulers with a surprising frequency. They became more erratic the longer they went without a partner.

  Amber had checked on the habits of the imperial regent when she had first arrived, and he had had a number of casual intrigues that kept the population content that he was of sound mind.

  Amber leaned over and murmured to Emera, “I am not going to bend over backward just because he needs to get laid.”

  She squawked as she was lifted up and found herself parked on Antoth’s lap. He leaned forward and murmured, “We both know where this is going. We are among friends. The servants are holding in their laughter. Just eat.”

  Amber glanced around the table and was surprised to find a new face sitting next to Emera. “Oh, hello.”

  Emera laughed brightly. “Miss Amber Hoffner, this is my fiancé, Dreon, third son of the Nyal Imperium’s heir, Caalos Renix.”

  Amber jolted, and it only was partially due to Antoth’s left hand moving between her thighs. “Your mother is Hydrangea Graham?”

  “Hydrangea Renix now, but yes. She is a Terran. I am also a grandson to the Shosai empress. Right now, I am working in this sector with the guardians.” He smiled. “I hear that you have your own skills when it comes to working outside your standard genome.”

  “It was a prompt offered by Terra’s avatar.” She ended on a squeak.

  She knew her dress was down in appropriate configurations, but she could feel a hot tongue trailing pattens up her inner thigh. She didn’t want to turn to glare at Antoth, but if he kept going, she was going to have to take steps.

  She made it through the soup course and the shredded salad, but when it came time to admire the tower of cheeses in gel, she shivered with the fork in her right hand, twisting into a ball under the pressure. Her body was throbbing heavily, her thighs were slick, her skin was flushed, and Antoth simply called for another fork while he pressed a kiss to her neck.

  Dreon was laughing, and Emera asked him, “What is so funny?”

  “Your governess has a lot of self-control. I saw one of the guardian couples doing something similar, and she threw him through the door on the far side of the room, flipped the table, and then, they proceeded to send shockwaves through the surrounding area.”

  Amber breathed in and out through her nose until she calmed down. “It helps that I know that the sensations are just in my imagination. On my world, you say that you can’t charge people for their thoughts, but if they could, the imperial regent would be up on a lewdness charge.”

  He chuckled and nipped at her shoulder. She knew that her dress had covered it when she sat down. She felt hands cup her breasts, but she could see both of his, and she knew that the entrée would be a trial. It was a relief when the phantom fingers crept down her belly, but she tensed up as they slipped inside her again.

  She leaned to him and said sweetly, “If you continue with this, there is going to be a very broken antique table in here.”

  “You would never break anything. It would go against protocol and precedent; you would never do that.”

  She slowly twisted and looked him in the eyes. “You are very sure of what you think I will and will not do. Today, I am still the governess to the heir. Tomorrow, I am not.”

  Emera cleared her throat. “Technically, you were retired with honour over a year ago.”

  Amber looked at her with a raised brow. “Really?”

  Emera grinned. “Really.”

  Dreon was already lifting his plate before Amber rapped out, “Everybody out.”

  Krazz and Hynin grabbed their plates and stuffed rolls in their mouths as they left. Emera got a picnic assembled by the staff, and in four minutes, Amber was alone with her chair.

  She turned to him and stepped away from him, picking him bodily out of the chair and settling him on the table with the delicate touch of a falling leaf.

  He grinned. “I did not think you would do that.”

  She crawled on top of him, and she sighed. “I didn’t think I would either. You are absolutely right.” She kissed him and fought to pull her skirt up and out of the way.

  He loosened the clasp behind her neck and the one at her side. The top of her gown slithered open. She swallowed. “I am starting to lose my nerve right about now.”

  He ran his hands over her thighs under her skirt. “You feel like l’nal silk. Very strong but seductively soft.”

  “I don’t think my skin has ever tried to seduce anyone.”

  “It has been singing a song to me since you first emerged from that tank.” He kept one hand on her thigh, and the other moved between them on his own clothing.

  It was startling when she felt the heat of his erection against her inner thigh. She jolted, and he eased her forward, leaning up to take her breast into his mouth. He sucked and nipped, moving from one to the other while he eased her forward to be in range, and he settled his erection against her opening. She was going to work herself onto him, but he gripped her hips, and his cock moved and twisted against her, burrowing in with strong, focused thrusts. He slowly pulled her toward him, and she fell, catching herself with her hands as she felt herself being stretched wide to take him.

  She let out a low moan, and her hips flexed against his. He moved
in, and she thrust downward until she was resting against him and her breath sawed in and out of her lungs.

  Amber blinked, and the ache in her body reminded her of what she was doing, and the lonely, isolated human in her panicked.

  Antoth murmured. “Easy, Amber. You are fine.”

  He pulled her to him and kissed her. She came partially off him, but as his kiss deepened, instinct rose up where panic had been, and she moved on him while he moved in her. Pressure built inside her, and when she moaned and shuddered, he wrapped an arm around her, flipped her, and drove into her while his cock twisted with every thrust.

  She held him in the middle of the imperial family’s dining room table, and while he recovered, she reached up and grabbed one of the rolls. She was nibbling at it when he raised his head. “Are you eating?”

  She shrugged. “It seemed like you were doing something very important, so I decided to have a snack.”

  He leaned up and stared into her eyes. Invisible hands moved over her, and she shivered as arousal built again.

  “That isn’t fair.”

  He grinned. “You continue your snack. I will entertain myself.”

  She blinked as he moved to her breasts, and he didn’t stop until she was twisting and moaning under him. Amber didn’t laugh as she stared up at the ceiling, and he made his way between her thighs. While he used his mouth to tease her clit and his fingers slid into her, she felt something sliding into her ass that wasn’t there. That wasn’t a memory he had brought back; she had never delved into that particular area, nor let anyone else delve there either. She was surprised at the change in the tenor of pleasure. Her body started reacting differently to his touch, and when she came, she screamed.

  Her hand clamped over her mouth too late to catch the sound. Antoth raised his head and, disconcertingly, licked his lips. His eyes were dancing with laughter.

  She heard the thud of feet, and then Antoth’s eyes glowed. The sounds of approaching guards paused, and then, they dispersed.

  Amber was mortified. She sat up and closed the top of her gown, pushing the skirt down and swinging away from him.