Page 55 of Unfinished

“It’s in your wardrobe,” he said, walking towards the second one he’d had brought for her a few day cycles ago.

Sienna glanced toward him, looked away and smiled before she moved faster to the wardrobe, pausing to meet his eyes one more time before she opened the doors. He could tell the moment she saw it. Her shoulders drew back as she lifted her arms, reaching for the fabric only to let her hands hover there without touching.

“That’s really for me?” she asked softly, finally allowing her palm to drift down over the long skirt.

R’kash moved closer to stand behind her, his hands halting before he touched her shoulders, just like she’d done with the gown. If she only knew how little he deserved to be allowed within the radius of her heat, her scent, she wouldn’t tip her head back to look at him that way. He swallowed over the lump in his throat.

“Will you help me put it on? It looks heavy,” she said. Her eyes danced and teased, and he could refuse her nothing.

“Yes,” he told her.

Sienna moved aside and started pulling at the bottom of her shirt, quickly removing it and lying it over the back of the lounger in the sitting area. His gums ached, and a staticky buzz began to fill his ears as the pressure near his sinuses increased. He’d need to deal with it soon, but he’d assist her first.

When she turned back around, she wore only her undergarments. His rattle shook despite his best efforts to still it, and she grinned. “Like what you see?” she asked.

He would not, could not, touch her like she wanted while his control was so strained. He removed the gown’s skirt from the wardrobe first and helped her slide her hands through the opening. His own hands were clumsy as he fastened and tightened it at the waist, fingers trembling. Her skin glowed against the pale green fabric. He quickly helped her into the bodice and wrapped the wide, embroidered belt over it, hiding the place where the two pieces of the gown met.

R’kash stepped back. “Turn around,” he told her.

Her dark gold hair brushed her shoulders, swinging against her back as she looked towards him first. Then her body followed, and he fisted his hands to keep himself from reaching for her. She looked even more lovely than he’d imagined she would. Later he would have something finer made, if only to attempt to match her beauty. She didn’t need the embroidery and ornament to shine, but she deserved it.

Stitched flowers in red and violet spilled across the bodice, their stems sewn in gold and a darker green. Similar designs edged the hem of the full skirt, and one largev’tushliplant ran down the middle of the skirt from the waist down to the bottom, its blossoms rendered in exquisite detail. The artisans had done as much as they could in the time available, and the result was stunning.

“What is it? Do I look silly?” Sienna’s smile went crooked, fading the longer she watched his face.

He choked on his words. So many of them wanted to burst free at once that they jumbled together in his mouth.

“Oh, God, I do, don’t I?”

“No!” he finally managed. He smoothed down the folds of his robes to calm himself. “I have something else for you.”

“R’kash, I don’t need anything—”

He pressed his fingers against her lips, instantly regretting moving closer when he drew in another wave of her delectable scent. The pain dug in its claws, and his vision seemed to go in and out in shimmering waves. He pulled away and turned, giving her his back as he fumbled through the inner pockets of his robes. The gold was cool against his scales as he pulled out the birth chain he’d bought for her. He pressed his eyes shut and then held it up in front of his face. The pendant spun, the cut gemstone throwing sparks of light across the room as its facets hit the sun.

“R’kash?” Sienna’s voice was faint, but he heard her.

He turned back around and walked up to her. “May I?” he asked, holding the necklace up between them.

“Yes,” she said, her head moving up and down.

“It’s a birth chain like Veesha’s. If you’re to stay on Xithilene, you must have your own.” He tried to fasten it quickly, but it took him three attempts to get the clasp to catch. He exhaled slowly, drawing on years of training to calm his body. “Do you like it?”

She set her fingertip on the stone, drawing tiny circles over the surface until her hand closed around the pendant. “Thank you. It’s beautiful, but can I look in a mirror? I want to see what I look like before I go to the festival.”

He walked over to the empty space on the wall between the two wardrobes. The exterior of the temple looked primitive, but Evathi had its touches of modernity. Beneath his palm, the smooth interior wall transformed into one giant mirror. His own stern features greeted him first before he looked down and stepped away, motioning to the wall. He inclined his head to her before he swept his left leg behind him, lowering his body into a formal bow.

“I will see you outside, lady. I must go to greet the first arrivals,” he said as he rose.

R’kash walked to the door. He opened it, but before he stepped into the hall, he looked back. She was watching him. She inclined her head, highlighting the graceful line of her neck. When she lifted her face, the slightest smile was on her lips.

He hurried through the doorway and didn’t pause until he’d descended halfway down to the ground floor. He took in great, gasping breaths and still felt winded. He needed to get to the kitchen before he went feral and bit anything within reach. He held up his robes and ran the rest of the way. Then he frantically pushed through the contents of the stasis cabinets, dropping a basket ofv’ahissberries as he reached for aj’lessifruit.

R’kash brought the fruit to his mouth and bit, letting his fangs sink deep into the firm flesh. He groaned as his venom released. It seemed to go on forever, and his cock thickened, preparing to extrude as his mating scale retracted. He could barely feel his feet beneath him as he floated on a haze of pleasure. The last drops of his venom poisoned the fruit, and he pulled it free from his fangs, letting his back hit the edge of the counter hard as his head fell forward, his chin resting against his chest.

He was panting, attempting to catch his breath when something small and spiky hit his arm.

“Stop spoiling our food. It’s difficult enough finding enoughj’lessifruit to satisfy both Veesha and Sienna, and now you’re just wasting it!” said Jesthi.

---