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We started riding at a slow walk to give me time to adjust to my mount. Cormak returned to his duties with the running racers, but two bodyguards followed us from a respectable distance. They made their best effort to stay out of our line of sight and give us a semblance of privacy.
I sighed inwardly. When I first felt the Tuning in Anton’s penthouse and realized that my soulmate was the Braxian ruler, my only real concern had been the misogynistic, overbearingly dominant, and controlling nature of his people. But the past few days, this morning’s confrontation, and now this ‘romantic’ ride drove home the sad reality; a union with Ravik meant a union with Braxia. Whatever feelings he may develop for me over time, I already knew that Ravik would sacrifice his personal happiness to his duty.
To be by his side, I would need to give up on a great deal of the privacy that I cherished so much. My own wishes and personal aspirations would always have to take a backseat to the needs of his people.
‘Our’ people if I end up marrying him.
Ravik’s words still echoed loud and clear in my mind.
“I need you to stand with me, Ravena, not add to my burden.”
I stole a glance at him as he rode Sheeroh, possessive pride blooming in my heart. Ravik would never qualify as a handsome man, by any standard. And yet, he was the sexiest thing I had ever laid eyes on. I loved everything about him; from his fearsome face to his ridiculous strength that made me feel both vulnerable and utterly protected, those massive muscles on that giant body of his, and that humongous cock that always made me feel on the verge of being split in two, all the while making me sing with bliss.
But it wasn’t just his body that had me falling hard and fast for the man. Despite his barbaric appearance and the savage ways of his people, Ravik was kingly. He rode his mount, back straight, chin up, with an ease of movement that exuded confidence, pride, and strength. His keen intelligence, the way he managed to accurately analyze a situation and promptly take action was the biggest turn on. Not to mention his unconditional devotion to the welfare of his people. However, it was his progressive mindset, and his respect for women—for me—that really got me. I somewhat hated that the events surrounding Lissy had put him on this path of change. Yet, I was grateful because I never could have been with the man he would have become under his father’s rule.
Ravik had abolished slavery on his planet despite the violent outcry, freed his own slaves, paid them wages, and even went so far as to hire pleasure workers as permanent staff to not overly disrupt thestillbarbaric customs of his people. On Braxia, a slave was free-for-all. If a male wanted a female, he could simply bend her over the closest surface and have his way with her, even in public. While his men had behaved during the meal on the first night of our arrival, the following evening meals hadn’t been so controlled.
There had been another erotic dance during the meal. As soon as it had ended, Hagan, one of the members of his council whom I fiercely disliked, had caught one of the dancers and ordered her to her knees to suck him off. I nearly lost my shit. Thank the Goddess for Ravik’s prompt interference, explaining that the dancers were among thirty females of various species, including Braxian hybrids, to whom he guaranteed safe working conditions, free food and lodging, and decent wages to pleasure any man in his house that wanted them. It kept all other servants in his hall from being unduly pressured by unrequited advances.
A number of clans pushed back against so many rule changes, many because they couldn’t afford it. With their sluggish economy, having to pay wages to slaves that only used to cost them minimal food and lodging was choking the already beleaguered Braxians. They needed to reinvent their economy, find new markets, educate their people, forge new alliances, and upgrade their technology; a colossal challenge, but one I could help with.
The question was whether I wanted to help shoulder such a burden, whether this was the future I wanted for myself. If I wished to be with my soulmate, I had to become his Dagna, his queen, with all the responsibilities that entailed.
Having no doubt sensed my gaze on him, Ravik turned his face towards me, looking more relaxed than I’d seen him in days, almost carefree.
“Ready to pick up the pace, little bird?” he asked.
“You better believe it, big boy.”
He snorted and shook his head. “Remind me to spank that sexy bottom of yours when we return home.”
His dark eyes smoldered, his expression filled with naughty promises. My stomach flip-flopped, and my pussy throbbed at the thought of that big hand smacking my behind the way he had on our first night here. I’d never admit it out loud, but I loved a good spanking.
Ravik’s broad nose twitched, and a smug smile stretched his lips. The bastard knew he had me hot and bothered.
“Stop thinking of my cock, female, and follow. Do not try to pass me.”
Before I could come up with a smart, sassy retort, he leaned over and set Sheeroh into a run, giving me a delectable view of his muscular butt.
Damn the man…
Leaning forward on Dajia, who snorted with impatience, I took hold of her horns. The karvala immediately gave chase. Wind whipped past us, my long braid flying behind me as my mount raced to catch up to our companions. I gave myself over to the pleasure of speed and the exhilarating sense of freedom and danger it always gave me. Dajia slowed to adjust her pace to Sheeroh’s so they would run side by side. Looking towards him, my eyes connected with Ravik.
My mate…
In that instant, I knew I’d do everything in my power to always keep him this happy. I’d be his safe harbor in the storm that sought to engulf him.
Come what may, I would stand by him.
The next morning, Ravik left to visit various other clans all dealing with their own issues. Seeing how each of the main clans’ compounds constituted a small city in its own right, this trip would be considered a series of state visits on other worlds. Some Elder Clans actually sheltered a number of smaller clans, so it was not a single bloodline dwelling under the same roof. Over multiple generations, the gap narrowed which often resulted in some of the smaller clans moving to a new Elder Clan’s compound.
I wanted to ask Ravik to take me with him but resisted the urge. If I were to help him, getting firsthand account of his people’s plight would take me a long way to understanding where I could be of assistance. However, it felt too bold this early into our relationship. In the short few days since my arrival, the Braxians had realized that something special was building between their ruler and me; something they eyed with caution and suspicion. I wasn’t his Dagna—yet—and maybe I never would be, so I had to tread carefully not to overstep.
However, I didn’t need to go to the other clans to get a first sense of what we had to work with. While I couldn’t yet leave the walls of Ravik’s compound, it would take me days to visit every nook and cranny if that’s all I did from dusk ‘til dawn. Wanting to remain inconspicuous considering the heavy scrutiny the Braxians subjected me to, I used a camera hidden in the gem of my necklace to record everything I encountered for screening later at my own leisure.
Males ran most of the establishments I visited, with females serving customers; as in the woman played fetch while the male owner ordered her around. When one of the owners asked a female, busy restocking shelves at the other end of the shop, to come bring him a tool less than three feet from where he currently stood, I had to bite my tongue not to tell him to just fucking get it himself. For all that, the female—and all the others I had encountered—didn’t look miserable or abused. To them, this was normal.
A troubling thought crossed my mind as I passed from one establishment to the next. While I strongly believed these women needed to be given their rightful place in their society and be treated as equals, did I have the right to disrupt their way of life? To try to impose mine onto them? Granted, their ruler was already working towards that goal, but who was I to make waves? For one so used to speaking my mind, this would prove yet another challenge to add to my already long list of them.
