The Barbarian's Captive (16 page)

Frequent and repetitive joining was the key to strengthening the bond. With Eva, that had actually been the least difficult part. And he couldn’t stop thinking about her, needing her now even though his body needed sleep.

His hand swept over her form beneath the linens, stopping when he encountered more cloth, not the silky texture of skin he’d expected. Propping up on an elbow, he lifted the covers, his lips quirking at the sight of one of his tunics. Eva with her small rebellion, was defiant as ever, despite the multiple punishments.

Settling back beside her, he rolled her closer, easing up the hem of his pilfered garment. Bunching it up at her waist, he ignored that his ever-present erection brushed against the warm curves of her bottom, his hand finding a comfortable home around the curve of one breast. He’d address her disobedience in the morning, perhaps with a good hard fucking since spanking wasn’t having any effect. Or maybe he’d do both.

He smiled. Definitely both.

After deciding on a course of action that would result in both of them being well-satisfied, he promptly fell into a tired, but contented, sleep.

Chapter 10

T
he next morning, they were transported from the space dock hovering miles overhead to the planet’s surface. The first sight of Kerr’s home through the large glass paneled shuttle was breathtaking and revealed a vividly colorful world as different from Earth as she could possibly imagine. The binary suns in the sky shone pink through the purplish hues of Primaria’s slightly thinner atmosphere, the latter the likely reason behind her shortness of breath, as well as the slight dizziness.

“You’ll adjust in a few days,” Kerr had assured her as he encircled her waist to steady her as she leaned over him to peer out the window, thoroughly floored by the beauty before her. The capital city where Kerr lived sat in a valley surrounded by the foothills of towering, snowcapped mountains in the distance. Instead of the brown brush and the dry, dusty drought conditions she was used to at home, the hills were a brilliant green, bright yellow, and vivid pink that shimmered brilliantly in the sunshine. It was beautiful.

“The hills and mountainsides look… fluorescent.”

“They are. Ever since the meteors bombarded the planet, they absorb the sunlight during the day and glow throughout the night.”

“What lies beyond the mountains?”

“Mining towns and villages. Beyond that is the North Sea. To the south is more mountainous terrain, snow-covered year round and at the southernmost tip, an uninhabitable snow cap. Only the northern half has temperate climates which are livable year round.”

“Flying over the ocean, I noticed the water was purple.”

“Of course, what other color would it be?”

Her smile faded, more proof of how different their worlds were. Quietly, she took it all in, sharing worried glances with Lana, Brenna, and Mailynn who stood beside their warriors, looking as freaked out as she felt.

Upon landing, Eva and Kerr exited first. A wave of fresh air greeted them as they walked down the ramp and stepped onto solid ground. She inhaled deeply, something she did whenever she left the recycled, staleness of a ship behind. Tipping her face up, she soaked in the rays of the twin suns shining bright in the odd, but beautiful lavender sky.

A tug on her hand, made her realize she’d paused to soak it in. He didn’t comment, simply grinning, clearly pleased to be home as he took her hand and eagerly led her a short distance out of the landing port and into town. Eyes wide, darting curiously all around, she marveled at the immaculate streets and the gleaming buildings, made of white stone swirled through with blues, yellows and black, like marble back home.

As they moved deeper into the city, crowds of people gathered, staring unreservedly as they passed. Kerr didn’t appear to notice at first, but with eyes upon her every move, she felt out of place and moved in closer to his side. As she rubbed up against him, he glanced down and then around them.

“They are no doubt fascinated by your light hair and skin. None have seen anything like it before. It will take them some time to adjust to seeing you and the other new mates.”

When a child pointed and called out, “Look momma, the new prima is a sprite!”

Startled, Eva glanced up and found Kerr grinning back at her. He winked, adding, “The name suits you.”

He slid an arm around her waist and hurried her along. At the end of the street, her steps dragged as they approached a massive stone structure with an ancient Roman flare: carved columns, tall archways, and row upon row of windows in the upper stories, as well as terraces, lots of them. It was stunning, as well as overwhelming, especially when they climbed the two dozen steps to a set of tall, ornately carved double doors flanked by uniformed guards in Kerr’s color — deep royal red. She stopped climbing, hanging back.

Kerr stopped immediately and turned, looking down from the step above her, adding height to his already imposing frame. “Don’t you want to see your new home?”

Tilting her head back, way back, she took in the four stories and high, vaulted roof far above his head. “You
live
here?” she said in a thin, strained voice. “It’s like a… castle. I thought you said you weren’t a king?”

“Where does your leader reside?”

“The White House.”

He raised a brow as he glanced at the white stone façade, then back at her.

“We have that in common at least. You should feel right at home.”

“I didn’t live there. I’ve never even been to the capital. I’m at home in a tiny eight-by-ten compartment on a ship — or an eight hundred square foot apartment.” As she took in the arched windows and intricately carved consoles near the roof and at the corners, she heard voices that drew her gaze to the inquisitive faces staring down at her from several of the windows. “I feel like a sideshow at the carnival.”

“I’m not sure what that is, but ignore them. Advance word has spread that I have taken a mate. They are merely eager to get a look at you.”

Once inside, a double line of people waited with bright smiles and keen glances. An older, bearded man in the long white robe of an elder stepped forward, beaming. “Kerr! Congratulations on a most bountiful hunt.”

“Uncle,” he replied with a broad smile, as he moved in to greet the man. “We have indeed been blessed by the Maker. Let me make known to you Eva, our new Prima, my bonded mate.”

The older man also closed in with arms wide. At first, she thought he was going to embrace Kerr, but he stepped past him and swept her up into a bear hug so tight it nearly knocked the wind out of her lungs.

“Long we have waited for this day, Kerr’s mate. May your union be blessed with a male heir and a dozen daughters.”

“Your warm welcome is robbing her of breath, Uncle Aylan,” Kerr said, pulling her from the man’s exuberant embrace.

“Yes, yes, so sorry. Wouldn’t want to crush her on the first day at her new home.” He chuckled, his teal and gold-flecked eyes alight with happiness. “The others, nephew. When will they arrive? I have had hundreds of requests for expedient testing.”

She frowned, not understanding what Aylan meant.

Kerr shook his head. “I’ll brief you about the others after I get Eva settled.” With that, he placed his hand on her back and guided her through the throng of people. The two dozen men — and several women — bowed and greeted Kerr as they passed. There were also a few exclamations of “Maker be praised,” but he didn’t stop until they reached the end, turning to address the group.

“We will have an official welcoming in a few days to celebrate. You will meet your new prima then. Until then, we must give her time to adjust to her new home.”

A cheer went up amongst them even as Kerr turned her and rushed her down a wide corridor to a set of steps in the rear of the huge mansion.

“Who were they? Family?”

“Some, yes, but most are workers here in the capital. Come.” He started up the staircase and she tried to keep pace, her mind awhirl with questions.

“What did he mean by hundreds of requests for testing? I thought that was done on the ship.”

“I will debrief him after I get you settled.” His vague response came at the same time they reached the second floor landing. “I’ll give you the full tour later, but the basic layout is first level-public offices, second level-common areas with the kitchens and dining hall, and some apartments for capital staff. The third floor has rooms for family and special guests. And on the top level is our residence. We have roof access where you’ll find a garden and a fully operational hothouse with a wide variety of flowers and vegetation. You’ll find my uncle there most days. He has a fascination for gardening and a knack for getting the most fragile of seeds and sprouts to grow.”

“On Earth we call that a green thumb,” she said, practically vibrating with excitement at the thought of a rooftop garden.

His grin flashed, dazzlingly white. “I thought you might find that of interest. But why call it a green thumb?”

“Most of our plants are green.”

“Ah, that makes sense. Here you’ll find very few plants are green.” He gave her a sidelong glance. “Will studying a whole new world full of plant life keep you occupied for a while?”

“I can’t wait to get started. Can we go see it now?”

“I’ll let Uncle Aylan have that pleasure tomorrow.” They continued to climb to the fourth floor where, unlike the others, there was an etched glass door rather than an open corridor. She liked that, feeling it gave them a bit of privacy, as did the thumbprint scanner that released the lever allowing him to push the door open. With his hand again riding low on the small of her back, they entered his home.

With high-vaulted ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows—two of which were open, letting in a cool breeze—the large, sunken room was awash in light and color from the spectacular views of the vivid mountains on one side, and the gleaming white city on the other. Around the room, which appeared to be a gathering place of some kind, several plush couches and armchairs were situated with side tables and an abundance of large pillows. Opposite them, stood another set of double doors. He led her directly to them, and with a full palm scan, they proceeded inside.

“Here we are.”

“What was the other room?”

“A receiving area for guests, nothing more.”

She blinked. “But it’s so large.”

“Yes, and often so crowded it is standing room only.” He moved them down the long hall, pointing out rooms as they passed. The first was an office for his residential assistant, Janus. “His most important job is to monitor guests, or we would never get any privacy.”

Across from this, he pointed out the door that lead to the rooftop gardens. She stared at it, dying to take just a quick peek. He smiled and steered her further down the hall, reminding her, “You’ll get to explore all you like tomorrow.”

There were numerous short halls accessing the galley and dining areas, another to a main lounge and recreation room, two others with more bedrooms, and one more that led to a large office if he chose to work from home. The place was enormous. The hallway turned left into another corridor, terminating at yet another set of double doors.

“This is our private suite. No one but you or I will enter without express invitation.” He waved his hand over another sensor and the doors opened into a vast, sumptuous room. In the corner, three steps led up to a huge raised bed, its floor-to-ceiling posts festooned with embroidered curtains, which opened to reveal rich bed linens and a host of pillows. To the right was a sitting area, with broad couches and wide chairs big enough for two, and more pillows. They seemed to really like pillows. To the left, he showed her to a huge walk-in closet with a multitude of shelves, mirrors, and racks. It was as big as her apartment back home, and only half full.

“We’ll see about clothing and accessories for you, tomorrow.”

He showed her through another door, which accessed a bathroom with a pool even bigger than the one on her ship. In the corner was a shower with glass doors much like a typical stall — though twice the usual size. Passing straight through, they entered another large room on the other side with more couches, a small table for six, bookshelves and viewing screens which he announced was their own private lounge area.

“What’s through that door?”

He opened it. “Bedrooms for children, when they come. They’ll be close, but not right on top of us.”

She counted the doors — six! Her face warmed slightly at the thought.

“You are free to change anything you like to make you feel comfortable. It is your home. My office, however, I like as is.”

“It’s beautiful as is.” She glanced around, ill at ease, having no idea how to go about making a change if she wanted to.

“You’ll settle in, soon enough.” His voice was more confident than she felt. She wandered the room, and he let her, watching as she explored everything, touching fabrics, glancing at the bookshelves without really seeing the books, and nervously coming to a stop in front of the darkened windows.

“Why can’t we see outside?”

“Windows on,” he said. The darkly fogged glass went clear, the twin suns shining, filling the room with light. His following command for the windows to dim caused them to tint slightly, decreasing the harsh glare of the morning suns. “Windows closed,” he murmured, the glass returning to its darkened state. “In the early morning and late afternoon, the suns can be overwhelmingly bright without the tinting. But always, no matter what setting, there is privacy from the outside.”

She nodded, feeling suddenly awkward, like the alien that she was.

“You’re frowning. Is there something you don’t like?”

“What do I do here, Kerr?”

“You live here, Eva, of course.”

“That isn’t what I meant. What do I
do
? At home, I had a job.”