He glares at me from near the door. “Have you seen any females around here?”
“A few. Enough. I’m sure any one of them would hook up with you. And plenty of guys are also into men, especially in isolated communities like this where things can get lonely.”
Nik runs a hand over his scalp, fingers jumping agitatedly. “They are myapprentices. I would not put them in a position where they felt unable to refuse.”
“I’m sure they were willing. Everyone likes a stoic daddy type. You’ve probably had to beat them off with a stick,” I say, laughing.
A ghost of a smile crosses his face. “My sword, sometimes.”
“Anyway, you could have gone to Olethia to take care of that ‘sword’ problem. The pleasure workers there probably fall all over each other to serve you in any way you like.”
“You seem very concerned for my cock, Delphie,” he says. Is that a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth? No way.
I nod, playing along. “Deeply. My life’s mission is now getting you laid. I hope you know that.”
That little hint of a sense of humor evaporates. “I made a choice a long time ago to wait for my queen. I hoped...” Nik trails off, shaking his head.
I know what he’s leaving out. I guess we all hope for our soulmate to walk through the door someday. Most of us aren’t so lucky. It’s really sweet and romantic that he’s so dedicated to this woman he’s never met. He’s beendreamingof her, even if he won’t admit it.
“I sincerely hope you find her. Although if you really wanted to please her, you’d be fucking around as much as possible now so that you have some skills to impress her when she shows up.” I grin at him, but of course, he doesn’t smile back.
“She will appreciate that I have not wasted time with inferior females.”
“Willshe, though?” I cackle at his expression. I know I shouldn’t tease him so much, but goddamn, he is too serious. I like seeing his armor crack and his real self peek through.
“What skills?” he demands abruptly, leaning up against the door and crossing his arms, looking belligerent. “What would I need to learn to impress her?”
“I don’t know. Every woman is different. I’m sure you’ll figure it out when the time comes.”
“If you have knowledge to impart, I want to know. You will teach me.”
What?Is he asking for what it seems like he’s asking? No, he can’t be. “Do you want me totellyou orshowyou?”
“Whatever is most effective. I will be your apprentice.” With that terrifyingly cryptic reply, he pulls open the door to go. “You will remain here. I’ll have someone bring your meals. You’re not leave this room until I get back.”
“But—”
The door closes. The tiny room suddenly feels huge and empty now that he’s gone. What the hell just happened? I need to phone a friend to figure this out.
“Aqen!”
He pokes his head in the door. “What’s wrong?”
“What does it mean to be an apprentice?”
“It means you serve a warrior in any way they ask, and in return they impart their knowledge.”
“Impart...how? Like they tell you what to do? Give you a book to read?”
He frowns. “We learn from scrolls, certainly. But there is no substitute for practice. Jara Nik always says the mind can forget but the body does not. We fight, then he tells us what we did right and what we did wrong. And we fight again, for many hours every day.”
“Many hours,” I repeat stupidly, my brain hung up on the phrasethe mind can forget but the body does not. My body definitely does not forget what that big dick felt like.
“Yes,” Aqen agrees. “Until we are exhausted.”
Is that what Nik expects from me? Hours and hours oftraining? I was only playing around, but I think I might have accidentally signed up to be an alien king’s sex tutor.
Chapter 10
