Grace, Viola - Rune Series - Ingwaz - Burning Ceres

Burning Ceres

Rune Series - Ingwaz

By

Viola Grace

The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Burning Ceres Rune Series - Ingwaz Copyright © 2007 Viola Grace ISBN: 1-55410-789-X Cover art by Martine Jardin All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. Published by eXtasy Books Look for us online at: www.extasybooks.com

Ingwaz Meaning: The creative force of an individual that will bear the fruits of the future. The creative forces of masculine fertility, gestation, emotional growth, virtue, and common sense. This combines with family love, caring, warmth, a lack of anxiety and a time of relief.

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To everyone seeking a happily ever after. Sometimes happily for now can count.

Chapter One

C

eres stumbled and fell hard. She scrambled to her feet and dodged down the nearest alley. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her chest was heaving like a bellows. She tried to still her breathing and crouched next to a waste receptacle. Her eyes and ears were alert for any sign of her pursuer, but she knew that by the time she heard something, it would be too late. Why the hell had she run from her family? Oh, yeah. The arranged mating. So, her family was Nyal royalty, so they had a position to maintain, what gave them the right to choose the man that she would submit to? On the day of the official ceremony she had run. As far and as fast as her credit could carry her. She had eluded capture for almost a solar year. Within that year, she had gone into heat five times. Each time she had bribed a medical team to put her in a tank at the medical center and to wipe their records of her visit after she left. The fake 1

Viola Grace names that she had used had given her a bit of protection, but she had been forced to use the same identity twice. The last two heats had been so close together that she had been unable to set up a new name before she was forced to seek medical attention. The tank had become essential two years earlier at her family’s home. She had begun attracting every male in the vicinity with her pheromones and it had caused quite the stir, even her guards had tried to break into her room one night to answer her body’s call. That had been when her father had put his foot down and started to make arrangements for her mating. She had no say in the selection process. The day before the official announcement and two months before her next heat, she ran. She was exhausted. It would almost be easier to just let them catch her. She sat up quickly, hearing a noise in the dark and steeled her nerves. If she could last out the night, she could contact her father and arrange to come home. Kirkan Avedis might have a temper, but he would honour his daughter’s request to come in if she apologized. A bright flare in the darkness let her know her time was up. She felt the pulse of energy a moment before she fell to the ground in a heap. 2

Burning Ceres **** “Ugh. Where am I?” She struggled to sit, but there were restraints on her arms and across her torso. “You are on my ship, Dame Avedis. I am taking you back to Nyal.” A woman’s voice. Low and sultry. The type of voice that men fell over each other to get close to. “And who are you?” “Asha Timmons. Alliance Hunter.” The owner of the voice stood and came close enough for her to see her. It was one of the new races. A Terran. The blueblack waves of hair that fell down her back were just as alien to the Nyal as the bright blue eyes were. Ceres’ own ivory locks and scarlet eyes were stereotypical Nyal features. Her dusky skin was the only aberration. The result of an ancestress who tumbled an Azon during a period of her own heat. “What is an Alliance Hunter doing tracking in Nyal space?” “Making a fair trade for some citizens who are being held slave in your solar system.” She perched on the end of the bed and looked down at her prisoner. “I suppose that I should warn you, your father is really pissed. He has insisted that you be taken with no concern for your rank or physical condition.” 3

Viola Grace “Well, I imagined that he would be. It isn’t anything new.” “Oh, have you been sold at the Great Arena before? That is where you are headed.” Ceres went cold. The Great Arena? That was where low caste women were auctioned off to the highest bidder for mating, and slaves were processed for distribution. The same slave trade that had kept Nyal out of the Alliance. “You have to let me go. I need to get out of here.” She struggled against her bonds, frustrated when her captor just watched her. There was pity in that blue gaze, but also a stern determination. “It is better for you to be in the clutches of your own people, than for one of my species to be trapped on a mining planet.” Her leather-clad legs crossed and she watched Ceres until she stopped struggling. The com unit chirped. “We are in Nyal space.” “How long have I been out?” “Oh, I kept you out for a couple of days. No sense in having you getting all upset on me. Your metabolism is running a little fast or you would still be out. By the time you hit the Arena, you are going to be in full heat.” She groaned and banged her head against the mattress under her head. This was not what she had in mind when she thought about returning home. 4

Burning Ceres

Chapter Two

öD

o you understand the protocol of the private sale?” Auctioneer Zosia paced up and down in Ceres’ cell. “They can see me, but I can’t see them.” Ceres was tired of being naked in the cage. She had been stripped as soon as she arrived, cleaned from head to toe and put into a ‘single’ cell. She could feel her hormones rising, her mind fumbling around the ideas of sexual possession and her pulse pounding with every hour in the cell. The slick traces of cream that her body was producing had enough pheromones in them to drive every male guard out of the area where she was being held. It was worth castration if they touched her, so they left before it was uncontrollable. Only female guards had been allowed in her vicinity since. She hadn’t bothered masturbating, as she knew from experience that it only made the heat worse. It turned her body from a simmer to a boil until 5

Viola Grace the very air burned at her flesh. It was the reason for the tank. Immersion in the thick liquid kept her body from stimulation and let her ride out the hormone wave. That option was not available to her as she faced auction. They wanted her heat; the hotter the better. The private auction was the only concession to her rank that had been allowed. “I will be dressed in the sheerest fabric you can find, chained at the neck, belly, wrists and ankles. The bidding will start and as soon as it stalls you will bring me out and begin to describe me in graphic terms.” Zosia nodded, elegant in her simple tunic and sandals. She was one of the best auctioneers available and the commission that she was going to receive of Ceres’ sale was astronomical. “That is precisely it. You will be asked to pose seductively, and the gown may be taken from you if we don’t get enough response.” Ceres sat on her bunk and closed her eyes. Great, just great. It was one of her little fantasies to be ogled by strangers. But she had always hoped to keep it a fantasy. “Fine then, Dame Avedis, get up and follow me.” Silently, Ceres followed the woman who was about to sell her to the highest bidder. She was bathed, dried and denied any perfumes for 6

Burning Ceres enhancement. She was then subjected to being chained. Silver cuffs were put on her wrists and ankles, a collar was wrapped around her neck, and a slender chain was placed around her belly, hanging just below her navel and drawing attention to the slight tuft of hair at the juncture of her thighs. “Huh, I didn’t realize that they made silk gauze that thin.” It was the only thing she could say that would calm her nerves as the l’nal spun silk was draped over her shoulders, and tucked under the belly chain. The chain was an integral part of her clothing, as it kept the silk from sliding and floating off her as she walked to the holding area where they attached her final chains. Her collar received a tangle of chain, one attached to her right wrist, one to her left, a center link to her belly chain and two more light chains leading to her ankles. Though they were delicate in appearance, they would support her body weight with ease. She wasn’t going anywhere. She fidgeted and waited for the signal that all parties invited had arrived. Behind an opaque screen, they were gathering to bid on her. She heard the murmur of masculine voices behind that curtain and shuddered as a wave of lust rolled over her. They would definitely see what they were bidding on. A Nyal royal female in full heat. A blue light flickered on above and Zosia took the stage. She greeted all of the participants and 7

Viola Grace began a description of Ceres’ bloodlines and family connections. Then she got to her age, twenty-five, and the number of heats that she had had since maturity, seventeen. This last had a murmur of interest in the audience. It was rare to have a woman that hot blooded. She would be an excellent breeder, and with her family connections, the child would have access to all of her properties. A white light lit in the preparation room and Ceres shuddered. The bidding had begun. Long minutes passed and a red light flared to life. That was her cue. The bidding on the invisible woman was over, and they now wanted to justify further expenditures in the flesh. “And here she is, my lords, look at how fine her features are drawn, those lush lips touching your body, those elegant hands on you, stroking you.” Ceres was blushing; it was only going to get worse. Zosia took a light crop and lifted her chin. “Nobility in every movement, imagine her begging for your touch.” The crop floated down to her breasts and flicked over one tip. “Responsive to the least touch, her nipples tighten from this little caress.” Ceres was looking blindly into the audience, her face was on fire as the auctioneer continued the stroking of the crop down her body. She could smell her own heat, and by the murmurs in the 8

Burning Ceres audience, they were beginning to catch her scent. The flashing numbers on the podium climbed higher. “And the clever curve of her belly, my lords, take a good look at the graceful and sensitive curve.” The crop trailed lower and she shuddered hard as it hit the crease between thigh and hip. “Ah, a sign. She is in heat, my lords. Her sixth this year. Until her body is satisfied, it will continue to flare to life for you.” The numbers climbing on the podium were a blur. “Now, my lords, to show you her lower limbs and the center of the flame that burns within her.” A number began to blink frantically on the podium. Zosia turned her head and froze. “The auction is over, my lords. Please accept my thanks and the thanks of the Arena for attending this auction. The highest bidder may collect his purchase in the offices.” Confusion broke out behind the curtain and angry mutters carried over to Ceres’ ears. Zosia bowed to all of those who attended and hustled Ceres off the stage. Not an easy task, given her restraints. The linking chains were swiftly removed and a heavy cloak thrown over her shoulders. A green light indicated that her buyer was waiting, and she was quickly given shoes and dragged toward the office. 9

Viola Grace She didn’t even dare to ask who purchased her. She wasn’t quite sure she wanted to know.

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Burning Ceres

Chapter Three

S

he was shaking with a combination of lust and fear as they approached the sitting room where her buyer was waiting. As they drew near the door a servant scuttled forward with an object clutched in her hands. Ceres drew in her breath, it was a mating mask. It was a beautiful mix of leather and gemstones and she looked at it in horror. Zosia took it from the servant and tugged it onto Ceres’ head. The mask covered her eyes completely, depressions in the leather keeping her eyes firmly shut. The remainder of the mask drew down across her cheeks, and fastened behind the base of her head with a small snap. It left her mouth, nose and chin open to the elements and to whatever her new master had planned for her. She was blind. Zosia took her by both of her hands and led her forward, through the door. A soft whisper, “Don’t 11

Viola Grace worry. He is very handsome,” was the only comfort that she got before the announcement. “Here is your property, my lord. And if there is anything else that you need, don’t hesitate to send a message to the Grand Arena.” Strong male hands took over Zosia’s grip, and she felt herself herded out of the office and into the open air. He tucked her carefully into a waiting vehicle, and climbed in after her. There was leather under her palms and a definite masculine musk in the vehicle. Whomever had purchased her, he had no lady, or at least had never transported her in this equipage. The seat was wide and she fumbled her way to the far side, trying to keep her balance against the wall of the skimmer. She knew it was a skimmer; as it rose to the hover level and thrust forward, she slid back into the seat with a distinctive thunk. It was a familiar reminder that she was home. Silence reigned in the skimmer and she could once again smell her own musk. Her owner had not said anything, in fact he seemed completely unaware of her. She shifted and licked her lips nervously, his sharp inhalation was evidence that he was indeed watching her. Her body was shaking, her mind fighting the urge to feel her way across the seat and climb into the lap of her new owner. She didn’t know who he was, why he had purchased her or what he had in mind, and yet she wanted to sheath his cock in her 12

Burning Ceres heat right now. Another wave of pheromones came off her body and a dark chuckle broke into her misery. “It’s bad, is it?” “It gets worse every time.” She huddled in on herself and kept her back to the wall. The hands that touched her caused her to jump in surprise. She was inexorably pulled toward him, her arms flailed and gripped the arms that held her. She was panting on the edge of panic when he finished adjusting her position until she was straddling him. Her fingers fumbled and found his shoulders, then slowly dragged upward until they framed the line of his jaw. “May I?” He didn’t say no, so she explored him. He had a strong jaw, well shaped ears, silky hair that felt cool against her fingers. His brow was pronounced and the aquiline nose had a small bump in it. When she trailed her fingers across the soft and wide expanse of his mouth, sharp teeth nipped at her skin and she jumped again. This time his arms came around her and he held her until she calmed, then raised her fingers to his lips once again and sucked one into his mouth. Gooseflesh broke out over her body as his tongue swirled around her digit. He sucked and licked slowly at her fingers. Her teeth nipped out to grab at her lip as she fought a moan. The wet heat in his mouth and the stroke of his tongue 13

Viola Grace against her hands was driving her lust higher. She tasted blood and her own tongue came out to lave at the tiny cut that she had made. He released her fingers and she felt his breath mingle with hers a moment before he took her mouth with his own. With desperate fumbling fingers she took hold of his shoulders, the ornate filigree of his family crests rubbing against her hands as she clutched at him. So, he was of noble or wealthy family. At least she knew one thing about her new owner, he had money. And a kiss that drove her to the edge of release and left her teetering on the precipice. The damp heat between her thighs was creating a heady scent that had his hands caressing her hips and pulling her cunt against the ridge in his trousers. He groaned as she pressed against him and began to rock up and down on the hard evidence of his arousal. She shook and writhed in his grip, embracing her orgasm with a sharp squeak as he slammed her tightly against him. He kept the firm contact between them until she whimpered and slumped against him in a stupor. Her voice was hoarse, “You know that that is just going to keep making it worse, right? I have been in heat over six times this year, I either need to get fucked, or I am going to go insane.” “Soon, Ceres. You will simply have to wait.” His whisper breathed heat down her neck and she 14

Burning Ceres shook as his fingers slid under the silk of her covering to explore her sex. He stroked and parted the petals of slick flesh that guarded her channel, then slipped one finger inside. Her breath caught and held, her entire focus on that finger and the sensation of it ever so slowly entering and retreating with a maddening rhythm. Fighting against the grip he had on her hip, she twisted away from him and ended up on the floor of the skimmer. His clever digit had bumped into her maidenhead and the sharp pause and flash of pain had enabled her to regain her senses, if only for a moment. She scrambled back on her hands, the silk of her covering twisting around her. She cowered in the corner, waiting for the censure that was sure to come. He took a slow breath and let it out. “You’re a maiden.” “Yes.” “Still.” “Yes.” “How in the name of the little sister is that possible? You have been in heat over a dozen times. There must have been a male near you at least once.” His calling on the smaller of the moons almost made her smile. “I used a tank. I simply waited each cycle out. I 15

Viola Grace was on my way home when I was taken.” His voice was staying put, so did she. It seemed safer than blindly crawling around the floor. The smile in his voice was unmistakable, “Very clever. I have never heard of a female that had enough calculation abilities when in heat to seek medical intervention. You are one surprise after another.” “My father has to take the credit for it. I had gone through two or three heats when he came upon the idea. The tank kept the males in the area from scenting me, and bought him time.” “To find a suitable mate for you?” There was a thread of anger in his tone and she kept her voice even. “To find a mate he thought was appropriate for me. As he never told me of his choice, I did not feel it necessary to stay to find out.” Her arms wrapped around her torso and she hugged herself as her temperature began to plummet. Her body wanted to curl up next to his, and it was letting her know by dropping her blood pressure. It was a biological instinct that Ceres was very unhappy with. His kiss had given her body a taste of him, and it knew that he was nearby. The lethargy and temperature swings would only grow worse when they coupled. Her body would wrap around his and demand his attention until it got what it wanted, or until the heat cycle passed. Either way, she was trapped. 16

Burning Ceres “He really didn’t tell you who he had chosen?” The curiosity in his voice was unmistakable. She heard him shift and she felt his legs extend near her. “No. He told me that it was his duty as my father to make the choice for me. We argued and I left. Ran actually. I needed time to think.” She took a deep breath and asked for help. “Can you guide me back to the seat?” “Take my hand.” Sucking in a deep breath she extended her fingers and then her arm. His warm, strong fingers closed over hers and tugged her to her feet. He guided her to the seat next to him and tucked her against him in a proprietary fashion. She couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Why did you buy me?” “Because I wanted to.” He touched her head and guided her head to his shoulder. His fingers trailed over the mating mask and she was soothed by his passive touch. “Rest, we will be at my home in an hour or so. Anything else can be dealt with after that.” Warmed by his nearness, her body relaxed and she slept.

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Viola Grace

Chapter Four

T

he cessation of motion brought her abruptly awake and at first she panicked at her lack of sight. Her hand flew to her eyes and she relaxed as she realized that the mask was still in place. “Trouble adjusting?” The voice sounded in her ear and she jumped as she realized that her body was warm due to his arms holding her on his lap. “I haven’t worn the mask before. It is hard to get used to.” She wanted to squirm, but his erection was still in evidence and she didn’t want to disturb either of them. The chuckles warmed part of her and twigged a memory deep in her mind that she couldn‘t place. “Obviously, given your maiden status.” “Well, yes.” The masks had originally been used by males to subdue mates from other towns and villages. Without being able to run, see, or unlock the mask it made the Nyal women passive between heat cycles. It also made them useless and completely 18

Burning Ceres dependent on the males that had captured them. In recent years it had become fashionable for males with wealth and status to use the masks on their mates during first encounters. The new masks were bejewelled and had DNA locks on them that would only open for the owner of the mask. She had only ever seen one in use before, when her cousin Natril had argued about the match her father had chosen for her. The male in question had taken the mask and — in front of witnesses — locked Natril into it, then carried her out of her father’s home. The next time she had seen her cousin, she had been five months pregnant and glowing with happiness. Although the vehicle had stopped, her owner was making no move to leave. “Um, are we stopped?” “Yes.” “Aren’t we going in?” “Well, you looked so peaceful, I didn’t have the heart to disturb you. And you won’t be getting much rest in the next few days, so I waited until you woke.” The darker hue of her skin hid most of her blush, but her body heated a noticeable degree. “That was very kind of you. Thank you.” She ducked her head as best she could and clutched at him as he stood to leave the skimmer. “It was on automatic?” 19

Viola Grace “Yes. I have a dedicated path to my home. No other vehicles come out this far.” With a skimmer trip of an hour and a half, the home had to be in the Zenier mountains. As the door opened and chill air filled the skimmer, her suspicion was proved. She huddled against him as he strode from the vehicle into the warm confines of his home. A strange voice queried, “So, is that her?” Her owner replied. “It is. Is the room ready?” “Yes, and cook is preparing a repast for you. And her.” It seemed that the housekeeper was not fond of her employer’s new acquisition. “Leave it in the anteroom. I will fetch it later.” He was carrying her up a set of stairs, and the soft footfalls let her know that a carpet ran the length of the hall. The feel of the house around her gave her the suspicion that it was an extremely large residence. He shifted her and she heard a door open. It closed behind them and she felt him open another door. When that door closed behind them, she heard the click of a lock and a shiver ran through her. She was carefully placed on a bed and she lay there, shaking with both reviving lust and trepidation. The rustle of clothing was deafening to her ears. She counted each boot, belt and slither of trousers until he had no clothing left to shed. The bed dipped marginally and she felt his 20

Burning Ceres warmth beside her, beckoning her heat into flaring life once again. His fingers tangled with hers and he drew her hand to his chest, encouraging her to explore. “Feel free to touch me, Ceres, any way and anywhere. I will not have control for long, so you had better make the most of it.” Keeping one hand on his chest, she fought her way to her knees and began to stroke and rub at his body. His shoulders were wide, the muscles shifting under her touch as his hands came up to lift her over him until she straddled him once again. This time it was only her tissue thin wrap that kept his erection from finding its way within her. Her hands stroked at his chest while her hips shifted to ride the ridge of his cock, rocking back and forth in a parody of the act that she craved. Her clothing dampened with the honey that she was producing, and his own musk was gaining in strength as his hips shifted against her as she rocked. Her hands trailed lower and her fingers found the depression of his navel, scooting down on his thighs with his turgid length against her breasts she dipped her tongue into it. Then raised her head to lick and suck at the head of his cock. The heat and silky feel of the skin was inflaming her, matched by the musky scent of him as she took him into her mouth and sucked fervently. 21

Viola Grace That was it. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up to kiss him, his taste strong on her tongue. His hand tangled in her hair and he tumbled her to her back as his other hand tore the fabric from her body. His hands ran over her feverishly. She began to twist against him, arching into his touch. A groan left her as his mouth settled over one breast and began to tongue her nipple to life. His teeth were next as he nipped at the sensitive bud at the tip of her breast. His attentions switched from breast to breast and she was moaning as heat filled every inch of her body and formed a molten plasma of sensation in her belly. His fingers moved between her thighs and one hand urged her thighs open as the other brought a finger to open her to an enthusiastic moan from her throat. Her hips were quivering as he teased around her opening and slowly thrust one of his long thick fingers into her. He withdrew it and thrust again. She was shaking with the effort to keep still and when he brought a second finger into her she moved against his hand. It was only the impact with her hymen that slowed her hips. She whimpered and sighed as his fingers tested the strength of her virtue. He shifted above her and took her mouth with his own, moving his tongue between her lips as the blunt head of his cock pressed against her. She whimpered and moved her hips into his thrust as 22

Burning Ceres he began the process of making room for his length inside her. Each push of his hips was matched by one of her own until he came up against the barrier. He tore his lips from hers and nuzzled her neck with his mouth, in a move that surprised her he bit down and thrust his hips forward savagely, breaking her hymen in one stroke. She shrieked and pushed against him, fighting his possession and his teeth. As the throbbing between her thighs subsided, he licked the wound at her neck clean. Tears might have fought their way to the surface if he hadn’t begun to move within her. She revelled in the sensations that he was bringing to her and his own groans of enjoyment let her know that he wasn’t acting out of any kind of duty. Her body began to tense as it approached orgasm. With one of this thumb strokes across her clit she spasmed around him with a scream. His roar of possession followed hers a moment later. Her channel gripped him tightly and his hips thrust forward to hold him deep as his seed jetted from him in harsh bursts. She could feel him tremble as he succumbed to his own biological imperative. A minute later he slumped forward and lay across her, still lodged within her passage. The smell of sex was heavy in the air, carrying with it the coppery scent of her blood. She was a maiden no longer. 23

Viola Grace

Chapter Five

H

e was heavy, but her body was craving the warmth from his, saving her energy by stealing his. He didn’t have his full weight on her and she guessed that his arms and legs must be taking up some of the balance. She also knew now exactly who had purchased her. Raanan Adonai. A wealthy merchant from an old family that had no title, but demanded respect. The clue had been the bite. Like her own family, the Adonai family had intermarried with alien races, only in his case the Azon connection was far more recent. Which meant that the pointed fangs that had dug into her neck were part and parcel of his heritage. It was also an Azon mating reflex to hold one’s mate by the neck while trying to impregnate them. She moved her head and was unsurprised to find no soreness or stiffness on her neck, his tongue had closed most of the wounds. Her thighs however were definitely sore. They had never 24

Burning Ceres held themselves apart for that long. With a slow sigh of satisfaction he moved off her. He lay back and cupped her ass to turn her toward him and simply dragged her over him like a blanket. It was not a graceful manoeuvre, but it worked. A dull throb between her thighs caused her to shift slightly and a hand on her buttocks kept her in place. She sighed and let her body do what it would. Now that he had been inside her body, his sex drive would be increased to match hers and they wouldn’t have much rest in the next few days. A Nyal woman’s body during heat was a chemical factory designed to get pregnant. They were induced ovulators, so the more sex for them, the larger the chance of pregnancy. She wished that she could see his face. She remembered him from countless events at her father’s palace. The Adonai family had exceptional control of the trade routes to Nyal and a great deal of mineral rights to a vast variety of planets and asteroid belts. When other families had been making names for themselves in the royal courts trying to gain titles, the Adonai had left one member at court and sent the rest on geological expeditions to lay claim to a variety of minerals and gems. The result was that they had a ton of financial support, but minimal social standing. Generations later, they had refused the titles offered to them in 25

Viola Grace exchange for some of their mineral rights. Her owner’s stomach rumbled and she smiled. “You think it’s funny do you?” “Well, given my current position, it felt kind of funny.” She propped her head up on a fist and looked toward where she assumed his face was. “Are you hungry?” His hands sifted through her hair and untangled some of the white locks. “If I am not now, I will be shortly.” “Then let’s eat.” He sat up and moved out from under her. “Wait here.” She heard him cross the room, the inner door unlock, then open. His return was heralded by the lock again and a rattling of plates. The food was still warm, she could smell the steam, and she felt her body heat with a blush as she realized that whomever had delivered the food had heard all of their cries. She heard the splashing of liquid and assumed he was pouring a beverage. The hand on her inner thigh made her jump and the damp trail of a cloth touching her intimately made her flinch away from his hand. “Hold still.” “Then give me a warning. What are you doing?” “Cleaning the blood and come from you. There wasn’t much bleeding, but it can’t be comfortable.” “I thought it was supposed to feel like that.” He finished cleaning her and moved away. “No, it is supposed to take longer, with more work 26

Burning Ceres on my part, and your climax is only the start of our play, not the end.” “Oh.” Wow, more? Did she want to feel more? “You will have to explain these things to me. I don’t know much about anything but pleasing myself and what we just did. How much more can there be?” His dark chuckle caused another tendril of warmth to curl in her belly. He was over near the food again and preparing something. Then he came back and took her hand, leading her to a table only a few feet away from the bed. He tugged her into his lap and began to feed her, blowing on hot tidbits of food before offering them to her. She ate familiar stews, breads cheeses, drank watered juice and a piece of her favorite fruit before putting up her hand for him to stop. He ate his own meal in silence and she worked up the nerve to ask him a slightly less abrasive version of the question that was ringing in her mind. “What do I call you?” Quickly she went to fill in the silence that reigned after that question, “I mean, I can’t see you, don’t know who you are, and have no idea why you chose to buy me. Do I call you master? Or sir? Do you have a rank that you wish to be known by, or another title?” “I haven’t given it much thought. I will let you know.” His tongue lapped at her lower lip and she realized that the juice from the fruit had left a trail 27

Viola Grace on her. Just that simply, her body began to prepare for his entry. In a few heated kissed he had reduced her to panting and clutching at his shoulders once again. He simply lifted her to straddle him and she froze at the feel of him once again preparing to enter her. His hands on her hips gently coaxed her to relax onto him and as his cock took over her passage she let herself relax. His mouth covered her lips and neck with feverish kisses, working his way down to her breasts as he bent her back over one arm and found the bud of sensation at the top of her sex with the other. He suckled at her breasts, one after the other as his fingers teased her clit with a circular motion and sharp flicks now and then. Her body was still, humming like a bowstring, the muscles in her channel alternately clasping and releasing his cock in time to her growing passion. As she gasped and shuddered in a wet torrent between her thighs, she realized that the soreness within her had been erased in that second orgasm. She had barely slumped against him in submission when he rose suddenly to his feet and turned her onto the bed, disengaging his body with a wet pop. Flipping her to her belly he stroked his hand down her spine parting the curves of her buttocks with a smooth motion. Her hands clutched the bedding as her mind focused on that hand. It trailed between her thighs 28

Burning Ceres and rubbed gently against the heated core that he had so recently occupied. She whimpered and arched her hips into his hand as his fingers skated across her opening, trying to impale herself on his digits. He chuckled and she felt him cover her, rubbing against her back in a slow and sensual way. The blunt heat of him lodged between her thighs, teasing her with the promise of a long and slow thrust. His teeth nibbled at the back of her neck, sending shivers of anticipation through her as he kept up his slow and deliberate stroking of her flesh with his. Her spine curved and twisted, seeking a firmer contact as she shook with lust. Ceres had parted her thighs so wide in invitation that her hips protested. When sobs began to break from her he murmured soft words against her neck and shoulder and slid his member home. Her sobs of frustration continued as he began to thrust gently within her, stroking against the front wall of her channel with every motion. A fine shivering took over her body as it climbed to the point of release more rapidly that she would have believed possible. Sweat coated her back and it dawned in her lust fogged brain that his self-control was costing him. Good. As she groaned in the grip of an endless wave of release he finally pounded into her in the 29

Viola Grace manner she had craved. Her shaking arms pushed her into him with all the strength her body could spare as the rest of him kept her firmly in place. As she rose up, his head moved over her shoulder and his teeth sank into her again, holding her in place as his hips plunged and bucked in his own release. Her body reacted to the pain and another wave of pleasure broke over her. Sparks flew behind her eyes and she slowly went limp in his embrace. Moments later, she was asleep. **** She roused briefly as she felt a warm cloth being stroked down her body, and as her attendant realized that she was awake a soft female voice encouraged her to relieve herself. Hands guided her into the facility chamber and she took care of her other needs. Those same hands helped her rise and led her to a shower. The warmth of the water soothed muscles that she had never used in her life. The water flowed through the mating mask and cooled her fevered flesh. The porous nature of the leather had never been appreciated by her before this moment, but the water creeping between her skin and the mask was so soothing she almost cried. Being at the mercy of her biological urges had never seemed more frustrating than at this 30

Burning Ceres moment. Her skin could feel the warmth of the water but it paled in comparison to the heat coming off her flesh. The hands were gentle, as if bathing an infant. She had every nook and cranny washed with astonishing thoroughness. And kindness considering the words of the housekeeper when she had arrived. She practically expected to have an icy bucket thrown over her to wake and refresh her after the formal first day was over. Not this. “Thank you. You are being very kind.” “It was your first time, that requires a certain amount of energy to keep oneself for the first mating for as long as you did. You must have remarkable self control.” The soft voice was amused and Ceres vividly recalled the smell of blood in the room that had not really abated. Her blood. All over the sheets. If Raanan was smart, he would send the sheet to her father as proof of her honour, and gain some new properties for the offspring that they would have. “Keeping untouched was tricky, but predicting my heat cycle was science. Each time it hit, I hid in a medical tank and waited it out.” “Very ingenious. Not many would have thought of it.” “Well, my thinking is a little off the beaten path. And I was desperate at the time.” A soft chuckle from her companion and she was rinsed a final 31

Viola Grace time to get the soap off her, then led to a massage table and asked to lie down. Soothing oils were poured onto her skin and she groaned as muscles were loosened by nononsense hands that worked at her tissues with the goal of relaxing her. After the first few minutes of pummelling, Ceres found herself nodding off. The hands had moved to her lower spine and were now working on her buttocks and thighs. As she drifted in and out of consciousness she noted idly that the fingers were doing more exploring than massaging now. Her body began to warm under those hands, and she came belatedly to the realization that the oil that had been used on her was waking the nerves in her skin with a warm pulse. Her thighs had been parted without her noticing, and the thumb that stroked across the seam of her buttocks made her rise in surprise. The thumb began to rub gently at the rosebud of her anus and she squeaked in shock as it slipped inside. Her owner’s voice murmured gently to her as what was obviously his thumb began to move within her. Her body seemed to welcome the invasion with a wave of heat, but her mind was spinning in surprise. The oil that coated her worked its way into her, carried by that thumb. She shook as the pulsing heat made her raise her ass toward the invading digit. 32

Burning Ceres It left her with a soft withdrawal, and the hand patted her straining buttock. Hands around her waist drew her to her knees on the massage table and the head of his cock pushed past her slick petals and into her in one determined thrust. The belly chain that they had placed on her in the Grand Arena was still in place, and he used it to hold her and draw her into the sharp slap of his thighs against her. Ceres shook and gasped with every stroke, trying to meet his thrusts, but having to give into his relentless rhythm. She dropped to her elbows and leaned to one side to move her own hand to her clit. A few circular strokes and she came, bucking and shivering in release. She dropped her head onto her bent arms and simply took the rest of the pounding that he was giving her. His fingers dug into her hips as he grunted and sighed as his own release slammed into him. After a long moment with their bodies fused intimately he withdrew and gathered her into his arms. She snuggled into him, the heat from his body a warm blanket around her. He walked with her back to the bed and they snuggled between clean and crisp sheets. She sighed happily and was relaxed in his embrace when she felt a touch at the back of her head, and the mask released. 33

Viola Grace

Chapter Six

T

he mask slowly fell from her face and she blinked and squinted in the dim light of the room. A damp cloth was drawn across her face and she felt him turn her to face him. “Hello, Raanan.” Her red eyes met with his clear golden gaze and she saw surprise move across his features. His full lips twisted into a rueful smile, “How long have you known? The whole time?” She eagerly devoured his features with her gaze. He was perfect. He always had been. A golden mane of hair framed skin that was a darker shade of metallic gold. His eyes were the clear gold of the high-flying raptors of his mountain home. His mother’s Azon blood was in evidence. It was his alien heritage that had kept them out of the same social circles, for the most part. There had still been moments and festivals where they had been allowed to mingle. He had always kept to the formal distances required by their social 34

Burning Ceres status, but she had felt something in her blood call to him. “No, I only knew during our…umm.” She ducked her head and studied the musculature of his chest with concentration. His fingers gently tilted her jaw up until she met his gaze again. “When you took me that first time. It was the bite that gave you away. That and your voice. It started a memory in the skimmer.” “Are you displeased?” His lips traced hers and her eyelids fluttered closed as her breath mingled with his. “No!” She was self conscious again. “I mean, you bought me, you own me.” A phrase she had never imagined saying tumbled from her lips. “I am yours.” He blinked in surprise. No answering phrase tumbled from his lips and she closed her eyes in mortification. Light kisses skated across her lids and she couldn’t stop the tear that formed at the tenderness. “Now is not the time Ceres. You are still in the grip of your urges, and once you are free, then we will speak of this again.” “Will we? There is no reason to. You own me. I can expect nothing from you except a breeding partner under the law.” More tears formed and flowed down her face. She was in the arms of her choice of a mate, and she had no right to him. He could take another to wife, and only visit her 35

Viola Grace when she was in season. For that matter. He may have a mate right now. “Are you married?” “No. There was a female I had my eye on, but it didn’t work out.” His tongue flicked out and took her tears from her flesh. With a heavy sigh he rolled her to her back and slid home within her. Her eyes opened wide at the feel of him and the sight of him with his skin drawn taught over his cheekbones with lust made her feel both protected and prey. His fingers tangled with hers and pulled her hands up beside her head. Slowly, he began to thrust into her and withdraw almost completely, then thrust in again. The tide of his body beat against hers with a slow pounding. Watching him moving above her was shaking her to the core. Sex was much more intimate when you met your lover’s gaze. She felt a tingle and a touch on her mind. “You’re…?” His lips sealed any details or accusations she might have made as his mind fed his pleasure right into hers. He threw his head back and groaned as her pleasure spilled back into his mind. With the speed of a striking viper his head snapped forward and bit hard into her neck again, his pleasure as the blood spilled into him mixed with the heat of his cock in her voluptuous grip. His orgasm was intensified by hers as his pleasure and the pain once again blended to send her 36

Burning Ceres sensitized body into over drive. He collapsed against her, his body coated in sweat and musk, his and hers. His chest was heaving like a bellows. For the first time she realized how hard going into heat had to be on the males. They had to be able to perform any time that their breeding partner craved it, for days on end. The stamina that they needed was incredible. She brought her hands up and stroked his hair, loving the feel of the silky cool locks between her fingers. It was the only part of him that was cool, the rest was all muscle and heat. “How long have we been here?” She was counting off the time in her mind, but the frenzied coupling was all that rang in her mind. “Two and a half days.” She had lost an entire day. “Why did you remove the mask? I thought is was tradition to keep the woman in it until the heat was over.” “I wanted to see your eyes.” He raised his head and kissed her again. A sweet tangling of tongues and lips that made her sigh in happiness. Her fingers tightened to keep pressure on his mouth as she pushed up with her hips. He obligingly rolled over, and she found herself riding him. “Is that all you wanted to see?” She flexed around him and arched her back, displaying her swollen breasts and erect nipples. His hands took the invitation and his hips rose under her, pushing him in deep. 37

Viola Grace She rose and fell, echoing the slow torture that he had put her through ending each plunge onto him with a swivel of her hips that arched his back and once again she felt the touch on her mind. His hands shifted from her breasts to her hips and he held her still as he worked against her. Her laugh of triumph made his eyes narrow, and she could feel his outrage at her teasing. She had set out to make him lose control enough to take charge of their coupling, and he was about to. He gripped her hips and rolled so that she was now on her back and he pounded into her with barely restrained savagery. His fingers formed claws and drew furrows across the sensitive flesh of her breasts, her body rioted from the sensations as it hovered between the pain/pleasure barrier, and it couldn’t climax. She whimpered for more as he slowed and thrust shallowly, bringing her body under his complete control as she pulled at his shoulders in futility. Now she felt his triumph as he began to shake with the effort to control himself. He had proved his point. Her body was under his control, not the other way around. One of his thumbs stroked across her clit and she shook at the extra layer of sensation. It was enough to make tears come to her eyes. “Please. I need…” She fed all of the sensations and her dangling 38

Burning Ceres on the precipice to him. The flames that engulfed her body, the beat of her walls around him and the emotion that she couldn’t yet put words to. He felt them all. His release came upon him in that wave of communication. Her body responded once again, and she screamed as the pent up tension unravelled in a burst of pleasure. She slept, the orgy of sensuality had exhausted a body not used to carnal activity. When she woke hours later. It was over.

39

Viola Grace

Chapter Seven

I

t was late afternoon. She could tell by the angle of the light that crept through the windows. Her head turned and she examined the surroundings that she had been too fevered to notice. The bed that she was on was typical for a Nyal master bedroom, over ten feet square. It made for easier romping about when in the grip of the mating fever. Two large windows flanked it on the wall next to the headboard, as she bent forward to look, they were doorways onto a balcony. The far wall was covered by bookshelves with a small writing desk in the center. The facility chamber door was next to the door that she had to imagine led to the ante room. The sight of the wreckage that they had made of the bed almost caused her to blush. She stood on unsteady legs and began hobbling with her thighs still shrieking in protest. Twenty feet across the room to the facility chamber almost did her in. 40

Burning Ceres She used the facilities, then wandered gratefully into the shower. The warm water calmed her abraded skin, both on her breasts and between her thighs. He had been rough, but thorough, and her body had needed everything he had to give. She soaped and rinsed her hair, wincing at the thought of untangling the riot of strands that had been knotted by the writhing on the sheets. When her hands had begun to wrinkle from the water, she reluctantly stepped from the cubical. A towel was extended to her by a Nyal female and she quickly wrapped it around herself. “I am Amani. The master of the house has asked that I care for you.” She didn’t look to happy about it. “I will not require much attending. I have been taking care of myself for a while now.” Being under the scrutiny of attendants was her least favourite thing. It always had been. “There is a gown for you in the other room. I thought that you would still be asleep after the last few days’ activities.” The censure in her tone was unmistakable. Apparently the house was not sound proofed. “Nope. I am awake and full of energy. Sorry to disappoint you.” She towelled herself dry roughly and turned to her hair. “Is there a brush available? I need to unknot this mess.” Amani looked confused, but proffered a brush. 41

Viola Grace Most purchased breeders were not this forthright. Apparently she had been expecting a shy woman from the lower classes. It took Ceres long minutes to get halfway up the mass on her right side, and a gentle tugging on her left distracted her. “I can do this myself.” “Yes, but it will go more swiftly with two.” Her hands made short work of the tangles, and she added, “I dress my daughter’s hair, and she tends to have twigs in it from her tree climbing. At least yours is clean.” Ceres smiled and continued to work on her unruly ivory locks. When they were finally untangled and flowing down her back she sighed in relief. “Alright, now where was that dress?” The gown was Azon in style, formal and flowing at the same time. It had a high collar, but left her collar bone exposed as well as a hint of cleavage. Elaborate trim covered every seam and it fell straight to the floor in a clean line. Shoes were also there, mimicking the trim on her gown. She slid her feet in and sighed with the feel of being completely covered. There was a certain amount of security that came with being clothed. As fun as it was to romp naked with Raanan, meeting him again while clothed would put her on more even footing. “Am I to stay here or do I have the run of the house?” “You have the run of the house. There is an 42

Burning Ceres atrium on the main floor where the master has his dinner, which will be served within the hour. You might find him there.” “My heat is over. Why would I want to find him?” Laughter was in her tone and she swept out of the bedroom and into the antechamber, looked at the couches and desks, then continued on into the main hall. “Wow.” The home she was in rivalled her father’s winter palace. Amani followed her out of the room, “Yes, master Adonai had this built six years ago.” Her footsteps were muffled by the thick carpet beneath her, “Why?” “Why what?” “Why did he build this home six years ago? Did he have a mate?” “No, he always just said that he had someone in mind.” She was hovering behind Ceres as she walked and caressed the woodwork with delicate motions. The large staircase lead down into the main foyer she looked around and followed a servant who was carrying a carafe of wine. She kept at least fifteen feet behind the woman, but she was still subjected to nervous glances as she kept pace. The hall that they moved through was a servant’s corridor. When it opened into the atrium she was unsurprised. The servant immediately scurried forward and as she put the wine on the 43

Viola Grace table in front of Raanan, she whispered frantically in his ear. He turned and surveyed Ceres in all her fullyclothed glory and approval with a hint of possession flared in his eyes. He stood as she approached. She moved forward and took the chair that he held out for her. “Thank you.” His eyes crinkled in amusement at her formality. “You are welcome. You look just as lovely in clothing as without it. Well, almost.” Her shy behaviour was a direct response to her having spent the last few days writhing in his arms. “Thank you. I wasn’t sure that I put the dress on correctly.” “You did well. Didn’t Amani help you?” “I am not very fond of being cared for by servants.” He poured her a glass of wine and watered it down. “Yes, your father did mention that you had outwitted his guard and your caretakers when you were younger.” She nearly sprayed the wine that she had been sipping across the table. “When did you talk to my father about me?” “When he was trying to talk me out of offering for you, and again after you ran from me.” He took his own goblet to his lips and she watched a drop of wine cling to his lips, and had to fight the urge to lean forward to lick it off. 44

Burning Ceres She shook her head to clear it. “I wasn’t running from you Raanan. I was running from the faceless man that my father was trying to match me to. He refused to tell me who he had chosen for me, and I panicked. I ran.” He propped his chin up on his fist and she felt his mind delicately touching hers. No longer bound by the heat of lust, she realized what he was doing fully. “You are an empath. The Azon blood that your mother gave you had that talent in it.” “Yes. Does it disgust you? I know that many Nyal are appalled by psi abilities.” “My skin isn’t pure Nyal either, Raanan.” She lifted her watered wine. “To the shame in my family tree!” She laughed outright at his appalled look. “I have spent over a year in the stars Raanan, alien races are not so alien to me anymore.” Her mind welcomed the light touch and she sat quietly letting him rifle through her emotions. “You really didn’t know whom your father had chosen. He told me that you knew, and that it was why you ran.” “WHAT?!” Her shriek rent the air and a few servants appeared in doorways, he waved them off. “He told me that you had heard that I was your suitor and that is why you ran. I was then responsible to hire trackers to bring you home.” 45

Viola Grace “You sent the hunters after me?” “Of course. And I arranged with your father to have you sold in the Grand Arena to teach you a lesson.” Servants began to file in and set the table with plates and a variety of foods, hot and cold. “You arranged for me to be humiliated like that?” “I did.” Fury washed through her. He had thought she had run, had her dragged home, and had her sold in public to teach her a lesson. Only one question still was hopping in her mind. “Then why did you buy me?” He tapped his fingers against his goblet, “I asked myself that when I went to the Grand Arena, I asked that when I sat amongst the wealthy and titled noblemen who were salivating at the thought of burying their cocks in your soft warm body. “I asked myself why when the bidding escalated to the point where your presence was required to entice the buyers. And again when you came out, proud and still with the whites around your eyes showing your panic and your scent declaring your heat. “When the auctioneer began to stroke you and the bidding climbed into the stratosphere and I pledged the income of a small asteroid I knew I had to have you, and when I realized that I had brought the mating mask of the Adonai family 46

Burning Ceres with me without knowing it, I knew you were my mate.” She was shaking with reaction to his statements. “Your mate, for a breeding contract?” “My mate until I die. The empathy is a family bond. Not shared by casual conquests.” He turned to the food. “Eat something. I didn’t feed you properly during your heat. You need more energy.” Numbly, she turned to her food. One of the servants had loaded it with a selection of treats and she dug in with her mouth on automatic and her mind in chaos.

47

Viola Grace

Chapter Eight

D

inner was silent. The clink of cutlery on fine porcelain was the only sound. For once in her life Ceres had nothing to say. “Do you remember the time you left the palace and ran to the Roja Festival because you wanted to watch the dancers?” She had been eighteen and had just finished a heat. She had wanted to see how normal women in the villages attracted mates without their family’s intervention. The dances at the Roja Festival were one of the methods. She had gotten dressed, wrapped herself in a cloak and crept out the secret passageways past the guard. Once out, she had hired a skimmer and gone to Roja. “Yes, I remember.” “Then you remember that you took your place among the young dancers and tried to pass the first stage of the competitions.” “How did you know that? I didn’t tell anyone. 48

Burning Ceres The guard came and hauled me off before I could take the stage.” “Who do you think called the guard?” He pushed away from the table and crossed his arms. His black shirt made his skin glow and his eyes were embers as a remembered irritation flowed through him. “You were there?” “Yes, I followed you out of the palace. I watched as you changed into a Roja dance costume and as you signed up for the dances with a false name.” His fingers drummed on his upper arm. “What were you going to accomplish?” She hugged herself, her arms pushing her breasts against the fabric of her gown, “I just wanted to be a normal woman of Nyal for one day.” “Do you know what could have happened to you?” “Yes. A male may have taken me home and rutted with me, or tried to arrange a more formal agreement.” She shrugged, “I was young and stupid. I just wanted to be wanted for myself, not my rank or properties.” “Did you really want a normal life so badly that you would have risked your life and virtue?” “At the time, yes. It was all I wanted.” She thought about it and then voiced her thoughts, “Since I couldn’t have you, I wanted anyone. It doesn’t make much sense, but there it is.” 49

Viola Grace He was dumbfounded. “Are you saying that you wanted me then?” “I had asked my father to consider you as a potential mate when I was sixteen. He told me that I was being foolish, and that a male as pretty as you had plenty of pure blooded women to choose from.” His lips twitched, “He called me pretty?” “Or attractive…pretty was my word.” She rose and went to look out onto the gardens that had been lit for the evening that was swelling around them. There was too much. Too much information, too much time, too much everything. He came to stand behind her and placed his arms around her, a feeling of protection and warmth stole through her and they just stood there together, bodies still and minds touching lightly. Hours passed and the lights in the garden became hypnotic. The flaring drew her and the moons rose as they stood and watched them. Big and little sister traveled together, big sister taking the lead and little sister following, falling further and further behind. “It’s almost Roja festival, isn’t it?” She rocked slightly in his arms and he gave her a light squeeze. “It is. In three days. Would you like to go?” His murmur was hot in her ear and she shivered. It was different from the insistent hunger of her 50

Burning Ceres heat, it was more of an attraction and less of a compulsion. She turned in his arms, and wrapped her own around his neck. “I would love to go. I never did get to see the whole festival.” He smiled and his head moved close to hers, “That is just something we will have to remedy.” He paused and she tugged his lips down to hers. A chuckle broke from both of them and the laughter quickly stilled as the kiss went from silly to serious. A slow and deliberate touching of tongues took place as she stroked his and he took possession of her mouth with a harsh groan and hands that held her head still for him. Each merging of their mouths was simply a seeking of contact, not the harsh burn of lust, but the slow warming of pleasure. “Would you care to try and make love without your body shrieking at you?” The gold in his eyes was burning her. No, not burning, melting. A distinct dampness was occurring between her thighs. “Is it different?” He was nipping a strand of kisses down her neck and across her cleavage. “As night to day.” The other side of her neck got the same treatment and her head moved to grant him full access. “Then I think we should try it.” Her own hands had taken to roving lightly across his chest and to the fastenings of the trousers. The bulge beneath 51

Viola Grace her hand throbbed gently and she smiled up at his narrowed eyes. With a sharp motion he grabbed her and flipped her over his shoulder. She squealed with laughter and received a sharp slap to the buttocks for her efforts. The startled faces of several servants passed within her scope, all looking to see what had possessed their otherwise staid and controlled employer. Her giggles followed them all the way back to his bedchamber. The passed through the anteroom and he locked the door once again. This time having both hands free by benefit of his method of transporting her. His hands gripped her waist and he flipped her through the air to arrive with a giggle and a bounce on the bed. His hands stripped off his clothing quickly, and she was only halfway through her fastenings when he dropped naked to the bed beside her. “Let me help.” His fingers flicked at the fastenings and her gown peeled open, leaving her bare to the slight draft of air that blew through the room. He tugged the fabric away from her dusky skin and she quipped, “Hey, don’t wrinkle that dress, I like it.” The dress was wadded up and tossed across the room as he returned to her with an impish grin. “I’ll get you another one.” 52

Burning Ceres She reached out her hand to trace the smooth velvety texture of his chest, and he lay back to let her explore. “Feeling you was great, but this is going to be so much more fun, now that I can see.” She straddled him, but this time was not seeking his penetration, simply cooperation. She began with a sweet kiss, an exploring kiss, her hair forming a veil to keep out the world. Her mouth carefully learned the shape of his lips, her tongue stroked them. When he would have joined her, she moved her head aside and trailed her lips across his jaw and down the sensitive cords of his neck. Smiling, she bared her teeth and gripped his neck, shaking her head just enough to scrape his flesh, then she moved on. While her teeth had been at his neck, he had held his breath, now that she was trailing kisses and nipping bites across his chest, his breathing became more rapid. Pinpricks of sweat and musk were appearing on his torso, and she ran her tongue down the center of his chest flicking at his navel and moving off as he arched into her mouth. “Down boy. I want to know the difference here, between a forced lust and a genuine passion. You have to help me here.” She grinned up at him and he scowled in return. He had just risen up on his elbows when one of her hands wrapped around his cock and began to stroke him slowly. “Shit!” He dropped back to the bed and flung 53

Viola Grace up his hands in surrender. Another hiss emanated from him as her tongue flicked out to taste him, lapping up the small drop of precum that had formed on the flaring head. The taste was musky and salty and, curiosity satisfied, she took the whole of the head into her mouth. She sucked his throbbing flesh and moved her hand with time to her sucking. She wanted to see if she could bring him to release just with her hand and mouth. She kept up her ministrations, going faster as he began to pant and then suddenly slowing. She repeated this pattern until a guttural stream of curses was coming from her hapless victim. The fact that his self-control kept him from taking over warmed her. He was committed to her learning what she needed to know. With a final harsh groan his cock swelled in her hand and a thick spurt of cum began to pump into her mouth. She swallowed quickly as more boiled up from him rapidly. Her hand slowly stroked him now, milking the last few spasms and spurts from him. At last she looked up at Raanan and smiled. She crawled up his body and nuzzled against his neck and chest once more. His breathing was slowing and as she snuggled against him she heard a sound that almost made her jump. He was purring. Deep in his chest, there was a low rumble to 54

Burning Ceres indicate his pleasure. It was the first time she had heard it. She had almost nodded off to the soothing sound when his hands began to stroke up and down her back and buttocks. “Was that different for you?” His voice was husky with the groans and shouts of his release. “It was. It felt nice to please you. Was what I did alright?” “It was wonderful. Would you like to know what it feels like?” “Men don’t do that. Do they?” Another dark chuckle that sent a tiny curl of anticipation through her, “Oh yes. But not all women enjoy it. I think you will as well.” He rolled her to her back and met her gaze for a moment, “You will have to trust me, nothing that I do will harm you in any way.” “Alright.” He led her hands to engraved bars in the headboard. “If you can’t stay still, pull on these.” With that he took her mouth in a ravaging kiss and bore her back into the bed with his weight. As he broke their kiss he nibbled and stroked his tongue across her neck, working to the tight bud of her nipple and suckling with fervent and wet smacking sounds. He worked one breast, then the other and she was gasping and moving with every strong motion of his tongue. He abandoned her breasts and nipped at her ribcage, sliding his tongue down to her navel and 55

Viola Grace burrowing within. His body parted her thighs as he moved backward and she groaned as she began to have an idea of what was about to happen. Her grip on the bars tightened as he blew a stream of air across her short damp curls. “Are you sure you want to do this, Raanan?” “Oh, I am quite sure.” He lifted her legs over his shoulders and settled on his belly between her thighs. His head moved between her thighs and at the first strong stroke of his tongue she let out a squeak. The first stroke had parted the petals of her sex and exposed her clit to the second, and the third, and soon one of his hands had to hold her hips down with firm pressure on her abdomen. Each stroke of his tongue was thorough, beginning at her anus and continuing to her clit. Her head was thrashing from side to side, her thighs taut with strain, and then he brought two fingers into play. His thumb pressed against her rectum and slowly forged his way inside. The other finger slid into her and simply remained their as he licked at her clit with slow lapping strokes. A fine shivering took over her, her body was twisting against his grip and against the release that finally took over her with an ear-piercing shriek. His fingers began a gentle stimulation to keep 56

Burning Ceres her at that peak, and her voice was hoarse by the time she was allowed to relax into the sweaty sheets. He crawled up her and kissed her. She tasted herself on him and smiled. He seemed happy. “Ceres, that was making love.” “It is quite different from the heat.” “Yes it is.” He rolled to his side and curled her against him. “And it is what we will do from now on, unless your body demands it.” “You mean only oral, no sex?” He began to shake. It burst out of him in a roar of laughter. When he had calmed, “There will be plenty of sex. But no longer with that intense frenzy to simply slam our bodies together. We will take the time to take and give pleasure.” She was drowsy. “That sounds nice. I like that.” She began to breath in the slow beat of sleep. “Yes, so do I.” He held her tight to him and as his body relaxed, he began to purr.

57

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Chapter Nine

R

aanan was as good as his word, three days later, they were on their way to the Roja festival. He had also neglected to mention earlier that he had a complete wardrobe prepared for her, it was in the anteroom, which was why he kept the door locked when they were together. He liked her without clothing. Or with clothing. It didn’t really slow him down much, and she had spent the last few nights listening to his heavy purr as she recovered from their lovemaking. She was glad that she had made him happy, she had no purr, but she knew that his sense of her mind conveyed what she felt for him. Raanan interrupted her reverie, “I have to warn you, we will be visiting my parents. And my mother was not pleased with my choice.” Keona Adonai was a formidable woman. She had been an Azon geologist when she met Salus Adonai and fallen in love. She was well known for supporting the rights of aliens on Nyal, and a 58

Burning Ceres proponent of the abolition of the slavery of Nyal females. That her son had bought his mate would not sit well with her. Nor would Ceres being of a royal family be of any benefit, in fact it might make matters worse. “Great. Remind me that I can’t get drunk because of the baby please.” She covered her face in her hands and the burst of joy in her brain made her aware of her forgetting to tell her mate that their heated coupling was bearing fruit. “I am sorry Raanan, I meant to tell you earlier. When we were getting ready to leave, but you distracted me.” She looked up into his shining eyes and didn’t see any upset in them. He looked delighted. Ceres moved across the seat and crawled into the arms of her mate, snuggling into his lap. “Are you happy, or upset that it happened this soon?” He gave her a kiss that curled her toes. “Happy. Delighted beyond all bearing. Our little child is in there, growing as we speak.” His warm palm settled over her belly and the heat soothed her. “Will this give me more or less points with your mother?” He thought about it, “Let me handle my mother. I will try to never leave her alone with you, alright?” “Deal.” The rest of the hour travel in the skimmer was 59

Viola Grace done with Raanan purring heavily under her ear. It was the most soothing sound that she had ever heard. She was completely relaxed and ready to face anything when they arrived at the festival. Raanan dragged her through the crowds to the vendor stations and had her pick out jewellery, silks, shoes, combs, brushes, clothing, no makeup though, he liked her the way she was. They had brought one of the house servants with them and he spent his time running back and forth to load the skimmer. She didn’t know how he was going to take it all home. She suggested that they stopped for lunch, and his face grew grim. “This way.” A great pavilion had been erected in the center of the festival grounds. The Adonai crest was all over it, and it was time to meet Raanan’s parents. She had of course met them in her father’s court, but never in a casual atmosphere, and never as their only son’s mate. Inside the pavilion Raanan kept a close grip on her. “Mother, Father, come and meet my mate.” An elegant Azon female in jewel toned robes came forward to greet her son, and his…mate. A warm embrace was shared by mother and son, and a formal hand greeting by mother and daughter in law. “Ceres Avedis is my mate mother. And she is carrying my child.” Keona looked at Ceres with narrowed eyes, 60

Burning Ceres glaring at her belly. “Are you sure that the child is yours? She was off world for over a year, she could have slept with anything then.” “She came to my bed a maiden mother, and I would have you stop your attack on her.” He was almost snarling in irritation and Ceres moved to calm him. “Even you were surprised to find me still a maid, Raanan. It is a logical assumption.” Her hand touched his chest and stroked lightly, her mind opening to him with a calming message. Keona paled and Ceres felt a light feminine touch on her mind that swiftly retreated. “I apologies Dame Avedis, I did not realize that you had true bonded with my son.” She looked shaken and she retreated to her husband’s side where he was in conversation with another merchant. “Did she just touch your mind?” “Yes.” “Good. Serves her right.” He kept a protective arm around her and moved toward his parents with deliberate intent. His father was much more friendly, “So, you are the Ceres that Raanan built that enormous house for. Good, I am glad he finally caught you. I like a feisty woman myself. He will have his hands full with you, I can tell.” “Um, thank you Salus. It is high praise coming from so successful a husband and father.” She formally curtsied and was bemused when he 61

Viola Grace laughed. “We don’t stand much on Imperial manners. They just get in the way. So, are you breeding yet?” “Yes, yes I am.” Her hand went over her belly protectively as his keen red eyes looked at her as if to bore into her abdomen. He simply stood in stunned silence, then let out a whoop and picked her up to spin her around. “Salus! Put me down!” He put her down, gave her a bear of a hug and then let her go. Raanan was laughing so hard he could barely take a breath. “And you thought my mother would be the problem.” He gasped out as Salus announced to everyone in the pavilion and those in earshot outside that Ceres Avedis was carrying his son’s seed. Keona appeared at her elbow as she looked at her hysterical mate in disgust. “Would you care for tea?” “Yes, away from these Adonai men please.” Keona smiled and led the way to a quiet alcove with a tea service and several cushions on the floor. Ceres sat and waited for the tea her hostess was preparing. “So, how long has Raanan had you?” The words were blunt and in keeping with Nyal tradition. “A week or so. I was masked, so I am unsure of the time.” 62

Burning Ceres “He kept you in the mating mask?” “For two or three days.” “And removed it before your cycle ended?” “He said he wanted to see my eyes.” She sipped at the tea and the light herbal scent relaxed her. “You have formed a mind bond.” “Yes.” “It must be very comforting to you, to know what he is thinking.” “I prefer it when he purrs, then he is both relaxed and happy.” The tea was excellent, Ceres made a note to ask Raanan if he could get her some. “He purrs for you?” Her eyes were wide. She had not been expecting that. “He purrs with me. When we are cuddled together, with or without sex.” “Then I have made a great error in judgment and I apologize. You are truly a woman who can make him happy. I apologize in advance for the rumours that you will here about my objections to your match. My arguments were unfounded, and I would have you know that I regret them.” This was too strange, and the tea was making her feel a little light headed. “No problem. You couldn’t have known.” She tried to stand, “I don’t feel so good.” Once she reached her full height her knees gave way beneath her. She fainted.

63

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Chapter Ten

A

cold compress was on her forehead and a worried Keona was hovering on her left, apologizing profusely. On her right was Raanan, and he had the compress on her head and was scowling at her with concern and anger. As she looked around a sharp jerk of his head and Keona left the room. Ceres looked to Raanan curiously as he dipped and rung out the compress to apply it again. “My mother drugged you.” His voice was flat. “Really? Why?” Her mind was unconcerned. He was here and everything would be fine. “She used a truth serum on you, not knowing that you say every little thing that crosses your mind. Your Azon blood tried to turn it into a drug, and your Nyal blood saw it as a toxin. You fainted, but we had a medical tech in and you and the baby are fine. It’s pretty sturdy for something the size of a coin.” “Well, you are pretty determined Raanan, why 64

Burning Ceres wouldn’t your child be?” Her answer was a sweet kiss to her nose, lips and forehead. “Sadly, you are going to miss the festival. You are too weak and I need to get you home.” “Can we try next year?” “Yes. I promise.” Another sweet kiss and they were on the way back to the skimmer, with Ceres cradled in his arms. She napped most of the way home, only waking when the altitude announced their return to his home. “Did you really have all this built for me?” She was still drowsy but she remembered his father’s comment. “Yes. I started it the instant that it was announced you had had your first heat. I started negotiations with your father that day as well. He was less than receptive, but eventually, my money wore him down.” “And I ran away.” It was like a fairy tale that she was recounting from a distance. “And you ran away. And I had to stay here and attend to business, so I found a hunter and sent her after you.” “And she caught me.” Her voice was sing-song. “And she caught you.” “I was coming back you know. I was going to apologize to my father and come back that very day. And she hit me with a stunner.” An affirmative nod that smacked her chin into her 65

Viola Grace chest. “That’s good to know.” They had made it to the bedroom, and he was undressing her as one would a child. “Raanan, I love you. I have for a long time. Since I stepped on your foot in a formal dance and you didn’t make a face.” She sat on the edge of the bed, nude except for her slippers which he removed. “I loved you Ceres, the day I was in the Imperial gardens and your guards were looking for you, and you were hiding in the tree above me.” She giggled. “No one knew I was there. How could you?” “The Azon have a better sense of smell than the Nyal.” He positioned her on the bed, and flipped a sheet over them both. “Then wouldn’t the mating musk be intolerable?” “Nope, it just made me really horny.” “Oh, that’s ok then. I was horny too.” She snuggled into his chest. “Yes, yes you were. Do you want a boy or a girl?” He whispered it into her temple. “Yes.” A thin whisper of sound that escaped her lips and left him with a foolish grin on his face. It served him right for asking her when she slept. Minutes later, he was purring as he cuddled his pregnant mate to him. It had been a good visit 66

Burning Ceres after all. **** Raanan had dragged her out of bed at the crack of dawn, and insisted that they begin a morning walk as a ritual. She was not one for mornings, and stumbled along beside him until a hot cup of tea was pressed into her hand. She sipped at it gratefully and was feeling more like herself in minutes. As she came awake, she noted that Raanan had dressed her in what she was recognizing as his favorite color, burgundy. It matched her eyes. Her body was lightening in shade with her pregnancy and her eyes were darkening with the additional hormone load. While she was carrying, she would be as close to regular Nyal coloring as she could be. The exercise was part of the new pregnancy regime as well. Her body’s blood flow would be dramatically altered, so she needed to keep her heart strong and her body functioning at its peak. Whether she liked it or not. The tea was another of the new changes. No more wine. Only tea, juice and water. The staff had been informed of her condition and given a list of specialists to call if anything happened to her while master Adonai was away on business. It was embarrassing, but hardly the 67

Viola Grace worst thing to happen to her. It was when she and Raanan were arguing about properties to give to the child and Amani rushed forward to give him a message that she flinched. Kirkan Avedis would be coming the next day to see his disgraced child and her owner. Amani looked embarrassed by that last portion of the message, but Ceres simply touched her shoulder in understanding. “It’s true Amani. I have no standing under the law. Despite the lassitude that Raanan gives me.” She smiled at the maid in commiseration. When the servant had left them, Raanan turned to her, “You know that I am going to petition your father to reinstate your rank and status, don’t you?” His hands drew hers to his lips. “I don’t care one way or the other. In fact it would serve my father right if you kept our children exclusively in your bloodline. It would certainly be easier for them.” When he released her hands she wrapped her arms around him and simply breathed him in. He returned the embrace, warm and solid around her. He murmured against her hair, “Children?” “If I am able and you are willing.” Ceres leaned back in his arms and met his golden eyes. His smile was blinding. “I am willing.” He began to laugh and picked her up to spin her around and around. She was dizzy and caught up in his joy. He finally put her 68

Burning Ceres back on her feet and kissed her. “Can you do me one favour, Raanan?” “Only one, you can ask for a hundred. And I will grant them all.” “Tomorrow, when my father arrives, let me mislead him a bit to punish him for his lying to you. It really gripes me that he told you that you were the reason that I left.” Another soft kiss on her lips. “Done. I will make myself scarce until you give me a signal.”

69

Viola Grace

Chapter Eleven

öS

o, Father. You decided to come visit after all.” Ceres poured tea and gestured for him to take a cup. As the lady of the house, she was not required to greet him standing. “Raanan has passed along some interesting information to me.” “Ceres, it is good to see you so well, my daughter.” He sat across from her and his eyes devoured every hint of his child. “Raanan Adonai. He would have been my choice you know.” Her father looked ill. “He would?” “Yes. I always got along well with him, we share some Azon blood, and he is very easy on the eyes.” “Yes, but I didn’t think you would be swayed by a handsome face.” He sipped his tea with no awareness of the steaming heat. “But he danced with me at my coming out party, was always in the palace trading and always had a pleasant word for me. Why wouldn’t 70

Burning Ceres I?” “I thought you would insist on matching rank.” “No, that was always mother’s concern, not mine. I just wanted a good father for my children and I have that now. Even if I have no legal status myself.” “What?” He looked positively green now. “By being sold at the Grand Arena, I was declared a slave by the Imperial house. I am in Raanan’s custody as his slave, and any children I have will only carry his name, but inherit my properties. Technically, you will have no grandchildren.” His mouth opened and closed for a few long moments. “Excuse me, I have to go find Adonai.” She watched him practically run into the great house and looked over her shoulder at the column that hid her mate from view. He strode forward with that cocky attitude she loved. “You know that I am going to petition for a reversal of his decree before the child is born.” “Do you want your child to bear a title? We could get one. I usually have more than I need.” “We don’t need one. But what the hell. Duke of Zenier. I own practically the whole mountain range anyway.” He sprawled in a chair and poured himself some tea. “How long do you think it will take him to make a lap of the property and find you?” She sucked lightly at her pinky as her mind traveled 71

Viola Grace down a familiar path. “At least five minutes. What are you thinking Ceres?” “That for telling you I didn’t want you, he deserves to find us exercising our freedom of choice.” Her fingers were tugging at the lacings on his tunic and with gentle pressure she coaxed him into an upright posture in the chair and had his cock freed in a manner of seconds. Her own skirt lifted easily and she simply straddled him, taking his rapidly hardening cock into her with a small smile. She looked at his face and smiled at the flare of passion that took over his features, pulling the skin tight and giving him a cruel appearance. She simply rocked against him, neither in the mood to rush their union. With the mating fever over, slow and steady was going to be the new rule of their lovemaking. It took her father ten minutes to return, and by that time all pretence of a lazy fuck had stopped, they were both damp with sweat and surging together. With a final cry and Raanan’s teeth in her neck Ceres let her body collapse in a satiated stupor against him. Raanan held her in place as he looked up at her father with his gold eyes still dilated with passion. “Your majesty. Pardon me if I don’t rise. Your daughter has worn me out.” Instead he bowed his head formally. Her father looked appalled, “Little Sister! I 72

Burning Ceres thought her heat was over.” His hands stroked slow patterns down her back as she fought for breath. “Oh, it is. But your daughter and I get along very well. Of course I had to punish her for running from me, but we came to an agreement.” Kirkan sat heavily, “What kind of punishment?” “Well as she was heavily in heat when I bought her from the Grand Arena, I made sure that she had plenty of release, but I denied her my body. She was almost insane after a few days, so I took pity on her. The second heat brought a return of the mating mask and I kept her in it for a few days after just to show her lack of control.” The picture of villainy that he was drawing was making Kirkan ill. Still grey with guilt he said, “Raanan, I lied. She didn’t know about you. I never told her you were one of her suitors. She would have stayed if I had just told her who I had chosen. I was too proud to share my decision with her, and I almost lost her forever. “She did not deserve the punishments meted out. And I will gladly buy her back from you as well as reinstate her status as a free woman.” Raanan tugged her head up, “Is it enough?” She smiled at him, love in her gaze, and with a delicate grunt she freed her body from his and turned to face her father as her gown settled back 73

Viola Grace into demure lines. “Raanan already knows all that father. And he released me from the mating mask after three days. You lied to him, so he lied to you.” Kirkan had tears in his eyes as he watched his proud daughter argue with him as she had always done. “I want a title for his family. For my family. The Duchy of Zenier. This house and all surrounding lands will be included.” Her hand fell to her belly. “Once I am returned to citizenship, which had better be soon by the way, my child will be born into a family where obligation is not going to override good sense.” She paused, “Is that acceptable?” Tears in his eyes, he stood and embraced her, “It is more than acceptable, I have my daughter back. And a grandchild on the way. And a son-inlaw. What more could I want?” Raanan finished tucking himself back into his trousers, “Tea?”

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Burning Ceres

Epilogue

C

eres’ pregnancy progressed without any trouble. It kept her off her feet in the final month, but she had no lack of visitors as her mother broke all protocols by moving in with Keona Adonai in the next room. Keona and Neola got along famously and devotedly attended to the health of the baby growing in Ceres with fanatical attention. She couldn’t walk across the garden without one or the other with her, or sending Amani to attend to her. Raanan was at the capitol making arrangements for a mining expedition into Nyal space when her labour began. A priority message was sent, and the note that he was on his way back was received. She cursed in twelve languages as the pains spread through her, waves that grew over the course of hours. At one point the one of the servants was actually taking a recording of the variety of creative epithets that she managed to 75

Viola Grace come up with to replay for master Adonai later. When he arrived the entire household heaved a sigh of relief. In her final month, only his touch had kept her calm, and her temper restrained. “Ceres, you are bellowing like a water cow. Relax.” He stroked her head and was pinned by her almost black gaze. “You are finally here?” Her hand gripped his, “What took you so long?” “Your father wanted to come with me. He and my father are downstairs waiting.” “What the hell are they waiting for?” She was almost shrieking in her frustration at her body being out of her control once again. He began to laugh at her. “They are waiting for the baby, love.” She blinked in consternation, “Oh. Well, now that you are here, I can get this over with.” “You can indeed.” He pressed a kiss on her forehead and moved behind his wife to support her as she began to push. She was fully dilated and had been for an hour. A few hard pushes and some more cursing later and the heir to the Adonai-Avedis fortunes slid into the hands of the mid-wife as the baby took its first wailing cry. The child was wrapped and given to its mother as it was, all sticky and flushed. Ceres looked down at her baby, then up at her mate. “He’s beautiful. Kirlus Adonai-Avedis. Our 76

Burning Ceres little boy.” Tears were running down Raanan’s face as he touched the soft cheek of his son. “Perfect. Absolutely perfect.” **** As his parents kissed and their minds shared their joy, a tiny fist waved in the air as red eyes opened in the wrinkled face. A perfect blending of Nyal and Azon genes, he would lead the empire into a new golden age. But first he needed a clean diaper.

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About the Author Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. Her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain maille, and a few others that have been forgotten. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. A brilliant mind, with a twisted sense of humor.