a Pleasure Rites, #1 by Ines Johnson (reader novel .TXT) 📕

beat of their heart. Chanyn felt... normal. She must be doing something wrong. She wondered if she should open her eyes, too. And so she did.

They stared at each other, lips still pressed together. They stayed that way for a moment; neither pulling away, nor pressing things any further. Then Dain's eyes flicked to the left. He jerked back from her, holding her at arms distance. Chanyn turned to look over her shoulder.

Khial stood staring at the two of them. His eyes wide in shock. His normally scowling mouth agape in disbelief.

Dain cleared his throat, his thumb brushing over his mouth. "We're going into the city." He had to clear his throat again as the words garbled. "If you would like to join us?"

Khial stared at Dain another moment. His eyes narrowed as though the English language were foreign to him. Finally, he blinked and walked into the house without a word.

Dain hesitated, one foot turned toward the house, one hand still on Chanyn's shoulder. In the end, he sighed and turned to her. The smile that stretched across his face aimed for easy, but it looked weary.

"Ready to go."

It wasn't a question as he handed her into the car and they took off.

They were silent for a while.

"You know that I like you, Chanyn." Dain turned to glance at her from the driver's panel. "I like you very much."

There was such earnestness in his eyes. Earnestness that Chanyn didn't need to see. She knew he spoke the truth.

"I like you very much too, Dain."

He nodded as though he wasn’t quite sure and had to roll the words around in his head a bit. "Khial... Khial didn't grow up in a loving family. He has a rough time with new people. But he is the most loyal, passionate, loving human being I know."

Dain paused, his fingers gripping the steering wheel. Chanyn could see the blood draining as he clenched harder.

"Please," his voice strained with the plea. "You just need to give him some time."

Desperation replaced Dain's earnestness. It was Dain who proposed—Khial made no such overtures. But the two males were a packaged deal, a package Chanyn wanted to be bound to; to be bundled in the love she saw that Dain and Khial shared. She would do whatever was necessary to get to that place.

"I will," Chanyn promised.

Dain nodded. Some of the blood returned to his fingers, but he continued to grip the steering wheel.

They pulled up before a mansion that rivaled Dain's place. It was a sprawling compound, all on one floor. The gardens were lush with color. In the distance, Chanyn could see men, young and mature, in the fields picking the produce of the fertile earth. The fertile lands went on as far as she could see. The shock must have shown on her face.

"You come from a very powerful family Chanyn. The women inside that compound are leaders in the government and sciences."

Chanyn felt a pang. She didn't excel at either of those. Her mother had always been disappointed that her daughter had no head for the large volumes of reading necessary to master the political or technical sciences. Chanyn was always far more interested in the social constructs she found in fiction.

Dain was at her door handing her out. He walked to the gates with her, her hand once more tucked into the crook of his arm. "I'll wait for you right here."

Chanyn's head whipped to his. "You're not coming in?"

Dain laughed shaking his head. "I don't think your family would be interested in my company."

"But you're to be my husband. Shouldn't my family get to know you better?"

Dain gazed down at her, wonder and awe alight on his face alongside something else Chanyn couldn't name. He moved a hair from her brow. Chanyn had always read of men doing that to women. She found it pleasant.

"This world no longer works that way, Chanyn. Since the Great Destruction, men's opinions are seldom tolerated, much less asked for. You may have come into this world with only the clothes on your back and a stack of books, but you came with far more power and influence than I or my wealth could ever afford me."

The door opened then. An older man with an expressionless face stood stiffly on the other side. His gaze flicked up in surprise at Dain's hand on Chanyn's cheek.

Dain put his hand away. "Lady Chanyn to see the ladies of the house."

The servant nodded and Chanyn was handed inside. Dain did not cross the threshold. He gave her an encouraging smile before the door was summarily shut in his face.

"This way, if you please." The servant led Chanyn through an ornate walkway. Pictures of great women lined the walls. Many Chanyn did not recognize, though some she did from the pictures in books. There were queens of the lands once called Egypt and Europe. Goddesses of the land of Greece. There were also great warriors depicted. Female leaders from the twentieth who had done battle with men before the destruction. Warriors such as Hillary Clinton and Sasha Obama.

And then she saw them, the powerful women of today. There were four of them, gathered in a small sitting room sipping tea..

One was an elderly woman. She reminded Chanyn of Jian with her olive toned skin and lifted eyes.

To one side of her sat a mature woman. She was as dark as the earth. She held a reader in her hands instead of a teacup. She tapped quickly, her eyes scanning fast.

Off to the side, on a settee, sat two young ladies. One swirled her tea and gazed out the window. The other tapped her teacup impatiently as she gazed at the clock.

"Lady Chanyn," announced the male servant, bowing deeply before retreating from the room. Chanyn watched his retreat and then turned back. All eyes were on her. Assessing. No one jumped up and ran to her with arms out-flung. No one smiled a warm welcome. No one even spoke.

"Hello," Chanyn tried.

"Come in,