Moondust And Madness

by Taylor, Janelle

  “But who?”

  “Probably that devil Prince Taemin.”

  “I’m convinced Ryker lured us into Jurad’s territory,” Tristan said.

  “That can’t be proven. Avatar Kael told us of Ryker’s proposed trek there.”

  “Since Varian was almost killed, Jurad isn’t pressing the matter of his breach of truce. But he should never have crossed that boundary before radioing base. Brec does have a plan in mind, but we can’t use it until Varian’s well.”

  The two men listened as Tirol related the shocking scheme.

  Ryker was a great puzzle to Jana. After Canissia’s departure, he was like a different man! He had taken her to a lovely suite inside the private complex. He had warned, “Don’t try tricks to escape, Jana. If there are two things I detest, they’re guile and defiance. This won’t be an easy situation for either of us, so let’s make the best of it. After a couple of weeks, I’ll make a decision about your role here. From what I’ve heard, you’re a skilled researcher. If I discover you’re as intelligent as you are beautiful, I could find a place for you in one of my facilities. It’s possible we can become friends. As to whether or not there can be anything more between us, I can’t say. Maybe Varian will get extra enjoyment from this deed. He knows how enchanting you are, and he knows how much I’ll resent following him to your bed. A cunning torment, to send me a ravishing creature who boils the blood and troubles the mind. You can rest easy on one matter, I won’t kill you. But please, don’t give me any reason to punish you. You’ll stay in here for the next two or three weeks.”

  “How could I escape and to where?” she had responded. “I’m not a fool, Dr. Triloni. If you’re speaking truthfully, I will do my best to carry out your orders. I’ve missed working; research was my life, my love.”

  “For both our sakes, Jana Greyson, I hope that’s your only lost love,” he had remarked coldly and pointedly, then left her to herself.

  Jana wandered around this newest prison. It reminded her of her suite at Draco’s estate. Only this time, there would be no pardon by Varian. She was trapped here. All she could do was wait. She curled up on a velvety chaise and rested her head against it. She gazed into a lush tropical setting separated from her by an impregnable glass wall.

  Ryker looked at his mistress reclining beside him. Chilly laughter rumbled in his chest. “Such naïveté, such blindness, such delicious sport and revenge.”

  She glanced at the monitor and observed the golden-haired woman. “It’s a shame such beauty must be a pawn to ensnare Varian.”

  Ryker pressed the button to turn off the image of Jana’s room. He rolled his companion onto her back and kissed her. He teased his lips over a protruding nipple. “What do I need with a tarnished woman when I have you to care for all my needs? There are other green-eyed blondes.”

  As she allowed him to remove her garments and slip between her parted thighs, she reminded him, “You need an heir, a need I cannot supply.”

  “There is plenty of time for such a task. I just reached thirty-one. If I don’t have to kill this little creature, I might consider her for such a role. The thought of entering her body disgusts me. The mating will be a difficult chore. Cease your talk and worries. It is time for pleasure.”

  When Ryker was sated, he observed the ravishing woman sleeping beside him. She was greedy in bed, a woman without inhibitions. He grinned sardonically, for she existed only to please him, as it should be. She owed Prince Ryker Triloni her very life! He had used her and deceived her for years; he owned her body and soul. Soon she, too, would be disposed of along with Varian.

  Ryker reached up and turned on the video from Jana’s room. He watched her take a bath. His gaze went from Jana’s naked body to the one lying beside him. Yes, he concluded, if he didn’t have to kill Jana, he might keep her once his vengeance was appeased. But let her bear his heirs, never! He hated both females, all females. Perhaps he would use her as a receptacle of his scorn. But the vixen beside him must never suspect her impending doom or his secret plans for that Earthling.

  The next day, Jana dined with Ryker while an automaton served their meal. They ate in near silence, each surreptitiously studying the other. Jana’s senses were teased by a perception of evil eyes upon her. She was cold and edgy. If there was a camera or monitor of any kind in her room or this one, she could not locate it. She blamed the eerie sensation on tension.

  “Tell me about your capture and training,” he commanded, breaking the silence in the lush solarium.

  Jana glanced at him and flushed. She thought it best to stick as closely to the truth as possible. She related everything, except her love for Vanrian and their wager. She was relieved when Ryker didn’t press for more information. She waited for him to mention her relationship with his enemy; he didn’t. Instead, he began to tell her about his work. Jana listened closely, for she was intrigued.

  Jana didn’t see Ryker again until dinner the following day. When she asked if she could tour his laboratory, he smiled and shook his head. “As much as I want to trust you, little Earthling, it’s too soon.”

  “Trust me?” she echoed. “I don’t understand.”

  “How do I know this isn’t a scheme invented to get you inside my lab and to win my trust? Saar and the Alliance Force have tried that ploy countless times. How do I know you aren’t their newest squad member? Since you are a researcher and would understand my work, it would be a stroke of genius for them to plant you here. Who would suspect an alien slave of bold treachery?”

  Jana gasped in dismay. “That isn’t true!” she protested. “I’m not a spy for anyone. My only crime was in being captured by that space devil. Several times he threatened to sell me to awful men or to turn me over to a public brothel. Don’t you understand? There are fates worse than death to a woman. As much as I detested…sleeping with him, it was better than sleeping with countless men!”

  Jana jumped up from the table and turned her back to him. In panic, she was crying. What if he used truth serum on her? He would know she was, and had been, lying to him! Suddenly she was frightened.

  When Ryker did not move or speak for a long time, Jana sniffled and slowly turned to face him. “Don’t you see how wrong and cruel it is to enslave innocent people? To steal them from their homes and families and sell them? This is an evil practice, and I do not understand how such a superior culture can be so backward and savage. Why must you abduct victims? Surely there are women who would be willing to come here and mate with your men. Your race closely matches ours in looks, anatomy, and chemistry. Why does your government allow this evil to continue?”

  “Your situation is an irreversible fact, Jana. You must accept it. Are you unhappy and afraid here?”

  “Yes,” she answered candidly. “I’m a scientist and a human being, Ryker. I want to work in research. I want my selfrespect and freedom returned. I don’t want to be used by anyone. Is that so hard to understand?”

  “I do understand, little Earthling, but I cannot free you. You will be safe here with me. I am your life and protection now.”

  “But who. will protect me from you?” she asked bravely, almost inaudibly. “You are blinded by a conflict with the man who stole my life and honor. You won’t give me a fair chance here, so why should I fool myself?”

  “You are mistaken, little Earthling. I’ve been very unlucky where women are concerned, so don’t press me. You might as well know, I have a mistress; so I don’t require your services in that area. I’m sorry for the humiliation and pain you’ve suffered, but I have to make sure you are worthy of my trust and respect. I’m having Varian watched, so I’ll know very soon if this is a trick of any kind.”

  “I thought he was gone,” she responded, curious to discover what she could about her love.

  “He’s on Rigel with his grandfather. Something is brewing, little Earthling. I surely hope you aren’t involved.”

  Jana tensed in dread. “Please make sure of your sources before you judge me guilty of some of
fense which I haven’t committed,” she urged.

  When Jana was locked in her suite, Ryker went to his private rooms. The woman waiting there glared at him. “Why did you say such things to her? If I did not know better, I would believe you are romancing Saar’s whore!”

  “Calm yourself,” he urged. “You know my plan. I only toy with her. After all she’s heard about me, I must charm her into compliance. I want her calm and happy, so she’ll do anything I wish. We might have need of tapes to lure my foe into his bottomless pit. I cannot use false ones or drug her into obedience; he would know. She must be persuaded to comply willingly, if I have need for her aid. Think how it would provoke him to see her lovingly at my side. There could be secrets inside her head which she doesn’t realize are present. I shall draw them out with my charms. Don’t be jealous. What would I want with my brother’s whore?”

  “She is very beautiful,” the woman argued.

  “No woman alive is as beautiful and as passionate as you. Don’t spoil my plans with such childish emotions. Didn’t you see how I have deluded her? If we have need of her help soon, she will be unable to refuse me. Have I known or desired any other female?”

  She pouted her ruby lips. “She does not know the truth?”

  “No one knows the truth. It’s our secret.”

  At lunch, Jana sat in mounting confusion. “Who are you, Ryker Triloni?” she inquired during dessert. “I feel as if I’m not seeing the real man. You’re such a private, secretive person. Your ways are so different from mine. Yet, we share one vital interest.” “Have I just been flattered or insulted?” he teased her.

  “Neither,” Jana responded frankly. “You are such a puzzle to me.”

  “As you are to me. I’ve met no woman like you. Who is Jana Greyson? She fears to open herself to another alien. Don’t you see, Jana? We both have needs which the other can fill.”

  “What do you mean, Ryker?” Jana gazed at his handsome features. His face and voice drew her like a bee to a flower.

  “If you do not understand my meaning now, you will soon. The fates have sent you here to fill many voids in my life…and in my heart. I hope and pray I am not wrong about you.”

  “Why do you think I’m untrustworthy?” she inquired.

  “Because Varian Saar isn’t a fool. That makes me question why he would give you away. Do you realize there isn’t a man in the Universe who wouldn’t claim you if he could? If Varian could sacrifice you, there is a monumental reason. That is the secret I have to uncover.”

  “What if it is as simple as he doesn’t see me like you or other men do? Every man alive couldn’t desire me. Heavens, I’m only pretty, not beautiful. I have brains and certain strengths. But I’m not matchless or irreplaceable.”

  “You are too modest, and you’re wrong,” Ryker said.

  His words unsettled her. She was at a loss for a reply. Why did she feel there was always some crucial meaning in his statements which she didn’t understand?

  “Perhaps I should be grateful to my rival for such good fortune,” he hinted.

  “Am I your good fortune?” Jana queried, searching for a clue.

  “That remains to be proven. For both our sakes, I hope so.”

  In her room, Jana pondered this strange man. Ryker Triloni was highly intelligent. His nature was mercurial, quicksilverish. Worst of all, the prince from Androas was magnetic and disarming.

  Ryker’s mistress peevishly chided, “Your appetite is huge these days. Is it the little alien charmer who stirs your blood and sets fire to your loins?”

  Ryker laughed. “Oh, no, Precious, it is the smell and taste of impending triumph which heats my blood, and such emotions inflame my loins. I am so close to victory, I need to be reassured of your loyalty, your love. I find release and bliss only within you. I am your slave, and you are mine.”

  She continued to massage his body with warm, fragrant oils. She laughed. “How can I doubt my effect on you?” she asked, caressing his erect shaft. “Surely this fire burns only for me.”

  “No female can ever please me as you do. Since that first night you visited my bed and introduced me to such wild and wonderful sensations, I have wanted nothing more than to fill your every desire, to prove my love and need for you. I can trust no one but you, and you can trust no one but me. If you doubt me, ask what you will from me to prove my love and fealty.”

  “When Varian Saar is dead, let me have the Earthling for sport. That will prove you have no cravings for her. You are mine; I will never share you.”

  He entered her. Time and time again he drove savagely into her receptive body. “Anything you wish, my beloved Shara.” The moment of his climax, as always, he feasted greedily on his mother’s breasts as if he were a starving baby. Rolling his sated body aside, he replied dishonestly, “You give me all I need. How could Varian’s alien whore compare with Princess Shara Triloni?”

  Varian stared at Tirol and Brec as they related Jana’s abduction. His gaze shifted to Nigel, then Tristan. He listened to their explanation of why he had been kept sedated for days and how the investigations were proceeding. At last he spoke. “Who gave any of you the right to make such decisions for me?”

  His grandfather replied, “I take full responsibility. You were in no condition to go searching for her. I’ll tell you all we know.”

  After the lengthy discussion, Varian inquired, “How can you be so sure Jurad wasn’t involved? My gut says Ryker planned this and Jurad carried it out.”

  “We do believe Ryker is responsible, but we need to prove it. Dammit, son, he has the best alibi possible; Elite Squad members have had him under surveillance since before her abduction. If you hadn’t been under communications blackout, we could have told you where he was! That was rash to head off to Karlim without checking with base first. Why did you do it?”

  Varian gazed out the window. Canissia and Avatar Kael had told him where to look for Ryker. He needed to question Canissia and Kael before he made any wild accusations. This time, he would go by the book to entrap Ryker! He listened as Brec told him no ships had crossed the Pyropean or Androas barriers, since Jana’s capture; that meant she had to be in the Maffei Galaxy.

  Weariness filled Varian and he sank into a chair. He reflected on their last days together and his harsh words after the scene at the lagoon. Despair chewed at him. He could not bear the thought of her abduction by another man, particularly a bitter foe.

  “I must locate her, Brec, as quickly as possible. I must have her back. She has to learn the truth about me. When I think what I’ve done to her—” He couldn’t finish. Agony seared his heart without mercy. “I’m a bloody fool. If anything happens to her, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  Nigel gripped his shoulder. “Don’t worry; we’ll find her for you.”

  Hours passed into days, and still no clues surfaced. Varian was like a man possessed. He was short-tempered; he found eating an annoying necessity and sleep was nearly impossible. Each time he lay down and closed his eyes, her image would haunt him.

  His ship went from port to port seeking even the slightest clue to her fate. He asked questions, offered rewards, and waited for word. He felt powerless.

  “Give it up, Varian. She’s gone,” Supreme Commander Brec Sard said after many days had passed without word of her. “I wish I could do something or say otherwise. It’s over. Accept her loss and move on. I can’t offer you any more hope. All I can say is she might be alive somewhere. For now, we must concentrate all our efforts on the situation developing in the Milky Way Galaxy. Our rescue operations on Earth are almost complete. Other ships have covered your assignments. We must now decide how to deal with the meteor.”

  “If Jana is alive, I’ll find her. I’m not giving up,” Varian declared, Earth’s fate no longer his primary concern.

  Sighing, Brec told Varian that Ryker had left Darkar for the Androas Empire shortly after Brec’s last trip and queries, to seek his exotic specimens on several planets. They had been told that Ryker ha
d left after Canissia’s ship stopped briefly at that planetoid. Brec and Varian wanted to question Segall’s daughter, but she and her ship had vanished completely. If she knew anything about Jana’s abduction, they couldn’t interrogate her until she was found. Trouble was, they couldn’t connect her criminally to Ryker, or Ryker to the trap which had almost been Varian’s death.

  “When will that bastard return to Darkar? And where the hell is Cass?”

  “I was told he’ll be home in two more weeks. We can’t traipse through Kadim Maal Triloni’s territory searching for his grandson. I pulled my surveillance ships off Ryker for thirty-six hours to calm him. Presently I have three ships watching Darkar. No one can go in or out without my knowing. I just wish they had been on duty when Cass made her visit. None of our posts can locate her. But you know Cass. When she wants to drop out of sight for an adventure, she can and does. There is one way to lure her out of hiding, if you’re game.”

  When the plan was put into motion, Varian headed for his private planetoid, Altair, to await news from Brec Sard or Canissia Garthon, or to see if someone else would take his bait…

  Altair was a relief, for there were no reminders on the planetoid of Jana. As Varian awaited news, Nigel and Tristan joined him in what appeared a genial visit. This homecoming was very different from what Varian had planned not long ago. Jana should be at his side, as his wife! Instead, he was alone and miserable. He could only hope Jana would see through the sham they had concocted and circulated about his upcoming marriage to Canissia!

  Days slowly passed. The harder Varian fought to accept the possibility of her loss, the more he realized he could not. At least proof of her death offered some finality, a reason to end his search. The uncertainty of her survival and ordeal ate at his gut day and night, chewing away at his sanity. He needed to know the truth.