Alien Romance: RAYER: Space Warrior's Mail Order Bride (Space Beasts Book 2) (9 page)

              At ground level, the ‘city’ looked more like a small township.  There were children, boys as far as Cole had noticed, running and playing.  The markets were filled with oddly large items.  There were fountains and pretty green spaces littered under the densely leaved branches of the sprawling trees.  She had expected to be able to see the floating island that poured the torrent of water over the town, but she couldn’t see anything through the thick foliage – in fact, the lower level was lit with the same glowing orbs that were scattered over the High Royal Compound.

              “Are you hungry?”  Rayer asked through the wafting mist.

              “Starving,” Cole replied. 
Where is there anywhere to eat?  I haven’t seen anything the whole time we have been wandering around.

              “We’ll go to the market.  They have an excellent selection.”  Rayer squeezed her hand that he had refused to let go of and led her toward the base of a large tree. 

              We were already at the market…I didn’t see anything there.
  Rayer pushed aside a large drape that fluttered over the trunk of the tree.  He pulled Cole beneath the swath of fabric.  Her eyes widened at the stairs that were seemed to grow out of the trunk of the tree.  They spiraled, first along the outside of the tree, and then they seemed to disappear into the trunk of the tree. 

              Rayer dragged her up the steps.  When they were several full turns off the ground, Cole found that the stairs did disappear into what was an otherwise hollow trunk.  When the stairs opened again, Cole found herself in a bustling metropolis.  The trees were connected by sprawling catwalks that stretched over the interwoven limbs.  The trunks of the trees were bulged in at intervals, within the bulges were shops, gathering spaces, eateries, and judging by the clothes strung from lines over some of the balconies the people of the city had made their homes in the trees, not on the ground.  The walkways seemed to extend on for miles.  Ribbons and banners were strung in open space and in some places, the canopy opened to let in bright splotches of daylight.  The breaches in the canopy also allowed Cole to see the hovering waterfall and the splash of rainbows streaking through the mist.  The hovering water droplets seemed to glow and throw their own miniature rainbows through the city.

              Cole had been awestruck by the 500 levels on Earth, but she now saw that there likely wasn’t anywhere on Earth as beautiful as the Forest City.

*

Rayer delighted in Coletta’s awe of the Forest City.  There were few places, in his opinion, that had a hope of comparing with the explosions of color and bustling energy he had only ever found on his home world.

              “It’s incredible,” she whispered up to him.

              “Yes, it is.  There is an excellent eatery not far from here, come.  I think you will enjoy their offerings.

*

Cole sagged at the base of the tower stairs; she leaned against the wall for a moment.  Her pause at the base of the stairs drew Rayer up short.  He turned and stared down at her from the second of an obscene number of stairs.

              “You go on ahead, I think I am just going to spend the night here,” she told him as she tugged lightly on the hand he was getting into the habit of possessing.

              “You are tired.”

              “And there are a lot of stairs.”  Cole tossed a smile up at him and tugged on her hand again.  “Really, I’ll come up in a bit.”

              “No.  If I leave you here, you are going to fall asleep on the stairs.”

             
Well that had been the plan.  I can deal with a day of soreness.
  Cole didn’t have the opportunity to argue with Rayer.  He stepped back down the stairs and before she realized what he was doing, much less could stop him; the big alien released her hand only to scoop her up against his chest.

              “What are you doing?  Have you lost your mind?”  Cole squealed.  No one had picked her up since she was a small child and certainly not since she had reached an adult size.

              “I have not.  And I am going to take you to bed.”

              “I am too heavy for you to carry all the way up there.  Put me down before we both fall and die.”  Apparently, Rayer found Cole’s comment to be entertaining as he let out a short laugh. 

              “Hardly.  I could carry a little thing like this all day and not be winded.”

              “What?” 
Little?
  Cole pushed herself past his use of the word little and thought about the whole boast.  “Sure you could,” she sneered.  “If that were possible, you are in no way human!”

              “No, I am Sii.”  He smoothly retorted with an arrogant smirk.  “I am different from the weak males that you are used to.”  Cole was startled as she realized the weight of his boast and then as he proved himself correct and carried her straight to bed and another night of carnal pleasure.

              Before either of them stirred on their own, or at the prodding of the other, a brisk knock sounded on the bedroom door.  Rayer turned over and sat on the side of the bed before the door swung open to reveal the intruder.

              “Hanneth.”  Rayer sighed.

              “High Prince,” Hanneth replied quietly, his quick eyes taking in the rumpled bedding and the cloud of black to gold curls scattered over the cushions behind Rayer.  “Your father requests your presence at the meeting of the Royal Houses.  You and Princess Coletta are expected to attend the evening meal, which the representatives will be joining.”

              Rayer sighed – he truly loathed the politics of dealing with the other Royal Houses, unfortunately it was required as a High Royal.  “When is the meeting?”

              “It is slated to begin soon.  The evening meal will be chimed as usual.  Princess Coletta should allow Shali and Glanna to dress her – I will tell them to be up here with plenty of time.”  Hanneth turned to leave the room.  “We will see you down in the House chamber immediately, High Prince,” Hanneth tossed over his shoulder as he strode down the stairs into the bathing chamber.

              Rayer raked his fingers through his long hair and sighed into the quiet room. 

              “I suppose they were only going to allow us to duck everyone for a couple of days.”  Rayer turned at the sound of Coletta’s voice.

              “It appears that way.  Unfortunately, these meetings tend to go all day – you will have to entertain yourself, I am afraid.”

              “I am sure I can find something to do.  Maybe I will be able to find all of my things that Sigert’ech removed from my apartment.”

              “Hah, well that is a good productive goal.  And before you ask, no, I have no idea where your things were put.  Are you going to bring them here?  To the tower?”

              “That was my plan…is that alright?”

              “Of course.  If you need to reorganize things, feel free to do so, just be sure to tell me later where you moved what.” 

              “Absolutely,” Coletta returned with a smile.

              “Good.  Take your time getting up.  No sense in rushing.”  Before he realized he was, Rayer turned fully so that he could lean over the pretty dark-golden woman and kiss her softly.  Before the kiss could get heated, Rayer heard a low gong signaling the imminent start of the meeting.  Sighing, he stood and proceeded to dress.  Coletta lounged among the twisted bedclothes, the wild tumble of her hair fluffed around her face and shoulders, as she watched him dress.

              At the door, Rayer looked back and let his gaze linger over her lush curves as she settled back down to sleep a bit more of the morning away.

*

              Cole finally dragged herself out of bed.  Rayer had been gone a few hours before she finally decided to get up and face the day.  A flash of red that she hadn’t noticed in recent days caught her attention out of the corner of her eye.  She wandered over to a bench set into a bubble of windows that domed out into the air from the side of the high tower room.  Spread across the bench was a kaftan of swirling reds from flame, orange-tinted red to a hue as pure crimson as blood.  Beside it lay a pair of red slippers that looked as if they should fit her feet. 

              Nude, Cole tested the slippers before ever touching the iridescent red robe.  She was delighted to find that they fit.  Cole lifted the robe, and wearing only the slippers, she wandered from the bedroom down the flight of stairs into the room directly underneath.  The bathing chamber was an open space of stone with fountaining fixtures to splash or pour water.  Laying the red garment on a safely distanced bench, and leaving the shoes with it, Cole made her way over to the sunken pool.  She found it empty, but apparently her presence was detected by some sensor as the pool began to rapidly fill with scented water.  

             
Well that was probably one of the most luxurious things I have ever done. 
Dressed in the soft, flowing red kaftan and matching slippers, Cole decided that she had had enough with indolence – it was hard to break the habit or working every day and as far as her subconscious was concerned she needed to go back to work.  Cole’s feet tapped on stone as she made her way down the stairs down from the tower.

              Her appearance startled one of the older women that worked in the compound.  Seeking to soften the woman’s surprise, Cole figured that she should be sociable.

              “Hello,” Cole offered with her waitressing smile.

              “Oh!  Good day Princess Coletta.”  Cole managed to still the wince she instinctually felt at being called ‘Coletta.’  Deciding that it was probably best to just ask her questions instead of correcting the woman on a preferred nickname, Cole continued.

              “Yes.  Umm, I was wondering, do you know where my personal effects brought from Earth have been stored?  Or who I should ask that might know.”

              “Hanneth would most likely know, but he is in session with the Royal Houses.”

              “Anyone else?”

              “Perhaps Lahla, Hanneth’s…person.”

              “Alright, where would I find her?”

              The woman cleared her throat awkwardly, “him…”

              “Pardon?”

              “Lahla is a man.”

              “Oh, OK.  Well where would I find him?”

              “I-I’ll take you Princess.”  Cole didn’t bother to quell the cringe at the title once the woman turned away to lead her to Hanneth’s man.

*

Despite his feminine name, or perhaps in spite of his feminine name, Lahla was a boisterous man nearly as tall and broad as Rayer.

              “Princess Coletta, I am honored to have the pleasure of meeting you.  My mate told me it would be inappropriate for him to introduce us at so early a stage.  Please, how may I be of service?”

             
Ok, I officially like him better than his
mate
.  Why can’t Hanneth be as friendly?

              “Thank you for the warm welcome.  It was suggested that you might know where all of my things, brought from Earth ended up.”

              “Oh yes.  That I do.  I take it that you are staying in the tower then?”

              “Yes, was it not expected that I be?”

              “I think that because the High King and Queen maintain separate spaces that it would be the same for you and the High Prince.”  Lahla explained.

              Cole glanced around and saw that she and the large Sii man were alone.  “You don’t like her.”

              “Like who?”

              “The Queen.  Montala,” Cole clarified.

              Lahla glanced around himself before answering, “Princess, you will be hard pressed to find anyone who does.”  As a couple of women entered the room, Lahla instantly changed topics, “Now, I believe that your things were put in a chamber in the Zural wing.  I will show you.”

              “Zural?”

              “It is a treasured stone of our world – all of the rooms in that wing have been decorated in its color.”

*