Instead of being met by Qay, an apparent welcome committee—solely women—
had greeted Kyra and me. They escorted us from Dezra’s docks to a large glasslike dome that was large enough to hold a small city, which in fact it did.
I spent my first night on Dezra, while not lacking for food or comfort, utterly alone.
I tried to sneak out and was gently but determinedly shoved back into my rooms by the fiercest-looking female I’d ever laid eyes on. She either protected me or held me prisoner. I hoped it was the first. I assumed Kyra was well, as she was in separate rooms. Now late afternoon, women were leaving and coming into my quarters like a flock of birds. The concept of personal space seemed to be nonexistent. I let myself be washed, groomed, shaved and braided—all in the name of tradition. They didn’t address me directly—only the groom was allowed to speak to the bride before the wedding. I was given a loose-fitting dress in a material I’d never seen before. It had a silky feel to it but was even more lightweight and in alternating shades of red—from a faint pink to a rich dark purple. And they’d given me panties of a sheerness that equaled spider webs. I let out a long sigh when my guard opened the door and motioned me outside.
I was led into a hall that could easily accommodate several of Kyra’s space gliders.
People were sitting at tables, eating and drinking, and if there was music, I didn’t hear it over the loud chatter of Dezrian voices. It was easy spotting Qay, who was sitting alone at a large banquet-style table. Behind him, an opaque curtain sectioned off the space like a room divider.
I caught his gaze, and my heart lifted when he broke into a smile so heartfelt and sincere all my fears and doubts dissolved.
When I walked toward Qay, there was an increase of noise, however subtle. I stood out from the crowd like a bloody thumb. Everyone was dressed in shades of gray and white and soft yellow, whereas my dress was like a beacon of fire. Even Qay was dressed in gray, wide-cut pants and a vest that showed off his broad chest. His bare arms bulged with muscles as he placed his hands on the table and stood up, his skin shimmering in copper-golden tones.
“How was your first night on Dezra?” he asked, taking my hand.
“I didn’t expect to be all alone.” Torn between falling around his neck and jumping him, I took the less hyper option and settled down at the table.
Qay laughed, patting my thigh. “It won’t happen again, I promise. But the first night is traditionally a night the bride has to spend alone to reflect.”
“Someone should have told me.” My gaze fell on Kyra, who was seated at a table not far away, seemingly unharmed and communicating with a couple of Dezrians. I waved, satisfied when she waved back.
I opened my mouth as Qay held something to my lips while his hand slipped beneath my dress to settle on my bare thigh. A burst of sweetness exploded on my tongue. “This is good,” I said, licking my lips for more. “Native fruit?”
“Yes, we will start trading it soon.”
I accepted another piece of the syrupy yellowish fruit, starting to really enjoy myself. “What’s behind there?” I asked, pointing to the curtain.
“Our bed,” he said, sounding so at ease, I first wondered if I’d misheard him. “This is where you’ll spend your second night.”
“Our bed,” I replied, sure that I’d misunderstood. “How do you mean?”
“Jana,” he said, pushing another piece of fruit into my mouth as if bribing me, “the people of Dezra have the right to witness their leader taking his wife. It’s tradition.”
“While we are in bed?”
“While we are in fact in the same room as anyone else, there won’t be any need to open the curtain. See, we tried to appease my Earth-born wife’s sensibilities. The curtain is only for your benefit. If you wish, we can remove it though.”
“It’s fine like it is. Fine.” I laughed because my nerves got the better of me.
Qay winked at me, his hand sliding even higher up my thigh. I drowned in his gray gaze until his touch on my leg became more insistent, his fingers massaging my inner thigh, and I felt myself becoming aroused by the gentle yet alluring movement. I squirmed on the chair, shot a look around as he lightly touched my clit through the sheer panties. I was seduced by my handsome fiancé while no one seemed to mind one bit. Maybe another tradition. I bit on my lip to keep from grinning.
I inched closer, rubbing my shoulder against him, and placed my hand on his thigh.
“I missed you so much,” I whispered in his ear, stroking his leg from his knee up to his groin. I slipped my hand to the inside of his thigh, moved my hand up, found him hard.
“Can we use the bed behind this handy curtain now?” Whatever Qay answered, it was drowned out by a loud bang as a set of wide doors flew open at the other end of the hall.
A gust of hot wind swept into my face. The chatter around me ceased as a man strode into the hall, but he was still too far away to make out his features. He held a leash in his hand and I rose to my feet as I saw what was on the end of that leash. A big, snarling cat that looked ready to kill whatever had the misfortune to stumble in its path.
Next to me, Qay gave a weary sigh. “Ah, there he is. You can count on him to stick to the most primitive of traditions.”
“Who is that?” I asked, squinting.
“Our best man.”
Even from a distance, I could see that he was tall for Qay’s people, dressed in loose-fitting pants, his chest bare. If I didn’t know better, then—
My gasp came out hoarse and I stifled the next one with my hand.
I grasped around the edge of the table, ignoring that Qay spoke to me in a soothing voice, but I failed to comprehend the meaning. All I knew was that the man holding the leash of the large cat stared at me out of hard, almost black, terribly familiar eyes.
He fell to one knee before the table, but his head was lifted, meeting my gaze square-on. “As it is tradition, I brought you a gift.” He held out the leash.
My knuckles turned white around the table.
He was still on one knee, his outstretched hand holding the leash. Looking at him, looking into his demanding dark gaze made my knees weak and my body limp. All the nights I had woken up with nightmares, all the nights I had woken up, writhing with shame and fear and lust. As many times as I’d dreamed about how I had turned him down, as many times I’d dreamed about giving him what he wanted. Giving him myself.
Qay gave me a nudge. “Take the cat.”
As if on autopilot, I pushed up from my seat and walked around the table toward Zyn. Looking thoroughly pissed, the cat was a shade of midnight blue with even darker stripes.
Zyn rose to his feet, towered over me as he gazed at me with his intense eyes. I took the leash from his outstretched hand. Something reached out to me and wrapped around my body. Like a hot whip. It prodded, pushed, and I shivered hard, my cunt clenching and unclenching in sudden need. It was as if a dozen hands stroked my body all at once. Something was sliding along my skin, sharp and hot and lethal, like a knife.
A whimper shot from my mouth. My breath becoming oddly ragged, I turned on my heel and fled through the curtain behind the table.
Shielded from view, I collapsed on one of three chairs surrounding a decked-out table. The dark-tinted curtain dimmed the light, but that the table was set for three didn’t escape me. Feeling cornered didn’t even begin to describe my emotions. Too late, I noticed that I had tugged a snarling wild cat along. I let the leash drop, swallowing a shriek. The animal paced the expanse of the space, jumped on the huge bed. I looked at the rich red sheets and all I could think of was blood.
“Jana, let’s talk.”
Qay’s calm voice came from behind me, but I didn’t look up to meet his gaze.