Read Online Sheala by Judy Mays - Free Book Online

rested his elbows on his knees and stared at the floor. For the last few days—and nights—he’d replayed his sexual encounter with Sheala over and over. If he’d done the same with a Gattan maiden, every male member of her family would want to gut him, along with many of the men in his own family. But this wasn’t Gattan. Sheala wasn’t Gattan—as she had so plainly demonstrated.
    Straightening, he wiped his face with his hands. He’d never met a woman like her. Young as he was, he’d been captain of his own ship for the last three years. He’d been to many spaceports on all five known planets. Therefore, he had far more sexual experience that almost all other unmated male Gattans his age. But no woman had ever satisfied him the way Sheala had, and he hadn’t even experienced true intercourse with her! She was intelligent and had a wonderful sense of humor which, in his opinion, was just as important as sexual desire. She was a woman a man could talk to and share his dreams with. And she had blooded him.
    He wanted her. He would have her, no matter what anyone said. She was his.
    He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. But what if she didn’t want to mate him—mate in the sense it meant to truly mate with each other? She wanted sex, he had no doubt about that. But did she really understand what mating meant to a Gattan? Was it just casual sex to her? Drakians had many sexual partners before they mated or “married”, as they called it.
    Marljas shifted. More than a few Drakians had numerous sexual partners even after they married.
    Would Sheala be like that?
    A low growl rumbled in his chest.
    Sheala lying with another man! Anger surged. No man of any species would touch her. She was his!
    Marljas didn’t realize he’d snarled out loud until his brother sighed.
    He glanced at Wendjas.
    Wearing a resigned look on his face, his brother stared back. “As soon as I heard Sheala nicked your neck with that damned sword, I knew this would happen. You’ve become infatuated. You’re still young, Brother, and impetuous. Take heed what happened last time you became obsessed with a woman.”
    Marljas’ growl rumbled around the room. “Sosha was different.”
    “How so? You saw a beautiful woman. You wanted her. You thought you were in love. Where is the difference?”
    “I was younger then.”
    “Oh? You’re so old now?”
    Snarling, Marljas leaped to his feet and paced back and forth, clasping and unclasping his fists. “You challenged and practically killed Chardadon over Denieen. Tell me, were you thinking rationally at the time?”
    Wendjas started to reply, but his wife interrupted him as she entered the room. “Marljas is right, my love. You weren’t thinking very rationally when you challenged Char. If you had been, you would have known he held no interest for me. And you know why.”
    Stopping his pacing, Marljas looked from Denieen to his brother and back again. Then began to grin.
    “So my straitlaced, by-the-rules brother dallied where he shouldn’t have before he was properly mated.”
    Stiffening, Wendjas glared at his wife. “This is an unsuitable topic to discuss in mixed company, Wife.
    We’ve been among these morally loose Drakians too long. As soon as…”
    Wendjas’ voice trailed off as he stared at his wife.
    Marljas looked back at Denieen and blinked.
    Instead of wearing traditional Gattan clothing, she was dressed in a Drakian evening gown and, though it was much more modest than Sheala’s, it was still the most provocative garment he’d ever seen her wear.
    “Wife of my brother, you are beautiful.”
    Denieen wore a vibrant scarlet gown of soft, silken material that fell lightly from her shoulders and hugged her breasts. The gown’s neck was modestly cut, with only a hint of cleavage and the soft swell of her upper breasts revealed. Belted snugly beneath her breasts with golden ribbons, the gown’s skirt fell in soft folds to the floor. Her graceful upper arms were bare,