Alien Prince: (Bride of Qetesh) An Alien SciFi Romance by Juniper Leigh Read Free Book Online Page B

built myself a fine little cabin out of Panyan wood, and it gleamed in the low light of evening. It was a friendly little home, if small; there was the fire pit at the front, as was standard in a Qeteshi dwelling; then there was the bed, a fine, large thing with soft feather mattresses, pillows, and blankets, all of which I had inherited, all of which I had taken with me from the village. The bed itself I had constructed by hand, along with all of the furniture in the cabin. A trunk sat at the foot of the bed, a table and one chair at the side of the room, and a staircase leading to the loft. I had my cooking utensils on the walls, my weaving on the loom. Once I could get the fire going, it would be cozy enough, indeed.
    But when I brought my lady to my home, I thought how bare it looked. How sparse. Not at all fit for a lady such as she. But it would have to do.
    I laid her down on the bed and covered her with blankets before taking my kills to hang on the wall. Then I set about stoking the fire with slow-burning oils that would keep us warm through the night. Finally, I fetched a bowl of fresh water and a clean cloth, setting the bowl on the table next to the bed as I gently tugged the blanket away from the sleeping girl.
    I examined her closely, trying to ascertain the extent of her injuries. I was concerned that she had not yet awakened, but all I could conceivably do for her was make her comfortable and clean her wounds. I dipped the cloth into the water and began to wipe the blood from her face, until there was no trace of the injury save for the cut itself, a long slash that ran parallel to her hairline.
    Next, I dabbed gently at her lower lip where there was another cut, and then one on her jawline. Then lower, on her left shoulder, her arm, her hip. Setting the cloth aside, I trailed my fingertips gently over the slope of her cheek. She stirred me to wanting; I covered her up again. I leaned in to listen to the steady rhythm of her breathing. She did not appear to be in any distress, but I knew little of such matters, particularly for a human girl, as she was. It was likely that lesser injuries could claim her life.
    I resolved to go back to the village to fetch the healer if she did not wake up before daybreak. At least then I could say that I did all I could for her. Climbing off the bed, I went to the front door and tossed the bloodied water out into the cold night air. Then, I set about skinning the talatuna to prepare it for roasting.
    The day was as any other night, except I lived by the music of her breathing. The night was the same, except I saw only the curve of her breasts, the hue of her lips, in my mind. My life was unchanged, save for how she occupied my every sense.
    So it should have been no surprise that I dropped the talatuna into the fire when I heard her stir and groan. I shot around and darted to the bedside to peer down at my lady as she shifted underneath the cover of the blankets.
    “My lady,” I whispered, standing still, praying to those absent gods that this would be the moment she would wake. “You are safe now.”
    She turned her head from side to side, her expression one of distress as she wrestled her way back to consciousness. There was a crease between her eyebrows as she sucked in big gulps of air. And finally, finally with a fluttering of lashes, she opened her eyes.

CHAPTER FIVE: LORELEI VAUSS
    Teldara Kinesse…
    Tierney Mafaren...
    Ciara Zehr...
    Sara Yve...
    These names were a mantra, and they came to me even before I was fully conscious, their faces flashing across the screen behind my eyelids. The preceding days were scraps on the cutting room floor of my memory: the Quarter Moon crest; the accoutrements of my enslavement; the cages; the other frightened faces. And I am a fighter. I fought my way off that ship, and I fought my way back to consciousness.
    With a groan, I shifted beneath the heavy cover of furs, that smelled musty with smoke, and I cracked my eyes open against