“I’m sorry for that. You don’t need help now, do you?”
“Me? Oh, no. I love Rast. I’m very happy with him and our son.”
“And I am very happy with Karthajin. I love him, too,” she said firmly. “Now I’m going to get cleaned up.”
“Do you mind if I wait for you?” Deb asked.
“No,” she decided, then grinned. “I suspect Chika would protest if you tried to get up now anyway.”
After a rapid shower, she considered what to wear. She was almost tempted to wear her sex kitten outfit just to prove to Deb that she was not a child, but somehow, she didn’t think Karthajin would approve. Instead she settled on one of Kolga’s more daring outfits. Probably too daring for afternoon tea, but she felt a sudden need to show that while she might not have the other woman’s curves, she could be just as attractive. The dress was midnight blue, a much darker shade than she usually wore, with the high slits up each side that were currently in fashion. The silky top dipped low between her breasts and was held up by thin straps that crisscrossed her exposed back. Her hair was still too short to put up, but she pulled it back from her face with two jeweled clips that Karthajin had given her.
Deb’s reaction was everything she could have wished. The other woman was dangling her necklace for Chika to jump at, but she dropped it as soon as Ella waltzed in.
“Wow! You look amazing.”
“Thank you.” She felt her cheeks heat at the other woman’s obvious enthusiasm and she suddenly felt silly. Why was she trying to impress Deb? “It’s probably too much. I should go change.”
“No, you shouldn’t. It’s a beautiful dress and you look beautiful in it. I’m sure the emperor will agree.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.” Deb studied her, then said hesitantly. “It really isn't necessary, but maybe just a touch of lip color would be nice.”
Her cheeks heated. “I’ve never worn any,” she said shyly.
“Like I said, you don’t need it, but if you have some, I’d be happy to show you how. If you wanted me to, of course.”
“I think I’d like that.” They smiled at each other, and Ella realized she had made a new friend.
Karthajin watched Deb disappear after Ella and hoped he hadn’t made a mistake. He liked Rastrath’s consort and he hoped his faith in her wasn’t misplaced.
“That’s your human?” Rastrath asked, in a surprised voice, instantly setting him on edge.
“Yes,” he said icily. “Are you going to inquire about her age, also?”
“No, Sire,” Rastrath said hastily. “I’m quite certain you would never take advantage of a child. She is just… different than I would have expected given your previous companions.” He grinned ruefully at Karthajin’s expression. “Gods, I’m being as awkward as Deb. I hope you know that we both mean well.”
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have allowed you to meet her.”
Karthajin led the way to way to the tea room, already arranged for tea, and took a seat on one of the low couches.
“There is wine if you would prefer,” he offered.
“I’d better not. Athtren still keeps us up half the night and I’m afraid I might commit the grave insult of falling asleep on the emperor.”
Karthajin studied his companion. Rastrath did look tired, but he also looked remarkably contented.
“No regrets on giving up your Royal House?”
Rastrath had chosen to give up his birthright as Kaisarian prince in order to keep his human. Instead, he had embraced the other half of his heritage and become King of Sherae.
“None. Although I didn’t expect to be summoned into duty as a Senator quite so quickly. Why did you invoke Sankin-Vetel?”
“Why, to show that you are all subject to the will of Napisten’s Chosen One,” he said lightly.
Rastrath stared at him for a minute, then burst out laughing. “Now, why don’t I believe that?”
“His Eminence has assured me that it is true.”
“I never cared for Lekasar myself. Do you know that he tried to get my grandfather to disinherit me because I’m not of pure Kaisarian blood?”
“Unfortunately, I find I am no longer surprised by that. However, the real reason I called everyone here was because I plan to make some changes. The Kaisarian Empire needs to be become more integrated. One shouldn’t have to be Kaisarian in order to join the fleet, or even to collect taxes.”
“Or to mate with a Kaisarian?” Rastrath asked dryly, but he continued without waiting for a response. “You don’t have to convince me—and I see no reason why the rest of the Senate wouldn’t go along. But what about the Royal Houses?”
“Let’s just say I’m making progress.” With a combination of threats and rewards more than logic, but at least it was working. He sighed and changed the subject.
“Have you spoken to Captain Athtar?”
“Not recently.” Rastrath frowned. “I know he retrieved an informant from the lab for you but that’s the last I heard from him. I assumed he had business elsewhere after spending so much time on Sherae.”
“Perhaps he did. He was anxious to leave. Unfortunately, the informant was not as useful as I had hoped.” He filled Rastrath in on the situation with the lab, including the fact that it had been destroyed.
“I admit I’m relieved to know that the weapon is no longer a threat.”
“As am I. I just wish I knew what—”
A slight noise made him look up and his voice disappeared. Ella was standing there, slim and regal in a sensual, sophisticated dress that was unlike anything she’d ever worn before. Even her face looked different, her lips a deeper, darker shade of rose, her eyes faintly shadowed and even more enormous than usual. She was undeniably beautiful, and his horns pulsed in approval but for a moment, he wondered where his Ella had gone. Then she peeped at him from under her lashes, a shy smile curving her lips, and his kitten was back.
“You look beautiful, kitten.”
“Do you like it?” She danced over to him with her quick graceful step and he hid a grin where he noticed that despite the elegant dress, her little feet were bare.
“Very much, my love.” He kissed her much too quickly, feeling a fleeting pang of regret that they weren’t alone. When he looked up, Deb was beaming happily, looking entirely too satisfied. She bowed her head when he looked at her, but he could still see the smile playing around her mouth.
Ella prepared the tea, as gracefully as Saban would have done, and the two couples chatted amiably until Deb looked at Rastrath. He immediately rose to his feet.
“Will you excuse us, Sire? It is time for Athtren’s feeding.”
“He’s very demanding,” Deb laughed. “And I want to spend some time with him before I have to prepare for the ball this evening. What are you wearing, Ella?”
He had to fight to keep his expression neutral, although he could cheerfully have strangled the woman.
“Ella won’t be attending,” he said firmly, but he could see his kitten’s face fall and felt compelled to explain. “I don’t like exposing her to the Court.”
Rastrath frowned. “If you will forgive me, Karthajin, if you truly wish to integrate Kaisarian society, there is no better place to begin than with the Court. It would be just as well if they became more acquainted with your… companion.”
“I went before and it was fine,” Ella said eagerly.
“And I still haven’t recovered from that experience.”
“I don’t have to dress like that this time. Do I?” She apparently misread his expression because she hurried on. “Of course, I will if you want me to, because it was kind of fun, but I would like to wear a dress like this, and maybe… maybe we could dance?”
He sighed. Rastrath had made an excellent point, one he had been avoiding, but in the end, it was the anxious blue eyes looking up into his that swayed his decision.
“Very well, kitten. We will go to the ball.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
&
nbsp; Once again Karthajin and Ella walked into a crowded hall and once again, conversation halted. He ignored the silence and led Ella through the crowd as it parted before them, her hand firmly tucked in his. He checked her face surreptitiously, but even though her face was carefully made up and she was wearing a much more sophisticated outfit, she still had that same air of wide-eyed enjoyment.
Once he’d decided they would attend the ball, he’d sent for Kolga. His tailor had not been pleased to find out that he was expected to conjure up an appropriate ball gown in an afternoon. He’d whisked Ella off, muttering curses that were rather too audible. But he’d worked a miracle. Ella was clad in sparkling pale gold silk, the same color as the soft curls arranged artfully on her head. Small sleeves framed her delicate neck and shoulders, then the gown hugged her breasts and slender waist before flaring out into a full skirt that floated around her. Diamonds sparkled around her neck and in her hair. She looked every inch a princess—or a First Consort.
Instead of moving immediately to his chair, he circulated, formally introducing Ella to a few of the friendlier members of his court. She was her usual sunny, engaging self and he could see that more than one of his courtiers was charmed. Despite that, he could see the pointed looks and muffled conversations aimed in their direction. While it went against every instinct he possessed, he deliberately left her with Rastrath and Deb when he took his seat at last.
The move was the result of a conversation with Tanaca while Ella was with Kolga. His advisor had quite strongly urged him to let her face the court on her own and the sooner he allowed her to do so, the better. Tanaca had reminded him that they were much more likely to accept her if they had a chance to encounter her directly. So now he held court alone, responding with the ease of long practice to the shallow conversations, his face a mask of calm, even though he was constantly aware of her location.
When Ella and Deb stopped to talk to Admiral Gernagan, Rastrath temporarily abandoned the two women and came back to report.
“Your Ella is astonishing,” he said softly, a smile on his face. “She says the most outrageous things in the sweetest, most innocent way.”
“Outrageous?”
“Only when it’s deserved, of course. But I’ve never seen anyone handle insults so well.”
“Insults?” His vision started to turn red. “Who is insulting her?”
“It’s just the usual court conversation,” Rastrath said hastily. “All very subtle. But I promise you, it’s not bothering her.”
His temper cooled but only slightly. “Perhaps not, but it bothers me. Please escort her back to my side.”
“Of course, Sire.”
Rastrath bowed and disappeared, to return a short time later with Ella and Deb. True to his word, Ella didn’t seem at all uncomfortable. She danced up to him with a happy smile on her face and took her seat at his side in the chair he’d had prepared for her.
“Are you enjoying yourself, kitten?”
“Oh, yes.” She giggled. “Everyone always seems so shocked that I’m actually capable of carrying on a conversation.”
“Has anyone been rude to you?”
She tilted her head to one side, considering, then smiled softly at him. “Nothing that bothered me.” Before he could press her for details, she changed the subject. “I thought this was a ball. Why isn’t anyone dancing?”
“They are waiting for me to begin. Would you like to dance, kitten?”
“I’d love to.”
He signaled the musicians, and they started a slow waltz. The crowd moved back, and he led her out into the center of the great room and took her in his arms. He kept the moves simple, but she followed him with same easy grace that marked all of her movements. They circled the center of the grand ballroom, Ella a delicate warmth in his arms, her skirts flaring out around them and her eyes sparkling, and he felt as if he were truly dancing for the first time.
A week after the ball, Ella sat in her sitting room, watching as Deb’s son nursed hungrily. Deb had followed up on her promise and brought Athtren to visit several times. She had been quite correct that he was both noisy and demanding but Ella loved having him.
“I think you’re winning them over,” Deb said.
Ella rolled her eyes. In the past week she had attended two more banquets, a luncheon, and, with Karthajin’s very reluctant consent, a female only fashion show. Since the fashion show was focused on lingerie, and since Warnax and Sendat stayed within a foot of her at all times, she wouldn’t have called it a success.
“I heard Lady Aranta and Lady Bulmin agreeing that ‘animals’ shouldn’t be allowed in the palace and Princess Valsa called me a degenerate whore.”
Deb gasped. “What did you do?”
“Nothing.” She shrugged. “If they say it to my face, I insult them back in the politest possible way. But if it’s behind my back, I let it go. I’m not going to change their minds.”
“Well, I know Princess Belra likes you.”
Ella giggled. “That’s because she lost her virginity to Prince Leterit after he fed her a bunch of lies and then Karthajin banished him when he insulted me.”
“Good for him.”
A reminiscent smile played around her lips. “He’s very protective. But it upsets him a lot more than it upsets me.”
“Why doesn’t it bother you? I get so angry when I hear them make derogatory remarks about humans.”
“It’s just words. A hundred years from now, even ten years from now, who will remember?” She smiled a little ruefully. “Reading too much history gives you a different perspective on things. But most importantly, Karthajin loves me—and as long as I know I’m loved, I can face anything.”
Deb looked down at her son, biting her lip. “Your first… owners? They really were good to you?”
“Oh, yes. Other than the fact that they didn’t want me to grow up, they acted more like parents than owners.”
“Do you remember your real parents?”
“Yes and no.” She stood up and headed for the open window, suddenly restless. “It’s still very blurry, even though I remember being taken now. I just have these occasional flashes of memory.”
“I still miss my family every day.” Deb looked down at her son, asleep now. “Rast and Athtren make me so happy, and I know I can never go back. Still, I think that ache will always be there.” Then she smiled at Ella, the sadness disappearing. “Did you know there are other human females out here? We should have a reunion.”
“Others?” Her heart started to thump.
“Well, at least one. Rast told me that she’s mated to some station keeper.”
“Has she been here a long time?”
“I don’t think so.” Deb frowned. “I think Rast said it had only been a couple of months. Why?”
Her excitement died. Perhaps because she’d been on Kaisar for so long, she wasn’t interested in a stranger just because she was human. “There was another girl with me when I was taken. My babysitter. I remember her more clearly than anyone else; I think because she was on the ship with me and she tried to comfort me. I wish I knew what happened to her.”
“Maybe it’s better not to know.” A shadow fell across Deb’s face. “Most slaves aren’t treated well.
“There are laws for their protection,” Ella said hopefully.
“Which get ignored. Doesn’t it bother you?”
“Of course it does.” She sighed. “But it’s a huge economic force in the empire. The last time they tried to eliminate it, there was a rebellion.”
“They tried to eliminate slavery?” Deb’s eyes widened.
“Yes. And the resulting war lasted for almost a hundred years. In the end, they reached a compromise which let each planet decide for itself. That’s why Dhalgroll doesn’t recognize slavery and why Sherae can let slaves work their way to freedom.”
“I still hate it.”
“I know.”
A troubled silence fell. She wished she knew how to make her friend feel bette
r, even though she knew there were no easy answers. With a little sigh, she changed the subject. “Can I hold Athtren?”
“Now that he’s asleep, you mean?” Deb shook off her sorrow and smiled. “You were anxious to get rid of him earlier.”
“What he wanted, I didn’t have,” Ella laughed, waving from her own modest breasts to Deb’s abundant curves.
“He is demanding when he’s hungry, isn’t he?” Deb smiled fondly at her son, then passed him over to Ella. She cradled the baby, loving the way his face crinkled in his sleep, his sweet milky smell. He didn’t look like either of his parents, with the exception of Deb’s big brown eyes, but he was a beautiful baby.
A slight noise made her look up to see Karthajin standing in the doorway. He looked from her to the baby in her arms and his face softened as he smiled at her. One day. She could see the promise in his eyes.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ella stood in the anteroom to one side of the stage and looked out over the Senate through the elaborate panel that screened it from view. It was an impressive space, designed in a deliberately old-fashioned, ornate style. Massive black columns were draped with gold silk, in striking contrast to heavily embossed dark red walls. Each representative had a separate box with room for one or two assistants or guards. The boxes were carved out of a rare black wood with the Kaisarian crest prominently displayed next to their planetary symbol. The representatives from the Royal Houses ringed the area closest to the stage, while the senators’ boxes rose in a sweeping arc towards a faceted crystal ceiling. Every box was full, and the variety of alien life forms overwhelmed her. She could just make out Rastrath, in a box on one of the upper tiers since Sherae had been a later addition to the empire.
After High Priest Lekasar gave the traditional blessing, Karthajin was announced. He strode to the center of the stage to the sound of enthusiastic applause. A single man, alone in the center of that vast space—he should have appeared insignificant. He didn’t. Even though he was clothed in magnificent dark robes, heavily embroidered and laced with red, it wasn’t the clothing that made the difference. He simply carried himself with a quiet assurance which completely dominated the room.
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