Free Courting Kel by Dee Brice Page A

raced up. A very
young pegagryph trotted at her side. Without prompting, it went into the barn.
    “I put everything inside. May I go see Laurette now?”
    “Yes. You may stay three days—if her mother can stand you
that long.”
    “Tak, Aren.” She started off but suddenly stopped. “Can you
do your hair, Kel?”
    “I believe so. If not, Aren will help me. Won’t you?”
    “Yes,” he said to Drew. To Kel he muttered, “Until I muss it
again. Be gone, child, lest you lose your way in the dark.”
    Laughing, Drew scampered away, the other adult pegagryph
following her.
     
    Kel turned toward the lodge. “By the gods, your house is on
fire!”
    Aren caught Kel’s hand. “It is only candlelight. Surely you
have candles on Amazonia.”
    “Energy powered, yes. Not those that flicker like real fire.
Our buildings are made of wood. During dry times we must take care not to burn
ourselves to the ground.”
    “And when it’s wet?”
    “We lash the beams together to make rafts and float to
higher ground.”
    His soft laugh made her stop mid-stride. “You don’t laugh
enough, Aren.”
    “Neither do you.” He looked up. “Five moons circle Ondrican.
Tonight we have the crescent. She’ll remain with us a few days longer. Her
older sister, half-moon, will light our paths for a week or so.”
    “How long to see all five?”
    “A month on Amazonia—six weeks or so. Here, it marks a newly
married couple’s sweetmoon. It is here I intended to bring you once Storr
acknowledged our union. We cannot see the moons so well from our cities.”
    “Yet—despite our not being married—you have brought me here
anyway.”
    “I told you why.”
    “You want to fu—to mate.”
    “I want to make love. To and with my wife.”
    “You have done everything except mate.” By the Goddess, she
sounded resentful. Was she?
    “ We have, yes.”
    “By your choice. By your idiotic courtship rules! I would
have copulated with you anytime you wished.” Perhaps a change in terms would
make him see the difference. “It’s your own fault we haven’t!” Definitely
resentful.
    Ignoring her outburst, he swept her into his arms and
carried her inside. Kicking the door closed, he continued into a large room
that reminded Kel of Basalia’s hunting lodge. It had dark wood walls that
gleamed like precious jewels in the flickering candlelight. Plump cushions
covered divans and chaises and straight-back leather chairs. Every soft surface
called to her, reminding her of Aren’s favorite use of such softness. They
might as well call every piece of furniture courting beds.
    “There is enough fuel in here to create a conflagration,”
she said.
    Aren’s grin tempted her to box his ears.
    “We’ll bathe before we eat.”
    “T-together?”
    “Yes. As we have this last week or more. All that’s missing
from this house is the vidscreen. I’m sure we can find some way to amuse
ourselves.”
    Placing her on a wide, well-padded bench, kneeling at her
feet, he pulled off her boots. Until today, she had only worn sandals or had
gone without shoes of any kind. Enjoying the renewed freedom of bare feet, she
wiggled her toes and watched Aren jerk his feet from his own boots.
    “Ahhh,” he sighed. “Since I don’t have to report to Storr
morning, noon and night, I shall not wear shoes again until we leave here.”
    “When?” She didn’t want to be alone with him. He tempted her
to give in, admit they were married and mate all day and night.
    “We just arrived, Kel. Are you that anxious to return to
voyeurism?”
    “No! I’m curious about how long we’ll stay, that’s all. As
for wearing shoes…if we go outside, won’t we need them?”
    “We’ll find out in the morning. The gardens are magnificent
in early sunlight.” Slanting her a sideways glance, he untied his leather vest.
“I…um…I think it’s stuck to my chest. Peg’s spittle always does that.”
    “Hmph. Sink under water. That should fix it.”
    “Or shrink it tighter.