Page 24 of The Emerald Boa’s Lover (Operation Colonise #3)
Mardi gras eat your heart out
Charlie
The palace was heaving. Music, carnal and seductive, welcomed us long before we entered the main festival hall.
Oh, Mardi gras eat your heart out. I went to plenty of wild raves during my university days, and damn, they were tame compared to this!
It was an explosion of colour and life. The already vivid patterns of the Ucfeni were ordained with shiny metals, stark feathers, and shimmering gems. I even saw some wild animal pelts, but I couldn’t hazard a guess what the original owner of the fur was.
“This way Charlie.” I held Dalahan’s hand, knowing how much he loved it, and he tugged me over to the bottom floor of the three staggered platforms of the festival hall.
It was difficult to make out what was on the upper floors, but I wasn’t all that curious.
Not when latin-esc tribal music boomed out and entranced everyone on the dance floor.
Dalahan released my hand when he reached a set of spiral stools.
There were clusters of them around the circumference of the dance floor, and I raised a brow at the way Dal shoved me to sit on one.
“Sit there and watch.” He winked at me and slithered backwards on his tail to the main throng of Ucfeni dancing.
I noticed immediately that I was surrounded by female Ucfeni.
The dance floor was mainly filled with male Ucfeni flexing like eye candy.
I bristled, concerned that I was being treated as the girl at the sound of giggling women sat around me, when the stool beside be was occupied by none other than Alaric!
“Long time no see?” He wore a snappy dark grey suit, but there were silver sequins across his shoulders and lapels. Tame, but shiny enough to be occasion wear I guess. “How are you…Charlie?”
“Yes, that’s me. I’m good thanks. How are you boss man?”
“Boss man huh?” He chuckled, crossing one leg over the other and cupping his hands to his raised knee. “Well, that’s a tad more respectful than the last time we met?”
“Ah, speaking of which?” Charlie chuckled and rubbed his jaw.
“I need to thank your boyfriend. He took my spiteful advance on him to piss you off, and sent Dalahan my way.” Alaric laughed, having understood that my pass at Rerasha at the time was only my way to get back at Alaric. Not a serious attempt to seduce him.
“Yes, well, Rerasha is a little busy right now, but he is delighted that you and his cousin are getting along so well.” Alaric nodded over to the dance floor, and three Ucfeni along, Rerasha was gyrating and giving Alaric his best bedroom eyes.
My eyes swept across to Dalahan and oh sweet stethoscope.
He was undulating three sides of sinful.
His shoulders shimmied, slow and seductive, and accentuated by the yellow feathers of his harness and headdress.
Golden chains bounced with the roll and dip of his lean torso.
The yellow and gold of his attire made the light green of his torso and tiger like stripes seem lighter.
“Ah ah ah, don’t be easy now.” Alaric took hold of my chin and turned my head to look at him.
“He has to work for your affection. Don’t be easy.
Make him work for it.” I lifted my chin free and cleared my throat, not impressed at being manhandled.
“Trust me? Tonight will be sweeter if you draw this out.” I don’t particularly want to take Alaric’s relationship advise, but he has been dating an Ucfeni longer than I have.
Still? I want to watch. So I smile, nod, and turn to watch the ‘display’ Dal is putting on for me.
Hot damn. I want to go over to him, lift the golden chains hanging down from his harness and lick the grove between his six pack.
Yum. The expression on my face must have given away where my mind was, as Dalahan giggled and moved a bit closer.
“How are you finding life with an Ucfeni sponsor?”
“What, are you trying to get a satisfaction survey from me?” I snort, but don’t look away from Dalahan.
He has his hands raised level with his chest and he is dipping and popping his hips.
He dips his navel and shimmies his shoulders.
Wow, he’s so flexible… I blush and cross one leg over the other to hide the semi I’m sporting.
“Passes the time.” Alaric chuckled, also lingering his eyes appreciatively on Rerasha for a moment, before trying to engage me again. “I would also like to dispel the first impression I made on you of being a privileged asshole.”
“Don’t worry on my account.” I raise a brow and chuckle at him. Man this place is heaving with dancing bodies. I think if I wasn’t in a relationship with Dal, I would totally try to catch someone’s eye for a hook up.
“Well I do, as I’m not a asshole. I care a great deal about the welfare of our people.
” I shrug and let him rabbit on. I am way too entertained by Dal.
How long do I have to sit here and watch?
I want to get my hands on him. Sexy scaly minx.
“I take the liberty of keeping tabs on my newly sponsored colonists. Hannah and her partner Tumva are close.”
“I know. She’s a firecracker that one.” I chuckle.
Hannah does keep in touch, though it’s not as frequent as I’d like.
Her patrol shifts as a Peacekeeper make her almost as difficult to track as my clinic hours.
Still, she tells me without telling me how nuts she is about her Death Striker partner.
Man those two need to fuck. Like, ASAP. “What about Billie?”
“She is utterly weighted on, hand and foot, erm, tail, by the Royal prick that she’s chosen to nanny her.”
“Oh?” Okay, now I’m intrigued. Alaric seemed pro Ucfeni, to a fault, and yet he’s found one he doesn’t like? “He’s taking care of her though, right?” Because if he isn’t I’m going to shrug off my jacket, march up there, and carry that little chick back to my place until I find Hannah.
“Oh yes. She’s probably the most pampered member of the colony.
” I relax at that. “The boy prince is as protective of her as a Rottweiler.” He sighed deeply.
“My star asset was meant to be at the Delta 4 compound, surrounded by state of the art tech, and at the heart of Allico Inc. One screw up, and she ends up in the main pairing party. Before I can get to her, she is sponsored by one of the few Ucfeni my lover can’t help me politically ensnare.
” He scoffed, and part of me wondered if one of the reasons Alaric and Rerasha worked so well together, was because they also worked well together.
Alaric helped Rerasha with human leverage, and visa versa.
“No matter. I’ve been promised that Billie will be here tonight.
I’m going to try and reason with her that once her sponsorship is up, she will be better accommodated at the Delta 4 Compound.
” I shrug, having no real opinion either way.
If she was being cared for, then that’s all that mattered to me.
The where didn’t really come into it, as long as she was happy.
Rerasha came closer and the tip of his orange tail snaked around Alaric’s ankle.
He raise his arms up and rolled his wrists, whilst dipping and rolling his hips.
“Oh, excuse me.” I chuckle as Alaric is summoned to the dance floor, and he has some moves for a silver fox.
I look back toward Dal and see he has also moved closer.
I see his tail lip coming and stand before it can reach me.
I march over with a bounce in my step and in my mind I’m rubbing my hands together with anticipation.
I reach for him but he moves in a blur of green scales and yellow feathers.
He coils around me and towers down over me, swaying and hissing like he’s going to pounce on me and swallow me whole.
Normally Dal keeps low to my height level, or near to it, but right now it’s evident just how tall and lean he is.
How thick and muscular his tail is and how easy it would be for him to squeeze the life out of me.
“Just so you are aware, Ucfeni are fantastic hunters. Even those of us who have taken up different trades, still have our natural predatory instincts. Which is why I’m going to enjoy this.”
“Enjoy what?”
“The hunt.”
I am reminded as he begins to tighten the rings of his tail around me that he is a predator. Yet somehow? I’m not afraid. I am turned on. Even the way he’s ululating, deep and throaty, hungry and demanding.
“Do you like what you see?” Dal hisses a purr and leans down to flick his tongue at my lips. “Have I impressed you?”
“Hell yes.”
If only the shit didn’t hit the fan two seconds later. “Oh shit!”