Dark Princess: Shadows (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance #89)

58. Morelle

58

MORELLE

A fter Ell-rom and Kian left, Annani led Morelle and Brandon to a room that was much larger than the one Morelle had occupied in the temple, with a massive bed that could have slept four acolytes comfortably.

A plush couch and an armchair created an intimate seating area, and floor-to-ceiling bookcases lined one wall, filled with volumes she couldn't read but wished she could.

Books were cherished on Anumati, or at least they had been when she was an acolyte, and religious texts were copied by hand. She and Ell-rom had been tasked with that project since they were old enough to produce the beautiful penmanship required, and it had been boring and arduous, and the subject matter wasn't any better. After a while, she'd stopped paying attention to the words she was copying, and it had become a routine chore.

"You need to sit down." Brandon guided her to the couch and lowered her to a sitting position as if he feared that her thigh muscles weren't strong enough to complete the movement without assistance.

The truth was that her legs still felt weak, even wobbly, and her arms weren't much better, but she was determined to build her strength back quickly.

One of the Odus, she couldn't tell them apart, entered the room behind them. "If Mistress will allow, I will unpack your belongings and arrange them in the closet."

Morelle tensed involuntarily. Despite what Brandon had told her, she still didn't feel comfortable around the Odus.

Brandon caught the hesitance in her expression. "Thank you, but I'll handle it." He smiled at the Odu. "I haven't even seen what's in these packages myself."

"Well, I will leave you to it." Annani excused herself. "If you need me, I will be in the living room."

"Thank you for hosting me," Morelle said.

Annani smiled. "It is my pleasure, sister of mine." She laughed. "I just love saying the words sister and brother." She flounced out the door, leaving them alone with the mountain of packages.

"You didn't buy all of this?" Morelle asked after the door closed behind Annani.

She had assumed that he bought the items himself, but she should have realized that he hadn't had time to do so unless commerce could be conducted during the night on Earth.

"I know a lady who specializes in putting together wardrobes for performers." Brandon crouched next to a pile of boxes but then looked up at her. "Do you have performers on Anumati?"

"The gods have professional performers who get paid for playing fictional characters, but the Kra-ell consider that frivolous. Performances are done only by warriors to enact stories of famous battles. They also dance and sing."

"Well, here on Earth, we have professional performers who get paid a lot of money for what they do because people are willing to pay to see the fictional stories they bring to life. Your brother's mate is a professional performer, so maybe you shouldn't sound so dismissive of her chosen profession when she wakes up. Also, up until recently, I was involved in producing those fictional stories, which was how I knew a professional wardrobe procurer."

That was what Morelle wanted to hear more about. She needed to know what the female meant to Brandon. "How did the lady who bought all these things know what will fit me?"

"I sent her your measurements and some general guidelines. Melinda has excellent taste, and she gets what I want."

The fondness and appreciation in his voice when he said the woman's name made something dark curl in Morelle's stomach. Was this Melinda a former paramour? Or perhaps a current one?

"This Melinda, how close is she to you?"

Brandon paused in his unpacking, turning to look at her with an expression of confusion that quickly shifted to understanding. "She's a professional who provides a service, nothing more. She's never been my lover if that's what you're asking."

"But there have been others." The words came out almost accusatory.

He left the box open on the floor and sat beside her on the couch, close enough that she could feel his warmth but not quite touching. "Yes, there have been others. I was not a celibate priest, and I am also not an inexperienced youth."

"How many?" The question burned in her throat.

"Quite a lot. They were all human, and none of them meant much to me. They couldn't have because there was no point in getting attached to someone who could not be mine forever. Besides, none of them kindled in me the kind of feelings that you do." His eyes held hers. "I've never experienced anything like this connection with anyone before."

"You don't even know me," Morelle protested, but her heart was racing at his words and his proximity.

"I think I do." Brandon pulled her into his arms. "May I kiss you, Princess Morelle?"

His lips were hovering so close to hers that all she needed to do to join them was move forward a fraction.

That was all the permission he needed, and as he took over the kiss, the avalanche of sensations and feelings Morelle felt was indescribable. This was fire and need and something that squeezed her heart and filled it at the same time, the intensity making her head spin.

She had no reference for this, no way to know how to respond, and no way to know what to do with her tongue and her hands. Acting on instinct, her hands found their way to his shoulders as she pressed herself closer to his chest, wanting more of this incredible sensation.

She felt as though she was simultaneously drowning and flying.

When they finally broke apart, she was breathing heavily, her whole body tingling with awareness. If one kiss could feel like this, she wanted hundreds more, thousands. She wanted to spend eternity learning every possible way to kiss Brandon.

"That's how well I know you," he said softly, his forehead resting against hers. "I don't need words or time to recognize what's between us. My whole existence, I've been waiting for you without even knowing it."

Morelle lifted a shaking hand to touch her lips, which still burned from his kiss. Everything she had thought she knew about what happened between a female and a male needed to be rewritten.

"Kiss me again!" she half pleaded, half demanded.

"Always."