Amorous Overnight Read Free

I do anything else for you before the council session, sir?” Milnon inquired.
    Cecine drained the tumbler in two more swallows before slamming it down on his desk. To hell with the council—if he had less than two hours as an unmated male left to him, he intended to make the most of them.
    Standing, he ordered, “Inform the high council, with my regrets, that I won’t be in attendance for the afternoon session, then extend my warmest regards to Portia Mitchell and ask her to flare to my quarters with all due haste.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    Milnon stood back so that Cecine could precede him, but when the door slid open, another young male stood in his path, looking nonplussed. He must have expected Milnon to emerge.
    “Ensign Hastion,” Cecine acknowledged with a short nod, expecting him to step aside.
    Instead, the ensign squared his shoulders. “Excuse me, sir, but may I request a moment of your time?”
    Cecine’s eyes narrowed. There could only be one reason Ensign Hastion was taking the notable risk of waylaying him. Hastion had been at the luncheon table when Empran announced Shelley Bonham’s labor, and Cecine had noted the way he frowned and retreated from the conversation as though contemplating weightier matters. Did he wish to claim her for himself? Surely not. He was as unsuitable for her as Milnon, in his own way, and was undoubtedly well aware of it.
    “Make an appointment, Ensign. I’ve got another commitment now.”
    “My apologies, Minister,” the ensign said, holding his ground with obvious trepidation, “but this is a matter of some urgency. I wouldn’t approach you otherwise.”
    Cecine leveled his most penetrating stare on the young warrior. He’d picked a fine time to become aggressive. “You have five minutes.”
    “Thank you, sir.”
    “Milnon, have Ms. Mitchell flared directly to my sleeping chamber when she’s ready,” he sent as he walked back into his office.
    Milnon tipped his head discreetly. “Aye, sir.”
    Once the door had closed, Cecine faced the ensign. “At ease.”
    The ensign relaxed only marginally, focusing his gaze over Cecine’s shoulder. “Permission to address you regarding Shelley Bonham, sir.”
    “You have permission to speak freely, Ensign. Ms. Bonham is one of the matters I must consider, and if you have thoughts, I might as well hear them.”
    After a brief hesitation, the ensign looked him in the eye. “Sir, if Shelley delivers her young aboard the Heptoral , I would respectfully request to be named your second.”
    Truly surprised, Cecine strolled over and stood directly in front of him, studying him critically. He’d always thought Hastion’s facial features rather too pretty, and now that his twin sister, Jasmine, had transitioned to full maturity, the resemblance between them was striking. Both possessed the same bounty of glossy brown hair, elegant bone structure, intriguingly lush mouth and crystalline blue eyes framed by long, dark lashes. It was unfortunate for the ensign—his looks in combination with his marked lack of aggression made him a frequent target for males who had something to prove in the sparring arena.
    “You know I’m under no obligation to take a second,” Cecine said neutrally. The high council had exempted him from all current mating requirements because of the demanding nature of his office. Even now, he could step into the highest position on the mating rolls, claim his choice of pureblood Garathani female and keep her entirely to himself—assuming he were inclined to benefit at the expense of younger males and to the detriment of their waning genetic pool, which he most definitely wasn’t.
    “I do, sir.”
    “And yet you expect me to take you on?”
    “I expect nothing, sir. I merely hope.”
    Cecine clasped his hands behind his back and walked a slow circle around the ensign. Overall, Hastion acquitted himself well in the sparring arena and possessed the fighting skills of a seasoned warrior, which suggested that