“I’ve now had enough of your insults,” snarled Kordan and before she knew it he had thrown her over his shoulder and was marching out of the room. Her screaming echoed down the long corridor but he did not let that bother him.
Being beamed down was an awful sensation. Lory would never get used to it, that much was certain. Indignantly she followed Kordan, Amano and Charly across the clearing on which they had landed. They were walking along a wide forest path running between tall, thick trees. The path ended at a high wall. A massive door was opened at Kordan’s command and they entered a huge, well-maintained park. Before them was a huge palace with high turrets. There were three wings and the building was three storeys high. It really did look like a fairy tale castle and for a moment Lory just stood still and stared at the splendid building. As a child she had sometimes dreamt that a prince in shining armour would take her from her horrible foster family and ride with her on his horse to his castle.
“Come on!” Kordan’s gruff voice tore her from her dreams.
Indignantly she started to move again. She kept looking at the ground, swearing quietly to herself. She barely registered the fact that Charly was waving at Solima and laughing, and then ran on.
“Just so that it’s clear straight away, Lory,” Kordan cautioned her. “You are my mate and will live with me in my chambers. I didn’t stop you on the ship but here in the palace you will not embarrass me by …”
Lory had stood still and was staring at him in disbelief. What was he on about? Was he out of his mind? Rage rose within her and she sank her finger into his broad chest.
“Only … over … my … dead … body,” she hissed, poking him in the chest at each word.
Infuriated they glared at one another, then Lory turned round abruptly and stomped off. She knew that Kordan was following her but right now she did not care at all. She stopped next to the small group of people sitting on the terrace next to the palace. Keela and Amber were there, as well as a few others. The only person who interested her now was the older man who must be the king.
Solima, Charly and Amano came up to the group at the same time as she and Kordan. The king rose and smiled at them amiably.
“Welcome! We’re pleased that you’ve finally arrived safely with us. I hope you will be happy here and recover from the adventures that lie behind you.”
“Safely,” snorted Lory quietly, casting a poisonous glance at Kordan.
“Thank you for your lovely welcome, Your Highness,” said Charly much more diplomatically. “It was so good of you to send your men to our rescue.”
“Just call me Mortociar, my child. We consider you girls as part of the family. Do sit with us and take a little refreshment.”
“I need to make something clear here,” Lory interrupted, ignoring Kordan’s admonishing look. “I am not here of my own accord and I’ve already told this ox here that I do not intend to share a room with him and that I am not his possession just because I’ve slept with him. I don’t know how that all works here but where I come from sex alone is not a promise of marriage. I do not expect a luxury suite or any other privileges. If I could have a little room and if someone could help me find a way back to earth I would actually be very grateful.”
“Dear Lory – that’s your name, isn’t it?” began the queen, and as Lory nodded in confirmation, she continued: ”I apologize for any trouble that you’ve had to endure up to now. I can understand your agitation. Please take a little time to calm down and consider your movements carefully. Of course we’re happy to help you get home, but this may take a long time. At the moment we don’t even have any idea where your planet is. I will instruct our astronomer to sit with you to solve this problem, but we can’t involve ourselves in matters between you and Kordan. As long as you’re here on Karrx7 Kordan is responsible for you and I hope that you can put your problems aside and that you will perhaps stay with us after all. The two of you are clearly mates even if you cannot yet recognize and accept this right now.”
“Mates? Is everyone here completely mad?” asked Lory in disbelief. “I’d rather go into the forest and live there than spend the rest of my life with this … Arrgh, put me down, you ox!”
Kordan had picked Lory up and just thrown her over his shoulder. She struggled and thumped him where she could manage to reach him, but Kordan took no notice. Anger raged within her and she was sure that if she now had a pistol in her hand then this damn alien would be long dead.
“Bastard! Son of a bitch! Put me down …,” she bellowed, beside herself.
“Aunt, uncle!” said Kordan briefly, turning to go without paying attention to her raging and swearing.
They entered the palace through a rear entrance. Or more precisely: Kordan entered the palace whilst Lory lashed out in all directions, trying everything to make him put her down. Of course he did not grant her this wish but climbed a broad staircase with her on his shoulder.
“I swear, if you don’t put me down immediately, I’ll …”
“Castrate me and shove my dick up my ass, I know,” he interrupted her, unmoved.
“Arrrrrrgh!”
They had arrived at the top and Kordan was now walking along a wide corridor from which large double doors lead. He finally stopped in front of one of them.
“Ceyla, open the doors,” he said.
“Welcome back, general,” said a computer voice and the doors swung open.
“Thank you, Ceyla. Door lock. Security level three.”
“Done, general. Any further wish?”
“No, that will be all.”
“Wishing you a pleasant stay, general.”
“Wishing you a pleasant stay, general,” Lory mimicked. “Huh! Now put me down, you hairy beast!”
Kordan walked across to the wide bed, which stood imposingly in the middle of the large room, and dropped Lory roughly onto the mattress.
“Idiot!” she snarled, rolling onto the other side of the bed and leaping off. “Wretch! Monster! Raping and killing is all that you can do. Uncivilized wretch!”
They stared at one another across the bed and the corner of Kordan’s mouth twitched slightly.
“Raping, huh? I remember things differently. It didn’t look to me as if you didn’t like it.”
“Only because you know which buttons you need to press on a woman, doesn’t automatically make you lover of the year!” she hissed, unable to deny that she had enjoyed it. She had enjoyed it far too much, to be honest.
“You already wanted me before I pressed any buttons, Lory. Admit it. You want me even now. You’re just too damn proud to admit it. And you’re not used to a man dominating you, are you? I know that you’re a type of warrior or something and it’s probably not easy for you to submit to someone and yet you want to. I don’t have a problem with fighting with you a bit – it adds to the pleasure!”
“You’re deluded, my dear. I will never submit to you. Hell is more likely to freeze.”
Lory looked around for something. There must be something here that she could use as a weapon. She must not let him overpower her again. He had already come too near the truth. Yes, she was too proud and was used to having the upper hand in her life. No man had ever been permitted to control her life and it would be the same with this one. She had not put the hell of her childhood behind her to expose herself to new subordination. No, she had to keep a distance between herself and this far too seductive alien. She finally saw what she was looking for. A grin spread across her face. It was pretty silly to hang something like that here - on the wall behind her hung two daggers. With a backflip she covered the distance and grabbed both weapons from the wall, in flight. She landed with a war cry, poised for battle.
Kordan looked at her, his eyes narrowed. His expression gave away nothing. She cursed this damn alien for being so hard to read and judge.
“You should put the swords down before you hurt yourself,” he said calmly.
“Oh no, pussycat. I won’t grant you that wish. I will now trim your mangy fur.”
“So you want to fight, little one? Come on then. Show me what you can do!”
Lory spat onto the floor in disdain. She looked calmer than she actually felt, but her job had conditioned her to conceal her state of mind.
“Yes, I want to fight, pussycat. And you’d better not underestimate me. You’ll be sorry that you screwed up my return ticket!”
He laughed scornfully.
“Return ticket? Your dear Ellyod would have sold you to the highest bidder without batting an eyelash. You think I’m ice cold? Then, little one, you haven’t yet got to know Ellyod Allegrass. He’d still smile amiably whilst slitting open your stomach and throwing your innards down to feed the wajuns. He is capable of anything, but he definitely would never have taken you to your planet.”
“I don’t believe a word,” she screamed, but inside she was torn between hope and realization. What if Kordan was right? Was there any hope at all of her returning home?
“I’m sorry, Lory,” she suddenly heard him say gently as she realized that she had already been standing there motionless for some time, contemplating her damn fate. Her heart tensed up and she suppressed a sob. She could hear the crash of metal and realized that he had just dropped his sword. He was suddenly standing right in front of her and was slowly taking the two swords from her hands. With a clang these, too, fell to the floor. Then suddenly she was lying in his arms, sobbing.
***
Carefully Kordan lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed to sit down with her there. Her tears were drenching his shirt and he stared down a little uncertainly at the woman who had just thrown the worst insults and threats at him. He was not particularly good at consoling others. The only thing that he could think of doing was holding her in his arms and stroking her lustrous black hair. Surprised by the tender feeling that filled his heart, he waited for her to calm down.
After a while her sobbing gradually stopped and she moved away from him a little. She seemed confused and so vulnerable - quite different from the woman who had made his life difficult for days now.
“Thank you for … It … I’m not normally … such a … cry baby,” she sniffed, wiping the tears from her face.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked tentatively.
She nodded.
“Is it so very bad? I mean, do you absolutely want to go home? Do you have a … a man waiting for you?”
This thought had only just occurred to Kordan and he awaited her reply anxiously.
“Yes, I really do want to go home again and no, there’s no man waiting there for me.”
Kordan felt relief spread through his heart. At least there was no other man. He could probably deal with anything but that. He just needed a little time to win her over. He had never considered how one might win over a woman. After all, he had never intended to take a mate.
“I’ll make a deal with you,” he said, acting on impulse.
With reddened eyes she looked up at him.
“What sort of a deal?” she asked tentatively.
“You stay here with me for one month and give me the chance to convince you that we belong together. If, after a month, I have not succeeded and you still want to go home, then I’ll take you there in person.”
“You’d do that?”
“Yes, because I don’t want you to be unhappy. If I don’t succeed in winning your heart within one month then I’m not worthy of claiming you for myself.”
With a pounding heart he waited for her answer.
“OK,” she said at last.
“But you’ll sleep here in this bed with me. I won’t force myself upon you but I want to have you near me.”
“Deal!” she said, smiling timidly.
“Deal!” he confirmed, taking her hand.
“And what are we going to do now?” she asked, with a strange look that he could not interpret.
“Now I’m going to get us something to eat and drink. Then I’ll run a bath for you and you can finally recover a little from the journey.”
She smiled at him and that made him feel warm all over.
“You can be quite sweet when you want to be,” she said.
“Sweet?” he asked in horror, which made her laugh.
He liked her laugh and even though he found it strange that she called him sweet, he was glad that he had apparently managed to break the ice between them a little.
“Would it be better if I said lovely? Or nice? Or…”
“I would have preferred sexy, exciting or breath-taking,” he replied with a grin.
“That’s how you are even when you act like a stubborn mule,” she said seriously. “But I mean the way you consoled me and are suddenly being so nice to me, and are even willing to fly me home. That’s what I think is sweet!”
Kordan groaned quietly, then sighed. If it was necessary to be sweet to win her over then he would make the effort to be precisely that!
***
Lory stretched out lazily in the warm water. Kordan had been true to his word and brought them a selection of delicious food and drink. After their meal together he had prepared a bath for her and had then gone to a meeting with the king. Lory was happy with that. His presence still unsettled her far too much – all the more now that he was suddenly being so nice to her. It would be hard to resist him for a whole month. But she had to do it. He was her return ticket. After all, he had promised not to force himself upon her. So, as long as she kept her hands to herself, it should be possible to get through the month without weakening again.
Once Lory was completely relaxed she got out of the bath and wrapped herself in a large towel. She already felt much better and was cross with herself for letting herself down in front of Kordan. It was not like her. She usually had her emotions fully under control.
Sighing, she looked at herself in the mirror. At least her eyes were no longer red. She made a face at her reflection and turned away. Humming quietly, she went back into the bedroom and opened the big wardrobe where Kordan had told her that she would find clothes that the queen had personally ordered for her. To her surprise she could not find a single pair of trousers amongst those clothes – only dresses, coats and robes. Disgruntled, she closed the wardrobe. She was absolutely not going to wear a dress.
She opened the second wardrobe and found Kordan’s clothes in there, as expected. She pulled a black shirt from the shelf and a pair of tight-fitting trousers. Happy with her find, she marched over to the bed to put the things down and once she had dried herself properly she slipped the trousers on. They were too big, of course, but as they were made of stretchy material, designed to fit tightly, they almost fit her perfectly, apart from the legs being too long and the waistband a little too wide. It should work with a belt. But where was she going to get a belt from? She went back to her wardrobe and actually found a dress with a belt. She pulled the red belt out of the loops and tied it round her waist. Once she had tied the trousers securely with the belt she pulled the shirt on over her head. The broad shoulders hung loosely over her slim body and the whole garment came down to her knees, but that did not bother her. It was still better than walking around in a dress. Satisfied, she looked at herself in the mirror next to the wardrobe.
There was a knock at the door. Who could it be? Surely Kordan would not knock. Perhaps it was one of the girls. She had no idea whether she would be able to open the door. Kordan had given the palace computer a new security code but she was not familiar with these codes and did not know what they meant.
“Door open,” she said assertively and was pleased when the automatic doors actually opened.
To her surprise the queen was standing at the door and Lory was not sure how to conduct herself. She was not the sort of person who bowed before others, let alone curtsied o
r anything like that. But she did not want to appear as very impolite.
“Your Highness,” she said, nodding slightly.
The queen looked at her from top to toe, the corner of her mouth curling slightly.
“Lady Lory, may I come in?”
Lory hastily stepped to the side.
“Oh, yes. I mean … of course. Come in.”
“Thank you,” replied the queen, walking past Lory in her elegant dress.
As the queen stood still in the middle of the room, looking at her expectantly, Lory cleared her throat, looking around frantically.
“Ahem, shall we perhaps …,” she said, pointing at the corner seating area next to the window.
The queen nodded and walked over to the couch to sit down. Lory followed her a little hesitantly and sat in one of the armchairs opposite the queen.
“Would you like something to drink, Your Highness?”
“Please call me Moreena. ‘Your Highness’ is for my subjects. You’re practically part of the family. And no, thank you, I don’t want anything to drink. I’ve come to get to know you.”
“That’s really nice, but I’m not really part of your family. Kordan is taking me back to my planet in a month’s time. It … I don’t want to appear ungrateful. I’m very grateful to you for sending a ship to rescue us. It’s just that … I … I don’t belong here. I …”
“I understand. You miss your family?”
“Well, actually ... I don’t have a proper family. I grew up with foster parents. I don’t have a particularly good relationship with them and haven’t seen them for years.”
“What is it, then, that draws you back to your planet. Don’t you like Karrx7?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s a very beautiful planet. So green and the weather is beautiful and … Everything is superb. But I …”
Lory no longer knew herself why she so desperately wanted to return to earth. Somehow she could not think of a suitable argument - apart from the fact that she was completely shocked by the feelings that a certain alien aroused in her.
Fighting Lory (English Edition) (Lords Of Arr'Carthian 2) Page 7
