It Ends With a Beginning

by L A Warren

  He knew about her snarking sims? Of course he did.

  He snickered when he saw her expression. “I’m surprised that would make you blush, considering it’s one of the tamer sims you’re known for. I’m interested to see how some of them play out in real life.”

  “Some aren’t physically possible in real life,” she said, trying to get over her embarrassment.

  “Well, those you can show me on the snarking pad, the others . . . well, those we’ll explore together.” He laughed anew as her blush spread. His chuckle turned anticipatory as they approached the lift tube.

  Malice crept out of the darkness and played a funeral dirge.

  Knock it off, Shriek said.

  No, Malice crooned. This is the end. We’re all nothing but puppets after this.

  I don’t care, Whimper said, I don’t think it’s funny. Stop playing that.

  I’ll play what I want, when I want, Malice hissed.

  Shriek pulled Malice’s hair. Stop!

  Elise closed her eyes and counted to three. Sisters, please? Do you really need to fight right now?

  The trio in her head grew silent.

  Where’s Alex? Elise searched the dark corners of her mind, but couldn’t find Alex.

  No one’s seen her since Malikai revealed himself as Gregor, Whimper said.

  “Do you remember this particular lift tube?” Gregor pressed his palm to the palm pad.

  “Yes.” His question pulled her out of her internal conversation with her selves.

  He came to stand behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist. The flightsuit muted the effect of the contact, but his heady scent full of musk and that odd spicy aroma made her swoon. She was thankful when the lift tube door opened. It gave her a reason to take a step forward and avoid the buckling in her knees which threatened to bring her crashing to the floor.

  He still had that effect on her, despite everything. Perhaps sex with Gregor wouldn’t be entirely unwelcome?

  Seriously? Malice sneered. You think it will be fun? He’s going to steal our mind!

  What do you want me to do, Malice? We’ve lost.

  Unwilling to argue further with Malice, Elise turned her attention back to Gregor. “If you knew, then why did you let me continue? Why didn’t you end it?”

  “Would you be surprised to hear me admit that I admired you? When I discovered who Chickadee really was, I became entranced by what you had done.”

  “But weren’t you angry?” Elise stepped into the lift tube. “That had to be far worse than keeping the code a secret.”

  “Oh, I was plenty angry when I figured it out. I never discovered how you slipped out, though. I still want to know how you did it. It became an obsession, if you will, and there was a small part of me that wanted to see how far you’d get. Your determination is a mystery to me, especially when I’ve explained why I need you.”

  Gregor activated the lift, and they ascended toward the inner levels of the torus. He grasped her hands.

  “Two things I need you to know, and you must understand how much I give, admitting this. First, I truly wanted to see how far you’d make it. Your tenacity amazed me. Your determination left me in awe. Nothing I did kept you from your goal; that’s a rare quality in any individual. In a WOR, it speaks to something extraordinary.”

  “You admire me?” Was it possible she’d truly affected him? “What was the second thing?”

  “I couldn’t bear to take any more away from you. Nothing stopped you. Even after Tender Training, you still risked everything to train. Then the entire hangar deck placed a bet on you and I had to know why. How could you get so many people to believe in you? What was it that inspired them? I couldn’t take that away, not from you and not from them. It was a gift I couldn’t give you because you had already made it yours. So, I decided not to—”

  “Not to what?”

  “Not to take it away. If I punished you, it would have destroyed the progress we’d made in your training. I couldn’t jeopardize that. I must have you trained in the WOR-skill. I knew I’d have to deal with this eventually, but I figured at least I knew where you were and what you were up to, so I let it play out.”

  He surprised her with his honesty, but was it true? It couldn’t be. Could it?

  “Have you ever heard the phrase bullshit?”

  Gregor let go of her hands. Evidently, he had.

  “You tell me how wonderful I am, how much you respected my effort, my perseverance, determination. Am I supposed to feel something because you cared? Bullshit! Or believe you didn’t want to hurt me? Bullshit. You admire me? It was a gift that you couldn’t take away?” Elise poked her finger in his chest. “You are full of bullshit.”

  His eyes widened. “I just told you how much I care for you. The carrot or the stick? That was the carrot, Elise. Don’t you realize what it meant to let you have this? Can’t you see what I did for you?” The tattoo began to dance.

  She rolled her eyes. “You gave me no gift. I think you liked it. You liked how I fought back. How many women do you know who have ever said no to you? How many have ever stood up to you? As long as you’re dominating every facet of whatever this is between us, you’re content to watch me struggle. You let me fight back because I amused you.”

  The wind of the lift tube decreased.

  His eyes narrowed. “You do not amuse me, Elise. You amaze and astonish me. I’ve never met anyone quite like you. I’m in awe of you.”

  “Am I supposed to feel something because you admit your feelings? What exactly are you admitting? That you care for me? Or is it that you’re proud of your pet?” It was a rhetorical question, one she didn’t give him time to answer. “Don’t think for a minute you’re special to me, because I don’t feel the tiniest bit of affection toward you. Physical attraction from the callidor aside, there is nothing between us. I despise you.”

  His eyes grew cold and she knew she’d said too much, but damn him, how dare he try to tug on her emotions like that? Did he really think she cared what he thought?

  Don’t you? Whimper whispered.

  Shut up!

  You know I’m right, Whimper slunk away.

  “You don’t hate me. You just can’t see it yet. I accept your anger, but eventually you’ll let it go, just as I have. We belong together. I’ve known it from the moment I laid eyes on you. In time, you’ll understand. I’m Emperor, and you’re my s’vlor, but there is something growing between us. Hate and love are two emotions closely tied together. You’d be surprised how easily one slides into the other.”

  “I won’t ever love you. You are a fool to believe that.”

  “No? I’m too much in your thoughts for you to disregard me. Eventually you’ll grow tired of fighting and give in. I will wait.”

  The lift tube stopped.

  “Just finish this. Once you Bind me, I won’t be the same person I am now. What you say means nothing, Gregor, not when you’re set on taking over my free will.”

  “That’s not what’s happening, but you refuse to believe me.”

  The tone in his voice sent a shiver down her spine. Damn, how could he still affect her so strongly? Why couldn’t she resist him? She lifted her chin and walked into his personal quarters.

  “I’m nothing but a victim.”

  “No, that is not the truth. In time, you will understand, and your anger will fade.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Elise screamed inside her head as Gregor ushered her into his private suite of rooms.

  Dear God, this is it. Tonight we truly become a slave.

  Alex stepped fully into the light. A strange look glowed in her expression. The darkness fled as she sat in Lotus pose. You said the link couldn’t form to a WOR already bound to a master?

  Yes.

  So, my sister. The answer is staring you in the face.

  There is no answer, Elise said.

  Shriek, Malice and Whimper joined them, looking as perplexed as Elise felt.

  What do you mean? Mal
ice asked.

  If we are linked then he can’t bind us, Alex explained.

  Bitterness edged Elise’s voice. We is me, sister. I can’t link with myself.

  We are us, not you, Alex said with an affirmative nod.

  You are constructs of my imagination, Elise insisted. Split personalities of a crazy person.

  Shriek sat beside Alex. I don’t know about that. I earned my place. I’m not you. You could never be me.

  And you could never stomach what I will unleash, Malice growled.

  Elise walked through the outer rooms of Gregor’s suite, confused by the conversation going on inside her head.

  That doesn’t make any of you real.

  And why not? Alex asserted. We’re each our own separate selves. Shriek endures to keep us sane. Whimper submits so we may fight another day. Malice keeps us strong and pushes us when we’re weak. She keeps us to task. We’re all here to fight.

  And what have you done, Alex? Elise gave a shake of her head. You hid in the darkness and now you presume to tell me this? Was she really having a conversation with her selves? Now she knew she was crazy.

  Shut up, Elise, Alex said. You’re no crazier than the rest of us, a little raw around the edges maybe, but you’re not insane.

  You didn’t answer the question. Elise couldn’t believe this conversation.

  Really, Alex continued. Where exactly do you think the inspiration for the WOR-skill changes came from? Who was it who discovered the alter-dimensions? Dimensions based outside of reality? Who figured out how to beat the Vendel? That person has been me.

  Well that got everyone’s attention. All the voices silenced.

  Not possible, Elise said.

  Listen, it takes five to form the most basic of links. We are five individuals who happen to share the same body. We exist independently of one another as well as dependent upon one another. We are sisters! Who says we can’t form a link? I’ll take keystone. Malice has the strength for the conduit. You take care of Gregor. You’re the only one of us who will enjoy it. And together, linked, the Binding will slip around us. We will triumph. Remember, sister, it’s not over until it’s over. If we don’t try, then we all will be slaves. I say we take a vote.

  No vote, Elise said. I’m in charge.

  Oh no, sister, Shriek said. I paid my dues. I want a vote.

  No vote!

  Whimper spoke, her voice strong and confident for the first time ever. I, too, have earned my place. Which one of you has the stomach to submit to these men? Which one of you can swallow all pride so the rest may live? Shriek endured the pain. I endured the humiliation. I want to vote.

  Elise, Malice whispered, who got you out of your bed each night and pushed you to aspire to something more? I did. When Shriek and Whimper had seen the worst and were nearly destroyed, who pulled them from the abyss? It was I. Who called forth our fifth and final sister from the darkness? Again, I did that. When insanity threatened—of us all—who allowed it to claim them? Me. We are not you. Alex is right. We are us, and four of us are not done fighting. Link with us. Allow us this last chance to fight. If we don’t try, then we all are lost. If we try and fight one last time, then, maybe, just maybe, we will win? How can you deny us this chance at freedom, as slim or as crazy as it sounds?

  Elise listened to their pleas. Malice’s words, more so than her sisters, sounded clearly in her ears. They were not one person anymore. At some point she had gone insane. Her mind had split, but Malice had brought them back from that dark abyss. Her sisters were going to save her, yet again.

  Okay. Alex, if you think this will work, then do it. Pull me in. Elise glanced over her shoulder. I will be busy with Gregor. She trusted her sisters to carry her through the trial ahead. If it will work for us, then maybe it will work for the others?

  I will look into that, Alex promised.

  Alex began the intricate folds of the construct forming the keystone position. Elise left Alex to the task. As a mere link in the chain, Elise didn’t have to pay any attention to the rest of what they did. All she needed to do was focus on Gregor, and make certain he didn’t find out what her sisters were up to. She walked into Gregor’s living room and stopped short, completely caught off guard at the sight of the High Tender and the braklav twirling in his hand.

  Pure fury darkened Marcus’s features. His brows were drawn and his lids narrowed to thin slits. Clenched jaws ground down on teeth framed by a snarl. He glared at her and took in her red flightsuit, then his gaze flicked to Gregor.

  Her knees felt insubstantial, barely able to hold her weight, and she trembled.

  “Sire,” the High Tender said.

  Gregor was a step behind Elise and nearly ran into her. “Lord vlor’Vardhal, why are you here?” A dangerous undercurrent laced his inquiry.

  “I saw the jump-jet finals.” The High Tender turned his gaze to Elise.

  The flightsuit felt constricting, and she was reminded how long she’d been in it.

  I stink. I need a shower.

  A trickle of nervous perspiration beaded between her breasts and dribbled down her back. It had nothing to do with the High Tender, or the twirling braklav. At least, she tried to convince herself that rod had nothing to do with the nervous sweat. Gregor she could handle. The High Tender and the braklav? That made her heart stop.

  Elise swallowed.

  In her mind, Alex formed the link. Shriek entered the circle. Whimper waited her turn. Malice provided the conduit to funnel their power. Elise would have to endure whatever came alone while her sisters completed the link.

  “I found the outcome quite interesting, wouldn’t you agree?” Gregor stood behind Elise, seemingly at ease, but there was a stiffness in his body that hadn’t been there a moment before.

  “I told you this one would be trouble,” the High Tender said with a sneer. “You wouldn’t listen. At every turn, I insisted on discipline, but you stepped in, and look where it has gotten you.” His voice rose in pitch.

  Elise took a step back. Gregor pulled her against him, sheltering her from the High Tender.

  “I have achieved results.” Gregor’s voice remained calm and soft, but Elise detected an edge to it.

  “Bah!” The High Tender scoffed. “What results would those be? To be the laughing stock of the empire? An Emperor with a WOR out of control? A WOR who beat you!”

  “You mean of course, this WOR who is with me, in my quarters, prepared for the Binding Rite? My WOR who is willing to complete the rite? I’m not dragging her in here kicking and screaming. I won’t have to tie her down like some of the other vlor’lords will need to do. She accepts the Binding. Is this the WOR we are talking about? Or are you speaking of another?” Gregor’s tone made Elise wince.

  It never occurred to her to kick and scream.

  “That’s irrelevant! I’ll show her what it means to serve her masters,” The High Tender moved forward and grabbed Elise’s arm.

  She yelped as he crushed her flesh.

  “Let go, Lord vlor’Vardhal.” The icy calmness of Gregor’s tone made Elise flinch. She couldn’t see his face, but knew what she would find there. His eyes would flash silver and be as sharp as daggers.

  High Tender Marcus yanked on her arm and she cried out again in pain. He ripped her from Gregor and pulled her to him. In a smooth practiced move, he pressed the braklav to her chin.

  Her head exploded in a firestorm of light and agony. Alex struggled to maintain her grip on the fragile link, but then the pain vanished between one moment and the next as her world spun.

  Gregor wrapped his hands around the High Tender’s neck.

  She found herself on the floor, gasping for breath.

  The veins on the High Tender’s neck bulged and his face turned several shades of red and purple.

  Elise put her hands to her head as a sharp pain thrust through her head. It wasn’t the braklav. Alex had forced her into the link. The circle was now complete.

  Malice roared in triumph as the High Tender gur
gled.

  Gregor enunciated each of his words. “Lord vlor’Vardhal, do not touch my property again unless I have given permission.” He shook the High Tender. “I am her master, not you. Understood?”

  Rage tumbled in the High Tender’s expression. On his normally cool and dispassionate face, that emotion seemed entirely foreign and terrifying. He clutched at Gregor’s strong fingers wrapped around his throat. Gregor stared the man down, but did not release his grip. He pushed the High Tender back a step.

  High Tender Marcus croaked out his words. “She is my responsibility, Sire. Mine! I will have her punished.”

  “No, Lord vlor’Vardhal. She is yours no longer.”

  “She has flaunted her defiance for the last time,” the High Tender said with a roar. “I must administer correction. She has made a laughing stock of you, of the vlor’, of the Tender Conclave and all of Vendel.” High Tender Marcus turned a threatening eye to Elise. “S’Lissa, you will tell me how you managed this charade and who helped.” His face turned scarlet. “To stand on the podium at the jump-jet presentations and see the Emperor’s s’vlor mocking him in front of the people . . .” His words trailed off and the braklav became a blur as it spun in the air. “I can only imagine what was going through his mind.”

  Gregor sniffed. “I was proud, High Tender.”

  Elise glanced up in surprise.

  The High Tender glared back and sputtered, lost for words.

  “I knew what she was up to. I’ve known for quite some time, and I allowed it to proceed.”

  The High Tender’s jaw dropped and he sputtered some more. He finally found his words. “You knew! You let this behavior continue?”

  “Yes.” Gregor glanced down and smiled. “I, Emperor Gregor Ulysses vlor’Malita, made that decision all on my own. I found it fascinating to see what she would be capable of accomplishing.”

  Elise recovered from her fright. A cool detached calm returned. He had only wanted to see what his pet could do when given the lead? It was always about ownership and property rights with Vendel males. She had been a fool to think otherwise.