S he let the arrow fly and it landed nowhere near the target .

"Little more to the left. Remember to hold your arm straight and take that breath and hold it—you'll stay steadier ."

Lahanna had more than her share of patience with her sister-in-law, that was sure. "Last one, before we need to go pick up. Now, take aim carefully; see it landing where you want it to and let go ."

One of the trees to the left of the target was not where she'd seen it landing .

But at least her companion found her lack of aim amusing. "What do you say we pick up and then head in to my chambers and we'll have something to eat. I'm starving ."

"Far be it for me to deprive a pregnant woman of the ability to eat," Cika teased. She really liked Lahanna and they were rapidly becoming good friends. She didn't get to see Prique as often because she and he husband lived several hours away .

When they were back ensconced in the younger girl's rooms, she literally sprawled herself out on a couch .

"Are you all right?" Cika asked warily, staring at that large belly. She had been so innocent for so long, that she knew very little about pregnancy .

"I'm fine," she said. "Although the midwife thinks I'm going to have twins ."

"Twins!"

"Yeah. Singh will be over the moon ."

"Your husband is always over the moon about you ."

Lahanna laughed then sat up a bit, saying, "Not last night, he wasn't. He didn't want me to do this—teach you how to shoot ."

"Vallon didn't want me to come here for that reason, either! He said he wanted to be here when I first learned—some over protective nonsense about keeping me safe ."

"Yes! What is it with men? Do they think you're going to take aim at my belly or my heart ?"

Curious, Cika asked, "But you taught me how to do it, anyway—won't you be in trouble ?"

"Won't you?" Lahanna countered .

She bit her lip. "I'm hoping he never finds out, that's why I'm going to leave a little early and get home before he does. But what about you ?"

Her sister-in-law shrugged delicately. "He'll bluster and fume and yell a bit, and he'll add it to the list ."

Cika gave her a blank look. "The list ?"

Lahanna laughed. "You haven't been pregnant yet, so you don't know. Okay, so I don't know about where you came from, but here, wives get spanked ."

"Where I'm from, women control everything. Men are used for their strength, their looks—sometimes—and as breeding stock. Otherwise, we don't have much interaction with them ."

"Really? That sounds so neat! No spankings, and you get to do what you want ."

Cika shook her head. "Mostly. And zero. None ."

"Mmm. Well, if there's one thing Juqarian men value, besides their women, it's their children. And when their woman is full of a child, from the moment they know, they won't punish you ."

"Oh?"

"But, if they're like my husband, what they'll do instead is keep a list of all of your naughtiness and you'll pay the price once the baby's born." She licked the frosting from a pastry off her fingers loudly. "Luckily, my husband is away a lot, and between the very generous recovery time and his business meetings taking him away from home, I'm usually caught again before he can do anything about them." Then she looked at Cika. "I think there are still things on there from three babies ago. So, Vallon spanks you ?"

"Oh, yes. Why do you think I'm sitting on the edge of this chair ?"

Her friend chuckled. "Sorry. Should have noticed that. Would you like an extra cushion ?"

"No, thank you ."

"You're sitting gingerly and yet you also did something he forbade you to ?"

Cika nodded .

"Wow, you are my hero !"

Chuckling, she said, "Well, considering the fact that he always seems to find out when I try to keep something from him, I don't think I should really have that exalted position. Talk to me after he finds out and I actually can't sit down ."

"He really loves you, you know ."

Cika blinked several times. "I do—he told me so before we left my home ."

"I don't know all of the details, you know, because wives must be protected, but I know that you might not necessarily have wanted to come here all that much. How do you feel about him ?"

There was a long pause and then Lahanna spoke. "Ignore that question. Singh is always scolding me for being a nosybody ."

"No, it's fine. I'll tell you." She took a sip of her tea, addressing herself to the cup. "You heard right—I came here more under duress than of my own volition. I won't go into details, because they're kind of painful. And if you'd asked me on the ship while we were getting here—which was a truly horrid trip—I would have given you a completely different answer." She licked her lips, thinking hard for a moment. "I've never been in love before—we don't really have love like you guys do between men and women. But I've been thinking about it a lot lately, actually, thinking about how I feel about him and how I feel about how I feel about him, if you get what I mean ."

"I absolutely do ."

"I think I do love him. He's strict but he's also caring in a lot of ways. He's very solicitous and protective of me, and I really like that. And," she whispered. "I really like the strict, too, although I'll deny it if you tell him ."

Lahanna put her hand in the air. "He will never hear it from me." She looked at the woman who was her sister-in-law for a moment, then said, "You're fitting in really well here—don't let anyone tell you differently. And I'm so glad you love him, in whatever your own way is, and that you like how he is with you. That's kind of the essence of a good marriage, I think ."

* * *

W hen she was brought home—via royal conveyance—she knew she was in hot water as soon as they turned down the driveway, because his car was there ahead of her .

She'd stayed too long. If she got whipped—which was quite likely to happen—she was going to blame Lahanna later .

Cika did her best to sneak into the house, but the man heard everything—it was like he had radar or something, especially when it had anything to do with her .

So even though she'd taken her shoes off and was avoiding all of the squeaky joists in the floor, she couldn't make it past the office he maintained at home .

"Cika? Is that you ?"

She froze, hoping he wouldn't get up to check and that she could just continue on up to the bedroom—maybe even pretend she'd been there all along, if she was lucky .

But she wasn't that lucky .

"There you are. Where were you? I thought you told me you were staying home today ?"

"Yes, sir. I was, uh—" She should have been better prepared for this .

He stood directly in front of her and crossed his arms over his chest. That was never a good sign. It was a sign that she was more than likely going to end up over his lap—or worse .

"I was, uh—" she started again .

His eyebrow was up but she could also see that he was fighting a smile. "Should have gotten your story straight before you came home, my Princess." He put out his hand and she put her hand into it, following him into the office, where he took his seat in the big chair behind the desk and patted his lap .

She complied, however reluctantly, and he simply held her against his chest for a while. "Have I ever told you how much I love the feel of you in my arms ?"

Cika leaned back to look at him. "On occasion, but I never get tired of hearing it ."

"I love you" he said, hugging her tightly .

"I love you, too, sir," she whispered shyly, feeling him stiffen beneath her, then he leaned back to stare into her eyes .

"Did—did I just hear you say what I think I heard you say ?"

Cika giggled. "Yes ."

"And you know that saying it isn't going to get you out of being punished for whatever it is that you did that I don't know about yet ?"

She looked genuinely affronted. "I didn't say it in hopes of getting out of being punished for whatever it is that you don't know about yet," she parroted back to him, adding belatedly, "Sir ."

"Then why did you say it?" he asked, trying to keep the suspicion out of his tone .

"Because it's true, sir," she admitted to his shoulder .

"Look me in the eyes and say that, Princess ."

There was that lovely shyness again as she did as he asked, meeting his eyes the entire time. "It's true, sir ."

For the blink of an eye, time stood still, and the world was reduced to just the two of them .

Then he shot out of the chair and lifted her high into the air, emitting what sounded like war whoops and twirling them both around. When he finally set her back down on her feet, he took her into his arms and kissed her so tenderly, she almost burst into tears herself .

"You're sure you mean it? I've tried not to push you—I know it's not something that comes naturally to you ."

"I mean it. I was talking to Lahanna this afternoon—" Cika clamped her hand over her mouth, which probably gave her misdeed away much more so than simply telling him that they had talked—they could have done so in many different ways .

She didn't need her sister-in-law to spill the beans—she was apparently quite capable of doing so herself .

He lowered his chin and looked down at her. "You were at Lahanna's today, Princess ?"

Cika frowned. "Yes, sir," she admitted quietly, looking down at the fingers she was twisting nervously, only to have him tip her chin up anyway so that she had to look at him .

"And you were doing more than just having coffee, I take it ."

If she bit her lip any harder, it was going to start to bleed as he leaned back against the edge of his desk, corralling her between those thick thighs of his with his fingers laced behind her back .

"Tell me, little Princess," he said, tone full of a warning that was much more of a promise .

Very softly, she replied, "Yes, sir ."

"And what could you two have been doing? Certainly, not practicing with a bow and arrow, because you have both been told that you are not to do so unless your husbands are present, haven't you ?"

Even softer answer, "Yes, sir ."

He squeezed her tightly. "And is that what you were doing ?"

"Yes, sir," she admitted, looking pitiful. "But everything went fine—we discovered that I have absolutely no natural aptitude for it, but it was still a lot of fun—and nothing bad happened ."

"That is not the point and you know it." He tried to sound angry but couldn't quite make it—not that that was going to get her off the hook. Vallon was glad that she had apparently found a friend in his sister—Lahanna could be a bit of a handful, but overall, he thought she'd probably be both a good friend and a good influence on his wife .

Usually.

Since he had her right there, it would be a shame to just waste the opportunity. There was a convenient chair right in front of him where he could rest his foot, which gave him a knee to ease her over, which was exactly what he did .

Vallon reached for the waistband of her pants. "And what have you been told about wearing pants, Cika ?"

"Not to, sir?" she supplied, turning to almost grin up at him .

"What has gotten into you, woman?" he asked, easily slipping her pants and undies down and off. "You are to wear dresses and skirts. No pants ."

"Yes, sir ."

She had acquiesced entirely too easily. It made him suspicious .

As was his habit, lay his hand on her bottom then lifted it in preparation for the first swat .

"Sir?" she asked .

"Yes?" He wasn't happy when she interrupted a punishment, and she knew it .

"Before you spank me, I need to tell you something else ."

Vallon sighed and not patiently. "Yes, what is it ?"

"You can't spank me ."

"What do you mean I can't spank you? I am your husband and I will spank you if I — "

Before he got all wound up about his inalienable right as her husband to spank her, she interrupted him. "May I ask you to look at something, please ?"

He was instantly suspicious again. "Look at something? What is this all about, Cika? You are trying my patience this afternoon ."

"I know, sir, but please ."

"And what might that be?" he asked, rubbing her bottom as if reminding her that she was still going to get a spanking, no matter what it was she had him looking at .

"It's right there, in the chair, in my purse ."

Her purse was in the same chair where he'd propped up his foot .

Vallon latched onto the thing and made as if to give it to her, but she said, "No, you open it—the paper is right inside ."

"What is this? You're only adding fuel to the fire, you know, trying to delay your punishment." He opened the bag and there was, indeed, a piece of paper in there, folded over once .

"Read it out loud, please, sir, starting at the very top ."

"Just a second, I have to open it." When he did, he began to read to her in a tone that said that he'd had just about enough of this. "From the office of the Royal Physicians, to the Princess Cika. Confirmation of — "

He stood so quickly that he practically dumped her off him and onto the floor and then he panicked about that, lifting her up as if she was made of the most delicate china. He held her by the shoulders, looking at her as if he couldn't possibly believe it. "You're—you're pregnant ?"

Staring up into his eyes, Cika nodded. "Yes, Vallon, I am ."

Whereas telling him that she had loved him had gotten her whirled frantically around, this announcement got her pulled into his arms and held as if she was the most precious thing ever to exist to him .

"Thank you, my Princess," he whispered reverently. "There is no greater gift on this or any other planet that you could ever give me than this ."

"You're welcome, sir ."

Eventually, he said, "And you're right. I can't spank you. I won't. But I will start a list …"