Betrayed by his colleagues, Kade gets trapped in another world where he must put his scientific mind to use and adapt. One day he is forced to work for the king's Royal Inventor, and now he must help innovate the kingdom and foster peace with the ne...
"Sound's like you've been getting sent some stuck up nobles."
"They act like cowards, hiding in their rooms all day and making snide remarks when they think no one is listening. To the less informed they'd appear to be, as you said, 'stuck up'."
Kade kept his distance as he circled the room, taking in the painted glass windows, copper mirrors, and wood carvings.
"Why do you stay in Toca's castle if you can't eat the food?" Nyx followed.
"I can eat some of it. And like I said earlier, I've never had a chance to try meat."
"Then how did you know you were an omnivore?"
"Parents." Kade lied quickly. That answer satisfied the curious carnivore as he stopped to sit at the foot of his bed.
"And... You'd like to go back to Aino. Right?"
Kade's heart stopped when the inventor's name was mentioned. Nyx looked at him knowingly and smirked. "I take it you two are mated?"
As he hid his blush, Kade became fascinated by the purple curtains. "Uh...Yep."
"You're a terrible liar."
"Why do you think that?"
"Because you're here." Nyx pointed out. "Only a terrible mate would leave their partner after they'd just started their season."
"How do you know-"
"His scent was growing sweet throughout his presentation. He was stuttering all over the place. It was an amusing sight to behold and he did honorably to fend it off for as long as he did."
Kade felt a stab of guilt. The doctor had warned him about how hard it was to endure a season without a partner. "What are the odds I could get a carriage back soon?"
"Not until you help us get our train system started."
"But that could take months! Maybe longer if you don't have the resources we need."
"You agreed to be here."
"You tricked me!"
Nyx stood up and stomped toward the human. Kade backed up against the wall, stunned by the man's aggressive advance, and a hand was slammed against the wall by his ear.
King Nyx got close to Kade's face. "Don't think you can act so disrespectful just because I agreed not to touch you."
Fear went down his spine and he fought to maintain eye contact. Then Nyx ran a finger down his chin. "The faster you help my people get their train, the faster you can return to your precious Aino."
And now he saw it. The reason carnivores were so feared. They really could be barbaric. How could he have thought this man would be understanding?
Nodding, Nyx finally backed off and Kade rushed out of the room, only to be stopped by a guard.
"His room is down there. In the Consort hall." Nyx gestured in a vague direction, and the guard led the way.
"Consort hall?" The human exclaimed. "I thought you agreed I would only work while I was here?"
"You will! But I already explained that my people will swarm you unless you stay in more secure accommodations. The best place is my room, but since you don't seem comfortable there, then the next option is the Consort Hall. So that is where you'll be moved."
Kade huffed as he was led to a new room full of draping sheets and a large round bed. There was a windowed balcony and wooden bug-birds carved into the pillars. Soon after he was dropped off, a servant arrived with his things.
Disenchanted, he sat on his bed and waited for nightfall.
His first day in Nyx's castle had been both eventful and boring. A few servants came by but stayed quiet as they lit the candles and left.
Changing out of his earth clothes, Kade climbed under the blankets and thought about Aino.
Was he struggling right now? How long would his season last? Would he be angry with him when he returned?
Kade felt horrible for running from the man. He'd let his fear win out when he should have used logic. He was a scientist for crying out loud! Why didn't he hear the man out?
He tossed and turned out of frustration with himself. He replayed his last moments with Aino, and how distraught he had looked when the carriages rode away.
Running his fingers over the bruise on his neck, Kade remembered the Terran's mouth in his skin. Aino's warmth had mixed with his own as their bodies pressed together. Aside from getting his ribs nearly crushed, Kade would have enjoyed doing that a little longer.
Feeling a little too excited, he rolled over and hurried to clear his thoughts.
Aino was back at the castle, probably dealing with even worse urges.
Why was his mind wandering to such lewd thoughts? Kade wondered. Then, he realized it was probably because he was sleeping with a full belly for the first time in years.
This was a normal bodily reaction in such comfortable conditions.
Thinking back to Aino, he wondered how far things would have gotten if Kade hadn't been hurt. Going over the many options at his imagination's disposal, he found himself growing hard.
He glanced down at the uninvited tent in his pants and sighed over his bodily urges. At first he tried to ignore it, but every little movement he made had him squirming in place as his body heated up.
Rolling over, he let his hand slide down and pumped a few times to try and get some relief. But of course that only made it worse. He regretted his actions and worried for the cleanliness of the blankets.
He couldn't do this in bed, so he got up to search for a lavatory to solve his little problem.
The medieval conditions made it take longer, but he eventually took care of things and was overcome with shame as he returned to bed.
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A/N: Haha! I know what you guys were thinking! You were expecting the spice warning to involve Nyx!
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