“We can manage them. We always have,” he argued, frustration clear in his midnight voice.
“That’s why you did no more than make the most tentative of contact with their representative?” she challenged, bounding out of the chair. Stubborn, stubborn man. It had taken her less than a day to see that Darias, for all of his talk, had been reluctant to respond to Trinearia’s overture. Hands on her hips, she dared him to speak plainly.
“If you had more experience in negotiating trade contracts, you’d understand my strategy,” he drawled, making her want to smack him.
“Understand the art of negotiating,” she snorted. She’d cut her teeth on the life of a trader. “Look, I have more exper—” A knock on the door cut off her sharp retort. The door opened and a woman walked in. “Sharri! You made it.”
“You rang?” An impish smile lifted the brunette’s lips.
She hurried around the desk and hugged her friend. “Thank you for coming,” she whispered, fighting back an unexpected rush of tears. “Come, let’s go to my chamber.” She grabbed the brunette by the arm then stopped at the door to level a hard glance at Darias.
“We’ll finish this conversation later, Darias.”
Riana was excruciatingly aware of the Sharri’s worried glances as they traversed the stairs and long hallway leading to her chambers but, for the first time in their long relationship, didn’t try to make light of her friend’s concern, Once inside her chamber, Riana hesitated, not sure of the best place to hold the type of talk she needed. Then, with a mental shrug, she decided she might as well go for broke and have it in the garden—the site of her and Darias’ most tumultuous encounters.
She needed to someone to talk to, to sound out her jumbled thoughts so she could make some kind of sense of them, and there was no one better than her best friend.
Sharri looked around with appreciation. “I can see why you wanted to stay. This place is incredible.” She touched one tiny flower, its translucent amethyst petals chimed with a clear crystalline note as she stroked it. She bent down and inhaled the sweet, spicy fragrance that was released. Walking a little farther down the graveled walk, she stopped and cupped a spectacular red blossom in her hand. Her eyes were bright when she turned toward Riana. “So, are you going to tell me what’s going on? Your message sounded odd, but when I hurry here, I find you…”She waved a hand around. “Amidst this.”
“I’m not sure where to start.” Riana scuffed the toe of her boot in the gravel, making intricate designs in order to avoid meeting her friend’s eyes. How could she hope to explain that she’d allowed herself to not only be captured but kept as a slave? Restless, she began walking toward the back of the garden. Sharri caught up with her.
“You can start by telling me why they call you Supreme Chief.”
“I won the right to rule Nexar in a battle with Darias.”
“That magnificent specimen I barely had a chance to glimpse in your office?” She sounded amazed. “I don’t believe it. You battled him? Hell, girl, with a man who looks like a fallen god, you are supposed to make love, not war! Besides, he’s built like a Hsadian battle cruiser. It’d take a sun going nova to defeat that man.”
Riana felt a hint of humor lighten her mood momentarily. “I told you the lieutenant was teaching me a combat technique.” Her smile became an outright grin. “He was a very good teacher.” Her smile faded when she came abreast of the path leading to the hidden alcove.
“I bet,” Sharri said dryly. “The next question is what were you doing battling him?”
“Remember when you told me that my gut instinct was going to get me into trouble one day?”
Her friend nodded, dawning understanding in her brown eyes.
“Well, one day arrived with a crash.” She took a deep breath and stiffened her spine. Sharri was her best friend in the whole galaxy, but revealing even to her what had taken place in this garden was, well, it was humiliating. Chewing on her bottom lip, she seriously considered turning around and going back inside. Before she could give in to the urge, she headed down the path to the Punishment Stone.
Her friend followed then came to a startled halt. “What is that?”
“That is a Punishment Stone.”
“It looks like something from the fantasy room in Madame Bulivae’s pleasure palace.”
“Trust me. It’s no fantasy but a fantasy warped into a nightmare.” Birds sang cheerfully from the concealing foliage, mocking Riana’s memories of Darias’ punishment of her. Broodingly, she stared at the white stone. She thought punishing him here would make the memories go away.
It hadn’t.
Shaking off the unpleasant recollections, she sat on a weathered boulder. That blasted stone symbolized everything that was wrong and twisted in Nexar—pleasure used as punishment, an entire half of a population bound and forced to be submissive to the other half. Even their economic policies were subjugated to their beliefs that women needed masters.
“So tell me.” Sharri traced the curved seat of the Punishment Stone.
Riana could see the question in her friend’s eyes as she fingered the leg cuffs.
A sigh worked itself up from her depths. “Right after talking to you, I got caught in an ion storm and crashed near those mountains.” Riana tilted her head, indicating the range of mountains to the north. “To make a long story short, Darias found me and made me his slave.”
“You? A slave? How in the name of the Zethra did that happen?” Sharri held up one slender hand when Riana opened her mouth to speak. “Do not give me the abbreviated version. I want details.” A wicked grin curved her lips. “I especially want to know what being the slave of that magnificent specimen entails. Is he well hung?”
“Sharri!”
She was unrepentant. “Well, is he?”
“I’m not going to kiss and tell,” Riana said primly.
“Since when? You told me about the lieutenant. About Cragor on Altair Eight and what about—”
“Stop. You know perfectly well I didn’t have to tell you a thing. You were there!”
She just grinned. “Darias, Riana. I want to know about Darias.”
Riana glared at her. “You and he have one thing in common. You’re both as persistent as Antarian cargo leeches. All right, I’ll tell you about Darias. And, no, I’m not going to tell you if he is well hung!”
“If you’re not going to tell me if he’s well hung, then at least answer one question for me.”
“What?” she asked suspiciously. It wasn’t like Sharri to give up so easily.
“How do you use the Punishment Stone?”
Although it wasn’t easy, Riana managed to ignore her friend’s teasing, knowing that Sharri was using humor to help her get through this. “Darias is stubborn, smart and strong. He is also wrong-headed about the place of women. Did I mention stubborn? Anyway, Nexar is, or rather, was completely male dominated. Men held all the power and didn’t hesitate to punish a woman if she was even perceived as stepping out of line. You would not believe the rules they set in place for women. And they added more any time they felt like it,” she grumbled.
“Punished? How?”
Heat flooded her cheeks and she turned her face away from her friend’s gentle gaze and toward the last glow of light on the horizon. When had it grown so late? A fragrant night breeze caressed her hot cheeks. Even though the sun had set, the breeze still carried the warmth of the day. How to explain to Sharri? How to tell her that sex was used to keep a woman in line, not by merely asserting dominance over her, but by using her very sexuality against her? How to explain the utter humiliation of wanting a man to the point of madness while he remained detached?
Abruptly, a hoarse cry of rage shattered the night.
“For Krel’s sake, Bryta, please!”
Sharri spun about, her eyes searching the garden alcove. “What in the name of the Zethra was that?”
“Punishment,” Riana replied succinctly as another cry of fury and need echoed in the night.
“Bryta, don’t stop! No! Damn you! I’m begging you to let me come!”
In the light of the huge, newly risen moon, her friend’s eyes were shocked. “That is the punishment? And you were Darias’ slave for several weeks?”
Riana gave a slow nod of her head. Her throat tightened and her eyes burned when Sharri held her in a silent hug of sympathy.
“So how is it that the roles were reversed and you became Supreme Chief and Darias your slave?”
“For all their faults, Darias and the men of Nexar hold their honor dear. I learned that he could not refuse a Battle of Honor.”
“Even from a female slave?”
“Well, from a female slave who practically accused him of being a coward.”
“You didn’t! Riana, the chance you took! He could have killed you.”
A wry grin tugged at the corner of her lips. “No, I knew he wouldn’t kill me. After all, that would deny him the opportunity to rub my face in his superiority. Not to mention taking me down a peg by public punishment.”
“Public punish— No, don’t tell me. I don’t think I want to know. So what are you going to do now? You can’t stay here and play Supreme Chief forever.”
“I can’t leave. Not yet. The women need me.”
“I can understand that.” Sharri spoke slowly. “After what you’ve told me, I realize they need guidance. I even understand why you wanted to take revenge on Darias, but it’s been several weeks now and he’s still your slave. That is so not like you, Riana.”
Riana bit her lip, unable to meet the other woman’s eyes. “At one time I would have agreed.” She stared down at her locked fingers. “I’m not the same person you once knew. I’ve changed.” She pushed aside the vague sense of hollowness that was sneaking up on her more and more often lately. Darias and she were locked in a contest of wills. Showing him the slightest sign of weakness would be disastrous for the women of Nexar. Oh sure, she could fly the Midnight Mischief from this planet, forget that Nexar or Darias ever existed, but the women would pay for her actions.
No, the only thing her conscience would allow her to do was to stay and make sure they were never again enslaved. And the only way to do that was to force the men of Nexar into admitting they were wrong to totally dominate women.
Her friend’s gaze was searching. “Are you sure?”
An inexplicable sadness filled Riana. “Oh yes,” she whispered, “I’m sure.” Of that she didn’t have the slightest doubt.
What she wasn’t sure about was how to change the men’s attitudes. Each day was a struggle to keep ahead of Darias’ and the other men’s plan to retake power. At one time, she had half hoped that things were changed between her and Darias. The way they had once fallen asleep in each other’s arms, a sense of peace between them, had made her believe that Darias was at last beginning to understand.
Now everything was turned about. Yeah, they still had sex, but something was missing. She pushed until he submitted, but even the joy in that was gone. And spanking? She pushed both hands into her hair and gripped the strands. Never for play anymore. Never for pleasure.
And even if she was successful in changing the mindset here in Nexar, the damage between Darias and herself was done. An ache deep inside started at that knowledge. Standing, she cradled a crystal ice blossom in the palm of her hand. Even that gentle touch caused a delicate chiming. So much beauty in Nexar. Would she ever be able to forget?
There was a heartbeat of silence. To her relief, Sharri didn’t pursue the topic any further. “What can I do to help?”
Shaking off the wistful yearning that things could be different, Riana turned her thoughts toward business. “Saria, the leader of the Far Islands, has agreed to meet with a trade representative from Nexar. I can’t go. Things are still too unsettled here for me to leave. I can’t send any of the women. For one thing, they don’t have the skill or experience to deal with such a delicate issue yet. For another, if the warriors learn that Darias kept from them the fact that a woman rules the Far Islands, they might well decide that since he deceived them on a matter of such importance, they don’t have to abide by the wager he made with me. It’s a fine line to walk. I can’t keep the women in ignorance forever, but sharing the news that another country-state has long had women rulers might well lead to the women of Nexar again being reduced to the rank of slave. Also, there is another issue, one that requires the utmost diplomacy, that I haven’t gone into yet. That, more than anything, is why I trust only you to negotiate on the behalf of Nexar. Will you?”
“For you, not for Nexar, I’ll go.” Typical Sharri that she hadn’t even asked what the biggest problem was. She’d just agreed. Zethra, she’d missed her.
Sharri started to leave then turned back. “So when are you going to tell them?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered, “I just don’t know.”
Again, Sharri started to leave only to stop. “Riana?”
“Yes?”
“Have you truly changed or are you just still angry?” Her words hovered on the air as she left before Riana could find a response.
Chapter Twelve
Riana propped her elbows on the desk, fingertips against her brow, and regarded Darias. He stood before her, a relaxed arrogance in his stance.
“What did you do with them?” A faint headache throbbed in her temples.
His face was expressionless. “Do with what?”
“Don’t play the innocent with me.” She shoved the chair back and got to her feet. “The trade and service agreements between the houses and the Supreme Chief. All of the hard copies are gone. So are the guild agreements.”
He lifted one black brow. “You believe I took them all?”
Riana moved until there was only a hand’s breadth of space between them. She was a tall woman, but still she had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze. This close, she could smell his unique scent, wild like that of a panthra and all male. Between her legs, she could feel moisture gathering.
It wasn’t fair the way he could make her respond even when she was furious with him. But, fair or not, it was undeniable. Riana wet her lips with the tip of her tongue as she sought to counter his pull on her senses.
Darias’ eyes darkened to tarnished gold.
Her mind went blank. What had she asked him? Oh yes, the trade agreements. “Not personally. However, I do believe you coordinated the timing of their disappearance.” Her ire returned. “You knew, because of the damage done by your stealth program, that we’d need this hard-copy information when a deal between the Far Islands and Nexar is signed. You hoped to sow discord among the houses. The men are already whispering that I’m showing favoritism to certain houses and that without the agreements, who’s to say whether I’m abiding by what’s already been decided.”
Riana had to admire his cleverness. He’d waited until the negotiations were well underway and couldn’t be postponed or called off without weakening their position. By choosing this moment, he could stir internal conflict, jeopardizing not only the trade summit but the stability of her rule itself.
“Where are the trade agreements and who took them?”
“If I knew where they were and if I knew those involved, do you truly believe I would tell you?”
She didn’t argue with him. It’d be useless, she knew. Instead, she placed her hand on his chest, directly over his heart. “This deserves punishment in the Great Hall. You understand that.” Beneath her palm, his muscle tightened.
He stared over her head. A muscle jerked in his jaw. “You are Supreme Chief.”
Riana felt like shaking him. Why couldn’t he see he was forcing her to punish him? If he would just admit who all was behind the documents’ disappearance, maybe she wouldn’t have to punish him as severely.
She glanced up at his set face.
No. He would never yield. Her dragon would rather face punishment than give up trying to get Nexar back. Darias felt it was his duty to return Nexar to the men’s rule. And
, Zethra only knew, the man held true to what he considered his duty. Riana rubbed her chest with her free hand, trying to get rid of the heavy lump that had formed in the vicinity of her heart.
“Don’t make me do this. Don’t make me punish you.” Dammit, he put her in this position. Unless he gave her something to work with, she couldn’t mitigate the consequences. Not this time.
“You are Supreme Chief,” he repeated.
She closed her eyes briefly. So be it. Riana opened her mouth to order him to wait in their chamber until she called him to the Great Hall.
Have you truly changed or are you still angry?
Sharri’s question popped into her head from out of nowhere. Her hand, still on Darias’ chest, curled slightly. Oh Zethra, she was using the same arguments to punish Darias that he had used to justify his behavior to her. Except in her case she didn’t even have the excuse of tradition to blame.
Shocked, she realized her fury at her treatment hadn’t died with time. Instead, it had simply disguised itself behind such euphemisms as teaching him a lesson when, in reality, she was looking for a way to gain revenge and to force Darias into conceding complete defeat.
But Darias wasn’t a one-dimensional man, concerned only with enslaving women. His journals and concern over his people proved that. Other small snippets came to mind, information she’d dismissed. Such as Bryta telling her that hardly before his father’s body was cold, Darias’ had ordered the women’s cells closed. His first command as new Supreme Chief. But, her hands full of negotiating a trade dispute between the laborers’ guild and the carpenters’ guild, she’d dismissed significance of the revelation. Just as she’d dismissed her earlier impression he was a man of hidden layers because that made it easier for her.
No, Darias wasn’t one-dimensional, he was a man fighting to hold on to a way of life in the only way he knew how. Change meant tearing down the fabric of structure that held his society together. Darias didn’t think he was capable of change, but he was. Look at his defense of Jayna, his former personal guardsman’s woman. And look at his leniency—by Nexarian standards—with her.
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