by S. E. Smith
She had no doubt they were telling the truth. She had picked up enough information back on Kassis to know why Ristèard Roald was there, she just didn’t realize it was so dire. There was something about what they were saying that bothered her, though.
Focusing, she picked up words that were vaguely familiar to her. She remembered reading something similar to what they were talking about in some of the archives back on Kassis when she was researching their history. In fact, she had copied all the files onto a storage chip right before Stan arrived to pick her up and had placed it in her purse to look at later.
It took a moment for her to realize that the other man, Andras, had risen and was leaving. He reminded Ristèard that they would be arriving on Elipdios shortly. She swallowed when she heard the door open and close. For a second, she thought both of the men might have left, but the soft sound of footsteps soon dispelled that hope.
Slowly opening her eyes, she warily watched as Ristèard Roald approached the bed. Sitting up, she pushed her hair out of her eyes and scooted upward when she realized he wasn’t going to stop. Her eyes widened in alarm and she leaned backwards when he suddenly knelt on the bed, placing his hands on either side of her.
“You kneed me,” he stated in a low, menacing voice. “You hit me.”
“Well, you attacked Stan and I first,” Ricki retorted softly, pushing the words past her dry throat. “And you threw me out of a tree! I’ll do even worse if you ever try anything like that again!”
“You called me names,” Ristèard added, leaning closer.
Ricki leaned back as far as she could before the wall stopped her. Placing her trembling, right hand on his shoulder, she used her left hand to tuck her messy hair behind her ear. This is why she never wore it down except at night when she was alone.
“I’m sure it was nothing compared to what others have called you in the past,” she declared with an icy glare. “Now, if you don’t want to have a repeat performance of how I can defend myself, I suggest you get out of my personal space.”
She didn’t like the way his eyes suddenly narrowed at her threat. Perhaps, she should have used a more diplomatic approach to the situation, but in all honesty, the man was in her space and getting closer by the second. She swallowed nervously as she waited to see what he would do next.
Surprise held her when she heard the sound of a dry, rusty chuckle escape him. She thought for a moment that perhaps she might get off relatively easy if he thought what she said was funny. That thought quickly dissolved into confusion when he lifted one hand and wrapped it around the nape of her neck, pulling her forward.
“I want you,” he stated before he captured her lips.
Ricki froze in uncertainty. She was being kissed… by the Grand Ruler of Elipdios. Her mind swirled with confusion. She was unsure of what she should do to stop him. She felt her right hand, which had been pressing against his shoulder in a feeble attempt keep space between them, curl against the warm material of his shirt.
A part of her brain was telling her to uncurl and push, not curl and hold as he pressed his lips more firmly over hers. Her lips instinctively parted when she felt the tip of his tongue against them.
A fierce, hot wave of pleasure shot through her, startling her when she felt her nipples pebble and strain against the thin material of her bra. What startled her the most was the liquid heat that pooled low between her legs, making her jerk her knee up in surprise.
She felt Ristèard’s body stiffen before a low groan escaped him and he pulled away, rolling onto his side on the bed. Ricki quickly pulled her leg out from under him as he fell sideways. A frown creased her brow as she stared down at his face. His eyes were closed and he was breathing in deeply as if he was in intense pain.
“What…,” she started to say when he opened his eyes and glared at her with accusing eyes. Her voice faded when she saw where his hands were. A deep blush rose up to flame her cheeks a bright red. “Oh, sorry.”
*.*.*
Ristèard drew in another deep breath before he even attempted to reply. Her knee had connected perfectly with his crotch again. It hadn’t been as hard as the first time she kneed him, but it still hurt.
He had been just going to check on her before he left to go to the bridge in preparation for their arrival. When she had opened her eyes and stared up at him with eyes the color of the rarest blue gems on his world, he had been lost. Her long hair had been spread about her in wild abandon, as if she had just been made love to. Her yellow dress was tangled around her long, bare legs.
He never thought about the rich color of the sands on his planet as being beautiful before, but her skin reminded him of it and he realized that the warm, tan color made his mouth water at the thought of seeing what it would be like to run his lips along her creamy, sun-kissed skin.
Those feelings brought back the anger that she appeared to have some type of influence over him. He was the one in control. Determined to prove it, he knew he was trying to intimidate her when he closed in on her, trapping her between the wall and his body. Yet, the moment he got close to her, all rational thought flew from his mind.
When she retorted with a threat of her own, his body had reacted to the challenge. He knew the moment his lips touched hers that he had made a strategic mistake. Instead of intimidating her, it had sent an explosive charge through his body that settled in his groin, hardening his balls and filling his cock until he wanted to rip his pants off and bury himself deep in her channel to satisfy the savage thirst that overwhelmed him.
His eyelids slowly lifted until he was gazing up at her flushed face. Another low groan escaped him, this time as his tender balls and cock reacted to her wide-eyed mortification. The knowledge that she hadn’t kneed him on purpose helped a little.
“You… are dangerous,” he informed her in a strained voice.
Her look of concern changed to a dark scowl and she pursed her lips tightly together. Amusement and desire washed through him when she curled her legs to the side and folded her arms across her chest in defiance. Even with her hair hanging about her in a messy tangle of waves and her dress creased from her journey, she still looked breathtaking.
“You really need to learn some manners,” she retorted in an icy voice. “Now, may I ask why you felt it was necessary to kidnap me?”
He was about to reply when the comlink attached to his shirt pinged. Reaching up, he tapped it to silence it. Almost immediately, it pinged again. With a resigned sigh, he muttered under his breath for it to connect.
“What?” He demanded in irritation.
“We have company,” Andras replied in a clipped tone. “You may want to get up to the bridge.”
Ristèard cursed, sitting up with a wince. He rose to his feet in one fluid motion. His mouth tight with anger at the interruption. He glanced back down at where Ricki was still sitting, watching him intently.
“I have to go,” he stated. “Stay here until I or one of my men come for you.”
He watched Ricki bow her head in acknowledgement. A momentary wave of regret flashed through him that he had to involve such a delicate woman into the mess of his world, but he had sworn he would do whatever was necessary to save his planet and his people. With a sharp nod, he turned on his heel and strode from his cabin.
“Who is it?” He asked, connecting with Andras the moment the door to his cabin closed behind him.
“It would appear the council has just discovered we were missing, Councilman Manderlin is demanding permission to board,” Andras replied dryly. “I could blow his transport out of the sky and say my finger slipped.”
Ristèard stepped into the lift as the doors opened and turned before giving the command for it to take him to the bridge. Manderlin was new to the board. He was older than the sands of the Eastern desert and just as persistent in getting under his skin. Why he was elected to the board, Ristèard had no idea. He expected the nosy, irritating bastard to drop dead any day.
“Don’t,” he impatiently ordered.
“Let’s find out what he wants first.”
An exasperated sigh sounded over the comlink before Andras murmured his agreement. Ristèard’s lips twitched at his second-in-command’s impatience to blow something up. Andras’ blood thirsty nature was probably one of the reasons they got along so well. They were very much alike, kill first, ask later.
The moment the lift doors opened, he swept through them. Two warriors quickly stepped out of his way and stood at attention as he passed by them. He paused for a moment, looking at them before glancing back at the lift.
“Make sure that the female in my cabin remains there,” he instructed. “If anything should happen, you are responsible for keeping her safe at all cost.”
Both men looked back at him with grim, determined faces. “Yes, sir,” they replied, before turning and entering the open lift.
Satisfied that Ricki would be protected, he continued on his journey to the bridge. He did not have the time or the patience to deal with anyone who would destroy Elipdios for their own selfish reasons. He nodded to Andras before turning his gaze to the elderly councilman.
“Manderlin, what do you want?” Ristèard asked bluntly.
Chapter 7
Ricki leaned forward in front of the small mirror to make sure that she looked her normal, efficient self. Hair pulled back into a bun, check. Lip gloss touched up, check. Dress… Well, there was not much she could do about the wrinkles, but she had cleaned the smudges of dirt off from where she had climbed the tree. That had not been her smartest decision, but it had been the only one that she could think of when she realized how close the man had been to catching her.
“Not that it had mattered in the end,” she said to her reflection. “This will just have to do. Now, to try to figure out what is going on.”
Ricki started to close her purse when she saw the small crystal disk with the information she had downloaded to read. Biting her lip, she pulled it out and held it in the palm of her hand, staring at it with a frown. Glancing back into the cabin, the familiar outline of an information tablet caught her attention.
Picking up her purse, she walked back into the main area of the cabin and over to the long couch. The room was about the size of a large hotel suite back home. It contained a bed slightly larger than a super King-size bed, a small narrow table with two chairs, the couch and a matching chair positioned near what looked like a window, but upon a second glance proved to be just a screen to make it look like one and a large bathroom with a sink, toilet, and shower.
The entire thing was rather utilitarian. It was obvious it was built and designed for efficiency, not relaxation. Ricki adjusted her glasses, thankful that they hadn’t been lost during her kidnapping. Crossing the room, she picked up the tablet before moving over to the table where she sat down.
Tapping it, she frown in frustration when she saw it was locked. Biting her lip, she frowned. She had the same issue back on Kassis when she was trying to access information from the archives. Indecision held her for several seconds before she opened her purse again and pulled out a second crystal disk.
She had mentioned to Stan her frustration at always having to ask for assistance from the Master Archive Librarian. The next day, Stan had given her this disk with a wink and told her to never leave home without it.
“If you want information, Ricki, this program is the magic key,” Stan had teased. “Pop it in any terminal and it will open any doors you want.”
Ricki didn’t think it would really work, but it had. Whatever coding Stan had written, it appeared to know how to ‘talk’ with the coding in the archive files. She didn’t know if it would work here, but it was worth a try.
Sliding the thin disk into the side of the tablet, she watched as the familiar symbols flashed across the screen. Her eyes widened in surprise and delight when she saw that she had access. She opened her purse and pulled out the slim scanner that Jazin had given her. She loved the way it worked, translating the symbols of their language into English. While it wasn’t always perfect, it was close enough that she could usually comprehend what the data meant.
She glanced up at the door, suddenly feeling guilty, before shrugging. She didn’t ask to be kidnapped and the tablet had been left out in the open, so it wasn’t like she was doing anything wrong. Besides, she was smart enough to know when to use the resources around her to get the information she wanted.
Slipping Stan’s miracle chip out, she placed it back into its protective sleeve and returned her attention to the document that was opened on the screen. It looked like some type of report. Frowning, she ran the scanner over the smooth surface, reading the words that appeared on it.
“Status: Critical,” she murmured. “Generators in zones four, eight, ten, sixteen, and twenty-one are showing beginning signs of failure. Shield capacity down to forty-three percent. Additional failures expected to occur within weeks. Radiation level has increased by point zero-two percent. Recommendation: evacuation of planet. Estimated deaths….”
Ricki’s voice faded at the unthinkable number of lives expected to be lost. Tears blurred her vision when she finished reading the report. It was mind boggling to think of an entire planet wiped out and the weight of despair that Ristèard Roald must be feeling.
“It must be overwhelming to be the leader of a world and know that so many depend on you,” she whispered, brushing at the tear coursing down her cheek. Touching the screen, she reduced the report. Her eyes widened when she saw the screen open behind it. “What the…!”
She was staring at a mirror image of herself, yet, it wasn’t. Her fingers trembled slightly as they touched the photograph of the stone carving. Moving the scanner down over the words, she hesitantly read them.
“Only known image of the Empress of Elipdios. Information transcribed from the ancient stone tablet found in the Lost City states she will return to Elipdios during its bleakest time to save it. The rest of the tablet was extensively damaged by erosion and no other information could be read,” Ricki whispered, staring back up at the image of herself… the Ancient Empress. “Oh God,” she moaned, shaking her head. “They think I’m their missing Empress!”
Chapter 8
Ajaska Ja Kel Coradon walked over to the small alcove in the office to pour himself a drink. He desperately needed it to curb the fire burning through him. He loved a challenge and he had definitely found one with Katarina Danshov.
He quickly downed the double shot of potent liquor he had poured. Wiping his hand across his mouth, he poured another one before turning when he heard Walter Bailey’s loud, angry voice echoing in the corridor as he came closer.
“Torak, I demand you do something!” Walter bellowed in aggravation as he hurried into the room. “I demand retribution.”
Ajaska glanced at his oldest son, he had passed his position as ruler of Kassis to Torak several years before. He and Torak had decided it was best for him to be involved on the Alliance Council since he already knew many of the council members from the different star systems.
Ajaska watched as Torak rose out of his chair, motioning for Walter and Nema to have a seat. Torak waited until the servant that followed Walter into the room brought in the refreshments for the Ringmaster and his tiny wife before he said anything.
“What appears to be the problem?” Torak asked.
“That huge blue bastard has kidnapped my daughter is the problem!” Walter snarled, setting his tea on the tall side table near the couch. “Stan has finally woken. He said that Ristèard Roald attacked him and Ricki last night. He fought off two men, but another one must have come up behind him and shot him full of a sedative. He wanted to know if Ricki was okay. She never returned home last night. You have to do something immediately! God only knows what that brutal bastard will do to her.”
Nema reached over and tightly gripped Walter’s hand. Tears glimmered in her eyes as she stared at the small group of people in the room. She looked with pleading eyes from Torak to Ajaska.
Ajaska wasn’t too con
cerned with Ricki’s disappearance. He had been briefed by his security team the moment Stan had been found. He glanced at Jazin who nodded to him and he stepped up to stand beside him.
“Were you able to confirm the information that Jarmen gave us?” Jazin asked under his breath, glancing over his shoulder at Torak before his eye’s darkened when they landed on his own mate.
Jarmen D’ju was a male his youngest son, Jazin, had rescued from an illegal research facility. The man was unlike anything he had ever seen, but if Jazin trusted him, then so would he. He knew very little about him, except he was a ghost who moved in the shadows. Jazin mentioned the two had been working on a number of different defense systems and that Jarmen would be leaving soon.
“Yes, I spoke briefly with Ristèard,” Ajaska whispered, watching with amusement as Torak became distracted when River entered the room. He had always hoped that his sons would find their mate. There was no denying Torak had found his in River. For a moment, the image of a dark haired, fire-breathing hellcat flashed through his mind. His fingers moved absently to the long, narrow slits in his shirt even as a grin curved his lips. “He admitted that he kidnapped Ricki.”
Jazin frowned at his father’s amusement. “Well, did you tell him he needed to bring her back? You know that we offered protection to all the humans. Manota warned him when he was here that Ricki was under the protection of the royal family.”
“Ristèard may be a cold, brutal bastard, but he is also a fair one,” Ajaska murmured. “He won’t hurt her.”
“So, you are just going to let him take her?” Jazin asked in disbelief.
“Of course not,” Ajaska replied with a grin, listening as Walter demanded Torak to do something about his daughter’s kidnapping.
“What about my daughter?” Walter demanded, standing up and waving his short arms in the air in aggravation. “What are you going to do?”
