Chapter Seventeen
Varian scanned the room with a deceptively placid gaze. Draco, as usual, was observing his habit of entering a room no more than one minute before the announced time for any occasion. Varian had timed his arrival perfectly, twenty minutes early. Other guests were already milling around, their laughter and conversation reaching his ears. He planned to head directly for Draco’s suite to disclose his presence, but he halted momentarily to chat with an old friend.
It was at that exact instant that Jana chose to gaze out the secret peephole to see who had arrived and how things were progressing. As fate would have it, Varian had paused near the same wall and was facing it. Jana’s eyes widened; her breath caught sharply. Within a few feet of her stood her heaven and hell. Her poise vanished instantly. How could she face him tonight, the very evening Varian Saar should be the farthestthing from her mind? The sight of him stirred repressed emotions to life. If possible, he looked more handsome and virile than ever.
Oh, Varian, she moaned in anguish, why couldn’t you have stayed away another day or two? Please don’t make this night harder for me.
Varian absently flashed a devastating smile at a woman guest, prodding her to anger. Jana stiffened her back and glared at her beloved tormentor, her chin lifted defiantly. Thank heavens she had seen him before entering the ballroom! By the time this party ended, Varian Saar and every guest present would know with whose heart her affections rested!
When she heard him say he was heading to see Draco to deliver some gifts, his voice vexingly warmed her very soul. She would give him a picture he would long remember! She hastily checked her appearance and crossed the hall to knock on Draco’s side door. She was elated to see the door to the main hall half open. She mentally timed Varian’s arrival as she pretended to adjust Draco’s collar. She told him how handsome and suave he looked tonight, which was true.
To complete her ruse, she placed her arms around Draco’s waist and leaned against him very intimately, just before she expected Varian to enter the room. She knew it was wrong to use her kind owner this way, but it was vital to sever all bonds to the man approaching the room. She murmured seductively, “You’ve made me the luckiest and happiest woman in the whole Universe, Draco. I don’t know what I would do without you.” She lifted her face to his and kissed him. As her mouth left his, she sighed contentedly and snuggled closer to his brawny body.
As Draco fondly embraced Jana and placed a grateful kiss on her cheek, his amber gaze fell on the stormy blue eyes and scowling face of Varian in his doorway. Draco read intense fury in those narrowed and hardened orbs. He tensed, wondering how to get out of this mess, for he knew how it must look. “Varian!” he called out, trying to sound casual. He gently released Jana from his arms and went forward to greet his friend. “When did you get back? I didn’t expect your return so soon. This is quite a surprise.”
Draco hastily decided this was too soon to press Varian for Jana’s true ownership. Pondering his attempt and carrying it out while facing Varian weren’t the same thing! Despite his own high rank on the Council, Varian wasn’t a man to challenge.
“I can see it is,” Varian scoffed, his tone icy.
Jana was baffled by their behavior. Varian was wearing a dark scowl; his blue eyes sent forth searing flames of fury. In fact, Varian’s face was almost livid with rage. His towering body was tauter than the hide on a kettledrum. If looks could strike a person dead, Draco wouldn’t be breathing! Was Varian indeed jealous and envious? How marvelous!
Jana’s quizzical gaze shifted to Draco. She couldn’t conceal her puzzlement at his strange conduct. He was jumpy, as if guilty of a terrible offense. Was he simply embarrassed that Varian had caught them in such an intimate embrace? Why? Varian had no claims on her. She found herself annoyed by her owner’s attack of anxiety. Why should he dance attendance to this particular man, friend or not? She listened carefully for a clue.
Varian’s eyes remained glued on Draco’s face, ignoring Jana completely. “I presumed on our good friendship to arrive uninvited. I was sure you wouldn’t mind.”
“Of course not. You’re welcome in my home anytime. Your mission is over?”
“No, there were several problems. We had to return to correct them. I’ll be heading out again in a week or so.” As he spoke this time, his sapphire gaze settled on Jana’s seemingly unruffled poise. “I came by to deliver a gift for you, and one for Jana.” He handed Draco a long, slender case.
Draco promptly opened it as he struggled to master his warring emotions. It was a hunting knife with a silver blade and agatized-wood handle. “It’s magnificent. Look at the handle, Jana.”
She took the knife and glanced at it. She sighed and remarked, “Yes, it’s very nice. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. If you two will excuse me, I need to finish dressing for our party.” She handed the knife back to Draco and started to leave.
“I have a gift for you, too, Jana,” Varian reminded her, grasping her elbow.
Jana accepted the box with a polite “thank you,” then tossed it on the bed to leave. “I’ll join you shortly, Draco.” She carefully avoided Varian’s gaze.
“Aren’t you going to open your present?” Varian demanded.
“Later, if you don’t mind. I must see to my grooming and our guests.”
“I do mind,” he replied in a voice like tempered steel. “Have you forgotten your manners in such a short time? Is Karnak a bad influence on you?”
Jana bristled at Varian’s stinging barb and Draco’s lack of defense. Her eyes glared at Varian first, then at Draco. To end the matter, she seized the box and opened it. It was a beautiful ebony gem in the shape of a heart suspended on a gold chain. She lifted fiery eyes to Varian’s probing stare. “You’re giving me an extravagant black heart?” She snapped the lid shut.
Varian realized his gift carried an offensive meaning for her. When Draco asked her to wear it tonight, she glared at Varian and shook her head. Draco insisted, telling her it would be perfect with her dress. He commented that Varian couldn’t have chosen better if he had known what she was wearing.
“I’ve dressed very carefully tonight, Draco. Expensive jewelry would detract from the simplicity of my gown.” Jana was surprised when Varian took her side about the necklace. But his taunting gibe rankled her.
He looked her up and down, then smiled. “You could use a little distraction tonight. You don’t want your owner having to battle over you,” he teased, suddenly calmed. “I’m sorry if the gift displeases you, Jana.”
“You always did have a cunning flair for back-door compliments, but I no longer require your approval of. my wardrobe. Nor do I care for your snide remarks about my safety and virtue.”
Varian grinned wickedly. To throw him off balance, she shrugged and remarked, “Why not wear it? It is very beautiful. Would you help me?” she asked Draco, handing the necklace to him and presenting her back.
Varian took it from his friend’s grasp and secured it around her neck. He turned her around and boldly nestled the heart just above the swell of her breasts. His fingers lightly brushed over her flesh, then her lips. “Exquisite. But I knew you would be. Anger causes lines on the face, moonbeam. Drop it.”
Jana stared at him. How dare he talk and act like a moonstruck Romeo before her owner! How dare he give her a romantic token, a lovely heart, even if it was as black as his! Multicolored eyes clashed with blue ones. Jana easily broke the hold of his powerful gaze, visibly surprising him. She was concerned over Varian’s amorous tone, more so over Draco’s allowing it. He acted as if nothing unusual was transpiring so Jana hastily excused herself.
Varian waited until the door closed behind her, then turned to face Draco. “You have some explaining to do. From the reports I’ve been receiving for the last two days, you’re playing your fake role of mate too convincingly. You have everyone believing you’re in love with her. Have you forgotten who owns Jana?”
Draco sighed heavily. “You’re right, Varian. I did g
et caught up in our little charade. I haven’t been this happy since my wife was killed. Jana makes me feel alive—even whole again. Jana has a way of relaxing and enchanting a man. Please don’t make any rash moves. Karnak is where Jana Greyson belongs. She loves it here, and she loves me. You’re out of her life now; leave it that way. Don’t hurt her again.”
Varian drilled his gaze into Draco’s. “Are you in love with her?” he asked.
“I could be soon. We’re happy together, Varian. Let me buy her. You’re a starship commander, an adventurer, a man who can have his choice of women. You’ve got too many enemies seeking you to lay claim to Jana. Your sale cut her to the soul, since she didn’t know it was a ruse. She’s cast you out of her heart, and turned to me. Don’t devastate her for a third time: first on Earth and then on Rigel. Let her go, Varian.”
“Damn you, Draco! I thought I could trust you. Jana is mine. I love her! I would never sell her. Not to you or any man. She’s leaving with me tonight.”
Draco was stunned by that announcement. “You can’t take her away!”
“Like hell, I can’t,” Varian replied. “I own Jana Greyson. At least I will as soon as you release her to me. Get that document and sign it. Now!”
“I meant take her on your mission; you’re heading to Earth, remember? What happens to her after you leave? She’s begun a new life here. She’s happy.”
“I’ve made plans for her safety. She’s going to Grandfather’s with me.”
“Do you realize what you’re doing? Jana doesn’t know about our deceit. You plan to drop another lie in her lap, then take off for weeks, maybe months? First you sell her and take off, then I reject her and sell her back to you? That’s cruel.”
“Trying to lure her away from me is cruel, old friend,” Varian charged.
Draco asserted defensively, “It’s not like that. I feel deeply about her. I’ll explain what’s happened since you left.” Afterward, Draco confessed ruefully, “I never intended to become attached to Jana. She fits into my life perfectly. If I desired, I could claim legal ownership of her; my name and your seal are on her sale papers. But I wouldn’t do that. I am your friend, Varian, despite your nasty charges. I’m sorry you feel you must take her away from Karnak. You’ll regret it,” he warned. “She doesn’t love you; I doubt she ever did. Why don’t you ask her about her feelings? If you care about her, for once do what’s best for Jana.”
Varian was pensive for long minutes. “I’ll go see her right now. If you’re right, Jana can remain here, permanently. If you’re wrong, she leaves with me.”
“Agreed,” Draco replied. “She’s really changed you, old boy. She would be good for you. But I think you’ve destroyed any hopes of a life with her.”
Varian went to Jana’s suite and locked the door after his entrance. Jana turned and watched his predatory approach. She began to back away from him. “Get out of my room,” she warned him. “You’re pushing your friendship too far.”
“Draco knows I’m here, moonbeam. He wants me to question you about your feelings…for both of us. Could we sit down and discuss this calmly?”
“You can’t be serious! What are you trying to do, Varian Saar? Are you hoping Draco will break down the door and find us in a…a compromising situation? Are you trying to spoil my life again? You’re a cruel man.” Jana glared at him accusingly. “I won’t let you do this to me. Get out!”
Varian grabbed her and pinned her beneath him on the bed. “You will listen, and you will answer me truthfully, woman. Which of us do you want to live with, Jana? Whoever you select, your decision is final.”
His startling question caught her unprepared to feign deception. Alarmed, Jana tried to twist out of his embrace and away from him. “Don’t do this, please. I’m happy here. Draco loves me and wants me. Don’t make him doubt me. This joke will cause trouble for all of us.” Suspicion flooded her mind. Was Draco testing her emotions before—
“How do you feel about him?” he demanded sternly.
“I want to stay here,” she stated distinctly, fusing her gaze to his.
Varian’s mouth swiftly claimed hers and greedily parted her lips. She felt the heavy, rapid pounding of his heart and noted his erratic breathing. His body was fiery and tense, and his control was severely strained. He was disturbed, highly aroused, by her contact! She could see, hear, and feel the evidence of his hunger for her. He was kissing her as if trying to devour her!
Jana’s control was sorely tested but she vowed not to weaken. When his lips began to tease over her face and throat, she said, sneering, “What’s the matter, Rogue Saar? Do you miss your helpless victim? Did I spoil you for other women?” Jana felt her desire mounting treacherously.
Varian leaned back and replied, “Yes, moonbeam, I’m afraid you did. Now you’ll have to pay heavily for your bewitchment by returning to me.”
“Never,” she vowed. “You should have examined your feelings months ago. I can think of nothing worse than returning to your web, space pirate.”
“Can I ask you a foolish question?” he inquired, then chuckled.
“Do you know any other kind, Rogue Saar?” Jana saucily retorted.
He laughed. “Are you in love with your owner, or falling in love with him?”
“Is that against some charl law? I surely hope not. It’s too late now.”
“I take it that means ‘yes’?” he pressed angrily.
“Take it any way you damn well please,” she purred sultrily.
“What I please to take…is you, woman. And I will. You’re leaving here with me tonight, one way or another,” he threatened.
“You wouldn’t dare abduct me again! This time, it would be a crime.”
“Not if I’m your owner,” he responded, smiling roguishly.
“Draco would never sell me! Certainly not to you!” she shouted.
“You think you know him so well, moonbeam?” he mocked her.
“Perhaps better than you do. I think it’s time you halt this joke before you damage your friendship with Draco. Let me up, Varian, now.”
“I demand honest answers, Jana, then perhaps you can join the party.”
“To hell with your demands!” she snapped at him. Then, perceiving his resolve, she gritted her teeth and alleged, “All right, Rogue Saar. I am more than happy here. I am satisfied with my owner and my life. Why shouldn’t I be happy? Draco and I are expecting a child,” she blurted out a bold lie to discourage him further. Jana was too unsettled to recall she had been with Draco only three weeks, for it seemed so much longer.
Varian was stunned. He, too, forgot the shortness of their separation. “Draco would never touch you, much less impregnate you,” he refuted. His expression altered immediately. His eyes sparkled as he boasted, “The child is mine, Jana, mine.”
“That’s impossible, Commander Saar. I haven’t slept in your bed for weeks. Draco would never sell the woman carrying his heir!”
“Draco is impotent, Jana love. He can’t make love to you or any woman. Don’t play games with me. If you’re somehow pregnant, it’s mine.”
“He’s…what?” she asked in shock, then allowed those words to settle in and explain their separate rooms and beds. Compassion for Draco filled her as she berated herself for trying to pressure him into seducing her. He must have been both embarrassed and tormented. Why hadn’t she left matters alone?
“He can never inflame your passions or sate them, moonbeam. Even if he could, it would never be like it is between us. Remember the two weeks we shared?”
Tears burned her eyes. “Is that why he’s willing to turn me over to you again? Does he think sex is more important to me than he is? It isn’t. Did you convince him I would be repulsed or disappointed by his problem? Did you tell him I was so hot-blooded I would sneak around with his male servants?”
Varian eyed her strangely. “Are you saying you love him?” he pressed.
“Yes, Commander Saar, I love him,” she vowed. What did it matter if she meant a diff
erent kind of love? She couldn’t allow Varian to rip her world apart. No doubt he would tire of her, then sell her to another man who wasn’t as safe and gentle as Draco. Varian merely enjoyed having a helpless woman at his beck and call, one to cater to his whims. No affair with him was worth this sacrifice. “Are you so selfishly vindictive that you would ruin two lives to sate your lust for me? Please go and leave us alone. What must I say or do to end your wicked hatred for me? You know I can’t hold your eye or appease your enormous craving for long. One female is not enough for you. Soon, you’d be tossing me aside again. Don’t trick Draco into selling me. If you have any compassion, you won’t do this to us.”
“What if I want you more than my friendship with Draco?” he asked, his hand caressing her flushed cheek.
“It’s too late, Varian. I could never love you, or desire you, or trust you, or forgive you. Never,” she stressed dishonestly. “Let it go, please.”
“I wish I could tell if you’re lying to me, or to yourself. Before you answer again, Jana, I should explain. I did not sell you to Draco. He stood in for me at your auction. I couldn’t bid on you without letting men like Jurad and Moloch know how much I wanted you. You are mine today, just like all the days since I captured you. I paid for you, moonbeam. I convinced Draco to pretend he was buying you. Draco has no claim over you; he never has. He was to be your guardian, nothing more. He was to keep you safe from my enemies until I could return for you. We couldn’t tell you it was a trick and risk you behaving incorrectly. For others to believe I was selling you, you had to believe it. I’m sorry for putting you through such anguish. That’s why you spent that last night with me; you were and are mine. No woman has claimed me more than you, moonbeam. I warned you not to enchant me, but you didn’t listen or obey. Did you honestly think I would sell my most precious gem?”
“Everyone knows you did,” she protested, her heart racing. This couldn’t be happening! He was lying! Jana recalled the bank voucher, when Draco had said it was too dangerous to carry that much money on him. She should have known her next-day delivery was suspicious. She should have guessed something was wrong from Draco’s sexual aloofness.
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