Bianca D'Arc (11 page)

She turned to him, a presence in her that was not
completely Della. Alex realized he was seeing some aspect of the
jit’suku Goddess possessing his lover. He grew worried for
Della.

“
Your feelings do you honor,
warrior.” Della’s glowing eyes turned to him, capturing him within
Her shining brilliance. “You have My blessing on your union with
this woman, an oracle of Mine since the time of her foremothers.
Her line will continue to breed oracles to serve Me and they will
be of both peoples until such time as the two become
one.”

“
Yes, Mother.” Alex remembered
Della’s preference for thinking of the Goddess in the form of the
Mother, the giver of life. This was the aspect he saw now, looking
out of Della’s eyes. The Goddess presence turned to the Council
once more.

“
Listen well and remember. When
the Velkir appear, then is the time to lay down your swords. When
all hope is lost for the jit’suku, look to My warrior women to save
all our people. To the Zenai, I leave the task of remembering My
words and acting on them when the time comes.”

“
We hear and remember, blessed
Lady. It is our honor to serve You.” Again the High Priest
addressed the light in the dome above.

Alex looked up but it was just a ball of light. He
didn’t see what the jit’suku apparently did. He was more concerned
with Della’s wellbeing. This had to be taking a lot out of her. He
stood ready to catch her when the presence finally left.

And leave it did. With an audible pop, the light
went out. The electric field left from around Della’s body and she
slumped. Alex caught her, holding her close against him.

“
I’ve got you, baby. Hang
on.”

“
I’m okay, Alex. Just drained. I
can’t believe that just happened.” Her whispered words were for him
alone.

Alex turned his head, kissing her cheek, her eyes,
her mouth... anywhere he could reach. She was so precious to him
and she’d just been through an ordeal the likes of which he’d never
even imagined.

“
How is she?” Theos approached
cautiously.

“
Weak,” Alex said abruptly. His
focus was on her. He didn’t want to have to answer questions. Not
now. These bastards had just put Della through some kind of
spiritual ringer. He was through dancing to their tune. They could
make him suffer all they liked, but when they messed with Della,
they went too far.

“
I’m okay.” Della fought against
his hold, but he wouldn’t let her go. Not completely. Never
again.

She settled for turning halfway in his arms as he
supported her. She was still too shaken to stand on her own.

“
I’ll be fine in a minute or two,”
she tried to assure Theos. The older man snapped his fingers and a
chair was brought to her. Alex settled her into it, then crouched
at her side, chafing her cold hands to bring some warmth back to
them. He felt like the sun had come out on a cloudy day when she
smiled at him.

After the chaos of the room settled down and color
began to return to Della’s pale cheeks, the High Priest called for
order. He was clearly thrown by the events of the past minutes, as
was everyone else around them. They looked at Della with varying
degrees of alarm and reverence.

“
The Lady’s will is clear,” the
High Priest began. “Clearer than it has been in centuries, in
fact,” he added with a choked laugh. The air of giddiness was
clear. These true believers had just had a visitation. Most of them
were still reeling from what had happened. “Alexander Hambly, son
of Theos, is granted the rank of novitiate.”

Thunderous applause broke out in the chamber. Alex
only nodded in acceptance, his attention still focused on
Della.

“
Alex,” she prodded him. “You have
to do the rest of it. Get it over with now, to settle the question.
You’re in danger until you do it.”

“
Are you well enough to sit
through this?”

She nodded encouragingly. “Do it now, Alex. It will
let us both rest easier.”

“
Councilors.” Alex stood to get
their attention. “High Priest.” He acknowledged the older man. “I
wish to perform the ceremony of renunciation.”

“
Now?” The High Priest looked
crestfallen. No doubt he wanted to scurry off somewhere to jot down
his impressions of the Goddess’s visit but this business had to be
attended to first. The man seemed to come to his senses. “Of
course. It should be done right away. Very well.”

They spent the next twenty minutes performing a very
arcane ritual that forever separated Alex, all his heirs and his
brothers—all those who had been made like him—from any claim on the
imperial throne. The vows were duly witnessed and recorded, to be
kept confidential within the Council until such time as they were
needed.

Which would be never. Alex didn’t want anything to
do with the empire. He wanted to get himself and Della out of this
insane galaxy as soon as possible.

Chapter Ten

They were housed within the temple complex for the
night. Theos sent Doctor Terva to check on Della, for which Alex
was thankful. She was weak and still shaky an hour after the
visitation. Or whatever that was. Terva took some readings to
indicate higher levels of certain neuroreceptors and an elevated
bioradiation level that was harmless but odd in the extreme.

“
You have the priests in an
uproar,” Terva said conversationally as he packed his equipment in
preparation for departure. “But nobody will tell me
why.”

“
My Della likes to stir things
up.” Alex tousled her hair, placing a kiss on the crown of her
head.

“
The men on the ship had some
interesting things to say about you, my lady. Most claim you are a
seer, though I have never encountered such things outside of
folktales. I am a man of science.”

Alex burst out laughing. “Forgive me, doctor. I was
skeptical, like you, before I started hanging around with Della.
For what it’s worth, she does have the gift of foresight. A
vision—or something—hit her while she was talking to the priests.
It seemed to impress them.” Alex was leaving a lot out, but he
wasn’t prepared to talk about things best kept private.

“
Whatever happened has left her
slightly anemic. That is easily remedied.” Terva handed her a small
packet from his satchel. “Take that with your dinner and all should
be back to normal by morning. Rest assured, it will not harm the
baby.”

“
Baby?” Della and Alex spoke at
the same moment.

“
You didn’t know? You’re pregnant,
my lady. She seems healthy and developing well.”

“
A little girl.” Della’s eyes
filled with wonder as she turned her gaze to Alex. He was floored
by the news. Never in a million years would he have dreamed he
could be so blessed.

The doctor left them with little fanfare. He
probably realized he’d shocked them. Alex saw a secretive little
smile on his face as Terva left, but Alex forgot him as soon as he
was out the door, focusing solely on Della. He knelt at the side of
her chair.

“
Did you mean what you said
before?” He had to know. “Do you really love me?”

“
Oh, Alex.” Her hand rose to cup
his cheek. The expression on her face gave him hope. “I’ve loved
you from almost the first moment I saw you. Without you, my life is
incomplete.”

He put his arms around her and drew her close,
folding his body into hers, his head resting beneath her chin,
against her breast. He heard her heart beating fast, matching the
excited rhythm of his.

“
I feel the same.” His words were
a harsh whisper. “I don’t deserve you. I shouldn’t ask, but I can’t
live without you, Della.” He drew back to look deep into her eyes.
“Will you marry me, my love?”

Tears welled and her lips curved upward in the most
beautiful of smiles. “Yes, Alex. Oh, yes!”

He stood, scooping her into his arms as he took her
to bed. All else could wait. He had to make love to her now. To
seal the happiest moment of his life with a kiss, a touch, a
sharing of their mutual passion.

He undressed her with trembling hands. It was all
new between them. This time, when they came together, it would be
in love. No more hiding. No more denial. Everything was bright and
shiny, bathed in the light of their love.

When they were both naked, he lay down beside her on
the wide bed. His fingers trailed over her soft skin.

“
You are so beautiful, Del.” His
hand stopped to rest over her abdomen, where the life they’d
created now lay. “I can’t believe you’re pregnant with my
child.”

“
Neither can I.” Her hand covered
his, pressing gently. “I’ve always wanted a family. After I met
you, I couldn’t picture anyone else as the father of my babies.”
She chuckled. “That probably sounds silly.”

He leaned down to kiss her hand, entwined with his.
“It’s not silly at all. I never dared dream about children. I
thought that possibility was forever over for me. But I know you
are the only woman in the universe I’d want to have children with.
You’re going to be a wonderful mother, Della.”

“
You won’t mind that our little
girl will probably have prophetic visions? They came to me young. I
was barely a teen when I first started experiencing them.” She
looked genuinely worried.

“
As long as you don’t mind that
she’ll be part jit’suku. I honestly didn’t know the DNA therapy
they’d given me had turned me into a hybrid. But I can’t bring
myself to regret the changes they made.”

“
She’ll be ours. A part jit’suku
seer. I wonder if your genes will make her gifts stronger or if
they’ll have a dampening effect?”

“
Judging by my experience, the
mixing of DNA seems to amplify native abilities, so who knows?” He
kissed her tummy and worked his way up to her breasts, nibbling on
them as she began to squirm beneath him in need. “As you said,
she’ll be ours. She’ll be loved.” He nibbled on her skin between
each soft spoken word. “As I love you. With all my
heart.”

“
Oh, Alex.” She gasped as he
sucked her nipple into his mouth. One of his hands toyed with her
other breast, while his other hand went to the juncture of her
thighs, delving between.

Alex had always touched her with love. She realized
that now. Their feelings were finally out in the open and she was
able to give him everything—her body, her heart, her soul. The
miracle was that he gave her the same in return.

Even when they were at their most frantic, Alex
always came to her with love in his every touch, his every gesture.
As he was doing now. His fingers delved inside her as his mouth
moved downward. Before she knew it, he had her spread before him,
and his lips had zeroed in on her clit. Teasing licks drove her
wild and a keening cry escaped from her lips.

“
That’s what I like to hear.” His
breath floated across her sensitized skin, making her shiver. His
tongue made fluttery little forays across her clit, driving her
wild with need. In the relatively short time they’d been together,
he had already mastered her body. He knew just how to touch to make
her crazy.

“
Alex...” She couldn’t form a
coherent sentence when his fingers slid into her, scissoring around
as he searched for that magical spot that would make her come. He’d
discovered it a few days ago and had been torturing her in the most
delicious ways ever since.

“
Come for me, my love. Come for me
and then we’ll come together. I promise.”

“
Want you, Alex.” Her head
thrashed from side to side as he found the magic button and rubbed.
She screamed his name as she came, writhing beneath his big body as
he held her steady throughout, anchoring her in the maelstrom of
pleasure he’d created just for her.

As her climax began to ebb, Alex positioned himself
over her, between her legs and slid home. She sobbed with relief as
he filled her. This is the way it was meant to be. The two of them,
joined as one. Caring for each other. Fulfilling each other.
Forever.

“
I love you, Alex.” She nibbled on
his earlobe as he began to move within her.

“
You’re everything to me, Della.”
He lifted to place gentle kisses all over her face, sliding slow
and deep, stealing her breath with his every provocative motion. He
filled her completely, his warmth and weight over her felt
protective and necessary. His scent enveloped her, driving her
higher as he sped his pace.

Alex sat up with an abrupt motion, startling her. He
wore a wicked smile on his handsome face as his gaze dropped from
her face, lingered on her breasts, then settled on the place where
they were joined. He had her spread wide, lifted up to rest on his
thighs as he pumped within her tight sheath.

“
Just look at that, baby. Look at
us together.”

She followed his direction, able to see a little of
what he could view from above. His hands spread her wider, exposing
her clit as he began to rub intently on the distended nub.

“
Alex... please...” He kept
rubbing, using circular motions that made her quiver around him.
Her eyes shut in ecstasy as she came again, higher and harder this
time. Alex only grinned as he began to stroke deep again, varying
his thrusts to keep her on the razor’s edge.

He lowered himself over her again. She loved it best
when they were face to face. She loved watching his expression go
from mastery to mayhem when he finally lost control. Each time was
precious to her. She’d thought for so long that they’d never be
together. He was still a miracle to her. This entire situation was
surreal in the extreme. Alex loved her. He’d told her so. And she’d
admitted her feelings to him. She’d honestly thought it would never
happen.