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A new environment indeed. One filled with soft music, a stringed instrument played by a woman with a lilting voice. She had auburn hair in loose waves around her shoulders and the vibrant green eyes most common in our kind. Not one uniform was to be found, no hint of our purpose.
Not one sword.
Slowly, I took in all I might gather. “I don’t recognize anyone.”
“A certain rank is required for admission to this courtyard. No recent graduate’s song has attracted any of the unmated males here. You are the first to draw one of our most powerful males in decades.”
Thoughts that several of these men may have been lonely for ages fostered an unwitting spark of sympathy in my breast. “I wonder why.”
“Some believe it is an act of God,” Cyderial said, patting where my hand rested in the crook of his elbow. “Others blame the humans for destroying the more volatile strains of vorec genetics that created the older generations. Then there is you, hope for all of them. Beautiful and stable. Brilliant. There is a reason they are staring at you right now. But you are mine—because I am the strongest and made myself worthy. Tell them that, and they may mimic my approach.”
Arrogance was not a trait I would have expected from the general I had known as a child. It needed to be checked. “Hiding children away while tormenting their friends?”
Nor was I sure I would refer to myself as stable.
Smirking, not at all rebuked, he growled lowly, “The practice of patience, my darling. The study of technique to help draw out a young virgin. I know how to stimulate every last nerve in your body, and you do enjoy my hands on you. Some of it, perhaps, is intuitive, but the greater study taught me how to do this.”
Dropping my arm, his fingers tripped up my spine, then dug in just enough that tension fell right out of my shoulders.
A hum of noise fell from my lips. “It’s unfair that you know how to make my body do that.”
With a dark chuckle, he said, “You are welcome to practice on me anytime you wish.”
“You practiced on someone?” Voice shrill, my tension rushed right back. All of it and then some as I glared wide-eyed at my mate.
And then I caught myself.
My kneejerk reaction had been unexpected for both of us, Cyderial quick to say, “Do you honestly think a man as devoted as I am could ever touch another woman? I have loved you with every beat of my hearts since I was born.” Utterly serious, he frowned. “Every choice I have made in my life has been with my mate in mind. Even in my academy years, I never crept around in the dark.”
I didn’t owe him any apologies, but the way he looked at me incited a streak of regret for things done in my youth. Things I had done because I was driven to them by this man.
“What were you like when you graduated?” I could hardly imagine him as anything other than he was now. A terrifying force of nature.
His fingers went back to working on my spine, the man thoughtful. “Spoiling for a fight. I know you won’t believe me, but the academy was much worse in my youth. Humans still controlled the inner workings; they conducted experiments on the recruits. It was difficult to survive. Once deemed suitable for service, I left that place and entered my name as a combatant for the arena. My frustrations with life were worked out on the sands. Over decades, I achieved rank enough to access the list, but no hybrid female sung for me. Human females, on the other hand, sought my attentions and earned my disgust. Composure and patience have been learned traits.”
It was hard to imagine. “You’ve always been so cold-blooded that it’s hard to envision you differently.”
Something dark shone from the back of his gaze. “I have always been cold-blooded, but I have not always been forbearing. It is best that you did not know me when I was younger. Things would have been much more difficult for you.”
Chilled, I looked away from the male and back at the courtyard. We had been noticed in our private moments; all eyes observed every movement we made. “You have properly chastised me. You win.”
My chin was caught, Cyderial turning my gaze to claim all my attention. “I thank God that I was forced to wait for you. I know you think me a brute, but I swear to you, I am not what I was. Young men are not equipped to handle their urges. They should not be entrusted with females. You are a living example of what is possible when a man learns control. Not one mated male here would have been capable of releasing his female from her nest so soon. Miranda’s ten years were not an exception. I am taking a great risk in showing the world what may be possible. Please do not make me regret it.”
He looked so earnest, a flash of desperation in his eyes, that I grew unnaturally shy. “I… suppose I should say thank you.”
Smirking, he seemed pleased with my response. “You’re welcome.”
With that, he ushered us forward out of the shadows.
Every step I took in that dress accentuated the swell of my belly. Though other women at the courtyard were similarly engorged, I was intensely uncomfortable to have their eyes on me. My goals in life had revolved around keeping my nose down, hoping I might be ignored. Now, I was the center of attention.
Even the music stopped.
In the static crowd, a blonde wisp of a woman began waving from across the yard. Miranda, in all her ethereal glory, grinned at us both.
Lips came to my ear, the unexpected touch enough to make me shiver. “Would you like a drink?”
Belly full as it was, I would not be thirsty for some time. “No.”
