“Why?”
“Because eight years ago, Ustrod was on Tronbard, trying to take over the planet before the Sardorans stopped him.”
“So, he couldn’t have been on the ship.”
“No. And it’s a reasonable assumption that whoever this person is, they are here at court. Ustrod thought everyone else was below him.”
“Hmm.” Gernagan’s eyes sharpened and he nodded at Ella. “The whole court’s going to be at your birthday gala. Why not take her and see if she recognizes anyone?”
His first delighted approval was followed by a reluctant head shake. “I’m afraid not.”
“Why not?” Ella piped up.
“My love, I’m sorry, but as much as I would like to escort you, I can’t,” he said gently, even as he envisioned her at his side. “The court would be in an uproar.”
“I understand,” she said softly, then looked thoughtful. Her eyes began to sparkle. “What if you took me as your kitten? As your… pet?”
“Absolutely not.”
“It’s not a bad idea,” Gernagan said. He ignored Karthajin’s outraged look. “Pretty little thing like that, everyone would want a chance to see her and she could be looking back. Since they don’t even think she can talk, I doubt anyone would consider her a threat.”
“Why would they think she couldn’t talk?”
Gernagan shook his head impatiently. “Your Imperial Majesty, do you really think there is anyone in the palace who doesn’t know that you’ve adopted a little pet who can’t talk, and you are keeping her in your rooms?”
Fuck. First Lekasar, then Gernagan. How could he have been so oblivious? Perhaps because he had wanted to be. “I suppose I should have realized.”
“I should also mention that if you take her out in public, it will be quite clear that you are in no hurry to choose a First Consort.” Gernagan smirked. “Might get some of those anxious fathers off your back.”
Ella giggled, and he frowned down at her. She obviously didn’t understand what it would mean.
“Kitten, I don’t think you understand. Everyone is going to think you’re just a slave, a sex slave.”
She tilted her head and looked up at him, her face growing serious. “I understand, but I don’t care. I know how you feel and that’s all that matters to me. Plus, I’ll be there with you.” The mischief reappeared. “And you know, in Turmoil and Tranquility, Lady Natashen played the part of a prostitute in order to get Prince Andraxi to betray himself. The emperor’s sex slave is a much more appealing role.” She snuggled closer, very deliberately letting the soft curves of her ass settle over his shaft and pressing her breasts into his chest. His horns gave a quick pulse.
Gernagan coughed. “Perhaps we should start by seeing if the girl recognizes the prisoner. Then you can decide.”
“Very well.” If she recognized him, he would consider taking her to the birthday gala. “Kitten, I think it would be best if I took you to his cell. You could observe him through the glass.”
She shivered but lifted her chin and echoed his words. “Very well.”
As he reached for the com panel to call Warnax, the guard called him instead.
“Yes, Warnax?”
“The prisoner is dead, Sire.”
“What?” He enabled the speaker function so that Gernagan could hear.
“The medic is examining the body now, but he appears to have been poisoned.” Warnax’s voice deepened. “He was, of course, searched thoroughly, but he apparently managed to conceal poison on his body. I apologize for my failure, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“There are many ways for a determined man to conceal poison, Chief Warnax,” Gernagan said. “Had anyone been allowed to visit him?”
“No, Sir. However, he was provided with food and water. I’m checking on that now.”
“Thank you, Warnax.” Giving Ella an encouraging hug, he continued. “I will be bringing Ella down to see if she can recognize him. Please make sure the medic doesn’t disturb his face before we get there.”
“Yes, Sire."
He disconnected and took Ella’s hand. “Come along, pet. Let’s see if you recognize this man.”
Chapter Twenty
A week later, Karthajin stood impatiently while his dresser laced his sleeves. He hated the birthday gala, hated the ridiculously expensive presents, and the insincere wishes, but most of all he hated the memory of how his mother had been excluded from every one. The only thing that made the whole ordeal a tiny bit more bearable was the fact that Ella would be with him. She had been fairly certain that she recognized the dead prisoner and he’d had to admit that it made sense for her to at least get a glimpse of the members of his court in person.
While Karthajin was dressing, Kolga was putting the finishing touches on Ella’s costume in the next room. He had instructed his tailor to spare no expense, but he wasn’t sure what his tailor had designed, and Ella only giggled when he asked. Her sunny nature had reasserted itself over the past week, even though he caught her looking at him occasionally with a longing expression. He suspected that she might have seen the same look on his face. It helped that they were spending more time together. Since the palace was apparently completely aware of her presence, he gave up on his attempts at discretion. She once again accompanied him to his office and joined him for any of the meals in his private quarters, although she maintained her silence around all but a select few.
Earlier that evening she had shyly presented him with a birthday present. A simple wooden frame, delicately hand-painted, surrounded a portrait of his mother. She was seated in a chair, the light shining over her shoulder as she looked down at the baby she held. He couldn’t have been more than a few months old in the picture, but he was watching her just as intently.
“She’s smiling,” he said softly. The shadows that crept over her in later years had yet to appear.
“Because she’s happy.” Ella replied just as softly. “Because she loves you.”
“I wish I could remember her like this,” he said wistfully.
“Well, now you can.”
“Where did you find it?”
“I asked Saban. He helped me go through everything that was available. I didn’t want an official portrait.”
“It’s beautiful, kitten. I love it.” He traced the delicate flowers that ornamented the frame, noticing the care that had gone into each line. “Did you do this?”
She blushed and bit her lip. “I did. I know it’s not perfect, but I wanted to give you something that came just from me.” Her blue eyes were anxious as they looked up at him. “But I understand if you would rather put it in a more expensive frame.”
“Kitten, I wouldn’t trade this frame for a solid gold frame encrusted with diamonds. It’s perfect.”
Then he kissed her, her sweet mouth as responsive and welcoming as always, and when she was breathless and panting, her hands clutching at his horns, he carried her off to the bed and showed her just how much he appreciated her present.
He wished he could have kept her there all evening, the two of them isolated from everyone else, but the birthday gala awaited. Tonight would be the first time she would be with him openly and he was simultaneously pleased with the prospect and unhappy about the role in which she would appear.
“Finished, Sire,” his dresser said quietly, and he realized that he was staring absently into space.
“Thank you.”
She bowed and disappeared, just as he heard Ella giggle and tell Kolga goodbye. He entered the room as she turned away from the door and he came to an abrupt halt, lust wiping his brain empty of all thought. For once in his life, his ability to guard his expression failed completely. Ella came prancing up to him wearing the most outrageous costume he’d ever seen. Little furry ears poked out of her blond curls, and more white fur circled her wrists and ankles. A while silk halter edged with diamonds barely covered her perfect little breasts and the matching triangle covering her luscious little cunt was just as minimal. A slim
gold chain dotted with diamonds circled her slender waist and another chain led from the jewel encrusted collar circling her delicate neck.
“Do you like it?” she asked excitedly.
He liked it so much he could barely speak. The combination of innocent kitten and provocative sensuality had his horns throbbing and his cock pushing impatiently at his pants.
“You can’t possibly wear that,” he managed.
“You don’t like it.” Her face fell and her lower lip pouted out.
“I like it very much, kitten, but I don’t want anyone else seeing you in it.”
“We agreed on this, remember?” Putting her arms around him, she smiled up at him, the feel of her almost naked body against his fully clothed one doing nothing to eliminate his arousal. With a groan, he reached down to lift her into his arms and more fur brushed his fingers. A tail?
If Kolga had dared to insert anything into her body… Red rage colored his vision as he spun her around. To his relief, the tail was attached to the thin strip of cloth which disappeared between her buttocks. Kolga wouldn’t have to die today. Although considering just how realistic it looked and just how little of her luscious little bottom was actually covered, he might have to reconsider.
“Kitten, are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yes. I’ll see if I can recognize the man. You’ll show the court you’re not yet ready to settle down. It will be fun.” She gave him a sunny smile and despite his arousal, despite his desire to keep her locked away forever, he picked up the other end of her chain and led her out of his rooms.
As they walked into the reception hall, he saw that true to her word, she was enjoying herself. She trailed behind him on the golden chain, looking around with a wide-eyed innocence that he was sure was only partially an act. A stunned silence fell, almost immediately replaced by hushed whispers. No one was quite rude enough to stare outright, but everyone was looking. He was torn between the desire to cover her up and whisk her away, and an overwhelming pride in her beauty.
He hadn’t escorted a woman to a formal event since he’d become emperor, the situation too fraught with unpleasant memories. His grandfather's mate, an intimidating woman in her own right, had always accompanied him, but then excused herself gracefully as the evening descended into drunken debauchery, to be rapidly replaced by one of his grandfather’s many favorites. His father had never bothered to wait, simply ignoring his mother in favor of his latest conquest when he was forced to have her present.
Ignoring the looks and the whispers, he led his beautiful little kitten to his chair as his courtiers parted before him in a wave of obeisance. The chair wasn’t quite a throne, but it was close enough, and he usually despised sitting here. Yet somehow, when he seated himself and Ella curled on the blue silk cushions at his feet, it didn’t seem as bad as it usually did. He waited with unusual patience as an endless procession of people came up to wish him well. Ella studied them from under her lashes and darted quick little looks around the room, as alert and curious as her tigren cub.
He knew that she was quite aware of his conversations, but they didn’t seem to bother her. When Lady Arkanta made an extremely explicit proposition right over her head, he saw her lips twitch and his anger turned to amusement. When Prince Leterit actually did give him a gold picture frame encrusted with diamonds—with a picture of his daughter—Ella had to muffle her giggles against his leg.
“I must admit I’m surprised by your choice of companion, Sire,” the man muttered, frowning down at her.
“Oh?” he asked icily, his hand dropping to Ella’s head.
The man ignored the tone of his voice and blundered on, licking his lips as he surveyed Ella. “Well, it’s one thing to have a pretty little fucktoy in the bedroom, but don’t you—”
“Prince Leterit, you will remove yourself from this room and from my palace immediately. If you choose to apologize, I might consider your plea, but I will not do so for at least a year.” Despite his anger, he managed to control his voice. He looked over his shoulder at Warnax. “Have Prince Leterit escorted from the premises. He has twenty-four hours to pack. And Prince Leterit, if you make the slightest objection, I will have you removed from the planet entirely.”
The prince’s expression had fluctuated from outraged to frightened. He took one look at Warnax’s imposing figure and nodded. Shoulders slumped, he headed for the door, and Karthajin watched him go, rage still coursing through his system. A warm hand curled around his and he looked down to find Ella watching him. She gave him a quick smile and pressed a kiss against his palm. He took a deep breath, relieved that she wasn’t upset and forced himself to let go of the anger as he turned to greet the next guest. When he finally rose and gave the signal to proceed to the banquet hall, he ignored the chain and took her hand.
“Still enjoying yourself, kitten?” he murmured as they led the way into the next room.
She nodded, her eyes shining, and he was very tempted to kiss her. Instead, he watched as she looked around. The banquet hall was the most impressive room in the palace outside of the throne room. Tall windows lined one entire side, overlooking a series of fountains that danced in the same rhythm as the music playing softly in the background. The ceiling was so high that it was lost in the darkness overhead, only illuminated by small scattered lights designed to resemble the galaxy with Kaisar at the center.
As he led the way to the table, he saw that another pile of cushions was waiting next to his chair. He didn’t want her at his feet, he wanted her with him—and it was his birthday after all. Ignoring the scandalized whispers, as soon as he sat down, he pulled her onto his lap. She gave a happy little sigh and snuggled against him.
The extended meal was an exercise in restraint. He made polite conversation, ignored any carefully worded questions about his kitten, and accepted birthday wishes with the best grace he could muster. In between, he fed Ella little bites of food, her soft lips closing around his fingers with a provocative little pout that went straight to his cock. From the way she wiggled her bottom and licked his fingers with her little pink tongue, he had no doubt she was doing it on purpose. Every man in the vicinity was watching her, their hungry expressions impossible to ignore, while the women were clearly jealous of either her beauty or her position. While Ella ignored them all, he just prayed to Napisten that his patience would hold out.
Chapter Twenty-One
By the time Karthajin finally brought the evening to an abrupt end and they returned to his rooms, his lust and frustration had reached a boiling point. Ella seemed completely oblivious, dancing ahead of him into their bedroom, and swooping to pick up Chika and dance the tigren around the room.
“See? I told you it would be fun. Although, I am sorry I didn’t recognize anyone as the man from the ship.”
The mysterious Kaisarian on the ship was the least of his concerns at the moment. “Fun? Didn’t you see the way those men looked at you?”
“Of course I did.” She kissed Chika’s nose and put her back in her basket. “But it didn’t bother me because you were there. You wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”
“Of course I wouldn’t. But I hate knowing what they were imagining.”
“What were they imagining?” She shot him an entirely too innocent look, then dropped to her hands and knees and crawled over to him, the little tail swaying provocatively. All the blood in his body headed straight for his cock and he could only watch as she wound herself around his legs and nuzzled her head against him.
“Something like this? Or perhaps this?” Still nuzzling, she worked her way up his legs until she reached his cock. His horns pulsed insistently. Her hot breath penetrated the fabric covering him as she purred at her discovery, then started taking teasing little sucks and nipping him lightly through the cloth. With an impatient growl, he freed his erection, brushing it across her sweet little mouth, his oris opening and sucking at her lips.
“Mm,” she whispered and sucked back, her little tongue diving eagerl
y between the petals and licking over his exposed glans. His hand went to her head, fingers twisting in the soft curls.
“Take me in your mouth, kitten,” he urged, restraining the impulse to thrust into the tempting little entrance. She obeyed willingly, and he groaned as her lips parted and she took him inside. Her mouth opened, small pink lips stretched wide around his dark red shaft in an erotic display of submission. She couldn’t take much of him, but she licked and sucked enthusiastically, and once again, it felt as new to him as it was to her, adding a surge of excitement he’d never felt before. His balls were already tightening, and his body tensing.
“I’m going to come, my Ella,” he warned, but she only looked up at him from under her lashes and sucked harder, her hands wrapped tightly around the lower part of his shaft. The seductive look, the innocent enthusiasm—most of all, the knowledge that she was doing this because she wanted to, because she loved him, rushed over him. His hands tightened in her hair, lightning shot down his spine, and he exploded into her mouth, his seed rushing from him in waves of pleasure that left him shaking.
Her lips released him with a soft pop, and she sat back on her knees, licking her lips experimentally before giving him a pleased smile.
“That was even more fun.”
He couldn’t help laughing. “You just about kill me, and you think it’s fun?”
A shadow fell over her face for a second before she realized he was joking, and then her smile grew even bigger. “So I’m a good kitten?”
“The best,” he said, lifting her into his arms and kissing her. He could taste himself mixed with her sweet essence and liked the sign of his possession. She responded to his kiss as she always did, rubbing her sweet little body against his until his horns pulsed again. He was already hard. He walked over to the bed and dropped her lightly onto the mattress. She bounced and squeaked, the minuscule scrap of fabric covering her breasts slipping to one side and revealing an impudent little nipple.
Ella and the Emperor (Alien Abduction #5) Page 12