Chapter Two
As expected after the announcement of their wedding, Shaya danced with Markie, talking with him, telling him about what she had said to Liam.
"That may help us but wont people get suspicious that I'm not sleeping in our quarters?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Who said that you wouldn't?" She asked with a small chuckle. "There is a small passage way that leads to Liam's quarters from there and yours. I found them years ago…how did you think I was able to pull jokes on you in your quarters when the doors were locked and sealed?"
"We always did wonder." He shook his head in amusement.
"All you have to do is in the morning come back through the passage way and leave from my quarters." She caught the sight of Parias standing off on his own as the dance ended. "Do me a favour and lead me over to Parias so we can dance…" She requested as they began to walk off the floor. "I promised him a dance last time."
"He is welcome to you." He smiled cheekily at her and he lead her over. "My lady tells me you are promised a dance…and so I deliver her to you." He bowed to Parias and handed over Shaya's hand. "Just bring her back when you are done."
"My thanks." Parias bowed in reply and lead Shaya back out on to the floor. "Wedding?" Parias whispered at her. "You could have told me."
"I didn't know until an hour ago." She replied her lips hardly moving. "Our fathers signed the contract a year ago and only just told us. It was a shock to us as it was too you."
"And you are going through with it?" He asked in surprise.
"We don't have a choice there is no way around it. Endymion checked, even asked his father about it…" She let out a quiet sigh. "There go my pranking days."
"I hope not." Parias smiled at her as he twirled her across the floor in time to the music. "I've come to enjoy your pranks…on other people that is."
"Parias…don't ask questions now but…" She broke off as Nathan cut in for a dance. 'Later' she mouthed at Parias and saw him nod. "Couldn't you have waited another few minutes?" She asked in annoyance.
"Sorry…I didn't realise that you liked Parias."
"I do." She sighed heavily. "If he had asked I would have married him."
"He was the one in love with some one else?"
"Yeah, that's him." She nodded.
"I cut in for a reason…Markie and Liam have snuck off for a few moments, this way no one expects you to return to Markie right away…Endymion has claimed the next dance too."
"They're dancing." She chuckled in guess. "They've always wanted to dance at a ball but could never dare…Wait a moment…what if while dancing with your lady and me dancing with Markie and Liam dancing with another lady and when the time comes to trade partners we get 'muddled'? Him and Markie go off in one direction, your lady and I off in another and Liam's lady and you off in another?"
"With four it would be perfect…" He grinned at her. "I love it when you get ideas… let me talk to my lady and Justin and them I will speak with Markie and Liam…I'll have to be quick to do it with in the dance with Endymion."
"Use your link…" she suggested with a twinkle in her eye.
"Good idea…it all depends if they ladies will go along with it…" he looked around to catch sight of his lady. "I just told the others…Justin is telling his lady now…" he bowed as he handed her off to Endymion.
"What are you two up to?" He asked as he spun her around. "I know that twinkle in your eye."
"Just wait and see." She winked at him, a few moments later she saw Nathan give her the thumps up that everything was a go, and she was glad that this was to be the last dance before the formality part of the ball was over.
"I'm going to regret this aren't I?" Endy asked with a sigh.
"Maybe but you are going to get a laugh out of it." She promised as Markie cut in and Endymion smiled and returned to his lady.
"You are very devious my Lady." He chuckled as the band started up again and the four partners took their places. She saw that Lady Mars in red, Lady Jupiter in green had twinkles in their eyes and Lady Mercury in blue was trying not to laugh.
"Why thank you my Lord." She smiled at him as they began to dance. They did two complete circuits properly, when she gave the nod on the third round, the men, Markie, Liam as a couple and Justin and Nathan went off in one direction and Lady Mars and Mercury as a couple and herself and Lady Jupiter went off in another, causing the entire ball room to start laughing at the mix up.
Once most of the ball had wound down she slipped out into the gardens that were right out side her window, while Markie and Liam were talking about how things were going to be and she spotted Parias pruning a rose bush near by.
"Parias." She greeted him with a smile.
"I enjoyed the mix up" He chuckled as he stood up.
"So did everyone else." She smiled.
"What did you want to ask me?"
"Is it possible to get pregnant with out sleeping with someone?"
"Curious are we?" He blinked in surprise.
"I heard about it happening once and wanted to know if it was true." She shrugged as she sat down on a near by bench, spotting Nathan and Lady Jupiter a few sections down along with Justin and Lady Mars.
"In theory it is." He nodded. "But most of the rumours of it aren't true…" He paused. "You know that you could carry a child the first time that you slept with some one… you have your own healing gift… it's enough for that all you have to do it concentrate after wards until you sense that the egg has been fertilised."
"I didn't realise that it could be done that way…" She smiled thankfully at him.
"Anything to help a friend." He kissed her hand and bowed to her before he headed off back to his temple.
With a slightly lighter heart she returned to her room, wondering how they would take it that Markie had to sleep with her once to get the heir that he wanted…well his father wanted. She found them wrapped up in a rather passionate kiss.
"Your room is right next door, you know." She pointed out to Liam with a chuckle.
"What did you find out?" Liam asked, knowing the reason that she wanted to talk to Parias.
"It's can't be done that way." She shook her head. "But I can get with child from one night."
"How?" Markie asked in surprise. "I would think that if you were that fertile you would already have one child."
"I have a small healing gift and I can use that to make sure that I do fall pregnant that night." She replied as she closed and locked the garden door, pulling the blinds closed. "I know that it can be done…I've done it for a few women in arranged marriages that have this sort of agreement."
"One night? I can live with that." Liam smiled as he kissed Markie's neck.
"Are you going to be able to do it?" She asked Markie, knowing that some men who preferred their own sex had difficulty performing with a woman.
"I think so." He nodded.
"Well lock the door; I'm going for a bath." She winked at them both. "The couch folds out into a bed and the closet are over there…if anyone comes." She smiled at them both and locked herself in the bathroom and sunk down into the bath that Markie had ordered for her and stifling her sobs, let the tears come that she had been holding back since she had managed to hold at bay since she escaped Saturn.
