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Planet Etteria
Issneen, the Royal City
The following morning before the crack of dawn.
The smallest sun had just risen, and Macy wandered the gardens again. Going to bed so early had her awake sooner. The beach outing hadn’t exhausted her as much as she’d hoped. But the sunburn had put paid to her visit with Zoo in the afternoon. With nothing to occupy her days except knitting and ordering furniture, sleeping was becoming elusive. It was still another half an hour until Nuos would torture her again.
The moment she’d opened her door, the two males had come running, grumbling at her about the change in routine. Not that they were disheveled in their military uniform. She wondered if she should mention that, to her, they looked midway between a biker and covert ops. She giggled. Sure, aliens in black leather, why not?
She ignored their grumpiness and lifted her face to the sky. The dawn streaked across the dark-pink horizon with several shades of pink and orange. It was so beautiful that she sighed, blissful and content. She strolled, trying to find the path leading to the white wall parallel to the beach. Nuos had led her to the wall yesterday, but she hadn’t paid attention to the route taken.
The path ahead of her grew wider and with less bluish grass. She didn’t mind. Her slippers were on the ground a few bushes back, and the soft grass pillowed her bare feet. Maybe the grayish sand marking the pathways would feel as good as the beach had.
Nope, it did not. It was like coarse gravel. Wincing, she glanced over her shoulder to where she’d left her slippers or her guards, but nothing was behind her. What? Did I take a turn I wasn’t aware of? A thump and a grunt coming from ahead, behind yet another blue bush, drove her forward. She picked her foot placement, hissing with each step.
As she rounded a bush, she froze in place.
An Etterian male swung a greatsword. He was bare-chested, and sweat glistened on every mouth-watering muscle. Tight breeches hugged his gorgeous and firm backside, riding low on his taut stomach and revealing an Adonis belt. Clinging to his hips too, low enough to reveal two dimples at the base of his spine. And damn, those large thighs... He had amazing thighs—strong, muscled, sculpted.
His feet were bare. How did he manage that on the rough gravel? Tough warrior, tough feet? She smothered a chuckle. He swung his sword with such precision and fluidity that it was like a dance, graceful, perfect. With every swing, his arms and chest rippled. He’d grunt, and his long braid would whip around him, as if it had a mind of its own.
Now, this is a fine specimen. The best Etterian male I’ve seen to date.
She stood there for who knew how long. Watching him was such a pleasure. And when she said pleasure, she meant pleasure. Her nipples were harder than diamonds, and she was damp...down below. She blushed just thinking about...her nether region. For almost a month now, these gorgeous males surrounded her, and only this one had stirred something powerful within her. The Lysarans didn’t count. These reactions were all her. Her body hummed, flushing her skin with a tingling heat that prickled her scalp. Just like when she’d gazed upon Zoo for the first time, or when he’d kissed her fingers and knuckles.
Her sexy specimen stilled even though she hadn’t made a noise. Maybe she’d gasped? He called for such a response from her. Maybe he could hear her heart beating since it pounded in her ears. He faced her, and her ovaries broke out into full applause. Then to make matters worse, her lady bits clenched with need. Shit, he’s gorgeous.
Wait. She knew that face. Zoo?
His gaze met hers. With a violent groan, he collapsed to one knee. With full force, he plunged his blade into the ground, up to half its length. He clenched his hands around the hilt. He wasn’t looking at her now, just kneeling there and trembling as if in agony. Whatever had felled him had to be overwhelming to bring down such a powerful male. She hurried forward, ignoring the rough gravel, and dropped next to him, the loose stones bruising her knees.
“Are you okay?” She raised a hand but hovered inches from his hot skin, uncertain. Without knowing what was causing the pain, she feared touching him in case it was a rash or a sunburn. Although, his skin glowed with health, all bronzed and velvety. He smelled good too, like cut grass.
He groaned again. His knuckles whitened when he tightened his grip.
“Should I get help?”
He shook his head and shuddered.
Helplessness paralyzed her. “Want me to leave you alone?” She chewed on her bottom lip, not knowing what else she could do.
“No,” he growled.
She released a drawn-out sigh, sat on her backside, and crossed her legs. As she waited, she drew swirls in the rough stone, content to ogle every inch of him. He was in pain, but he was being stubborn, and short of offering him his back—which was the ultimate in rudeness—she could do nothing else but admire him. This close...was wow. No male should look this good. She sucked in a deep breath and ran her hands over her thighs, itching to touch him.
Down, girl. This is Zoo, remember?
~*~
Macera’s sweet, fruity scent reached Xeus first. It was hers, but not this intense smoky version of it. So potent, delicious, and tempting, it overrode the scents of all the human women he’d met and memorized.
Is she aroused?
Fury tore through him, casting his concern aside. He spun to locate her. Why was she aroused? Who would dare to touch her? Her admiring him, her brown eyes wide in her small face, her breasts rising and falling in her tunic, her tiny feet bare, and the richness of her arousal registered one by one. Then the pleasurable torment had lanced his heart and taken him to a knee. The heat curling in his belly was to an unbearable degree. He shivered as a chill ripped along his skin.
A vision of her came next. Her smile, her eyes closed as she feathered kisses across his lips. He could taste her soft lips, feel her incredible breasts pressed against his chest, the slickness of the heated water, her legs entwined with his. She purred with pleasure. He shuddered, tightening his hold on the hilt, trying to control the urge to touch her, claim her, right there under Etteria’s pink sky.
Her scent came with her when she approached him, intensifying with proximity, shaking his control further. She spoke to him with concern, her voice husky and appealing.
His Dar Eth.
Watching her draw shapes in the sand made him release a great, whole-hearted laugh, despite the pleasurable pain burning through him. He was so pleased to have found his salvation and thrilled it was his Macera.
“Feeling better?” she asked after his laughter dwindled, not understanding that he never laughed.
Now he had the urge to. The intense emotions exploding in his chest were liberating yet unexpected and unknown.
“Yes. Thank you for your concern.” He frowned as he leaned back on his heels.
“You have mesmerizing eyes.” She peered into his eyes; her mouth parted. “What happened to your dark blue irises?”
He groaned, looking anywhere but at her.
“My alcove guardian,” she grinned. “Zoo.”
His breath hitched, and his gaze flew back to hers. Her smile...so perfect.
“I didn’t mean to disturb your training.” She shifted to rise, not realizing he was staring at her blue-encased legs.
“You are never a disturbance,” he said, frowning at her tiny toes. I want to suck on each one. But that wasn’t what bothered him. “Where is your footwear?” He gazed upon her upturned face, taking the time to admire her now that he could do so. She was on her knees, half-risen.
It had been a while since they’d vid-commed. But the Ethera made this more potent. He took the time to admire her.
Long brown locks cascaded around her in wild abandonment, falling to her elbows in gentle waves. Her eyes were brown and slanted upward at the corners. She had brown arching eyebrows, and the way they dented was expressive. Her nose was short with a little dimple on the tip, tempting him to press a kiss to it.
Her lips were full, pouting, and pink, the color of his hahyt flowers. They appeared soft...sweet...alluring. They dusting of spots across her cheeks still fascinated him. He must have been silent for too long. She chewed on her bottom lip with her tiny white teeth, shooting a dart of need to his groin. He grumbled, his breathing becoming uneven again.
“I lost them somewhere there.” She flicked a hand indicating behind her. “And Nuos and Azan too.”
Xeus frowned, trying to recall what they were discussing. “They knew I was here. You are safe with me.” He marveled at the many emotions bursting inside him, some he couldn’t name.
“I’ve always thought so.”
His chest swelled at her words. He scooped her into his arms, unable to resist holding her, to protect her soft feet from Etteria’s harsh stones. She squeaked and latched onto his shoulders. At her touch, he trembled, his nipples pebbling. He ignored his body’s reaction and strode to where he could scent her guards waiting.
“Going to tell me your name? Or should I keep calling you Zoo?” She leaned her head against his chest. Her skin was cool, her touch both bliss and torture.
He dipped his head to nuzzle her, rubbing his jaw across her hair. “I like the anonymity. I am invisible but never anonymous. It is a new experience for me.”
She cupped his cheek. He marveled at her audacity to do so, to touch him without hesitation. “I see you.”
He stopped to gaze at her. “Thank you. It is all I’ve ever wanted, for you to see me.” He brushed a kiss across her cheek, enjoying her shiver in reaction before taking that leap of faith he’d advised Xan to do. “My name is Xeus.”
“As in King Xeus?”
He nodded, watching her expressions. I could lose her in this moment, not that I would let her go. I need her more than I can express.
“Damn,” she chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. “Zoo for Xeus? And I suppose once I reached Etteria, you couldn’t tell me because I was nervous about meeting you?”
“I meant to offer comfort, unknowing that I was the cause of your distress.”
“I know you meant to help. Thank you for that.” She smiled before a thought shadowed dread across her adorable face. “Do I have to get to know the king now?”
“I hope never. I wish for you to know only me, your Zoo.”
Her eyes widened with delight as her cheeks pinkened. “Is this serious?” She indicated the two of them with her fingers while she peered into his eyes.
“More than you will ever know.” He fought the need to kiss her, even though she was his now.
“Are you sure?” The warmth of hope in her eyes swelled his chest in response.
“You took away my loneliness.” His honesty brought such a rush of color to her face, but she leaned up to brush her lips across his jaw.
“You took mine away too,” she said, clinging to his shoulder.
“You were sad.” He’d known she’d been yet not liking that she’d suffered as he had.
“Not anymore,” she said. “Zoo?” Her melodic voice drew his focus. He waited for her to continue. “Is this the same as what Xan and Quin have?”
“The Ethera?” he asked, needing her to know the word.
Her exquisite brown eyes were large in her tiny face. “Yes.”
“Would you like it to be?”
“I don’t want it to be anything else than what it is, but I also don’t want to meet another male, and he turns out to be my Eth.” She glanced at his chest before meeting his gaze. Fear and something intense crossed her face. “I don’t want to give you up.”
His pulse paused at her honesty. “You are my Dar Eth, Macera. The mate of my heart,” he said, his voice hoarse. “There will be no other male, no other Eth. An Etterian male’s eyes change color when they meet their life force, ensa.”
“Like yours did?” Despite the excitement trembling her body, a frown furrowed her brow. “Does that make me a queen?”
“Automatically.” He didn’t doubt she’d make a wonderful queen.
“Can’t I have you without being a queen?”
Maker! He crushed her against him. How many females have thrown themselves at me in the hopes of securing that position? And my Dar Eth wants me alone?
“I do not deserve you, Macera.” He gathered her closer, but it wasn’t enough.
“Zoo, I—”
“My king, is Lady Macera injured?” Warrior Azan asked.
Both warriors stilled at the sight of his ice blue eyes. They glanced between Xeus and Macera, their jaws slack. Then as one, they bowed.
“My queen,” Nuos pledged, with a fist to his chest.
Xeus threw a pointed look at her, to which she rolled her eyes. When she wiggled, he lowered her to the ground, though he kept her back pinned to the front of his body with his arm looped around her waist. The weight of her breasts resting on his forearm made him more aware of her warmth against his harder edges.
“Azan? Nuos?” She folded her arms across her chest. “It’s me, remember? The troublesome human female always grumbling at you? Just because Xeus’s eyes change color doesn’t mean I’ll stop irritating you.”
“You do not, my queen,” Azan said.
“I thought Etterians don’t lie,” she said.
Azan flushed at her implication.
“I like your singing, my queen,” Nuos hurried to add.
She sighed and glanced at Xeus for assistance. He flashed her a lopsided grin—delighted to watch her do anything.
“As your queen, I command you to call me Macy.” She turned back to Xeus, “Can I do that?”
He nodded with another grin before tugging her into his arms, succumbing to the urge to hold her. Yet that didn’t seem to satisfy the need driving him. He lifted her, wrapping his arms around her back to press her against his chest.
“What are you doing?” She gazed at him from her new position. Where she clasped his biceps, her fingers stroked his skin, her touch arousing.
“Holding you. I am in awe, Macera and so grateful.” He admired her face, attempting to memorize every inch of her. Her scent and her softness surrounded him, at last, making him ache with pleasure.
“You are? It’s just me, Zoo,” she said.
“Just you is perfect for me.” Another smile cracked his cheeks. He marveled that he could, that he wanted to, that the darkness consuming his soul had evaporated. The light within him was almost blinding, and she was at the center of it.
She cupped his face, her fingertips on his temple, her palms at his cheeks. “You are perfect for me too.”
He tightened his arms, needing her melded to him. “I would kiss you now, yet I fear I will not stop once I taste you, Macera.” His voice plummeted below guttural as he lowered his gaze to her too-tempting lips.
They parted with a gasp under his watchful gaze. “You...find me attractive?”
He frowned at her surprise, at her disbelief. “Attractive? You are beautiful, my Macera. Feel how holding you makes me tremble.”
“It’s my weight straining your muscles.” Her teasing crinkled her eyes in the corners.
He chuckled before burying his face in the curve of her neck to inhale her scent. Emotions warmed his chest, overwhelming in their intensity.
“I tremble, I cannot breathe, my heart pounds, and I am harder than our mined rock.” He grinned as pink color splashed across her cheeks again. She licked her lips. The dark depths of her mouth called to him. “If you do not want me to claim you here and now, you will behave.”
Her mouth snapped shut. “Behave? In what way am I misbehaving? I’m not the one going around picking me up or promising to kiss me yet not delivering.”
She returned her hands to his shoulders before wriggling in a silent request for release. He held firm, despite the sensations now flooding his body from her movements. A deep groan shredded his throat.
“You are tempting me beyond my control,” he said.
She stared at him. “I am?”
He growled at her astonishment.
“King Xeus, good morning.” Cales strode toward them. “I thought to find you here, but not so indisposed.” He indicated the female in his arms. When Xeus didn’t acknowledge him, instead, he nuzzled her hair off her ear, Cales continued, “Your first appointment is—”
“Canceled,” Xeus mumbled, expecting Cales to hear him. “Cancel the day, Cales. I wish to spend it with Macera.”
“You want to do nothing with me?” She trailed her hands from where they gripped his shoulders to loop around his neck, bringing her softness and scent closer to him. He rumbled his approval.
“I do not care what we do, as long as I am with you.” He lifted his head to smile at her. “I could take you to Olivia’s.”
Macera’s eyes twinkled. “Olivia’s? Is that like a restaurant? A spa?”
“It is an orphanage we brought from Earth.”
“You have human children on Etteria?” The joy on her face was unmistakable.
“Yes, here we cherish them.” He lowered her feet to the floor, pausing to ensure she regained her balance. Keeping his hand at the base of her spine, he faced Cales. Touching her didn’t appease the Ethera’s demands, but it would do for now.
“I assume your training is also canceled, my queen?” Nuos asked.
Xeus chuckled. “As your queen, she controls your future. Keep pushing her, and she might send you to the omeika farms.”
“Please forgive Nuos, Macy, he teases as you taught him to,” Azan said.
“My queen?” Cales’s voice was a whisper. He bolted forward, halting in front of Xeus to stare into his ice blue eyes. “Alodon’s balls, Xeus. I hoped. I prayed.”
“Thank you, my old bond.” Xeus laughed, unable to curtail the joy, the freedom that saturated every dark corner of his being. “This is Macera Mitchell. Macera, this is Cales. He is my oldest battle-bond and most valued advisor.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Cales.” She held out her hand.
He accepted it with reverence, not shaking it, just holding it. He stared at her upturned face, his dark blue eyes traveling over her features.
“The pleasure, no, the gratitude is mine, my queen.”
“Not you too,” she groaned.
Cales stiffened. “Have I offended, my queen?”
“She does not want to be queen, Cales. She only wants me.” Xeus couldn’t stop grinning. When he tried, it split wider, defying his efforts. “Now, if you do not mind releasing my Dar Eth...”
Cales dropped her hand and stepped back, his cheeks darker than a moment ago.
“We will inform the court this evening. For now, I wish to spend the day with my Dar Eth, and Maker willing, without a care in the world.”
“Perhaps a tunic?” Cales ripped off his to toss at Xeus, who caught it then pulled it on.
“Nuos, Azan, I shall see you at 0430 tomorrow,” she said.
Nuos lowered her shoes, placing them on the ground at her feet. Then with a quick bow, they strode away.
She glanced at Xeus, who watched her slip on her footwear. “I’ve you to protect me, don’t I?” Her eyes sparkled as a small smile curled her lips.
He gripped her tunic’s fabric. “You do.” But she had no one to protect her from him.
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