Destined by Viola Grace Read Free Book Online Page A

returned to heal her.
     
     
     
     

Chapter Nine
     
     
    Rhoda felt him enter the building, and as he walked into her room a few minutes later, she was sitting up and smiling tiredly. She didn’t speak. She didn’t want to wake Kebril up.
    Drehl looked like hell, but he walked to the side of her bed, took her in his arms and lifted her for a kiss.
    As his tongue slipped into her mouth, she felt a tingling in her blood that started at their kiss and ran through her body. The ache in her head slowly began to fade, as did the pain in her face.
    Drehl’s arm under her lifted her until her breasts were pressed tightly to his chest and she clung to his shoulders.
    “Glad to see you made it, Drehl.” Kebril’s sleepy voice was amused.
    Rhoda didn’t turn to look at Kebril. She kept her eyes closed and her mouth linked with Drehl’s. Every slide of his tongue sent spikes of heat and energy into her, and she wanted more.
    When he parted from her, she made a sound of protest, but he kissed her forehead and her cheeks to calm her. “Good morning, Rhoda.”
    She smiled, and the swelling faded from her face. “Good morning, Your Highness.”
    He laughed and shifted so that one arm was under her knees, another behind her back. Kebril was already standing, and they left the hospital room with a nod to the staff.
    “Why do Genarans need a medical centre anyway?”
    Drehl whispered, “Not all have enough nanites to effect healing.”
    “Oh.”
    They left the centre, and he tucked her into his sleek transport. Drehl spoke to Kebril for a moment and gave him a short hug before he returned to take the controls.
    Rhoda thought he was going to pilot them, but the ship took off without him doing a thing.
    She could see that he was seething between irritation, concern and relief, and she didn’t know what to say. “So, your brother seems nice.”
    He gave her an amazed look before snorting and pulling her into his lap. “Kebril came to see you in an effort to convince you that you were unsuitable. When he saw what had been done to your home and then your person, he had to act the gentleman.”
    She blinked. “Oh. He seemed perfectly nice.”
    Drehl chuckled and hugged her. “You charmed him. He also loves shopping for women. Combine the two and he was putty in your hands.”
    She conjured the image of Kebril and putty was not the word she would use for the physical monolith he presented. “He did seem to enjoy the shopping. He was more into it than I was.”
    Drehl nuzzled her neck. “He enjoys choosing clothing for his women. Consider it a fetish.”
    She shivered until what he said sank in. “What? He was getting off on it?”
    He chuckled and his lips worked over her skin. “Not in your case, but he did enjoy the hunt and working toward practical instead of titillating. Of course, he slipped in a few of his personal preferences, but they should be fairly easy to spot.”
    “Why not in my case?”
    His hand caressed her hip. Drehl lifted his head, the glyphs on his face giving him a serious expression. “When I healed you the first time, I left some of my nanites active in case you encountered one of my kind. Basically, when Kebril spoke to you, you had my marks in your bloodstream.”
    Rhoda was tired, and she relaxed against him. “This is complicated.”
    Drehl held her close, his body heat soothing her. “It isn’t complicated. You are now the bride of a Genaran and impervious to being ejected from Yacaro.”
    Sleepily, she muttered, “Kebril said something about a ceremony.”
    “My family will come to my home tomorrow. The ceremony will happen, full transference will occur and you will be a Yacaro citizen.”
    She nodded and let darkness slip over her as her healing continued.
     
    Light cascaded over her eyelids, bringing her out of her healing sleep. Rhoda sat up and rubbed her eyes.
    An older woman who wore the same tattoos as Drehl sat at the side of her bed and set her embroidery aside. “You are awake.