Page 6 of Dark Princess Emerging

That was what Brandon wanted.

He wanted to be loved like that.

"Can I see the nursery?" Morelle asked. "I've been thinking about it and imagining it since you told me about it at dinner."

Brandon's heart squeezed at her enthusiasm.

Her natural affinity for children had taken him by surprise. He'd watched her with Allegra on Saturday, and the way she'd instantly connected with the child had been heartwarming.

"It will have to wait until after the testing," Amanda said. "I only cleared the lab for two hours, so we don't have time to visit the kiddos now, but we can visit them after we are done."

Morelle looked disappointed, but she nodded. "I understand."

As Amanda and Syssi led Morelle deeper into the lab, Brandon and Kian stayed in the seating area that was located by the entrance and was comprised of a row of six chairs and two small side tables on each end. Stacks of old magazines that had seen better days had been left on the tables.

Anandur and Brundar had remained outside, guarding the entrance to the lab.

"Any progress with InstaTock?" Kian asked as he sat down.

Brandon shook his head. "Not much since I'm dedicating most of my time to Morelle. I had a few ideas sketched out and ran them by Kalugal. He suggested that I show them to a sample ofour target audience—Lisa, Parker, and Cheryl. He also told me that Cheryl is an expert on the platform."

Kian nodded. "So I've heard. But there is no rush with InstaTock. Morelle's well-being takes precedence, and she needs you." He smiled. "It would seem that the most unwavering of bachelors is off the market."

Brandon lifted his hands. "What can I say? I was enthralled by Morelle from the first moment I saw her."

The past four days had been extraordinary. Morelle was unlike any female Brandon had ever been with or known, and he'd known many over his long life.

She was fierce and guileless at the same time, and she had a darker edge that fascinated him. It was just a hint of the Kra-ell ruthlessness and tenacity that emerged at certain moments.

She was exciting.

The many kisses they had shared had been a trial of his self-control, and so far, he had proudly managed not to take it any further despite Morelle's encouragement.

She might have believed herself to be ready for more, but he knew better. She was still recuperating, getting stronger each day, and learning more about the new world she found herself in. They had unlimited time to explore each other's desires, and rushing things would only diminish the experience.

Each night, after Morelle fell asleep, he'd slip away to his own house, returning before she awoke. Annani had offered to let him stay, but he'd declined the invitation even though he'd originally planned on sneaking in at night.

He had realized that he needed to slow down for his own sake as much as for Morelle's. This was new territory to him as well, and he needed time to adjust to thinking about himself as a committed male and not the free agent he had been throughout his life.

Different skills were required for seducing a female than for maintaining a relationship.

"She needs time," he'd told the Clan Mother. "Even if she doesn't realize it yet."

Morelle had spent millennia in stasis and, before that, her entire life in enforced isolation. Everything was new to her, including feelings, experiences, and choices. He wouldn't risk overwhelming her with physical intimacy before she'd had time to process the emotional connections she was forming for the first time in her life.

4

MORELLE

Morelle sat across from Amanda, trying her best to focus on the series of cards being shown to her.

"Just tell me what you think the next card will be," Amanda instructed patiently. "Don't overthink it."

Morelle stared at the back of the card deck. "Circle?" she ventured.

Amanda turned over the top card. It was a random shape. Another miss.

After an hour of various tests that included cards, dice, and random images, Morelle's results were consistently poor. Worse than poor, actually. She scored lower than the random chance would predict.

---