Burning for Love by Evangeline Anderson

21

“Ihave to what? Surely you must be joking, James. And if you are, it is not very funny!” Rissa exclaimed, glaring up at the big Kindred. They were back in her bedchamber and she was pacing back and forth, trying to process what the big Kindred had just told her. “It must be a joke!” she exclaimed again.

“I assure you, Princess, I am not joking,” he said blandly. “I am telling you the absolute truth. If you need proof, I can provide it.”

“You have proof that the way to control my Heat Cycle is to…to touch my forbidden area?” Rissa shook her head. “What proof? Did you steal books from the restricted section?”

“Certainly not—I had no need to. I simply copied them.”

“Copied them? How?” Rissa demanded.

“Let me close the curtains and I’ll show you.”

Rissa had no idea why closing the floor to ceiling brocade curtains was necessary—to her mind it just made the bedchamber unbearably gloomy. But maybe James just wanted to be certain they had privacy. And if they were going to discuss what he claimed was the solution to her overheating problem, they certainly needed it!

She helped him shut the tall glass doors that led out to the balcony and draw the curtains closed. This had the effect of casting the entire chamber into semi-darkness.

“Now, why—” Rissa began, but then she stumbled in the gloom and would have fallen if James hadn’t caught her easily by the arm.

“Please have a seat at the table,” he said, motioning her to sit where they had eaten breakfast together. “And focus your attention on the opposite wall.”

He pointed to the large wall beside her bed, which was currently bare. Once a month, the art was changed in her room and while the last picture—a colorful masterpiece by the artist, Sir FrouFrou—had been taken away, a new one had not yet been hung in its place.

Rissa was mystified.

“I do not understand, James. Why do you want me to look bare wall?” she asked.

“Just look,” he replied. And then he extended the scope that covered his right eye and a light began shining out of it onto the wall. After a moment, Rissa saw that the scope was projecting what looked like the page from a book, right onto the wall.

“Ohhh!” she breathed, clasping her hands together under her chin. “I didn’t know you were able to do such things, James! Is this from the Diary of Queen Lola the Outspoken?”

“No, this is from a volume titled, Royal Anatomy—it’s Ways and Means, by a Dr. Anthony Finchfeather—I believe he was the Court physician about a hundred years ago,” James replied. “The language is somewhat archaic and dry, but I think it’s a good place to start. Please read it, Princess—I have looked through the book for relevant passages and this one seems to bear on your situation.”

“All right,” Rissa murmured. She looked at the page projected on the bedchamber wall more closely.

“The Fire Blood becomes stronger with each passing generation,” Dr. Finchfeather had written. “Every Royal must deal with it or perish. For the males, ‘tis simple enough. They are to be encouraged to get with as many ladies as they please. This spreads the bloodline so that inbreeding will not occur and cools the heat that builds up inside them. For it must be said that the Heat Cycle is inextricably linked to the Sex Cycle and one may, in fact, control the other.”

“I…am not certain I understand,” Rissa said, frowning. “He doesn’t seem to speak about female Royals at all.”

“No, most of the book is about male Royals,” James admitted. “But read that last sentence again.” The sentence on the wall was suddenly highlighted in yellow and James read it aloud for her. “…the Heat Cycle is inextricably linked to the Sex Cycle and one may, in fact, control the other.”

“I still don’t see how you got the idea that I must touch my forbidden area just from reading this,” Rissa objected.

“I was afraid it would be hard to convince you.” James sighed deeply and rubbed his temples. It was a very human gesture, Rissa thought—not robotic at all.

“To convince me to do something I have been taught is wrong and reprehensible all my life?” she said indignantly. “Yes, James, I fear it will be very difficult for you indeed!”

“Please turn your attention to the wall again,” he said, frowning. “And read this passage from a book called, A Royal Husband’s Guide to Slaking Heat. It was written by King Randolph the Thoughtful, one of your ancestors.”

“All right.” Crossing her arms over her chest, Rissa focused on the wall again. But she was determined that no matter what she read, she wouldn’t be swayed into committing the heinous act as the big Kindred was advocating.

“A Royal wife from the Very First Family is a delicate creature,” her ancestor had written. “She must be treated gently and her Heat slaked regularly. In this pursuit, pleasure is your best friend—specifically, herpleasure.”

“Pleasure?” Rissa exclaimed, looking up at James, who was standing beside her as he projected the pages he had scanned onto the blank wall. “How would I derive pleasure from touching my forbidden area?”

“Just keep reading, Princess,” he rumbled. “And you’ll see.”

Rissa did read on, but what she read was rather shocking.

“Between the Royal Female’s nether lips resides a precious pearl,” her ancestor had written. “This may be manipulated with fingers or tongue—if you are so inclined as to taste your lady’s sweet juices—to bring her to the pinnacle of pleasure.”

“Oh, my!” Rissa couldn’t help feeling scandalized at this frank discussion of female anatomy and what a male might do to it. But she found she was also just a tiny bit curious. Was there a “pearl” down there, between her nether lips? And what kind of peak was her ancestor talking about? And would a man really want to put his fingers—or even his tongue—down there?

It seemed hard to believe. From the age of ten, Lady Mildew had taught her that the area was dirty and disgusting—that Rissa should never, ever touch herself between her belly button and her mid-thighs. But if the area was so dirty and horrible, why was King Randolph the Thoughtful saying that a Royal husband must touch—or even lick—his wife there?

“Am I shocking you, Princess?”

James’s deep, rumbling voice brought her back to herself and she realized that she had been sitting there, staring at the page he was projecting with an open mouth.

“Oh, um…” Rissa wasn’t sure what to say.

“I know how innocent you are,” James continued. “And I’m sorry to destroy any of that innocence, but you need to know how to control your Heat Cycle and I believe this is the way.”

Rissa shook her head.

“I…I am still not convinced.”

James nodded.

“I’m not surprised. Please have a look at this page from Queen Lola the Outspoken’s diary. Incidentally, Queen Lola was the wife of King Randolph, from the last book I showed you,” he added.

The projection on the wall changed and this time the page revealed was handwritten. Luckily, Queen Lola had had very neat handwriting, so it was easy to read.

“I miss my beloved Randolph more than I can say, but the Council of Wisdom has said that I must be married again. They fear I will not be able to control my Heat Cycle without a man’s help. That is what they claim, anyway—in truth, I think what they fear is that I cannot rule without a man’s help.

Ha! The fools—I need no man’s help! I know exactly how to rule and what to do to control my Cycle and I do it every chance I get! Each night, when I am finally in the secret confines of my own bedchamber, I put my hand betwixt my legs and manipulate myself to the pinnacle, just as my darling Randolph used to do for me. The release I find in this way keeps my blood from overheating nicely.

I will give each suitor the Council sends me the requisite month, and then send them all packing. Eventually they shall see that I can rule quite well without a man at my side, for none ever could or ever shall replace my sweet Randolph.”

“My goodness!” Rissa murmured, as she finished reading this passage. “She was certainly very opinionated!”

“I believe your ancestor, Queen Lola, was what the humans aboard the Mother Ship would call a ‘feminist’,” James remarked. “She seems to have had the same problem you do, Princess. She was being told that she must marry a suitor she didn’t want and she was trying to control her Heat Cycle.”

“Did she succeed?” Rissa asked curious. “I mean, did she ever marry again?”

James shook his head, which caused the image on the wall to waver momentarily.

“No. The diary went on for many years and I saw no mention of Queen Lola ever marrying again after her husband’s death. She was like a Kindred in that respect—we also mate for life. Well, those of us who have emotions and call a female as a bride, do anyway,” he added. “But the point is—she found a way to control her Heat Cycle and to keep from accepting unwanted suitors. Do you see why I showed you these passages, Princess?”

“Of course I see,” Rissa said. “It’s just that…I have been taught that…that touching one’s forbidden area is so very wrong.”

“You were taught that on purpose, I think,” James remarked. “The people in charge here at Court know that as long as you don’t control your Heat Cycle, they control your life. But if you take control of your Cycle…”

“I’ll have more control over my own life,” Rissa finished for him. She nibbled her bottom lip. “You have given me much to think about, James. But I must consider it carefully. It is not easy to overcome the teachings of a lifetime, you know.”

“I know, Princess.” His deep voice was grim. “Just don’t consider for too long. We need a solution soon—your life may depend on it.”

Rissa feared that he was right. And yet, how could she do what he was asking?

She didn’t know but she had no more time to think about it now. It was time to get ready for the State Dinner tonight and there would be dancing afterwards.

And through all of it, she would have to be with the odious Duke Grabbington. Ugh.