Shattered Stars by Viola Grace Page A

know that only Mero can touch you.”
    Hannah grinned.
“I don’t know if I would have the nerve for it, but the clothing
isn’t really clothing at all.”
    Her new friend
leaned forward. “Explain it, and I will see if I can help out.”
    Hannah
explained her idea, and Szriata’s eyes widened before she burst out
laughing. “That would definitely be one for the records. You would
need to practice that, just so your movements were right for the
costume.”
    “Should I ask
Mero about it?”
    Szriata stuck
out her hand. “No! You won’t know the response until he sees it, so
a dry run is definitely warranted. We will arrange things with your
seamstress this afternoon.” Her dance master grinned.
    “And the
jeweller. This is going to be fun.”
     
    Hannah stood in
place as the last touches were put on her trial costume for the
first night of the Hmrain gathering.
    Jiita leaned
back and blinked. “It sounded mad when I heard of it, but it is
actually quite stunning.”
    Hannah looked
at the other servants and the artist who had painted her, and she
sighed. “Now, I just need to know what Mero thinks.”
    Dk’ket came in
and paused, her mouth open. “Lady, you look stunning.”
    Hannah looked
at herself in the mirror and had to admit she would make an
impression.
    Her body was
painted silver with constellations picked out in deep blue. Her
back wore the design of the constellation containing Earth, and her
front was Mero’s domain. Blue lines and wings made patterns on her
arms and wrists. Rings had been painted into place, and she was
decorated from collarbone to toes, with a chain skirt covering her
groin but leaving the rest of her exposed.
    “Is it time for
dinner?” The dressing had taken hours.
    “It is,
lady.”
    She thanked the
women who had worked on her and pattered out of the bedroom and
down the hall. Her hair was confined with a crown of chain with
silvery strands lying along her hair. The chains around her hips
clashed gently with every step.
    Mero was
reading his daily reports as he did every night. She entered the
dining room, and he looked up; a moment later, the data screen in
his hand cracked.
    His voice was
low and rough, “Hannah, what are you wearing?”
    “I thought this
would be appropriate for the first night of the Hmrain
gathering.”
    He was staring
at her as if he couldn’t decide if he wanted to cover her or devour
her.
    She walked up
to him, the chains swaying. “So, as I will be representing you, I
thought it would be a good idea to get your opinion of this method
of dress. What do you think?”
    “Dress is an
overstatement. Turn for me.”
    She lifted
slightly on her toes and turned in front of him with elegant
slowness. Her time with Szriata had paid off.
    “What is the
purpose of this?”
    She took his
hand and placed it on her shoulder. “The idea is that I am yours,
and anyone who tries to touch me will leave a mark, and I will mark
them.”
    He lifted his
hand and smiled at the paint. “It washes off?”
    “Oh yes. Very
easily.” She leaned in until her lips were an inch from his. “I was
just wondering if you thought that it conveyed the right idea about
me.”
    She flicked her
gaze to his, and he was sitting so tensely, he was vibrating.
    She closed the
distance and licked his lips, slowly and with deliberate focus to
gaining his cooperation. He bent his head toward her, and she
locked her lips with his, deepening the kiss quickly and whimpering
at the days of frustration that she had dealt with.
    When his hand
cupped her head, she groaned in relief. The next moment he had
lifted her to the table, spread her thighs and opened her sex to
the one part of her that she hadn’t painted. He tongued her, and
she rocketed toward a climax, holding back as long as she could
until he stroked her clit with his fingers while his tongue ravaged
her.
    She screamed
and clutched at the edge of the table as her body bucked against
his tongue. She continued low, panting cries