Lord of Capra (18 page)

At his approach,
Mara and Suri stepped back fearfully, but Drake stopped at her side, smiled
kindly and nodded to each of them. They seemed to relax.

Mara scurried
forward and gave him a quick curtsy. “Lord Drake, welcome.”

“Thank you,” He
answered warmly, then shot a questioning look at Evana.

“This is Mara and
her daughter, Suri. The young man tending the striders is Ronnan, the
settlement’s stable master and Suri’s consort.”

He nodded in
understanding. “Striders? They look a lot like horses, well, except for their
heads and tails.”

The striders did
have bodies like the horses of Earth. However, their heads were similar in
shape to the large antelopes of India, broad forehead separating large brown
eyes, then tapering to a delicate muzzle that could never accommodate a traditional
bridle or bit. Their ears were no different than a horse’s, but they had no
mane or forelock. The strider’s neck was smooth but completely horse-like in
appearance. And their tails looked like a donkey’s only shorter, which seemed
oddly out of balance since their hindquarters were bunched with powerful
muscles. Their short coats ranged in colors from black, brown and gray, and
each foreleg was banded with white stripes. The ones standing by the stable
master were all black.

“Yes. Ronnan has
brought them for us,” Evana told him. “The road from the settlement continues
around behind the temple and ends at my palace. Well, I guess it’s our palace
now,” she whispered, giving him a quick wink. “Ronnan will take them to our
stable and care for them while we’re here.”

While she’d been
talking to him, Mara had walked away with Suri to address the villagers. In a
strong voice that didn’t seem possible coming from such a small woman, Mara’s
words carried to all present.

“Spread the message
to everyone on our world. The Lady Evana has returned. And she has brought her
consort, the Lord Drake. There is nothing to fear. They’ve pledged to protect
our world. We have much to celebrate, for it’s their wish to remain with us for
many years.” The news brought shouts of jubilation and greetings of welcome
from the crowd.

Evana waved back in
response and smiled at her consort. He looked as if he wanted to escape, but he
did seem to be trying his best to look pleasant and enjoy the attention, even
though she could tell he wasn’t comfortable.

“Perhaps we should
follow the stable master?” she suggested, deciding she’d also like to get away
from the shouting crowd.

“An excellent
suggestion.” His relief was obvious.

Evana waved a quick
goodbye to Mara. She waved back, but immediately returned her attention back to
the crowd, trying to urge them to return to their homes.

Evana and Drake
headed toward the road, and as they approached the stable master, Ronnan bowed
politely before leading the striders away. She heard him whisper to Suri that
he needed to bring two more striders to Lady Evana’s stables, two more of his
largest ones. Drake chuckled. Apparently he’d overheard the conversation also.

“My lady,” Suri
called as they got closer. “Would you like to ride instead of walk?”

“I prefer the walk.”
She fell into step beside the young woman. “Congratulations, Ronnan. The
striders are in fine condition.” She praised Suri’s mate.

“Thank you…my lady.”
Ronnan’s response was hesitant. He glanced fearfully at Drake while keeping a
tight hold on the lead ropes.

Evana guessed he
wasn’t sure how her consort might respond to hear her praising another man. It
suddenly dawned on her that most of the people would be uncertain about how to
interact with her mate. They were peaceful, painfully innocent, and for two
hundred years, there’d been no violent clashes on Capra. She and Drake weren’t
like the people, which made them the most dangerous creatures on the planet.
The very idea was unsettling.

She had a sudden
inspiration and took Suri’s arm, holding her back while she pushed Drake onward
with her free hand. “Ronnan, please take the striders on ahead of us. I wish to
speak with Suri alone.”

Drake shot her a
suspicious look that meant he’d like to have a private talk also, but not with
Ronnan or Suri. She gave him a sweet smile and shooed him onward with a hand
motion. He didn’t look happy as he took a few steps backward down the road,
piercing her with an intense gaze that said he’d get even with her before he
turned and walked alongside Ronnan. The stable master looked as if he’d shrunk
at least a foot.

“Lady?” Suri
sounded frightened.

Evana put a finger
to her own lips, telling the girl to be silent while giving her a conspiring
wink to let her know all was well. Suri smiled back hesitantly. They waited for
a few moments, allowing the two men and three striders with one small child to
move far enough away so they could talk.

Satisfied Drake was
well out of hearing range, Evana finally spoke. “Forgive me, Suri. I thought it’d
be good to let our men talk alone. They should get to know each other since
Ronnan is stable master. Perhaps they’ll become friends?”

Suri’s brown eyes
widened and she smiled brightly. “Yes, that would be best. My lady…” She
started to speak, then quieted.

“Yes, Suri, what would
you like to say?” When the young woman still hesitated, Evana encouraged her. “You
can always talk to me about anything. What would you tell me?”

She swallowed
nervously before speaking. “My lady, would you object to me serving you while
you’re at your palace? I thought that since Ronnan would be here most every day
it’d be a good idea for me to help you with any duties that—”

Evana cut her off
with a laugh of pure happiness. “Suri, your offer is accepted, but under one
condition. You must not neglect your family while you’re here.”

“I’m honored, my
lady.” She gushed, overcome with excitement.

“Suri, the palace
is large with many sections and rooms. It’s a wonder I don’t get lost. So if
you and your family would like to live there, you’re welcome.

“Oh!” She seemed
shocked at the suggestion. “The palace stable has a small cottage located
nearby. It’d be more than we need, if you don’t mind.”

“Then it’s settled,
if your consort is agreeable.” The look Suri gave her indicated that getting
Ronnan’s approval was going to be no obstacle.

By the time they
caught up with the men, the striders were settled in separate stalls at the
stable. Drake helped Ronnan unload supplies from the packs strapped to the
strider young Teal had been riding. Suri’s son was perched on Drake’s
shoulders, his short legs dangling on either side of her consort’s neck while
his chubby hands held tightly to thick strands of blond hair. The two men
talked casually as they worked together, occasionally interrupted by excited
squeals from Teal as Drake’s movements tended to threaten his balance. Evana
was quick to notice her mate was careful to hold one of the boy’s legs to keep
him from falling when he had to make larger movements. She also saw his sword
and leather straps dangling from a fence post next to the stable. How could she
scold him for discarding them now?

She couldn’t help
laughing at the sight. “I think your little one has made a friend. We may never
find a strider tall enough for him now,” she jested with Suri.

“He is always so shy
around…” Suri stopped uncertainly.

Evana understood. “We’re
strangers to him, Suri. Don’t worry. It’s good he feels so at ease with Drake,”
she said kindly. The young woman seemed visibly relieved.

At their approach,
Drake turned, and said, “Almost done here. Ronnan will let two of them graze in
the pasture this evening before bringing them in for the night. He’ll ride the
other back to the settlement.”

“I’ll return later,
my lady. My apprentice is good, but I’d feel better if I checked on his work,
if you don’t object,” Ronnan explained as he brushed one of the striders.

“That’s fine.” She
suspected he’d probably bring the larger striders back with him. “You and Suri
have much to talk about also.”

It was at that
moment little Teal saw his mother, and shouted, “Mama! I big!” He put his chin
on top her mate’s head and waved his arms happily.

Drake chuckled. “Forgot
I had a passenger.”

They all laughed.

Suri rushed to
Drake. “My lord, may I relieve you?” She clapped her hands and then held them
out to Teal.

Drake bent over so
Suri could reach her son, who whined in protest as his mother collected him
from his perch. His large brown eyes threatened to spill over with unhappy
tears until Drake tousled his thick brown curls, and said, “We’ll go for
another ride tomorrow, okay?”

Teal nodded sadly,
still pouting.

Evana and Drake
silently watched as the young family rode away. As soon as they were out of
sight, he pulled her back against him, wrapped his arms around her possessively
and nuzzled her neck. She sighed and relaxed, enjoying the feel of his warm
lips moving gently over her skin.

“We’re alone,
finally. You want to show me your bedroom at the palace now or later?”

His fangs grazing
seductively along her neck made her shiver in anticipation.
Waterbed. Now, Nem.
They disappeared from the surface.

Chapter Twenty-One

Capra’s sun sank
low on the horizon by the time they reappeared on the road near the palace.
Nemesis had scanned the area to make sure no one would witness their return and
had placed them as close as possible. She’d even retrieved Drake’s sword and
harness, much to his dismay, and then told them to enjoy the evening while she
searched for any signs of an intruder. He had a feeling she was just trying to
get rid of them.

“You think she’ll
pick us up?” he joked and reluctantly slipped the harness over his shoulders
and secured the clasp.

“Of course. Whenever
we’re ready.” She grabbed his arm, urging him forward. “Let’s go.”

They dashed up the
road. As they topped a small rise, he had his first sight of her palace. Viewed
from the front, it wasn’t huge or grandiose, by any means, not anything like
royalty on Earth would have expected. The walls were constructed of polished
white stone blocks, two stories of them. He was amazed they weren’t black. Stone
steps led up to massive wooden double doors, one of which was open. Four giant
columns supported a second-story portico, which in turn had four more columns
to support a roof. The view from the upper balcony would look directly down on
the settlement. Evana raced up the steps and slipped inside the open door. He
forgot about sightseeing and followed her.

After entering, he
realized that what he thought was a balcony was in fact a covered walkway. He stood
at the front of a central courtyard that was open to the sky. A row of columns
ran down each side, supporting identical upper walkways, which provided cover
for the spaces between them on the lower level. There was a raised platform at
the far end that he suspected had at one time contained a throne. He barely
gave it a glance as he looked around for Evana. She was nowhere to be seen.

Just as he was
about to shout for her, he heard her behind him on the upper walkway. He
whirled about in time to see her point down toward the steps on one side of the
entryway.

“Hurry!” she
called.

In seconds, he stood
behind her. “Don’t worry me like that,” he grumbled.

She laughed. “Sorry,
I wanted to see the settlement before sunset. I thought you were right behind
me.”

He shrugged. “Got
distracted.”

She snuggled
against him, grabbed one of his hands and placed it on her hip. “Have I lost
your attention so soon?” She wiggled suggestively.

“Never!” He growled
and shifted sideways to slap her behind just hard enough to let her know he was
still ticked at her for leaving him. He slipped his hand under her clothes to
cup her bottom and pull her closer. He snagged the back of her thong and tugged
on it as if he might rip it off. “If you bend over, I’ll be happy to prove it,”
he threatened.

“My lord!” She
looked back at him, pretending to be shocked.

Drake laughed. “Behave
yourself, woman.” He bent down and stole a quick kiss before letting go of her
thong.

Capra’s sun slipped
out of sight and lit the sky with streaks of red and orange bursting against a
blue background. They watched until the last rays were overcome by darkness.

The sound of
someone moving around in the courtyard below distracted him. Evana had also
heard the noise, and they both moved to the other side of the walkway to
investigate. It was Suri, scurrying around the enclosure, lighting torches that
were evenly placed on the interior columns. She lit the central fire pit before
extinguishing her own torch. Then noticing they looked down at her, she waved
happily before hurrying toward the back of the building.

“No electricity I’m
guessing?” he muttered.

“Not yet.” At his
responding grimace she shrugged. “It’s not so bad. Look down the road and at
the settlement.”

He saw light from
well-placed torches outlining the road all the way to the settlement. All of
the homes were alight with the soft glow of candlelight. Several fire pits burned,
and the smell of food, especially grilled meat, wafted up. Much to his
surprise, his stomach rumbled with hunger. The scene reminded him of many
winter weekends spent at deer camp in Texas with his father and all their
hunting friends. He took a deep breath, enjoying the smell. Should he be hungry
for food?

Suri was back with
an armload of cooking supplies and food. She went about readying the grill and
preparing vegetables. He guessed they’d go into the large pot she’d hung over
the fire. Ronnan arrived, carrying a yawning Teal.

Drake inhaled
again. He looked at Evana, raised his brows and grinned.

She let out a long
suffering sigh. “I know that look. You’re hungry and you can’t think, right?”

His grin only
widened.

“We should join
them, but first, follow me. I want to show you our chambers.”

*

Evana led him
around the corner and continued along the second-story walkway that led to the
back of the courtyard. She passed another set of steps that led back down to
the first level. She followed it, turned left and after a few feet, came to a
stop in front of a large wooden door. Wood shuttered window openings flanked
each side of it.

Before trying the
latch, Evana glanced behind her and down over the balustrades to the courtyard
below, checking Suri’s progress with their meal. She guessed they still had
some time to explore. She opened the door wide and stepped inside a grand
candle-lit room. Drake entered behind her and gasped. A massive bed took up
most of the area. Its giant solid wood headboard was intricately carved and
reached to the ceiling. Just as decorative, the footboard was at least as tall as
Evana. The bedding was sumptuous with an overabundance of pillows piled high
against the headboard and several ultra-smooth looking throws draped neatly
over the footboard. The sight was so imposing it was difficult to notice the
few chairs and tables scattered around the room. Ornate tapestries decorated
the other walls. Most showed her exploits and victories won against the enemies
that had invaded Capra. Between the tapestries were more windows.

Drake approached
the bed and tested the top of the mattress by pushing down several times. He
grunted his approval and looked over at her.

“Shall we try it
out now?” His gaze was practically feral.

Evana admired the
sight of him and unconsciously swept the tip of her tongue over her bottom lip.
A heated wave of arousal rose within her. She kept a close watch on him and saw
his nostrils flare. In an instant, her mate’s expression turned wild with
primal need.

Oh, gods. He’d
scented her.

She tamped down her
body’s reaction and attempted to diffuse the situation with an explanation. “I
just wanted you to see this in case you want to stay here tonight.”

In less than a
heartbeat, Drake had her wrapped in his embrace. “I’ll be staying with you
wherever you want.” His voice rumbled with desire as he crushed her even
tighter against him. The evidence of his arousal shoved eagerly against her
stomach.

Evana placed her
palms against his shoulders and pushed a few inches away. “We can’t forget
about our company.” She smiled in apology. His disappointment was almost
painful to witness, but he slowly released her.

“You, me and a bed,
it’s a volatile combination.” He growled.

Evana took hesitant
steps and backed away. “Later, when we’re alone.”

He swallowed hard,
then released a shaky sigh.

Evana turned away. She
kept a tight rein on her desire as she headed toward an opening in the wall to
the left of the bed. Drake followed her into another large room that was
unfurnished. Even though it appeared unused, candles flickered on each of the
wide window ledges lining the three exterior walls.

“This is an extra
sleeping space meant for personal servants. Since I’ve never required them,
perhaps we could use it as our private living room like you have in your
apartment?”

He nodded. “Sounds
good.” His voice sounded almost normal. He went to a window on the far side of
the room and opened the shutter. “Even at night the view is incredible.”

She joined him to
enjoy the scene.

“This is like
nothing I would’ve expected.”

“What do you mean?”

Drake shook his
head and shrugged. “I had a completely different idea about how things would be
on other planets. I expected more super advanced stuff like ray guns,
spaceships and aliens blasting each other, but nothing like this. It’s
medieval. Swords, knives, open fires, no electricity or indoor plumbing,” he
stated, while glancing around the room. “I suppose the spaceport on Taneth
comes close to what I expected. Don’t get me wrong, Evana.” He put his arms
around her, holding her close. “I like this world. It somehow feels right.”

Evana sighed. “Yes,
it does.”

She hoped he’d come
to love Capra as much as she did. However, she had a sneaking suspicion he was
already thinking of ways to bring a few modern conveniences to her palace. And
she certainly wouldn’t object to having indoor plumbing.

 “You know, all
those things you said you expected? Well, they’re all out there. We just don’t
need the weapons. And Nemesis takes care of any invaders who might encroach on
Free Space.”

“You’ve never had
to fight any of them?”

Evana shook her
head and sighed wistfully. “No, but I bet it’d be interesting to try.” She had
a sudden inspiration. “We could visit Proteus when Nemesis patrols along the
Tauran border again. They’ve tried to claim the planet in recent years, but
since it lies within the neutral boundary it’s considered Free Space. It’s
lawless still, I believe. Many Free Spacers, Taurans and even other races from
the Alliance make regular visits there.”

“What?” He turned
her to face him. “You’d take me to some planet where we’re sure to have a
dangerous encounter with other races?”

She nodded eagerly.
“Yes! We’ll have a great time!”

He smiled broadly, and
said, “I don’t think so, my love. I won’t risk you.”

It was her turn to
laugh. “Nemesis won’t let us get into too much trouble. Believe me!”

She stood on
tiptoes to give him a quick peck and found herself enveloped by his embrace,
her mouth drawn to his as he raised her and held her tight against him. His
kiss was hard, insistent, as he forced her lips open to allow his tongue to
explore and intertwine with hers. She went limp as she surrendered. Caught up
in his desire, her control vanished. Vaguely, she was aware that one of his
hands had found the back string of her thong. A nagging voice in her mind kept
saying something about her having a responsibility to her guests.

“We…can’t,” she
managed to murmur against his lips.

*

“Should we get back
to our company?” Drake whispered hoarsely. He released her mouth and gazed at
her hungrily. Her eyes were glazed and partially closed. She clung to him, arms
wrapped around his neck and her legs locked about his waist. His cock hardened
for her, so stiff. She was his for the taking—now
. Damn

He slowly released
his grip on her underwear while he struggled to dampen his desire once again.
He couldn’t help stroking his hand under her bottom to trace his fingers along
the thong, and forward to where it widened to a pitifully inadequate triangular
shape. He slipped the material aside and found her wet with arousal. He inched
along the seam of her pussy. She didn’t protest so he reached farther and
slowly fondled her clit.

She gasped, then
moaned sweetly as he continued to stroke, rubbing her until she writhed in
ecstasy against him. He concentrated on her satisfaction completely as he
continued pleasuring her until she begged for release.

“Come for me
quietly, love,” he murmured and nipped her neck as he inserted one, then two
fingers into her drenched pussy, thrusting and stroking her nub with his thumb
as she tensed in anticipation.

She made soft
mewling sounds as she climaxed, twitching and pulsing against his hand. The
waves of her contractions gripped his fingers as the juices of her orgasm
bathed them. Only then did he sink his fangs into her neck to draw blood. His
action sent her into another even more frenzied climax that she somehow managed
to muffle.

He removed his
fangs and grabbed a handful of her hair. He had to stop her from biting his
neck. Sure enough, she strained to reach him, fangs extended, poised to deliver
a bite of rapture if he’d only cooperate.

He shook his head,
desperate to keep her at bay. “No, Evana. Please don’t.” He begged, and said, “Company,
remember?”

He had to convince
her since he knew he couldn’t stop her. She had the strength to throw him to
the floor and take him if she desired. Once her eyes widened in understanding,
he breathed a sigh of relief. Thank god she hadn’t screamed or yelled his name
at the height of either one of her orgasms. He wouldn’t be able to control his
outbursts so well. He smiled sheepishly and released her.