Acting Out

by Paulette Oakes

  When she finally reached Korian’s rooms, she pressed a finger to the sensor and announced, “Jessica MacGregor to see King Korian.”

  Moments later, the door panel slid open and she walked slowly inside. She was not looking forward to this meeting at all, and her dragging footsteps gave proof of it. She made her way through the sitting room, past his bedroom, and emerged into the back room that was surrounded by one-way solar panel windows that allowed prodigious light from the moon, stars, and surrounding planets to illuminate the tall, broad warrior that stared silently out at the quiet landscape of his compound. She hovered in the doorway, drinking in the sight of the man that had come to mean so much to her in such a short span of time. How would she be able to leave in two weeks’ time and never see him again?

  She stepped further into the room and called softly, “Korian? Do you have a moment to talk? Something happened tonight, and I need to explain-“

  “No, you do not need to offer me explanations. I already know what has occurred this night,” he cut her off, his voice cold and dripping with ice. Turning away from the window, his face was in shadows as he added, “You gave me fair warning during our first meeting. It is my fault that I chose to ignore it and believe that you had come to care for me above all others.”

  Jessica sucked in a shocked breath and her skin turned clammy with nerves. “You don’t understand, Korian! Please, just give me a chance to explain,” she pleaded with him, her feet reluctantly closing the gap between them.

  His arms crossed over his thickly muscled chest as he replied, “As I said, there is no need to explain. I have already heard the entirety of your adventures this night, and I fail to see where there could be more I need to hear about it.” When she stared at him dumbfounded, he called out, “Command, replay the last transmission from Nikesus Bal’Forte.”

  The computerized system replied, “Affirmative. Replaying transmission.”

  A familiar male voice began to speak. “My king, as you requested, I have observed and followed your guest, Jessica MacGregor, during tonight’s event. Miss MacGregor arrived at the home of Rox’Ana Ful’Tera at approximately two hours prior to sunsdown. She circulated with the guests, engaging in conversation, and ate little at dinner and drank only water after refusing the wine. At approximately one hour after sunsdown, Miss MacGregor engaged Rox’Ana Ful’Tera in conversation moments before Zandar Nic’Omar arrived as an invited guest. I was unable to hear the entirety of their discussion, but I did manage to overhear the delegate offer use of her home should Miss MacGregor and Zandar Nic’Omar wish to spend some time together alone. I was also close enough to hear Zandar Nic’Omar mention something about sharing their bodies with each other before Miss MacGregor pulled him to a secluded corner to continue the conversation. Moments later, the two of them disappeared from the party room together. At this time, I tried to follow them, but was waylaid by Rox’Ana Ful’Tera and ordered to circulate with the wine goblets. It was several more moments before I was able to break free and pursue them down the hallway of her home. It was at this time that I heard their voices coming from a locked room, and I made haste to retrieve the delegate with a fabricated story about hearing cries for help. She could not easily refuse my request for investigation without revealing her own culpability, so we made our way together through the rooms.”

  There was a pause in the transmission, as if the speaker was preparing himself to reveal exceptionally bad news. Jessica felt the blood drain from her face as she was pierced with the steely resolve of her lover. The duplicitous waiter finally picked up his tale. “Upon entry into the private chambers of Rox’Ana Ful’Tera, we discovered Zandar Nic’Omar laying upon the bed with Jessica MacGregor sitting astride him as they embraced and kissed. While their clothing was still on their bodies, the latches were undone on his shirt and one of them was undone on her dress. Neither of them wore shoes, and their general appearance was one of dishevelment. They separated quickly before explaining their presence in the delegate’s rooms, and then Jessica MacGregor proceeded to insist on complete secrecy from the both of us before allowing us to leave. Within a half an hour, Miss MacGregor returned to the party and continued on as she had before by conversing and socializing with the guests, but Zandar Nic’Omar did not return with her. She left the residence of the delegate alone approximately three and a half hours after sunsdown to return to your compound. End report.”

  The silence that fell between them was thick and heavy with accusation. Jessica couldn’t speak, her mouth too dry and her throat like sandpaper in the face of Korian’s cold stare. Her hand was shaking as she lifted it toward him with entreaty, but he stepped back sharply to prevent her from touching him.

  “Korian, please,” she croaked, her eyes steadily brimming with tears. “You have to let me explain.”

  Korian slashed his hand through the air to silence her, his cold resolve finally melting under the heat of his rage. “I have no desire to hear your excuses, Jessica. Because of your actions, I will be forced to issue a Warrior Challenge to Zandar Nic’Omar and fight for my honor until one of us is unable to rise or concedes defeat.”

  True fear arced through her body as Zandar’s words echoed in her ears and images of Korian lying in a pool of blood while Zandar stood over top of him made her knees buckle. She staggered over to the wall to brace herself and furiously scrubbed away the tears streaming down her face. “No, Korian, please! If you will just listen to me, I can explain what really happened-“

  “How long have you been sharing your body with him, Jessica?” Before she could answer, he shook his head and continued, “No need to answer that. I find I do not wish to truly know the answer, but perhaps it may be important in this matter. Does Zandar Nic’Omar know that you may be carrying my youngling in your womb? Or perhaps you are carrying his babe now instead.”

  Jessica felt the stirrings of her temper finally coming to her rescue and she firmed up her spine and planted her feet until she was standing defiantly before her pig-headed lover. “I have never shared my body with Zandar, which you would know if you gave me a chance to explain. And as for being pregnant? You won’t have to worry about that, either. I take shots to prevent that from happening, and I had one only a week before I was taken. They last for three months before I need another one, so there’s no need to worry about that score,” she sneered, her fair skin heating with her anger.

  Korian’s laugh was humorless and harsh. “You are mistaken, Jessica. That is what I wished to speak with you about this night before I learned the truth of your actions. All traces of the foreign chemical was removed from your system during corrective treatment when you boarded the ship. Unfortunately, I was too distracted by your beauty to take preventative measures myself, and for that, I am truly sorry.”

  Jessica’s adrenaline spiked and her hand unconsciously hovered over her abdomen. “What? Why wasn’t I told about this? Do you have any idea what you’ve done? I can’t go back to Earth while carrying an alien baby! I’m too visible and followed relentlessly by photographers. How am I supposed to explain this, especially if my memory has been wiped?”

  Korian’s lips pulled tight as if he were holding back from saying what he really wanted to say. “I failed you as your host in regards to your health and choices in this matter, but I will make it right for you. If you are indeed carrying a youngling in your womb, you will be provided with the best care and medical treatments available. If the youngling is determined to be of my seed, then the child will be claimed as my heir and will have a loving and fulfilled home here with me. After the babe has been birthed, you will be given the choice to remain on T’Kala in a home of your choosing or to return to your planet, but the child will remain in my home with me. If the youngling should turn out to be of Zandar’s issue, then you will likely be asked to be his lifemate and become a citizen of T’Kala. Either way, the youngling will not be allowed to return with you to Earth.”

  Jessica clapped a hand over her mouth and swallowed the bile
that crawled up her throat and threatened to bring the contents of her stomach with it. She shook her head desperately, her mind refusing to believe what she was hearing. How could the man that had held her so tenderly, laughed and kissed and touched her body with such passion, be so cold and unfeeling? How could she have misjudged him so greatly?

  When the silence grew thick with strain, he continued, “Tomorrow, you will report to Officer Ax’Sandre R’Varsel aboard the vessel where she will conduct a full scan of your body to determine if there are any signs of conception present in your body. I am unfamiliar with most aspects of human biology, but perhaps the Officer will have more answers since she is half human herself. If there are no signs of conception, I will authorize your early release and commission a team to return you to your home immediately.”

  Bitter, angry tears streaked down her face and her entire body trembled with the sheer amount of emotions bubbling and fighting for supremacy in her body. She latched on to the anger gratefully, and pulled it around her like a comfortable old blanket and a shield. “I’ve told you once, and I’ll tell you again, King Korian. You are in no position to dictate what I do with my own body. You lost any right to demand anything of me the moment you refused to listen to my side of the story and instead chose to believe every word your sorry ass spy had to say. You have spied on me, believed the worst of me, and thrown away every tender feeling I had begun to develop for you through your own jealousy and stubborn pride. I hope they will keep you warm at night, Korian. Because I never will again.”

  Pivoting on her heel, she stalked from his room and kept her pace measured and determined until the final door panel closed behind her. Once she reached the corridor, she ran for her room, sobs wracking her body and her heart squeezing with pain and betrayal. Once she reached her own rooms, she grabbed the duffle bag she had replicated onboard the ship and began to stuff it full of clothing and her toiletries. In another bag, she tossed all of Little Mahoney’s items and placed her crate on the bed. She bent to scoop up the distressed animal off the floor where she was whining at Jessica’s feet. She cradled the bimbop to her cheek and allowed it to anxiously lick away her tears before kissing it gently between its rounded ears and tucking her carefully inside the carrier.

  She scanned her eyes across her room to make sure she had left nothing behind and her eye caught on the T’Kalan dagger hair pin. She picked it up in her hand and traced the delicate filigree with a fingertip as she remembered Korian doing the same. With one last glimpse, she placed it back on her vanity and turned away.

  “Computer,” she called out into the silence of her room. “Send an urgent transmission to Lieutenant Commander Katsuko Mahoney R’Varsel.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Three long, hellish sun cycles had passed since that terrible night, and Korian felt worse than he had ever imagined he could. Not even the death of his mina at the tender age of 10 years had left him this sick with dread and unable to sleep and eat. He had been unsurprised to find that Jessica had abandoned the compound when the twin suns rose the next morning, and a scan of the transmissions outgoing from his command center had confirmed his suspicions that she had left with the warrior Mahoney. Perhaps it was for the best, he had tried to convince himself, as he had walked through her empty room and felt the chill of her absence. His pale lavender eyes had landed on the shiny metallic hair pin on her dresser, and his heart shriveled a little bit more at this evidence of her abandonment.

  His thoughts and emotions warred inside his mind like enemy combatants. Images of Jessica smiling and laughing as they lay in bed, their bodies replete from visiting the stars together, taunted him as his imagination vindictively replaced his face with that of Zandar Nic’Omar. His heart felt as if it had died inside his chest and only awakened often enough to squeeze painfully anytime he remembered the taste of her lips, the feel of her body trembling beneath his, and the sound of his name on her lips when he made her shatter into climax. How could she have betrayed him in such a manner? How could he have misread her so completely? He had fooled himself into believing that she had grown to care for him as he had grown to care for her, but she had played him for a fool.

  No matter how many times he went over the details in his head, he could think of no other reason for what his spy had witnessed. Nikesus was a loyal and faithful employee of many years, and would have no reason to lie about what he had seen. It was even more damning that Jessica had not denied the report, but had sought to defend herself once he had announced his intention to challenge her other lover for breaking the Captive Law. How could he trust her to tell him the truth when she was so practiced in the art of deception through her chosen profession? No, he was right to put his faith in a loyal servant of his court over a human female he had known only a short time.

  For three sun cycles, he had closeted himself in his rooms, brooding and pacing, as he obsessively relived each moment of their time together. He reviewed every word that was said and every action that had been taken to find more proof of her duplicity. He listened to every report from his spies that had been sent to him following each of her outings since she had arrived at the compound, searching for hidden evidence of her trysts with Zandar, but each time he came away with nothing. Not even after her outing to the market with the warrior had there been a whisper of improper behavior between them save for a brief hug and a chaste kiss to her cheek. When had they had the time to meet for their trysts? Her time on T’Kala was fully accounted for, yet there must have been some other way for them to have come together. If there had not been a previous time, what had prompted her to take such risks in beginning an affair in the home of their enemy? It made no sense to him, and he was making himself crazy with increasingly outlandish theories and possibilities.

  The nights were the worst. When he lay in his bed, he imagined that he could still smell the scent of her hair on his bedclothes and his shaft would grow thick and swollen with want for her as he remembered the feeling of releasing himself deep inside her body. These thoughts inevitably brought him back to the possibility of her belly growing round with his son or his daughter, and his heart would give that painful squeeze again until he lost his breath from it. Now that the option had been taken from him, he realized that he had been subconsciously considering asking Jessica to stay with him on T’Kala and become his lifemate, especially in the last few days before his world had shattered around him. But that plan would never come to fruition now that all trust between them had been destroyed.

  Not even his fury against Zandar could be appeased. No matter how thoroughly his spies searched, they could not find the warrior anywhere in the city of P’Hartha in order for Korian to issue his challenge. He knew that Zandar Nic’Omar was almost ten years his senior and would have more combat experience than himself, but the king had righteous anger on his side. He intended to fight the other warrior and come out victorious. There was no other option acceptable to him. But first, he had to find him. He could not even seek advice or help from Mikael this time. His loyalties were split between his king and his lifemate, and Korian would not force his old friend to choose between them in this matter. Even when his transmission system had lit up with calls from the captain, Korian had refused to answer and instructed his secretary to hold all calls and turn away all visitors. He was not fit company for anyone in his current state.

  A loud, booming noise roused him from his brooding stance at the window and he turned to face the door panel. Curiosity moved his feet toward the noise, but he didn’t have to wait to find out who was disturbing him so early in the morning on the fourth day of his self-imposed exile.

  “I know you’re in there! Open the door, King Asshole!” an angry female voice demanded before more booming sounds came from his door panel.

  He sighed heavily as he recognized the voice of Mikael’s lifemate, Mahoney. He had expected her much sooner than now, but it did not matter. He had no desire to face her wrath over her friend. He waited in silence as the sounds of his w
arrior guards racing down the corridor toward the disturbance reached his ears. He could hear the cadence of their voices as they entreated with her to leave the king in peace, but Mahoney would not be deterred. Her voice grew louder until he heard her growl, “Warrior Mantor, I respect you and don’t want to hurt you, but if you lay your hand on me again, you’ll find yourself wiping your ass with stumps.”

  Korian couldn’t help but chuckle as the warriors obviously took her threat seriously. Everyone had seen the fierce human female in action during the broadcast at the awards ceremony, not to mention how gossip had spread like wildfire through the warrior ranks. In order to save them from having to face her fury, he called out, “Lt. Cmdr. Mahoney, I believe my secretary and guards have all given you sufficient warning to leave me in peace. I am not accepting audiences from anyone at this time.”

  “Looks like you’re not giving me any choice here, Korian,” she replied, her voice firm and annoyed. There was an eerie silence from the hall and a spark of disappointment lit inside him. He longed for word about Jessica, and even with the threat of having to face Mahoney, he was still hoping that she would insist on speaking with him. She shocked him, therefore, when she announced, “I challenge you, King Korian Ak’Falin, under Warrior Law to armed combat for issuing grave insult and bodily harm to my sister, Jessica MacGregor.”

  Korian rocked back on his heels in shock and he could hear incredulous exclamations from his guards. Despite his intention to challenge Zandar, there had been no formal challenges issued by a warrior under the ancient law for generations, and it was unheard of for a subordinate to challenge the king.