The soldier turned. She recognized his narrow Kyleenian features and stark ice blue eyes. This man came from the empire, as did the two others in his presence. They looked like triplets. His pale brows narrowed over his eyes and he frowned. "Who are you?"
She took a step toward him, anger overwhelming her fear. "I am Sima Alonwei, and I demand you leave this old man’s house. My father will hear of this, of how you use your people."
The one standing near Grandfather came forward with determined steps. "Ah. You are the Shiemir’s daughter. Moquai Alonwei, your grace, you must forgive me." He reached back, grasping something at his belt. Metal chinked and clicked as he pulled his shackles free. "There is a high price for your return." He reached out and gripped Sima’s forearm. The band slapped against her skin, cold, confining and a symbol of the freedom she’d just let go of. "I will take you home now."
"I want this man paid the reward." She gestured to Grandfather with her free hand. "You will not bother him again. I want to buy his land. He is to be under my protection."
The soldier clacked the shackle over her other wrist and chained a third bracelet to his own. "Come, Moquai," he urged. "The Irnian weather has addled your mind. A woman of your station should not be here, not in this place." He tugged her chain, and she started forward.
"Philen, Shokir," he nodded at his companions. "You know the Oemir’s orders." The two soldiers followed. Just outside the door, they paused. Gunfire broke the silence in the jungle.
Sima flinched. She looked back and saw Grandfather hunched over his TV, blood spattering beneath him. His scrawny arms clutched the little box in a pathetic embrace. Wide eyes glared at her with painful accusations.
"Burn it," the soldier ordered just before he jerked her away. Sima went numb, her boots squashing in the thick foliage. She heard the sound of fire lapping at the wet building, smelled the start of oily smoke in the sweet jungle air. When the soldier forced her into the gray shuttle, she sobbed. They died because of my foolishness.
Chapter Ten - Jahid
Razi spread the manure across the empty planting bed with a tooki-rake. His hands reeked from the waste, its sour odor unsettled his stomach. The feeling of working, of doing something of value swelled his chest. A familiar scent drifted in the air, a flowery perfume, light, fragrant, enticing and musky. He closed his eyes for a moment and breathed deep. He saw Sima’s face, illuminated by that sliver of light from the Ward hall, her blissful expression bordering pleasured torment. How he’d wanted to finish what he started that night, to hear her cry for more, to whimper his name. "What’s wrong with me?" he muttered.
Glancing up from his work, he caught a flash of chestnut colored hair; a woman walked through the roses. She wore a clinging green dress and her curves seemed way too familiar. "No, it can’t be. There wasn’t anything on the news."
Her inviting shape blended with the foliage. Razi’s tooki-rake fell in a manure silenced hush. He moved like a man entranced, lured to the woman. The uniform Sister Lensi had given him itched against his skin, and he knew sweat stood out under his arms. That didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except Sima.
The brick path winding through the rose garden curved, and he caught a glimpse of her. The wind tousled her brown hair, sending wavy wisps across her cheeks.
He increased his wide strides, anxious to see her again, to reach for her hand, to pull her against him. The urge maddened him. His heart raced and his breathing lurched in uncomfortable pants. When he reached her, she had her back to him. He halted and stood there for a few seconds, his gaze sweeping over her ample hips, the fair tint of her skin. "I didn’t expect you to be here so soon," he said, a smile in his voice.
She turned. Hazel eyes shifted as she took in the sight of him. Her painted upper lip curled with disgust. "Unangi!" she spat in a hoarse voice. "Go back and rifle in the dung. You reek."
Razi cleared his throat. The shape of her, the hair, the eyes, but not her voice. He knew this woman wasn’t Sima. She scratched a bandage over her upper lip and scowled. "Get out of my sight. You disgust me."
Shaking his head, he turned. "What’s going on?" he muttered to himself. "What kind of sick man keeps someone who looks just like her…" His voice trailed off as he returned to the empty flower bed. He bent and grasped the handle of his rake, his brow crinkling with worry lines.
Lensi bumped him with her hip. "No slacking. I would advise against talking to the Oemir’s playthings. He is known for his jealousy."
"She looked like someone I know." He finished the last section, and tapped the clods from his rake. "Who is she?"
Lensi shrugged. "I don’t know her name. Leuj favors her. If you ask me, she looks just like that Taraf girl who ran away, the one he wants to take for a wife. Like he needs another wife." She rolled her eyes.
"He wants Moquai Alonwei for the treaty." Razi shot her a glum look and started toward the barrows. "He will get her too. You watch."
Lensi hurried to catch up to him, clasping her hand before her waist. "You’ve been watching the news again. Leuj tends to get what he wants. It’s too bad he forgets the reason why he wanted them and discards them so soon."
Setting the rake into the barrow, Razi frowned. "Discards?"
"You know what happened to the two wives he took last. The first three remain in the confines, nothing more than prisoners in a gilded cage. When he tires of them, he’ll find a way to have them put to death. The Shiemir’s daughter will be no different." She patted Razi on the shoulder. "You did good work today. I think I’ll keep you on. Do you have a place to stay?"
He shook his head, his thoughts still on the woman in the garden.
"You can stay at the church. There are rows in the back for migrant workers. It’s where I keep…" She smiled. "You know."
He nodded. "That’s fine, Lensi. Thanks. I won’t stay too long. I don’t want to be a burden on you."
"You’re not a burden at all. Don’t mind watching you work either." She blushed and hurried off to the church shuttle.
He looked back, taking in the girth of Oemir Leuj’s garden. The ruler remained seated on his gilded bench, his green-eyed gaze fixed on Razi. Leaves danced across the courtyard, passing the man’s fanciful shoes in shades of orange and red. He looked dangerous though he remained still, his hands crossed in his lap over his haberes. He smiled as he waved at the ruler. "A good day to you, my Oemir," he called out.
Leuj nodded his head as he pursed his lips.
Razi went back to his duties, wheeling his barrow into the rear of the shuttle. The other two workers sat inside, jabbering about spring bulbs. Pressing the button to close the rear hatch, he regarded the Oemir once more.
A blond Kyleenian soldier came marching up the walk, a plastic sharescreen in hand. His cold face and stern gait unsettled Razi. The soldier knelt before the Oemir and offered the sharescreen.
He edged around the side of the shuttle.
"Hurry up, Raz, or we’ll miss the late meal." Lensi tapped the glass inside the shuttle, anxious to get moving.
"Just a sec," he murmured.
The soldier barked out his report, his voice too low to discern. He bowed, his forehead touching the ground as Leuj got to his feet. "This is good," the Oemir said and started away, almost trotting along the path.
"Jahid!" he shouted. "Jahid, my flower, there is something I need from you!"
He stared at the Oemir’s retreating back, the bounce of his blue cotton shirt and the flapping habere pants he wore. They’ve found her, Razi knew. He ducked his head and pressed the button to close the shuttle door.
In the driver’s seat, Lensi tapped out the programming to get them to the church. She hummed under her breath with the classical music on the broadcast. "I’m so hungry," she announced.
"When do we come back?" Leaning forward to grip her seat, he spoke close to her ear. "Tomorrow?"
She cringed. "Yeah, we go every day, usually in the late afternoon. Leuj likes to wait out there and chat. He’s always trying
to lure me inside so he can have his way with me. It was off-putting at first, but it’s nice when a man likes what he sees. He thinks of me as a challenge."
Razi swallowed the thick lump in his throat. "Lensi, don’t you dare."
"Against church rules, dear." She giggled as she spoke. "Against the church rules."
Chapter Eleven – Holding
Oemir Leuj held Jahid’s cold fingers as they walked back to the palace. She didn’t tremble, had never feared him, and only came and complied to his sexual whims whenever he ordered her. Anger at his lack of feelings for what he was about to do surged in his blood. I feel nothing. I love nothing. No one can satisfy me.
The image of Sima on the sharescreen in the holding cell, her wrists shackled and that rebellious look in her eyes made him edgy. Doubt filled his chest, clenching his heart with an invisible fist. What if she doesn’t want me? What if I do not please her? Leuj gritted his teeth. I am the Oemir. She will beg for me.
They entered the sitting room, passed by the greeting couches full of satin pillows, and descended the stairs to the lower rooms. "My flower, you have done all I ask of you. Our time together has sated my lust. I offer you release." He couldn’t look at her. Leuj held her hand to the soldier at the metal door. Instead of witnessing, he glared at the ominous entry. "I hope you will forgive me."
Jahid sighed and walked through the sliding door, resigned as always to meet whatever fate he offered. Leuj stole a glance at her ass. The metal slid shut, cutting short his admiration. He paused there until the gunshots echoed within. Wiping his hands of the event, he shuffled up the stairs, heading for his room.
i i i i
The shuttle ride to the Police Holding Station took too long. Leuj fidgeted in the rear seat, thrumming his fingers against the brown dyed leather seat until the vehicle landed in a private garage. He almost leapt out. His usual determined steps echoed like drums on the metal walkway.
"This way, my Oemir," an officer announced, gesturing to an adjoining corridor. "She is as you requested, bathed, blindfolded."
"Perfect," he murmured, already feeling his cock stirring beneath his clothes. His body tingled at the thought of touching her skin, kissing her neck without her knowing who he might be. "She knows nothing of who captured her?"
"We do not speak to her, my Oemir, as you ordered."
He pursed his lips. His guard stopped at the holding cell door and an officer tapped in the key code. With a metallic whoosh, his prize was revealed. Sima sat on a thin, aluminum bench, her hands motionless in her lap, her legs drawn up beneath her. A black piece of cloth covered her eyes.
"Let me go!" she raged. "My father offered a reward!"
Leuj strolled inside to stand before her. He reached down and took the chains holding her shackles. Metal links chinked when he tugged her to stand. She wore a simple shift of white cotton that revealed her figure and the pink of her nipples. Without a word, he led her out along the metal walkway. Her bare feet made no sound next to his hard-lined shoes.
Leading her like this thrilled him. He felt empowered, in control, a surge of desire prickling his skin. When they stopped at the shuttle, he jerked her against him.
Sima cried out, startled. "Let me go."
He leaned into her, his lips brushing against her ear. "I will care for you," he whispered. In a sudden movement, he swept her up in his arms. "Trust me." She stilled as he carried her up the forged steps.
The shuttle door closed. Smoky privacy glass slid into place as the cabin light dimmed. The vehicle hovered, shifted, then ambled out onto the main road. Leuj settled back into his seat, balancing her on his lap.
"Who are you?" Sima asked, rage beneath the surface of her controlled tone. She looked helpless, the black fabric across her eyes stark against her creamy skin.
"Someone who cares for you," he spoke in a breathless tone, disguising his identity.
"Let me hear your voice." She pulled her hands to her chest, her fingers lacing together as if she might pray.
"Not yet, my flower." He nipped at her ear lobe. "When the time is right. Relax. I will care for you."
She stiffened.
Leuj nipped harder, taking the soft skin between his teeth. He ran his tongue across the edge and released it when she gasped. Her neck called to him with its slanting grace. He buried his mouth against it, kissing hard as he worked down to her shoulder. Her hair felt damp against his forehead. The flowery scent of her skin intoxicated him. Her bonds clattered when he released the holding chain, letting it fall against the metal floorboards. "What do you desire?" he asked, keeping his voice a husky whisper. "Tell me, and I will give it to you."
His cock hardened with need. He repositioned her in his lap so that her ass could crush against his shaft. He frowned when she squirmed. "Relax, Sima."
"Take off the blindfold. Let me see you." True to her position, she spoke with authority. Her lips pressed together.
"Not yet, my flower. Soon though." Leuj licked his lips, hungry for her mouth, wishing to part that angry line. He resisted the temptation, sitting back with her in his arms. The simple shift the guards placed on her revealed too much. Her breasts looked full and ripe. Groaning, he bowed his head to kiss one, just a taste, a soft lick and nibble through the gauze.
"Stop that," she grumbled at him.
"But your body quivers when I do it." He bit her nipple, withdrawing when she flinched. "Doesn’t it please you?"
She pursed her lips, refusing to answer. The shuttle buoyed on the turn, forcing her against his body. Leuj nuzzled her cheek. "Tell me what you want."
Her mouth twisted in anger.
Unwilling to push her too far, he turned his attention to the view out the window. The double suns touched the mountainous horizon, lighting the sky a pallid orange. He steadied his breathing and willed his body to calm. Sima sniffled so he drew her against him until her cheek rested on his chest. He rubbed her lower back in warm strokes as he watched the suns set. "I won’t hurt you; I promise."
"Take the blindfold off."
"Soon." He sighed. "Not yet. It’s too dangerous here. Let me get you to a safe place." He clutched her body, burying his face into her damp hair and breathing in her clean scent.
"Feels good," she murmured so low he almost didn’t hear.
"It feels good to be held?" he asked.
She nodded against his chest. Her weight shifted in his lap until he felt her tension melting as she leaned into him.
He embraced her, stifled by the warmth between them and the euphoric feeling that maybe he could win her over after all. He rubbed her back again, hoping she’d fall asleep. Just as they reached the palace, the shuttle settling into the wide garage, he felt her soft breath against his neck. "She’s snoring," he said, shocked.
The shuttle door opened, but instead of getting out, Leuj remained, holding his prize as she slept against him. His legs tingled with pins and needles from sitting still so long. He kissed her temple time and again while the servant boys waited in obedient silence.
Chapter Twelve – His Bed
Sima opened her eyes and saw nothing but the black fabric blindfold. Her arms lay raised above her head and the shackles felt warm on her wrists. She pulled, but found no play in the holding chain. Whoever took her from the authorities had brought her here and bound her up. Twisting, she realized her ankles bore shackles as well. A warm blanket rested over her body. "Where are you?" she called out. "You said you’d take the blindfold off."
No masculine whisper tickled her ear, no hungry mouth pressed against her skin. She felt disappointed that he’d left her alone, whoever he was.
"Hello?" Sima yelled. "Anyone here?"
An automated door slid on its tracers, the tones of a keypad echoing beyond. She heard footsteps and strained against her bonds. The door tone beeped and she heard the metal sliding back into place. Near her, someone shook a bottle of fluid. "Relax," he whispered.
"You said you’d take the blindfold off."
"Not ye
t, my flower. You’re not ready."
She groaned her frustration until the man pulled away her blanket, causing a gust of cold air to trace her skin. A warm palm came against her stomach, slick with oil. "Where are my clothes? Why am I naked? Do you know who I am?" She sucked in her stomach, but the gentle pressure remained. His other hand came against her chest, just above her breasts.
"I just want to touch you, Sima," he sighed out. "To caress you, cherish you."
His hands glided over her skin in slow strokes, molding around her curves, cupping her breasts and tickling her nipples. He massaged her abdomen, one finger dancing in the recess of her navel. Everywhere the oil remained, she felt a soft burning sensation. The scent of cinnamon clung to her skin. He rubbed her sides and slipped his palms lower. She felt his weight come onto the bed, dipping the mattress as he straddled her.
Hot palms caressed her upper thighs, swooping in arcs until they reached the seam of her clenched legs. "Open for me," he urged in that breathy non-voice. "Don’t be afraid."
"I’m not afraid of you." She tried to keep her voice steady.
His fingers slid between her thighs, gently pulling her legs apart. He pushed his hands between, rubbing in deep, penetrating strokes. Sima sighed when he moved lower, his fingers delving into the skin behind her knees. Some part of her wanted his touch to return and cross that boundary, to leave a wet trail across her cleft. Her mind turned to Razi and the brief moment of passion she’d shared with him. She breathed in and out, slower, deeper, allowing her body to relax, imagining it was him.
The stranger’s touch embraced her ankles, rubbing over each inch of skin. He moved lower until his thumbs prodded the arches in her feet.
"Mmm," she moaned. "What is this? Massage torture?"
He chuckled, but she found no recognition in the inflection of his voice. Thumbs pressed into the pad of each toe, circling, easing. "Do you want me to hold you?" he whispered.
Nimmet, Goddess of Love Page 6
