Page 38 of Queen Isabella

“Agreed,” Phara concurred, but then he stilled. “I don’t know how I feel about being compared to the nasty rule breaker.”

“Oh.” Her brow furrowed. She didn’t want Phara to think she thought badly of him when she made the sleepy comment, because she intended the exact opposite.

Isa pulled away from the triplets, and rolled over atop Phara. She propped herself on Phara’s muscular chest and looked into his eyes. She wasn’t practiced at flirting, but she found herself gearing up to do exactly that.

“I wasn’t comparing you to a rule breaker. I was comparing you to a sexy beast that wants to devour me,” she brazenly informed him with an impish smile and a bat of her eyes.

Phara’s eyes widened, and she instantly, nervously questioned her bold streak. Then his eyes sparked with lust.

“Aye,” Phara growled as he gripped her thighs, tugging her legs so she was straddling his sculpted abs. “I think there’s a spot we missed washing.” His fingers delved between her labia as his tongue shot out, suggesting a tongue bath was in her future.

Isa made a sound that was part gasp, part squeak when Phara’s fingers teased her entrance and his arousal prodded at her rear. Maybe she shouldn’t have teased the alpha. The look in Phara’s eyes screamed he truly was about to make a meal of her. The alien man was proving why he was the consort alpha. She really should be worn out, but it was like a dam had been uncorked and she found herself eager for more.

“My queen.” A new Vorto man approached the pool, interrupting them. “Artifex sent me to prepare coverings for you.” The chevron on his chest said he was a servitor gamma.

“Oh!” Isa was surprised at first by his sudden arrival, then smiled at the new man and Artifex’s sweet gesture.

“I have just enough time to prepare something before the feast, which is nearly ready,” the Vorto man relayed.

“Ah, yes. Thank you, Diligen,” Phara said, then turned his gaze back to her. “We must feed you, my queen, and then later,” he leaned closer, “I’ll eat you.” Phara’s wicked tongue darted out and traced her neckline.

“Phara!” she squeaked when he lifted her over his head and out of the pool. The strength and dexterity that took was stunning, since she was a hearty girl. But then his crazy long tongue darted out, swiping at her pussy on her way over his head. “Phara!” she squealed again in surprise as she gaped incredulously at the rotten man.

She was quickly answered with a grin as Phara and the triplets chuckled. All four of them were incorrigible.

Diligen took her hand, assuring she had her footing on the stone floor. Surprisingly, she didn’t feel as awkward meeting another man while naked. Maybe she was finally getting used to the nudity thing.

“I was also sent to rescue you,” Diligen added, with a nod toward the rowdy consorts in the heated bath.

“We heard that!” one of the triplets laughed as they too climbed out of the pool.

“Sympathies, my queen.” Diligen cast her an amused look that conveyed he was being sarcastic.

She laughed, getting the impression the three Vorto castes had a healthy rivalry and teased each other regularly.

Diligen’s smile broadened as he wrapped a big, soft, plush towel around her. She tugged the edges up and snuggled into it.

“Mmm.” It smelled a lot like lavender. She was discovering that even though the Vorto were minimalist, what they did have were always works of art. Isa looked up from admiring the towel to the alien man. “Thank you, Diligen.”

“It’s my honor,” he said, while wrapping her wet hair in a smaller towel. “Come see the selection of material I brought.”

Diligen led the way up a short tunnel into the back of a familiar large room. It was reminiscent of the sanctuary of Notre Dame, immense, with lots of gorgeous stone and columns, but purple. She’d been asleep when Phara brought her to the bathing cavern, and she was hardly familiar with the hive layout yet. Her gaze landed on the unusual round bed and recognized where she was.

“This is really my room?” She looked from Diligen back to the consorts who were following them.

“It is, my queen.” Rego nodded to her.

Isa looked around, truly taking in her new bedroom. It was the kind of huge that made her feel positively insignificant. In the middle of the cavernous room was the pool-like bed that she first awoke in. Lining the walls were the columns illuminated with a peaceful amethyst light. The walls were carved with the vining flowers she’d seen elsewhere on her brief tour, but they’d left the natural beauty of the cave ceiling which extended two to three stories up. Two rooms branched off the main room, similar to a transept. Throughout, there were benches with contrastingyellow cushions, tables, and platforms reminiscent of day beds. Many pieces were made of red wood, but many were made from the same purple marble as the cave. She couldn’t imagine what it would take to move the absurdly heavy pieces, but the Vorto were ridiculously strong so it was probably nothing to them. There were also shelves peppered around the room holding a variety of things, like blankets near the bed, cups near a bubbling water fountain, towels by the passage to the bathing cavern, and so on.

“It’s just so huge. You could play a ballgame in here. I mean it's gorgeous, but I don’t know that I need this much space.” She shook her head in disbelief.

If she was truly a queen, the palatial room fit the title, but she didn’t really feel like a queen. She was just plain old Isabella as far as she was concerned.

“It is the most secure chamber,” Bellator said as he came sauntering in. His eyes brightened as they landed on her.

“Hello, Bellator.” Her heart leapt and she grinned, happy to see the giant teddy bear.

He gave her a hug and she happily snuggled into his big strong arms, loving the way he nuzzled her hair when he kissed the top of her head.

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