Oppose (7 page)

“The second?”

“Complete your mating with Rimash. The Drai inspire both respect and fear in many races. In his capacity as my security master, he has done his fair share of being the face of the Archive.”

“Security master?”

“When I first began, it was just data that I collected, but as civilizations crumbled and the museums could not contain everything, I opened my doors to the artifacts. Once the more unsavoury members of societies realized what was contained in the vast warehouses, they began make forays onto my soil. I had a number of security teams, but they inevitably succumbed to time and greed.”

“And then Rimash arrived a few hundred years ago.”

The laugh sounded. “Is that what he told you? He has been with me for eons. He changes his name every few centuries, but my energies keep him as young as the day he arrived on my soil.”

“So, he will age if he mates with me?”

“No. I will use your link with him to provide you with the same extended lifespan. If you two are together, I want you both working with me.”

“And Imjay?”

“She will be an honoured daughter of your house and mine. All you have to do is commit to one of the plans and prepare to enact any of the others.”

“Is Rimash holding me right now?”

“Yes. He is watching to make sure that I do not overtax you.” The laughter sounded again. “You appear to be coping fine. It is no wonder that your kind is gaining in popularity as hosts for consciousness.”

Jill was suddenly nervous. “Are you in the market for a host?”

“No. A host can only view one bit of history at a time. I can consume all of it every day if I wish to. It is a wonderful situation to be in, and I am perfectly content with my status as the holder of all the information of the Alliance and other areas.”

Relief rippled through her, and the laughter sounded again. “Nice chatting with you, Jillema. I will speak with you soon.”

Jill stared up at Rimash’s concerned features. “How long was I gone?”

Her voice was a tense croak.

“Just a moment. Did you make contact?”

Jill pressed a hand to her head and scowled. “She did. He did. It did.”

He chuckled and lifted her in his arms again, walking out of the inner chamber where the energy was humming at a tolerable level.

They flew back along the path that he had taken to get to the winding centre of the heart of the world with no name.

From this vantage point, when they approached the city, she could see the huge octagonal spire jutting from the surface and into the sky. She turned her face toward him and asked, “Is that our house?”

“Yes. It was what the archive offered me when I first arrived. My own territory in the centre of the major city. It was my deal. A percentage of the student fees also goes into a trust for any family I may have in the future.”

“Are you trying to convince me to bed you on the premise that you are wealthy?” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“No, I am trying to prove my worth as a mate by stating that I am a good provider.”

He did a lazy barrel roll, and she yelped and clung to his neck.

He chuckled. “I am also an excellent flier. We have completed one phase of Drai courtship; we need only finish the final two.”

“Physical consummation and approval of your shifted form?”

He nodded with approval as his wings beat heavily. “You have been studying.”

“It has been over a week, and we are on top of the largest Archive in the known universe.”

He landed on top of the tower and stood with her still in his arms. Eventually, he let her slide down his body, and he turned her so that she looked out with his arms around her.

“Way over there is the Contract Archive. Legal is that domed building. If you look up at the stars, Drai is just over there. Between the big pink one and the bright blue one. The tiny dim green speck is the sun that illuminated our world. It was brighter when I was there, but time changes all things.”

She sighed and pressed her hands to the backs of his. “It certainly does. Just a few months ago, this would never have been in my mind. It would have defied imagination.”

She shivered.

“Shall we go inside?”

“How late are we?”

“We have only been gone for an extra hour. We have some time before Lali needs us.”

There was a pitch in his tone, and she looked up into his eyes. A song started in her mind and everything faded away.

She remembered walking down stairs to a huge room supported by pillars that spanned the entire upper floor.

“Welcome to my bachelor quarters, hereafter named the date-night chamber.” He smiled, and while he directed her toward his bed, the music in her mind played a song that he moved to. His armour came off in clattering pieces, and when he was free of them, wearing nothing but snug fabric trousers and a tight shirt, he pulled her into his arms.

They danced to the song in her mind, and he kissed her, peeling off the jewellery that was her mark of rank and position.

She should have been panicked, should have been frightened, but there were no social repercussions here, and she already knew his touch. When his hands skimmed her back, she arched toward him, pressing her breasts against his chest.

His ease with bending down to kiss her for so long was made suddenly clear when she realized that her feet hadn’t been touching the ground for quite some time.

Her tongue duelled with his, and she threaded her fingers through his hair, revelling in the rising heat in her limbs.

Her skirt kept her from wrapping her legs around his, but she desperately wanted to.

She kicked off her shoes, and as they clattered to the floor, the music in her mind took on a heady beat. Her feet felt the firm surface of the bed underneath, and he let her go for a moment. With smooth moves, he lifted the gown up and over her head.

Her uniform didn’t come with undergarments, so she wanted to lunge at him to steal his body heat. He was exceptionally warm.

Jill felt the slick, wet warmth between her thighs, and she was terrified to move. If she moved, there might be more moisture or her knees might give way. She had no idea what was going to happen next.

He stripped off his clothing and stared at her. She returned the favour.

Blue and grey moved across him in waves and blended on his extremities. It was a fascinating colour pattern, and the muscles that it delineated made her fingers curl, as they wanted to touch, stroke and learn.

His erection was pointed, had drops of pearly liquid emanating from it and seemed to be getting larger as she watched. It was only when Rimash’s hands were on her, easing her to the bed, that she focused on the fact that he was right in front of her.

“I don’t have a lot of practice at this.”

He smiled apologetically. “And I have been waiting for this moment for a very long time. It might be over before we both know it.”

She eased her thighs apart and closed her eyes, waiting.

When his mouth covered her sex and his tongue undulated inside, her eyes snapped open wide and her breath rushed out of her lungs.

Tension so intense she thought she would snap wound tight inside her. When Jill was positive she couldn’t stand anymore, he pulled away.

The sound that came out of her throat was a soft mewl that cut short when he fitted his cock to her and eased forward. The flared point of his erection made its way into her and the thick column widened her. Each sensation caused a riot and the focus was her clit.

When he was fully inside her and he began to thrust and withdraw, he put his thumb on her clit and pressed while using his other hand to support his weight. It was considerate and gave her another lovely view.

The full sensation coupled with the circling of his thumb increased her breathing until a high wail exited her throat and she arched against him.

He bucked against her, and his groan was the answer to the sound of her release.

Rimash slowly lowered himself onto her, his heart beating a heavy pounding that tripped until it matched the slowing beat of her own heart.

He whispered against her lips. “I dreamed of you.”

“I dreamed of you, too.” She nudged his lips with hers.

He smiled, and he slowly moved his hips, keeping him inside her, the earlier tight friction now a slickly eased passage.

Jill sighed and stroked her hands down his torso. “How much longer do we have?”

“Two hours. I say we spend one here and then go downstairs and play with the baby.” He rubbed his nose against hers.

The playful act took her aback, but now that the dark seduction was gone, it was time for fun. She could enjoy a little fun.

Laughter and silliness was just the right way to leave their first encounter. It certainly kept her from trying to seek out the contract that he had alluded to when he had said that he dreamed of her.

If he had dreamed of her, he had known about her, and if he had known, then her assignment here and instalment as the Contract Archive was not a coincidence. She had been summoned here for the purpose of being Rimash’s mate.

She wasn’t complaining, but she hated surprises.

Laughter ran through her mind with the bright notes of the Archive. Apparently, while she couldn’t find the contract, she had found their plan.

When he flipped her to her belly and pulled her back against him. She gasped as he slid into her swollen flesh again, and when he started playful nips on her shoulders, she found that her arousal doubled and then tripled in rapid succession.

The small bites of his sharp teeth scratched the skin, but she backed into the bites with enjoyment. The moment that his thrusts drove her head down into the bedding, he leaned forward and his bite got less playful and far more deliberate.

She groaned and shrieked, pinned at shoulder and sex by him. His wings covered them and shielded them from the night around them.

Jill relaxed and listened to her body. The pulse of her channel, throb of her shoulder, ache in her thighs and shaking in her arms. Sex was definitely a workout.

He kissed her shoulder and licked the bite softly. “I should have warned you.”

“Yup. Not covered in the Drai briefings. Not much is, really.”

“You can ask me anything.”

“Did you really get bigger after you came?”

He chuckled and eased out of her. “No, you simply had increased blood flow in the area, so it became very tight, very fast.”

“Fair enough. I guess that that just happens normally during sex.”

“I believe I bring something extra to the table.”

She looked around with a dazed feeling. “Are we on a table?”

He chuckled, “No, dear heart. I think you will feel better after a shower.”

“Probably. Do you know where I left my motor skills? They appear to have deserted me.”

“I will help and help you dress. Imjay awaits.”

She nodded and let him help. He scooped her up and carried her into a shower that was obviously designed for him. Sprays of water struck her from all exposed sides as he slicked his hands with soap and ran them over her. When her breasts and the throbbing juncture of her thighs were clean, he turned her toward him and washed her back with long strokes of his wide hands. She sighed and leaned her head against his chest, letting him take care of her.

She tilted her head upward and smiled. “I am not rushing you, but would you show me your beast form?”

He frowned. “Are you sure?”

Jill nodded. “I am a big fan of finishing contracts. If this is the final phase, I am up for it.”

“It isn’t final, it is just the beginning.”

“Then, show me the beginning.” She pressed a kiss to his chest and slowly winked.

The rest of the shower was a whirl of water in Rimash’s eagerness to show her everything.

When she was back in her dress with her headgear in place, he took her to the upper terrace and held her hands.

“Are you sure?”

She smiled and lifted his hands to her lips. She kissed each in turn. “You are the one standing naked in the cooling wind. Are you sure?”

He laughed, kissed her, released her hands and jumped off the roof.

A wave of wind with the scent of the ocean shot up from the edge of the tower. Jill walked to the edge and watched the undulating body of a huge ocean-coloured Asian dragon.

This would not have been her first guess. His wings were barely visible on his body; he was simply a long, undulating body of muscle and shining scales.

He was beautiful, and the light of the city and stars glowed and gleamed against his body.

The huge head slowly rose above the edge of the tower, and he looked at her with one large eye while his body undulated slowly.

“You are lovely in the light of the stars.”

She blinked. “So, you can speak to me in that form?”

He undulated slowly.
“Of course.”

“Well, you are stunning.”

“Would you care for a ride?”

“It is tempting, but I wish to return to Imjay.” She smiled.

His head bobbed.
“There is a world out there to experience, and I am the fastest mode of transport on the planet.”

She grinned. “Stop showing off and get down here so I can hold my daughter.”

He rose higher in the air and showed her that he actually surrounded the entire tower and halfway around again. She was standing in the coil as he rose above her, and her hair whipped wildly as he shifted back into his normal nakedness.

As he walked to her again, she smiled. “I approve of your beast.”

His shoulders relaxed, and he hugged her. “I approve of everything about you.”

Jill grinned. “I guessed that. Come on, I want to tell Imjay about my day.”

“All of it?” He wagged his eyebrows.

“The parts she needs to know. I am Mom, you are Dad and Lali will take care of her while a planet watches over her.”

“It is an excellent story.” He kissed her hands and led her back to the steps that would take them down a level. He got dressed and showed her the hidden panel to the lift that went down.

As they entered the lift that would take them down to their living quarters, she leaned against him. “Yes, and it is just getting started.”