Even in heat like an animal, she recognized his concern for her. She closed her thighs around his hand. “Fuck me, Alitus. Now. Don’t make me wait, please!”
She left him no time to respond, but devoured him with kisses born of desperate hunger, wrapping her legs along the length of his. She pulled him atop her and reached between them to free his cock. “Fuck me, Alitus. Make me yours. Put your scent all over me.”
He angled himself above her and put his shaft at the mouth of her pussy. “How many times do you want me to fuck you, Rheyn?”
“All night, love. All night.” She gripped his collar. “Take me. Do me. Get inside me and make me beg.”
He rammed into her up to the hilt and stayed there, pressed against her mound. The fullness of him inside her made her groan, greedy for more. His shaft opened her wide. He rocked her, rubbed himself back and forth inside her, pressed against her clit and opened her lips.
She rolled her head from side to side, so lost in passion she could not form words to think. Her lust for Alitus left her unguarded, vulnerable and open. Utter trust in him made her secure.
Alitus slipped an arm beneath one of her thighs as he pulled out, only to slam back in hard enough to make her scream.
“Yes, that’s it, love.” He rocked into her again. “There’s no one here to interrupt us. Scream as loud as you want.”
Destoiya braced her arms against the head of the bed and pushed up against him as he slammed into her once more. Her throaty cries erupted as an orgasm shuddered over her. Her ravenous desire demanded more. “Fuck me, Alitus. Take me. Please, please take me. Take me.”
“That’s right, Rheyn. Cry. Beg.” He put his mouth next to her ear. “Who makes you come all night? Who makes you beg?”
“You. You. Only you.” She twisted her hands in his hair and yanked his mouth to hers in a wolfish kiss. With Alitus pounding into her, she sobbed through another soaring, throat-clenching climax, surrendered fully to the man she loved.
Chapter Eight
Conqueror’s Palace, Stable, Keeper Wing
Sumertsag 43
Alitus squared his shoulders. Day One of the Better Veil Law, but no veil for him. He entered Her Majesty’s private elevator and touched his gloved hand to the button marked Stable.
He smiled as a quote came to mind from an article he’d skimmed for Destoiya only that morning. One of the members in a new rock group made up of five Betters had been asked if he felt inferior when he walked into a concert hall full of normals.
He’d glanced at his four band-mates and answered, “We feel like drets among a room full of draks.” The joke being that a dret was the tiniest coin in the empire, worth ten times more than a thumb-sized drak.
The group of five Betters, known as Forbidden Pleasures, had protested the Better Veil Law by canceling their nine-planet tour. “Our managers could put veiled androids on stage and pipe in our music over the sound system and our fans would get the same view. Our fans want to interact withus . They deserve to get what they paid for.”
Within hours, at least fifty other Better performers followed suit, refusing to perform while veiled. Empire-wide, fans inundated TicketBot, demanding refunds, which forced the company to shut down its hubs on all twenty-two worlds. Imperinet, the empire’s lifeline of communication, suffered major breakdowns all morning because of the overload.
The President of Lucsondis Entertainment, which had purchased TicketBot only weeks earlier, called the palace personally to voice his complaint to the empress. Any time Luc Saint-Cyr spoke, Destoiya listened. By noon, the empress had decreed that Betters performing in public were free to dress or costume themselves as they pleased, so long as a shield protected the audience from pheromones. In addition, no Better would ever have to veil inside the palace walls.
Alitus grinned. Nice touch, that last bit. But performers were not going to accept such limitations. The Veil Law was quickly becoming an annoyance no one wanted to enforce.
As he left the elevator, scanbots in the secured section outside flashed a green light over him and backed off.
Although the upper levels of the palace where the empress kept her favorite boy toys was once his home, Alitus now visited only if absolutely necessary. Destoiya did not keep wimps in her stable. The humans, whether or not they slept with other guys, ran on pure, unfiltered testosterone. His genetic makeup deviated enough from theirs for all of them to feel the difference. One-on-one, they were ok with him. But whenever he entered their collective presence, they shivered as if a cool fog had entered the room. Her two Androg lovers, accustomed to reading emotions from others, always studied him as if puzzled; Betters were immune to empathic readings and telepathy.
Alitus presented himself at the Stable groom’s office. The middle-aged human oversaw the literal army of lifelike, identical androids involved in caring for the Jades. He was certainly handsome enough to be a Jade himself, yet Byrin Arual’s relationship with Destoiya seemed completely professional. She’d never shown the least bit of interest in him. Alitus had often wondered at that.
Byrin welcomed him and gestured to one of the leather-bound chairs in the small office. “Have a seat. Great to see you again, Alitus. Are you here on official business?”
“Personal.” He started to strip off his gloves, decided against it and smoothed them back over his fingers. “I came to see Rudolf Brakovsky.”
“Ah.” Byrin perched against the edge of the compact desk. Monitors filled the opposite wall, revealing the Jades in various activities. “Is this about the bloody nose from the other night?”
Cheeks warm, Alitus cleared his throat. “Yes.”
“It’s my duty to remind you that any provocation between Jades is strictly prohibited. I know you’re no longer a Jade.” He held up a hand to prevent interruption. “But Rudy is. I don’t want to put him in a compromising situation.”
“I won’t touch him.” Alitus crossed his legs. “I owe him an apology.”
Byrin studied him a moment, his expression grave. “If you didn’t represent Her Majesty the way you do, I wouldn’t permit this. Rudy’s a good guy.”
He resisted the urge to hang his head and instead, met the man’s unflinching gaze. “Yes, he is. Which is why this is so important.”
The groom stood and walked away. “I never expected violence from you, Alitus. When you lived in the Stable, you were the one everyone looked up to, even though you were the youngest. From the first day you entered the Stable, they called you ‘Mr. Perfect.’ When you were out of earshot, of course, but every one of the guys liked you despite the fact it was no secret you were special to Her Majesty.”
“I…” Alitus tugged his gloves on a little tighter. Liking him was an after-effect of his pheromones, but Byrin didn’t need to know that. It was unclear whether Alitus could ever have a true friend; his pheromones were that powerful. He wet his lips, took a deep breath. When Byrin stared as if waiting for a reply, Alitus murmured, “Thank you. I—don’t know what to say.”
“Hell, man.” Byrin threw out his arms. “She created the ‘Lover’ level so she could put you above the Keepers. No one else has ever been in it. You know how crazy that makes these guys? Yet there isn’t one of them that would say a single bad thing about you. And that isn’t because of the rules here. Did you know that?”
He lowered his lashes.
“What the hell got into you?”
“I’d rather not discuss it, Byrin.” He smoothed the crease in a pant leg and rested his hands on the chair’s arms. “Consider it a momentary lapse of reason and let it go, please. Her Majesty has. I’m here to ask Rudy for forgiveness. Isn’t that enough?”
Byrin glared as if about to argue, but then shook his head. “All right. Suit yourself. Take it easy while I go find him. At this hour, he’s probably working out.” Byrin searched the bank of monitors for a moment before he excused himself and left.
Alitus thrust himself to his feet and paced.You can do this. Just get it over with and get back
to work. For two days, he’d done nothing but argue with himself about coming here.Time to put it in the past and move on. How could I have doubted Her Majesty’s intentions?
She had not chided him. Although she’d never told him to apologize, she had to expect it.Jealousy does not become you, Alitus. You know you have my heart. You know that.
But do you love me?Why couldn’t he make himself ask? Why couldn’t she say it if it were so?If she loves me, why is she always in their beds? How long has it been since she told me she loved me? He slammed one fist into the other, grimacing.
He bit his lips together and paced faster. Clasping his hands before his mouth, he tapped them against his lips.Control yourself, Alitus. You’re going to need Rudy’s help. Get hold of yourself.
As the door opened, he turned to face it, lowering both hands to his sides. If he released his pheromones now, it would lower Rudy’s resistance. His pheromones gave him a distinct advantage. Cheating, however, was not in the nature of Alitus Vivaldi.
Facing the competition for the woman he loved did not come easy. Rudolf Brakovsky was built like him, but more athletic, his muscles more defined. Alitus was blond; Rudy had dark hair. Both had blue eyes, Alitus’ like the ocean, Rudy’s, the sky. Alitus had been bred for intellect; Rudy was natural earthiness and sensuality.
The man stood in the doorway, blocking the groom’s entrance behind him. He made a small gesture. “I got this, Byrin.” The door shut behind him.
Alitus steeled himself for confrontation, hyper-aware of Rudy’s stillness, like the motionless menace of an animal poised to strike.
Rudy took three steps into the room and halted. Damn near naked, he wore only gym shoes, socks, loose shorts, and a white towel around his neck. A white headband held hair out of his eyes. A fine sheen of sweat covered him. He lifted a corner of the towel and wiped his face, dabbing at his nose, which had a bluish tinge on its left side. The color had seeped into the area below his left eye as well.
“How you doin’, Alitus?”
“This will never work.” Alitus turned his back and resumed pacing. “We’re far too different.”
“Yeah, well, nice to see you, too, asshole.” He heard Rudy open the door.
“Wait.” Alitus spoke over his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
No answer at first, then, “For what, that I’m leavin’ ‘cause I don’t have time for your bullshit? Or that you didn’t actually break my nose?”
Alitus turned toward him. Outside the open door stood Byrin like a guard dog off its leash, waiting for a finger snap from its master.
“Neither.” Alitus gestured him to shut the door, which Rudy did. “I’m sorry that we got off to such a bad start. I should have begun this conversation by saying I was sorry for hitting you the other night.”
“Oh, yeah?” Rudy folded his arms. “That supposed to make it all ‘better,’ Better?” Before Alitus could answer, Rudy put in, “Let’s get something straight right up front. I’m doing this for her, not you. I don’t fuckin’ need your apology, so if that’s all you came for, then you can go. I’ll fill in for you becauseshe asked me to. I don’t need any other reason.”
“Fine, then.” Alitus clasped his hands behind him.
“Fine.” Rudy jutted his chin forward.
Neither spoke. Neither looked away.
Alitus let out a long sigh. “Damn it, Rudy, I was an ass.”
“You sure as fuck were.” A grin stole across his face. “You’ve got a mean right hook, you bastard.”
Alitus chuckled. “If it makes you feel any better, my hand still hurts.”
The two men met in the middle of the room and shook hands, Alitus still gloved. He winced when Rudy squeezed.
The other man didn’t let go. “What the hell were you thinkin’, man?”
Alitus withdrew his hand and rubbed it. “The woman makes me crazy. I went brain blind. I didn’t think.”
Rudy cuffed him on the shoulder. “My ass’d get thrown out of here, ‘f I used a lame excuse like that.”
“Haven’t got one better.”
Both eyebrows shot up. “Punny.”
They both laughed.
Rudy wrapped his hands around the ends of his towel. “You do realize what a problem this veil thing is going to be for droid security, don’t you? I’ve been reading up on them. The stuff that keeps the pheromones inside makes it so droids can’t read through them to know who’s who. Hell, a rebel assassin could walk right up to Her Majesty and no one would be the wiser until it was too late.”
“I know. That’s why they’re limiting access to her. Betters won’t be able to get an audience until they’ve been thoroughly screened. Just one more way to screw us.”
“On a different note, how the hell am I going to get from the Stable to your office without being seen in that Veil thing?”
He lifted one shoulder. “Just use the passageway from the Stable to Her Majesty’s office. Mine’s right outside hers.” At Rudy’s dumbfounded expression, Alitus asked, “Hasn’t she ever called for you during the work day?”
Rudy twisted his mouth in a sardonic grimace. “No, but I’ll bet she did you. Which is one more reason for me to dislike you.”
Tucking his hands behind him, Alitus rocked on the balls of his feet.
“You smug bastard.” Rudy shook his head, rolling his eyes. “Why I still like you is beyond me.”
Byrin knocked at the door and opened it, stepping one foot inside. “Her Majesty sent word for you to join her, Alitus. She needs you immediately.”
“Right there.” He shook hands with Rudolf again. “We have to talk. There are some things you need to know.”
Rudy shrugged. “You know where to find me.”
Alitus joined Byrin, who walked with him toward the elevator. “What’s wrong?”
Byrin pressed the call button. “Three Betters protested in front of Parliament by burning their veils. When police moved in, things got out of hand. Seven of them were killed.”
Alitus stepped into the elevator, holding the doors open. “Wait, I thought you said there were three Betters.”
The man shook his head. “The Betters were working together to prevent the police from moving them. When their pheromones combined, it killed seven of the cops.”
Alitus pressed fingertips against his temples. “This is going to get much, much worse.”
“I’ll say. There’s a full-fledged riot going on down there.” He put out his hand to stop the doors from closing. “Alitus.”
He met the man’s grim eyes.
“Watch your back.”
Chapter Nine
Conqueror’s Palace
Office of Her Majesty Rheyn Destoiya
Sumertsag 43
The droning buzz of more than a dozen Members of the Commons and half a dozen Lords filled Alitus’ office. They silenced and bowed as Empress Destoiya strode through the room, her personal android guardian, Prentice at her side. Black-skinned as a Kelthian and bigger overall than a Kin, the android’s bulk alone often caused people to retreat, long before they saw the forbidding expression on his face. Prentice didn’t carry obvious weapons. He didn’t need them.
Destoiya entered her own office, allowing Prentice to shut the door firmly behind her. She stripped off gloves as she sat. “What’s keeping Alitus? I sent for him twenty minutes ago. He should have been here by now.”
Prentice tilted his head like a dog hearing a high-pitched whistle.
She tapped her fingers on the desk while he connected himself with the network of android servants within the palace security system. Damned disconcerting when he did that. It put her in mind of some overreaching machine-like god being prayed to. In truth, Prentice was as far above Tarthian androids as she was above amoeba. His makers had claimed he had a soul.
“Hmm. Maybe heis praying.”
“Your pardon, Majesty?” The android’s voice snapped her back to the present.
“Er, nothing, Prentice. Well? Did you find him?”
> “Yes.” Placing his hands behind him, he widened his stance. “I’ve sent someone to collect him. He was being detained.”
“Detained! By whom? Everyone in the palace knows him.”
“The Parliament security forces have him. They recognized Alitus as a Better, but not as your assistant.”
“How dare they!” She pushed back her chair as she stood. “They have no authority here.”
“They have full authority to protect the men and women in Alitus’ office.” Prentice nodded toward the door. “Who, ironically, are waiting for him as well.”
Allen, Kayelle - T4 Alitus (2007) Page 6