Page 42 of Commander's Slave
Gentle. She would take his gentleness and this one special night and hold on to it forever, as though it were her last memory of him. Because soon their time together would end. Kall males took their marriage vows seriously. Once he married, she would go back to sleeping in her closet and avoiding Edek. Tears burned in her eyes, but she blinked hard, not wanting him to know she was becoming emotional. But he must’ve heard her sniffle or felt her shudder.
“Betsy? What is wrong?” He withdrew from the hug and stared down at her, his handsome face etched with concern.
“Nothing’s wrong,” she blurted, a bit too quickly.
He gave her a look of disbelief. “Please don’t lie to me, little human. Tell me what is troubling you.”
“I suppose there’s going to be a wedding,” she said, “and I-I can’t stop thinking about how everything is going to change soon. That’s all.”I’m going to miss you. I think I love you but I can’t give you my love because I’m a slave.
He appeared confused for a few seconds. “How did you know about the wedding? Surely you couldn’t have heard us in the dining room all the way up here? I didn’t think humans possessed hearing capabilities superior to a Kall’s.”
“I couldn’t hear you speaking from up here,” she replied. “It was just a guess. So, am I correct? About the wedding?”
He nodded. “A contract will be drawn up soon and the wedding will take place just before the next lunar cycle begins. I am very happy for my brother and I know he’ll make Lissa a good husband.”
Her mind spun. What was Edek talking about? “Um, I’m confused. You’re talking as if Draken is the one getting married.”
“Draken is the one getting married. I declined the general’s offer, and my brother was quick to make the male an offer for a bride that he couldn’t refuse. You should have seen him negotiating with General Amak for his eldest daughter. He put the general in his place, shaming him for being so in debt that he would even consider selling off his two youngest daughters, who haven’t yet come of age.” Edek paused and took a deep breath.
“This is… shocking,” Betsy whispered. Relief spread through her. Edek wasn’t the one getting married. Draken was. Her heart leapt with joy for the kind Kall who’d saved her from Teyya. She hoped he would find happiness with his new wife. If anyone deserved happiness, surely it was Draken.
“Shocking, indeed. But you haven’t heard the rest of it. Draken agreed to pay General Amak ten thousand galactic credits for Lissa, the eldest, under the condition that the general could not marry off his two youngest daughters before they came of age. Draken also plans to put another stipulation in the contract that will give him the final say in any offers of marriage for Lissa’s sisters, which will prevent General Amak from giving his daughters to an unkind Kall.”
Relief continued spreading through Betsy. She placed her hands upon Edek’s chest and peered into his bottomless dark gaze, thankful that they would have more time together. He wasn’t getting married… yet.
His eyes twinkled and a smile tugged at his lips. “Ah, little human, I have figured it out. You thought I was getting married, and you were jealous.” Then his face broke into a broad grin.
She blushed but decided not to deny it. “You might be correct, Master.”
He guided her to lay down on the bed, then settled himself atop her. His eyes held hers. “Why would I get married, little human, when I have you?”
In the next moment, he leaned down to kiss her, and she drank him in, reveling in his woodsy scent and his seductive taste and the feel of his warm muscular body pressed to hers.
She could only describe what happened next as lovemaking.
He kissed her all over, his manner tender and reverent, before he thrust into her while she remained on her back.
For the first time, their bodies joined as they stared into one another’s eyes.
And Betsyknew, she finallyknewfor certain, that she had fallen hopelessly in love with her master.
Chapter 21
Edek would return homeat any moment, and Betsy tried to listen for the sound of his aircraft approaching the mountain. Earlier in the day, he’d sent a message informing her that training would run late into the evening today and not to expect him in time for dinner. She frowned when all she heard was the wind and rain, and stood at the window in his room, gazing out into the gloomy night.
A slow shiver crept up her neck, and she hugged her center as a sense of foreboding fell upon her. She shook the feeling away and put it down to the weather, the chill in the air, and her longing for Edek.
Footsteps falling heavy and quick on the stairs brought her relief.
At last he was home.
Excitement quickened in her stomach and desire caused her nipples to peak painfully. She glanced down at her state of dress and felt a pang of fear. She hadn’t taken her clothes off yet, and she knew from experience that not waiting for Edek naked in bed earned her an especially hard spanking.
She started to pull up her dress, only for the door to open sooner than she’d expected. Gasping, she stared at the dark figure in the doorway. Though shadows hid his face, she knew from the outline of his hair that it wasn’t Edek. Edek kept his hair cropped short and neat, not long and spread out around his shoulders.
Backing up against the wall, she placed her hands on the cold stones for support and watched as an unfamiliar Kall male emerged from the darkness. His eyes gleamed with cruelty and he snarled as he advanced in her direction.
A scream caught in her throat and her blood ran cold.
