Chapter 12: Free Finese

A Prince of the Nobillo

Chapter 12: Free Finesse

Rivuk lay at the side of the bathing pool as Lindsay burst up from the water, flipping her hair back with her hands. It looked so smooth and shiny as it flowed down her back. The water lapped against the tops of her shoulders as she stood, large brown eyes watching him. He could practically see her brain working behind them.

His gaze fell from them to her breasts rippling under the water with those pleasing nipples that made her moan so loudly when he sucked them. He could see the lines defining the muscles of her abdomen below. She was no pampered wealthy princess; she was his warrior queen. He saw, just a pale line, a faint white scar on the side of her waist.

His gaze flicked up to her face to find that wicked, red-lipped smile painted across it. He was in trouble now. He wasn't sure what was in store for him, but he'd be glad to meet it when it arrived.

"Do you like what you see?" she asked, arms moving in in large circles, pulling her forward as she walked over.

He met her arrival with a touch of their brows, followed by a kiss. "More than I could ever tell you."

She kissed him again, her finger teasingly stroking the line from his ear to his shoulder. He was hard again. He was amazed how effortlessly she could bring him to that point, and how quickly. After their nap they'd spent hours in her bed, filling the tower with grunts and screams and moans.

Her athleticism proved to be his undoing, but still, his exhausted body yearned for her. Begged for her, more like it. Was, even now, begging for her. Already, in his mind he could feel the warm, soft, welcoming flesh of her vagina as her body pressed against his, the tug of her fingers pulling his hair, the light scratch of her nails as her fingers brushed over his skin. He'd been aware of the physical appearance of humans, afterall, the Korsuch were so similar in outward appearance there was no discernible physical difference in the races, but he'd never experienced it so intimately before.

"Where did you come to get that scar from?" he asked.

"Which scar?"

"The one on your side."

Her expression turned haughty; he could see a bitterness tighten her lips. He shouldn't have asked. He knew he was about to regret the answer.

"From a Nobillo spear, when I was being chased from that platform on my first day here. Same place I got the one on my arm." She held up her left arm. "I almost bled to death in the woods before Sirix found me. Donil did a great job patching me up, didn't she? It was too late to prevent them from scarring, why, you almost wouldn't know I'd nearly died on your orders."

He could see now an uneveness in the muscle of her left arm he hadn't noticed before. "I'm sorry," he said. He'd never realized how close he'd come, not to losing her, but to never having met her at all except as a series of specimen jars in the Temple of the Immortal. All of this was seconds from not being at all.

"When this is over, the first thing I'm going to do is burn that platform to the ground." He saw the hate flash in her eyes as she spoke. She was cold in his hands.

He let her fall back into the water. "I wish there was something I could say. I'd happily light the match for you. But that doesn't seem adequate. After losing you and the last incident, they have suspended its use."

"Why not stopped its use? Why haven't they torn it down?"

"If it were my call, they would have, but the Temple of the Immortal is under the control of the second prince."

"Of course, it would be Boz," she muttered in undisguised disgust. "Ugh! I hate him so much! I want to hit him where it hurts."

"Haven't you already?"

"Not enough. Your medical tech is too good, I saw him flying the other day. I know we broke his wings. I want something that will last." She boosted herself up so she was leaning on her elbows, a glint in her eye.

Whatever she was about to propose was risky and he knew it. "What are you thinking?"

"I want to take the Birds of Paradise from him."

Rivuk was taken aback. "The Birds of Paradise?" he repeated back.

"Yeah, those poor girls that sick psycho keeps in the hallway. There's got to be some way. I mean they are citizens, right? Or do they just cease to exist when they become concubines?"

Rivuk thought for a moment. "They aren't concubines or it would be against the law to treat them as he does. Technically, I believe they are classified as his guards."

"His guards?" A grin spread wide across Lindsay's face.

He could see exactly what she was thinking and now he was realizing it as well, for the first time. He continued her line of thought, "Which means they are under the control of the military. Perhaps it's time I created a new military unit. An all-female one to inspire our young girls to serve our race."

"He's going to kill us." She was still grinning.

"He'll find a way to strike back at us, of course. But if you're willing to take the chance..."

"Let's do it." Her brow furrowed. "Also, it's super-disturbing that it's legal to sew a guard's mouth shut and slowly starve them to death."

"Unfortunately, those laws were meant to be applied to Children, not Nobillo, and what you say doesn't even scratch the surface of the atrocities they cover."

"Can't you change them?"

"No. Even my father would find it a challenge to do so, not that he ever would. They are part of a joint treaty between the Nobillo and the Korsuch that regulates the treatment of the Children of the Immortal." He pressed his wristband. "Carak, bring the papers to create a new military unit to my quarters."

"Yes, your Grace," Carak's voice answered.

"You're really going to do it?" Lindsay's expression was a mix between shock and delight.

He was glad he could make her look so.

"Of course. You want me to. It's the right thing to do. And if you're willing to face the consequences, so am I." He began to stand up. "I should have done it years ago," he muttered.

He'd never even thought about whether there was a way to free those women from their bondage. He'd always just accepted it as the way things were. He knew the penalty he'd pay would certainly hurt. But what more could Boz realistically take from him? He'd already taken his third wife's sanity and any kindness and gentleness his first had possessed. He'd tried twice to take Lindsay and failed both times and Deneta was far too well guarded. Even if she had the royal powers, she'd be wived to Elihim first. Not that that was a significant improvement over Boz...

"Aren't you staying tonight?" Lindsay asked.

"I'll come back, if you want, but I'd like to take dinner with my daughter. She'll probably be starting to wonder where I've been and I'd hate for her to feel neglected. It shouldn't be long. That is," he looked over at Lindsay, a sudden wild thought springing to his mind, "unless you want to come along?" he offered. The idea she might be interested in dinner with his daughter was beyond his hoping, but what if she was? She'd already surprised him plenty, why not in this?

Lindsay's face brightened. "I'd love to! We can give her the gift I bought her! Oh! But I want to make a good impression! What's her favorite color? I'm sure I have a dress I could wear in it."

Rivuk kissed her soft lips, silencing her. He pulled back so their noses were almost touching. "You're so perfect," he said. "I'm sure she'll love you as much as I do."

"I'm not sure that's possible."

His heart fluttered at her acknowledgement of the depths of his feelings for her. "Well, she'll love you very much, then."

He slid back into the water and lifted Lindsay up, her strong legs wrapping tight around his waist as he felt the gentle resistance of her flesh against his telson, the soft brush of her redder hair against it. He pushed inside of her. He was rewarded with a gasp followed by a low moan of his name. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she kissed his shoulders and chest.

She felt almost weightless in his hands as he pulled her down onto him. Her soft hair swayed against his belly now. He embraced her, feeling her nipples against his chest, the warmth of her tongue as it licked his ear, the gentle scratch of her nails on his back, the tenderness of her skin as her body enveloped his. His chest was bursting with love for her.

"We'll free the Birds and make them our own unit." She pulled her lips close to his ear. "...and I'm going to lead it," she said.

Damn. That was the sexiest thing he'd ever heard. It was one thing to take on Boz, it was another to openly do so. He almost blacked out. His warrior queen. His warrior queen. He pressed his wristband as she kissed his neck and shoulders. "Carak, bring the paperwork to appoint a new commander as well."

He didn't hear Carak's response as Lindsay pushed her lips against his, her body bucking in his arms as she sought pleasure. His hands slid to her waist, guiding her hips up and down slowly. He felt the tightening in her hips, in her thighs, in her arms around his shoulders. He was intoxicated by her moans as she called out his name over and over. It echoed in his brain.

Rivuk... Rivuk... Rivuk...

His wings spread wide. He could see the awe in her eyes as she gazed up at them. Let her see who it was she was with.

She cursed. The word didn't translate, but the "holy" part did. Her hips gyrated against his as she showered kisses on him. "Harder," she moaned.

His acid burst inside her. He pushed her down harder, thrusting up with his hips to increase the impact. Her eyes rolled back as she screamed his name. Her powerful thighs gripped his waist tightly. He felt the contractions of her vagina on his telson. Long, loud howls of ecstasy flowed from her bright red lips. He could feel the pressure of her arms on his shoulders and back, holding on as if for dear life. Cool water splashed onto his body. His teeth clenched. The pressure inside his telson was overwhelming. His eyes rolled back as his abs tightened, his legs shaking. A low moan stuttered from his lips as felous exploded into her.

She sighed, her upper body draping over him. "Mmmm... I love you, Rivuk." She kissed his neck.

He ran his fingers through her dark brown hair and down her back, feeling the strong muscles beneath his hands. He tucked in his twenty-foot wingspan and kissed the top of her head. He pulled her body up, his tessect sliding out of her. He wanted to explore every inch of this tower and her body with her. But that would have to wait.

"We'll need to dress for dinner, if we don't want to be late," he said.

She looked up into his eyes blearily. Her arms and legs still clung to him. "I know. And I really don't want to be late for our first meeting. But if this were anyone else..." She gently slid down his body, resting her head on his chest. She kissed it.

"I know. Her favorite color is yellow, by the way. He second favorite is pink and her third favorite is blue, but sky blue, not dark blue. I'm sure she'll tell you all of this herself."

"The listing age." Lindsay smiled. "I'll have to have mine ready, then. But I think I have the perfect dress."

"I'm sure I know the one. At least this time I'll get to take it off of you."

She trailed a teasing finger down the center of his chest. "Eventually."

Less than half an hour later she hung by her hands from one of the clothing rails, her silky yellow dress bunched around her hips, her mouth open in a silent scream as the panties she'd only put on moments earlier lay on the floor at the fully uniformed Rivuk's feet as he nosed his way under the fabric to her breast. His lips surrounded her areola and drew in to her nipple in a kiss, before covering the entire breast and bringing it in to suck. She was shaking as dozens of short, hard thrusts from his hips pushed his tessect into the place she loved the most, in the little concavity just above the pubic bone. He held her body in a tight embrace as he went harder.

They really didn't have time for this. He knew it. But when she'd smiled that defiant, taunting smile at him in THAT dress... how could he resist her? Especially when she stuck her thumb in the waist of her panties and pulled them down to show the curving, creamy skin of her hip.

A series of strange grunts came from her. He could feel her heart racing with his. He was almost afraid he was pushing her too hard, but no, he could feel the glorious sunshine from her mind. She was in heaven. And he was going to keep her there for as long as he could.

The heat of his cum flowed inside her. He slowed and pulled out, leaving her panting, hanging from the bar, his strong arms wrapped around her body as it shook from the force of her orgasms. She let go, sliding down his body, kissing his lips as she came down.

"That was amazing," Lindsay said. "But we'll be late. We can skip the make-up." She slid her panties back on, then seemed to have a thought.

She pulled on a pair of short pants that exposed her entire calf. She noticed Rivuk watching with obvious disappointment. "What? She's a kid, she might want to play." She tied a pink scarf around her waist, cinching the dress. "Now it's a tunic top." She ran her finger from the back of Rivuk's jaw to his chin. "Besides, you can't tell me if you, by chance, saw a flash of my derriere, you wouldn't be satisfied until you were inside it."

He took her fingers in his hand and kissed them. "No, I wouldn't."

"And it hides the bandages." She flashed that mischievous smile.

Oh yes. Those. He'd forgotten about them. His hands slid to her butt and pulled her in. He rested his forehead on hers.

"We should go now. I can already see it in your eyes," she said.

"You're very astute." He scooped her up and they flew through one of the large upper windows and out into the open air.

He loved the feeling of flying with her in his arms, the way she clasped onto him, still afraid of the height. She felt so light, though she was certainly not small. It was Carak's training.

Rivuk had wanted to learn how to fight alongside his soldiers, to not ask them to do more than he was willing; even though Carak would often remind him he lacked the physicality of the Children, it was no matter. The way she writhed in his arms now, those gentle movements and little gasps, made him so hard. He considered pulling down her pants and taking her mid-flight. He sighed heavily. But his little girl was waiting. She'd be so excited to see Princess Lindsay.

He was excited to see Princess Lindsay. Naked. In his bed.

They entered the balcony of his chamber. He landed gently, walking forward with her until they were through, then he put her down. They gazed at each other a moment. He could feel the heat burning in her eyes. Next time. They pulled away from the other.

"If we start, we won't stop," he said.

"No." she agreed.

"Your gift for her is on the table."

Lindsay took it, peering inside. It was still in its gauzy wrappings, tied with a neat blue bow.

Rivuk ran the stack of papers on his desk against his thumb, flipping through them. "Carak is nothing if not thorough." He saw a smile flit across her face. "Ready to command your own unit?" he asked.

"Ready? I've been leading for years. Besides," she said, fingering the little blue bow, "it's not really leading, it's rehab. I'll just be glad if one or two of them makes it."

"Daddy!" a little girl shrieked from behind the door. "Dinner!"

"Ready?" Rivuk asked, standing.

He heard Lindsay take a deep breath. "As ready I'll ever be," she said.

Rivuk strode to the door and took the handle. "I've got a special surprise for you," he called through the dark, ornately carved wood.

________________________________________

Lindsay braced herself. She was about to meet her daughter. She'd rarely been so nervous in her whole life. This was Rivuk's only child and she was certainly not likely to give him another despite their activities in the last twenty-four hours. She hoped Deneta liked her.

It seemed crazy. Some part of her stared at her life, incredulous, as though nothing in it should be taken seriously or thought of permanently. In a few steps through a stone arch, this could all go away. It would be like waking up from a very weird and intense dream. She could say the scars were from a car accident, have the blue skin turned into a tattoo. She'd already written to her parents claiming she'd gotten tricked into joining a cult and that's why she disappeared, and now she was just out there finding herself, but she was fine. It was kind of the truth. It could be the truth if she told it to herself enough.

She wouldn't be a queen or a princess anymore. She'd be just plain Lindsay Weaver, living on Earth. She missed plain Lindsay Weaver. Something about this stupid door made her feel like she was standing at the event horizon where suddenly her life was really going to matter to someone here beyond some star-crossed romance.

She could walk away now. There was still time. Part of her wanted to run. Run back to the woods where it was easy and free. Run back to the Earth.

But she stood firm.

"Daddy!" a little girl, about six years old, cried.

"There's my little princess!" he picked her up, embracing her tightly.

"Did you have a nice date with Princess Lindsay? Did she like my present?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" He turned, allowing Lindsay to be seen from behind his wings.

The little girl's mouth dropped in awe. "Princess Lindsay!" she whispered.

Lindsay's eyes widened and her heart dropped into her stomach, only to leap back up, overflowing like a fountain. Deneta was a healthy-looking little girl with the same coppery sheen to her skin as her father, long, loose, wavy, tawny-brown hair and big, emerald eyes. She wore a little frilly pink dress. She was... She was hers? Her daughter? She was too cute to be real! Lindsay wanted to hug her! But no. Had to hold back. They hadn't been introduced yet. Even kids got weirded out by strangers hugging them.

Lindsay grinned so wide she was sure her molars were showing. "I loved it," she said. "I got you something to thank you for it." She held out the little gift.

Rivuk let Deneta down. "Go on, take it," he urged his daughter.

Lindsay knelt on one knee. "I got it just for you." She held it out further.

Deneta seemed torn between her excitement and a sudden shyness. She shuffled forward slowly, looking up to her dad for reassurance.

Rivuk nodded. "Remember what I promised."

"It's ok," Lindsay said.

Deneta reached out and grabbed it with both hands. She quickly unwrapped it, holding up the little palace-shaped ornament. "It's so pretty," she breathed. Her fingers stroked the smooth crystal surface. She grinned up at her father. "It feels cold!"

Rivuk smiled. It was such a dad smile! As if Lindsay hadn't been in love with him before!

"It's made of a special crystal that stays cool no matter how warm it gets around it," he said.

"I'm glad you like it," Lindsay said.

"Don't forget to thank Princess Lindsay," Rivuk reminded her.

"Thank you, Princess Lindsay," Deneta said. Then she jumped into Lindsay's arms and gave her a big hug around the neck.

It was the hug she'd been dying for since she saw Deneta! Lindsay held the little girl tightly, then let her go. "Why don't you show me where the dinner table is?" she asked, offering Deneta her hand.

Deneta flinched as the hand came near.

Rivuk swallowed hard. "She's not going to hit you. She's hoping you'll hold her hand and lead her to the dinner table."

Hit her? How could anyone hit a little girl like her?

Realizing the hand hadn't moved to smack her, Deneta gripped it. Her fingers were so tiny! They could only fit around two of Lindsay's!

"It's over here," Deneta led.

"Can you show me, too?" Rivuk asked, offering his hand.