Lothar waited until the hall mounted camera revealed his son long gone. After sufficient time had passed, he summoned one of his men loyal to him. Calix entered his office after a brisk knock.
“What did you discover?” Lothar wasted no time asking.
“It is as your son reported. The warehouse exploded as soon as his ship landed. He had no knowledge of what occurred before that.”
Recent events had compelled Lothar to have someone watch his son. After his mother’s death, his behavior steadily grew recalcitrant. More so after Lothar forced him to kill one of his favored tutanis.
He was aware Niko had been gathering his own following. It didn’t concern him unless his son had an alternative reason for building such relationships. The secrecy only served to amuse him more.
Still, something was different. Off. Lothar had yet to discover the reason. Suspicions had grown since Niko’s return from being held prisoner by the Enotians.
Had they done something to him there? Convinced him to turn against his own blood? Red hot flares of rage blinded his vision as he thought of the indignity the Jutak warriors had imposed on his only son. To cage him as if he wasn’t blooded kin to the Majad himself was an insult he would not ignore.
“What of that Earth female I sent to him?” Lothar grimaced even as he asked the necessary question. His feelings about the woman Brax had snuck under his guard were mixed.
He should have killed her immediately to avoid the attention she could potentially draw from the Jutak warriors but the initial glance of her body had made his mouth water so he’d ignored his instincts. She wasn’t ripe and curved as he preferred but his curiosity after hearing the many rumors of their sexual proclivities was ignited.
“You know nothing comes out of your son’s suite that he doesn’t wish. His kitse and guards are close mouthed.”
Lothar pounded a fist on his desk. He’d tried bribes and commands but Niko’s guards couldn’t be persuaded to reveal anything. He’d killed the first two who refused him but his son managed to replace them with men of the same ilk. Loyal and willing to die to protect his son’s privacy.
After killing the fifth and sixth guards for the same stalwart refusal to bend to his will, he’d drawn Nikol’s ire and his son had threatened to return the favor threefold by cutting a bloody swath through the ranks of Lothar’s guards.
He didn’t care who his son killed, the very thought whet his appetite to see Niko finally display the bloodthirsty hunger Lothar himself thrived on. He’d backed down though, for fear it would chase him away. There were many things Lothar was willing to do but losing his son wasn’t one of them. He’d had many years to regret the death of his second surviving son. If he hadn’t been so hasty in the past, he wouldn’t be dependant on Niko to carry on his legacy.
As for the tutanis, Niko didn’t let them venture out of his suite unguarded. Ever. The extent he went to for a bunch of used sex slaves was ridiculous and eliminated Lothar’s chance to get them alone. His fist curled tighter. Being thwarted never sat well with him. He knew if given the chance he could sway one of the punans to tell him everything he wanted. Willing or otherwise.
At least he now had a new means of trying to discover the things his son hid. “How long do you think before Taima catches his eyes?”
She’d certainly caught Lothar’s and he’d had the opportunity to enjoy her skills immensely. There were only a few things he’d needed to show her to improve her performance. Vizen had been well rewarded for the minor damage she suffered and the medics had healed her with no lingering effects once Lothar let her leave his bed.
“I believe with your recent orders for Niko to remain on Marenia, he won’t be able to resist Taima for long.”
Calix seemed confident in his statement. Lothar wasn’t so sure but accepted his word.
“Good.” Lothar wanted his son to have a child. He’d be more involved than he had been in Niko’s upbringing. Plus, it would give him leverage to curb his son’s recent surge in defiance. “Make sure she learns all of Niko’s secrets once she has him between her thighs.”
“As you command. I will inform Vizen.” Calix bowed and let himself out.
Lothar rocked back in his chair. Power was everything, but it could be snatched away in an instant. “What secret are you guarding so fiercely, my son?”
Chapter 10
“Why are we doing this again?” Dain asked as he dodged the fist Nikol aimed toward his face.
Nikol danced backward from the quick kick that almost landed on his torso. Dane was predictable in some regards and always went for Nikol’s midsection. “Because I need the practice.”
Dain snorted derisively and bounced on his bare heels around Nikol on the sparring pad as he sought an opening. “No one could need practice less.”
Holding in a grin, Nikol double tapped Dain in the mouth and ducked away.
“Suare!” Dain wiped the smear of blood from his busted lip.
“Leaving Marenia for any reason now would draw undue notice.”
Dain swung, missed, then spun around and kicked. “I would have thought you’d be pleased with Lothar’s mandate that you not go out for a while.”
He was, and he wasn’t. There were other things on Nikol’s mind keeping him in a state of flux besides Lothar’s mercurial mood shifts. “It bothers me in no way.”
It was the new tutanis he’d been gifted that really had him on edge. Her shapely body drew him against his will and fired his blood in a way he didn’t appreciate.
Sensing his distraction, Dain threw a combination punch sequence. For anyone else, it would have been hard to defend. Nikol wasn’t anyone else. He responded with a flurry of high spin kicks that had Dain scurrying back to avoid.
Nikol landed lightly on his feet and waited.
“Then it must be the woman,” Dain quipped, holding up his padded fists in front of his face. “Is she any good?”
Nikol’s muscles twitched. As soon as Dain reset his balance Nikol lunged forward, striking him on his bare chest with his left fist. He followed it with a bruising palm below his ribs with his right.
“Fuck you very much, Nikol,” Dain spat, stumbling from the blows.
Nikol chuckled. “Pay attention and stop worrying about who takes my seed.”
They circled one another, heads lowered and breath coming in rough pants. Dain broke Nikol’s guard and swung his left arm with his full weight behind the punch.
Nikol twisted his hips and jerked back, causing the debilitating strike to glance off his side. Always the midsection with Dain.
Sweat dripped down Nikol’s face and the dull throb at his temples told him he was done. They’d been sparring for over an hour and the tension riding him had not abated. There was only one thing that would ease his ache and it involved a certain red-haired female.
Nikol lowered his arms and Dane cast him a grateful look as he walked away to retrieve his beverage container. “You want to talk about it?”
Dain knew him well and didn’t need to guess why Nikol was out of sorts. Any other time he’d appreciate the opinion of his fellow conspirator but these strange inclinations directed toward the Earth woman were too new to discuss aloud. “I’ll work through it, Dain.”
His friend studied him, searching for his own answer then nodded as if finding confirmation. “Know I’m here.”
Nikol tipped his chin up and swiped a hand down his face. He lowered his voice as they walked side by side to the public cleansing room adjacent to the training center. “What about the other matter?”
With his tone just as soft, Dain said, “A few more days, a week at most and we should know something.”
A smile curved Nikol’s lips. “Excellent.”
“Are you sure we can trust him?”
Dain referenced the Chamele Nikol had formed an uneasy partnership with. Smiki was involved in small scale crimes, which made him a perfect tool for Nikol to utilize. He was low also enough on the radar no one would pay him any attention yet well connecte
d enough to help with what Nikol’s planned.
It didn’t hurt that Nikol had used him frequently over the years under his secret guise. Though there had been a massive mistake in identity for that particular task, Smiki had done well for him. Not that Nikol told him. It paid to keep the Chamele on edge and fearful. “He knows what will happen if he betrays me.”
Dain accepted his response and dropped the matter. They couldn’t speak often when home. Lothar reviewed the recordings on the cameras constantly for ways to manipulate and control others.
What Nikol was doing had been a long time in the making. Careful planning, dismantling certain enterprises, all while hiding his identity from those he dealt with. It only took one slip and the delicate balancing act he’d been juggling for years would come crashing down around him.
***
“Tell us about Earth. We don’t know much of that planet,” Amia requested.
Darcy shook away thoughts of her dark captor and stretched out on the blankets spread on the grass in the garden. Despite her captivity, she could appreciate the island like oasis. Earth, with its towering buildings as far as the eye could see and little of nature besides a handful of protected preserves on the African continent, was nothing like her small glimpses of Marenia.
“I supposed it’s typical. The only place I’ve ever known,” Darcy settled on.
Tashire was pretending to lotion the smooth lines of her shapely legs but Darcy could tell she was listening. Cecilee was adding paint to Stasia’s nails in a brilliant shade of blue and glanced up. “Were you happy there?”
Happy was subjective. “For the most part. I had a job which is rare.”
Setting the lotion down, Tashire shifted about to sit on the side of her hips. “Women worked?”
She sounded appalled and fascinated at the same time.
“Well, yes. Everyone who can, tries to find work. It’s the only way to afford a place to live and eat. I was lucky enough to have my mother pay for my education and secure me a role at her place of work.”
Others weren’t so fortunate. Jobs were scarce and only those with the highest skill test ratings or strong family connections got them.
“What did you do?” Amia asked in a shy tone.
Darcy hesitated. Then decided they wouldn’t connect it with her plans to escape. “I worked on computer systems. Tech support officially, but I specialized in electronic security and firewall defenses.”
They blinked, faces blank but trying to maintain interest. Darcy barked out a laugh. “Never mind. Anyway, some twenty plus years ago, a virus hit and spread uncontrollably through our world. Mostly it impacted the men there. After it was over our population suffered a shortage.”
“A shortage of men?!” Stasia was shocked. “How is that possible?”
Shrugging, Darcy said, “It’s what happened. Because men were suddenly in demand, women had to share them.”
“Ahhhh,” they said in unison.
Darcy flushed. Of course, women in a harem would understand sharing men.
“Did you have a man you shared and left behind? Is that why you are reluctant to accept Nikol as your master?”
Cecilee was sharp and had to suspect Darcy wasn’t resigned to her fate. She did cringe at the term master.
“I had a boyfriend briefly.” Seeing their confused looks, she added, “I had a man, not a master. It wasn’t exclusive and he had another girlfriend.”
What a waste of time that had been. Darcy tried not to think of her mistake with Kevin. Thinking she could make him want to be with her exclusively had been the biggest lie she told herself. He damn sure made it clear he wasn’t interested in children unless Darcy paid the going rate for a man’s sperm at five thousand dollars.
“Earth doesn’t sound pleasant. You are better off here,” Amia declared while tugging on her ponytail.
Darcy’s laugh was derisive. “Not exactly. I did leave in hopes of finding someone I could spend my life with. Raise a family.”
They grew quiet. Stasia was tentative as she asked, “Maybe you could raise a family here. We would love to help care for a little one.”
Darcy didn’t want to offend them but nothing about living in a harem and being a slave screamed family values to her. “Are we allowed to see anything beyond this suite? The rooms are nice and the garden is absolutely amazing. But I’d love to see beyond those high walls out here though. Or even a tour of this building.”
Then she could get a better idea of what she was working with and figure out how to get on the next ship off this backward world.
“It would require Nikol’s permission,” Tashire said, getting to her feet. “A guard is by our sides at all times if we do leave for something. We are safer her. To leave is to tempt fate.”
Whelp, guess she thought she’d put Darcy in her place. Except what Tashire didn’t realize was that Darcy didn’t have a place. She made her own way.
Amia and Stasia got up and left too. Cecilee waited until it was just the two of them. “Don’t mind, Tashire. Her experience with the males here has not been the most positive but things are much better now that we have Nikol.”
Right. They had Nikol. And that burned more than Cecilee would ever know.
Chapter 11
Nikol slouched against the opened glass entryway leading into the garden as he coldly assessed the Earth woman. Currently, she was laughing at something said by one of the other tutanis, her face tipped up to enjoy the mid-day sun. There had been no such laughter or smiles when he’d arrived home earlier in the week. Only stilted silences and blatant defiance. His cock hardened in remembrance.
Sparring with Dain at night left him fatigued, but his appetite for this new tutanis continued to grow. At the beginning of his enforced grounding from Lothar, Nikol had planned to avoid the female as much as possible. He’d discarded one scenario after the other on how to dispose of her. None would work and leave his actions unnoticed.
Gradually she’d gained his interest beyond the idea of getting rid of her. Inexplicably, he continued to be drawn to her.
The way she attempted to ignore him all week only made him pay closer attention. She had to be up to something. Any other female who looked like her would be fighting for a top spot and to be favored in his kitse. This one did none of that and it made him suspicious. He couldn’t figure out her angle.
Because of his fascination, Nikol was spending more time than usual in his kitse. Sometimes he stared at the Earth woman, trying to discover the reason for the attraction she held for him. No doubt, she was lovely to gaze upon. Breasts like perfectly formed melons found in the forest and tipped by plump wine colored nipples he longed to taste.
Her hair was lush, the brilliant red color a vibrant splash against her creamy shoulders. Marenians were darker with hints of burnished copper beneath their skin, making her unusual pale coloring stand out all the more. She glowed amongst the other females like a vivid jewel set amongst her counterparts.
She had a smooth forehead, high cheekbones and a slim arrogant nose set in an oval face. Her lips were plump, the bottom forming a pout that dared him to remove it.
Nikol wasn’t well versed in the behavior of those who came from Earth. What he did know came from the visits to the detestable auctions Lothar occasionally sent him to oversee. From what he noted, Earth men were weak willed and lacking in any form of honor. The females, to the contrary, were strong, fierce. Both genders, however, broke under pressure and couldn’t sustain long term pain.
Compared to other races for sale, the Earth people were a poor bet, yet they drew a high price each time one was available. They were exotic toys to some.
Torkel was bonded to one though, and the match appeared to fulfill him. Perhaps that was why she drew Nikol’s eyes. Marenian females were reared to be subservient and that behavior increased around Nikol as they doubled their effort to draw his attention. Malice and greed gleamed in their eyes while soft spoken words glided like slick honey from their tongues.
He wouldn’t be caught in that trap. Off world was only slightly different. When he came in contact with females of other races, they either sought his regard with overly flirtatious gestures which he ignored for their safety, or they avoided him out of a strong sense of self-preservation.
At any rate, Nikol selected his own bed partners, they didn’t select him. This one, this perilous gift from Lothar, had him wary. Every day for the last week, he’d observed the way she moved, the things she said to the women. Every day he battled a hard on and the need to throw her to all fours and mount her.
“Let Amia do your hair, Darcy. She has a way with taming the thickest locks,” Stasia called out from her seat on a large rock near the carefully constructed stream running alongside the pathway.
The Earth woman held out a long length of red hair over her shoulder. “Blech! It’s longer than I’ve had it since my teens. I should cut it all off.”
Nikol jolted, his arms dropped from their crossed position over his chest. Never! He would not allow her to destroy such beauty.
“No,” Cecilee rushed in. She smacked at the Earth woman’s hand until she dropped the strands of hair. “It’s lovely. All the waves and coils at the bottom. And the color. You have hair women dream of.”
And men too, Nikol thought, resuming his position. He dreamed of wrapping the fiery strands about his fists and using it to guide her movements beneath him.
She blew out a breath in exasperation. “Fine. Let Amia have her way with it.”
Amia quickly left the flowers she’d been collecting in a basket with an eager look and picked up a discarded brush. Stasia reclined on her side on a blanket and Cecilee sat with her legs folded to the side. Tashire had her head in Cecilee’s lap and appeared to be dozing. Nikol couldn’t believe how accepting Lothar’s former tutanis were of the female.
She was younger, her body nubile and had a face that would have drawn fiercely loyal Pethis’ attention away from Asmine. Yet they’d flocked to her and mothered her as if she was the child none of them had managed to bear.
Nikol's Surrender (A World Beyond, #10) Page 9
