"You are making a very strong case for polygamy, Uncle."
Tamlerane had accompanied Harper on a tour of his quarters. Harper would stop every now and then to chat with a mate or play with his children, giving Tamerlane time to observe and ask questions. Tyr had entrusted him to enlighten the lad so that the boy was properly prepared for the future. Seamus was honoured by the trust placed in him by The Kodiak. He would not let Tyr down.
"You are wondering how I can afford to take care of them all, aren't you?"
Harper assumed Tamerlane was too polite to ask, so he opened the door for the boy. Tamerlane nodded, relieved that Harper was willing to divulge his secret.
"I can't." Harper saw the disbelief on the face of his acolyte. "Don't get me wrong, your father has always paid me handsomely. But there isn't a civil servant anywhere on this planet who makes enough to support a family the size of mine."
"So what's your secret?" Tamerlane joked.
"Not mine - Anna's. I don't accept mating offers without Anna's approval. She doesn't give her approval unless the interested female antis up a sizable dowry, which Anna invests. The dividends keep us clothed and fed. My DNA has appreciated considerably over the past decade. Anna has seen to it."
Tamerlane shook his head in disbelief.
"You should talk to Anna about it. As the Reincarnation, you will be able to demand a fortune from the female's who want you to father their children." Harper paused. "Heed the yellow light of caution, Tamerlane. Some of the smaller Prides might bankrupt themselves in order to add your DNA to their gene pool."
"Did you play the bad High guard officer or the good High guard officer when you interrogated Goneril?"
Tyr slid his arms into the shoulder holster. He was standing in front of a full-length mirror as he put the finishing touches to his attire. He watched the reflection of Beka as she lay wantonly on the bed. She was entangled in the sheets, one puckered breast exposed. Her legs were splayed with a cascade of bedding spilled between her thighs. She had one arm under her head. Her free hand traced circles on the bedspread, where Tyr had lain.
Beka looked slightly chagrined. "I was agitated." She gazed at Tyr's reflection. "I might have pointed my forcelance at her."
"I see." Tyr suppressed a grin. "Did she bleed?"
"Tyr, how could you?" Beka smirked. "I admit I was tempted. You might want to watch for bruising though."
"Anything else I should know?" Tyr turned his back to the mirror.
"Tamerlane may be inexperienced, but he has demonstrated a talent for pleasuring females." Beka waited for his reaction. It wasn't long in coming.
Tyr grabbed the bedclothes in his hand and yanked them on to the floor, revealing Beka's nakedness. To steady himself, he placed one knee on the foot of the bed, then leaned down to caress her lower lips with his mouth. She writhed under his protracted caress. He lifted his head long enough to say, "Naturally."
"My Lord Kodiak." Goneril stepped aside to allow Tyr to enter the room. "I am honoured that you would visit me. Under the circumstances, I do not deserve your attention."
The woman tried to conceal her terror, but Tyr could hear her rapid heart beat. Her scent assaulted his nose with the astringent stench of fear, underscored by the aroma of a female in heat.
"So you don't deny that you broke your promise to The Lady Kodiak?" Tyr watched her eyes for a hint of prevarication.
"I will not compound my transgression with a lie, my Lord." Goneril lowered her eyes in submission.
"I spoke to your family matriarch." Tyr announced.
Goneril gasped. Her heart raced in response.
"I did not tell her of your dishonour." Tyr laid the foundation for his role of champion. "She confirmed that in your family that displaying males are expected to prove their ability to satisfy a female, before an offer of mating is made."
Goneril kept her eyes lowered.
"What you failed to tell my son was that only males who had declared publicly their intention to display for specific females were entitled to take liberties. And only with the female identified in their declaration." Tyr waited for her to confirm her omission.
Goneril looked into his face. He had discovered her omission, but had he uncovered her secret?
There! For just a second, the eyes of the female shifted. She was hiding something. What was it?
"Did you deliberately mislead my son?" Tyr pressed her.
"Yes, my Lord." Goneril lowered her eyes once again. "I failed to clarify the circumstances when he mentioned the subject."
"What is so compelling about an untried boy of fifteen?"
Goneril was thrown by his question. She raised her head to search his face for the motivation behind his enquiry. The stoic face of The Kodiak revealed nothing.
Tyr stepped forward into her social space. She held her ground, however her nose twitched involuntarily. He slid a forefinger down her cheek.
"Olma has introduced you to any number of males with considerably more experience than my son. Some already have fathered children. You could be pregnant by now had you chosen any one of them. Explain yourself, woman."
Goneril stepped back. Tyr followed her. She stepped back again. He followed her. Clearly, The Kodiak would not let this rest until she answered him. At least he was not holding a forcelance to her head.
"Apart from the obvious, my Lord?" Goneril stalled for time.
Tyr recognized the ploy and called her bluff, "Start with the obvious, please."
"He is a potential Alpha. As your son, he will more than likely become The Kodiak. He is young enough that a first wife could strongly influence his development. She would, of course, play a role in his future matings.' Goneril stopped.
"So you are ambitious and saw an irresistible opportunity to achieve those ambitions?" Tyr was certain she had left something out.
"Yes, my Lord."
Goneril's hope that she had satisfied The Kodiak was dashed, when he asked, "Why then could you not wait six months. My wife made it clear that if you kept her trust at the end of six months we would reconsider your request."
"He has a way about him, my Lord." Goneril smiled shyly. "He was curious and so was I."
"You are ten years older than the boy." Tyr stated coldly. "You are the second daughter of an Alpha. You are a Kodiak female. You failed in your duty to my son, your self and your Pride."
The female flinched with embarrassment. Tyr concluded that she had deliberately seduced the boy. What was she up to?
Tamlerane had accompanied Harper on a tour of his quarters. Harper would stop every now and then to chat with a mate or play with his children, giving Tamerlane time to observe and ask questions. Tyr had entrusted him to enlighten the lad so that the boy was properly prepared for the future. Seamus was honoured by the trust placed in him by The Kodiak. He would not let Tyr down.
"You are wondering how I can afford to take care of them all, aren't you?"
Harper assumed Tamerlane was too polite to ask, so he opened the door for the boy. Tamerlane nodded, relieved that Harper was willing to divulge his secret.
"I can't." Harper saw the disbelief on the face of his acolyte. "Don't get me wrong, your father has always paid me handsomely. But there isn't a civil servant anywhere on this planet who makes enough to support a family the size of mine."
"So what's your secret?" Tamerlane joked.
"Not mine - Anna's. I don't accept mating offers without Anna's approval. She doesn't give her approval unless the interested female antis up a sizable dowry, which Anna invests. The dividends keep us clothed and fed. My DNA has appreciated considerably over the past decade. Anna has seen to it."
Tamerlane shook his head in disbelief.
"You should talk to Anna about it. As the Reincarnation, you will be able to demand a fortune from the female's who want you to father their children." Harper paused. "Heed the yellow light of caution, Tamerlane. Some of the smaller Prides might bankrupt themselves in order to add your DNA to their gene pool."
"Did you play the bad High guard officer or the good High guard officer when you interrogated Goneril?"
Tyr slid his arms into the shoulder holster. He was standing in front of a full-length mirror as he put the finishing touches to his attire. He watched the reflection of Beka as she lay wantonly on the bed. She was entangled in the sheets, one puckered breast exposed. Her legs were splayed with a cascade of bedding spilled between her thighs. She had one arm under her head. Her free hand traced circles on the bedspread, where Tyr had lain.
Beka looked slightly chagrined. "I was agitated." She gazed at Tyr's reflection. "I might have pointed my forcelance at her."
"I see." Tyr suppressed a grin. "Did she bleed?"
"Tyr, how could you?" Beka smirked. "I admit I was tempted. You might want to watch for bruising though."
"Anything else I should know?" Tyr turned his back to the mirror.
"Tamerlane may be inexperienced, but he has demonstrated a talent for pleasuring females." Beka waited for his reaction. It wasn't long in coming.
Tyr grabbed the bedclothes in his hand and yanked them on to the floor, revealing Beka's nakedness. To steady himself, he placed one knee on the foot of the bed, then leaned down to caress her lower lips with his mouth. She writhed under his protracted caress. He lifted his head long enough to say, "Naturally."
"My Lord Kodiak." Goneril stepped aside to allow Tyr to enter the room. "I am honoured that you would visit me. Under the circumstances, I do not deserve your attention."
The woman tried to conceal her terror, but Tyr could hear her rapid heart beat. Her scent assaulted his nose with the astringent stench of fear, underscored by the aroma of a female in heat.
"So you don't deny that you broke your promise to The Lady Kodiak?" Tyr watched her eyes for a hint of prevarication.
"I will not compound my transgression with a lie, my Lord." Goneril lowered her eyes in submission.
"I spoke to your family matriarch." Tyr announced.
Goneril gasped. Her heart raced in response.
"I did not tell her of your dishonour." Tyr laid the foundation for his role of champion. "She confirmed that in your family that displaying males are expected to prove their ability to satisfy a female, before an offer of mating is made."
Goneril kept her eyes lowered.
"What you failed to tell my son was that only males who had declared publicly their intention to display for specific females were entitled to take liberties. And only with the female identified in their declaration." Tyr waited for her to confirm her omission.
Goneril looked into his face. He had discovered her omission, but had he uncovered her secret?
There! For just a second, the eyes of the female shifted. She was hiding something. What was it?
"Did you deliberately mislead my son?" Tyr pressed her.
"Yes, my Lord." Goneril lowered her eyes once again. "I failed to clarify the circumstances when he mentioned the subject."
"What is so compelling about an untried boy of fifteen?"
Goneril was thrown by his question. She raised her head to search his face for the motivation behind his enquiry. The stoic face of The Kodiak revealed nothing.
Tyr stepped forward into her social space. She held her ground, however her nose twitched involuntarily. He slid a forefinger down her cheek.
"Olma has introduced you to any number of males with considerably more experience than my son. Some already have fathered children. You could be pregnant by now had you chosen any one of them. Explain yourself, woman."
Goneril stepped back. Tyr followed her. She stepped back again. He followed her. Clearly, The Kodiak would not let this rest until she answered him. At least he was not holding a forcelance to her head.
"Apart from the obvious, my Lord?" Goneril stalled for time.
Tyr recognized the ploy and called her bluff, "Start with the obvious, please."
"He is a potential Alpha. As your son, he will more than likely become The Kodiak. He is young enough that a first wife could strongly influence his development. She would, of course, play a role in his future matings.' Goneril stopped.
"So you are ambitious and saw an irresistible opportunity to achieve those ambitions?" Tyr was certain she had left something out.
"Yes, my Lord."
Goneril's hope that she had satisfied The Kodiak was dashed, when he asked, "Why then could you not wait six months. My wife made it clear that if you kept her trust at the end of six months we would reconsider your request."
"He has a way about him, my Lord." Goneril smiled shyly. "He was curious and so was I."
"You are ten years older than the boy." Tyr stated coldly. "You are the second daughter of an Alpha. You are a Kodiak female. You failed in your duty to my son, your self and your Pride."
The female flinched with embarrassment. Tyr concluded that she had deliberately seduced the boy. What was she up to?