Vendel Rising Omnibus

by L A Warren

  In her slow circuit around the room, her heart slammed in her chest, beating out a deafening tattoo in her ears. Since he seemed comfortable to let her be, she took the time to examine the niches in the wall and admire the artwork. Gorgeous glasswork constructions of alien sea creatures and underwater seascapes amazed her with their intricate craftsmanship. Despite their incredible beauty, however, her gaze kept turning to the gray wall.

  Memories of his touch lingered in her palm, at the small of her back, and behind her ear where his lips had caressed her skin. Whatever this bond was he kept speaking of, she couldn't ignore its growing strength. She would need to come to terms with what it meant, and if she couldn't control it, she'd need to temper its influence.

  He messed with something behind a long bar. A glance toward him had their gazes locking. Holding. The ghost of a smile curved his lips, then he glanced down and lifted two champagne flutes filled with bubbling liquid.

  She cocked her head. "You brought me here for a toast?" What else did he have planned for this intimate rendezvous?

  "Come." He crossed over the expanse of the room to stand before the gray wall. With a gesture, he indicated she should stand beside him. Handing her a glass, he pressed a patch on the wall. He rattled off a series of commands, which with her limited understanding of the Vendel language, she didn't follow.

  "I wanted to give you something. It's not much. Consider it a gesture of good will from me to you…a path toward building a bridge toward our future together."

  She looked at him in puzzlement. "What are you talking about?" The butterflies vanished. She didn't understand what he could possibly give her that she could want.

  "None of the others will have this opportunity. Today we are exiting Earth’s local space and engaging the WOR-drive. I thought you would like to say goodbye." He closed the distance. "This is my gift."

  Her heart raced and her breathing quickened. She couldn't help it, but her body responded to his touch. A sharp breath in and his rich scent filled her nostrils. No one smelled that good. Her head tilted back. Her mouth parted.

  This wasn't right. It wasn't normal. It reminded her of the banquet, of that perfume, the callidor he'd called it. He was just so overwhelming and he felt so good up close, and his scent, full of spice and musk, made her want to yield. She shook her head, but it did nothing to clear her mind, or dampen the reactions of her body.

  He continued on, as if unaware of the trembling in her knees, but if that was the case then why did his grip around her waist tighten? He pulled her close, supporting more of her weight.

  "This is a great day for the Vendel." He sounded so damn proud.

  There was an energy surging in the room, some pulsating current flowing between the press of their bodies. If their bare skin touched now, would she feel the electric jolt that surged through her the first time his fingers had swept across her skin?

  He took in a deep breath and spoke into the air, "Viewscreen."

  The slate gray wall dissolved. Thousands of twinkling points of light filled the screen. In the center, a star brighter than any other shone with a hot yellow light. Drifting down from the upper corner, sinking into sight like a lazy blue globe, was Earth. Cotton-white clouds draped over deep blue oceans. A typhoon coiled over Taiwan, ready to make landfall.

  He held her tight and lowered his mouth to her ear. "Earth is your past. It's time to say goodbye and embrace your future."

  Her entire body shook with suppressed fury. The champagne flute fell to the floor with the crash of breaking glass.

  She fisted the fabric of his shirt and sagged against him. Her voice broke with the pain of the deaths of billions. "You thought this would please me?" She beat against his chest. "Damn you, damn you to hell!" Tears spilled and she broke down in sobs.

  He set his glass down and held her. "Elise?"

  She pushed against him, but he only held her tighter.

  "Why? Why would you bring me here?" Twisting did nothing to free herself of his grip. He was so much stronger than she. He was like granite. The harder she pushed, the more his grip tightened. Each inhale brought his heady scent streaming to her senses, an aphrodisiac of potent proportions. Her fist beat against his chest. "Please, let me go."

  "No."

  Her head tilted back. Her eyes traced the path from his strong jawline to lips she wanted to kiss. Her gaze lifted to latch onto eyes of silver fire. "For once, just leave me alone."

  "I will not. You need to accept this. Fighting the inevitable will only bring you pain." His brows drew together at his last statement, as if he were the one in agony.

  "You don't get it." She shook her head. "I'll never accept you."

  His lips pressed together as he gave a quick shake of his head. "You don't understand what's at stake."

  "You murdered my world. Billions dead! My grandfather. My nieces—" Her voice broke. "Don't tell me I don't know what's at stake. You have no right. I judge you, Gregor. I judge everything you've done. You're nothing but a monster." Wetness pooled at the corners of her eyes. She blinked rapidly as she tried to keep her tears contained.

  She wanted to hate him, but with each intoxicating breath his essence filled her with a sensual desire. A burning heat curled between her thighs, pulsed with an intensity she couldn't ignore. A groan escaped her lips, as she could no longer deny her rising excitement at being held in his arms. She was a freak to be aroused by him, an abomination. For this reason, she hated him even more.

  "Do you not feel it? Even now it surges in your blood."

  "No! Whatever this is, it's fake, something you did to me. Something only a freak and a monster does to another human being. Are you so weak that the only way you can get a woman to desire you is to drug them? Drug me?"

  He released her and she stumbled from his grasp, gagging and choking on her sobs. Worst of all, she wanted back in his arms, and that feeling terrified her more than anything else.

  "You may have drugged me, but I'll always hate you." She gestured at her body. "Whatever you did, I'll fight it. Don't ever think I'm not fighting it."

  She glanced at the screen, and noticed Earth had moved a third of the way down. She wished she could see her home, but the blue of the Pacific and the typhoon raging on the island nation of Taiwan filled the view screen.

  Wait. No longer a nation. The world held no people.

  She walked to the wall. Earth was out of reach of her hand, but she tried to touch it anyway. "You not only killed us, but the planet, too. You're heartless." She wrapped her arms around herself. It was the only comforting hug she would get.

  He stepped behind her, and by some grace of God, he did not touch her, but the heat of his body leapt the distance between them and warmed her back. She'd scream if she felt that electric pulse right now, but he didn't advance further.

  "You're wrong."

  "No, I'm not." Was he a fool? "When you killed the people, you left no one behind to tend the world. Nuclear facilities are just one of the things that will cause ecological disaster without humans around to tend to them. All life on Earth will perish because of what you unleashed."

  Her skin pricked with electricity. His touch did this. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest. The bastard couldn't keep his hands off her body. He rested his chin on top her head and breathed out a sigh.

  "You have it all wrong, my opés. What do you think we've been doing these past sun cycles?"

  Torturing and assimilating her and a thousand other women. Her breath caught. "What do you mean?"

  "Earth is very important to all of humanity. It's impossible to explain everything, but in this you must take me at my word. No disaster will result from the culling that occurred. Earth, and those few who remain, are essential to the survival of the human race."

  A hollowness in her chest occurred because her heart skipped several beats. "What?"

  He brushed back her hair and kissed the top of her head. "My duty is to humanity. Earth is but a small slice
of my empire. To keep an oath, I sacrificed what was necessary to save what I can."

  "Sacrifice?" What the hell was he talking about? "You speak like you're a surgeon cutting out a tumor, like you made a clinical decision, but you ended billions of lives. You're not God. What gave you the right to decide?"

  "For the greater good, that's exactly what I did."

  "You said culling. What exactly do you mean by that?"

  He spun her around to face him, the intensity of his gaze had her heartbeat accelerating. His eyes, a shade that changed from silver to the differing shades of blue depending on his mood, stared down on her with a dark intensity. A sadness pulled at the corners of his eyes, and for once the tattoo over his left brow remained dormant. "You are a very curious woman, Elise. We would be here for cycles if I answered all your questions."

  "I have a curious mind. Now answer my question."

  "Your mind will get you in trouble. I have warned you about this. You must put your rebellious nature behind you. WOR training is not easy. You need to understand you will be trained and High Tender vlor'Vardhal will use all measures at his disposal."

  "Like torture? The whipsticks and the braklav?" A shudder rippled down her spine with the remembrance of that pain. "Tender Training? Is that what you mean? Have you ever considered just asking for our help? You know sometimes you get more with a simple please and thank you than a damn stick. You're all a bunch of damn assholes."

  His eyes flared wide for a moment, then a chuckle escaped him. "See, that is what I am saying. Language such as that is grounds for punishment. A WOR-guard or a Tender would be taking care of such disrespect right now."

  "But they aren't here. You are. What are you going to do? Punish me because I called you a name? That's ridiculous." Challenging him was foolish, but she couldn't stand there and do nothing. "You still haven't answered my question. Are there survivors left on Earth?" It could mean so many different things, like maybe Tom and her nieces still lived.

  His gaze went to her lips. "I'm not going to punish you, nor am I going to answer all your questions."

  To taste him would be delicious. She pressed her palm against his chest in anticipation of such a kiss, when her mind screamed for it all to stop. "But imagine if you did."

  His brow shot up.

  "You want to forge a future between us?" She grabbed at his shirt. "Then answer my damned question."

  He lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers. "Yes, yes, my opés, there are very few who survived. Now, stop fighting me." His lips pressed against hers and she struggled to breathe as he claimed his kiss.

  She pressed away, but an iron grip held her firm. Heat flooded her body as electricity pulsed between them and the bond ignited.

  Her hands no longer pushed, but clutched at his shirt, pulling him close as the heat of his mouth overwhelmed her defenses. So much for resisting.

  He tasted divine. She wanted more.

  His kiss intensified, and she met his passion with a rising heat of her own. His fingers wrapped in her hair, clutching, and pulling her close to mold her body against his until she could no longer deny the strength beneath his black uniform. Their breaths mingled. His exhales filled her lungs. The dark flavors of his mouth drove her higher, building up her need.

  She was being devoured, claimed by the strength of his kisses, and she didn't care. Elise Comwell yielded to a monster.

  The initial urgency of his kisses lessened as he explored her mouth with greater deliberation. Her body responded with its shocking betrayal, wanting more than she was willing to give as she opened for him, allowing his tongue to tangle with hers. All the while, her mind struggled to find an advantage, to regain control, and failed.

  The bond thrumming in her veins wasn't something she could fight. She kissed him back, hating him, but despised her body's reaction even more.

  Somehow, she had to control this passion and turn it into a tool to free herself from this nightmare. Her tongue traced the fullness of his lips, grazed against the hardness of his teeth, and explored the landscape of his mouth, eager and insistent as she met his need with her desire.

  A low groan escaped him and he clutched her tighter still, pressing her up the full length of his body. She felt every ridge of muscle in his hardened physique. He pulled back and their eyes locked. Her breathing was as ragged and uncontrolled as his.

  She turned her head and stared at the viewscreen. The star field and Earth disappeared, and in its place a kaleidoscope of color took over. The view outside stretched into oblivion and snapped back in a multi-colored swirl of light. It reminded her of the Tenderstat, hauntingly familiar, resonating with something deep inside her chest.

  Tears streamed down her face.

  His voice cracked. "You surprise me, opés. The bond is stronger than I anticipated. Go ahead. Hate me, but your body betrays your true feelings." He stroked her long brown hair, twining his fingers in her curls.

  Her voice remained steady, but she found the strength to match the chill of his words. "Don't ever forget that I am fighting you."

  A loud crash interrupted them.

  "Sire, release her." The booming voice of High Tender Marcus vlor'Vardhal thundered through their intimate moment.

  She stiffened in dread.

  Gregor didn't release her. "Since when does the High Tender enter my quarters without permission?" His voice held a low, brittle tone.

  "Since when does a vlor’lord run off with an s'vlor in training and engage in activities reserved for Binding?" The High Tender's voice went arctic cold. "You know you cannot take her without permission, and you most certainly cannot engage in such behavior."

  Elise shivered, certain the temperature in the room plummeted twenty degrees as the two men locked icy stares.

  "I don't need your permission, Lord vlor'Vardhal," Gregor's voice rose in annoyance. "She is mine."

  "You do not have rights to her…not yet. And certainly not for…this." The High Tender moved to take Elise.

  Gregor blocked him, placing his body between her and the High Tender.

  She turned away and squeezed her eyes shut, wishing to disappear. The dark, rich taste of Gregor lingered on her lips. Breathing was nearly impossible, and she struggled to regain control of her body.

  "Sire," the High Tender said with a throaty growl. "This behavior isn't appropriate until after the Binding. Blasted! You know this better than anyone." The High Tender's voice rose to fill the room.

  It occurred to her being caught in a tug-o-war between these powerful men was a bad place to be.

  "It was only a kiss," Gregor's voice rose in challenge.

  High Tender Marcus took a long time to answer, but when he did, his words were measured. "Sire, my duty is clear, as is yours. I hold authority over her training. I insist you abstain from this behavior. I do not wish to involve the High Judicators, but I will." His lips twisted with distaste as he spoke those words

  Gregor took a step toward the High Tender. "You challenge me? Am I not your emperor?"

  The High Tender's voice cracked. "Sire, release the girl."

  "You would, wouldn't you? You'd take this up with the High Judicators?"

  The High Tender stared down the Emperor. The tone of his voice was solid, but he took a step back in capitulation. His voice lowered as he pleaded. "You saw what happened with the Tenderstat. I've never seen colors during a testing before, and never has one shattered. We do not yet know what it means. Do not force me to act against you."

  Silence fell with a sudden stillness between the men.

  What did he mean about the Tenderstat? And how could a High Tender act against the Emperor? What was a High Judicator? Her ignorance about this society frustrated the hell out of her.

  Gregor spoke to the High Tender with great care. "I never had any intention of taking her before Binding. On my word as vlor' and as Emperor, I swear that as truth." He raised his palm out cautioning the man to silence. "There is no need to wait for the Binding. Do you unders
tand?"

  The swirling colors on the far wall captivated her attention. That was something called WOR-space and it called out to her, tugging on a part of her mind she had never felt before. It terrified her because it felt so familiar. It was a part of her, and she a part of it, even if she didn't understand what it was.

  The High Tender made as if to speak and was silenced with a gesture from Gregor. "This is my will. Don't force me to make it a command. I have sworn oath, that should be sufficient." He paused watching the High Tender.

  "This is madness," the High Tender whispered. "If you take her before the bond is mature, before you control it, you will sacrifice everything. I cannot allow it."

  "I will not sacrifice the Binding."

  "These Earth women are not like Vendel. They are much freer with their…" The High Tender waved vaguely at her with a look of disgust flashing over his features. "She would tempt you. It would be best to leave her alone."

  "Trust in your emperor."

  "Passion clouds your judgment."

  "Will you interfere?" Gregor demanded.

  The High Tender fell silent for a time, but when he spoke his words came out thick and strangled. "You may spend time with the girl, but I want to know where you take her and when you bring her back. Her training must come first." The High Tender extended his hand to Elise.

  She stared at it, unwilling to let go of the safety of Gregor's protection. To her surprise, Gregor handed her off to the High Tender, practically pushing her toward the man.

  High Tender Marcus yanked her out of Gregor's grip and dragged her out of Gregor's apartment before she could blink. She glanced over her shoulder to see Gregor's deep scowl as they departed.

  The High Tender didn't say a word during the long walk back to the Confinement Deck. He held her hand in an iron grip and released it only after depositing her back on her bed.

  After he left, she curled into a ball and shook.

  Images of passionate kisses and silver-gray eyes invaded her dreams. She didn't know what bothered her more, Gregor's stupid toast, or the heated response he elicited in her body with that kiss.