He tried to focus, but Leanne beat him to it.

  Leanne said, “That wouldn’t surprise me, Dani. She’s probably hoping you’ll be so happy she came to a compromise that you won’t haggle too hard. But I have no idea what she could want or what she’ll ask for.”

  Daniella nodded, “That’s why I think we should come up with something.”

  He tilted his head, “Originally she asked me for the right to set up temples, said that was what she really wanted, but knew we’d say no since it’d be a threat to our sovereignty. She might ask for that, but if you offer it first with stringent conditions, she might be inclined to accept them.”

  Riesa turned her head almost all the way around to nuzzle his neck. Her tail was also teasing his inner thigh, far too close to his balls, and yet way too far at the same time. He missed Daniella’s response as he got a little too lost in another kiss. She was being extremely affectionate, and entirely dazzling, her golden eyes bright with affection. Her golden fur with a tinge of brown was soft under his stroking fingertips, and her lithe dancer’s body, far more flexible than any human dancer’s, was quite distracting.

  He cleared his throat when the kiss broke, and then looked back at Daniella who had an amused look on her face. The queen didn’t look angry or jealous at his loss of attention, if anything his young sexy queen looked turned on. An attitude he didn’t really get as a possessive male, but one he was coming to believe was just true. Women were a mystery, despite his greater insights into what women wanted, that didn’t explain to him the whys about it at all.

  Daniella said, “That has some possibilities, and it’s a concern. Say we built a large temple on our home world, and smaller churches elsewhere on the other worlds. The crown would pay for the construction, I mean, as well as officially endorse the religion. What kind of conditions could we put on that to prevent them from becoming a hotbed of politics and spying for the Grand Communion?”

  Leanne sighed, “Don’t even try. I mean, not for anything absolute, it won’t work. We could set some rules, and should, but that won’t really stop it for everyone even if there’s high penalties for such behavior. It will only lessen the behavior, which is important.

  “Just give me a whole bunch of beautiful young ladies in their early teens, and I’ll train them on counterintelligence and set them loose. Much like you already have a handle on your nobles through spies, and you know what to look for to identify problems before they blow up. I know the foibles of the church, both male and female, and would be pleased to do this for you.”

  Daniella bit her lip, “That has possibilities, we’ll investigate the idea.”

  He said, “Don’t let them preach praises for the Grand Communion, or put down the monarchy, during their homilies. That kind of thing should get the missionaries deported. Also, they can’t be in charge of the church, so they’ll have to find someone that has the calling to serve the one goddess in one of our citizens. Until then, the church’s infrastructure and business model will be run by servants of the crown. They can be the only clerics, brothers, and sisters until that happens, but they can’t decide where the tithed money goes or anything else on the business end without approval of the overseer.”

  Allison interjected while stroking Danielle’s thigh absently, “The prelate also shouldn’t be able to give them orders, or have a say, save in church doctrine.”

  Daniella smiled, “Both good ideas.”

  Riesa kissed him, and seemed very serious about it, not that he minded as he stealthily ran his hand to the front, and he tweaked one of her nipples making her gasp into his mouth and ground her ass down on his cock.

  Daniella’s voice was strained, “I think that’s enough, we have a few hours until… oh goddess, until dinner.”

  When the kiss finally broke, he saw why, as Allison had dispensed with any sense of subtlety and was currently on her knees with her head up her majesty’s dress skirt.

  He scooped up Riesa and was less than halfway across the room, before he heard Gia and Leanne kissing each other with heated pants. It was really one of the good things about their circle being six, no one was ever left out when they paired up. He moved into the bedroom and then the shower, and she stripped off her clothes as he set her down to turn on the shower. He wanted a shower first, because he planned to put his mouth in a very naughty place very soon. Riesa’s tight rounded ass was just as alluring and delicious to him as the bubbled asses on his queen and Leanne.

  They kissed, necked, and groped at each other like teens while they waited for the water to heat up, then slipped underneath the hot spray. They didn’t even have to discuss it, as they grabbed each other’s soap so they could wash their lover’s body. He was mesmerized by her pert B cups, and while Riesa’s nipples weren’t as massive as Daniella’s, they were still mouthwateringly large as they tightened under his scrubbing hands.

  When he got down to her sex, he found her radiating heat, soaked for him by the foreplay on the couch, and she let out a sweet gasp as he started to clean her there and over her ass. Her own hands felt like pure pleasure, as she stroked his cock with soap easing the way.

  He knew what she wanted, so discarded his own half-baked plans, and he grabbed her right leg and pulled it straight up as he moved into her and pinned her to the wall. Her left foot was slightly to the side and on her tip toes, as her right foot was up by his head with her leg extended straight between their bodies. Riesa’s insane flexibility opened her up to him, and almost made shower sex easy. Shower sex was always hot, but it was also usually awkward. Not with his Cheelah though.

  She got the soap off his cock and lined him up, as she looked into his eyes hungrily, and he drove it in to her heaven. She was so sexy, as she put her head on his neck and kissed him, her mewling whimpers of pleasure as he forced his cock into her an inch at time made him twitch inside of her and grunt with need right into her ear.

  “So hot for me, so tight,” he moaned.

  She purred, and squeezed around him tightly, “All for you, Dacen.”

  He started to stroke up into her hard and fast, sensing that she needed to be claimed as his again. A reinforcement of a need, not unlike Leanne’s occasional need to be dominated roughly. Not the same though, Riesa just needed a firm hand and to feel out of control. He got the idea that it was less him proving he could be dominant of her again, than it was her needing reassurance he still wanted to dominate her and needed her.

  He was mesmerized by her golden eyes, and the way her supplely proud B cups bounced violently each time he drove hard into her silken heaven.

  She said breathily, “That’s it, what I needed, so delicious how you look at me with authority, while you pound my sex. Makes me feel complete. Never stop fucking me like this, taking me, oh goddess. OH goddess!” she screamed that last directly in his ear as she came undone around him.

  He grunted, “Mine… fucking too good, I’ll never stop,” then he grunted again louder, and felt the wave of pleasure overwhelm him as he started to fill her hot sex, “Love you, Riesa.”

  He immediately felt like a dick as he started coming down. He’d just told Riesa for the first time that he’d loved her, it’d just slipped out. Telling a woman for that the first time when busting a nut and filling her during naughty and wild shower sex was not the right time.

  Possibly the only worse time would be while busting a nut in her ass.

  Although, the way Riesa was looking at him, she really didn’t seem to mind. So perhaps that bit of wisdom only applied to human females.

  Riesa kissed him, and said softly, “I love you too, Dacen.”

  He smiled, “Feel better?”

  She nodded almost shyly, “You always give me what I need.”

  He smirked, “That must mean you’re a pervert.”

  When she looked confused, he pulled out, turned her around and pinned her against the shower wall while he went to his knees.

  She screamed, “Oh!” as he stuffed his face between those ass cheeks and put his tongue and lips to work. Then she said, “I guess I am, because I love it when you do this.”

  He chuckled, which made her body squirm, as he stuffed two fingers into her used quim and dug his tongue in her ass harder, while his thumb started to gently and teasingly circle her clit.

  Her legs spread with a panting gasp, and her back arched insanely far to give him better access.

  He took his time and teased her, enjoying it, and every time she was about to cum he’d slow the rhythm of his fingers. He edged her for a long time, and only relented when she finally begged.

  “Make me cum, please. Sir, please, too much.”

  He started to fingerbang her hard and fast, while his thumb put greater pressure on her clit and his tongue dug deep which had her wiggling like mad and grinding herself on his face. Then she cried out in ecstasy, as she soaked his fingers. He immediately used that soaked thumb as he stood up, and shoved it in her slightly gaping ass, while he drove his cock home inside of her hard.

  Her squealing keen drove him crazy, as she convulsed around him wildly and soaked his balls. He teasingly ground his body into hers, just working her pussy with intense friction and pressure, even as he worked her ass hard with his thumb. His other hand turned her head, and he claimed a deep passionate kiss.

  Finally, he gave her a hard and merciless nipple twist, which had her howling in pain up until the moment she cried in ecstasy. She came so hard he had to hold her up, and that was the final straw as he felt his balls go numb again, and he was filling his sexy Riesa for the second time that day.

  Their lust fully expended, they finished their shower with loving strokes and intensely lost eyes. After drying off, he took her to the bed and made love to her for at least an hour. The other couples had switched, Allison and Gia, while Daniella and Leanne played, but he hardly noticed as he couldn’t take his eyes off of Riesa’s as they made sweet love.

  It was only after filling her a third time, while feeling the deep vulnerability of connection and love that they shared, that he turned toward his other lover’s needs.

  The scents of lamb, sweet potatoes, carrots, string beans, and fresh baked butter rolls filled the prelate’s dining room that evening as the servants brought in the serving trays with steaming plates. Their dinner with the prelate and Benjamin was a lot less formal, but the ladies all looked as flawlessly coifed as they had at the opening banquet.

  They’d barely started to eat when Benjamin was drawn to his ever-present tablet, and the blood drained from his face.

  One of their two guards stepped forward a moment later, and whispered, “Admiral Kimberly reports four fleets showed up at the FTL line. They ignored our fleet and are moving in toward the planet.

  He frowned. Was it a repeat of last time? Was it another joint fleet led by expansionists? The local fleets would be outnumbered four to three.

  He looked up, and Benjamin was whispering in the prelate’s ear while showing her the data. He kind of assumed it was related, but he couldn’t be sure. Not yet. He hoped so, otherwise there were two emergencies going on simultaneously.

  Aria let out a breath, and she looked up to see them all looking her way.

  “I’m afraid we have incoming. Two of the blessed most opposed to my views have brought fleets to express their displeasure with my plans. The timing works out, you only contacted me five days ago. I’d thought we were past this, but I suppose not. We have three hours to prepare, and I suggest we use some of that time to finish our agreement and get you back to your fleet. Should I still be prelate when things shake out then that agreement will stand.”

  He frowned.

  Gia shook her head, “I’m confused, why would they do this. Didn’t the invasion from the Leshien Confederacy show them that expansionism would’ve been playing into their hands?”

  He cleared his throat, “Yes, that if they’d attacked us back then, the confederacy would’ve moved in and taken both kingdom and communion in their weakened and defeated states, whichever of us would’ve won would still lose.

  “But now they’re taking a page from the confederacy’s book. The local expansionists want to be the final card thrown on the table, and then take out the winner of the war between the kingdom and confederacy. They won’t be waiting a generation for the confederacy to consolidate and regrow into a threat, they’ll invade right away.”

  Obviously, a peaceful person just didn’t think that way. It made sense to him and the prelate to act now in self-defense, and to join against the aggressive and ambitious confederacy. But for an expansionist, they’d take the same view as the confederacy did when the communion and kingdom came close to war. Let them fight it out, then invade while the last ship was still blowing up.

  Aria nodded, “Just so. While I believe the goddess would rather that we focus on saving lives and bringing souls to her grace. To do as the expansionist blessed want would compound the evil. Besides being wrong, it would also harden the survivors’ hearts against the goddess, faith can’t be given out on the end of a laser rifle. The two heading in, Jonas and Francine, are among the worst of them that way. I thought them being quiet these last few months meant they’d given up on their ambitions and conceded defeat, but apparently, they’d been biding their time.

  “I won’t lie, they have twenty-one more ships than we do, but our static defenses and armed space stations will counter much of that advantage. The fight will be close. Let’s discuss the agreement, while we still have time.”

  The lamb looked entirely too succulent to ignore, and he was kind of hungry. Food was fuel, and as a warrior he knew he should eat even if this latest development had thrown off his appetite.

  Daniella replied with the plan they’d come up with, laying out the idea of her building a large home temple on Bright Star, and other smaller temples on the other worlds. Of course, she couldn’t guarantee her people would be open or accepting of the religion, but that she’d endorse it a positive thing in the kingdom.

  Aria just stared in shock for a moment, then looked at him.

  He grinned.

  Aria said, “That would be acceptable, including all your stated limitations,” she turned to Benjamin, “Get all that down in writing, what we offered to do to two of the largest confederacy build systems, in return for temples being built to the one goddess. I suggest we eat, and we can read over the document and then sign afterwards. Also, call all the planet’s clergy to here immediately, when the blessed get here with their fleets we will combine in prayer, and I will teach them why the prelate has never been deposed in known history.”

  He said, “If I were them, I’d be ready for that since it spelled their compatriots end last time. I’d go after the ridiculously huge amplifiers beneath the temple and sabotage them. Without them even joined by four hundred you won’t be able to match a battleship’s power.”

  Aria nodded and caught Benjamin before he reached the door, “Double the guards on the amplifier sublevel, and lock down the temple.”

  Benjamin nodded, “Yes, prelate,” then got out of there. The prelate’s assistant would have to eat later, once he was done with his duties and while they were reviewing the papers. One of the servants took his plate away, no doubt to keep it warm in the kitchen.

  He wanted to offer his help, but he knew that Aria wouldn’t accept it. It was probably for the best anyway, if the Kingdom helped Aria stay on the throne, it could backfire politically. Especially if the extremists declared the two blessed martyrs. Better to just let her handle it. He was fairly confident that she could.

  They all dug in and started to eat.

  He couldn’t help but ask, “Have Jonas or Francine seen the amplifier levels?”

  Aria shook her head, “No. By tradition only the prelate and the non-magical personnel assigned to maintain it have any access on that sublevel. I presume you were considering what you might do, say teleport a bomb into the room?”

  He chuckled, “Something like that yes, but I suspect they’d do something more subtle, so it could be brought back online quickly once one of them sat on the throne.”

  She nodded, “The reasons are obvious and designed to frustrate coup attempts. It’s our greatest defensive weapon, so it’s guarded zealously. Even video and the layout is highly proscribed information, so there’s no way to blind teleport to it with just coordinates. Not without risking coming out inside a wall or part of the machinery. The halls and space are deliberately small as well, barely wide enough to fit a single person.”

  He grunted, “Good.”

  That left a small infiltration team’s assault to physically go there, but doubling the guards and wizards securing the access points to the sublevel should negate that danger. Unless of course, Jonas or Francine came personally in a teleport. There were always ways around things, if you looked hard enough. He knew there weren’t enough guards on the planet to stop him, if he decided to breach it.

  But he pushed that worry down, he was sure the prelate and her security had thought of everything going through his mind, and they had counters for it. It just felt wrong to take the win, return to the fleet, and abandon Aria to the fight. Especially now, that she was pregnant with his child.

  He wanted to tell politics to fuck off and defend her, but that wasn’t realistic. Even though he’d hardly ever see her, he thought of her as his now, and after the last two mornings in her bed she’d wormed her way into his far more open heart. A state of being he had her to thank for, that he wasn’t angry all the time now. He hadn’t fallen all that far for the prelate… but far enough.

  He had his duty, and perhaps for the first time his emotions and needs railed against it. But his priority was the queen and his government. That said, if Aria didn’t win this civil battle, then the Moiroi Kingdom was doomed to be a footnote in the history books of the confederacy.

  No one was ever promised an easy life, especially not a celestial knight. Battle was easy though, in comparison to walking away from one that he had a personal stake in. It was hard.

  Daniella said, “We will linger at the FTL line until the battle is done. We also thank you for your concern in our well-being.”