Page 14 of Taken By the Naga King

She stared at the ground. Gravon was confused. What did she think would happen once they landed?

“Azha?”

Her big brown eyes found his, and he could see the uncertainty in them. He did not like it one bit.

“To be clear, this is your home now. You will not be returning to Noxxa, not ever. You may start off in your own room, but eventually, I’d like to transition you into mine. None of this is up for debate. Do you understand?”

She gave him a small nod. He felt a surge of annoyance that she was not immediately embracing her new life, but he reminded himself that it was only the first day.

“Okay,” she finally replied.

“Very well. Vespira and Xenia are going to come in and help you clean up and change into something more suitable. Afterward, they will take you down the hall to my personal dining room, where we will share a meal.”

She nodded. The two Niri servants appeared around the corner just then, and the three of them disappeared into Azha’s new room. Gravon turned and headed to his own room to clean up, as well.

He felt hopeful and excited for the meal to come. He was sure Azha would take no time at all to settle in. Once she had food in her belly and had gotten a good night’s sleep, she would realize this was where she was meant to be.

Not that she had much choice. She would have to learn to love it sooner or later.

Once he was done polishing his scales to a gleam and changing his coverings, he slithered to the dining room, taking his seat at the head of the table. A few minutes later, Azha entered the room.

She wore a long evening gown that was made of a white almost completely see-through fabric that clung to her dark skin. The fabric had a wet appearance, but it was not actually wet. Her hair was pinned up, her tiny curls perfectly placed.

She looked so absolutely stunning, so perfect that he almost canceled dinner at that moment.

His servants led Azha to the seat closest to him and waited until she sat before leaving the room.

“You look marvelous,” he told her, his mouth salivating as he scented her natural flavors. Now clean of the dirt of her slavery, her natural aroma shone through the scent-less soaps his kind used.

“Thank you,” she said, looking a bit shy. “I’ve never worn anything like this before.”

“It looks very natural on you. I’d like to see you in something like this every day from now on.”

She swallowed and met his eyes. “The fabric is very unique.”

“It originated on Nirum.”

A male servant entered the room, a tray floating in front of him. On it were two bowls and some petals. Once the servant was next to them, he plucked the bowls and petals off of the tray and placed them in front of Gravon and Azha. The tray floated back to the door they had come through though the servant remained.

“Celadon, would you please explain to Azha what is in this soup?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The soup is made from hydrapules, a cactus that is native to Nirum. The cacti hold a liquid inside, which is the broth you see, and the actual skin of the cactus is chopped, boiled, and placed in the broth.”

“Thank you, Celadon. You may leave us now.”

Celadon bowed and swiftly left.

Azha looked to Gravon for direction. “How do I eat it?”

He smiled. “I’ll show you.”

Gravon picked up the petal next to his bowl and shaped it with his fingers until it resembled the end of a ladle. He dipped it into the soup and brought it to his mouth, drinking the warm liquid.

“These are merkshade petals. They change the taste of whatever is placed on its skin. The soup alone doesn’t taste like much at all, but we eat it because of its nutritional properties. The merkshade provides flavor.”

“That’s fascinating,” Azha said, before picking up her own merkshade and mirroring what Gravon had done.

Once she swallowed the soup, her face lit up. “That’s delicious!”

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