Burning for Love (Kindred Tales)

“I don’t care what anyone says as long as you’re safe,” the big Kindred informed her. “But you are probably right—it’s past time for us to enter the ball. Just know that I will be watching you every moment, Princess, to be certain of your safety.”

“Er…thank you.” Rissa inclined her head, not sure how to feel about his words. She had thought she would gain more freedom when she traded Lady Mildew for the Kindred guard. Now she wondered if she might, indeed, have a great deal less.

But there was not time to speak about it now. They must enter the Grand Ballroom with their heads held high. No one must know that she had mixed feelings about her new guard and Companion.

She must simply do her duty and dance.

7

The Ballroom was entirely too hot and crowded, in James’ estimation. He also didn’t like the fact that there were seven visible exits that he could immediately count in the form of archways and doorways. The whole area was unsafe and difficult—if not impossible—to secure since he was only one male working alone.

Just have to stay right by her side, he told himself grimly, as he followed the Princess through the crush of bodies that milled around the dance floor.

But that proved difficult once she nodded to the musicians sitting in the corner and they began to play and the dancing started.

James frowned as he watched a young nobleman ask Princess Ka’rissa to dance. She nodded gracefully and they squared off opposite each other, standing in a long line of other dancers of both sexes. Then the music began and the dancers began moving in an intricate pattern, Back and forth, to and fro, up and down the long line they went. James stood back and kept his eyes on the Princess, though he was also trying to watch for threats at the same time.

In order to facilitate the process, he extended his ocular scanner, using his enhanced right eye to scope out the room and his left to watch Ka’rissa. He could hear people murmuring around him, but he paid no attention to their chatter.

“Look at his eye and arm, he really is a robot,” one girl whispered to her friend.

“He must be—look at all those metal parts!” the friend whispered back.

“And did you see how he jumped right over the guards’ heads? Like he had springs in his feet!”

“I wonder how strong he really is? The way he twisted their pain spears together made me shiver! And then he lifted the Princess and held her in one arm, though she is not light.” This was said with a mean-sounding giggle.

“Do you think he’ll hurt her?” the friend returned. “I mean, he’s meant to be her Constant Companion and chaperone now, isn’t he? So doesn’t that mean he’ll be bathing her? But how could something so horribly strong be gentle enough to handle the Princess without injuring her?”

“Is that even right, him bathing her? He’s a male and she’s unmarried—won’t it ruin her reputation?”

“But he’s not a male—not really. He’s a robot. Just because he doesn’t look like our kind of robot doesn’t mean a thing.” The girl giggled. “Might as well have our Butler-droid back at the country mansion give you a bath. It would mean as much, I’m sure.”

The giggling girls moved on, but James frowned at their conversation. He was glad, at least, that Princess Ka’rissa’s reputation seemed to be intact, because a female’s good social standing was obviously very important here at the High Court. But it was disturbing to think that anyone might believe he would hurt her because of his enhanced physical strength.

He wondered, suddenly if Ka’rissa was worried about the same thing. Did she fear to have him take care of her? To be honest, he hadn’t known that bathing and dressing her was part of his duties when he had accepted this assignment, but he didn’t mind in the least. He would do whatever was necessary to keep her safe and that included being with her every minute of the day and night and taking care of her in whatever way she required.

He was so distracted by the question, that he nearly missed the end of the first dance and the beginning of the second. This dance wasn’t another line-formation, however—it appeared to be one where the males and females partnered together as couples.

As he watched, a male about twenty years older than Ka’rissa came up to her and made a low, sweeping bow. He had long, drooping, brown mustaches—two of them. They didn’t meet in the middle, under his nose—that area was clean shaven. Instead, the odd facial hair started at the upper corners of his mouth and drooped down to below his chin where each one ended in a stylized curl. An elaborately styled brown wig that matched his facial hair exactly sat on his head. His frock coat was of sky-blue velvet and the buckles on his high-heeled shoes gleamed golden in the light from the chandeliers.