Halt by Viola Grace Page B

his.
    Arkenor kissed her softly, nibbling at her lips before laving them with his tongue. “Not as long as I had hoped, but far better than I feared.”
    She took his lower lip between her teeth for a moment. “That hand thing was very sneaky. Please tell me that if I look down, they won’t be there.”
    She felt the hands disappear from her skin, and he gave her an innocent look.
    “What hands?” He grinned, and the kiss went from gentle to savage.
    A bot waving a white napkin appeared in the room, looked around and then chirped.
    Tazzy groaned. “What meal are we late for?”
    He looked at the sun streaming through the window. “I think it is lunch.”
    “Fine. Back to the uniform.”
    “Like hell. Wear a day skirt and the beaded top.”
    He lifted her and carried her into the solar shower. They were clean in a matter of minutes, and she frowned at the clothing a moment later. “This isn’t a beaded top. It is beads as a top.”
    Her skirt was a nice breathable fabric, but the top was made entirely of beaded necklaces joined into a long and wide cascade of jade and black. It was as low in back as it was in front and weighed about five pounds.
    “It looks lovely. I am going to have a chat with my family and get some of the family jewels set for you.” Arkenor grinned.
    She paled, “You can’t be serious.”
    “I can. My family is very aware of my Guardian placement and the reasons for it. Sollas is the official heir as my damaged genetics alter my suitability as heir to the throne.”
    She blinked. “Really? I mean, if your children are fine, then what would the problem be?”
    “That is just it. I do not yet have children and cannot prove their suitability, as they do not exist. Inheritance is a tricky thing.” He shrugged and put on the formal skirt from the night before and then offered her his hand.
    She slipped her hand into his and walked with him to the dining room.
    Quell and Flick got to their feet when she entered.
    “Silver was right, you do clean up well when you choose to.” Flick grinned.
    She looked at her ex-partner. “You said that?”
    “Well, remember Jerrilon? You were amazing under cover and devastating in elegant gowns at reception after reception.” He kissed the back of her hand.
    She narrowed her eyes at him while she took her seat. “That was work. The dresses were returned to the quartermaster the moment the assignments were done.”
    He sighed and sat next to her. “I am aware. However, now, we will have a little spare time and the occasional trip to the capitol to visit my family. You will need to dress as etiquette dictates.”
    She leaned back. “I am going to be visiting your family? Sollas will enjoy that.”
    He went from affable to bristling in a moment. “My brother will keep his distance or he will get the wrong end of my temper.”
    The bots began to serve lunch.
    Tazzy remembered something from her first meeting with Sollas. “He knows about me, doesn’t he?”
    Everyone was looking at Silver. He cleared his throat. “Yes, when I returned home, I was a little distraught. My family wanted to know the details, and as I was not yet a Guardian, I told them.”
    She blinked. “So, Sollas was after me because of who I had been to you.”
    “Eventually, yes. Initially, he simply wanted you because you are you and very attractive. He has always enjoyed women who were willing to stand up to him and order him around.”
    “I certainly did that.” She chuckled.
    He growled. “He is going to stay clear of you, or I will alert our parents. My mother is even more fearsome than you, my dear. She will sort him out.”
    “When will this meeting occur?” She raised her eyebrows.
    “As soon as I can arrange it. There is protocol to adhere to.”
    She settled in to sip the soup that the bots brought. Soon seemed pleasantly amorphous, so she decided to live in the now.
     
    Soon showed up one week later. With their uniforms packed in case of emergency, Silver and Halt