No wonder he didn't want to move. He was hiding himself. Hiding a body that betrayed him.
“Three governors. Her friends…” His eyes closed. “No one thinks a woman can rape a man.” A single tear streaked down his face. “She can,” he whispered.
NarrAy had to get him out of here. What would she do if it were a woman who'd been raped?
She untucked her shirt, stripped it off, and moved closer to him. Thank god she'd worn a bra.
“I'm not going to hurt you, baby. It's all right.”
Khyff flinched when she wiped his face with the shirt, but he didn't resist.
“I'm going to tie this around your waist. It's okay. Let me help you.” Gingerly, she reached around him and tied the sleeves behind his back. His skin was hot, feverish.
She'd used her pheromones to question prisoners. It made them open up and trust her. She concentrated on that now, crested willingly, letting the powerful chemicals down to influence Senth's brother. She put her arms around him and hugged him, and he let himself be held. His skin was wet, some of it sweat, most of it blood.
Too late, she realized he'd just made physical contact with her pheromones through broken skin. Right into his bloodstream.
Khyff sighed, sank wearily against her shoulder like a child and pressed his cheek against her. She'd addicted him in a flash.
Damn. She let out a long breath. Nothing to do but deal with weaning him later. At least now, he wouldn't try to kill himself.
“Come on, Khyff. Let me help you stand. We've got to help Senth. He's been hurt.”
“Senth hurt?” He sat up. News of his brother mobilized him. “Where? Take me to him.”
How am I going to get these guys back to the ship in one piece? Please don't let the perjump kill them both.
She helped him to his feet. She bit her lips shut to keep from exclaiming over the stroke lines and bruises all over him. He'd been flogged, every bit of his legs and torso marked. Blood streaked his thighs. My god, what did they do to him? What kind of monsters did Destoiya set loose on this man?
Back in the outer room, Senth lay unconscious on the floor, his face white. Khyff squatted, lifted his brother into his arms, and stood.
She blinked. He'd been tortured and whipped yet he picked up his adult brother as easily as if Senth had been a child.
“How do we get out of here?”
“Like this.” NarrAy stood beside him and activated the perjump unit.
The next moment a room full of APLA officers on break surrounded them.
One woman spewed her drink, no doubt at the shock of seeing a naked blond god appear out of nowhere, whipped bloody, and fully erect, holding another male beauty unconscious in his arms. NarrAy covered herself with her arms.
O'Venna charged to his feet. “Medical emergency! Medteam to the Ready Room!”
Everyone sprang into action at once. NarrAy helped Khyff ease Senth onto the conference table.
Someone grabbed blankets from a storage closet and spread one over Senth. NarrAy wrapped hers around Khyff, and maneuvered him into a chair before he fell.
He took Senth's hand in his, resting his forehead against his brother's arm. NarrAy stood beside them, one hand on Senth's shoulder, the other on Khyff's. No point in avoiding touch when she'd already addicted him.
O'Venna laid his hands on Senth's chest, eyes closed. When he opened them a few seconds later, he smiled at her
“He'll be fine, Captain. He has minor internal bleeding, but he's suffering withdrawal from Shackle, if I recall his file.” He removed his own coat while he was talking, unfastened his shirt. “Any type of bleeding during that time can cause dizziness and fainting. He's going to be all right.”
He offered her the shirt, and she slipped it on and tied it in front.
NarrAy stroked Senth's hair, and shared a relieved smile with Khyff.
“No offense,” O'Venna told the elder Antonello brother, “but you look like you've been through hell.” He offered him a bottle of water.
Khyff hesitated before taking it. He opened the bottle and drank deeply. “I've been living there for years.” He wiped a hand across his mouth. “Think it's about time I moved.”
NarrAy grinned at him.
O'Venna took her hand, held it in both of his. “You can debrief later, Captain. It looks like you'll have quite a report.”
“You don't know the half of it, sir.”
“Hand off the prototype to engineering, and then go to sick bay. I want you checked out thoroughly.”
When the medteam bustled in and surrounded Khyff and Senth, NarrAy headed down the corridor, entered a lift, and got off on the level designated Engineering. Outside the main office, she opened a hatch labeled Armory and withdrew a quasi-burn rifle.
Setting the perjump prototype on the floor, she stood back and stared at it.
Her parents' life work. Every dream they'd dreamed, every goal they'd reached. The only copy of everything they'd accomplished.
The gateway to a different kind of hell, where no walls kept the enemy out and no one slept secure in the quiet night.
“I'm sorry, Dad. Mom. I can't let anyone control this kind of power.”
NarrAy released the gun's safety, set it against the unit, and fired.
Epilogue
All People's Liberation Army Ship Vandal
Sick Bay
NarrAy set her hands on the purplish band of light-rails surrounding Senth's hospital bed. The innocence of his face in sleep made her sigh.
You'd think I was a lovesick girl. She propped her chin on one hand. Ffffftt. Guess maybe I am.
Since his surgery two days ago, Senth had recovered enough to eat solid food, but the doctors weren't releasing him for a few more days. It would be longer than that before his abs were up to any kind of exercise.
Any kind, damn it.
The perjump had turned a simple bruise on Senth's abdomen into an internal laceration the size of a fist. All because of one unguarded moment and a punch thrown by a bigoted kid. A moment Senth leveraged into money to buy roses and chocolates for her that she had refused to accept.
Never again. I will never let anything come between us again.
Khyff dozed in the next bed blankets pulled up around his ears. His physical trauma warranted internal stitches. One perjump later, he required surgery and extensive rest. Combined with the massive dose of Thrust he'd received and the emotional consequences of his assault, it was a miracle he hadn't withdrawn from reality.
The doctor warned them of depression signs to watch for, but so far Khyff had been nothing but quiet. Too quiet. And annoyingly protective of his little brother.
“Hi.” Senth smiled up at her. “I like waking up and seeing your face.”
“Good thing, sweetheart.” She brushed back his hair and caressed one of his ears with her fingertips. “You're going to be seeing it every morning for the rest of your life.”
“I like that even more.” He leaned his cheek against her hand.
“You look better.”
“I thought you were the Better.” He hissed playfully when she tugged a lock of his hair, and then grinned at her. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
She leaned over the light rail and kissed him.
“Oh, please.” Khyff pulled the blanket over his head. “Get a room.”
Senth and NarrAy laughed.
“Quit complaining,” Senth told him. “You're the one who wants us to wait two years to get married. If I'm going to live with you, you'd better get used to seeing me kiss NarrAy.”
She leaned her elbows on the bright railing, hands folded and relaxed. “I think Khyff's right. You've only known me a short time. Marriage is a permanent thing. You should be positive it's what you want.”
“Ffffftt Khyff.” Senth slipped one hand into hers and squeezed it. “I do know what I want.”
She giggled. “I know what you want, too, you bad boy.”
“Yes, you do, sweetie, and tha
t is a fact.” He drew her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. “I just don't see why we have to wait.”
“I'll tell you why.” Khyff pushed back the covers and leaned on one elbow. “Because you're going to get taller over the next two years, probably top me in height. You'll put on weight and fill out. I want you to let your body catch up with your emotions. You have plenty of time for these decisions. You need to finish growing up before you…”
Senth interrupted him with a growl.
“Let your hackles down, little brother. I meant physically. I know the routine by heart. You're a legal adult, you can join the armada, and vote, and blah blah blah. But you still have to wait.”
“But…”
“No.” He held up a hand, stilling protest. “Because I said so, and that's the end of it.”
Senth looked up at NarrAy. “He thinks he knows everything. Are all brothers this bossy?”
“I don't know. I was an only child, sweetheart. I never had a brother.”
Khyff snorted.
She added, “Until now.”
Her future brother-in-law rewarded her with a heart-melting smile. And then stuck out his tongue at Senth.
“Oh, yeah,” Senth pouted, “now there's an example of maturity.”
His brother let out a belly laugh and lay back down, chuckling.
Senth started to laugh, grabbed his stomach and groaned. “Ow … it hurts when I laugh.”
Khyff pulled a face, sticking his thumbs in his ears and wagging his fingers.
Laughing and whimpering at the same time, Senth curled into a ball.
NarrAy shook her head, grinning. Life around these two will never be dull, that's for sure.
She turned when O'Venna knocked on the open door. He spoke briefly with Khyff and Senth, asking about their health, and then asked NarrAy to walk with him.
Once in the corridor, the Sleeper drew her aside.
“Let's get right down to business. Two things. The governing council has reviewed your destruction of the prototype. Frankly, only the fact it was your parents' technology and that I intervened on your behalf kept you out of the brig.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“They've agreed to retain you in the APLA, but you'll be demoted to Second Lieutenant.”
That reduction was only two pay grades, much less severe than she expected.
“You're still assigned to Ruffhaus Fasra. Stealth Keheyl contacted us this morning. He's on his way back with her. A medteam's meeting them later tonight.”
“Is she all right?”
He gave a small shake of his head. “She was Destoiya's top Praetorian, and the Conqueror didn't take kindly to her rebellion. Ruff was tortured. Stealth says it'll be weeks before she's up to speed. She's going to need your expertise.”
“I'll do whatever's necessary, sir.”
“The council also considered your recruitment of Senth Antonello. We believe he'll be a tremendous asset to the resistance. We'd like you to place him on your staff. That's assuming he'll have no problem reporting to you.”
“Thank you, sir. I believe Senth will go along with that. What was the second thing?”
The Sleeper resumed walking, and she kept pace beside him. “Khyff and Senth have a visitor that I want you to approve. How he got here is off the record. You can assume I cleared it. There are people working on our side whom you'd never suspect of being rebels.”
O'Venna stopped outside the Ready Room.
“Due to his history with the two men, I declined to admit him without your okay.” He opened the door and gestured her inside.
A man in black turned toward her, revealing his whiteless eyes. None other than Luc Saint-Cyr.
* * * *
Tarth, Tarth City
Conqueror's Palace
Alitus knocked and then opened Destoiya's office door. He stepped inside and smiled at her, warming the room just by his presence. “Please excuse the interruption, Majesty.”
She set down her stylus and leaned her chin on one hand, enjoying the view of her blond assistant. He wore a dark business suit conservatively cut, the jacket short enough for her to see the shape of his tight little butt when he turned around and shut the door. The pants showed off his long, powerful legs.
Does he ever tire of my lusting after him?
Alitus faced her and dropped his blue-eyed gaze briefly before meeting her intense scrutiny. His cheeks colored and he licked his dark lips. His pheromones wafted to her, a clean scent of apricots and healthy male.
He wants me. She smiled. I must be living right to deserve this.
“Yes, Alitus?”
“The guest you were expecting is here, Majesty. The side door. Shall I admit him?”
“No, thank you, love. I'll get it.” She stood. “I'm going to want absolute privacy for a while. See that my door is locked. Post a Praetorian on your outer door, and admit no one to my office. I'll need you later.”
“Yes, Majesty. Understood.” He bowed slightly.
When the door shut behind him, she cleared the massive wooden desk by sliding the note readers and paperwork into a drawer carelessly. Alitus would sort them out later. She slid her palm across the dark, polished surface.
Only two hours ago, she'd perched on its edge while Alitus serviced her. Her nipples tightened at the memory and the dampness between her legs increased.
After adjusting the angle of the wing-backed chairs and plumping the pillows in them, she smoothed her uniform. She crossed the room to the side entrance.
Luc Saint-Cyr stood there, cold and hard like a statue carved from coal. His onyx-colored eyes gazed at her without blinking. She knew the Harbinger sized her up like a slave on the market, saw the naked woman beneath the uniform.
She stepped back and beckoned him inside. Shutting the door behind him, she gestured to the chairs. “I expected you an hour ago, Luc.”
“Security issues on the Vandal took more time than we thought. For some reason, they didn't trust me. Imagine that.” He leaned back in the chair and gave her a wry smile. “Otherwise, it all went as planned.”
She sat across from him. “Did you verify the prototype was destroyed?”
“It was.”
“Excellent. That's what I wanted in the first place. O'Venna was a fool to think anyone would use perjump for good. It nearly destroyed civilization thousands of years ago. The Forgotten Technologies Arena is only supposed to make sure the different technologies can't be used until we decide it's time for them again. The Jorlans political wavering toward rebellion is what got them killed.”
“The rebel council demoted NarrAy Jorlan to Second Lieutenant, but she's still assigned to Ruffhaus Fasra.”
“Demotion won't hold her back long.” Destoiya crossed her legs and leaned back. “She's powerful. And my dear Ruffhaus. If I ever get my hands on Stealth Keheyl I'll kill him for stealing her from me. A little bit longer and I'd have broken her. Ruffhaus is dangerous out there, working against me.”
Saint-Cyr steepled his fingers. “O'Venna and Jorlan recruited Senthys right out from under my nose. I had the boy in complete thrall until that Better got her hands on him. You owe me for that. He'd have made me rich.”
“I'll give you a hundred times what he'd have earned you. You more than deserve it for masterminding this entire theft. It was brilliant, Luc. Confiscating everything and then letting Jorlan steal back the important piece.” She swung one foot. “How is my beautiful Khyff?”
The Harbinger's whiteless eyes blinked slowly, like a bird of prey. “He's agreed to work for me at For Women Only. I let it drop that you'd arrested the three governors who abused him.”
“They were only supposed to share him. I never gave them permission to mistreat him. His blood was on half the toys in that room! You're sure he's all right?”
“He needed surgery, according to Senthys.”
“Those animals! Believe me, I'll make them suffer for what they did to him. I already refitted his androids. Khyff would have been o
ne of my keepers if not for them. I should never have shared him. He was too good to waste like that. If I had him back…” She hit her fist against the arm of the chair. “You knew Jorlan was coming for him, didn't you?”
“Sorry, love. All's fair. Nothing in the rules says I have to warn you.”
Destoiya chewed the inside of her lower lip, gauging his expression. Cold, heartless, icy bastard. Fine. I can play too. You'll need warning one day, and I won't give it either.
She smiled. “I expect you to be good to him. I want the boy well rewarded. He deserves it.”
“Stalkos always said he was good.”
She dragged the toe of one foot up his right leg, all the way to his knee. “Damned near as good as you.”
His sly smile warmed her in all the right places. How long had it been since she'd had him, anyway? The thought of his smooth, dark skin pooled heat between her thighs and drenched her panties with moisture.
“Although Khyff let me rule him. He didn't take charge like you.”
“You must miss me, my dear. No one else ever took you in hand the way I did.”
“What can I say? I'm a hopeless testosterone junkie, and you have an overabundance of it.”
The Harbinger inclined his head in agreement.
“Did you tell him about the new law?”
Destoiya had signed the Khyffen Law into being that morning, a bill requiring the education of child slaves and proof of their ability to read and write before businesses would be eligible for government contracts.
“I did. The boy actually smiled. He never smiles. He's worse than Prentice.”
“He will.” She kicked off her shoe and slid bare toes under the hem of his trouser leg. “He has his whole life ahead of him.”
She reached over and tapped the pad connecting her to Alitus.
He answered immediately. “Yes, Majesty?”
“Cancel all my appointments for the rest of the day.” Destoiya started unbuttoning her jacket. “I'm going to be in conference until I tell you otherwise.”
“Yes, Majesty. Consider it done.”
“Tell me, Rheyn.” The Harbinger rose, unfastening his coat and opening his shirt. “Will Alitus be able to hear what I'm doing to you behind these doors?”
“Of course.” She stripped off her uniform and stood before him naked.
At the Mercy of Her Pleasure Page 21
