"House arrest?" Tyr was dumbfounded.
Olma spluttered in exasperation, "You are The Kodiak. Do something."
"And I am The Lady Kodiak. It is my duty to monitor, mentor and discipline the females under the protection of my husband." Beka released each word like a projectile from a Gauss rifle.
Tyr waited. If he intervened now he would undermine her fragile authority. She had been within her rights and Olma knew it.
"Matriarch." Beka refrained from reaching for Tyr for physical support. This was a battle she had to win on her own. "Goneril is under house arrest, forbidden to see or speak to anyone, until I have exacted retribution for her traitorous behaviour."
Olma blanched at the choice of words.
"Return to your quarters, Matriarch." A sentry opened the door at a signal from Beka. "I will punish to the full extent of the law anyone proven to be working in concert with her."
Olma left the room, followed closely by the sentry, who pulled the door closed, leaving the couple alone in the reception area of their new apartments.
Tyr engulfed Beka in a hug. Her body shook in relief as the tension seeped away. She rested her head on his shoulder, letting hot tears stain his leather vest. He kissed the top of her head, before running his hands up and down her spine.
In a matter of seconds the gesture of comfort turned to one of arousal. His hands cupped her buttocks and pulled her pelvis tight against his groin. She stretched sensuously, pressing against him wherever they came in contact.
"Has the cold war come to an end, Beka?"
"Between us, yes," she replied nibbling at the corner of his mouth. "But not against those who usurp the birthright of our son."
"Anna is ten years older than I am." Seamus watched the face of his nephew. "Did you know that?"
Harper congratulated himself. So Goneril was the inspiration for the question about polygamy. The look of surprise, then identification that crossed the face of the boy confirmed his suspicion.
"She had been saving herself, she told me the day we met, for a man of power and prestige." Seamus grinned. "Turns out her ambition outstripped her credentials. Great DNA, no connections."
Tamerlane's eye widened in surprise at the similarity to Goneril's situation.
"My smart and wily wife made an inventory of available males who were trusted confidants of The Kodiak." Harper's grin broadened. "The list was short."
"There were only two names on the list, isn't that right, Uncle Seamus?" Tamerlane waited for his answer.
'That's right, your Reincarnationness." Harper looked around to ensure they were not being overheard. "Dylan Hunt and Seamus Harper."
Tamerlane got a far away look in his eye as he imagined Anna reviewing the pros and cons of choosing one of them as a mate.
"She chose you, because you had the most to gain by her offer?"
"You're correct. I had the most to gain, but I didn't know that at the time." Seamus lowered his voice. "She chose me, because she thought I was the easiest mark."
In response to the look of shock on the boy's face, Harper continued, "That's all right. She told me the truth right from the beginning. It wasn't romantic, but Nietzschean breeding practices aren't, are they?"
Tamerlane considered his brief interlude with Goneril. Harper was right. They had shared a moment of unadulterated lust. Tamerlane nodded in agreement with his uncle.
"I had a roving eye, boy."
His use of the past tense, startled Tamerlane.
"I see my reputation precedes me." Harper did not appear offended. "She had done her homework, my smart and wily wife. She offered me my libido's desire, a warm and willing female in my bed whenever I wanted. No more rejection ever again. And she guaranteed me variety. She offered to find me an entire chocolate box of wives. All flavours, sizes, and tastes."
"Lady Harper, doesn't appear to be so calculating." Tamerlane said caught between disgust and admiration.
"She is no more calculating than any Nietzschean female on a breeding mission." Seamus hoped the lad understood the implication of his remark.
"I wasn't supposed to keep the extra wives. Did you know that?"
Tamerlane shook his head no.
"Anna explained that the other matings were to be political. Spreading the Harper genius around the Prides. I would be helping cement relationships for your Father, while I got the variety that she knew a rogue like me needed." For a moment he was wistful. "She called it the slam, bam, thank you ma'am mating policy."
"So how did you end up with 31 wives and 29 children all living under the same roof?"
"Forgive my immodesty, Tamerlane, but my females found that I am a genius in bed as well as out." Harper smirked.
Her heart rate had begun to slow. Her breasts, more sensitive than usual due to the hormones raging through her body, softened. She licked her swollen lips, savouring the taste of him. She sighed.
"You are pleased?" Tyr stroked her hair from her forehead.
"Yes, I am pleased." Her eyes were heavy with fatigue. "Trance warned me that a side effect of pregnancy is an insatiable appetite for sex."
"A human response." Tyr pulled her to him. "One for which I curse the Progenitor, on behalf of all Nietzschean males, for removing from the gene pool."
Olma spluttered in exasperation, "You are The Kodiak. Do something."
"And I am The Lady Kodiak. It is my duty to monitor, mentor and discipline the females under the protection of my husband." Beka released each word like a projectile from a Gauss rifle.
Tyr waited. If he intervened now he would undermine her fragile authority. She had been within her rights and Olma knew it.
"Matriarch." Beka refrained from reaching for Tyr for physical support. This was a battle she had to win on her own. "Goneril is under house arrest, forbidden to see or speak to anyone, until I have exacted retribution for her traitorous behaviour."
Olma blanched at the choice of words.
"Return to your quarters, Matriarch." A sentry opened the door at a signal from Beka. "I will punish to the full extent of the law anyone proven to be working in concert with her."
Olma left the room, followed closely by the sentry, who pulled the door closed, leaving the couple alone in the reception area of their new apartments.
Tyr engulfed Beka in a hug. Her body shook in relief as the tension seeped away. She rested her head on his shoulder, letting hot tears stain his leather vest. He kissed the top of her head, before running his hands up and down her spine.
In a matter of seconds the gesture of comfort turned to one of arousal. His hands cupped her buttocks and pulled her pelvis tight against his groin. She stretched sensuously, pressing against him wherever they came in contact.
"Has the cold war come to an end, Beka?"
"Between us, yes," she replied nibbling at the corner of his mouth. "But not against those who usurp the birthright of our son."
"Anna is ten years older than I am." Seamus watched the face of his nephew. "Did you know that?"
Harper congratulated himself. So Goneril was the inspiration for the question about polygamy. The look of surprise, then identification that crossed the face of the boy confirmed his suspicion.
"She had been saving herself, she told me the day we met, for a man of power and prestige." Seamus grinned. "Turns out her ambition outstripped her credentials. Great DNA, no connections."
Tamerlane's eye widened in surprise at the similarity to Goneril's situation.
"My smart and wily wife made an inventory of available males who were trusted confidants of The Kodiak." Harper's grin broadened. "The list was short."
"There were only two names on the list, isn't that right, Uncle Seamus?" Tamerlane waited for his answer.
'That's right, your Reincarnationness." Harper looked around to ensure they were not being overheard. "Dylan Hunt and Seamus Harper."
Tamerlane got a far away look in his eye as he imagined Anna reviewing the pros and cons of choosing one of them as a mate.
"She chose you, because you had the most to gain by her offer?"
"You're correct. I had the most to gain, but I didn't know that at the time." Seamus lowered his voice. "She chose me, because she thought I was the easiest mark."
In response to the look of shock on the boy's face, Harper continued, "That's all right. She told me the truth right from the beginning. It wasn't romantic, but Nietzschean breeding practices aren't, are they?"
Tamerlane considered his brief interlude with Goneril. Harper was right. They had shared a moment of unadulterated lust. Tamerlane nodded in agreement with his uncle.
"I had a roving eye, boy."
His use of the past tense, startled Tamerlane.
"I see my reputation precedes me." Harper did not appear offended. "She had done her homework, my smart and wily wife. She offered me my libido's desire, a warm and willing female in my bed whenever I wanted. No more rejection ever again. And she guaranteed me variety. She offered to find me an entire chocolate box of wives. All flavours, sizes, and tastes."
"Lady Harper, doesn't appear to be so calculating." Tamerlane said caught between disgust and admiration.
"She is no more calculating than any Nietzschean female on a breeding mission." Seamus hoped the lad understood the implication of his remark.
"I wasn't supposed to keep the extra wives. Did you know that?"
Tamerlane shook his head no.
"Anna explained that the other matings were to be political. Spreading the Harper genius around the Prides. I would be helping cement relationships for your Father, while I got the variety that she knew a rogue like me needed." For a moment he was wistful. "She called it the slam, bam, thank you ma'am mating policy."
"So how did you end up with 31 wives and 29 children all living under the same roof?"
"Forgive my immodesty, Tamerlane, but my females found that I am a genius in bed as well as out." Harper smirked.
Her heart rate had begun to slow. Her breasts, more sensitive than usual due to the hormones raging through her body, softened. She licked her swollen lips, savouring the taste of him. She sighed.
"You are pleased?" Tyr stroked her hair from her forehead.
"Yes, I am pleased." Her eyes were heavy with fatigue. "Trance warned me that a side effect of pregnancy is an insatiable appetite for sex."
"A human response." Tyr pulled her to him. "One for which I curse the Progenitor, on behalf of all Nietzschean males, for removing from the gene pool."