Discovery (Hybrid Book 1) (8 page)

Being deceptive to a sexual partner was far more of a social crime than having multiple partners who knew they were merely enjoying the other’s body. Those rules might not apply here, and if she created a diplomatic incident, Connor would be furious.

Watching the world go by out of the carriage window, silently as the shadows lengthened would undoubtedly be a safer option than sparring with Tenset. He was obviously far more experienced at this game, and she hated being at a disadvantage. And she’d remain at a disadvantage for the rest of her life if she always ran away from situations such as this.

Pushing down her nerves, she decided that this could actually be a useful experience. ‘Chaperone Connor’ wasn’t around, and it was unlikely she’d come across Lord Tenset again in her life. Therefore, if it all went horribly wrong, she wouldn’t have to relive the experience every time she saw him. Maybe it was time she got a little experience with interpersonal relationships that didn’t involve work, or Connor. Other people had physical relationships just for fun, so why shouldn’t she?

How long did they have for ‘fun’ before they got to the Palace and the boring reception? If she timed it correctly, their arrival might stop anything going too far.

Shuttle ports were quite a distance from the main centres of population, in case of accidents, so she knew the journey wasn’t going to be a matter of minutes, but they’d been travelling for half an hour now, and it was getting increasingly dark. Something started to niggle at the back of her mind. Although they were currently travelling through a dense forested area, they’d passed cultivated fields nearer the shuttle port. The ride of the carriage was certainly getting a little rougher. Was the palace not in the main city?

She was about to ask, when a particularly large bump had her steadying herself with a hand to the side. She pulled it back quickly when it didn’t connect with the seat cushion, but with a firmly muscled thigh.

“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to grab you.” She felt her face heat and hoped that the rapidly lowering light levels and her complexion hid the blush.

“That’s a shame, because I know I’d enjoy it if you did decide to ‘grab’ me. In fact, I’d quite enjoy a little ‘grabbing’ myself.”

A half smile curled his lips before he leaned closer, until his lips were only a hair's breadth from hers.

This is moving a little fast, she decided. Is he only going to kiss me?  Or do a little ‘grabbing’? After a brief moment of panic, she realized that she wasn’t entirely against the idea.  He was a handsome, experienced man, and although he was clearly irritatingly aware of that fact, kissing him could be one of those ‘interesting new experiences,’ she’d been thinking about.

Tenset leaned in the last inch slowly, and kissed her lips gently. Her eyes closed as she felt his confident, full lips on hers. This was undoubtedly rather nice she concluded. His hand touched her cheek, and as her lips parted a little, his hand pushed into her hair and the kiss became a little more forceful. An ache started between her legs and she became more aware of her breasts than she ever had before.

Chesara decided kissing Tenset was rather a good way to spend a journey, and she lifted a hand to see if his hair actually was as silky as it looked, and it was. The surprisingly rough hand touching her knee felt hot enough to brand her skin and it sent sparks flashing through her belly. No wonder people spent so much time making out, this felt great. The ‘sensible’ part of her brain started to consider how far this was going to go, how far she should let it go. Connor had said they didn’t know what would happen when she became sexually active, and so far for her, puberty hadn’t proceeded as normal. Chesara didn’t menstruate or have hair down below, although apart from that, her body seemed as feminine as other women’s.

As his hand started to creep up her bare inner thigh, she argued with herself. One part was thoroughly enjoying the experience. But the other part was imagining Connor’s disapproving face, and what Tenset would think when he found her hairless. Would the ‘fashion’ story work for that to?

His finger reached her panties, and stroked her through the silk, just once. She stiffened. He smiled against her mouth, then moved both his lips and hand away.

“Maybe we should wait until later to carry on our ‘conversation.” He smiled whilst readjusting the strips of cloth to cover her legs again.

Chesara just sat and looked at him, not entirely sure what was going on. When he’d touched her through her panties the spark it’d cause had been electric. Was he covering the fact he didn’t like what he’d touched, or was he genuinely wanting to go further once they reached a suitably private place?

She had her heart set on the second option, because good Goddess, it had felt fantastic. His withdrawal left her confused and flustered, and she really needed to know what he was planning.

Using his ‘conversation’ metaphor, should she ask him just how far he wanted to take this ‘conversation’ and that she’d quite like to ‘chat’ a bit more? She grinned at the idea of declaring herself a confirmed ‘chatterbox’ and jumping on him. The moment passed without her saying anything.

Feeling his eyes still on her, she turned to the window and decided that the view of endless dark trees was particularly compelling.

Tenset broke the tense silence. “I’m sorry, but I have to break our journey briefly.  I have a friend here that I’d just like to pop in to see if she’s alright.”

She frowned at him. “You mean you’re going to see one of your girlfriends whilst I sit out here like an idiot. I knew you were a pajillero.” Feeling embarrassment turn to anger, she folded her arms, stiff as a board. Just her bloody luck. The first man to ever show an interest in her as a female not a freak was taking her on a tour of his girlfriends. If he expected her to just sit out here while he ‘relieved some tension, the smug bastard had another thing coming. She was about to let him have it with both barrels when he spoke up again.

“Roseanne and I grew up together. A fall from a horse broke her back a year ago, and I try to pop in whenever I can. She gets very bored just lying in bed.”

Mortification swept over her like a tsunami. What a completely idiotic bitch she was, always thinking the worst of people. On a planet like this, anything other than a simple fracture, without any neural cord damage wasn’t likely to heal, the hospital facilities weren’t capable of complex microscopic neurosurgery. Condemning a girl to a life of disability when she could do something about it, just wasn’t on the cards.

“What’s a pajillero?” he asked.

“Never mind. Do you mind if I come in with you?” She watched as he rubbed his jaw considering her request, she certainly wasn’t going to tell his she’d just called him a wanker in Spanish.

“It’s a bit rough in there, and some of the patrons aren’t too fond of me.”

“Are you saying that you’re not capable of looking after me Lord Tenset?” She gave him her haughtiest expression. “Maybe we should have had Connor along after all.” She smiled when he opened the door, got out and held his hand out to her.

“As ever, I’m at your service Lady Chesara.”

She took his hand, shot him an award winning dazzling smile, and stepped down onto the hard, dry dirt in front of a stone building with a bull’s head painted on a sign above the door.

The noise in the smoky bar died as Tenset opened the door and escorted Chesara inside. Maybe this isn’t such a bright idea she concluded as several burly men dressed in working clothes pushed abruptly away from their tables spilling beer from metal and glass tankards as they stood up. Even the activity around the game table stopped as the players held their long cue sticks watching her and Tenset, rather than hitting the different coloured balls on the red cloth covered surface.

A lone bartender was on duty, cleaning glasses with a relatively clean rag behind a broad wooden counter, which looked to have been made from a single plank.

“We don’t want you here Lord Tenset.” The man made the word ‘Lord’ sound like the gravest insult in the world. “How can you think it’s acceptable to walk in here with your new fancy woman? Haven’t you hurt my daughter enough?” The barman didn’t look up from cleaning the glass as he spoke quietly.

Chesara stepped slightly behind Tenset as he spoke quietly to her, whilst keeping an eye on the patrons. “If this turns nasty, get back to the carriage and tell the driver to go for back-up from the mansion. If I can keep them talking, Roseanne’s in the back room, behind the bar. It’ll give her a real thrill to see an off-worlder.”

Chesara didn’t like the sound of ‘nasty’.

“I’m not his girlfriend. I’m just a visitor to your world. Tenset said he had a disabled friend here who might like to hear some stories of my travels.”  Hopefully, by deflecting attention away from Tenset, it might diffuse the situation. But why the hell were they so angry with him? Tenset was clearly not telling the entire truth, but she had a patient to see.

The barman looked at her appraisingly. “I think my daughter would like to meet you Miss, she doesn’t get out a lot these days. I’m sure you’ll understand when you meet her.” He beckoned her towards the end of the bar.

As she moved behind it, she saw a number of the men moving towards Tenset, with determined looks. Tenset, on the other hand, looked almost happy as he undid the buttons on his expensive waistcoat.

“What’s going...” Chesara started only to be grasped firmly by the elbow and propelled through the doorway at the back of the bar by the bartender.

“Don’t worry Miss, they won’t damage him permanently. My two sons are out there, and some of Roseanne’s other friends. They just need to express their dissatisfaction at his treatment of my daughter. And as we are simple folk here, we do things physically rather than with words.”

She was pushed abruptly through a wooden door that was firmly shut behind her as sounds of breaking furniture and grunts of pain came from the bar behind her. She turned and rattled the door, confirming that it was locked.

“Don’t worry they won’t actually kill him. He’s known most of them since they were all in short trousers. A black eye or two will probably be it. They’re decent people, honestly.” The strong, feminine voice came from behind her. Turning, Chesara found herself in a small, neat room, mainly filled with a small bed containing a pretty blonde girl, a few years older than Chesara. The girl smiled sadly.

“Welcome to my world.” She moved both arms to encompass the small room.

“Do you mind if I sit?” Chesara indicated the foot of the yellow floral print bedspread.

“Knock yourself out.”

They both winced as a heavy crash echoed in from the bar. “Sounds like the boys are having fun. Boys will be boys after all.”

Chesara was a little shocked at first by the comment, and then she grinned.

“And if they ever stop thinking with testicles, God knows what’ll happen to the universe.” Both girls started laughing as another crash sounded.

“Can I ask what happened to you? I do a bit of healing at home. I might be able to help.” Chesara hoped she wouldn’t be offended by the request, but she didn’t have a lot of time to work with.

“Not at all. Tenset and I were seeing each other, we have on and off for years when neither of us had anyone else on the horizon. We both knew a proper relationship couldn’t happen, even if either of us felt that way. I’m not from a ‘founding family,’ but we’ve had a lot of fun over the years.

“Last spring we were riding and we decided to race, no big deal, we’ve done it hundreds of times before. I fell, my back went crack, and here I’ve sat ever since. No feeling below my ribcage. That’s my sad little story, what’s yours?”

The matter of fact way this brave woman summed up her life brought a tear to Chesara’s eye. Connor would have a fit if he found out, but she knew she had to try.

“Can you keep a secret? This is really, really important, it could mean both our lives if anyone finds out.”

Roseanne looked extremely doubtful. “Not sure if I understand, it’s not much of a life stuck in this bed, but it’s all I’ve got.”

Taking a deep breath after checking that the sounds of violence were still going on in the bar Chesara took a leap of faith on Roseanne’s integrity. “You’ve realized I look a little different?”

Roseanne nodded slowly.

“Well apart from the odd eyes and skin, I have another talent. I’m a healer, and I think I can make you better.”

Chesara certainly wasn’t expecting the bark of laughter.

“He’s got me good and proper this time. How much did that rotten bugger pay you to wind me up?  I hope those brothers of mine are giving him a bloody good hiding.”

She fixed Chesara with a less than charitable look. “And as for you Miss Fancy Pants, I suggest you leave quickly before I call my father, and take that idiot Casanova with you before he gets his pretty face pulped.”

Knowing she didn’t have time to waste, Chesara stood and pulled the covers back, ignoring the indignant exclamation from her reluctant patient. Finding a bruise on the girl’s right thigh, probably caused as she’d been moved into or out of a chair, she placed her hand on it whilst fending off the hands that were trying to push her away.

“Stop fighting and look damn it,” she said as she pulled back, holding her arm where Roseanne had scratched her.

Obviously not trusting this peculiar woman who’d touched her inappropriately, Rosanne glanced down to see that the dark purple/black bruise was now a green/yellow colour. It shouldn’t have looked like that for at least another ten days. She looked up in shock.

“If you’d left me alone I could’ve healed it completely.” Chesara smiled, “I can do the same for your back, but you must promise not to tell anyone, it’ll have to be a ‘miracle’.”

“You can give me some feeling back?”

“I can get you hopping, skipping and jumping, and doing anything you did before, with bells on.” Chesara watched as tears filled her eyes, her head gently shaking a negative.

“You’re teasing, I don’t believe it.”

“Will you let me try?” Not having anything to lose Roseanne nodded.

“As long as you don’t paint my ass blue and leave me on show I’m game. So many people have prodded and poked me; one more won’t make a difference.” Chesara grinned as she helped her roll over, her spirit would certainly see her through.