Urden, God of Desire

by Anastasia Rabiyah

  Phil raised his other hand and landed a harsh slap across Razi’s cheek. His skin burned and the indignation made his anger well. He jerked backward, setting the larger man off balance.

  “I like it when they fight,” his aggressor muttered to the attendant. “You know I like it.” He raised his hand and curled his fingers into a fist. “You need a lesson, pretty one.”

  Razi tried to duck away from the punch, but it caught him in the temple, sending prickles of light across his vision. For an instant, he saw Sima’s face and wondered if he’d ever see her again.

  “He’s tagged,” the attendant said. “Bet he’s one of them damn Corp wards looking for a little fun of his own.”

  Phil chuckled. “Yeah. I’ll give him some fun…”

  Razi dug his fingers in his pocket and found the gun. He’d never shot one before, never wanted to hurt anyone. He gripped the cold handle and pulled the weapon free, aiming it straight at Phil’s face.

  “Oh shit!” the attendant shouted.

  He squeezed the trigger. The sound was muffled, but the splash of blood was not. Razi staggered backward, horrified. Phil’s hands flailed toward his ruined face. His jaw dropped, gore draining over his teeth and he fell in a twitching heap on the grungy floor. The attendant stood and scrambled through the mess on his desk looking for something.

  Razi took a step forward, an eerie image of his old wardmaster creeping into his mind. He’d seen Aileen’s murder.

  He raised the weapon and aimed, thinking he was no better than the policeman who had killed Aileen.

  He closed his eyes and fired.

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Red-Haired Steward

  O’Ka pounded her fist on the table before her, drawing Enrue’s attention. Even though she spoke to him through the com, he felt her anger. He’d drifted off again, thinking about Melia and her lips. He imagined all sorts of things he ought to have said to her on the com, but he hadn’t the courage. Two days had passed. He doubted she’d left Taraf, but the slim chance she might have escaped angered him.

  “Do you remember what I was saying last time we spoke?” O’Ka turned her face to one side, eyeing him like a piece of meat. “About speaking to you on a personal level?”

  “Yes, yes.” Enrue swallowed hard and waited for what he knew she would propose.

  “As you know, my late husband has been gone for some time now. And as you have no mate…”

  Nema’s com interrupted the conversation. The Shiemir breathed a sigh of relief. “Excuse me, O’Ka. Perhaps we can discuss this when you arrive this evening. My secretary is calling.”

  Her eyes narrowed for an instant. “Yes, Shiemir. Tonight.”

  He clicked over to the other screen, revealing Nema. “What is it?”

  “We’ve a steward in custody. He went to the police with a missing persons report…a woman with gold eyes. Sounds like your Cossia.” Nema looked bored over the news.

  “I want to speak to him.”

  She shrugged. “As you wish. I’ll have the guards bring him to the cell block so long as you promise not to carry him to your—”

  “Very funny.” He hissed through his teeth. “Just tell me when he’s here. And prepare a room for O’Ka, preferably as far from mine as possible. She has a hostage, a young girl. Keep the child in a cell, but make it…bearable.”

  “Your will is mine, my Shiemir.”

  After that, Enrue delved into his work, trying to forget, to focus on what should be the most important things—the war—the Empire—not the assassin. She should not stir his emotions so much. He flicked open her data sharer and traced the edge of the device. “Com me, damn you. I can’t stand this.”

  He keyed in another ten pass codes to no avail. The sharer was hack proof. Snapping it shut, he returned to his work, anxious to meet with this steward they’d caught.

  * * * *

  The young man wore plain beige pants and nothing else. Apparently, the guards had thoroughly searched him. He huddled in the corner of the cell, his wrists shackled, but the chain loose. When Enrue entered, the prisoner lifted his face to see who had come. His green eyes widened and his pale face flushed with awe.

  “Shiemir Alonwei! Please, I did nothing wrong. I don’t understand what’s happening. My job—I have to get back. I’m innocent, I swear.”

  Enrue read over the datacard of interrogation on the steward. “Collin, is it?” He strode forth to stand just a step away.

  “Yes. I work as a steward on the shuttle flights.”

  “And this woman you met?”

  “Darla, yes, she and I stayed at the Orlitz together. We went on a few dates, sightseeing mostly and then she just…” He cleared his throat. “She said she’d be right back, but when I woke up later, she wasn’t. I don’t know her real well, but I—”

  “You liked her? Were you fond of her?” Enrue narrowed his eyes. He took in the young man’s body, so much more muscular and attractive than his own. Jealousy bubbled in his throat.

  “Please, I just want to know if she’s okay, that’s all. I called in sick and waited for her to come back, but when she didn’t—she left all her stuff behind, so I figured someone, maybe something bad happened.”

  The Shiemir made a mental note to go through her belongings afterward. He wanted clues to her whereabouts, but more than anything, he hoped her perfume lingered on her clothes. He swallowed his voice for a moment, his mind turning.

  “Is she…?”

  “She’s fine. We’ve heard from her, but she’s scared and hiding out until she knows it’s safe.”

  Collin frowned. “Thank the Holy Mother. I thought maybe she was dead.”

  The Shiemer shook his head. “No.”

  “Well, why’re you keeping me like this? I mean, if she’s not dead, I—I don’t understand.”

  “Did you sleep with her?” Enrue blurted.

  Collin turned a deep shade of red. “That’s none of your business.” He sat up straighter, wary now, and not so wont to give out any more information. “Look, I want a lawyer, and I want to make a call to my employer. You can’t hold me here like this. I’m a citizen of the Empire. I have rights.”

  “The Empire?” Enrue turned his back on the steward. “You’re not in the Empire anymore, Collin.” He walked away and exited the cell. “Nema,” he called on his sharer. “I want the Cossia’s belongings sent to my room.”

  “You’re playing with fire,” she muttered.

  “What’s that?” He paused in the hall, staring at her serious face on the flickering screen.

  “Fire. You’ll get burned. I think you need to let her go, my Shiemir. If the Cossia is just a Cossia, she has nothing of value to add to your cause. Is there something more I should know about her?”

  “Send her things to my room. Question me again and I’ll have you fired.”

  Nema smirked. “Your will is mine, my Shiemer.

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Trust

  Melia rang the com for her data sharer. Thrumming her fingers on the net café’s table, she waited, impatient to see Enrue once more. She had to speak to him, had to face her emotions. One more day and Daschia would get her out. One more day and Enrue would surely be dead. One more day and all these strange, tumultuous thoughts plaguing her would come to an end. She wasn’t sure she wanted it all to stop.

  Enrue answered, looking worn and wearing an open shirt. She stared at his chest. Though she’d not slept in days, her body awoke to the idea of touching him once more. He pressed his lips tightly together.

  “I need to see you,” she blurted. “Now.”

  He said nothing as he reached over and grasped an object. Holding the small canvas before the screen, he shook his head. “I have some of your paintings.”

  Melia snorted out a tired laugh. “Do you like them? They’re all of you.”

  “Yes. You’ve captured my eyes quite well.” He set the unfinished portrait aside. “I have something else that might belong to you.”

&
nbsp; “Do you? What could it be? My panties?”

  “I have those, too. This is bigger.” He didn’t seem amused at all, his face stark.

  “Tell me what it is. I don’t remember leaving anything else of value in that motel room.” She sipped at her drink, a bitter Kafe’ Kaka and swallowed down the thick slurry of caffeine and chocolate. It kept her awake and alert, if not a little jittery.

  “His name is Collin.”

  Melia shrugged. “Oh, that.”

  “Do you want him back?” He glared into the screen.

  “No. You can keep him. He’s too nice for my tastes. I like my men cold, cruel and tyrannical.” She set her glass aside, reached forward and touched the screen, imagining she could feel his face beneath her fingers. “I need to see you, Enrue. I need to touch you, taste you.”

  He visibly eased, his lips quirking into a devious smile. “Is it time for me to die?”

  She ignored his question. “Will you meet with me? Can you?”

  He sat back in his chair, rubbing his temples with both hands. His eyes slipped shut, and he sighed out a long breath. “Come to the palace. No one will hurt you. No one will lock you in a cell and question you. I swear it.” He sat still for a time, a troubled, statuesque vision. Then he opened his eyes and leaned so close his face filled the screen. “Come here to me, Melia, if what happened between us was more than just part of your job.”

  “I—I need you to meet with me, but not at the palace. You have too much power there.”

  He fingered his chin, his eyes shifting to take in her state. “You look as tired as I feel.” Worry lines crinkled his forehead. A lock of his hair fell across his eyes, and he swiped it away. “Where?”

  Her heart pounded double time in her chest. She held back a smile. “Forty-third and Masin. There’s an abandoned shop. Come round to the back door.”

  “If you’re going to kill me there, can we have sex first?” He shot her a mischievous half-grin and chuckled.

  She shook her head, grinning back. “I’m not going to kill you tonight, Enrue. I promise.”

  He nodded. “I can be there in an hour. I’ll arrive alone, no tags, no watchers, no guards. I’m tired, Melia. I can’t stop thinking about you.”

  “I know,” she whispered and signed out of the program. “No one ever can.” She left a tip for the waiter and stood to leave. Outside on the Tarafian streets, the rain drizzled in gray waves. It was early evening and the stars were invisible behind the clouds high above. Melia’s fingers shook from the caffeine, but she knew her anxiety was over Enrue. If he showed all alone, it meant something, something big, something she shouldn’t let go of.

  It took her a half hour to arrive at the old store. Slipping past the back door, she hurried through the darkness to the employee bathroom and rinsed her face. She’d bathed earlier that day and braided her hair. Otherwise, her clothes were ugly, a simple maid issue uniform stolen from the local laundromat. Anxious, she arranged the several layers of purloined blankets in an empty locker room and wished she’d let herself sleep. This whole meeting was madness.

  The next hour she stood in the doorway overlooking the rear entry, her heart hammering in her ears. He’d ratted her out to that bastard Jorin in the cell. Yet, he’d carried her to his room and they’d…made love. She tried to convince herself that it wasn’t love. The emotion was so foreign to her, something they’d sliced from her mind in training and burned, like so many other parts of who she was.

  Footsteps sounded in the alley outside. The rear door’s lever handle turned. Dim neon light from the restaurant next door spilled in a flashing red line across the dusty floor. The silhouette of a man crept in, shutting the door behind him. He stood there, silent, waiting. She stared to be sure.

  “Melia?” he whispered.

  She held her breath.

  He took a tentative step and glanced around. It was Enrue. No other man would look so solid in this situation. “It’s not a romantic spot,” he said, a hint of mischief in his voice.

  She slunk along the wall in the darkness, agile and silent as a stalking cat. “Are you alone?” she asked when she was only a few paces from him, unseen.

  His head turned toward her voice. “I thought I was, but you’re here now.” He held his hand out, a beacon in the darkness of her solitude, a plea for companionship.

  Melia stepped to him and clasped her smaller fingers in his. “I didn’t think you’d show.”

  He took up her other hand and forced her backward, pressing her against the wall, her hands pinned above her head, his chest and pelvis crushing into her body. He breathed in and out with deep gusts, his warm lips a hair’s breadth from hers. Without a word, he devoured her mouth, and her body screamed for the release he offered. They kissed hard until tears streamed down her cheeks.

  When she sniffled, he pulled back, concern lacing his deep voice. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No.” Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper. “Don’t stop.”

  “All right.” He pushed her cheek aside with his face and kissed her neck, sucking in her skin so long she knew more marks would blaze there for days. He kissed and tasted her as if he was a man starved. He thrust his bulging crotch against her, expressing his desire. Melia arched her back, inviting him to do more, to do anything he wanted. She longed to surrender to him, for she had not done so with any man since Daschia. She shivered at the memory, pausing Enrue again.

  “What’s the matter?” He faced her, the tip of his nose touching hers. “You’re trembling. Are you afraid?”

  She forced a smile. “Too much caffeine.”

  He nipped at her mouth. “Damn. I thought it was me.”

  She kissed him back, groaning for more. “It’s you, too. Very much you.” Heat washed through her when he released her wrists to tear at her clothing. She wanted to be naked before him, and she struggled with the fanciful buttons on his shirt, breaking some off entirely.

  “Come home with me,” he pleaded over and over. He slid her shirt away. It fell to her feet. He moved on to her pants, easing them over her hips and leaving a path of small, wet kisses on her tingling skin. “Say you will.”

  She shook her head though he couldn’t see. He stood and grasped her hand. Guiding it to his crotch, he pressed his lips against her ear. “I want to trust you. Tell me I can trust you.”

  “No.” She breathed him in and memorized the taste of him as she kissed his cheek. “You can’t trust me. Don’t ever trust me.”

  He groaned. His hand guided hers up and down his clothed erection. “I need someone I can trust. So badly, Melia. I hoped it would be you.” He sucked her earlobe between his lips and grated his teeth along the tender skin.

  She squeezed him gently, feeling the length of him beneath his loose pants. “I have…blankets in the back room.”

  He dipped his fingers into the sides of her panties and pushed them over her hips. “I have a whole bed…in the palace.” His voice whispered against her ear, ticklish and luring. “A whole room where we can do this all night and into the next morning if you like.”

  “Mm.” She shimmied from his grip. Her panties fell the rest of the way down, landing atop her feet. She stepped out of them. Grasping his hand, she tugged him in the direction of the locker room. Every inch of her skin tingled. She went wet when they paused in the doorway and he ran his palm over her ass.

  Out in the night, a hover jet fired up, humming in the streets. Melia froze. “I thought you said you were alone.”

  Enrue snaked his arm around her waist. “Don’t you trust me?” He hugged her to him, his eyes weighing her faith in the darkness. “We can’t go much further unless we build on what we have. I’ve come here, alone. I’m following you into the darkness though you’ve been hired to kill me.” His hand rested on the small of her back, hot, soothing.

  She shivered from the cool, stale air. Melia nodded. “All right. You can trust me this night, but not afterward, understand? After tomorrow, I go back. You’ll be someone else’s
mark. And if you see me, stay away.”

  “I think you can trust me after tonight.” He scooped her up in his arms and strode into the black room, unable to see, but carrying her nonetheless. He paused, shuffling his feet on the floor. “I found your blankets.” He lowered her and sat beside Melia, gathering her against him.

  She held her words, savoring this moment, for it was fleeting. She ran her cheek against his, slow and soft. Then down his chest and abdomen. He curled his fingers into her hair, stroking the sides of her face with his thick thumbs. She drew her hands to his waist, untied his sash belt and tossed it away. Deft in her endeavor, she pried down his pants, his underpants, and nuzzled the patch of hair above his cock.

  “What are you doing to me?” he muttered.

  She traced his inner thigh with her tongue, drawing circles on his skin. His erection touched her face, bobbed once and she sat up. “Lie down. I want to taste you.”

  He obeyed and she spread his legs and positioned herself between them, lowering her lips to his cock. She reached for his balls and held them in her palm. “You do trust me,” she whispered, a small laugh in her voice.

  He only moaned.

  “Have you dreamed of me doing this?” Without waiting for his answer, she slid his bulging head into her mouth, drawing her tongue in circles over its shape. He flinched. As she worked her mouth in timed pulls, he eased and moaned in pleasure. Cupping his balls, she began to roll them in her hand, tugging when she sucked him in further, releasing when she pulled back.

  His whispers of passion urged her to go faster, to draw his length deeper. Melia pleasured him until his body tensed. She released his hardness, gripped it with two hands and clutched his length as he ejaculated. He gasped for air until the orgasm ended.

  Enrue sat up, slipped his hands over her upper arms and dragged her across his body. She lay beside him, curled into his heat while he stroked his fingers through her hair. “Do you want me to do the same for you?” he asked.