“They will expect me to be in chains,” Allik finished for him.
“Yes, sir.” It was Connar who spoke this time. “I am sorry, but the humans require it.”
“Very well,” Allik acquiesced. He was not going to put up a fight over something so minor. It was humiliating to be shackled, of course, but he needed to keep hold of his temper and respond to the charge in a reasoned manner.
He stood perfectly still as manacles were placed around his wrists and ankles. They were of an archaic variety with actual metal chains linking them and he imagined they were being used to satisfy the High Council’s need for theatre. A thick metal collar was placed around his neck and he could feel the tiny pulse emanating from it that warned him he would receive a massive shock if he stepped out of line. He had seen what happened to men when these collars were activated and he had no intention of allowing such degradations to happen to him.
“Ready, sir?” Dalen checked.
Allik nodded and began to walk down the corridor, flanked by the two men. They encountered nobody else on their long journey to the courtroom and once they got inside, he discovered there was no audience. Usually a trial of this magnitude attracted onlookers. He wondered if Rossingham had deliberately convened the hearing early so it could be done more privately.
“Everyone was commanded to stay away.” Connar seemed to pick up on the thoughts running through his mind. “As a courtesy to you.”
Allik nodded. It was a privilege to be afforded privacy in these most undignified of circumstances but he feared such considerations would not be extended to him once this hearing was over. He might be innocent but he knew the only way to demonstrate that would be to declare Victoria’s guilt. That was something he could never do. To save her, any price was worth paying. Whatever the consequences might be, he was going to plead guilty to all charges. He would leave here a convicted criminal, disgraced and shunned by his people, but she would be safe. That was all that mattered.
Chapter Nineteen
Victoria smoothed down her skirts and pressed the call button at the door to Taryn’s apartment. She had taken great care over her appearance, wearing the most demure white dress she could find. Her long, dark hair was swept back into a simple ponytail that she’d tied with a white ribbon. She’d even pinched her pale cheeks to create little rosy patches that looked like maidenly blushes. As she stood on the threshold, waiting for him to answer, she felt like a virgin sacrifice waiting to be led to the altar. Hopefully when he looked at her, Taryn would see an innocent in need of his help, rather than the brat she’d been yesterday.
She heard a loud command being uttered on the other side of the door and it slid open. Stepping into the apartment, she found Taryn standing in the center of the room, broad arms folded over his chest. He cut an intimidating figure. As he made no move to greet her, it was clear that he intended to make her come to him. For a fleeting moment, she contemplated dropping to her knees and crawling to him, but she quickly dismissed the idea. There was only one man she was prepared to get down on all fours in front of.
Taking tentative steps across the room, she tried to ignore the prickling of awareness as Taryn stared at her. He was such an imposing figure that she suddenly felt very small. It was not his height that bothered her—Allik was taller, after all—but the force of the disapproval that flowed from him.
“Victoria.” He gave a knowing little smirk. “How is your bottom this morning?”
Her cheeks reddened. She’d been trying not to think about how Allik had carried her out of Taryn’s apartment yesterday. In fact, she’d almost managed to put the entire punishment to the back of her mind as worries for Allik flooded her thoughts.
“It’s fine, sir.” She bowed her head in a contrived show of submission.
“You were punished for your insolence?” he checked.
“Yes, sir, I was.”
“And you learned your lesson?”
“Yes, sir,” she said meekly, looking up at him from beneath her long lashes. “I did.”
“Oh, cut the bullshit, woman.” Taryn laughed. “This innocent act doesn’t suit you. I assume you’ve come to see my pet?”
Victoria’s jaw stiffened but she didn’t let her annoyance at his reference to Lucy as his pet distract her. If she wanted to maintain a relationship with her friend, she had to get over it. Besides, she had more important things to focus on right now.
“Well, yes, I do want to apologize to her,” Victoria said, just as Lucy came into the room. Thankfully, today, her friend was wearing a pretty pink floral dress rather than one of the dozens of cat outfits she had in her closet. Victoria didn’t need the distraction. The other woman flashed her a shy smile and Victoria knew that they would be able to get past yesterday’s harsh words. She returned Lucy’s smile and then focused her attention back on Taryn. “But I also need your help.”
“Oh?” Taryn looked over her shoulder. “Where’s Allik?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m here,” she said. “Some men came and took him.”
“What men?”
“Soldiers, I think. They wore grey uniforms.”
“Grey? You’re sure?” Taryn asked.
Victoria rolled her eyes. She knew the color grey when she saw it, for heaven’s sake. “Yes, I’m sure. Allik said they were taking him to see Commander Rossingham.”
“That would make sense. Grey is the uniform of the military police.”
“Police?” Victoria said, thinking of the brutal secret police who did the High Council’s dirty work. “No wonder he seemed so worried. He spoke as if he didn’t expect to return.”
Taryn frowned. “What exactly did he say to you?”
“That he had to go and see Commander Rossingham and that I was to stay put and behave myself.” Victoria winced at the disapproving look Taryn gave her since she’d clearly disobeyed. “He told me it might be some time before he could contact me and to never forget that he loves me.”
An involuntary sob escaped her as she recalled the look on Allik’s face as he left her. He’d seemed so forlorn. Suddenly, Lucy rushed across the room and put an arm around her shoulder.
“It will be alright,” her friend assured her.
Victoria smiled weakly and looked up at Taryn, who was making a careful study of her.
“Do you think he’s been sent on some mission?” Victoria asked.
Taryn shook his head. “The command would usually come through me. If the military police are involved, it is something else.”
“But what?” Victoria felt a knot form in her stomach as she saw the puzzled look on Taryn’s face and realized he was starting to grow concerned also. “Can you find out for me? Please?”
“You really care for him,” he said as though it was somehow incredible to him that she should.
Victoria nodded.
“Very well, I will make some calls. Wait here with Lucy.”
As soon as he left the room, Victoria turned to Lucy. “That was easier than I thought it would be.”
“You imagined he would make you jump through hoops?” Lucy asked. She steered Victoria toward a seat and then sat down alongside her.
“No, not really,” Victoria said. “But after yesterday he’d be entitled to give me a hard time.”
“Not when you need his help. He’s too good a man to do that.”
Victoria nodded. She supposed if Lucy had faith in Taryn, and she obviously did, then he must be a decent man. She reached out and took hold of her friend’s hand. For several long minutes, they sat in silence as Victoria tried to work out what to say.
“I am sorry about the way I spoke to you yesterday,” Victoria said.
“It’s okay. I imagine it was a shock for you to see me like that.”
Victoria shrugged her shoulders. “I was worried about you, that’s all. I didn’t think you’d be happy as a pet. You never seemed interested in anything like that.”
“And you told me all your sexual fantasies?” Lucy aske
d.
Victoria had to admit that she hadn’t. Although she’d been one of the more outspoken members of their women’s group, she’d still held back a great deal.
“No, but if you really want to know, I do enjoy being tied up.” She leaned in close to Lucy and spoke in a confidential tone. “The occasional spanking can be fun and I can’t say I’m totally averse to a butt plug now and then.”
“So, we’re not so different, after all,” Lucy smiled. “But tell me, do you ever want to take a plug and just shove it up Allik’s ass?”
“All the time,” Victoria laughed, mainly because she had never heard her friend speaking so bluntly before. “Especially when he gives me that disapproving look. You know, the one where the lips curl and the eyebrow goes up?”
“Oh, yes, I’ve seen that look,” Lucy grinned. “You know, sometimes I wonder what Taryn would look like crawling around with a tail dangling from his backside.”
“Like a grumpy lion,” Victoria said, making a face to reflect the image she had of him in her mind.
Both women started to giggle and Victoria felt a surge of warmth inside her as she realized that nothing had really changed between them. Suddenly the mirth disappeared as Taryn came back into the room. Victoria could tell by the expression on his face that he had unpleasant news.
She rose to her feet, bracing herself. “What’s happened?”
“Allik has been arrested. He has been charged with murder, kidnap, and theft.”
“What?” Victoria screeched. This was so much worse than she’d imagined. “When? When do they say he did those things?”
“The day he took you,” Taryn said solemnly. “They accuse him of murdering a security guard, stealing a large sum of money from your stepbrother’s offices, and kidnapping you.”
Victoria’s thoughts began to race as realization dawned on her. Perhaps Allik had kidnapped her, but the other crimes were hers. Except that, well, she would swear the security guard had been alive when they left. She knew he’d been hurt quite badly but she’d thought he would live. A wave of nausea gripped her and she sank back down into her seat. Had she actually killed a man? It hardly seemed possible.
Overwhelmed by the horror of it, she began to cry. Lucy pulled her into an embrace and let her sob into her shoulder. Victoria was only vaguely aware of a bleeping noise somewhere in the distance and Taryn leaving the room. After a few minutes, her mind calmed and she knew she had to focus. Taking a deep breath, she sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes.
“I’ve hardly ever seen you cry,” Lucy said, reaching up to brush back a few stray hairs that had come loose from Victoria’s ponytail.
“I try not to make a habit of it.” Victoria got to her feet and began to pace. “What the hell am I going to do?”
“You are going to stay right here,” Taryn said as he came back into the room. “I have received word from Allik. I am to protect you until more permanent arrangements can be made.”
“More permanent arrangements? What are you talking about?”
“Allik has pled guilty to all charges. They are deliberating punishment as we speak.”
Victoria shook her head wildly. “No, no, no, this is not happening.” She marched over to Taryn. As she raised her chin and looked him in the eye, all the panic and fear she’d felt slipped way to be replaced by steely determination. She was not going to sit back and let Allik sacrifice himself for her. “I need to see him. Where are they holding him?”
“At the Citadel,” Taryn said. “But you are going nowhere. I am your protector now and I will not let you leave.”
He looked resolute and the words sounded final, but there was something in Taryn’s eyes that told her she could persuade him, that he wanted her to. He was Allik’s friend, after all.
“I am going to him whether you like it or not,” Victoria said. “I am the one who’s guilty, not him and I will not allow him to throw himself on his sword for me.”
“He is trying to protect you?” The dawning of recognition was apparent on Taryn’s face and Victoria shook her head. Had he actually thought that Allik might be guilty? “He must fear what will happen if the High Council demands your return.”
The truth was Victoria feared that too. She had no idea what would happen to her if she was returned to Earth and placed in the custody of those corrupt old men but she couldn’t allow fear to stop her from acting.
“I am going to him, Taryn. You have to let me go.”
“He will not like it,” Taryn said. “I sent word to let him know you were here and that I would protect you.”
“So, tell him I overpowered you.”
Taryn raised an amused brow and Victoria had to concede it was unlikely she would ever get the jump on him.
“Okay, so tell him… I don’t know… look, Taryn, I have to try and help him. He’s your friend too.”
Victoria was suddenly aware of Lucy coming to stand next to her. The other woman patted her arm in a gesture of reassurance and dropped to her knees. She looked up at Taryn with her baby blue eyes and he smiled affectionately down at her.
“Please help my friend, Master.”
It seemed he could refuse Lucy nothing. He let out a big sigh and looked from one woman to the other.
“Very well,” Taryn said. “But there’s not a great deal of time. If they choose to send him to Earth, he will be taken from the Citadel immediately.”
“I could take his cruiser,” Victoria said. “But I don’t have access to the docking bay.”
Taryn rolled his eyes. “I cannot take you there,” he said and then held up a hand before Victoria could ask him why not. “But I will allow you to take my cruiser.”
“You will?” Victoria was incredulous.
“Allik has boasted of your driving skills,” Taryn said. “Amongst other things.”
Victoria blushed as she thought about what else Allik might have discussed with him.
“Thank you, Taryn,” Victoria said with feeling. “I will never forget this.”
Shrugging off her emotional thanks, Taryn began to walk toward the door. “Well, come on then, woman, let me show you to the vehicle.”
Giving Lucy a quick hug goodbye, Victoria ran to catch up with Taryn. She was smiling as she followed him from the room but in her stomach that knot of dread was beginning to twist once more. She might be able to save Allik but in doing so she would damn herself. It was a sobering thought.
Chapter Twenty
Allik sat on the low bench in his cell and rested back against the wall. There was a strange kind of peace in knowing his admission of guilt had been accepted and that punishment would fall on him alone. He was sorry, of course, for having let Commander Rossingham down. Andrew had clearly been disappointed when he confessed to the crimes but there had been no other option. To state his innocence would have meant a trial and Victoria would have been asked to speak. He hadn’t wanted to put her through that. She would have had to lie about what happened and he knew she possessed too much integrity to want to twist the truth.
Now, as he waited for the court to decide what his fate should be, he thought about Victoria and the life they might have had together. He’d come so close to achieving all he’d ever wanted when he took her as his mate. All along, he’d known that he didn’t really deserve a woman as strong, as beautiful as she was, but he could content himself with having had her for a short time. She’d said that she loved him and he believed her. That thought would sustain him through whatever lay ahead.
He looked up as the door slid open and Dalen stepped into the room.
“On your feet.” His tone had changed since Allik admitted to killing a human. Murder was rare amongst the Taar-Breckians and few would forgive such an act if it was perpetrated against an equal. The fact that the victim was from a weaker race only made it worse. “There’s a lady here to see you.”
As he stood and shuffled forward, his movement impeded by the chains he still wore, Allik shook his head. He’d had word that Tary
n had agreed to take Victoria under his protection. Surely, he would not have brought her to this grim place to see him? He would send her away immediately.
As the woman entered the room, Allik was surprised to see that it was not his mate, but another human female. She was not as tall as Victoria. Her hair was a similar color but much shorter. Allik had only seen her in the flesh a couple of times and from a distance, but he recognized her immediately. Awkwardly dropping to one knee, he bowed his head as Caroline Rossingham walked toward him.
“Your highness,” he said reverently.
“Please get up, Allik.” With a melodious voice, she addressed him as a friend. “Neither Andrew nor I can stand bowing and scraping.” She turned and looked at Dalen. “We’d like some privacy.”
“I don’t know, your highness,” the other man said as Allik struggled to his feet and the disparity between his size and Caroline’s became glaringly obvious. “I don’t think the commander would want me to leave you alone with this monster.”
Allik’s jaw twitched at the implication that he would hurt such a delicate creature. He was amazed by how quickly opinion turned against him once people saw him as a cold-blooded killer. He was about to tell the other man exactly what he thought of him, but Caroline spoke first.
“He knows I’m here,” she said, the sweetness in her voice tinged with something edgier. “If you don’t trust his judgement, perhaps you’d like to take it up with him.”
Allik raised an eyebrow as Dalen scurried out of the room and closed the door behind him.
“He doesn’t know I’m here,” Caroline said to him with a mischievous grin as soon as the other man was gone. “I imagine he’ll reach for the paddle as soon as he finds out.”
Allik didn’t like the thought of this beautiful waif-like woman being punished on his account. He watched as Caroline stepped around him and took a seat on the bench. She shifted from side to side as though she found it a little hard on the bottom, which, he supposed, it was. Prison cells were not built for comfort.
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