Page 37 of Unfinished

“What do you mean, unable to please me? You just gave me the best sex of my life and let me return the favor. Yes, I’m looking forward to doing more together, but this is enough for tonight, isn’t it? Weren’t you satisfied?”

“Immensely!” His body tensed as embarrassment coursed through him. He’d not meant to raise his voice to such a volume. “I’ve never—I believe it must’ve been obvious how wonderfully you pleased me.”

His tongue suddenly felt too long for his mouth, and the words stuck in his throat. He was failing, already failing again. If Jesthi hadn’t planned for Sienna to spend the night in his chambers, there would’ve been no room made ready for her, and it was his fault for not sending the order ahead of time. As soon as he’d made the decision to help her aboard Evathi’s flyer, it’d become his responsibility to care for her. At every turn he stepped falsely.

“I thought it seemed that way, but I wanted to make sure,” Sienna said quietly. She looked up at him almost shyly, a dramatic shift from her earlier commanding presence. “I’m really happy to finally be here, R’kash. We have time now. Don’t worry or put so much pressure on yourself. I mean, I love the way you touched me and everything you did, but us being together isn’t just about me and my pleasure. It makes me feel good to focus on you, too.” She laughed softly, but it wasn’t the happy sound he’d savored before. “I never want to make you feel like what you need doesn’t matter—been there, done that. I’m not going to be that kind of partner. I don’t know what Xithilene relationships are like or what you’re used to, but in my mind, we’re equals, in or out of the bedroom.”

It seemed he always had trouble finding his words with her. She constantly astounded him, and everything he’d planned to say fell short in the face of her bold courage. He didn’t have her bravery. He’d always found it difficult to speak of his feelings, and the guilt over his lies tied his tongue in knots. He knew that if he’d told her the truth beforehand, she never would’ve touched him like that. It’d been transcendent, an experience like no other, but their mating already felt tainted.

“I want that, too,” he said, and that was no lie.

Sienna shivered, and he pushed her hair away from her face and pulled her closer. He’d gladly give her all his warmth.

“I don’t want to move, but we’ll be more comfortable beneath the bed coverings,” he told her. “Is there anything else you desire before you sleep?”

Sienna let her eyes close as she smiled with a sigh. Then she looked back at him, watching as he set his feet on the floor and stood. “No. Just don’t forget that us humans like our cuddles—lying together like I mentioned earlier. I know this is a big adjustment for you, too, but I expect to find you beside me when I wake up. Okay?”

R’kash leaned over to grasp the top edges of the blankets and pull them down. “That’s exactly where I intend to be,” he said, and to his surprise, a smile was lifting the corners of his mouth. She’d been at Evathi one day, and already she’d turned his world on its head.

Sienna shifted to the side so he could move the bedding, and then she burrowed beneath the blankets. He liked seeing her there in his bed, content and relaxed beneath his covers. It was to be a night of firsts for him. No woman had ever stayed to sleep in his bed.

He spread theslithenfur over the blankets, making sure to cover her completely. It’d been getting cold at night with the harvest approaching. Then he slipped beneath the covers and lay there stiffly a moment before he stretched his arm out to the side. He felt the back of her hand brush his fingers, and he reached for her. He locked their hands together and dared to look to the left. Her soft smile welcomed him even as her eyes closed.

“I wish I could stay awake and we could keep talking, but honestly, I’m exhausted. I hope you don’t mind if I fall asleep,” she said.

R’kash shifted closer, setting their clasped hands over his hip. “Sleep, Sienna. You were right. We have time.”

He couldn’t resist leaning forward and tasting her lips one more time. He liked all of her kisses, but perhaps this was the best one of all. The heat and hunger had passed, and what was left felt like a promise.

Their lips parted, and R’kash pulled Sienna into his arms, holding her as her body softened into sleep. This was dangerous. This was temptation. He may not have been the one Sienna was writing to for all of those moon cycles, but he certainly wanted to be, and he had the feeling he’d do anything to make it all real.

Before he knew it, his own body grew heavy and relaxed as his eyelids slid closed. It didn’t take long for him to join Sienna in the world of dreams, his arms still holding her tight.

* * *

R’kash awoke with a start.Moonlight flooded his chamber, and he blinked at the sudden brightness. He’d forgotten to close the bed curtains. He was about to get up when he realized he wasn’t alone, that a warm body was entangled with his. Then it all came rushing back—Sienna, here in Evathi, their glorious mating and her honest words.

Her face was pressed against his chest, her breath warm against his scales. He cupped his palm over her head and let it glide down her hair until he reached the smooth skin of her back.

He hadn’t meant to fall asleep already. He’d neglected to perform his evening inspection of the temple, little though he believed Jesthi and the others would’ve minded. R’kash knew his priests were happy for him, that they’d view this—him in bed, locked in an embrace with Sienna—as a joyous conclusion to her first day at Evathi.

Still, he had his duties. The least he could do was pull the curtains and place some water beside the bed in case Sienna woke up thirsty. He started to pull his arm out from beneath her shoulder and froze when she made a small noise. He counted the seconds until her face relaxed again, and then he moved back the rest of the way, carefully rolling his body back to put some space between them. When she remained still, he lifted the covers and eased out of the bed.

He didn’t bother dressing. The chill in the air didn’t bother him much. He was northern bred and raised, and he didn’t want any barriers between them when he returned. He didn’t go straight to the window. Instead, he grabbed his record-tablet from the small table where the balché glasses stood, Sienna’s still half full, and then he walked over to his desk.

The moon was almost a full circle in the sky. In just a few days it’d be the night of the harvest festival, and it’d shine even brighter. As it was, there was plenty of light for him to work by. He activated his tablet with a swipe, setting it into the inset compartment at the center of his desk. He rubbed the pad of one finger over one of the landite stones at the corner of the tablet’s frame. Then he brought up the temple log.

This was a habit he’d begun at Ivanni once he’d become an assistant to the high priest. Ehviss had made no secret of the fact that he was training R’kash to lead his own temple in the future, and he’d always stressed the importance of keeping such records, even if no one else were to ever read them. The daily routine of a temple could become so familiar, he’d said, that it was easy to lose track of the great work they did without some remembrance of what their brotherhood had accomplished.

R’kash had only rarely missed an entry since he’d begun the practice, and the day of Sienna’s arrival at Evathi was certainly a momentous occasion. He couldn’t sleep again without noting it. He pressed his nail into one of the controls, and the recording program started.

He glanced over towards his bed, but Sienna was still sleeping soundly, so he exhaled and bent his head, and then he started speaking.

“A new resident has come to Evathi. Sienna Prescott, a human woman who has journeyed to us through the Mate Portal Program. She is here to join me as my…mate.” The word rasped out of his throat, rough and deep. He could still taste her honey on his lips. The scent of their combined arousal was a heavy perfume in the air even now, despite the breeze blowing in from the East.

He blew out another breath and tried again. “My priests organized a welcome celebration in her honor, and I performed a small blessing ritual over the sacred pool. Thej’kaviappreciated my offering, but Sienna was disturbed by our customs. I believe I convinced her the plants are harmless to us, but it was interesting to see a human react to something so commonplace here at Evathi. Jesthi and the others are very pleased with the lady. Veesha seems content with her presence here, too. Tomorrow we will continue preparations for the harvest festival. I will find out then whether or not my journey to Verkissat was detrimental to our plans.”

He leaned back against the wall and gazed out the closest window. He made a few more observations before he leaned down to deactivate the program. He walked over to the wall and pressed his hand over a control panel hidden by the star map. The embroidered curtain started to move, the loose folds straightening out as the machine pulled it across the stone wall and windows. The heavy fabric swallowed up the moonlight, casting the room in complete darkness.

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