Rema nodded, lifting his head to Sam. “Keep me updated. And good luck.”
“Will do. Talk to you soon,” Sam answered with a stern voice, her hologram winking out.
I sat back against him with a sigh, dropping the ball in my lap, my stomach twisting in knots. “Should we cancel the ceremonyand just focus on getting the Queen to give us support? Not that I want to postpone our marriage, but it seems sort of crazy to be getting married while our people are marching into battle, ya know?”
Maybe we rushed this. We were in the middle of a whole ass war, and we were getting married. Callie was missing, and we were getting married. Jack was gone and we were getting married. Had I let my hormones run the show for too long? I picked at my pants, twisting the fabric tightly between my fingers.
One of Rema’s hands gripped my knee, giving it a squeeze. “I know what you mean, but Patty, this could be years and years of war. I am of the mind to be your husband during all of those years. We must take our happiness when we can. So, no, we will not postpone.”
My throat tightened, a ball of emotions forming and pressure built behind my eyes. “Okay.”
He leaned in, kissing my forehead before pulling away. “And the Queen wouldn’t allow it, at any rate. Our marriage was one of her conditions for the hearing. She will not give her answer until after we’ve consummated our union.”
My back stiffened. Shit. I hadn’t known that.
“I may be able to shorten the ceremony by a day or two if that would help at all,” Lyees spoke up.
I straightened to look at her. “How so?”
She fluffed her feathers. “You could perform the Founding and Challenge on the same day, perhaps. It would make the fight more difficult, being in the maze, but it can be done. We could also see about canceling Quiet, and having Celebration early.”
That would bring us down to six days.
“We could also ask to have Presentation and Consummation done on the same day as well,” Rema added, his blush much lighter when he said it this time.
Lyees stood, nodding. “Yes. Yes, that is a possibility. I will speak to the Queen about this.” She smiled sadly at me, her wings folding in close to her body. “And Rema is right, Patty. The Queen wants you married. And at any rate, you can’t help them from here by fretting, just do what you came to do. You never know when you will get this opportunity again. Best to seize your happiness where you can as Rema said. I imagine this war to be a long one.” She clapped all four of her hands with an exhale of breath. “But for now, I will get her ready for this evening. The Queen is expecting us to be on time.”
Rema leaned over and kissed my cheek, whispering into my skin. “I know you are worried, but we will do all we can to get this done as quickly as possible, and then you and I can storm the front with my people at our backs.”
I turned into him, pressing my lips against his in a soft kiss before pulling away. “Alright.” I stood, looking between the two of them. “Alright, I got this. Let’s go then, Lyees. The faster we get this done, the faster we can get back to Korsal.”
Rema performed a small bow, and started heading to the door. “I will meet you in the dining hall. Good luck,” he said with solemn humor.
Why’d he say it like that?
I’d been waxed. Waxed within an inch of my life. She’d left me dolphin smooth. My poor vagina was bare. What kind of fucking monster had Rema left me with?
After the brutal waxing, I’d been scrubbed, polished, painted, braided and chained. The dress was in the Grecian design, soft purple, cinching tightly across my ribs with a wide gold belt, and damn near sheer enough to show nipples, but not quite. My scales were brought into sharp focus, from the ones on my gold painted toes and feet, to the ones splattered over my hips and sides exposed by the open cut of the dress. The front dipped down in a deep V between my breasts to showcase the scales covering my collarbone and scattered green freckles covering my chest.
My neck was completely covered in scales now, and Lyees had highlighted them by adding a gold choker that held a silver stone the exact color of Rema’s eyes. My hair had been pulled and wrenched until it was tamed into a crown of braids and curls piled on top of my head so that the scales along my spine could be seen, the back of the dress being backless helped too.
Gold paint lined my hands, drawing more attention to the blackened skin of my fingers. She’d even painted my claws gold. Dark Kohl lined my eyes, and combined with the gold paint on my lips, it created a bold look that only made me look meaner. Bitch face was on in full force.
I looked otherworldly, powerful, and amazingly stunning. Rema. Was. Doomed.
Fuck yes, I was awesome. And humble. I was very humble. Totally.
“There. You are perfect,” Lyees said, stepping away from me with a swish of her hands at the massive mirror in my closet— or dressing room as it was large enough to house couches and shelves now strewn with various articles of clothing.
She’d somehow also managed to get herself ready, wearing a dress similar to mine, but a deep blue and a headband made up of the alien white flowers I’d seen in the courtyard woven through her short blonde hair. She’d added dark blue painted glyphs to her hands and feet, as well as her face. She looked like a fairy princess, all light and softness. Standing next to me we looked like a pair of goddesses, one light and the other dark.
“Let’s go, before we are late.”
She took my arm, interlocking it with her lower arm, and led me out of my room, her skin was crazy soft, like running your hand over the finest silk, and her wing was stretched out slightly behind me, acting almost as a fifth hand at my back to guide me. The feathers were even softer than her skin. It was a really good thing I was secure in myself, or this female alien would give me a complex. There was some bi panic* going on in my head every time I looked at her. She even smelled like a fairy princess, a kind of smoky vanilla that blended nicely with the softly sweet taste of her friendly emotions.
Lyees was a swirling cloud of satisfaction in a job well done, which tasted like mint, and the fresh citrus of hopeful friendship.There was also a heady amount of anticipation, that mixed with arousal. Someone at the dinner was getting laid for sure. The only negative thing she was putting out was a slight burnt pecan taste that spoke of nervousness as we made our way down the hallway.
We didn’t speak as we swept past the hall that led to the courtyard and to the throne room, instead continuing straight. We took two turns, a left and then a right down identical halls until we came to massive double doors that stood open to the evening air. Sweet, floral scents drifted on the soft breeze as we exited the hallway. I came to a sudden stop, my eyes widening. Outside was a large oval courtyard of cobbled red stone walkways and gardens packed with brightly colored trees and flowers dotted with flowing fountains. The little fairies flitted all around the area, each a different fantastical color, their wings a glowing hue as they went about catching bugs on sickle claws.
