Chapter Four
The king was displeased.
Ector, Captain of the Guard, knew the signs well enough. The cheerful mood of their last encounter was banished and the king’s eyes had a telltale glitter as he reviewed the security video. The king was still, so still he didn’t seem to be breathing, but Ector felt the tension rise in the small room that was the Vault.
Salvon was clever enough to stand behind Ector and keep quiet, for once.
“The princess proposed a plan, you said,” the king invited, turning his attention from the recording and fixing it upon Ector.
Ector bowed and stepped forward, fighting his sense of unease. His royal overlords weren’t unfair or cruel, but they did sometimes lose control of their tempers. With a dragon king, such a slip could result in great damage, however unintended it might have been. Ector feared that the well-documented temper of King Ouros would be roused to fiery splendor by the revelation that any of his daughters were imperiled.
“She did, your majesty. The plan was for her to interrogate the intruder in that first chamber, without any record or witnesses.”
“How curious,” mused the king.
“She implied that torture might be required,” Ector added. “And that it would be wise to have no record.”
The king arched a brow.
Ector stepped forward. “If I may be so bold as to show you, sir, the thief came first to the gates, insisting that he had a gift for you.”
“And was turned aside for lack of credentials,” King Ouros said. “Presumably he found another way in?”
Ector nodded. “The princess was watching the security information from some other cameras.” The king had responded to the summons so quickly that the Captain of the Guard hadn’t been able to review them first. He replayed the sequences she’d watched for the king, then froze the image of the intruder crossing the river.
The king leaned forward as the sequence played again, emitting a low growl when the thief cut open the grate. He tapped the controls, zoomed in on the thief’s fingertips, and replayed the sequence one more time.
“An augmentation, sir?” suggested Salvon. “I hear they are easily bought on some planets.”
King Ouros magnified the image more and more, leaning close to the screen to examine a detail that Ector couldn’t discern. “Not exactly,” he said, his tone thoughtful. “I believe this thief is an android. Look at his eyes.”
“That would explain the princess’s interest,” Salvon said and Ector wished his subordinate would remain quiet.
King Ouros gave the junior sentry a look so cold that he flinched. “She is very interested in automatons, but this situation is perilous.” His voice hardened. “Scintillon’s Law cannot be defied, even by a member of the royal family who is curious.”
“Of course not, your majesty.” Ector glared at Salvon, who dropped his gaze.
The king replayed Thalina’s capture of the intruder, then spun in the chair, drumming his fingertips. Ector wasn’t reassured by the faint glimmer of blue around his royal person. “She changed the plan,” the king said, his words clipped.
“Yes, your majesty.”
“Then she must have had a reason. Thalina is practical.”
“Because he was an android?”
“She would need more of a reason than that. An android might be able to threaten her person. If Thalina took a risk, she calculated the odds of survival to be in her favor. Why?” The king rose with purpose, evidently not expecting an answer. “Scintillon’s Law is absolute and she knows it. Why did she spare the android?”
“Perhaps she wished to investigate his abilities before his annihilation,” Salvon suggested. “Professional curiosity.”
Ector closed his eyes as the king’s gaze locked on Salvon. He expected little good, but Ouros cleared his throat and stood.
“I will go down there,” he said.
“But, sir! I can send a guard and spare your majesty the inconvenience…”
Ouros silenced Ector by dropping a hand to that man’s shoulder. “Not one who will see and smell everything I will see and smell, Ector,” he said and the Captain of the Guard had to admit that was true. The king squeezed his shoulder a little. “You will accompany me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Salvon’s relief was palpable that he was to be left in the Vault. Ector gave him some instruction on monitoring the situation, then followed the king, who was already striding down the corridor to the lower levels at a brisk pace. He brought a lantern, although the king didn’t appear to need it.
“Did you memorize her direction, sir? Because I can link to the main system…”
“I recognize Thalina’s scent, Ector,” Ouros said. “Just as I recognize the scent of every citizen in my kingdom.” He spared the Captain of the Guard a glance. “I could find any one of my children in the darkest night and locate my wife in the deepest abyss.”
“Of course, sir.” Ector couldn’t smell anything except damp stone. He called up the link on his personal screen anyway, curious to see whether the king could follow Thalina’s path unerringly. In fact, Ouros followed it so closely that he might have stepped in Thalina’s every footstep.
The king halted in the storeroom, examining the wet mark on the floor, inhaling deeply and scanning the space. Ector shone the light around the empty room, noting the extinguished candle. He smelled the snuffed wick and thought the candle looked as it had been ground underfoot.
The king turned to Ector with an unexpected smile. “The Seed,” he whispered, his eyes shining. “I will be a grandfather again, Ector.”
Ector’s mouth opened in surprise. “But you suspected he was an android, sir. Is that possible?”
“It must be. The scent of the Seed does not lie.” Ouros moved quickly then, heading toward the sealed treasury. He leaned his ear against the door and smiled, just a little, then placed the flat of his hand against the smooth metal.
Ector couldn’t see or hear anything, but the king’s smile broadened.
“I wonder if it will be a boy or a girl,” he said with undeniable pride.
“Is she safe, sir?”
“I feel the heat of recent dragon fire, Ector, and the stone still carries the resonance of a roar of pleasure. I believe my daughter is well and even pleased. How long has she been secured in the treasury?”
“Roughly an hour, sir.”
“And her original scheme was to interrogate him for a day and a night?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I wonder if she could smell the Seed even at such a distance as the Vault,” the king murmured, then sighed rapturously. “I remember how beguiling the scent of my partner in the wind was.”
“If you will excuse me, sir, if the princess had known about the Seed from the outset, there would have been no reason for her to create and then discard her original plan.”
“You’re right, of course, Ector. Thalina may have had a sense that it was imperative to intercept him. She might even have believed she could further her own fascination, at least until she was closer to him and smelled the truth.” Ouros nodded. “Then she did the only responsible thing under the circumstances.”
Ector frowned. “To take him into the Hoard, sir?”
“To isolate and sequester him until she obtained the Seed. Scintillon’s Law commands that all androids shall be destroyed on sight.” Ouros scanned the door. “He cannot be her HeartKeeper. He must be simply a vehicle for the Seed. Perhaps he delivers it for the HeartKeeper.”
“Yes, sir.”
“He cannot harm any of us, and he cannot be harmed, so long as he is in the Hoard. He is at her mercy. I suspect this is her plan.”
“Except by you, sir.”
“Exactly.” Ouros nodded with satisfaction and left the portal then, heading back to the palace with confidence as Ector hurried behind him. “We will leave Thalina in her love nest for the night, to ensure that the Seed is harvested, then we will intervene at first light.”
“That is less than the day and night she commanded, your majesty.”
“It is, but I believe it would be best to surprise Thalina. My daughters can be stubborn and I don’t want any complications. Ensure that there are tranquilizers prepared, Ector. Thalina will be protective and may need to be subdued.”
“Full doses, your majesty?”
“No, she mustn’t be injured. Requisition one dose sufficient to put her to sleep and divide it between three launchers. Even if only one hits, she will be slowed down.”
“Yes, your highness.”
The king smiled. “Fortify yourself, Ector. Thalina will not take well to a challenge to the Carrier of the Seed, and I don’t doubt that his own power is considerable.”
Ector swallowed. “What exactly do you mean to do, sir?”
“Capture and interrogate the android, as she originally intended, in order to discover the reason for his presence in the palace. I will have the so-called gift he has brought me and all of the truth, or he will pay the price.” Ouros lifted a brow. “Then—or sooner if he defies my will—he will be destroyed, as decreed by the law of my forebear.”
Which was why, Ector knew, the Seed had to be harvested first.
* * *
Being able to examine Acion’s workings was the best gift ever.
Thalina peered inside his shoulder, carefully studying the mechanism before she touched anything.
“It’s so beautiful,” she whispered, her gaze dancing over the replicated tendons and joints, the tiny transmitters that emulated the nervous system, the synthetic muscles. She gasped in wonder as she focused on the connections between the mechanical, the electronic and the biological. “So elegant,” she mused, never having imagined anything so wonderful could be manufactured. The integrations showed a wonderful attention to detail.
“You’ve never seen the workings of an android before?”
“Not one like you.” Thalina frowned. “Actually, not one in reality at all.” She tapped up a reference volume on her computer screen and showed it to him. “Just in Furton and Sluenz.” She returned to her study, marveling all the while.
“An outdated reference,” Acion scoffed. “Compare their notations on sensory receptors and the ones you can see in my hand.”
Thalina did as he suggested and was astonished by the greater level of complexity in his hand. “Your maker is really skilled.”
“My maker is always improving his designs and increasing our capabilities. I was given an enhancement just before this mission.”
“Did you ever know someone named Arista?” she asked without thinking.
Acion became very still. “Arista?” he echoed, but Thalina sensed the name wasn’t unfamiliar to him.
“My sister’s friend and Sword Sister. A Warrior Maiden of Cumae. You’re from Cumae. You must know her—especially since she was an android, too.”
Acion said nothing.
“You did know her!”
“I neither confirmed nor denied as much.”
“But your silence tells me everything. You would have either said that you didn’t know her, or that the information wasn’t available to me at this time.” Thalina shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I can see why Gemma never guessed Arista’s true nature. Any chance of meeting your maker?”
“The probability is very low. The Hive does not leave Cumae.”
“I’d make a pilgrimage there to learn more.”
“The Hive does not admit voyeurs.”
Thalina laughed. “Is that what I am? I thought I was a fellow enthusiast.”
Acion again said nothing. Thalina hoped he was considering how it might be arranged. She’d leave Incendium and even endure a jump to learn more about this technology.
“Wow,” she whispered, peering even closer. Her view was magnified in steady increments, an ability that she used habitually but one that always astonished the clockmaker. “The replicated axons are almost indistinguishable from their biological counterparts!”
Acion stiffened a little. “I do not believe that is so.”
“Well, you probably haven’t looked inside your own shoulder recently,” she teased, knowing better than to expect him to laugh.
He lifted his left hand so that the screen embedded in the palm was positioned over the back of his shoulder, and Thalina heard a click. The image was probably delivered to his brain because he didn’t look at his palm before adjusting the position and capturing several more images.
“See?” she said, and he made only a low hum of acknowledgment. She leaned over him, indicating the image on his palm. “Am I right that this part of the joint needs to be replaced, and this simulated muscle tissue should be reconnected here?”
“Yes, but you should start with the connection, because the nanobots will complete the muscle repair once it’s in place again.” He paused for a moment, flicking a glance at her. “Are you certain you have the skill for this?”
“I am,” Thalina said with a smile. “But you can watch to be sure.” She lifted his hand so that he’d have a good view. She smiled when the shoulder was illuminated and realized he had a light in the screen in his palm. “I need the Fraxon B hook,” she said, and Acion reached into the toolkit in his thigh.
* * *
Thalina was more skilled than Acion could have expected from any biological organism. He added her attention to detail and precision to his growing list of attributes of dragons shifters, after passion, logic, compassion. This one, also, was honorable.
She was patient, too. She took her time with his repair, ensuring that each part was done perfectly before she continued. Perhaps this was the gift of her longevity. Her accuracy was impressive, and her determination to fix her own mistake was admirable.
Acion provided her with suggestions and information, releasing the nanobots in waves as she completed the larger repairs for him. All the while, he wondered.
What had happened to his neurons?
He knew with complete accuracy that they had no biological components. They linked to the biologically derived sensors in his face and hands, and moored the biological membrane that sheathed his body. They themselves were replicas. Manufactured replicas.
But the neurons in the image he’d taken of his shoulder looked different. How could that be? They pulsed in a different way, a less mechanical way. They moved with a fluidity that their mechanical counterparts couldn’t echo. Was this part of his last enhancement?
They looked organic.
Thalina was right that they were almost indistinguishable from their biological counterparts. Acion had a strange sense that they might be biological.
But how?
Where had they originated?
Was this one of his improvements?
He couldn’t help thinking of the heat that had raced through his body upon his sexual release, and the sense of being fried from within. Had that been a casualty of excessive sexual pleasure? But why would the nanobots have restored his neurons using a different design?
Acion would have liked to have discarded the observation, or discounted it, but the image of his own shoulder was vivid in his thoughts. He magnified it repeatedly, and found only confirmation of Thalina’s observation.
What did it mean?
Did it have anything to do with these feelings he was experiencing?
More importantly, was he succeeding at the Hive’s test of his new functionality, or failing? Acion felt uncertain about the result of reporting to the Hive, as he never had before. Thalina’s so-called warning had given him a taste of his own end that was more concerning than any close call he’d had before. Was that part of his improvement?
His reasoning came to an abrupt halt when Thalina exhaled with satisfaction. “Done!” she said. “Or at least as done as I can be. Let me watch the nanobots.”
Acion released them, then his eyes opened wide.
Not because Thalina dropped her hand to the back of his waist and leaned over him.
But because he could feel the weight of her hand, where he knew he should have no sensory receptors.
He felt the silk of her hair brush his back, too, and the light waft of her breath against his rapidly repairing skin.
“You are amazing,” she whispered and he felt his heartbeat quicken.
What was she doing to him?
And why did it feel so very good?
This change was a matter to investigate!
Acion rolled over and sat up, raising one hand to cup her chin. He noticed the way she caught her breath, the quick dilation of her pupils, the flush that rose on her cheeks. Her eyes began to sparkle and her lips parted, as if she could read his inclination in his eyes.
Or maybe she read it in his reactions. Acion noted that his own respiratory rate had increased along with his pulse. He was filled with that new heat, and a buoyant sense of anticipation.
Yearning. Yes, it was yearning.
For the first time, he understood the compulsion biological organisms felt with regard to mating. Frequently. Repeatedly. He smiled and touched his lips to Thalina’s, echoing the way she’d brushed hers across his own earlier.
The sensation was sublime. Evidently, the abilities of his receptors had been enhanced during the repairs. He initiated a check of his systems, learned that the repair of his exterior membrane was eighty-seven per cent complete and that strength in his right arm had been diminished by fifty-two per cent. Thalina had tried, but she evidently didn’t know enough about his design to repair him completely. He couldn’t blame her for that, but would have to accommodate that diminished ability in his reactions, at least until he returned to the Hive for further repair.
For the moment, there was this new sensitivity to explore. He kissed her again, lingering over the contact, tasting her quick exhalation.
The fleeting touch wasn’t nearly enough.
Her gaze searched his, as if she sought to read his programming. “Will you pleasure me, twice in one Incendium day?” she asked, her voice husky.
“It is already negotiated,” he said, hearing that his own words were strained. “We made an agreement and I have seen a dragon now. You must have the second delivery of the Seed.”
She laughed, which made her eyes sparkle. He felt anticipation of their union, one that could be measured in his body’s reactions. He felt arousal as he had before, and knew that his biometrics were responding to the stimulus of experience with this woman.
It must be the promise of gathering more data about her and thus about dragon shifters that excited him.
Anything else would have been illogical.
He stood up and cupped her face in his hands, bending to capture her lips beneath his own. She rose against him, and he realized she was standing on her toes. He eased his fingers into her hair and deepened his kiss, appreciating how she returned his embrace, liking how she wound her arms around his neck and surrendered to him.
His yearning increased exponentially as their kiss became more passionate. She opened her mouth to him and he caught her close, lifting her against his chest and slanting his mouth over hers. She sighed, a wondrous sound, and murmured his name. One of her legs wound around his and she gripped the back of his head, demanding more, demanding all that he was willing to give. Acion closed his eyes, almost overwhelmed by sensation and wanting even more.
He spun and lifted her to the couch, following her down to its softness, their kiss uninterrupted. He lowered himself over her, trapping her beneath him, and she made a growl of satisfaction. Then her kiss became more demanding, her legs wrapping around him as she feasted on his mouth. Acion was enthralled. When they parted, her eyes were sparkling and her lips were redder.
“I thought you had to rejuvenate,” Thalina said, her words husky.
“Touch me,” he said by way of reply.
Her gaze dropped to his erection and she smiled. “I thought five was a resting state.”
“The resting state is considerably surpassed. Touch me.”
Thalina smiled, looking impish and unpredictable in a way Acion found remarkably alluring. “Let’s start with that finger,” she said, lifting his hand within hers.
“It was inoperable after the incident.”
“Then, we’d better check the repair.”
Acion slid back the protective cover on the finger tip, revealing the vibrator, and Thalina’s smile broadened. She lifted it to her lips and he activated it, watching the way her eyes closed with rapture and her lips parted. She leaned her head back, eyes closed, as he slid his hand down the length of her throat. He let the vibrator touch her earlobe, the underside of her chin, the hollow of her throat. He traced a path along her collarbone to her shoulder, noting where she reacted most strongly, then cupped her breast in his hand. She still wore her clothing, but he touched her through the cloth.
Thalina gasped when the vibrator touched her nipple and he teased it, then pulled away her chemise to put the vibrator directly on her skin. He watched the nipple harden to a point, feeling a curious satisfaction when her body responded according to his plan. He did the same to the other, then Thalina pulled his head down for a kiss.
He determined that he was able to multi-task, even when her hands swept over his back, launching a fire through him. She twisted and giggled when the vibrator ran over her ribs, proving that she was ticklish, then caught her breath and parted her thighs. Her expectation was so obvious that Acion wanted to surprise her.
He followed the path of his finger with his lips, creating a trail of kisses. He captured one nipple in his mouth, and when he’d coaxed it to a perfect taut peak, he gave the same attention to the other. He could smell Thalina’s arousal, and his own was beginning to demand satisfaction. He eased down the length of her, then settled between her thighs. He feasted upon her there, using his tongue instead of his finger to give her pleasure.
Thalina’s gasp of delight, and the increase in her heart rate, proved that his technique was satisfactory. The way her hands moved over his shoulders kept him burning with that newfound desire, as well as determined to please.
She would remember the second delivery of the Seed. Acion would make sure of it.
* * *
Thalina liked how intent Acion was upon ensuring her pleasure. He could have been her personal android, perfecting his approach to ensure her complete satisfaction.
Not that it needed much improvement.
His technique was wonderful. He seemed to know exactly how to drive her wild and to be determined to do it as quickly as possible. There was something thrilling about his intensity and Thalina found her arousal increasing so quickly that she thought she might spontaneously combust. Her heart was racing. Her skin was on fire. She was wet and hot and ready for him, her blood boiling and her need beyond anything she’d experienced before. She found her fingers digging into his back and her legs wrapped around him, but Acion was relentless. He didn’t push her over the edge but he didn’t stop, either. She wasn’t sure she could stand any more. She was writhing. She heard herself begging.
And then he used that finger.
As soon as the vibrating tip touched her clitoris, Thalina found her release. She shouted as the fire shot through her body and locked around Acion, holding him fast as she quivered and shook.
When she managed to open her eyes and catch her breath, he was watching her with such an expression of pride in his feat that she found it hard to believe he was an android.
“Were you satisfied?” he asked.
“Not quite,” Thalina said. “I want more.”
“You are voracious,” he said softly.
“I’m a dragon princess,” she replied, rising from the couch to shed her clothes. She liked how Acion studied each increment of skin as it was revealed. She liked that he looked at her as if she was a marvel to be investigated, as if he’d never seen her before, as if they hadn’t pleasured each other so recently. It was exciting to have his attention so fixed upon her and she guessed that he was gathering information about dragon shifter princesses.
She was glad to be his object of study. His interest in her mirrored her interest in him and made her feel that they had much in common.
“I have a suggestion for you,” she said and his gaze flicked to hers.
“Do you?”
“I think it’s one that you’re likely to accept.”
He smiled, just a little, and her heart skipped. “How likely?”
“At least ninety per cent.”
“And will that give you pleasure?”
“Yes.”
“Then please tell me of it.
Thalina returned to him, sitting beside him and sweeping her hand over him as she had once before. This time, she heard him inhale sharply and knew that his arousal index was rising.
“I think you should investigate dragon shifters and document any discrepancies between dragon shifters in their human form and other humanoid women.”
“An excellent suggestion,” Acion said, reaching to cup one of her breasts in his hand. “You underestimated its appeal by at least eight per cent.” His thumb slid over her breast and Thalina tipped her head back, feeling her nipple respond to his touch.
Then she remembered their conversation. “Well, there’s another part of the suggestion, one you might find less attractive.”
“So, the appeal of the entire proposition would be diminished once the less appealing part is factored into the end result. I understand.” He bent and took her nipple in his mouth, tugging it to a taut peak and making Thalina shiver. He was so good at that. He flicked his tongue against the nipple, then looked up at her, eyes glinting. “Tell me the part you expect me to find less appealing,” he whispered.
“I think the investigation should be reciprocal. You want to learn more about dragon shifters. I want to learn more about androids.”
His gaze flicked and she knew he was calculating. “To what purpose?”
“I’m curious.”
“The lore of biological organisms suggests that curiosity is a dangerous trait.”
Thalina smiled. “That must be what I like about it.”
He tilted his head, his thumb still moving back and forth across her nipple. “Why would you like a prospect of peril?”
“Because danger makes me feel alive.”
Acion didn’t respond for a moment. “Triggering the fight-or-flight response contributes to your awareness of your existence?” he asked, obviously uncertain of the merit of this conclusion.
“Experiencing sensation, taking risks, triumphing against the odds, feeling and enjoying and daring—these make me feel alive.”
His hand dropped from her breast. “But that is irrational. How can risking your life unnecessarily make you feel alive?”
“It does, when I triumph.”
“But what if you do not?”
“I’ll have had one magnificent moment. That’ll make taking the chance worth it.”
“Even if it is your last moment?”
Thalina nodded. “Otherwise, I’d just be plodding through my life, safe and bored. I might as well be dead.”
Acion stood up. He paced a few steps and she could almost hear his circuits humming, then returned to confront her. “I cannot accept this premise. You are not an irrational individual.”
“Haven’t you ever taken a risk?”
“All risks are calculated. Only those that are likely to have a favorable conclusion are undertaken.”
“Ever wrong?”
He lifted a brow and she laughed.
“Of course not. Silly question. So, you’ve never really taken a chance. You’ve never really risked your survival for anything.”
“Of course not. I didn’t know that anyone did.” His eyes narrowed. “Is this behavior specific to dragon shifters?”
“No. I think everyone does it to some extent.” Thalina watched him, fascinated by the challenge she had unwittingly given to his programming. She couldn’t resist the temptation, so leaned close to whisper. “If you could try anything, without concern for the probabilities of success, what would it be?”
He didn’t answer for a moment and she wondered if he would.
Then he frowned.
“I would fly,” he admitted, his words halting as if the confession surprised him as much as it did Thalina. “I would climb to the highest mountain I could find and leap from its highest point, then fly. I like how it feels in a Starpod to soar over the land, and I have always thought it would be ideal to do that without the burden of a vehicle.”
“Why?”
To her surprise, he looked discomfited again. “To feel free.” He hesitated, then swallowed and Thalina thought of his comment about uploading his observations to a central processor. Was that what he did with the Hive? Did he feel trapped by that?
“I like the wind on my face.” His words lacked conviction, as if he sought to convince both of them. Their gazes met for a moment and Thalina saw consideration in his eyes.
“Only on your face?”
“I am equipped with sensory receptors only in certain areas of my body. My face. My hands.” There was doubt in his voice, and Thalina thought she knew why.
“I hope somewhere else,” she teased.
“My genitals,” he confirmed.
“So, you wouldn’t really feel the wind over all of your skin.”
“But I would like to feel it where I could.” Acion shook his head. “But taking such a risk would be an irrational choice. I don’t possess the necessary augmentations or programming for flight.”
“What about swimming?” Thalina asked. “Diving into the ocean is similar, I think, to flying.”
His eyes brightened. “You know this because you have done both.”
Thalina nodded. “The feel of the water rushing past is similar to the sensation of the wind. Couldn’t you swim?”
Acion shook his head. “My seals are sufficiently watertight only for surviving precipitation and for cleansing. To be immersed in water for any period of time would be detrimental to my condition.” He licked his lips. “I would rust.” Then he arched a brow, as if inviting her to laugh.
Thalina did. She hadn’t heard him make a joke before. “So, you wouldn’t risk it.”
“To do so would be in defiance of my mandate.”
“You exist to serve,” Thalina remembered.
“And only my maker can determine when that service will end.”
“So, no risky choices.”
“It would be irresponsible.”
“It might be fun.” Thalina grinned. “What if I took you flying? Your maker would never know.”
Acion laughed for the first time in her presence. “My maker knows all!” he countered. “Every impression and bit of data is shared with the maker.”
“Even now? Even here?” Thalina didn’t like the sound of that. “Does your maker know what we did?”
“Not yet. But the Hive will know all when my report is delivered.”
“When will that be?”
“That information is not available to you at this time.”
Thalina wanted to strike him. In fact, she poked him hard in the chest, so hard that he took a step back. “You need to stop saying that to me.”
“I must obey my mandate.”
“Can you keep any data out of your report?”
“I do not understand.”
Of course, he didn’t know how to lie. “Is it possible to make your report but omit to share certain details?”
“Like?”
“Like your observation that my genitalia were exceptional copies of their biological counterparts.”
Color rose on the back of Acion’s neck. “I can correct the conclusion, but I don’t believe it possible to completely delete it from my databanks.” He frowned. “It is possible that such a detail wouldn’t be passed to the Hive via a remote connection but as soon as I return to Cumae, all of my data is shared with the Hive. It is protocol.”
And programming. “So, you can’t lie to the Hive?”
“Why would I want to?”
It was amazing to Thalina that androids were banned from Incendium when it appeared that they were most likely of all beings to obey dragon kings perfectly and without question, a situation her father often loudly wished was his own.
That thought led to an obvious question. “What if you did something the Hive wouldn’t approve of? Wouldn’t you want to hide that detail from the Hive?”
Acion shook his head. “But that is impossible. I can only do what the Hive has designed and programmed me to do.”
Thalina, once again, found herself determined to challenge Acion’s conviction.
“What’s under your other fingers?”
He opened his mouth to make his standard protest but Thalina placed her fingertips over his mouth to silence him. He swallowed and his gaze brightened. “Show me,” she commanded, then replaced her fingertips with her mouth.
One thing was for certain—Acion’s programming included a remarkable capacity for kissing. Thalina backed him into the wall, caught his face in her hands, and demanded even more.
* * *
The princess Thalina was insatiable.
If she continued at this rate, initiating intimacy every sixty-two minutes, Acion’s entire lifetime total of sexual experiences would be doubled within four-hundred and thirty-four Incendium minutes, or 7.23 hours local time.
But that calculation did not include the actual time required to complete such intimacy. The first time, it had taken twenty-two minutes, so six more such intervals would add one hundred and thirty-two more minutes to his calculation, resulting in a total time required to double his lifetime experience of sexual union to five hundred and sixty-six minutes, or 9.43 hours.
That was well within the window of her request that they be secluded for a day and a night.
Acion should factor in the time required for his repair in the aftermath of their union and the curious heat that surged through his workings.
Thalina pushed him to his back and closed her mouth over him, a sensation of warmth and softness that made Acion close his eyes. He recalled her suggestion that intimacy should be savored, so reasoned he should added an increase of ten per cent to each successive period of intimacy…
Her tongue flicked across him. Her hand closed gently around him and she caressed.
And Acion couldn’t remember what he had been adding together.
Or why.