Quest for the Moon Orb: Orbs of Rathira (39 page)

“On the day of my majority I began wearing the gold bead in the waiting position, partly in an effort to put her off.  It stated clearly for all who cared to look that I would not marry until I found a woman to love, and who would love me in return.”

“Kapia told me that a gold bead means that you are either courting, engaged, or married.”

“Then her knowledge is incomplete,” Zakiel said.  “Which explains much.  You were upset because you thought I kissed you while committed to another woman, is that right?”

Karma could only nod, too embarrassed by her assumptions to speak. 

“I understand why you were upset,” Zakiel said, “but didn’t you think better of me when you saw that the bead had been moved to a new position?”

“I didn’t notice the new position,” Karma said.  “I deliberately did not look at it, to be honest, and even if I had, I don’t know that I would have realized it had been moved.”

“Kapia saw it yesterday in the courting position and thought it was for Marene,” he guessed. 

“I’m afraid so,” she said.  “I’m sorry, Zakiel.”

“So long as you know the truth now, it doesn’t matter,” he said.  “It’s easy enough to explain the truth to Kapia.  What I don’t understand is why you were angry with me to start with?”

“You made it clear that you could not go against your people, or your beliefs, and be with me,” Karma said, determined to be completely honest after the mistake she’d already made.  “Immediately after you said that, I saw the gold bead on the
egora
and thought you were promised to Marene.  Now I realize that it was the dark magic effecting me, but I didn’t know that at the time.  It just intensified everything and made it worse.”

“Karma, you mistook the meaning of what I said,” Zakiel replied.  “What I was trying to say, badly I now realize, was that I could not enter into a relationship with you unless, according to the customs of my people, our intent is, someday, to marry.”

“Oh,” Karma said, unable to think of a single intelligent thing to say in response to that rather shocking statement.

Zakiel smiled, but there was worry in his eyes.  She tilted her head to the side and waited for him to explain further.  “I only wanted you to understand the true meaning of my intentions, so that you could decide whether or not to accept them.”

Zakiel drained his cup and refilled it from the flask before continuing.  “I am Prince of a large and, for Rathira, powerful country,” he said.  “Among my people, I am held in high regard.  But to you, a woman who has traveled among the stars, I doubt that my being Prince of a primitive country on a backward planet is enough to hold you.  I wanted to know if I had a chance with you.”

“Why didn’t you just ask me?” Karma wondered. 

“Because I was afraid of your answer.”

“And now?  Are you still afraid of my answer?”

“No,” Zakiel said, gazing into her starry eyes.  “I’m not afraid any more.”

“Why not?” Karma asked, a smile playing around her lips. 

“Because I realized that if you say no, we still have two more orbs to find after we find the Moon Orb.”

“Meaning?” Karma asked with a frown, not getting the connection at all. 

“Meaning that I will still have lots of time to convince you to change your mind,” Zakiel replied. 

“I can be stubborn when I want to be,” Karma warned him.

“Really?” he asked, rising to his feet and holding one hand down to her.  “I hadn’t noticed that about you.” 

“That doesn’t say much for your powers of observation,” Karma replied as she eyed his hand.  After a moment she placed her hand in his and allowed him to help her to her feet.  “And here I was, feeling guilty for doubting your prowess as a warrior.”

“You doubted me?” he asked, running one fingertip lightly along her jaw.  Never had he felt anything so soft as her skin.

“I wondered if you were granted the office of Hunter General just because you were the prince, or if you’d earned it,” she admitted, her eyelids closing as the touch of his finger sent fire racing along her flesh. 

“Your opinion changed?” he asked, leaning down to place light, lingering kisses on her forehead, her cheeks, her neck. 

“Mmmm,” she murmured, the sensation of his soft, warm lips nearly obliterating her ability to think.  “Then I saw you in battle, and I knew that the title
Warrior Prince
was not honorary.”

“And now?” he asked, pulling back to look into her eyes. 

“Observation is an important skill for a warrior,” she said, arching her brow at him. 

“I cannot argue with that,” he said.  “Will you allow me to restore your faith in me?”

Karma tilted her head slightly and studied his face for a moment before nodding.  “Yes, of course.”

Zakiel leaned down and brushed his lips lightly against hers, then licked her bottom lip with just the tip of his tongue, unable to resist the temptation of that little dent.  He heard the breath catch in her throat, and smiled.  When he lifted his head he met her gaze with his own.

“I observe that you care for me, and want me, as much as I care for and want you,” he said.  “But you are uncertain now.  Hesitant.  I’ve taught you to doubt yourself.”

“No,” Karma said, reaching up to stroke his jaw as he had stroked hers.  “You did not teach me to doubt myself.  But I did learn how much it hurts to care for someone who does not feel the same way about me.”

“But I do feel the same,” Zakiel said.

“I know you do,” Karma said with a smile.  “
Now
I know.  But for a time I didn’t, and it hurt in a way I never imagined possible.”

“I’m sorry, Karma,” he said, leaning his forehead against hers, wishing he could think of something more meaningful to say, but knowing mere words, no matter how eloquent, could not take away the hurt she’d felt.

“You did nothing wrong,” Karma said.  “It was a misunderstanding.”

Zakiel raised his head and met her eyes again.  One corner of his mouth turned up.  “You would never allow me to kiss you if you did not believe my feelings for you.“

 “Of course I wouldn’t,” she said with a smile.  “Just because fire can burn you doesn’t mean you should never go near it.”

Zakiel smiled, then lowered his mouth to hers again.  He ran his tongue along the seam between her lips, and felt a rush of excitement when she opened to him right away.  He slid his tongue into her mouth and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body close against his as he deepened the kiss.  He moaned with pleasure as her arms went around his waist and she pressed herself closer to him.  He felt the soft heat of her body, the hard points of her nipples, the rapid beating of her heart as her excitement rose in tandem with his. 

He stroked her tongue with his and shuddered when she returned the caress, tentatively at first, then with more confidence.  Her hands slid up and down his back, sending hot shivers through him that had him arching his hips, pressing his achingly hard erection against her.

They broke their kiss, both of them gasping for air, neither of them inclined to move away from the other.  Karma leaned her forehead against his chest and felt his heart pounding against her.  She’d never been close enough to anyone to feel their heart beat before.  She remained motionless for long moments, soaking in the strangely soothing sensation.

“I want you,
valia
,” Zakiel whispered hoarsely when he’d caught his breath enough to speak.  “Never have I wanted as I do now.”

“What does
valia
mean?” Karma asked, needing a moment to consider her response.

“It means
courageous one
,” he replied, understanding her need for time.  “You are the most courageous person, man or woman, I’ve ever known.”

Karma smiled.  He could not have chosen an endearment she liked better.  “I want you, too,” she whispered, her face hot with embarrassment.  “But I’m not sure we should do...that.”

“No,” Zakiel said, leaning back and looking into her eyes.  “Now is not the right time for that.  When the time is right, we will both know it.”

Karma smiled, both relieved and disappointed. 

“Will you trust me, Karma?” he asked.  Karma looked into his eyes and saw only warmth and tenderness.  Had she ever really thought they were icy?  It was hard to imagine at the moment. 

“Yes, I will trust you,” she replied.  “I do trust you.” 

Zakiel stepped back and reached for her hand.  She gave it to him without hesitation, and he guided her into another chamber of his tent.  She looked around, relieved to note that this was not his sleeping chamber.  Rather than a bed, there were several large cushions on a thick rug, a low table holding an oil lamp and several rolls of parchment and a few large baskets against one wall. 

“Sit,” Zakiel invited her, gesturing toward the cushions.  Karma glanced down, then bit her lip uncertainly. 

“Karma,” Zakiel said, then waited for her to look at him.  “I would never do anything to dishonor you, or myself.”

Karma nodded and sat down on one of the large cushions, surprised when Zakiel knelt down by her feet.  He untied the laces on her sandals and slipped them off of her feet.  Then he moved closer to her, slipped one hand behind her neck and kissed her again, plunging his tongue into her mouth with heat and passion.  Her arms went around his neck as she relaxed, accepting his silent request for control, allowing herself to simply be with him without worry or thought.  Trusting him, as he’d asked her to. 

When Zakiel raised his head she realized that she was now lying down on a large cushion, and he was looking down at her with such heated desire it nearly took her breath away.  He lowered his head to her neck and began kissing and licking her, working his way down her neck, to her throat.  She felt one large hand gently cup her breast and she froze for one heartbeat.  Then she arched her back, pressing herself against him.  He groaned softly, then rubbed his thumb over her nipple

Karma gasped, shocked at the intensity of the pleasure she felt from that one, simple caress.  It sent a sharp ache racing from her nipple to her pussy so fast that she wondered if the two disparate parts of her body were connected somehow.  Zakiel repeated the caress over and over again, and within moments she was moaning and arching her hips against him uncontrollably. 

Zakiel raised his head and nearly lost control of himself at the expression of passion and desire on her face.  Passion and desire for
him
.  He lowered his head and kissed her harder and deeper than before, knowing that her lips would be swollen from his kisses and reveling in the knowledge.  He wanted to put his mark on her, to let everyone know that she was his, and that he was hers.

He rubbed his thumb over her nipple again, loving the way her body reacted to his touch.  Then he slid his hand down lower, caressing the bare skin of her flat stomach, then inching toward the draw-string at the waist of her skirt.  He pulled the tie free then stilled when he felt her body freeze beneath him.  He waited, not moving, letting her make up her mind. 

When he felt her relax beneath him he knew she had decided to trust him, and again he nearly lost control.  He raised his head, smiled down at her, then began kissing his way down her body from her throat to her shoulders, across her chest, pausing a moment to suck her nipples into his mouth through the thin fabric of her blouse.  He kissed his way down her stomach, pausing to delve into her navel for a moment, then raised his head, hooked his fingers in her waist band and slid it down over her hips, catching her underwear as he went.  He raised up on his knees and slid the skirt and underwear down her thighs, then froze.

He stared for a long moment, his mouth dry, his cock so hard he thought he might have permanent marks from the leather lacings on his pants.  He swallowed, then glanced up, his eyes meeting Karma’s.  He opened his mouth, then glanced back down, hardly able to believe the sight before him.  He looked back up again, realizing suddenly that she was beginning to look very worried.  He smiled, relieving her concerns, then slipped her skirt and underwear all the way off of her legs and tossed them aside.

Then he ran his fingers along the silky soft, smooth skin from her ankles to her knees, up her thighs and, finally, across the beautifully bare, velvety soft skin of her pussy.  Never had he imagined such a beautiful sight. 

“You don’t have any body hair,” he said, his voice hoarse with arousal.

“No, I don’t,” Karma said, her voice huskier than usual.  “Does that bother you?”

“Bother me?” he asked in surprise.  “Not at all.  It’s...unbelievably wonderful.  Are you always like this?”  He suddenly had an image of Timon shaving him every day, and wondered if she had to do the same thing.  He grimaced at the thought of razor sharp steel so close to her most sensitive flesh.

“On my world, body hair is permanently removed after puberty.  I’m sorry, but it won’t ever grow back.”

“Oh, don’t be sorry,
valia
,” Zakiel said as he gently stroked her with his fingertips.  “I’ve never seen such an exciting sight in my life.”

Karma relaxed and smiled, letting her head fall back as he continued to stroke and pet her.  After a few minutes he gently parted her legs and knelt between them.  She didn’t resist, though she was a little nervous.  She didn’t know what he was going to do, but she’d agreed to trust him and she wasn’t going back on her word.