Mehanna had wanted a fantasy, and Grinnell gave her one. Her body wanted to explode, but he only brought her to the brink then allowed her to step back. It was driving her crazy. She wanted her release, and he wasn’t giving it to her.
Her legs started moving. She felt him kiss her thigh before he started to move back up her body, planting more kisses along the way. If he didn’t enter her soon, she was going to scream. As if he read her mind, he climbed until they were face to face. He touched her cheek softly.
“Ready?”
All she could do was nod. He drove into her, making her arch her back and suck in her breath. That was all it took to send her over the edge. Wonderful waves of euphoria filled her. She tightened her grip on him as she floated along.
Grinnell gave her a few moments before he started moving inside her. Each time he filled her he pushed her closer to that elusive orgasm once again. He set a strong tempo that she met stroke for stroke. Her body shook as delicious tendrils of her climax teased her.
“Please, Grinnell.”
“Are we begging, my queen?”
“If it gets me what I want? Yes!”
He pressed a kiss against her throat. He picked up his tempo, causing her to do the same. They raced each other to reach the release they both wanted. Grinnell moved faster and faster, and Mehanna kept up with him. Her body hummed as he filled her again and again, but she wanted more. Her hands gripped him, trying to pull him in as close as she could.
Her body reacted each time he filled her. It wasn’t long before she became a mass of feelings. Nothing mattered but the orgasm she wanted so badly.
Grinnell was now pumping into her, and she could only cling to him as he moved. Her body screamed for its release. She moved with him. Desire filled her. She wanted something only Grinnell had given her, and she knew she didn’t want it from anyone else. Slowly, the fission of her release started to snake through her body. Little tendrils of her orgasm licked at her. Need filled her. Her body tightened; her muscles clenched. Securs later, her release flung her out to the stars. She floated along, every part of her totally relaxed.
“Have I satisfied you, my queen?”
“Very much.” She stretched as she answered, her whole being happy. Something inside her shifted. She felt it but wasn’t sure what it meant.
Grinnell pressed kisses against her cheeks, temples, and throat. He had experienced something just as profound as she did.
“That was wonderful,” she said it softly, but she knew Grinnell heard her.
“My queen deserves only the best. I hope you feel that is what I gave you.”
“Oh, I do.” She kept her eyes closed. “I wish we could do that again.”
“I agree, but we promised to meet everyone for the middura meal.” He pressed a kiss against her stomach then offered her his hand.
“Perhaps we could come back after we eat.” She sat up with his help.
“I sure would like to try.”
They met their friends in the lobby of the inn they were staying in about an hora later. Once everyone was seated, Grinnell asked them what they did for the few horas they had to themselves.
“Honestly, we fell asleep,” said Lawaya. “I guess we’re not use to climbing mountains.”
“Didn’t you sleep well last duro?” asked Mehanna. She nodded at the waitress as she placed a glass of water in front of her.
“I thought I did, but it didn’t stop me from snoozing away when we stopped in our room for a secur,” said Tosci. “What did you two do? You look very rested.”
“I agree,” said Lawaya. “To me they look satisfied and rested.”
The two ladies watched them, waiting for some sort of reaction.
Grinnell looked over at Mehanna, who had a lovely shade of lavender blooming on her cheeks, but she looked back at them without flinching. He took her hand, then smiled at the ladies. “We had a wonderful time.”
“You must see a park like the one Grinnell showed me.”
Grinnell looked at the door when a familiar odor assailed his nose. Tymin stood in front of it, shifting his feet. Grinnell excused himself and headed to the door.
“They’re here.” He pointed toward the center of the city.
He had already found May? That was fast. “Where?”
“Come, I’ll show.” He led him away from the restaurant. They went down a back street, then to one of the parks. May sat on a bench, watching the colors fill the air.
“Pretty, isn’t it?” Grinnell asked as he sat beside her.
“Grinnell!” she shrieked as she hugged him. “You don’t know how happy I am to see you. We were warned to stay away from the palace so have been wandering around aimlessly. Are you here to tell us that we can go back now?”
“We did come to find you.”
“We?” She let him go and looked at him. “Is my sister here too?”
“Yes, she’s at a restaurant nearby.”
“Then let’s go.” She jumped up and called to Grenta. Once she got her attention, she pointed to Grinnell. “Look who just showed up.”
“Grinnell, good to see you.” Grenta also looked relieved. It was probably hard for her to keep up with May.
“My sister is here, and Grinnell is going to bring us to her.” She turned and looked at him. “Right? Or are we to go straight to the palace?”
“We’re going to the restaurant.” He gestured for them to follow him. He walked beside Grenta. “You’ve had your hands full, haven’t you, Grenta?”
“Oh, my. Yes.” She fell into step with him as May walked in front of them. “She is a very curious person, so has to know everything she can about whatever catches her attention.”
“I have learned a lot.” May trotted back to where they walked. “I watched and learned how to create the glass used in this city. I have learned to make the metal in the structures here. Oh, and I can make a wonderful fromage pie.”
“Have you been practicing?”
“Every dura.” She skipped ahead and spoke to a woman selling flowers. When they caught up with her, she had a bouquet in her hand.
“The restaurant is there.” Grinnell pointed but found he didn’t need to when Mehanna came racing out of the restaurant.
“May!” She ran to her sister and wrapped her arms around her. May squealed her name and did the same. The two women hugged until Grinnell reminded them that they were in the middle of the street, drawing attention. Everyone entered the restaurant.
“Lawaya!” Grenta bowed to her. “I’m so glad to see you out of the mirror.”
“Let’s sit,” said Grinnell. “We’re drawing far too much attention.”
The wait staff brought two more chairs to the table. May sat between Mehanna and Lawaya while Grenta sat between Lawaya and Tosci.
May continued to chatter, telling her sister all she saw and learned while water was placed in front of her. She glanced over at Tosci and paused. “I know you.”
“Yes, you do.”
“You’re Tosci. Moorac’s sister. You were with us when we were younger.”
“She’s been training me,” said Mehanna.
The waitress brought two more menus for the new guests, then gave them a few microns to decide. While there was a lull in the conversation, she came back. She took their orders, promising to bring their food as quickly as possible.
“You know he’s here, don’t you?” asked May.
“Yes,” replied Mehanna. “How were you able to get out of the palace undetected? I have felt him searching for me since we arrived.”
“I decided to travel a dura or two after you and Grinnell took off for our home planet. I can assume you didn’t make it there?” May responded.
Mehanna shook her head.
“Well, it was maybe a dura or two later when we received the missive not to come back until either we got another missive to come to back or until someone came to get us.” May smiled. “I’m assuming you are here to bring us home.”
Grinnell got ready to answer her, but May continued to talk.
“How long have you been here, anyway?”
“We arrived on Emori about five duras ago,” said Mehanna. “Where are you staying?”
“The hotel near one of the parks.” The food started to arrive, but May still continued to talk as she ate. “Have you seen any of the parks? They are so beautiful.”
“I love all the colors.” Mehanna responded between bites.
“Oh good.” May took a drink. “I had hoped you had seen one.” She took a bite, then pointed her fork at Grinnell. “Do we need to head back right away?”
“We don’t have a deadline, but I don’t like leaving Orla and Astrid alone with that man.” He took a bite. Once he swallowed it, he asked, “Was there somewhere you wanted to go?”
“The local museum. There is a wing on the royal family that I’d like to see.” She gave him a bright smile.
“I don’t see why not. Do you want to move your rooms to the hotel we’re staying at?”
“Um, I sort of picked that hotel for a reason. The people here say the lights at sunset and sunrise are spectacular and the best place to see them is in our hotel.”
Grinnell laughed.
“What?”
“I’m sure whoever told you that probably worked in that hotel.” He finished his meal. “The colors can be seen from all over the city during those times.”
“How do you know that?” May took another bite of her food.
“Grinnell is from here, May,” said Mehanna.
“Oh.” May took another bite. “Is that how you were able to get a table here? I didn’t even realize that this was a restaurant.”
“There are a few that don’t advertise so the locals have a place to go, but it’s not like they’d turn away anyone who was visiting. The proprietor is a friend, and I knew he would keep my presence quiet.”
“Quiet?” She looked at her sister. “I don’t understand.”
“He is well known here on Emori, so we had to pretend we’re other people.”
“Oh, what fun!” May clapped her hands together.
“Keep your voice down,” reminded Grenta.
“Sorry.” She ate her last bite. “I forget how loud I get when I get excited.”
“It’s okay. If everyone is done, we can head to the museum.” Grinnell signaled their waiter. “I’d be interested in what they have there.”
“What if you’re recognized?” asked Mehanna.
“This is where I live. Most who see me don’t pay any attention to me because they know I don’t want that kind of attention. They know what I did to protect Orla and Astrid, and they honor my wishes. We used other names because we didn’t want my presence known before we found May. If Moorac got wind I was on the planet but not at the palace, he would become suspicious. Since May’s now with us, I don’t think it will cause a problem. We can even take public transport.”
“Let’s do our best to keep his true identity quiet,” said Grenta as she stood up. “I’m enjoying traveling the old fashion way.”
“You just don’t like using modern transports,” reminded Grinnell. He waited for everyone to stand and they headed out the door.
They headed to the museum with other groups of tourists and waited for their guide so they could start their tour.
“We get a tour guide?” asked May.
“All part of the package,” said Grinnell.
Their guide stepped up to them and smiled. “Welcome to our museum. I’m here to help you navigate the place properly and to answer any question you might have.”
Mehanna saw the look of recognition when their guide noticed her bond-mate. She took Grinnell’s hand when she realized all it would take was this man saying something to ruin their trip.
May grabbed Mehanna’s hand the moment she had a chance and pulled her back so they would be last in the group.
“What is going on between you and Grinnell?” May asked quietly.
“Why?” asked Mehanna.
“It’s the way you two behave around each other. There’s something there, like you. . . you bonded with him?”
Mehanna nodded.
“Oh, my stars. I knew you were attracted to each other, but I never thought you’d bond this fast.” She squeezed her sister’s hand. “Are you happy?”
“Very much.”
“And him?”
“Has been wonderful. I didn’t go into this blind, May. He fought me because he was afraid I only wanted to bond with him to beat Moorac. I wanted to bond because it just felt right, and it took a lot to convince him of that.”
“I’m so happy for you.” She gave her a one-armed hug. “Has he learned to tap into your power?”
Mehanna nodded.
“Should I use the family technique to bond with him too? Give him access to my power as well?”
“That is up to you, May.” Mehanna looked at her. “I can’t make that decision for you.”
Grinnell walked with the guide, Narfa. He had been heavily involved with the creation of this wing, and the guide was the curator he worked with. Since he was the one picked as his guide, the museum must have recognized him and wanted him to feel comfortable while visiting. This was the first time he had been back since the wing opened.
“Sir, do your friends know?” asked Narfa.
“They do, but we’d like to see the exhibit without a bunch of strangers recognizing me.” He paused for a moment. “I thank you for helping keep my presence quiet. I know another guide would have reacted when they realized who I was.”
“I remember how you tried to avoid anyone who recognized you when we worked together. You weren’t a big fan of people fawning over you, and I assumed you didn’t want a spectacle with your friends around you.”
“And I’d like to keep my presence from the palace as well. My guests are friends of the queen and are a surprise. The smallest lady doesn’t like using the transports, so we will be traveling the old-fashioned way. I’d hate to have someone leak that they saw us before we can surprise our queen.”
“Of course, sir.” He gave him a slight bow. One of the other guides stepped out to where he could see them holding a pile of clothing.
“Ladies and gentleman, we need to put these on.” He handed each person a long cloak.
They each took the cloak handed to them and put it on.
“We will be going through interactive sections where you will see and feel major events that impacted the planet. These cloaks will protect you from the environments you will pass through. I hope you enjoy this segment of your tour.”
They saw the creation of the planet, how it became terraformed, and when life first began. Next came the ancient animals and plant life. This was when they needed the cloaks; rain fell constantly, and they had to walk through muddy terrain, tall plants, and deep forests. Then technology started to show up as they saw the beginnings of towns develop. Old tools became more modern, and the creation of engines moved things faster.
“Everything will move so much faster now. It can cause a little disorientation, so if you have a weak stomach I recommend we move on.”
“I think we’ll be fine,” said Grinnell when no one said anything.
Once they caught up with technology, they were brought into another section where art hung. Portraits, scenes, still life paintings filled the walls. They showed history, moments in time. Some were beautiful, others were scary. Any other tour groups they happened to run into were cloaked like they were.
Grinnell was happy when no one paid attention to who wore the cloaks. He didn’t want any unwanted attention and each time they came across another tour group, he worried.
Narfa brought them into the next wing, which had the history of the royal family.
“The royal family has been in power for hundreds of yepas. After the fourth world war, the people of Emori were tired of the fighting because the different governments didn’t see eye to eye. These wars had destroyed major cities as well as farms and factories. People had no money, no food, and no shelter.”
“That’s awful,” whispered Mehanna.
“War does that. They fought in the fields, destroying crops. They took animals for carrying gear and to feed the soldiers because their supplies had run out. If there were any crops, the governing bodies took those as well to feed their soldiers,” Grinnell told her.
“Very true,” said the guide. “They took metal and tech to make bullets and weapons from whatever they could get their hands on to continue to fight their enemy. The war didn’t end because they signed a treaty. The war ended when both sides ran out of ammo. It was okay when they were pushing buttons to kill their adversaries, but then they had to do it face to face the soldiers realized they didn’t want to have anything to do with fighting hand to hand. Records don’t show how the war actually stopped. All we know is that they dropped their makeshift weapons and demanded that the elder of each town and village remaining go to a predetermined central location.” He turned to a screen that lit up. “The people decided on the area where the palace now sits. It was one of the larger villages and a central location for most people to travel to.
“Before any of the elders were tested, rules were set. The goal was to find the one person who was a true elder. The one who could lead all.”
“The true elder?” asked Lawaya. “How did they know they weren’t lying?”
“That is a good question. They devised a series of tests. Mind games, really. Each elder had to go through them. Those that passed the first group had to go through more. The tests got harder, more intricate. Slowly but surely, they thinned the group down to five. These elders were the best. They didn’t care about what they could get for themselves. They had to want the best for the planet. Each test was designed so there were only two choices: themselves or the people on the planet. Those tests continued until only one person remained. She was the elder from a village close to here. She became our first queen.”
“Um, I understand why they chose her, but how could they possibly believe that attitude would travel through the generations?” asked Tosci.
“Because anyone who wanted to marry our queen or king had to go through the same tests. In the beginning, they had to go through the test to court the queen. As the generations came and went, it became ingrained in the royal family. They became empathic in a way. They never married anyone who didn’t fit this category. They seemed to know what they needed in the royal family, and they maintained the rule of “planet first.”
“It didn’t work for us too well when Varal came, because he was able to trick the royal family in the beginning,” commented Grinnell. “You would think the family would have seen right through him, but he had done his research before coming to Emori. He was good.”
“Too good,” said the guide. “He chose the perfect time to come here. Right after the queen had died. He was sympathetic and offered to help while the king mourned. It gave him the perfect chance to take control. Once Varal was defeated, our people researched the death of our queen, and it was confirmed that he was involved.”
“Once he felt no one would question him, he killed our king,” said Grinnell. “His goal was to leave Astrid alone and grieving. He wanted her as his bride so his progeny would have royal blood in their veins. What he didn’t know, at least not at the beginning, was that the princess had already been betrothed.”
“I thought Orla grew up with her,” said Mehanna softly.
“He did, but that’s not common knowledge,” whispered Grinnell. “Most don’t know he is Miran.”
“Really?” Mehanna looked up at him. “How do they plan on explaining it when her firstborn turns out to be Miran?”
“That is a question for Orla and Astrid.” He smiled down at her and squeezed her hand.
She nodded.
The guide continued to talk about the royal family as they saw three-dimensional images of Astrid as a child with her parents. She always stood with her pet; its tail wrapped around her waist. As the story went on, they watched her age into the beautiful woman they now knew.
Grinnell cringed when his three-dimensional image showed up. It was the only professional picture of him. He allowed the museum to use it, but there were no other copies. One of his stipulations. He looked younger, and thinner, but that was when he and Leabo were constantly fighting for their lives. Everything had been recreated according to his specs, but this was the first time he had seen the exhibit as a patron. It was a bit disconcerting.
A soft laugh escaped Mehanna.
“Not funny,” he whispered in her ear.
“You hate this.”
“It’s just the first time I’ve seen it.”
“It shows me a different side of you.” She slid her arm around his waist. “The one who would do anything for those you care about.”
“I care about you.” He pressed his lips to hers.
“You better.” She looped her arms around his neck. “Because I care about you. Very much.”
“That makes me happy.”
“You two want to focus on the exhibit? Or should we get you a room?” asked May.
Mehanna blushed, but Grinnell put an arm around her and stared May down. “We have a room. Are we free to go to it?”
“Stop,” Mehanna said. She took her sister’s hand as well as Grinnell’s. “Let’s finish the tour, then you two can squabble.”
“Squabble?” May acted shocked. “We’re having a healthy conversation.”
Mehanna laughed as she tugged on her hand. They caught up with Lawaya and Grenta and fell into step with them as the tour continued. There wasn’t much more to cover, just how the government was now run by the people and Astrid was their queen in name only. She was more their ambassador when visitors came to visit and when she visited other planets.
“That is such a good story,” said Grenta as they left the museum. She loosened the tie of her cloak. “You did a great job getting the information right.”
“Thank you,” said Grinnell. He made sure his hood still shielded his face. “I worked hard to get it right. I drove Narfa crazy.”
“Our guide? He was the one you worked with?”
“Yeah.” Grinnell smiled. “I think he recognized me when we came in and took over our tour. I explained that we were traveling by animal and wanted to surprise Astrid.” He touched the cloak he still wore. Other patrons had to turn in their cloaks when they finished the tour, but their group didn’t. “I think he did a good job.”
They headed toward the center of the city.
“Tymin will be waiting by the animals,” said Grinnell. “Would you like to have our endura meal in town, or do you want me to have it packed and we can eat it later?”
“I think we should take it with us,” said Mehanna. “We should get going, and the sooner we get you away from here, the better.”
The rest agreed.
They rode for a few horas before they stopped to eat.
“I have a question for you, Grinnell,” said May.
“Sure.”
“I want to bond with you.”
“What?” He looked at Mehanna. “I’m already bonded to your sister.”
“This isn’t the same kind of bond. Ours would be something family members have, but it would give you access to my power as well.”
“Do I need that?” He looked at Tosci.
“It wouldn’t hurt,” said Tosci. “My brother will try to separate you two. He’ll figure out there is something between you, even if he doesn’t think you’ve bonded right away. Having access to May’s magic as well will make him wonder if you really do have power.”
“Mehanna?” He wanted to be sure she was okay with it.
She looked at him and smiled.
“May spoke to you before she suggested this, didn’t she?” he asked.
“She did. I told her it was her decision. If you want to know if I’m okay with it, I am. May and I did this bond when we were children, and it’s still strong. I think that was how May became aware of me on the planet. Our bond activated.”
“Why weren’t you aware of May, then?” asked Lawaya.
“I think it’s because of the way Moorac wiped my memories. I must have buried mine very deep so he couldn’t detect it.”
“It won’t supersede the bond you have with Mehanna, it will complement it,” added May. “Most of the time you’ll pull from her power, but if you need more, you’d be able to pull from mine as well. If you were cut off from her, you’d be able to use mine to break through any magic that is blocking you.”
“When you put it that way, it makes sense that I bond with you too. We don’t know what Moorac will do and we need to be prepared for anything.” He looked at May. “What do I need to do?”