by Jessica Snow
“I mean, I have my sister in my room crying,” Jensen says, and my fingers falter slightly as I set up the bar for my next exercise. “She was down all through breakfast, and when I asked her what was going on, she starts crying. Now, she's still not telling me what the hell's going on, but I'm not a fucking idiot, Tauren. She mentioned you at breakfast, you're obviously avoiding her, and then she goes to find you. I find her later crying, and you're in here lifting. By the way, your bar is unbalanced, you got three plates on one side and two on the other.”
I look, fix the bar, squaring it up. Picking the bar up off the pegs, I start pulling it from my knees to my stomach, lowering it back down ten times before I put the bar back and turn around, seeing that Jensen's still watching me, his eyes concerned, and a little angry. “Audra and I.... I wasn't trying to hurt her. I had some things on my mind this morning, and I came off as blunt with her. I apologize. Listen, it's something that I'd like to discuss between just her and I. No offense, okay? How about this: after my workout is finished, I was planning to get on the communications system with Mogar, find out more about what's going on in the Noble Council. I've got some ideas to try to push the hardliners towards the table, but I need to know more before I bring the ideas to you. After that though, I'd like to talk with Audra. Just the two of us, if she's willing.”
Jensen considers my request for a moment, then nods. “You two can have lunch in the office, I'll make sure there's a couple of ration packs dropped off for you. I've got training with the new recruits this afternoon, I'd like your assistance with that. I think one of the biggest ways to blunt Mathias' influence is to have you front and center from the beginning with the recruits. Those who see that the Crown Prince is helping us, that you're a normal person, well, as normal as you can be, they won't buy into Mathias' bullshit as easily.”
“Even those who have had owners like Neyilla?” I ask quietly, and Jensen shrugs.
“Not much else I can do. The spies have been picked out, two have already made the changeover, along with how they're going to communicate with me. In the meantime, I need to use more straightforward methods as well. Unless you've got some super-secret royal house technique that I don't know about.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “Nope, sounds about like what I'd do, if our positions were reversed. Jensen, I really am sorry if I got you involved in this. I didn't mean to upset Audra, and I didn't mean to upset you.”
Jensen nods, then looks at his watch on his wrist. “Okay. Well, enjoy the rest of your workout, I'll see you after lunch.”
The knock at the door is soft, and when Audra opens it and comes in, I can see that she's both hurt and afraid. “Tauren?”
I hold back until she's closed the door, then cross the small space to take her in my arms again. She resists at first, then melts into my embrace, hugging me back. “My Audra, my dear, beautiful Audra,” I mumble into her hair, stroking her back. “Oh Audra, I'm sorry.”
“Why?” Audra asks, and in her question I know exactly what she's talking about. “Why did you avoid me?”
I let go of her, and look down into her beautiful eyes. “Let's eat, and we can talk about things. Just before we do, know that I'm sorry I hurt you. That was never my intention.”
“I'm not that hungry, but you go ahead,” Audra says, not letting go of my hand as I lead her over to the desk and have her sit down in one of the two chairs that I've arranged side by side. There isn't a lot of leg room with the way the desk is arranged, but that's fine for me. “Jensen said you were exercising, you might need the calories.”
“Actually, I think your brother's sense of humor and chastisement is evident here,” I tell her, showing her the packets. They have our names written on them, and I see Audra smile when she sees my name written in black on the number eleven packet. “He's a good brother.”
“I didn't tell him about what happened between us,” Audra suddenly says. “I... Tauren, what we did....”
“I'm sorry. I took advantage of you when you were hurt. I wanted to, I want you even now, but....”
It's my turn to have my words cut off when Audra leans in and kisses me, her lips just as soft, just as wonderful as last night. My hand comes up to cup her face, and our tongues trace over each other, parting when we both need to breathe. I blink and when I do, I see the Audra that I've become familiar with, smart and strong and sexy half smiling at me. “Okay, that settles that question.”
“Which was?” I ask, slightly stunned but happy to see her back.
“If I was a pity fuck or not,” Audra says, and I'm confused. Audra sees my expression and her smile spreads. “I guess nobles don't do pity fucks, do you? It was a term we used among Neyilla's slaves. One of her favorite little punishment games was to pump a slave full of libido enhancers, and then tie them up, binding them while the drug tears through their system. She'd touch them, tease them, even bring in another slave to fuck her while the bound slave had to watch helplessly, not allowed to actually climax. Then, when Neyilla was done, she'd just leave them there, tied up. Do you know what that does to a person?”
I shake my head, disgusted. “No.... it must be horrible.”
“I've seen slaves literally lose their minds because of it. One time, a female slave said something that Neyilla overheard, and Neyilla took it wrong. She pumped the girl so high that she was nearly coming just from being tied up, the girl was a natural submissive. So Neyilla then had a numbing agent injected into her body, she felt nothing and could only watch as Neyilla had.... when we finally untied the girl, you could see it in her eyes, she wasn't there anymore. I liked her, too. She was almost a friend.”
I set my ration pack aside for later, I can't eat any more. “So pity fucks were a way to help those slaves out?”
“We tried when we could. It didn't matter if you were friends, enemies, or what, we were fellow humans trying to help each other out. If Neyilla lost her interest in torturing the poor slob, we'd untie them, take them back to the slave quarters, and then whoever was available would do whatever they could to get them some relief. I had to do that myself a few times. So last night, I thought maybe you'd just done it to cheer me up,” Audra says, shaking her head. “I can see it in your eyes though, that wasn't it. So what was it?”
“I... I felt guilty. I thought I'd taken advantage of you when you were upset, that I'd seduced you to indulge in what I wanted without knowing if you wanted it. I promised myself long ago, I would never take an unwilling woman into my bed, and while this desk isn't quite a bed, you get my point,” I tell her, reaching over and taking her hand. “Audra, like I said over the fire when you asked why I didn't escape, I want you. And every day, you impress me more and more.”
“For a human,” Audra says, stopping when I shake my head. “No?”
“You impress me more than any noblewoman Tamarian I've ever met. It should be you called Lady, and not Neyilla. So no, not 'for a human.' You impress me, and I want you. Even right this second, I want you.”
Audra smiles, and when she blushes, it makes her even more beautiful than ever. “I want you, too. I thought, when we first met, that I'd never want a Tamarian. I thought that as horrible as I was treated, that you'd be more of the same, no matter how handsome I found you. But you're more than just a pretty face, Tauren. On the other hand....”
“On the other hand, I'm still the Crown Prince,” I reply sadly, and Audra nods. “My father could release the slaves in the capital any day now. Mogar says that there is progress on that front.”
“And that means that at any minute you could have to leave,” Audra says. She sighs, then shakes her head. “You know, I've spent all of my life not really living, but just existing? I took every measure I could to make sure I didn't create the sort of bonds that have to be tested through time, to open myself to others part of it is.... okay, you're going to be only the second person who knows this, but part of it is that I'm immune.”
“Immune? To what?” I ask, intrigued.
“To
Neyton's drugs. Neyilla's shot me up with them before, thinking that they were working, but I can hide it pretty well. And before my escape, I thought that I'd just be living that sort of half hell all my life. What was the point? But since my escape, I've started to reevaluate that whole point of view,” Audra says. “And I find someone that I think would be good enough to have a relationship with... and he's the Crown freakin' Prince!”
I laugh once, almost a harsh bark, nodding. “Yeah well, who'd think the first woman that I'd ever consider being true relationship material would be a human former slave with the most beautiful eyes on the planet?”
Audra leans in, touching her forehead to mine. “Charmer. They teach you that in noble school?”
“Did they teach you how to work your way into my mind in slave school?”
We hum, and Audra's smile is worth it. “You know this could end tomorrow.”
I nod. “I know. And you know we can't let anyone know. Even your brother. We've got enough problems with the blacksuits as it is.”
Audra nods, shaking her head. “Not just them. I think a lot of the humans would be a little freaked out if they found out about this. But I just can't say no to you, if you ask. I need you, Tauren.”
I swallow, knowing what she means. “I need you too, my Audra.”
She chuckles, smiling. “I never thought that it would sound right, or sexy, being told that I belong to someone. But when you call me your Audra.... all I can think of is giving in to you.”
I hum, and get up, going over to the door of the office and locking it. I turn to her, and smile, reaching for the clasp on my tunic. “Come here.... my Audra.”
The sexy grin that spreads on her face as she gets out of her chair and reaches for her own tunic closure. My pulse races and my cock stiffens in my pants as she undoes her tunic and shrugs it off, leaving her in just her bra, her athletic body and breasts encased in their bra lighting up my brain and starting a fire deep in my belly. She comes up and kisses me, pushing me back against the wall of the room, and gets to her knees, reaching for the belt of my pants. She looks up, and the look in her eyes as she licks her lips is sexier than anything I've seen in my entire life. “Yes... my Prince.”
Who belongs to whom?
Chapter Fifteen
Audra
I can't believe how good it feels to have a lover again, and for the first time in my life, it's a lover who isn't sharing himself with anyone else. There's nobody but Tauren and me, and we're nearly insatiable, finding every opportunity we can to be together. In some ways we're actually spending less time together on a daily basis than normal, because we're finding it too difficult to keep our hands off each other. If there's any negative to it, it's the fact that every time we're in public, I worry that everyone's going to see the blush on my skin every time Tauren looks at me, or that Jensen's going to read in the looks we share that I'm thinking not about tactics, not about what the Resistance needs to do next, but instead about getting Tauren alone and riding his magnificent body and cock to chains of orgasms that leave both of us soaked in sweat.
Jensen's not in the base today either, he left for a trip to see Mogar last night, and we took advantage of it and the extra privacy it gave us. I'm smiling to myself, thinking of Tauren's face last night when he literally licked me to a squirting orgasm all over his face (I didn't know I could do that either) when Rebbie comes up, smiling. “Hey, you okay?”
“Yeah, I guess I am,” I reply quickly, checking my powerlance. “So, what did you want to get together for?”
“Jensen asked me to help out with the training of the new recruits,” Rebbie says, “you know, they're coming along well the past few weeks.”
Two weeks, and yeah, they're coming along well. Best of all, of the twenty-five we pulled out of that slaver camp that Taven died for, not one of them has crossed over to Mathias' blacksuits. Three of them have gone back to their lives in the free human towns, but the other twenty-two have all stayed in the camp, and they're coming along. Best of all, three of them, brothers and sisters, are hydroponic experts, and they think they can use the old missile silos to create hydroponic gardens. It'd be nice to have a self-sufficient base, or at least one that isn't eating rations once a day or more.
“You're doing great with them, Rebbie. So what's up?”
Rebbie scratches at her chin, looking chagrined. “Today's the day I'm supposed to teach them hand to hand combat. I don't know a bloody thing about hand to hand combat. And Jensen's out in the capital, Tauren's off doing... ach, whatever the hell it is Tauren does when he's not helping out. And well.... I know you've got some skills, and I was thinking that if you're not busy, you could give me a hand?”
I nod, grinning. It'd be a lot better than helping with monitoring communications from the capital, something there's already four people doing in addition to all the screens around the base being tuned to various news feeds. It feels strange to be able to eat dinner with a video screen going off, but this base still has that technology. I guess they haven't updated broadcast media that much in the past few hundred years.
“Where are you guys doing it all?” I ask, and I see Rebbie let out a sigh of relief. She really was worried, it's funny.
“The parking garage. I had the guys rearrange the hovercraft, and with Jensen taking a team down to the capital yesterday, there was enough space, we've got about ten meters by five meters that I had them lay down some padding,” Rebbie says nervously. “Is that okay?”
“Rebbie, that's more than enough, you're doing fine. What's wrong? You seem nervous today.”
Rebbie takes a deep breath, then laughs softly. “Sorry. Being den mother to all of you is one thing, but being an actual trainer... I'm not used to it. The other days, Jensen was nearby, but today, I'm all by myself.”
I shake my head, patting her on the shoulder. “No you're not. We're going to have a good session. Give me thirty minutes to change clothes, and I'll be there.”
I'm in my room, which is next to Jensen's, when there's a now familiar soft knock, and Tauren slips inside. “My Audra.”
The way he says it still makes my knees go weak even after two weeks, but I have to shake my head, smiling as I tug my shirt tight around my upper body and tuck it into my pants. “I'm sorry my Prince, but I just promised Rebbie that I would help her with training the new recruits. She needs my help with personal combat techniques. But later?”
Tauren nods, smiling. “How about a kiss in the meantime? I think that will tide me over.”
Of course I have time for a kiss, and as I brush his long platinum blond hair behind his ear, I look into his face, my heart flaring. “Tauren, I need you too, my... my Tauren.”
He smiles, and we kiss tenderly, my lips saying what my words can't yet, it's too damn scary. Heaven and stars, he's so deep inside my heart and soul that I can't even begin to understand it, even if we both know that this can't last forever. But I'd rather have this undercover, temporary thing with Tauren than a lifetime with someone else. When we part, Tauren's smile tells me that maybe, just maybe, he feels the same way, which makes the pain in the future worth it.
“Go, my beautiful Audra. Show the recruits how to stand up for themselves.”
Tauren leaves, and I take a moment to calm my pounding heart before going out to the area of the base known as the parking garage, which is pretty much what it is. There's nowhere near enough transports here to get everyone out at once, but the parking garage is where we keep the majority of our vehicles. I see what Rebbie meant about rearranging, she's pushed everything as close together as possible, with rear hatches facing the middle of the open area in the middle to give pilots a chance to exit, but the only way I'd want to try and get these vehicles unmixed is by turning on the hovers in neutral and having them hand pushed out. I squeeze into the narrow space between two hoverbikes and into the central area, where Rebbie has the recruits gathered.
“Okay everyone, this is Audra, you met her on the night of your escape. If you didn
't know, Audra is Jensen's brother, and more than capable of kicking a little ass on her own. And we.....”
Rebbie's voice trails off, her eyes going wide as she stares behind me, and I turn to see Tauren coming in, his tunic gone to be replaced with a simple training shirt and pants, his boots untied so that he can slip out of them easily. “Forgive the intrusion, Rebbie. I heard you needed assistance today, I thought I might be useful. As a... sparring dummy.”
Rebbie, who knows just how good Tauren is, or at least the stories that have leaked of him and Jensen training together, grins. “Everyone, this is Tauren. Yes, that Tauren. If you don't know, he's been helping us here, and while he's not in the Resistance chain of command, he's... well, let's just say he's helpful. Audra, I'm going to turn it over to you, because I'm quickly running out of things to say.”
I take over, looking around, starting with my background. “Okay, for those who don't know me, I used to be owned by Lady Neyilla, from Lady Victrina by Lord Neyton of the Noble Council. I was with her for about twenty-three years. During that time, I spent about ten years as her body servant. That included being her bodyguard. So while I am not as good as Jensen, I can hold my own around here, and against the troops that we may or may not need to fight. Now, rule number one about hand to hand combat: don't do it unless you're out of options. With the powerlance, the rifles and pistols carried by royal troops, fighting with your bare hands is pretty much a high energy way to die, a good way to die tired. If you're in a position where you can run.... run. Run as hard as you can and don't look back. Nobody will think you a coward for running when you're unarmed against some Lancer with a powerlance or a Guardsman with a Gauss rifle. So if you're looking for self-defense lessons, then the best lesson I can give you is to make sure you push yourself during your exercise sessions that Rebbie is setting up for you.”
