Stardust And Shadows

by Janelle Taylor

  Varian’s mouth halted its trek down her throat to feel the throbbing of her pulse point against it. He kissed the line of her collarbone. Her breasts against him felt hot and firm, and he had to touch them, to taste them, to arouse their excitement even more. He moved down her cleft at a snail’s pace as if he had a lifetime to journey through the beckoning valley. His stubbled cheek ever so lightly rubbed over her protruding peaks, and he heard her moan with delight and desire. With intoxicating leisure, he kissed every inch of each breast as his fingertips stroked up and down her sleek inner thighs, coming closer and closer to her most private region.

  Jana quivered with anticipation and pleasure. A heat hotter than any she had experienced before burned at the core of her being. She quivered and tingled and coaxed him for more. As her love caressed her most sensitive secrets, she kissed and caressed him eagerly. She had long awaited this heady episode. He would not walk away from her tonight, and perhaps never again. Surely after this fusion of their beings, he would confess the truth. She would be understanding and forgiving, and would assist his mission. Afterward, the beautiful life together he had promised her on his starship two weeks ago would begin. For now, all she wanted was to join her body and spirit with his, so she abandoned everything to his rapturous conquest.

  She reveled in his firm, bronzed physique. Her hands found his flat belly, virile chest, and broad shoulders. Her palms roamed those stirring areas. Every part of her was sensitive and responsive, as every part of him seemed to be. Her nails gently raked over his torso, careful, even in her aroused state, not to scratch him. Her tongue danced over his ear, and slid down his jawline to savor his taste. She was charged with intense emotion. She was spinning carefree through outerspace. She was aglow with need, as fiery as a blue star that was a thousand times brighter than the sun. A feeling of primitive wildness overtook her. She wanted, she needed, she must have him. She squirmed. She writhed. She groaned. She sighed. She pleaded without words. She took and she gave. With instinct and without words, she encouraged him to do as he pleased with her; and everything he did, pleased her. Only total fulfillment could be sweeter than this prelude.

  Varian’s breathing quickened. Her touch was as light and gentle as a summer breeze. Her kisses were delicious, some long and soft, and some short and almost savage. She trailed velvety lips over his face, throat, and shoulders. She snuggled against his stalwart frame. Forgotten were any reasons not to take what was his by right of conquest, by right of willing surrender. The sensations she sent coursing through his body and mind drove him wild. He had never possessed any woman to the limits of love and satisfaction until Jana. He had never shared himself fully with any woman except Jana. He had never attained such heights of pleasure except with Jana.

  They were locked so tightly together that not even air could get between them. Fires raced through them and consumed any inhibition, reluctance, or denial. As if by cue, their bodies united as one. Uncontrollable fires leapt and burned, becoming brighter and hotter by the minute and with each thrust. Their faces touched and nuzzled. They reveled in their contact, in their shared passion, in their enthralling love. His darting tongue was met by hers. His questing hands found and claimed treasures, as did hers.

  Their tongues mated in an erotic dance that matched the one their bodies swayed to. As she arched to meet his motions, passions soared to explosive levels, and still they labored with speed and skill. They felt weightless and free. Their velocity increased as they approached the boundary into bliss. Wits and self-control were things lost during their journey toward ecstasy’s pinnacle. Their embraces tightened until they could wait no longer for their ultimate pleasure.

  Afterward, they lay drowsy and entwined without speaking, only touching and feeling and sharing. They were together again and nothing else mattered. The agonizing weeks of denial and loneliness had vanished. No matter what the cruel future had in store for them, they had tonight; they had peace and each other, for a while.

  When Jana was asleep, Varian eased from the bed. He stood over her, gazing at her, adoring her with his eyes, branding her his, memorizing every detail of her face for the thousandth time, as if he could ever forget any feature or inch of the exquisite Earthling! He was confused, vexed, and hurt that she hadn’t whispered his name during the throes of her climax. It was him she had made love to, not Ryker, wasn’t it? Though he had convinced her of the delusion, didn’t she at least suspect she had been stolen from him? Didn’t she know he would never give her away? Didn’t she know he loved her and wanted her? Did she think him that cruel?

  He knew for a fact that she had been coerced into marrying Ryker and had never slept with his treacherous and evil half brother. But he had awakened her passions long ago, and he had aroused them again tonight. How could she have resisted such skills and desires? She had confessed her love that last time on his ship. Surely this was too fast for true and powerful love to die. Many times he had been forced to risk slaying her love for him, but he hadn’t. Always she had retained those emotions. Always she had believed him and forgiven him. But his crimes against her were mounting: his resistance after her capture, the many difficult and demanding times along their route home, the humiliating auction he had put her through for her protection and that of his mission, and now this dark and dangerous ruse. Was it drawing her closer to his dead half brother? Was his ruse working too well? Was he slaying precious love and hurting her beyond repair?

  You fool. This deed only makes things worse for her and for you. If you don’t carry out the ruse, everything will be destroyed, including her. Even if you and the fleet remain here and allow Earth to be devastated, Maal and Taemin will still attack. An intergalactic war will cost too many lives. You have the power to make peace within your reach. The only price might be releasing Jana from your hand long enough to grasp it. Can you not risk sacrificing one love to save so many lives and worlds? Can you think about anybody except yourself and her? What kind of man would give up his honor and duty and allow such devastation only to have the woman he loves? Yet, what kind of man takes his love into the gaping jaws of death with him?

  Jana stretched and yawned. She felt mellow and happy. She felt relaxed and calmed. She almost whooped with joy as she tossed the covers aside to greet this glorious morning. She looked up as the yellow-eyed android entered her suite. “Good morning, Ine. I feel wonderful today.”

  “Greetings. I was commanded to awaken you. You must bathe, dress, and eat. You must be ready to depart in three hours.”

  “Thank you, Ine. That’s all. I’ll be ready on time.”

  The monotoned and expressionless android left the room. Jana danced around her suite before grooming herself. There was no way, she told herself, that “Ryker” could convince her he wasn’t Varian, not after murmuring “Moonbeam” in her ear last night. No doubt, in his ardor, he didn’t even know it, but she had heard the favorite endearment. “That wasn’t a delusion, Jana.” But did Varian say it? her mind retorted; he isn’t the only man who knows that word and murmurs it.

  Jana sat in the living area to await departure time in one hour. Her love was busy with last-minute loading of deliveries to several planets along their route. A bundle of nerves and energy, she got up and approached the telecom, as it had been programmed by another android named Griep to respond to her voice commands. After obtaining what she wanted, she returned to her seat to view the news. Fifteen minutes later, she bolted up and went to stand within inches of the large viewing screen. It was Varian being interviewed “live” about his approaching marriage to Canissia.

  “It was delayed because my fiancée hasn’t found the wedding gown she wants,” he answered the reporter. “She’s been to every shop on every planet in the galaxy and has just returned. With or without her gown, the date is in two weeks.”

  “I’m sure it will be a grand occasion,” the reporter said.

  “No. Cass and I decided to make it small and intimate, just family and a few close friends. It’s to take plac
e at Grandfather’s estate on Eire.”

  “What about Ryker and Jana Triloni? Will they be attending?”

  Varian shook his sable head. “They were invited but turned down our invitation because of previous plans. Of course, they’re newlyweds, too, so I imagine they are busy elsewhere.”

  “What about the recent reward and search for Dr. Greyson?”

  “After she vanished, I thought she was in danger because so many men were eager to get their hands on that treasure, legal or otherwise. I felt it was my duty to look for her and to post a reward for her return. We all know now that she eloped with the Androasian prince. You can’t blame Ryker and Jana for wanting to get her out of the limelight; she did cause quite a commotion after coming here. From what Ryker told me, they’re happily wed. I congratulate Dr. Jana Greyson on her good fortune of becoming his wife and joint heir to the Androasian Empire.”

  “How could Dr. Greyson elope with Prince Triloni? A charl has no right to go anywhere without her owner’s permission. That was you.”

  “Was me; that’s the key word. Grandfather freed her after she saved our lives during an assassination attempt on Eire by a Captain Koch. She risked her life to save ours, so Grandfather rewarded her with her freedom. She had every legal right to leave without notice and to marry Ryker. If they hadn’t been out of contact and had heard about the investigation into her disappearance, I would have been notified of her plans. In fact, she did send a departure message which I received when I returned home to Altair, so I called off the search…. Ah, here comes my fiancée now.”

  The camera panned to a smiling and radiant Canissia who waved at them and halted to speak with friends while they finished the interview.

  “I suppose you two will be taking a long and romantic honeymoon?”

  “Yes, we will. We—”

  “Screen off!” Jana shouted, and was obeyed instantly by the system. How, she fretted, was this possible? Was it too coincidental? The first time she watches the telecom, she views this! As soon as they made love and she was certain of his identity, this was used to change her mind! Yet, he couldn’t have known she would watch the unit this morning.

  The blond alien entered the room. He walked to her, smiling. As he caressed her cheek, he murmured, “I hope you slept as well as I did. It’s a new beginning for us, Jana of Earth, one that will work.”

  Qualms, doubts, and fears assailed her. “I .. .”

  His green gaze searched hers for a while until she lowered her lashes in guilt and confusion. “I know it was unexpected, but give it time. When it’s right again, it will happen. Don’t push yourself toward me until you’re ready. At least we know one thing: we’re very attracted to each other.”

  Was it a pretaped performance or live interview? “Ryker, I—”

  He silenced her with his fingertips to her lips. He knew she was upset by the phony interview he had loaded into the system. If she had watched it yesterday, she wouldn’t have surrendered to him last night. The signal on his remote communicator had informed him it was in use, no matter which station she had sought. He hated to do this to her, but a honeymoon would explain his lengthy absence to others. First, he had to get his hands on Cass and get her out of sight. “There’s no need to say anything, Jana: no explanations, excuses, or promises. Let’s leave it in the test tube and see what develops. It might become a priceless formula.”

  They were going out in public as a happy couple. Their marriage was legal. But was she Ryker’s wife, or his widow and heir? “I just saw Varian on the telecom. He was congratulating us on our marriage and talking about his own big event in two weeks.” She repeated what had been said. “I thought you freed me. Isn’t that what you told me?”

  “Yes, and I did free you, we freed you. The kadim or the Supreme Council are the only ones who can grant freedom. Such an action must be the result of unique service or courage that benefits Maffei: saving the ruler’s life certainly fits into that category.”

  “But I didn’t save their lives from Captain Koch. In fact, I almost botched a trap they had set for him. I got … one of his men killed.”

  “You did try to save Varian’s unworthy hide; he told me about it, so it made a good story to cover the truth.”

  “The truth!” she sneered from frayed nerves. “Is it legal, even for the kadim and an Elite Squad member, to deceive the citizens of this galaxy? Perhaps I should tell them about the perils of Watergate and Iran-Contra affairs to show them how dangerous government lying can be. Why didn’t Tirol and Varian tell everyone the real truth, that an insignificant alien slave saved all of them by being sacrificed to their worst enemy?”

  “Do you want me to say it again, woman?” he almost shouted.

  Provoked and hurt, she asked, “Say what?”

  He captured her flushed face between his hands and stared into her glittering eyes. “That you’re the only possession Varian owned that would be of value to either of us. Do you like hearing he wanted you and despised giving you to me? Does that make him less of a monster in your eyes?”

  Jana ignored the way he forced those words from between clenched teeth. “He didn’t want me. Nothing could have forced him to give me away if I meant anything to him. The same is true of you, Ryker Triloni. Neither of you fear anything or anyone. It must run in the blood you two share.”

  “Are you saying we’re more alike than in looks?”

  This time, Jana noticed the chilly look in his eyes and in the tone of his voice. He was angry and challenging, and she was acting stupid. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so cold and cruel. Of course you’re nothing like him in personality and character, thank goodness.”

  She flattened her palms against his chest and gazed into his eyes. “How would you feel if you were passed around like some unfeeling object, if you had no control or say over your life? Don’t you see, Ryker, it doesn’t matter to me if he wanted me as a possession? It doesn’t matter to me that he didn’t want to part with a pleasing slave so soon. It doesn’t even matter that he considered me so valuable that I could be used as his peace token, his only peace token. What matters is that I was kidnapped and turned into a slave. That my freedom, pride, and life were taken away. That I was so unimportant, I was handed over to a foe who might torture or kill me. I made friends with them, Ryker: Varian, Tris, Nigel, Martella, Tirol, Draco. I trusted them. I obeyed them. I worked hard and learned everything they tried to teach me. I finally accepted my fate as a charl. I bent, yielded, and surrendered like a coward or weakling. For what? To be betrayed? Even if I’m only an alien captive, they owed me more than that. I thought it would be different, better, here with you. Now, you’ve lied to me.”

  “How so, Jana?” he asked calmly.

  “You said you freed me.”

  The tape had been a grave mistake. He had no choice now except to lie. “I am responsible. After you were given to me and I decided to marry you, I requested your liberation. They used that incident with Koch as a reason the public would understand and accept. It would serve no good purpose for the citizens to hear the truth, and you don’t want anyone to know how you got here. If Cass had kidnapped you, Jana, she wouldn’t be floating around the galaxy a free woman; she would be a hunted criminal. Everyone knows you’re married to me and you’re living here. If a crime was involved, we would be under attack for your rescue and my punishment.”

  Why mention her delusion about Canissia’s abduction? “No one would dare attack here or harm you, even if you had kidnapped me.”

  “That’s true, but I didn’t. On the other hand, I couldn’t leave my stronghold if it would risk my capture, could I? Away from Darkar’s defenses, I’m as vulnerable as any other man.”

  “That’s true,” she agreed, but didn’t believe it. “I shouldn’t have gotten so upset. I turned on the telecom to try to pick up some interesting bits of information to use in conversation along our journey. I never expected to see that snake and his slithering companion congratulating my good fortune. I’
m sure they would be delighted if you destroyed me for them.”

  “You have to put them out of your mind, Jana. Don’t let them hurt you or embarrass you again. Remember who you are now.”

  “I will, Ryker, and I am truly sorry for behaving so badly.”

  “It’s forgotten.”

  “Thank you, and it won’t happen again.”

  “I’m sure it won’t. We’re ready to leave anytime you are. After you visit Caguas, Kudora, Auriga, and Zamarra, you’ll see I’m in no trouble and all your doubts will vanish. But there is one thing left.”

  “What?”

  “Varian sent you a video message after we married. I didn’t think you were ready to view it until now. If you’d like, I’ll call it up.”

  Jana panicked. “What does it say? I’m sure you’ve seen it.”

  “He wished you well in your new life as a peace token. He asked for your forgiveness and understanding for deceiving you. He said you’re doing the Alliance a great service by providing a truce between us. He even promises you’ll be safe and happy here. Do you want me to call it up?”

  “No. In fact, erase it, please. I’d rather not see his mocking face or hear his lying voice again. I’m ready to leave now.”

  They walked to the landing grid and entered the shuttle. She let Ryker buckle her seat harness, then watched him attach his own. He smiled at her before issuing the command to lift off. The vehicle took flight, and later docked inside his orbiting starship. Jana was guided to the control room and shown where to sit. This time, seat belts weren’t needed. The large ship left orbit around the planetoid as easily as a feather gliding on a gentle air current. It wasn’t as big as the Wanderlust his half brother commanded, but it was still enormous. She recognized only two of the crew at the controls: Captain Kagan and the android, Griep. Two other androids sat at panels, and two human strangers relaxed nearby. At starlight speed, as Ryker called their swift pace, they would reach Caguas within hours.