Stardust And Shadows

by Janelle Taylor

  She lifted one hand and stared at it. “Varian is gone like water through your fingers because you couldn’t hold on to him. Ryker is your husband, your future. How will you ever know if this marriage can succeed if you don’t give it your best shot to make it work? Ryker is who you need, not a traitorous bastard like Varian Saar. You can’t help but respond to him. So what does that make you? A passionate woman who wants love from a man who adores you and makes you feel important to him, who lets you be free and proud. And happy, too, if you dare reach for what he’s dangling before you.”

  It sounded so simple, but it wasn’t. Besides, if she changed her recent behavior and resisted him, he would suspect something was wrong, and she certainly couldn’t use the truth to explain, that she’d believed he was Varian. Her fate was in her own hands for a change. From this moment forth, her actions would determine if she were fortunate wife or unlucky captive. There was only one direction she could take—toward Ryker. She took a deep breath, released it, and left the room to shower and dress.

  At his half brother’s desk, Varian grimaced and switched off the intercom. He had been searching for Jana to tell her it was almost dinnertime. He feared the flames of their love and passion were burning low. If he waited too long to fan and rekindle those dwindling coals, Jana was lost forever. This assignment was becoming harder and more painful by the day. If he weren’t so close to victory, he would … Bitterness and resentment took vicious bites from him. He wanted to believe Jana would never stop loving him and wanting him. He wanted to believe she would understand and accept what he had done for this critical mission. He could no longer convince himself of that fantasy, and it hurt him more than anything ever had in his life.

  They lay in Ryker’s bed, in Ryker’s quarters, on Ryker’s starship, and beneath Ryker’s dark shadow. Both wished they were sprinkled by brain-dazing Stardust so their torment wouldn’t be so painful. They were soon cuddled together in search of comfort. Their hands began to move of their own volition, stroking, caressing, fondling. Their lips could not resist fusing in an urgent hunt for peace and distraction. Their garments were discarded without notice. Hands moved over bare flesh. Needs heightened. Passions soared. Desires blazed out of control.

  Varian had a desperate need to possess her before they reached Maal tomorrow. He refused to listen to his mind’s protests, only to the pleas of his aching heart and throbbing body. He was so hungry for Jana he almost ravished her with his lips and hands. Unable to stop himself, he entered her and rode her with wildness and delight.

  In the dark, it was easy for Jana to lie back and enjoy the pleasures she was receiving. It was easy to respond to such intoxicating sensations. It was easy to pretend he was Varian. She was powerless to do anything other than receive and give sensual titillation. She had vowed to test herself to see if she could surrender to him, but that choice had been snatched from her grasp. She wanted to hold back. She wanted to be in control. She wanted to remember he was Ryker, her husband. But her body had needs of its own. Her heart had a mind of its own. A desperate craving uncurled in the core of her womanhood and demanded to be fed.

  God help her, in the dark, it was Varian Saar’s image that she envisioned! It was his lips, hands, and body stimulating and pleasuring her. He was the one she was making love to. He was the one she wanted and needed. No matter how hard she tried to remember she was with Ryker, it didn’t work. His lovemaking was too like his half brother’s. His taste and touch were the same. In despair, she prayed that she wouldn’t call her husband by his archrival’s name. Even in the stirring throes of stunning release, Jana murmured nothing more than, “Love me, love me, love me.”

  And Varian did, in more than a physical manner. His voice was husky and almost breathless as he whispered, “You’re mine, Jana, mine forever.”

  Time and reality did not exist for a while as they succumbed to the intensity of a love which had reached beyond the planets and stars to unite them as one, to entwine their destinies. For now, they only wanted and needed each other. They were unaware of the forces of evil and treachery that were plotting against them.

  Canissia Garthon left her shuttle to join the man awaiting her, a smile upon his face. He was powerful, rich, and elite, ruler in a galaxy. He was the tool with which she would exact her vengeance against Varian and Jana. The ploy racing around inside her head was so clever that she was positive they would never suspect a thing until it was too late to escape, too late to be rescued, too late to survive.

  Soon, her evil mind schemed, the loving couple would pay for hurting and humiliating her, pay with their lives and their blood, after hours, or perhaps days, of torture and sadistic pleasures. Her perverted mind could think of so many erotic and wicked things to do to them both. She knew Varian was immune to Thorin, but he wasn’t resistant to Jacanate. She would force the potent aphrodisiac into him and let Jana watch the wild and hungry beast sate the redhead in every way possible. She would not halt the frenzied feeding of her twisted urges until he was exhausted, raw, and unable to service her further.

  She would wait until Varian recovered his wits before letting him observe a drugged Jana while several of her crewmen struggled to appease the desires unleashed in the alien witch who had stolen her dreams. With the Jacanate coursing through Jana’s veins and other similar chemical creams rubbed onto sensitive areas of her alien body, no matter how much she wanted to rebel, Jana would be unable to do anything other than take anything and everything her crewman pushed inside her or did to her and beg for more.

  She had just enough of the powerful chemical to punish them both for at least a day. Her body flamed at the vision of the amusements that awaited her at the couple’s expense. Before she finished with them, she would force Ryker’s complex combination from their lips in order to restock her supply of that and other drugs needed for sexual enslavement and mind control, including Rendelar. Cass pushed the last mental picture from her mind, one of Jana being lashed unmercifully with her favorite whip while Varian cringed in empathy. She would shred her past lover’s virile body and handsome face as Jana witnessed his agony. She licked her lips in anticipation of having them as her helpless and obedient slaves.

  As the ruler stepped forward to greet her, Canissia smiled. “I have valuable news for you today,” she said, “more valuable than your empire.”

  Jana sat in the shuttle as the planet Tartarus loomed closer and closer like a threat she did not understand. She was apprehensive and frightened. Her hands were like ice. She felt shaky and weak. Her heart pounded and her pulse raced. Her mouth and throat were dry. She had the same eerie feeling of impending peril she had experienced that night in Andrea’s garden when thugs had attacked her. She had felt it again when three men in silvery jumpsuits with reflective vizards had appeared from nowhere, disintegrated the hoodlums, and captured her. It had assailed her when she saw Varian for the last time on Eire before being sent to Ryker. She had felt it a last time when she had awakened after her hallucination. The sensation of impending doom grew stronger as the craft moved through wispy clouds toward a landing grid. She shuddered.

  “Cold?” Varian asked as he placed his arm around her shoulders.

  “Just nervous,” she lied, and forced out a weak smile. How could she tell him his world made her feel as if she were about to face a firing squad? How could she explain her sudden, inexplicable terror?

  “There’s no need to be afraid, love. Grandfather will adore you, as I do. We’ll only be here for three days. Relax and enjoy yourself.”

  Relax? She was trying hard and failing to do so.

  The same was true of Varian. He could be walking into the jaws of torture and death if Maal saw through his disguise. Or if that vindictive and desperate redhead had warned the Kadim of his treachery. At least Jana was convinced of his fake identity and would pass any drug questioning she would endure if he was exposed. As Ryker’s wife and truly believing she was with her husband, she would be safe from all harm. It would be obvious she was
not Rendelar-immune to Thorin so any suspicions of complicity would be dispelled. Only because he was certain she was safe could he allow her to come along and to play a vital role in this daring ruse.

  The shuttle flew over tall round and square towers of what appeared to Jana to be made of some unfamiliar metal and glass. As their speed slowed almost to hover level and their altitude was nearly ground-zero, she saw moving sidewalks, trams, and tube cars bustling with people who sent out an impression of somberness. She noticed how few were smiling and laughing; most were reserved and formal, businesslike. She saw minishuttles transporting people from place to place, whizzing here and there like giant insects who could not find a place to light and feast on this arid area. The city in sight was almost stark in its ultramodern design without greenery or various colors to soften its bleak gray facade. Everything looked man-made, with nothing of nature: no trees, no bushes, no flowers, no weeds. What vacuous person, she wondered, had laid out such a verdureless landscape? It was a crowded and busy location, but its sterile and unfriendly feel was apparent even before she stepped into the oppressive setting.

  They landed and exited to walk to the huge building ahead. Jana was aware of the military-style androids who had awaited their deboarding and were now escorting them to Kadim Maal: big, powerful, silent nonhumans unlike the softer and smaller counterparts on Darkar—Griep, Gar, and Ine—except for their standard yellow eyes and hatless brown hair. Their uniforms were stygian black, and weapons were suspended from belts around their waists. The unit had androids positioned on all four sides, encasing them in a moving box. The unsettling quiet and expressionless mechanisms made her tension increase. She wondered why Maal had not come out to greet them, why he had sent emotionless soldiers to do so. She wanted to turn and run, to escape the foreboding sensation in her gut. Instead, she held her head high, shoulders straight, and complied.

  The main door swished open. They stepped into a large entry area that lacked furnishings and decorations. The door behind them thudded shut, almost causing Jana to jump at the loudness in the quiet area. A door before them opened and her husband guided her inside. The soldiers’ metal shoes clicked on the marble floor as they led the couple along a lengthy, almost barren hall and into an enormous room. Once inside, doors closed behind them and they were alone.

  The interior of the ruler’s dwelling was much different from the stark entrance and sterile world beyond the palatial setting. It was opulent and luxurious, and imbued with vivid colors. The plush construction of the furnishings implied comfort and invitation. Paintings, vases with fresh flowers, various-size trees in pots, unusual adornments, and objets d’art hung or sat in strategic locations. Plants provided greenery, flowers and accessories offered color, exotic birds and fish supplied beauty, along with music from the winged creatures. Jana wanted to scream to break her tension. She glanced at her smiling husband, and her gaze followed his line of vision to an elderly man, also smiling, who had entered via another door and was coming toward them.

  The stranger halted, let his gaze roam the younger man, and smiled again. “Ryker, cherished flame of my soul, it is good to have you home.”

  As he had viewed on the secret Darkar tapes, Varian used his right hand to clasp the man’s left shoulder to gently shake it as if the action was a familiar, affectionate gesture. He smiled. “It’s good to be home, Grandfather.” Varian had been to this residence and city on official visits. That, in addition to detailed surveillance reports, gave him complete knowledge of the location.

  As the two men greeted each other, Jana studied the silver-haired one with faded green eyes that revealed astonishing gentleness, as did his voice and expression. This almost frail looking man was Kadim Maal Triloni himself. Since her arrival months ago, she had read and heard a lot about him but had never seen his picture. He was alleged to be cold and calculating and vengeful, but those descriptions did not seem to fit the alien nearby. This mild-mannered and tranquil gentleman, she mused, was the terrifying threat that Maffei feared so much? How so, when he appeared the kind, easygoing, and warmhearted image of a perfect grandfather? Yet, she mustn’t forget he was a very powerful and elite person, a galactic ruler, leader of the Androasian Empire. She must remember that if the Maffeians feared him so much, there had to be a reason, one she might discover during this short visit.

  “We have many important things to discuss, but they can wait until later. You have brought a long-awaited treasure for me to meet.” Maal faced her and smiled as his pale eyes roved Jana’s face. He embraced her. “Welcome to Tartarus and Androas, Princess Jana Triloni. I could hardly wait to meet the woman who has stolen my grandson’s eye and heart.”

  Jana bent slightly from her waist and lowered her gaze for a moment in a show of respect as she had been taught. “It is a great honor and pleasure to meet you, sir. Ryker refused to tell me much about you. He wants me to form my own opinion of you and his homeland.”

  One gray brow lifted in intrigue, then he grinned in good humor. “What are your opinions of them, Jana?”

  “It’s too soon to have any, sir. No one should make snap decisions and judgments. But I am sure they will be favorable ones.”

  The old man grinned again and his green eyes livened with pleasure and amusement. He was attired in an expensive tailored suit that matched his silver hair. His features were aristocratic and his bearing was noble, as befitting his high rank. Jana was most impressed, pleased, and relieved.

  Maal looked at Ryker and said, “I see that she has as much wisdom and intelligence as she has great beauty and charm.”

  The disguised starship commander placed his arm around her waist and drew her close to his body. “She’s all of that and more, Grandfather.”

  Jana watched and listened as the two men laughed and chatted about Ryker’s excellent selection of wife and joint ruler. Grandchildren, heirs, and the continuation of their bloodline was mentioned. She perceived an immense mutual pride, affection, and respect between the two men, an easy and undeniable rapport. If she had doubted this blond alien was Ryker Triloni, she could never do so again after witnessing this episode. No matter how skilled Varian was at playing his half brother, he could not fool his own grandfather. Any lingering doubt vanished.

  People she would meet, places she would be shown, and things she would do were related briefly to her. Rather, they were spoken of before her because it seemed more like they were talking about someone who wasn’t present. She told herself they weren’t intentionally ignoring her, simply a slip in their excitement. Her husband seemed to prove it when he smiled and drew her close again.

  “No female is better qualified to take a place at our sides than she is. She will perform her new duties and responsibilities with perfection, Grandfather, because she is perfect. If I had searched the entire Universe, I could not have found a woman to suit me better. Jana is totally satisfying and utterly enchanting. Soon you’ll see for yourself.”

  Maal chuckled and teased, “I need not be told or shown she has woven a spell around my grandson because it is obvious even to these old eyes and aging senses. The fact you chose her and married her reveals her matchless value and superior traits. Before your arrival, I had already seen her potent effect on you, cherished flame of my soul.”

  As he made his last statement, Maal walked to a nearby table and lifted several pictures. “A hidden reporter took these and sent them to any source who would pay for copies to display across the Tri-Galaxy. It appears to be a private moment in a romantic garden late at night.”

  The blond alien eyed the pictures and frowned for effect. Yet he was delighted by the unplanned aid to his daring ruse and wished he had thought of it himself. “It was a special moment for us, Grandfather. Have I no privacy anywhere in their galaxy?” He teased Jana, “If my exquisite wife had not distracted me, I would have heard or sensed his brazen presence.”

  “You must stay on alert at all times when you are away from Androas and Darkar,” Maal reminded him. “Never trus
t them, cherished flame of my soul. They will betray you and try to destroy you before we destroy them. If they had no use for you and what you supply, they would have you slain or expelled. They are blind, stupid fools. One day, those flaws will provide their punishment and destruction. Then I will be happy and vindicated.”

  “I’m safe, Grandfather. Don’t worry about me.”

  “I cannot help but worry, cherished flame of my soul. You are the last of our bloodline. They humiliated and tormented my only child. They killed her. If they dare harm you, Maffei will be destroyed: every person, every animal, every tree, every insect, every living thing. If all is taken from me, all will be taken from them. Any person or thing that survives my vengeance will become my slave and possession. The Maffeians have grown bold and lax; it would be simple and quick to conquer them. When the right moment arrives, it will be done and victory will be ours.”

  As Maal spoke, Jana witnessed a startling change in the older man: an intensity and deep-rooted bitterness and hatred. Maal had not forgiven or forgotten the transgressions committed against him thirty-two years and seven years ago, no matter who was to blame for both incidents, be it Shara or Galen or both. In the blink of an eye, she glimpsed another side—a dark and deadly one—of this man. His frail and mild appearance had belied an inner strength of body and mind. All soft and serene lines had become sharp and hostile edges. A violent and savage aura now surrounded him that chilled her to the bone.

  Maal was harsh, cold, and forbidding, as Ryker had been at their first meeting. The incident was shocking and disturbing because her husband was not only close kin to this mercurial man, but he also had been reared by this unpredictable and suddenly frightening force, and by his crazed daughter. Jana worried that Ryker might be more like his family than he had revealed to her. She hoped and prayed he wasn’t. But that initial scene—the barely clad prisoner in a birdcage in his complex after Canissia had delivered her—stayed foremost in her mind to torment and worry her. Perhaps, she fretted in alarm, this new existence was not as safe as she had led herself—or been led by Ryker—to believe. It caused her to wonder if Ryker had been playacting during the past weeks since her recovery. She couldn’t surmise why he would go to such lengths to dupe her when she was under his complete control, actually at his mercy. It could have been to evoke her best behavior during this journey, mainly before the avatars and Maffeians. It could have been to stroke his male ego or to taunt Varian.