Exiled Read online

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  Dinner seemed to go on forever. Lissa enjoyed the food, which was mostly fresh fruit and a few little creamy pastries, but she wished she and Saber could get back to their room. In fact, now that they had searched the ambassador’s private library and ascertained that the missing scrolls weren’t among her collection, Lissa wished they could leave for good. But Lady Sha’rak was their ticket to the sensation party as well as the other collectors on the list, so they had to stay.

  Lissa just hoped their hostess wouldn’t make her put Saber through any more torturous or humiliating scenarios. Her “slave” was on his very best behavior tonight—he had kissed Lissa’s foot when they came into the grotto and was keeping his eyes modestly downcast as he fed her—so she didn’t see how Lady Sha’rak could justify any more of her “training”. But she was beginning to see that the Yonnite ambassador did pretty much anything she wanted. Also, she seemed to really like the sight of Saber put into an uncomfortable or compromising position.

  Lissa couldn’t understand such an attitude—did Lady Sha’rak really hate males that much? Or was she taking out her frustration at her hidden submissive tendencies on someone else’s slave because she couldn’t take it out on her own? Or—

  Lady Sha’rak sighed contentedly, breaking into Lissa’s thoughts. “Ah, this is lovely, isn’t it?” She stretched luxuriously, allowing her relaxation robes to fall open, showing her breasts and a clean-shaven pussy mound.

  “Yes, lovely.” Lissa looked away and tried, unobtrusively, to be certain the thin panels of her own gown were covering her adequately. It was something she’d been doing all night and not always successfully. The silky peach panels didn’t want to stay in place—in fact, they seemed almost made to slip open at inopportune times and flash anyone who happened to be looking. Meaning Saber, of course. Every time her gown slipped open, she felt his eyes drinking her in and though his face displayed no emotion, she could swear that the bulge in his trousers got bigger at such times.

  Lady Sha’rak waved her body-slave’s hand away. “No more, Llewelyn, I don’t want to be too full to enjoy my massage.”

  “Massage?” Lissa asked, taking the last bit of fruit Saber was offering.

  “Why yes, you didn’t imagine I’d invite you to my relaxation grotto without planning any kind of relaxation, did you?” Lady Sha’rak’s blue eyes twinkled. “That would just be silly, now wouldn’t it?”

  “I suppose so.” Lissa cleared her throat. “But, well, who’s going to be giving the massages?”

  “Llewelyn, of course. He’s trained in all kinds of erotic massage techniques and I don’t mind sharing him, just this once.”

  Lissa put a hand to her throat, feeling suddenly ill. The idea of a strange male touching her, rubbing her all over, made her skin crawl. She couldn’t let Llewelyn touch her like that—she just couldn’t.

  Saber made a soft but menacing sound and Lissa turned to see him glowering at Lady Sha’rak’s body-slave. Clearly the idea of letting another male touch her also bothered him. Or maybe “bothered” wasn’t a strong enough word. His hazel eyes were blazing and a low growl was rising in his muscular chest.

  “I thank you for your kind offer, Lady Sha’rak,” she said quickly. “But it just so happens that my Saber is also well trained in all kinds of massage.”

  Lady Sha’rak shrugged. “Oh, very well. If you’re certain he can do as good a job as Llewelyn.”

  “Quite certain,” Lissa assured her quickly. She was relieved to hear the low growl coming from Saber subsiding but her relief was short lived when she considered what she had just done. She’d just agreed to let Saber touch her all over her body. Well, maybe it won’t be that bad, she told herself uneasily. Maybe he’ll just give me a back massage or—

  “Come on,” Lady Sha’rak said, sounding excited. “We can’t get massaged until you’ve experienced the pools.”

  “The pools?” Lissa looked around. “Um, all right—which one?”

  “All of them, of course! Come on, take off your robes and let’s go.”

  There was almost nothing Lissa wanted to do less than get completely naked in front of Saber—not to mention Lady Sha’rak and Llewelyn. But there didn’t seem to be anything else she could do. Taking a deep breath, she slipped off the loose relaxation robes and followed Lady Sha’rak to the steaming green pool.

  “Heat first, then cold, then warmth,” Lady Sha’rak lectured as she slipped carefully into the pale green depths. “Do you know how to swim, my dear?”

  “A little,” Lissa said. Her breath hissed between her teeth as she slid into the overheated water. “My, this is hot.”

  “Don’t worry—we’ll only be in the first pool a moment. The water here is infused with trantha extract—it opens the pores and cleanses the skin of impurities.”

  “It’s very nice.” Lissa found that she was nearly panting with heat as she stood on her tiptoes, swaying in the bubbling green water. She was glad she’d worn her hair up that evening, she didn’t want it drenched in the herbal smelling trantha extract.

  Just when she was feeling like she was getting seriously overheated, Lady Sha’rak cried out, “Switch! Into pool number two, my dear!”

  Lissa followed her out of the first pool and directly into the second, which was filled with some kind of pink foam.

  Extremely cold pink foam.

  “Oh!” Lissa gasped as she floundered through the super-cold fluff. “What…what is this?”

  “Barrian bubble snow, of course. Isn’t it lovely?” Lady Sha’rak ducked her head under the surface for a moment and came up laughing. She blew a large puff of the pink foam at Lissa playfully. “It shocks the system and closes the pores. Do you feel ready to get out yet?”

  “Y-yes, p-p-please.” Lissa’s teeth were chattering.

  “Come on, then.” Lady Sha’rak climbed out of pool number two and headed straight for the third one with its lapping, dark blue waves.

  After being alternately boiled and frozen, Lissa was understandably reluctant to go into the third pool. She wanted to at least ask what kind of substance she was going to be getting into but the ambassador didn’t give her any time. She slid directly into the dark blue liquid leaving Lissa no choice but to follow.

  To her surprise and considerable relief, the substance in the third pool was neither boiling hot nor freezing cold. Instead, it was blessedly and comfortingly warm and soothing. It had a silky, slightly viscous texture that seemed to coat her skin without clinging to it and a light, sweet fragrance that reminded her of exotic blossoms.

  “Ah, truly the best is saved for last,” Lady Sha’rak murmured, floating lazily beside her. “Go ahead and let your hair down, Lady R’awr. This is musqueet oil. It has a lovely conditioning effect without actually getting you wet.”

  “Really?” Lissa looked down at herself doubtfully but what Lady Sha’rak said seemed to be true. Though the viscous liquid surrounded her and held her up like a gentle hand, it did not make her wet. It did, however, leave a light, golden sheen on her skin and, as she rubbed her arm with her fingertips, she realized her skin had never felt so soft. “This is wonderful,” she said, taking down her hair and letting it fan around her shoulders. “I’ve never felt anything like it.”

  “That’s because there aren’t many musqueets left.” Lady Sha’rak did a lazy sidestroke, dived under and came back up with the air of a confident swimmer. “They’re terribly endangered, you know—it cost me a fortune in bribes to get enough of them to fill this pool.”

  “Um…we’re swimming in some kind of animal secretion?” Lissa felt a little ill. “I thought this was another plant extract.”

  “Oh no, my dear—no plant can equal musqueet oil. They make it to keep their coats from getting waterlogged when they swim, you know. They live on a planet that’s entirely ocean so you can see why it keeps you dry while conditioning you at the same time.”

  “Yes, I see.”

  “We had to milk their hides for ages