Master of Desire by Lacey Alexander (read out loud books .TXT) 📕

“Very well, Father,” she said, still smiling wide, certain her happiness must be evident in her eyes. “When shall I be given?”

Enrick delivered a soft grin, clearly pleased that she liked his choice. Much talk had been made about the looks exchanged between  Teesia  and Ralen at the feast two yearspast—but only  she  knew about the delights  he’d delivered in the hallway. “You shall be given tomorrow, daughter.”

She drew in  her breath. Tomorrow! That was highly unusual. “So soon?” She was anxious to begin her new life, certainly, but there was so much to be done first!

Enrick nodded. “Ralen and his entourage camp outside Myrtell even now, awaiting the Giving Ceremony. He and I met only yesterday and he seemed eager to take you as his wife, so we agreed to dispense  with the customary waiting period.”

Teesia nodded, but said, “What about my Orientation?”

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Her father only laughed—probably at the enthusiasm in her voice, or the fact that she was broaching the subject before everyone  in the great hall without a care for their

presence.

It was Jalal who answered with her motherly yet regal smile. “Not to worry, dear.  You and I shall discuss everything shortly. Perhaps, though,” she said with a glance to  her husband, “we should adjourn, as there  is  much to be accomplished before tomorrow morning.”

“Agreed,” he said, then looked down  on Teesia. “Tomorrow at dawn,” he  announced in a loud, ceremonial voice, “you shall be  given to  Ralen of Charelton, daughter!”

The crowd filling the  hall cheered their approval, and Teesia’s heart felt near to  overflowing. All her dreams were about to come  true! She couldn’t wait to take Ralen as her husband, and she couldn’t wait to discover the joys to be had in his bed.

* * * * *

“What about my Orientation?” Teesia asked again, kneeling at the center of her fur-

covered bed as her mother entered the room.

“Well, obviously, you will not have the usual three nights, so your Orienter will

have to work fast.”

“Who is it and when will she be  here?”  The Orienter was always another  female,  someone close to the bride-to-be, and her  job was to teach the royal bride what she needed to know about sex before she entered into marriage. For most royal and wealthy girls who were kept so ignorant of sex until  Orientation, it was a large task—but given  what Teesia  already knew, she’d hopefully  not miss out on too much. Thank goodness Bella had broken the rules for her!

“Soon, soon,” Jalal answered with a light laugh. “And you shall see who your

Orienter is  when she arrives. For now, daughter, might I suggest you practice your

Maran tiles?”

Teesia let out a heavy breath, trying  to  absorb how quickly everything washappening.  And yes, that was a good suggestion. Maven had had three whole days tokeep practicing the sacred game in between  her nights of Orientation. Ares above, maybe being given over to Ralen tomorrow  wasn’t so wonderful, after all—a girl needed time to prepare! Then yet another thought struck her. “But if I practice the  Maran tiles,  who shall pack my things?” There was simply no time!

“Relax, my  dear,” Jalal said in a calm, soothing tone. “Willa has already emptied your chamber of most of your belongings  and set about putting them in trunks. Youdidn’t even notice?”

Teesia looked around her. Indeed, other than the  fur bedcover, leather wall hangings, and a thin silk nightslip, her  maid had emptied the room of everything personal. It was startling in a way—to think she’d never again see the bedchamber of

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her girlhood as it had always been, filled with her clothing and hair ribbons and everything else that was distinctly her own. “I’ve a lot on my mind suddenly, I  suppose,” she said, feeling sheepish.

Her mother  sat down  beside her and took  her hand. “You must be calm now,

daughter, and trust that all is as it should be. Tomorrow you go with the  man with  whom you’ll make your life. Use today to prepare for that life, and to anticipate it. Everything important has already been taken care of—your only task for today and  tonight is to ready yourself to be a wife.” With that,  Jalal leaned  in  to deliver a kiss to Teesia’s forehead, then  rose from the bed.

Opening the heavy wooden door, she looked  over her shoulder with the reminder,  “Practice the tiles, Teesia,” and was gone.

Teesia was determined to heed her mother’s  advice.  Like all royal girls, she still didn’t know how the ancient Maran tiles fit in with the marriage rituals, but was always

told she would learn soon enough. She settled before  the same set of tiles Maven had  used to learn the game  before  her  betrothal,  and  tried to focus—both on  playing and relaxing.

Her whole world was changing,  but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be civilized and adult about it. She wanted more than anything for her  new husband to think of her as  the woman she’d wanted to be for him that night two years ago. To this day, she didn’t  know why he’d left her in the corridor without taking their encounter further, but soon  she would learn all there was to know about  him. And she didn’t want him to mistake  her for any sort of young miss or little girl.  She wished to be all woman for him in every  way, and that included  behaving in a mature and confident manner.

She had just finished the first practice  game—successfully clearing the board of nearly all the tiles!—when a prim knock came on the door.

She almost thought she recognized the knock, but couldn’t be sure. She blinked and looked toward the door, hopeful. “You may enter,” she called.

Her beautiful friend Bella swept into the room, a charming smile gracing her face.  Voluminous red hair spilled over  her shoulders and eyes as green as the rare and  ancient marbles from  the Before Times glimmered in the pale light admitted through  the high, thin windows. Her silken frock  was green, as well, the shade of summer leaves, draping her