Chapter 9

Aweek later Cronan headed back to his quarters, his pace increasing in anticipation of seeing Unity. It had been a long, frustrating week in a number of ways. The nobles continued to show my outward deference but there had been two assassination attempts. Barthar had uncovered one plot in the earliest stages, but the second assassin had come close to making it over the wall into his private garden. He had immediately tripled the guards - not out of concern for his own safety but because Unity had been alone there at the time.

Unity.He smiled and walked even faster. She had been the best part of his week - sweet, smart, passionate, and endlessly fascinating. He"d dedicated part of each day to her training and she was making excellent progress despite their frequent... diversions.

She"d very quickly figured out exactly how to distract him - she"d won her first training match by boldly cupping his codix, then throwing him off balance and over the training square when he froze in shock. He couldn"t even be annoyed when she danced around triumphantly, although he had repaid her by teasing her for so long before he let her climax that she could barely move afterwards.

"Still worth it," she muttered as he carried her to bed.

Having her in his bed was another bright spot. Knowing that no matter how late his meetings ran, he would return to find her asleep in their bed. Knowing that he would see her face each morning, even if they only had time for a quick kiss before he had to leave. There had been a lot of kisses and a lot of climaxes - mostly for her. He"d yet to remove his pants in her presence although she rocked against his codix so eagerly that twice he"d lost control and erupted like an untried youngling.

He wasn"t entirely sure why he was holding back. Because I want to claim her fully as my mate. He wanted that so desperately that he"d started avoiding her neck, afraid that his control would slip and he"d give her a mating bite without seeking her permission - permission he had not requested. He kept asking himself if it was fair to tie her to him when she hadn"t chosen this future.

Perhaps he could at least raise the idea...

He turned the corner and sighed when he saw Robat waiting for him.

"Yes, what is it?"

"I wished to speak to you about the ball tomorrow night, Your Majesty."

He bit back another sigh. He despised elaborate social events to begin with, and the last thing he wanted to do was attend a ball with people who would smile to his face and happily stab him in the back if they had the opportunity. But balls were another indication of normality and a smooth transition so he would attend and pretend to enjoy himself.

"What about the ball?"

"I have had a number of... requests from ladies of the court to be your companion for the evening. Your lack of interest has been noticed."

"Good. I"m not interested in any of them."

Robat coughed discreetly.

"If you will forgive my impertinence, Sire, one of the reasons I suggested that you claim Lady Unity was so she could help foil these unwelcome requests."

He"d considered making his association with her public, but he"d also been reluctant to expose her to the court. On the other hand, he was tired of attending everything alone - and of the persistent seduction attempts. Perhaps it was time for a change...

"I will discuss it with her," he said finally and Robat gave him a quick shocked glance before he managed to mask it.

"Is she not yours to do with as you wish?" the steward murmured and he gritted his teeth.

"She is not my slave. She is my... companion."

"Ah, yes, Sire. As you say."

Robat smiled and bowed, washing his hands together as he hurried away, leaving Cronan staring after him. He really needed to find another steward but not only was he short on time, Robat was extremely efficient even if he was annoying.

Hoping that he"d earned a few moments of peace, he entered his quarters and sighed with relief. The door to his study was open and Unity was bent over the datapad he"d obtained for her. She was determined to learn written Farlain and had been making rapid progress.

"Learning to read a language is easier than learning to speak it for me. Since I can see the letters, I can see the patterns. Letters aren"t quite as... elegant as numbers but the principle is the same," she said when he asked her about it. "Although analyzing the financial records is much more entertaining. Ulmat had everything buried in so many layers I"m surprised he managed to keep track of it all."

She"d also discovered quite a few more suspicious transactions over the course of the week and he had Barthar making discreet enquiries. He wanted to know if the nobles involved were willing accomplices or simply Ulmat"s victims. Fortunately, Barthar"s suspicions about Unity had been laid to rest. He too valued her assistance - although that hadn"t stopped him from warning Cronan about the dangers of distraction.

Barthar was undoubtedly right, he thought as he walked into the study and she looked up and smiled at him. The sweet scent of her arousal already perfumed the air and the familiar surge of desire raced through him. He forced himself to sit down in a chair next to the desk as she rose and perched on the edge in front of him.

"Have you eaten?" he asked.

She shook her head, her gaze falling to his mouth. He couldn"t help himself, reaching out to brush his knuckles gently against the delicate curve of her jaw.

"You"re hungry."

"I am." She gave him a teasing look. "For food as well."

He ignored the immediate surge in his codix.

"I keep telling you not to wait for me if you"re hungry."

She shrugged.

"I don"t like eating alone. Funny really, because I did it often enough on Earth."

"Do you miss your planet?"

He had to force himself to ask the question, but he needed to know. She tilted her head to the side, considering. He didn"t think she did it on purpose but his mouth always watered at the sight of that delicate exposed curve.

"I suppose there are a few things. I miss coffee. And ice cream. My favorite books. Jeans. Real underwear."

His heart sank with every item she listed, but then she smiled at him.

"But none of them are that important. My life here feels more... real than my memories of Earth."

"Would you return?" he asked reluctantly and she studied his face for a moment.

"I didn"t think I had a choice."

"That"s not an answer."

She gave him a challenging look.

"It"s not a real question if it isn"t a possibility. What do you really want to know?"

"I want to know -"

A peremptory knock on the outer door interrupted him and he wasn"t sure if he was relieved or annoyed.

"That"s Barthar"s knock," she said, smiling at him. "You"d better answer it. You know he won't go away."

"Enter," he called and Barthar stalked in.

"You"re taking Unity to the ball?" he demanded.

He swore under his breath as her eyes went wide.

"Really?"

"We hadn"t actually had a chance to discuss it," he told Barthar. "Who told you?"

"Robat, of course. He seemed positively gleeful about it."

"Why would he care?" she asked, giving him a confused look.

"I don"t know and I don"t care. I do care that he was so indiscreet."

"Perhaps he"s tired of females pestering him," Barthar said begrudgingly.

Unity frowned at his response..

"Why would they be pestering Robat? And why would taking me to the ball make a difference?"

"Because every unattached female in this court - and several who are attached - is hoping to become the next queen," Barthar said before he could prevent him, and Unity went pale.

"Oh. I hadn"t thought about that. I guess that"s why you"re gone so much."

She tried to smile at him but it was a pitiful attempt. He glared at Barthar, then lifted her onto his lap, ignoring her faint squeak of protest.

"It is nothing of the sort. My time is spent doing exactly what I"ve told you - taking part in various meaningless ceremonial functions, meeting with people who are only interested in themselves, and trying to hold this planet together."

"My apologies, Lady Unity," Barthar said, looking unusually repentant. "I never intended to imply that Cronan is interested in any other female."

Her body relaxed a little and he sighed.

"So why are you here if it"s not to upset my ma - Unity?"

He knew Barthar caught the slip but at least he had the sense not to mention it.

"Because I am concerned about the ball. This is not in any way intended as an insult," his friend said, darting a quick look at Unity, "but she distracts you and this is a dangerous time to be distracted."

She immediately stiffened again, giving him a worried look. Fuck. Life would be much simpler if a king could simply have one of his subject"s tongues removed.

"Dangerous? Why is it dangerous?" she whispered.

He shot Barthar an icy glare before turning to her.

"A transition is always unsettled, perhaps somewhat more so in this case because of the circumstances, but there is no cause for concern. Everything is settling down. Remember that even Grabon sent a message saying there was no cause for concern about the Western Isles." A brief message with no explanation and they hadn't been able to raise him since, but she didn't need to know all the details. "And as for the ball," he added, looking back at Barthar. "I would be far less distracted with her at my side."

"Really?" she asked hopefully. "Because I wouldn"t mind seeing more of the castle."

Guilt immediately swept over him. He"d been perfectly happy to keep her to himself and hadn"t considered the fact that she might be feeling trapped. Had he just given her a nicer dungeon?

"A ball sounds kind of fun," she added. "That is - no one is going to think less of you because I"m human will they?"

Fortunately, this time Barthar kept his mouth shut.

"On the contrary," he said firmly. "They will be jealous that I am with the most beautiful female present."

She smiled and blushed and her arousal started to perfume the air.

"Leave us," he ordered.

Barthar gave a long-suffering sigh and obeyed. As soon as the door closed behind his second, he turned to Unity.

"Absolutely the most beautiful." He hooked a finger in her bodice and drew it down to reveal her lush, perfect breasts. Her plump little nipples were already stiff, begging for his touch. "But only I get to see all of your beauty."

Her eyes went heavy with pleasure as he teased a taut, pink point but she shook her head.

"You haven"t seen all of it."

His mouth betrayed him once again.

"Then perhaps I will unveil it tomorrow night."

She gave an excited little bounce, tormenting his aching codix, but then she kissed him and he abandoned thoughts of tomorrow for the pleasures of today.