Jana had woven her web of love around his heart and life, then vanished without releasing him. Somehow, he must cut himself free of those silky strands. He left his room an embittered and determined man. He must find the strength to put his life together again, the one which she had innocently torn asunder. He felt harsher, tougher, and even stronger. He was angered at himself and fate. He felt like a blend of ice and stone, as before Jana entered his life and changed him. Never would he love again, for it hurt too much! It was safer to remain detached and emotionless.
His plagued mind asked, After knowing Jana and sharing such love—can you survive without it, without her? Can you allow it to end this way?
Varian found Brec with Nigel and Tris. “All right, I’ll take the assignment. I’ll report to base for final instructions in the morning. Just one thing, I’ll break your damn necks, if you give up the search for Jana the moment I leave. When I get back, I’m putting in my resignation to look for her. And I won’t stop until I have her in my hands, alive or dead.”
Nigel eyed Varian and shuddered. There was a new brittleness in his blue eyes, a cynical sneer on his lips. Varian moved like a beast stalking prey. At that moment, Nigel realized a terrible truth: Jana had made an indelible impression on his friend; as much as Varian loved her, Varian hated her tormenting hold over him. Nigel winced in dread, for he knew the tricks a man used to forget a lost love: danger, endless work, and other women.
“Be in my office at headquarters at noon tomorrow,” Brec suggested.
“I’ll be there, ready to leave for Darkar and Earth. Who knows,” he said sneering coldly, “maybe I’ll find another Jana Greyson to abduct and destroy.”
Jana sat in her suite. At noon, she had become Jana Greyson Triloni. She prayed that cunning beast would keep his word, however devious. It appeared she had him fooled, just as he believed he had her fooled. She glanced at the gold bracelet encrusted with precious gems, the symbol of their legal union. She wished Ryker hadn’t taken her ring, her last bond to Varian. She didn’t know what mad scheme Ryker was plotting, but she did know he would have slain her if she hadn’t agreed to marry him. A short reprieve, that’s all this marriage meant to her. She had to pretend to be duped by him; that was the only way she could survive to escape, or to stall for a rescue.
By ten that night, Jana was lying in her bed. She had discovered how to get out of the complex and into Ryker’s home, but it was too soon to try anything rash. Was that why Ryker had whispered the exit code into her ear? A test of loyalty? Getting outside this impregnable building wasn’t the problem; getting off Darkar was, so she must wait until after Ryker left to check out any escape possibility. If Trilabs was nearby, perhaps she could sneak aboard a cargo ship and get away. If that proved impossible, she prayed Ryker was going to take her to Rigel next week as he claimed. Once there, she would flee him, with or without Varian Saar’s help.
Jana closed her eyes and drifted on clouds of dreamy slumber. The covers moved aside and a warm body touched hers. She smiled and embraced the sable-haired, blue-eyed rogue who was lowering his shadowy face toward hers. “You won’t be needing this,” he murmured, playfully tugging off her nightgown.
His fiery fingers brushed over her lips and caressed her cheek. She trembled. Her breath caught as his tongue traveled round and round each nipple in turn. They responded instantly to his touch, growing taut and eager. As his fingers kneaded them, his lips covered hers. The heat of his mouth and hands seared away all reason and will. Liquid fire spread rapidly and uncontrollably throughout her body.
Jana’s fingers wandered into thick ebony hair as she drew his wandering mouth back to hers. She greedily and feverishly assailed his lips, yielding her very being to her lover. As his hand slipped lower and lower, caressing every inch along the way, Jana quivered and moaned with rising hunger.
When he shifted between her thighs and gently entered her, she gasped with intense pleasure. Her hips arched upward beneath him to take all of him. There was no need for the instructions which he whispered into her ears; she had learned her lessons well. She surrendered to pure instinct and raging desire, and undying love. Her body shuddered as her passions mounted. She was devoured, possessed, and consumed by his lovemaking.
Jana writhed against the bed as his insistent hands, probing tongue, and intoxicating movements stimulated and aroused her to mindless frenzy. She clung to him, responded to him, gave to him, and took from him. Yet, her lover continued to torment her blissfully. If he didn’t sate her soon, she would go mad with urgency and frustration. She grasped his hand to bite him in playful warning, as that day on his ship.
Jana squealed in pain and sat up in confusion. She looked around the nearly dark room. She was alone. Her bed was rumpled, but she was clothed. Her face and body glistened with perspiration and dampened her gown. No scent of sex was in the air. She rubbed the bite on her hand. A dream, a taunting dream! Please help me. Save me from Ryker. I love you, Varian. I need you.
Varian jerked upward in his bed. His hair and body were damp. His covers were mussed from his tossings. He could almost smell Jana’s particular fragrance. He closed his eyes and concentrated fiercely on her. Where are you, my love? How can I help you if I cannot find you? I love you, Jana.
The alarm system shattered the silence. Varian jumped out of bed and raced toward the nearest security post. “A small missile landed, sir. It could be an explosive.”
Varian stared at the oblong rocket which was three feet long and one foot in diameter. Somehow he knew there was no danger of an explosion. Somehow he knew the answer to his destiny was locked inside that shiny object. When he started to walk toward it, the guard seized his arm and warned, “Wait, sir!”
“It’s all right. It’s the message I’ve been waiting for.” Just as Varian opened the clamp and withdrew a small package, Nigel and Tristan joined him. “Get back!” Varian shouted abruptly. “It’s going to self-destruct.”
As all four men raced to a safe distance, the rocket disintegrated, leaving no clue as to its origin or course. Varian opened the box and grimaced. When his friends anxiously questioned the contents, Varian replied as he walked away, “Jana’s alive. But I might wish she’s dead after I read this message.”
Nigel and Tristan hurried after him. “Who’s it from? What’s it say?”
Varian showed them the items inside the box; they were stunned.
* * *
Sitting in Brec’s office the next morning, Varian observed the man’s expression as he examined the package’s contents. “They appear to be authentic, but you know this could be a trap,” he said.
“Nigel ran everything through our computers on board the ship; they’re Jana’s. They detected intense stress in her voice and mannerisms.”
“Anxiety does not prove deceit or coercion, Varian,” Brec reasoned.
“I know. To look at her and hear her, you’d think she was happy.” He lifted one of the items and remarked, “That’s the ring I gave her, but she never wore it around me. I have no idea why she had it on when she vanished.” Pointing to the jewel-encrusted bracelet on Jana’s arm in the picture, he admitted, “There’s no arguing that’s a marriage band on her wrist, and no one can remove it except her husband. But who did she marry? Where? Why?”
“It makes me very suspicious that his name, body, and voice are blanked out on every piece of evidence here,” Nigel said, concurring with Varian’s doubts.
“Under the circumstances, I can see why he and Jana would want his identity kept secret. How else could they keep her location from us?” Brec said. “If I believed this was legitimate, I would drop our investigation. Jana is a free woman, a Maffei citizen. There is no crime involved in leaving Tirol’s company or in marrying any man, although Canissia Garthon is definitely guilty of participation. It’s my bet Jana’s been forced into marrying this unknown man through drugs or threats. Or she’s been tricked with lies about you. I would say that Canissia is long gone from our galaxy. She’ll be of
no help in locating Jana.”
Tristan speculated, “You think this husband wants us to call off our search for Jana, or do you think he’s using the marriage as a lure?”
Varian didn’t reply. He asked Brec, “Are you sure no ships have crossed the Pyropean barrier? You sure this…husband,” he said contemptuously, “isn’t Prince Taemin? While I was being tortured on Karlim, I heard those bastards taunting me about Jana and Taemin.”
Brec opened his desk drawer and withdrew two items. “These came in just before your arrival. I was waiting for the right moment to expose them. Last week, our Pyropean prince married another woman, a Tarterrian princess. Jurad is too smart and clever to allow his son to dupe the Tarterrians or break the Pyropean law with bigamy. The date on Jana’s document prevents him from becoming her mate. I’ve already checked; Taemin is with his princess today.”
“What about Kadim Maal Triloni?” Tristan ventured.
“I’ve had my squads patrolling both barriers. All ships have been stopped and scanned. Jana has not been slipped over either boundary; I’m sure of it. When her marriage document enters the Alliance files, it won’t be a secret any longer.”
“What good will that do us? According to law, registration of a marriage can take place anytime before the first anniversary!” Varian replied.
“Maybe that’s his sport, to torment you about his identity for a whole year.”
“I think Nigel is right. Why don’t you head out on this assignment while I do some more checking around? If you stay here with hands tied, you’ll be worthless to yourself and us. If you leave, he might register the marriage sooner. Whatever you decide, Varian, the marriage is legal if you can’t prove coercion.”
“Jana wouldn’t marry another man!” he declared.
“Not even to spite you?” Brec questioned. “I may have been wrong to send out those news releases about you and Cass. Until then, Jana was invisible. If she believed those tapes, she could have been persuaded to marry some man. She could have been deluded into leaving you or marrying this man. But if he wasn’t in on her abduction or deception, the marriage is binding. At least we know she’s alive and well. She’s his wife, Varian. Are you sure you want to continue to look for her? She doesn’t belong to you anymore.”
A security officer entered to deliver an urgent message for Varian. The Wanderlust commander read it twice then crushed the paper in his hand. “I’ve got to see someone. Nigel, you’re in charge of the ship. Brec, you may as well drop the search for Jana.”
“What’s the message say?” all three men asked seemingly at once.
“It’s from an old flame,” he lied. “I’ll deal with Jana’s mystery when I return. I’ll be ready to begin my assignment at noon. Leave Jana and her husband in peace. She must have known what she was doing when she married him. It’s time to get on with my life. As you said, Brec, no crime has been committed. See you later.” Varian stood up and reached for the items in the box. He shredded the marriage document and wedding picture, then destroyed the tape of the ceremony: none of which revealed the identify of the bastard involved! But now he knew it was Ryker! He shoved the ring on his little finger. “Have everything ready at noon to leave orbit, Nigel. Recall the crew on standby. I’ll come on board around ten. As soon as Brec gives us the goahead, we’ll be on our way to Darkar, then Earth.”
At dawn, Varian leaned his buttocks against the carnelian rock behind him. Ever cautious and alert, he had placed his vulnerable blind side before a towering cliff. His penetrating sapphire gaze continually swept the open area before him. Tension put his body and mind on edge. He had left a recorded message for Nigel to go after the chemicals on Darkar and to head on to Earth for the final mission, as acting commander of the Wanderlust. If at all possible, Nigel was to rescue Andrea McKay and deliver her to Anais, the planet where the rescued Earthlings were being relocated. His two recordings would be heard at ten, if he wasn’t back on his ship safely…
Varian reflected on the first message’s instructions for Nigel to take over the ship and mission. The second message explained his current actions to Tirol and his closest friends. He had sneaked away from base and traveled to this remote asteroid in a swift Spacer. He had made sure no one trailed him, to prevent complications. He couldn’t afford a concealed backup team or refuse to comply with his antagonist’s orders. He knew he might not come away from this place and meeting alive, but he had to take that risk. Nothing mattered except Jana’s life. Others could carry out the mission in the Milky Way Galaxy; only he could save his love from death. If he survived, he could obtain the needed supplies from the new owner of Trilabs: Jana Greyson Triloni. If he was slain this morning, Ryker would return to Darkar before Nigel’s arrival. Whatever happened, the mission was not in jeopardy. Only he and Jana.
Varian’s ebony hair was ruffled by a crisp breeze. His arms were folded and locked over his muscular chest, implying confidence and his contempt for danger. One booted ankle was crossed over the other one. He looked as if he could respond to any threat in an instant; yet he wasn’t wearing his weapons belt. He was clad in black pants and shirt; his gold Star Fleet sunburst insignia and commander’s stars stood out boldly against the jet back-ground of his uniform. His roving eyes halted on the landing area before him. He had been waiting for long hours, but he refused to become jumpy and impatient. Destiny should not be confronted lightly.
“I see you came alone and unarmed, big brother,” a voice remarked from nearby, causing Varian to start and whirl in that direction. “Sorry to keep you waiting, but I had to make sure you obeyed my orders.” The door to a concealed cave had opened and Ryker had stepped into the morning daylight. “You don’t mind my savoring this victory as long as possible?” he taunted.
Varian stared at the man who could almost be his twin, as his half brother wasn’t wearing his disguise. Varian’s frosty stare drifted over Ryker, then blue eyes clashed with blue eyes. “I see you’re no longer ashamed to reveal those handsome Saarian looks,” Varian jested to rile him.
“When I came to live in the Maffei Galaxy years ago, I didn’t want everyone constantly declaring that Ryker Triloni was the bastard son of Galen Saar, until it served my purpose. It seemed best to present myself as a Triloni, son of Princess Shara and grandson to Kadim Maal. A prince and heir to a throne and empire do outrank you, brother dear. Since our illustrious father chose to make me an outcast, I thought it best if I didn’t flaunt his looks, or yours. Our selfish, arrogant father gave you his name, love, empire, and status. He gave me nothing but this face.”
“You know Shara is to blame for everything that’s happened to both of us!”
“Father allowed it!” he thundered.
“You’re a bloody fool, Ryker. Father wanted to raise you, but Maal and Shara refused to send you to him. All Father did was reject your mother and her evil spells. He couldn’t take you without their consent. You know the Maffeian law: a bastard child must be in its father’s possession to be legitimized! What did you expect him to do? Attack the Androas Empire and Maal’s palace to lay claim to his second son? Did you expect Father to inspire a war between the galaxies over a baby, an Androas prince? Father’s hands were bound by duty and obligated to peace. Would you have preferred him to become a renegade after stealing you? Your price was too high.”
“Your laws are stupid! Galen could not give me his name, yet I can inherit all he had because I am his son, his blood heir after you the firstborn!”
“Are you so bitter that you can’t see the truth? This war between us has continued too long, with too much brutality. Our parents are dead and buried! Damn you, Ryker, Jana doesn’t deserve this place between us! What have you done to her?”
“I married her, big brother. She is lost to you forever,” he said coldly. “You held her and this galaxy in the palm of your hand; now, both will be mine.”
“How did you get Jana off Rigel? Your blasted marriage isn’t legal. She belongs to me. Hand her over or I’ll send every stars
hip in this sector to attack Darkar. I would rather see her dead than as your prisoner.”
Ryker leaned against a boulder as Varian examined the evidence he had brought to prove Canissia’s guilt and Ryker’s innocence of Jana’s abduction. “You see, brother, you don’t have a legal foot to stand on. Jana is a free woman, free to leave Rigel and free to marry me. I had nothing to do with her kidnapping and I didn’t force her to marry me. Besides, surely you don’t want her to leave my bed to return to yours? If all went well, she is carrying the next Triloni-Saar. My son and heir.”
“You evil bastard! I’ll kill you for this treachery! We both know she didn’t marry you willingly. When she finds out she was tricked—”
“Shut up,” Ryker warned. “Jana agreed to marry me. She can’t press any charges or return to you, not carrying my child. But you see, brother, I planned for every possibility. Only one of us will leave this place alive. If you slay me, you can marry my widow and inherit all I own.”
“You’re crazy,” Varian charged. “No sane enemy would make Jana his wife and heir, then challenge me to a battle to the death for her and all he owns!”
“Imbecile, I know that you’ve made Jana your heir too! Canissia has been draining her father of information for years. She was also getting facts from a traitor on your ship.” Ryker revealed Baruch Tirana’s guilt. “No doubt Cass has disposed of him by now. And she got rid of Moloch too. You see, brother dear, they were all working for Cass, and she was working for me, providing me with all of your secrets but I’ve taken care of Cass, and there are no links to me. I know all about you: Jana’s freedom and your plan to marry her, your upcoming mission. You see, brother, once you’re dead, I will prove my paternity and lay claim to all Saar holdings and the Saar name.”
Varian observed the wild gleam in the blue eyes focused on him. He must be careful and cunning, for his half brother was dangerously mad. Varian softened his tone and expression. “Listen to me, Ryker. I don’t want Jana hurt. If she wants to remain with you for any reason, I’ll agree. Just don’t tell her about my feelings. I only want her safety.” “I bet you do,” Ryker scoffed. “You actually love her.”
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