TICEES

by Mills, Shae

  “So, my Lady,” Ticees began again as he stepped in front of her, forcing her to look at him. “How do you feel being bound to this black-haired rogue?”

  Chelan glanced at Korba and then spoke. “I rather enjoy it, my Lord,” she answered softly.

  Ticees smile faded again. “You speak our language very well, Chelan. You have acquired it quickly and with indisputable precision.”

  Chelan allowed a small but uneasy smile. “I had a lot of help,” she qualified.

  “And do you know of our people’s ways?” he asked firmly.

  Chelan straightened herself. “A lot of them, my Lord,” she began. “Enough to survive thus far.”

  Ticees smiled. “You are Korba’s mate, and you are not of our ways, yet I notice your eyes for Fremma also. I assume you know him intimately as well?”

  Chelan looked stunned. Korba watched her closely, wondering if she had indeed heeded his warning about Ticees’ forwardness.

  Chelan remembered Korba’s words concerning honesty. But admitting to her relationship to Fremma went against every fiber in her body. She looked to the floor. “I do,” she answered nervously, her jaw set.

  Korba looked down and closed his eyes momentarily. His heart ached for Chelan and her forced admission to a stranger, but it would be unwise for him to intercede.

  Ticees smiled again as he stepped closer to her. “And what of Dar?” he asked brazenly. “I detect an unease between you two. Have you turned down the favors of our blonde Warlord for a subordinate such as Fremma?”

  Chelan was flabbergasted, and she nearly staggered backward. She opened her mouth to speak, but she could not. She felt panic envelop her as she looked to Korba for help, but his face remained unreadable, and she was forced to confront Ticees on her own. She took a deep breath. “I do not consider Fremma a subordinate,” she challenged. “He is a kind and gentle man, and an attentive lover.”

  Chelan hesitated, her agitation morphing into bleeding wounds. “And if you must know, as of recently, it is Dar who has refused my favors, my Lord, not the other way around.”

  Ticees stepped back, visibly surprised. “Well, well, Dar,” he said, turning to the Warlord. “Have you gone mad? It looks like you have been out in the battlefield too long.”

  Dar smiled wryly. He had wanted to remain quiet, but he felt the need to take the pressure off Chelan. “It is not as it appears, my Lord,” he began. “It was a decision of the heart. Chelan’s ways are not ours. My heart and soul belong to her, but I felt the pressures imposed on her by a triad would be too much. Since I will be away from her the most, I chose honorably to step down from her. She is no less diminished to me, my Lord, and I will defend her fiercely. It is simply that her alien heart belongs to Korba, and I will not challenge that bond.”

  Ticees mulled over Dar’s words. “Fremma has challenged that bond successfully, why not you?”

  Dar remained unmoving, his eyes hard upon Ticees. “My reasons are personal, Sire.”

  Ticees watched Dar closely, his thoughts sobering. There was something about the blonde Warlord he could not pinpoint. There was more to the man’s relationship with the alien than met the eye, and Ticees wondered if her relationship with Korba would indeed go unchallenged. “Then you continue as before, with others and with the Guild?”

  Dar stiffened noticeably, and Chelan’s eyes shot to him. “No, my Lord. I seek solace in no others, and my services pertaining to the Guild will be discussed at a later time.”

  The air left Chelan’s lungs all at once, but she dared not move. Then her attention was snapped back to Ticees as he stepped up to her.

  He reached for her chin and raised her head, his eyes studying the moistness that threatened hers. “So, you bewitch one of my finest Warlords in addition to my exalted Overlord and his main man. You must indeed be special.” He hesitated, watching her closely. “I would therefore wish to seek out more about your hidden passions and desires, exploring all of that which you possess that renders my men so weak.”

  Chelan stepped back from him, the revelation of Dar’s words causing further turbulence within her. “That is not my way,” she uttered firmly. “My interactions with these men are my personal affair, and no one else’s … my relationships with them were forged over an Iceanean year. You have already overstepped my bounds of personal and formal protocol. I seek the flesh of no others, and my intimate dealings with Korba, Dar, and Fremma are exactly that, my intimate dealings. With all due respect, my Lord, I do not wish to discuss them with you or anyone else.”

  Ticees did not move, and neither did Chelan as she steadfastly confronted him. Dar looked to the floor and smiled to himself, while Korba was more than pleasantly surprised by her self-assurance, not to mention the guts it took to stand up to Ticees. At first he was not sure if the Emperor would tolerate being shot at by the little alien, but he could tell by the look on Ticees’ face that he was impressed by the Chelan’s show of fortitude.

  Korba continued to analyze the two in their standoff, thinking carefully through the whole interaction. He was not angry at Ticees for his line of questioning, for he knew that the Emperor meant no malice. Ticees had picked up immediately on her shyness and timidity, and he was deliberately baiting her, studying her reactions, and possibly judging her suitability as a mate for his Prime Warlord. Korba knew that the Emperor was not attacking her directly and that he was not actually concerned about her relations with Dar and Fremma, although Chelan would not see it that way.

  Finally Ticees stepped back from Chelan and smiled warmly at her. “You are right, my Lady. Your personal life is none of my affair, and I apologize to you. I know Korba well, and I know that he makes no decision lightly. By simply announcing you as his mate, that makes you special and worthy of his attention and protection. I therefore respect you as I do him, and I also respect your relationships with Dar and Fremma, whatever they may be. You are accepted into my realm unconditionally, and my guards will be briefed on your status and your importance. Korba and Dar both have ample suites here within the Palace, and you are free to choose where you sleep. I will also see to it that Fremma is moved close by.”

  Ticees then smiled broadly. “I know Korba’s heart, and his choice of you after all these long years indicates your importance to him. Because of that, I know that in his absences he will prefer that you be in the care of Fremma. That is freely granted.”

  Ticees hesitated again and then nodded to her. “In the meantime, I also want you to know that I am at your disposal and that you are free to wander the Palace and the grounds at your leisure. You have nothing to fear here, my Lady, from me or my men.”

  Chelan was aghast at the abrupt change both in his demeanor and his behavior, and her heart thawed. She looked into his warm eyes and then curtsied deeply to him. “Thank you, my Lord,” she whispered with genuine relief, her head bowed.

  Ticees was stuck suddenly and forcefully by the glowing aura of feminine sensuality that surrounded her and the vulnerability that she unwittingly displayed by bowing down before him. His heart skipped several beats at the exotic essence that permeated her, an essence that was uniquely hers, an essence that clouded his senses. He swallowed hard, surprised by the obscure thoughts and nebulous feelings that fleetingly traversed his mind. Then he reached for her hand, drawing her up before him, and he nodded to her.

  He stepped back, attempting to collect himself and temporarily entranced by her radiant beauty. He turned slowly to Korba. “I think it is best that I leave the three of you to get settled. I’ll make arrangements for Fremma’s relocation and then will brief my men about Chelan. I will present her to my main officers tonight after dinner if that is not a problem, and from there she will be in their constant care.”

  Korba smiled and finally spoke. “Thank you, Sire. I appreciate your concern and your hospitality.”

  “It is the least I can do for an old friend,” he answered warmly, then turned to Dar. “I trust that everything is satisfactory for you and your sta
y here?”

  Dar nodded. “Indeed, my Lord, as always.”

  “Good,” beamed Ticees. “Then I will take my leave. You two know your way around, and I look forward to seeing you all tonight.”

  Ticees turned back to Chelan and nodded to her. Chelan smiled at him for the first time, her stunning beauty suddenly alight. Ticees drew a deep breath and faltered, his voice catching in his throat. “My Lady,” he finally acknowledged.

  Chelan did not even have time to respond as the Emperor whirled and left the room. She watched him disappear, and then she immediately switched her attention to the emotional upheaval Dar had cast her into. She turned to the blonde Warlord, but he instantly pivoted away from her.

  “I, too, will go and get settled,” he announced to no one specific. He grabbed his shroud from the chair where he had placed it and nodded to Korba. “I will see you both at dinner.”

  Chelan started for him, but Dar quickly left through a side set of doors. Korba stepped in front of her and gathered her into his arms, halting her futile efforts to talk to the pained man, an act that would only bring further distress upon herself.

  Chelan looked up at Korba. “He said …” she stuttered, “He said, back on RIBUS 7 …”

  “Shhh,” soothed Korba. “I know what he said, Chelan, I know.”

  “I want to go to him.”

  Korba shook his head, for the first time denying her access to one of his men. “Chelan, he acted out of his love for you and out of respect for our relationship. Now is not the time to speak to him.”

  “Please, I need to see him.”

  Korba held her tightly. “Chelan, I do not forbid your relationship with him, but your interactions with him will only bring him more pain. Please let it be, Chelan, for Dar’s sake.”

  Chelan finally sagged into him, clinging to him tightly, all the day’s events conspiring at once to sap her of her strength. Korba held her against him, gently stroking her hair, calming her. “I want to go to our chambers,” she uttered.

  Korba drew her back and smiled down at her. “So do I,” he whispered. “Come on, they’re this way. We are all joined to Ticees’ chambers by corridors.”

  Chelan hugged herself as Korba picked up his shroud and her cloak. Then, he took her by the hand and ushered her to his room.

  Chelan stepped inside, and her heart stopped. “Oh,” was all that she could manage as her eyes panned the huge room. It was every bit as palatial as Ticees’, but the first thing she marveled at was the difference between this room and the starkness of Korba’s quarters on board RIBUS 7. Here, vast tapestries hung on the vivid walls, and an intricately woven plush carpet spanned the entire area. The high, vaulted ceiling was decorated with carvings of the cosmos, all richly painted and inlaid with precious metals.

  Chelan was still standing in stunned silence as Korba put away his shroud and his weapons. Then he returned to her side, smiling at her wide-eyed wonderment.

  Her gaze travelled over the furniture that adorned the room in perfect compliment. The lounges and the chairs were all covered in rich fabrics, while the tables appeared to be of finely hand-crafted woods, and if Chelan had to guess with her Earthly knowledge, her assumption would have been rosewood. Her eyes then fell on the massive bed at the far wall, its apparent softness comforting and beckoning to her.

  Chelan glanced at Korba and then looked around again. The whole room was about 1,600 square meters, and it emanated coolness in tones of light blue and sea green with accents of deep cerulean, indigo, and dark viridian; the whole effect was that of immersion in a sea of serenity.

  Chelan’s vision panned to large sets of ornate doors to the right and to the left, both embellished in tones of pewter and gold. Curiosity effervesced through her veins as she chose to approach the ones on her right first. They parted soundlessly to her advance, and she stepped into the brightly lit room. There she beheld what she could only describe as an elegant Roman bath, the turquoise waters of the pool weaving in and out of white columns connected by beautiful graceful arches. The area appeared to be walled and floored in white marble, the stone infused with thin veins of gold and silver, yet she knew it was not as it appeared, for the panels shimmered with an iridescence as though they were alive. Chelan then spied two large swirl pools, a huge tub, and a shower to her left along a wall completely covered in the three-dimensional mirrors that she loved so much.

  Korba stood at the entrance to the bath, watching his precious mate as she explored her new nest. Sucking in a deep breath and taking one last look around, she flitted past him and headed for the second set of doors. There she encountered what appeared to be a scaled-down version of the Command Center on board RIBUS 7, and suddenly a huge portion of her tension abated.

  Chelan returned to the main room, her big bright eyes finally meeting Korba’s. “It’s beautiful, it’s magnificent, it’s palatial,” she breathed, clutching at her chest. “Who decorated it?”

  Korba chuckled. “I did, and what is mine is now yours.”

  “Where did you get all this?”

  “I travel the galaxy, and despite my job and my reputation, I don’t destroy everything I touch. When I find something of rare and exotic beauty, I bring it back with me.” He looked at her playfully. “Why do you think you are here?”

  Chelan smiled and then walked up to him, a multitude of new questions popping into her head. “Are you paid for what you do?”

  Korba shook his head. “No, not directly. I was bred for my career, and I know nothing else. My payment comes in the form of gratification each time I succeed, for my success strengthens the Empire. The Empire, in turn, repays me by giving me what I need and what I desire. But what I desire the most is to serve the Empire, so my rewards are the battles I fight and win.”

  Chelan looked at him closely. “Have you ever lost?”

  The corner of Korba’s lip quirked. “Not yet, my Lady. But I suppose my time will come.”

  Chelan almost winced at her next question. “How many battles have you fought?”

  “More than I could ever count. More than your world has ever seen.”

  Chelan had to keep her mouth from gaping; this revelation staggered her. She rubbed her hands together and looked once again at the surrounding beauty while she pondered just how she fit into his world. She was well aware of his role within the Empire and how important war was to him. He lived for the exhilaration of the kill, and snuffing out life came just as easily to him as did his lovemaking. He was proficient and experienced at both, his expertise beyond question. His true home was RIBUS 7, his true passion the battlefields of the galaxy. But up until this moment she had never had any genuine perspective about the scope of his career. And with his astounding admission, a total picture of his world emerged.

  More than your world has ever seen. The unfathomable words marched through her thoughts once again. Though she had never spoken with any of the men about their true ages, Chelan now came to an inescapable conclusion. All these men had been immersed in the blood of the galaxy for decades, possibly centuries, and her time with them so far was but a momentary blip.

  Chelan walked over to a large lounge and ran her fingers over the velvety fabric as his words penetrated her soul. She wondered if with time he would tire of her, returning to her only once in a while out of obligation and curiosity. Maybe she would be just like the furnishings and the tapestries, part of a collection that he returned to every few years to admire right before leaving again. Suddenly, the cool air prickled her skin, and she turned to him. She looked deeply into his azure eyes. “If I asked for anything, would it be granted?”

  Korba stiffened, alerted to trouble by the tone in her voice. “If it were possible,” he answered cautiously.

  Chelan hesitated. “Then, someday, if all is still well between us, could you take me back to Earth to see my world once again?”

  Korba was shaken by her request. He knew full well it was possible, but he was unsure of her motives and just what had brought about
the precipitation of her request. He felt a pit form in his stomach as he thought of his love for her and how he would do anything within his power for her. Then he wondered about her choice of words, stipulating that, would he take her ‘if all was well between them,’ and fear lanced through him. Was she was slipping away from him already, the strain of the trip and her rude introduction to his world too much for her?

  Korba was once again wracked with unfamiliar and gut-wrenching uncertainty. He turned from her, running his fingers through his long hair, his heart suddenly heavy. He looked up toward the ceiling and then closed his eyes, thinking carefully about his words.

  Chelan was taken aback by his intense reaction, and she moved up to him, touching his back gently. He flinched under her contact and hung his head as he took a deep breath.

  “I could not stay there with you, Chelan.” He paused. “If it is your wish that you leave me for your world, it will be granted.”

  Chelan suddenly choked, realizing he had completely misread her intentions. She stepped in front of him and hugged him fiercely. “Oh god, no,” she whispered hurriedly. “It would only be a trip of reminiscence.” She looked up at him, her eyes frantically searching his. “I would never leave you, Korba, not for my world or any other. Your people are my people now, and I belong with you. Even though you have just granted me the opportunity to return home to my family and my friends, I refuse. Only death would tear me from you. I just asked because I thought that maybe …” She licked her dry lips and began again. “We are so different, and I just pray, my Lord, that over the years you do not grow weary of me.”

  Korba grabbed her to him, clutching her as tightly as he dared. He inhaled her sweet feminine scent and calmed his throbbing heart. “Oh, Chelan, never leave me,” he pleaded.

  Chelan’s heart twisted at the intensity of his plea, his vulnerability to her just plainly expressed. She reached up and kissed his lips softly. “I will never leave you. Oh god, never ever. I love you too much. You are my everything.” She kissed him again, knotting her hands in his thick mane and holding his face to hers. “After all, we still have to have a family, and I can’t bear your children if I’m not with you.”