Read Online Clockwork Butterfly, A by Tabitha Rayne - Free Book Online

herself quietly drift off into a beautiful slumber.
    * * * *
    “Shit, Lena.” She woke to Angelo’s panicked voice. “How long have we been asleep?”
    Lena scrambled out of the sheets. She’d convinced the Archmatria that forty-five minutes wasn’t long enough and they’d agreed to a trial of an hour and a half. Lena had no idea how much time had passed since she’d entered Angelo’s chamber. They both looked at the beaker of fluid.
    “We should have put it in the portal straight away!” Lena bit her bottom lip, feeling sick. She leapt out of bed, pulled on her kimono, and grabbed the vial. Surely they wouldn’t have fallen asleep for long. She ran to the little door in the wall and placed the beaker in.
    “Collection complete,” the speaker announced. “Door will open in ten seconds.”
    Lena ran to Angelo who was standing wrapped in a sheet, looking sad. “What’s wrong?”
    “We never get to just lie afterward. I want to hold you.”
    “Me too,” Lena said as the voice began to count down from five, four, three… “See you tomorrow.” The doors opened and Lena slipped out with Angelo’s desolate expression etched into her mind. She held her kimono tight around her, realizing the obi was still tied to the headboard.
    Marguerite led Lena to her changing room. “All right today, was it?” she asked without sounding particularly interested. Lena nodded.
    Lena didn’t really know how many other males or collectors were operating in the manor, but Marguerite seemed to have lost interest in Lena already, so Lena could only assume there must be quite a lot.
    Lena dressed slowly, going over every scene of the session that had just occurred. It was everything she’d fantasized about all weekend, and she was in a heavenly state of satisfaction. She leaned her head back onto the wall and smiled. A creeping sickness slowly made its way into her chest. How long had they been sleeping? If the vial had been standing at room temperature for any time at all, it would be spoiled.
    Lena tried to shake what that could mean for her and Angelo from her mind and concentrate on the incredible sex she’d just had.
    But the horror that they’d slept too long kept nagging at her.

Chapter 9

    “What could possibly be gained from spending time together after the collection?” the Archmatria said while eyeballing Lena, who was suddenly aware of her error in asking. “You do realize, Lena, that becoming emotionally involved with the male is strictly forbidden.”
    “Yes, ma’am,” said Lena, cursing herself for knocking on the door. Lena had placed the vial in its chamber and left Angelo’s quarters after another intense and passionate meeting that afternoon. She had then, on impulse, gone to the Archmatria’s office to beg for ‘post coital recuperation time’, as she’d put it.
    “So? Are you?” the Archmatria probed.
    Lena had to think on her feet. She now knew what she was risking by asking what she did. “Am I what, ma’am?” she stalled.
    “Becoming emotionally attached to the male.”
    “Oh,” Lena said, forcing a light giggle through her tension. “Goodness no, ma’am. I merely wondered whether time spent soothing the male after would counter any depletion of his essence. That’s all.”
    The Archmatria was pensive. “Yes,” she said, folding her arms then placing a fingertip to her chin. “Yes, I worry about depletion too sometimes. Perhaps five days collection in a row is too demanding.”
    Lena could have slapped herself. Think! She knew what was coming.
    “No, no,” she cut in. “I don’t think so. After all, we need as much seed as he can provide. No, I was talking about relaxing him afterward, to bring him back to a sperm producing equilibrium, if you like.” She held her breath and waited for the Archmatria’s response, which took a while in coming.
    “Hmm,” she finally started. “You might be right.”
    Lena’s heart raced with excitement, and she squeezed her hands