Royal Recruit: OtherWorldly Men #2 by Grant Susan

Author:Grant, Susan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Susan Grant
Published: 2020-05-12T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

Keira stood quietly as her attendants prepped and primped her. One brushed out her hair, another braided gemstones into the strands, while still another massaged scented oils into her skin. Her skin was gleaming, completely smooth. Her private parts had been laced with flavored lotions. It seemed odd to be working so hard to attract the prince when all she wanted was for him to stay away.

Liar.

She swallowed, lifting her chin. No! She would not admit to her curiosity about the barbarian. Soon enough she’d see him naked.

As he will soon see you.

Arousal trilled through her, but she blocked it. She would not touch him—she would not let him touch her—until she was assured of his docility.

He is not a docile man. Not on-screen he wasn’t, but in person it would be different. He was the reigning Goddess of Sakka’s consort, the dutiful mate of the Queen of All the Civilized Galaxy, husband to the One of the Holy Sakkaran Blood whose ancestry could be traced back to the beginning of time. The sooner he learned his manners, the better.

The sword is the best teacher.

True. But now that she was married to the man, she needed the heathen for producing heirs. He must remain intact.

An attendant pulled her arm away from her side, turned her hand palm up, and began the tedious work of imprinting an intricate pattern of nano-dye on her wrist. It was the famous holy Sakkaran symbol of a married goddess. The pattern was created from a special shimmering red-orange dye and would stay with her all the years of her life. Only a true goddess was marked in this way. She remembered her mother’s imprints.

An attendant lifted her other arm. She winced, her eyes watering. The pricks stung.

“May I offer Her Majesty a numbing agent?” an attendant queried.

“No.” Keira wanted to feel the prick of the needle just as the ancients had in a ceremony that had remained virtually unchanged over millennia. Every stinging invasion of her flesh reminded her that she was alive and not spinning out of control in a life orchestrated by others.

She didn’t want this marriage; she didn’t want this husband. She didn’t want the assured monotony and predictability of the years to come, trapped in this palace, unable to leave due to the danger the Drakken posed.

Everyone, it seemed, had a say in her destiny but her.

The attendant tugged on her arm. Her wrists burned. It was silent; no one spoke to her, and she had nothing to say to them. This should be a happy night, but she hadn’t felt this lonely since losing her family.

Her mother should be here with her for the tattooing, her younger sister too. They’d be laughing and joking, teasing her. Happiness would be shared. She wouldn’t have the worries and fears she secretly harbored because the women in her family would have been there to answer her questions and reassure her.

Keira felt an uncomfortable thickening in her throat. Deep down, she knew the reason they weren’t here, why anyone close to her died.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.