It’s not like she hadn’t been threatened by that before. Hell, the Teran Four assholes made sure any Teran One female soldier captured was “properly punished”. The difference this time was that her past attackers had been the enemy, not a man she’d once fought with, drank with, kissed.
Once, in a moment of weakness and after a few too many sangrias, she’d lip-locked with Tory. Even now, as he pinned her with his body, hers heated. If he only knew.
Tory held all the cards. Alex was helpless, flat on her back, immobilized by his muscular body. He knew her tricks, had trained with her, fought with her. Tears burned the back of her throat, but she swallowed them. She had to hit where it hurt. “Fucking me isn’t going to make your pedigree any better.”
Nothing.
His whisper was calm, seductive. “No, but I’ll enjoy it.”
Her stomach flipped and she arched her back, trying to dislodge him, knowing it was hopeless. He didn’t fight her. He just waited until she wore herself out. She closed her eyes. Let him do it. Let him take what she might have given him so long ago. He’d have to wrench it from her. Liar. She knew the truth. Her body would betray her. She had to fight him, push him away. But she had nothing left. Besides, she wasn’t sure she wanted to fight him anymore.
He was right. No one would come. Her brother, her family, were all dead except for her little sister, who was vulnerable and underage. With Alex gone, the six remaining founding families would carve up her inheritance and marry Celeste off to the nearest asshole. Everything would be gone, even if she managed to survive Tory Ingle. He claimed her as his Saria. No man would touch her now.
A sob escaped her. Hot tears welled in her eyes and she couldn’t stop them. Damn it. She hated crying. Her chest hurt from the effort of holding them in, but finally, they poured out. She cursed him, her voice harsh and choked.
She clamped her teeth down on her lip to stop the scream rising. She was fucked, screwed, nailed. And not in a good way.
To her surprise, he jerked her to her feet, his fingers still clasped around her wrists. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” She dragged her feet as he shoved her out his door.
“Even someone from a low-caste family like me knows the rules of Saria, Commander.” He escorted her down a lengthy corridor, his long legs eating up the distance as he pulled her after him. He stopped and slapped a button to open a door.
“You’ve already broken them,” she snapped. “A claim must be made to a Tribunal or—” She stopped mid-sentence when she saw who waited in the small conference room.
“Or a Judge of Light.” Tory dropped her into a chair and handcuffed her wrists to the armrests. The Judge glanced at her, but his focus was on a file in front of him. The vid screen flicked through images she couldn’t see.
A Judge of Light. A mind reader with absolutely no loyalty to any government, only to the truth. They couldn’t be bribed, bought or manipulated. They were some of the most powerful telepaths in the known universe. To become a Judge of Light, an Ardasian had to go through years of training.
“You are Commander Alexandra Zeerah?” The Ardasian didn’t meet her gaze.
“Yes.”
“Your brother was Samuel Zeerah Jr.?”
“Yes.” She pursed her lips together. She’d seen this process many times. The Tribunal Judges asked questions, the Saria answered. The proof was presented and the judgment made.
“You are aware of the Saria ceremony, Commander?” His eyes were that weird green color that most Ardasian males seemed to have. When she met the Judge’s gaze, she swallowed. Aware? Hell yes.
The Judge cocked his head. “I need your verbal answer, please.”
“Yes.”
The Judge nodded to Tory, who slid into one of the chairs across from her. She glared at him but he kept his gaze on the Judge. There was nothing he could show her to prove he hadn’t betrayed them to the Teran Fours. Because if he was innocent, that would mean her brother—
She jerked her stare to the Judge and refused to look away. The Judge studied her for a moment and then turned to Tory. The Judge of Light’s voice was calm and completely neutral when he ordered, “Release her.”
Tory jabbed a button on the console in front of him and the cuffs dropped off her wrists. She slowly rubbed them and kept her focus on the Judge of Light. If he was incorruptible, what was he doing with Tory Ingle? Tory’s exploits for the last five years had been infamous. He tormented Teran One space merchants. Granted, the ones he harassed the most were the ones who sold goods to Teran Four against the edicts of her government, but it didn’t change the fact that he was a mercenary, a criminal.
He was a man who broke the rules and he’d claimed her as his Saria. She would have thought it was a joke except he had obtained the cooperation of a Judge of Light. The Saria ceremony was a Teran One tradition, but Ardasian Judges of Light were well-versed in the practice. According to custom, she and Tory had to play their roles. He was the Sarat, the injured. She was the Saria, the gift.
“I am Mayar, Judge of Light for the Teran Planet system, authorized by Ardasia to serve as a beacon of truth in the spaces of darkness.” His green eyes focused on her and she sat up straighter. “I have been asked to perform the Saria ceremony. Tory Ingle came directly to Ardasia to request my help.” The Judge seemed to speak directly to her, though she knew they were being recorded. “I agreed to be an impartial judge of the evidence.” He seemed to wait for some response from her. She nodded and he continued. “May the truth be revealed.” The Judge’s tone gave the words meaning and weight. Alex knew the next part by heart. “Let the judged be exonerated if the Sarat can prove he has been wronged. Let the Saria answer for her bloodline.” The Judge said the words as if he were Teran One born. Alex relaxed slightly and the Judge continued. “In this way, the bloodline is preserved; the names are written in the Teran One annals.”
The Judge pointed to her. “Are you the last of your line?”
“No, I am not.” Almost. Not quite. Tears pricked her eyes. If she lost here, if Tory won, Celeste would be alone. But the Saria served a purpose and she was duty-bound to respect it.
The Judge turned to Tory. “Are you the last of your line?” A question for form’s sake and Alex was surprised when Tory said, “Yes, I am the last of the family Ingle.”
What had happened to his brother? She stared at him. This made more sense now. If he had the remotest chance of clearing his name, he would do it. His lands, his bloodline, his history were all on the line. If he couldn’t reclaim his family’s place on Teran One, they would be stricken from the records, forgotten. The Ingles had struggled to earn their place in history. Tory would do anything to keep it. Her fists clenched on the table. She took a deep breath. She had to remember the Judge was completely neutral. Whatever Tory presented as evidence had to be incontrovertible.
“Does the Sarat have evidence to present for judgment?” The Ardasian focused on Tory.
“I do.” Tory handed the Judge several discs.
Mayar slipped the discs in and Alex stared at the screen.
The first scene was an interrogation. Judging by the uniform of the interrogator, it was on Teran Four. The captured man was a Teran One soldier.
“Did you take the money?” The Teran Four Covert shot the question out like a bullet.
The other man shook his head. “No. Zeerah took it.”
Alex gasped. Samuel? The man was lying. He had to be.
“You’re lying,” the interrogator snarled. “I have a dead Teran Four soldier and a million leders missing. You want me to believe that a commander in the Teran One corps took the money?”
“He hoped to use the money to overthrow King Darius.”
The Teran Four interrogator made a derisive sound and said, “How did he hope to do that?”
“He had someone on the inside, someone who hated the king.”
The interrogator pounded his fist on the table in front of the captive soldier. “Zeerah u
sed Teran Four soldiers on Teran One?”
“Yes, yes. He sent Teran Four soldiers to drug Commander Tory Ingle. He wanted him out of the way.”
“Why?”
“Ingle would probably have fought to keep King Darius on the throne.”
“So, Zeerah used Teran Four soldiers to cover his own involvement?” The interrogator thrust his face into the Teran One soldier’s. “Where’s the money?”
“I don’t know,” the man wailed. “I swear, I don’t know. Zeerah must have it.”
“Where is Commander Zeerah now?”
“Teran Five. That’s where he said he was going to plan the war.”
The vid faded.
The timestamp on the vid was two months before Samuel’s death announcement.
Alex blinked. Her brain spun a little trying to make sense of what she’d just seen and heard.
The Judge changed the disc for another. What else could there be? When she received the word that Samuel was dead almost a year ago, she hadn’t seen his face for six months. His last transmission from the battlefield on Teran Five had been fuzzy, hard to see. The date stamp on this new vid was two weeks after his death. She stared at the numbers.
Inside, she shook. No. This had to be a lie. Her lips tightened and she glared at Tory. She wasn’t allowed to say it, but she knew Tory could see her denial on her face. He seemed completely calm and only raised his eyebrows.
“I don’t get it, Sam. Why stick the fucker out in space? What did he do besides have the hots for your sister?” A man’s voice grated through the speakers.
Samuel was sprawled in a chair, one leg dangling over the armrest. In his hand, he twirled a stunner, his weapon of choice. “He was supposed to be dead. He’s an Ingle, the last one since I took out his brother. Get rid of him and that’s one less asshole to deal with when I take the throne.”
The other man’s laugh was loud. “What if your sister finds out?”
“Alex?” Her brother snorted. Alex’s stomach clenched. Stars. Not her brother. “She just wants to protect that sniveling brat Celeste. I’ll marry her off to one of the stronger houses.”
“All this to be king of Teran One?”
Samuel smiled, a cruel twist of his lips that made Alex wince. “That’s part of it. And maybe control of a planet or two. Or three.” His laugh grated on Alex’s nerves.
“What did you do? Buy the Tribunal?” The soldier laughed as if he’d said something hilarious.
But Samuel’s eyes narrowed. “That is impossible, of course.”
“Oh come on,” the man pressed. “You had to have help high up.”
Her brother’s smile was thin and snide. “You have no idea. I had the best kind of help.” Suddenly, her brother’s gaze looked straight at the screen and he stopped twirling the stunner.
His gaze jerked to the other man. “You bastard. I’ll kill you,” he shouted, the stunner in his hand.
The other man dove behind a bookcase and the stunner burnt a line into the floor. The soldier aimed a laser pistol and shot Samuel dead between the eyes. Blood spurted from her brother’s head and Alex made her eyes stay on the screen as the laser burned the skin and bone leaving charred remains. Her stomach rolled. She was not going to puke. She was a soldier. She’d seen death before. But this…this was her brother.
When it was over, two soldiers came through the door. “Is there enough of the body to send back to King Darius?”
The first soldier panted for breath. “He’ll assume the asshole was killed, just as we reported.”
“You think his sister will buy that he died in battle?” one of the soldiers asked as he collected bits of flesh.
“She’ll believe whatever Darius tells her,” the first soldier said with a sneer. “I got everything on vid.”
“Will it work?”
“It’ll work.” The man’s lips tightened. “We have to get the vid authenticated.”
“Pack it up and take it to Ardasia,” one of the soldiers ordered.
The vid clicked off.
Alex bit her lower lip. She’d known Samuel was an asshole, but a traitor? She shook her head. “I don’t believe it.”
The Judge gave her a long look. No, she wasn’t supposed to respond until the Judge spoke, but she couldn’t help it. She set her lips to force the words of denial back down. The Judge nodded and slipped the next disc in.
This one was identical to the one she’d seen at the Tribunal that convicted Tory. It was the same bunker, the same men. Except for Tory Ingle. He was nowhere in the video. In the video she’d seen, Tory had taken money from Teran Four soldiers to surrender his men’s names and locations—men who later appeared lifeless in a taunting video from Teran Four. The only problem was that instead of Tory’s face, the man who actually took the money was…Samuel.
Hot tears burned the inside of her eyelids. Her chest tightened and her throat closed. It couldn’t be. Her brother was the traitor? But why?
The silence in the room was deafening.
“Do you dispute the evidence?” the Judge asked her gently.
She lifted her blurred gaze to meet his. “I am no vid expert.”
“I am,” the Judge said calmly. “These are genuine vids. The one presented to your planet’s Tribunal was altered. I am…disappointed that their verdict was guilty.”
“You’re asking me to believe my brother betrayed our planet, our king, our family. He couldn’t do it!” She clenched her jaw and tried to keep the tears at bay. Not once through the whole show did she glance at Tory. She couldn’t stand to see his triumph, his smile, his—
When she looked at him she didn’t see any of that. He seemed…sad. She blinked. Her world was upside down. But the Saria ceremony wasn’t over and she had to hold it together until the Judge of Light completed it, even though she was dizzy. This was no time to faint.
“I am the Judge of Light. In accordance with Ardasian Code and Teran law, I have read the minds of the principals involved. I declare the accusations and subsequent punishment delivered on Commander Tory Ingle were false and detrimental to his bloodline.” The Ardasian spoke and he laid his palms flat on the table. “This verdict is rendered. Commander Alexandra Zeerah is considered Saria to Tory Ingle. No other member of the Zeerah bloodline may be harmed in this act of revenge.” The Judge frowned at Tory. “You may choose the Saria’s fate. Death, slavery or mate.”
A small sound escaped Alex. This was it. The judgment had come down and she’d lost. Celeste would be married to a stranger. Her land, her family bloodline would be absorbed but never be freed from the obligation now forced upon it. Just as Tory’s bloodline was tainted by the lies that convicted him, hers was destroyed by her brother’s betrayal. The Zeerahs would cease to exist as a recognized founding family on Teran One.
“I am no fool,” Tory’s voice sounded harsh. “Death or slavery will not give me what I wish. Though I could seek to carry on my line with another, only a woman from my home planet will keep the Teran One genes intact and the Ingle family bloodline’s place maintained.” He kept his gaze on the Ardasian. “My undiluted bloodline ends with me unless I find a way to continue it.”
She gasped and stared at him. Was he insane? She wouldn’t do it. He couldn’t seriously think she’d be his—
“I choose mate.” Tory held her stare.
“No! I will not—” she shouted, but the Judge pounded the table sharply.
“He has the right.” His tone brooked no argument. “Tory Ingle has accepted Alexandra as his mate. The rules of Saria apply. She will not harm herself or her children. She will accept this fate or her bloodline is forfeit.” The Judge’s solemn eyes met hers. “If you deny this mating, it is his right to claim the other in the bloodline.”
“No!” she shouted.
“If the Saria refuses the mating, Celeste Zeerah will take her place.”
“Judge,” Tory broke in. The Ardasian swerved his solemn gaze to Tory.
“I allow amendments to the contract.”
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She jerked her head to stare at Tory. It was rare. The ceremony was often used as an accepted form of rape, violence. Amendments were created for men who wanted a true mate.
Dizziness made her head swim. It was too much. The Judge’s voice seemed far away, like he was down a long corridor. Tory’s face swam in front of her. “Alex? Alex?”
“A safeword, Commander Zeerah.” The Judge’s face drifted before hers as he peered at her. Where was Tory?
“A safeword?” she said. It took a lot of effort to get those two words out. A safeword. Her ability to stop any action that may harm her, make her uncomfortable. A common amendment.
“One word.” The Judge’s green eyes seemed to glow now.
“Betrayed,” she whispered and the darkness closed in.
“Done.” And with that one word, she became the mate of Tory Ingle, bad boy of Teran space.
* * * * *
Had it all been a bad dream? Alex blinked her eyes and focused. Tory’s face hovered over hers. She was on his bed, in his quarters, at his mercy. She was his Saria, the object of his revenge. His mate. Teran One law was clear. Until his thirst for revenge was sated, he could do as he wished. As long as he could prove he had a right to take her.
And he’d proven it, according to all the Teran One traditions.
It all could have been so different. If she hadn’t believed everything she’d seen. If she’d trusted her heart instead of her mind. If she hadn’t turned her back on the one man who meant anything at all to her.
“Such pretty tears,” he said, finally, his gaze cold. All the pity and warmth she’d seen in the conference room was gone. “I wonder if you realize now how much trouble you’re in.” He lifted his body off hers and jerked her to her feet. She didn’t have time to fight him when he yanked her closer and wrenched her arms behind her back. “Before you destroyed me, you should have known who you were dealing with.”
“What do you mean?” She’d known. He was a bad boy, a man who fought fiercely, but only in his own best interests. He loved his men, but because they fought by his side, not because of who they were. Oh she knew him, all right. He gambled, flew by the seat of his pants and fucked any woman who let him. The word duty wasn’t in the man’s vocabulary. She knew exactly who, and what, he was. She knew he liked rain, and how children made him smile and—
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