sat. “Adem, this is Brianna.
Brianna, my husband Ademis.”
Brianna stared at him. She had thought that Chardadon was tall, but this man was at least another two or three inches taller.
He was also broader and more muscular, though he was certainly not the equal of Kahn.
Ademis grinned at her perusal and bowed. “So you’re the woman who is tying Char’s thoughts into knots,” he said as he put his arm around his wife’s shoulders.
Brianna felt her cheeks flush. Both Meri and her husband grinned wider.
“How do you do that?” Meri asked. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I can just tell I’m going to love your planets,” Brianna grumbled as she got to her feet. “Isn’t there a race anywhere else in the universe that blushes?”
“I’m afraid not, fair lady,” Ademis said as he took his daughter from his wife’s arms and lifted her high in the air.
She screamed with delight.
“You’d better burp her, my love,” Meri said dryly, “or you’ll end up with her supper on your head again.”
Brianna smiled at the picture in her mind.
“I didn’t expect to see you back so soon, Meri,” Ademis teased, handing Celene back to her mother so that she could nurse more. “There are still a few hours left until dinner.”
“Men!” Meri snorted as she caught Brianna’s eyes and shook her head. “It will require at least that amount of time for Brianna and me to get ready. You don’t expect us to wear just anything, do you?”
Celene chose that time to stop nursing and reach for her father. He grinned and took her into his arms. Meri buttoned her tunic and grabbed Brianna’s hand. “I knew she wasn’t that hungry. She’s just not used to not having me around. Having you here will be good for her. Now I can visit you and let Celene get used to being without me. You stay out of our bedroom, Ademis. We’ll come out when we’re ready.”
“Married barely two years and already I’m being denied access to our bedchamber. I had friends who warned me this would happen when I married out of the true bloodline.”
Meri laughed. “And I’ll bet every one of them was female.
Char’s sister-in-law was livid when Ademis married me,” she explained as they entered her bedroom where she stripped off her clothing and headed for the shower. “She’d already decided which of her full female friends would make the best wife for Ademis and wouldn’t listen when he said he wasn’t interested.
She wasn’t completely convinced he wouldn’t terminate our marriage until Celene was born.”
“Why didn’t Chardadon’s sister-in-law want you to marry Ademis?”
“She thinks full-blooded Drakians shouldn’t taint their bloodlines with ‘alien’ genes,” Meri answered from the shower.
“She certainly won’t be thrilled with me, then,” Brianna mumbled mostly to herself. “I guess she’s more of a barbarian than Char.”
Meri walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. “You called Char a barbarian? I’d have loved to see his reaction.
What did he do?”
Brianna began to blush and Meri began to laugh. “I think this marriage may work after all.”
Brianna groaned and flopped face down onto the bed. “Is there anyone on this ship who doesn’t know everything that’s happened to me since I got here?”
Meri grinned. “Of course, but those of us who will be closely involved with you have to know everything so we can help.”
“I feel like a biology experiment!”
Meri laughed again. “By the time I finish with you, Char will want very much to experiment.”
Brianna rolled over and stared morosely at the ceiling. “But what about what I want?”
Meri sat on the bed next to Brianna and began to brush her hair dry. “There’s nothing we would rather do than take you home, Brianna,” she said in a quiet voice. “Unfortunately, since Bakom knows you exist, Char would face legal ramifications you wouldn’t believe if he took you back. Besides, Bakom knows where
Brianna, my husband Ademis.”
Brianna stared at him. She had thought that Chardadon was tall, but this man was at least another two or three inches taller.
He was also broader and more muscular, though he was certainly not the equal of Kahn.
Ademis grinned at her perusal and bowed. “So you’re the woman who is tying Char’s thoughts into knots,” he said as he put his arm around his wife’s shoulders.
Brianna felt her cheeks flush. Both Meri and her husband grinned wider.
“How do you do that?” Meri asked. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I can just tell I’m going to love your planets,” Brianna grumbled as she got to her feet. “Isn’t there a race anywhere else in the universe that blushes?”
“I’m afraid not, fair lady,” Ademis said as he took his daughter from his wife’s arms and lifted her high in the air.
She screamed with delight.
“You’d better burp her, my love,” Meri said dryly, “or you’ll end up with her supper on your head again.”
Brianna smiled at the picture in her mind.
“I didn’t expect to see you back so soon, Meri,” Ademis teased, handing Celene back to her mother so that she could nurse more. “There are still a few hours left until dinner.”
“Men!” Meri snorted as she caught Brianna’s eyes and shook her head. “It will require at least that amount of time for Brianna and me to get ready. You don’t expect us to wear just anything, do you?”
Celene chose that time to stop nursing and reach for her father. He grinned and took her into his arms. Meri buttoned her tunic and grabbed Brianna’s hand. “I knew she wasn’t that hungry. She’s just not used to not having me around. Having you here will be good for her. Now I can visit you and let Celene get used to being without me. You stay out of our bedroom, Ademis. We’ll come out when we’re ready.”
“Married barely two years and already I’m being denied access to our bedchamber. I had friends who warned me this would happen when I married out of the true bloodline.”
Meri laughed. “And I’ll bet every one of them was female.
Char’s sister-in-law was livid when Ademis married me,” she explained as they entered her bedroom where she stripped off her clothing and headed for the shower. “She’d already decided which of her full female friends would make the best wife for Ademis and wouldn’t listen when he said he wasn’t interested.
She wasn’t completely convinced he wouldn’t terminate our marriage until Celene was born.”
“Why didn’t Chardadon’s sister-in-law want you to marry Ademis?”
“She thinks full-blooded Drakians shouldn’t taint their bloodlines with ‘alien’ genes,” Meri answered from the shower.
“She certainly won’t be thrilled with me, then,” Brianna mumbled mostly to herself. “I guess she’s more of a barbarian than Char.”
Meri walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. “You called Char a barbarian? I’d have loved to see his reaction.
What did he do?”
Brianna began to blush and Meri began to laugh. “I think this marriage may work after all.”
Brianna groaned and flopped face down onto the bed. “Is there anyone on this ship who doesn’t know everything that’s happened to me since I got here?”
Meri grinned. “Of course, but those of us who will be closely involved with you have to know everything so we can help.”
“I feel like a biology experiment!”
Meri laughed again. “By the time I finish with you, Char will want very much to experiment.”
Brianna rolled over and stared morosely at the ceiling. “But what about what I want?”
Meri sat on the bed next to Brianna and began to brush her hair dry. “There’s nothing we would rather do than take you home, Brianna,” she said in a quiet voice. “Unfortunately, since Bakom knows you exist, Char would face legal ramifications you wouldn’t believe if he took you back. Besides, Bakom knows where
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