A Touch of Lilly (24 page)

Jahara
closed down the projection. “Blah, blah, blah …”
Jahara gulped her wine. “I particularly like the part about the
extensive blood work and wellness checks that must be completed
before I go.” Jahara threw the disk at the fire, watching it
clatter unharmed through the hologram. If only she could truly burn
it and pretend this had never happened.

“
If
you ask me, it’s all a crockadung,” Jahara muttered.
“It’s not my fault they used up the frozen sperm supply.
Look at us, our clan ancestors had the right idea, keeping the
bloodlines clean by using only specific breeders.” Jahara held
her hands in the air as if she were on display. “I think it’s
a stupid law written by a group of old-fashioned, uneducated women,
desperate to have sex with men. How barbaric.” She swallowed
the acidic revulsion burning her throat.

A
shiver rippled through Merenith and Jahara assumed she felt the same.

“
I
think the repopulation plan is going just fine without my help. I
mean, how can they expect a professional woman to give up her life
for two years just to birth offspring?” Jahara looked at
Merenith sipping her wine and contemplating the question she’d
just posed. This was her third glass, very unlike Merenith.

“
It’s
not horrible,” Merenith said at last. “Unpleasant
definitely, but not the worst thing that could happen.” She
stared blindly at the flames and Jahara knew she was thinking back to
her own time at the Garden. “Think of it like a vacation. You
told me you haven’t had one of those in years.” Curving
one corner of her mouth, Merenith turned to Jahara, lifting her
shoulder. “I didn’t mind being pregnant. The birthing
stuff isn’t even so bad, especially if the offspring are male.
You just leave them at the Garden. I’m not even sure what they
did with him. The girl I birthed was harder to leave behind, but I
had no way of caring for her at the time. I know she’s at some
school where they love her.”

Merenith
turned her gaze back to the flames. “I didn’t grow up
with my birth family like you, Jahara. The school taught me
everything I needed to know. I loved the girls there as if they were
my birth-sisters. The teachers loved us like a true Dame would love
her own birth child.” Merenith stared pensively at the fire. In
the six months they’d been together, Jahara realized the woman
had never spoken of her upbringing.

“
Really,
it’s not so bad.” Merenith’s voice lilted into a
false cheerfulness. “Besides, you already know what to expect.
You came with me during foaling season. It’s a lot like that.”
She drained the last of the burgundy liquid.

“
Those
mares looked particularly uncomfortable. I remember a lot of grunting
and kicking and blood. Lots of blood.”

Laughter
bubbled from Merenith. “Oh for goodness’ sake, Jahara, if
anyone was listening to you, they’d never know you were a
skilled healer.” She stood and collected the empty wine bottle
and glasses. “Blood? That’s the last thing that should be
upsetting you.” Merenith stared down at her, the humor gone
from her face. “What about the men and everything they’re
expected to do?
That
gets a little intimate, Jahara.”
Merenith walked into the kitchen.

“
Well,
it won’t mean anything if that’s what’s worrying
you.” Jahara jumped up and followed her lover. “I
mean…it’s just one or two times. Rutting. Nothing
emotional. And who knows, there may be genetic advances in the next
year or so with sperm that make them viable again for artificial
insemination or better yet … cloning.”

Merenith
looked doubtful. “Whatever. I’m not sure why it’s
even bothering me.” She reached for a glass to sanitize, but it
slipped from her hand and shattered in the basin. Blood seeped from a
jagged cut on Merenith’s palm. When Jahara reached to help,
Merenith pulled from her.

“
I’m
fine you don’t need—”

“
Mer,
don’t be silly.” Jahara took the woman’s hand in
hers and let the warmth of her healing power flow through her,
surrounding their hands in its soft white light. The flow of blood
from Merenith’s hand stopped, the ripped flesh came back
together, and the scab repaired instantly to healthy skin.

Jahara
brought Merenith’s healed palm to her lips, gently kissing the
spot where the glass had torn her flesh. “Mer, it’s not
like I’m the least bit attracted to men. I mean there’s
nothing about them that’s the tiniest bit sexy. All their sex
organs dangling about.” Jahara nibbled at her jaw. “Nothing
like a woman’s soft, silky skin hiding her vulnerability.”

“
We’ve
barely had a chance to get to know each other. And I guess I’m
a little…”

“
Jealous?
Of a man?” Now Jahara laughed.

“
It’s
happened.”

“
I
don’t believe it. Those rumors of men and women living together
outside the law? How could that possibly be true?” Jahara toyed
with the rings on Merenith’s fingers. “They’re just
children’s tales meant to frighten. No more real than the
desert horseman or the bloodthirsty animals of the night. They can’t
be true. There’s no reason a woman would give up all we’ve
worked so hard to build.” Jahara waved her hand around her
beautiful home. “Men are only good for physical labor and
breeding. Why would any woman choose to make a life with
that
?
The plague may have decimated the male population, but it gifted us
with so much.” Jahara kissed Merenith’s healed palm. “The
power to heal, to communicate with animals.” She kissed her
long fingers, working off one of Merenith’s rings studded with
small jade stones. “The power of telepathy, telekinesis,
visions and intellect. We have so much. Women are meant to be their
own leaders. Now have you ever met a man with any of those gifts?
Especially intellect?”

Merenith
giggled a nasally laugh. “No, I can’t say I have. Not in
all the time I spent at the Garden or in my years since.”

“
There
won’t be anyone else, Mer.” Jahara slipped the ring onto
her finger. “This is my promise to you.” She wiggled her
fingers, showing off the ring.

“
I
can’t hold you to that.”

“
Do
you not want me to have this?”

Color
crawled up Merenith’s cheeks. “I would be honored for you
to wear it. At the very least you can claim you are promised.”
She shrugged. “It does make the breeding a little less
demanding and the breeders do stay away from those who are claimed.”

“
Well,
then it’s decided. I’ll wear your ring. I’ll do
anything to avoid the breeding obligation and keep the men from me.
But really, can you imagine there’s a man on earth willing to
have me longer than it takes to impregnate me?”

They
both laughed at the absurdity of her question.

End of Excerpt

Thank
you for reading
A Touch of
Lilly

It’s
very hard to truly express my gratitude toward my readers. There is
nothing more thrilling than pouring my heart and soul into the
creation of worlds and characters and discovering my readers have
fallen in love with them as much as me. Thank you all for buying and
reading my books. It’s because of you that this writing gig is
so much fun!

Nina

If you
enjoyed
A Touch of Lilly
,
I would appreciate it if you would help others enjoy this book, too.

Recommend
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§

Author’s Bio

USA Today Bestselling author,
Nina Pierce, grew up in a house full of readers. So becoming enamored
with books was only natural. She discovered romance stories in her
early teens, falling hopelessly in love with knights in shining armor
and the damsels who saved them.

Eventually,
reading
about
alpha males and the journey to find their happy-ever-after endings
wasn’t enough. She needed to pen her own stories of fated loves
and soul mates. Nina’s discovered the passionate side of
romance with her sexy stories. For her, it’s all about the
sweet scent of seduction mixed with the heartwarming aroma of
romance.

Nina resides in New England with
her high school sweetheart and soul mate of twenty-eight years. When
she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with their three
grown children, one love-sick son-in-law and a cute-as-a-button
grandson.

Nina enjoys hearing from her
readers. You can reach her at
[email protected]
.
You can also keep up with all her newest releases on her website
http://www.NinaPierce.com
or by following her on Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/NinaPierce
and Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/NinaPierce

Other
books by Nina Pierce

Blind
Her With Bliss

Deceive
Her With Desire

Cheat
Her With Charm

Dangerous
Affairs

Shadows
of Fire

Invitation
to Ecstasy

Maid
for Master

Mating
Bonds

Bonded
Souls

Bonded
by Need

Healer’s
Garden

Divine
Deception

Ripe
and Ready