Wekniz gave him a little shake. “Damn it, Falinset, snap out of it! We need our Dramok.”
Falinset looked around and realized he’d gone to their sleeping room. Light filtered in from the hallway, making the space shadowed, its contents dark silhouettes.
He didn’t remember leaving the common room or walking anywhere. It should have worried him that he’d taken leave of reality, but Falinset couldn’t find the will to care. All he knew was life had become a nightmare.
His father, Dramok Maf, was the Basma. The Empire’s biggest traitor. It was not knowledge Falinset wanted any part of.
An agonized moan welled from his throat. It was his turn to grab Wekniz and shake. “Why, my Nobek? Why did you have to go back there? Damn it, I told you not to!”
Wekniz was stoic under the reproach. “Because I want a life. I want Maf’s influence gone. I want us to be free to live for real.”
“Instead, the little pleasure we have is as good as gone.” The pit of Falinset’s stomach was heavy and painful as he tried to come to terms with harsh reality. “We’ll return the princess and her cousin to their family and she’ll tell them Maf is the Basma. That I am his son. The authorities will investigate me, making my life a living hell because they’ll look for any hint of complicity with his rebellion.”
“You are innocent of that, my Dramok.”
“So what?” Falinset’s personal future was the least of his worries. “They’ll capture Maf and he’ll tell them about your parent clans. They’ll go to prison for the rest of their days.” His voice rose as he yelled at Wekniz. “Explain to me how we’re supposed to have a life with all of that?”
Nur said, “Maybe Tasha won’t tell them you are blood kin to Maf. She seems reasonable. And brave. Look at what she did; escaping a containment field surrounded by armed Nobeks and saving the princess!”
Falinset acknowledged grudging respect for the Earther’s resourcefulness. He had little reason to resent Tasha for anything save what her presence meant to their lives. “That isn’t the point. Whether she mentions our connection to Maf or not, when he is outed he’ll be anything but silent. He will take his revenge on us all. We’ll be scrutinized by those loyal to the Imperial Clan and hunted by those who follow Maf. Nur, your fathers—”
Nur’s winced, and Falinset’s jaw snapped shut before he could say any more. His Imdiko knew too well what was at stake. Of them all, he had the most to lose.
Nur gathered himself and stared into Falinset’s eyes. In a tight voice he said, “I am not sorry Wekniz stepped in and helped. He did the honorable thing. He did the right thing. As must we all.”
In the midst of heartsickness, Falinset felt a glow of pride. Nur’s parents’ welfare and Wekniz’s honor were on the line, yet they were ready to sacrifice all for the sake of the innocent princess and Earther. They were determined to do right even though the cost was steep.
My greatest fear has been letting them down by letting our shame be exposed, he thought. Yet they made it clear that not joining them in helping Princess Noelle and her cousin return home would be the Dramok’s greater failure.
The realization steadied Falinset. He’d been ready to go against his principles to keep Nur and Wekniz safe. He’d been so ready in fact, that it had been the only course of action he’d considered. It had been that detestable burden that had clouded his brain more than the shame of Maf’s ignoble activities. But if his clanmates needed to be noble, he was ready to stand up for their honor.
Falinset’s world had always been damaged. Now that they stood on the brink of its destruction, it was a relief to give in to the chaos. At least he’d get to keep the remains of his soul instead of hacking it away, piece by shameful piece.
He straightened, feeling the weight of pretended decency fall from his shoulders to make way for a more honest disgrace. With Nur and Wekniz ready to admit to their parent clan’s treachery and mistakes, Falinset could now lay claim to his own parents’ vile truth.
His clanmates blinked at the relief in his voice as Falinset said, “All right. Give me the breakdown of our situation. We need to figure out our next step.”
* * * *
Nur bustled around the guest room, setting it up for the princess and Tasha. He’d determined the sleeping mat required fresh linens, as the ones already on it smelled a little musty. It had been almost a year since anyone had used the room. Nur’s fathers, their last guests, didn’t like being far away from his mother. As for any other possible overnight visitors, Wekniz had no more use for his parent clan than Falinset had for his.
Nur shook his head at himself as he prepared the room. If not for the plight of his fathers, he thought Falinset and Wekniz might have gone ahead and exposed their parents’ misdeeds. More than once Wekniz had grumbled it was time to let things happen as they should. But one look at Nur and he stopped talking.
I’m the reason we’re so isolated. They carry on with our half-lives because they don’t want me to suffer.
The guilt and helpless fury Nur carried weighed on him constantly. But what could he do? It had come down to the fact that no matter what, they would all suffer. What differed was the degree of the punishment.
As always, the Imdiko felt like he was trapped in a maze with no way out. The more he let the problems rattle about in his mind, the angrier and more overwhelmed he became.
He steered his thoughts away from the never-ending problems and focused on the task at hand. Nur had the sleeping mat ready and little items of comfort readied soon for Tasha and Noelle.
With that accomplished, he went to the common room where the pair still rested on the lounger. Noelle continued to sleep, and Tasha watched the muted news vid that had the princess’s face splashed over the holo-feed. She smiled up at Nur as he entered.
“A little hard to catch up when you don’t have the sound on,” the Imdiko observed.
“Occasionally they put up bullet points of what they know about the abduction,” Tasha said. “My Kalquorian is passable enough that I can see they either don’t have much information or they’re not sharing it with the public.”
Nur eyed the moving vid that replaced Noelle’s still; it was footage of the child’s last birthday. She laughed in delight as Emperor Egilka escorted her while she rode on the back of a miniature kestarsh. She was adorable when she smiled, Nur thought. He’d have to think of some games to distract her until they could get her off Lobam.
“Your room is ready. I’ll carry her to bed,” he whispered to Tasha.
Nur picked the princess up, careful to not wake her. He looked at her rounded slumbering face, drawn and tinged with sadness despite having momentarily escaped the horrors of the last few days. No child should look like that, he thought with a flash of rage. Maf was a monster to have taken her.
With the little girl cradled in his arms, Nur led Tasha to the guest room. He placed Noelle on the bed, and Tasha fussed about tucking the princess in.
Nur offered Tasha a bow, sure she must be exhausted and ready for rest. “If either of you needs anything at all, let me know right away. I’ve put cups and snacks out here on the shelf.” He pointed to the bedside shelving case. “There is water and juice in the cooling unit—” he indicated the cube-shaped appliance next to the lounger across the room “—and extra covers in the closet should you get chilled.” He opened the closet to show her. “Don’t be afraid to look for me or simply yell if you want something.”
He was ready to leave when Tasha held up a hand. “I do want something, but let me ask you about it in the hall,” she said in a low voice.
Nur nodded and waited outside the door as she finished settling Noelle in. Dimming the lights but not turning them off all the way, she joined him.
She said, “I haven’t thanked any of you yet for hiding us.”
Nur waved the gratitude off, though he felt better to know he’d been of service. “No need. I am happy to have helped, as little as I’ve been able to offer.”
Tasha smiled up at
him. Already lovely, her appeal increased a hundredfold with that soft expression. Nur’s stomach gave a little twist and he swallowed. He’d seen Earthers, but mostly on the vid. The few he’d seen up close had been fascinating to look upon. They came in a variety of shapes and colors, unlike the typically muscular brown-skinned, black-haired Kalquorians.
Tasha was one of the paler Earthers, her skin slightly bronzed the way the fair ones became when they spent time in the sun. Nur thought her hair was probably usually dark brown, but the sunbathing that had shaded her darker than nature intended had also brought out some gold highlights. Even hanging lank and untidy, he thought her hair pretty. It framed a face with rounded cheekbones, plump lips, and eyes of a disconcerting blue-green color. The color of Kalquor in the night sky.
From the way she’d dove into the meal Nur had made for her earlier, it had been clear that food had been in short supply during Tasha’s incarceration. Those couple of days of deprivation hadn’t taken away the roundness of her frame, however. Tasha looked soft and comfortable, a woman Nur thought would be exquisite to wrap his arms around and hold. It was impossible to look at those delicious curves and not have thoughts of how they’d feel against his skin.
He realized he’d been staring speechless at Tasha for several seconds. Nur cleared his throat and searched for something safe to say.
“Princess Noelle’s dress – I put it in our laundry system. It can be cleaned but I don’t think the water stains will come out. I’m sorry about that.”
Tasha dismissed his concerns with a graceful flick of her hand. “That dress is the least of my worries.”
“I imagine so.”
Nur ran out of things to discuss. Usually he could talk for ages without taking a breath, but with Tasha, he couldn’t come up with the first thing outside of the state of the princess’s clothing. But then, he didn’t get to talk to women often, especially if he discounted Feyom’s infrequent visits.
He almost laughed. One did not talk to Feyom. One listened to her insults and tuned out her badgering. The only thing Falinset’s mother had going for her was her looks. Even as pretty as she was, Nur wouldn’t have considered touching that bitch if Kalquor’s survival depended on it. Surface beauty counted for little as far as Nur was concerned. Feyom possessed none of the warmth Tasha had, that gorgeous inner quality that turned even the plainest faces into people everyone wanted to be around. Not that Tasha didn’t possess a great degree of attractiveness. She was beyond pleasant to look at, downright compelling, and Nur thought that if she was washed and primped—
“Oh!” he breathed, wondering at his lack of good sense. “I bet you’d like a shower. A real one instead of a quick spray while you’re hiding,” he added with a laugh.
Tasha laughed with him. The sound was low-pitched and husky. It made things in Nur stir with interest.
With a playful toss of her head, Tasha said, “Yes, well it turns out there were no real bathing facilities in that prison camp. I’m sure I smell to high heaven.”
The slight waft of sourness coming from her didn’t bother Nur at all. Not when she had that bright expression that lit her face, not when he imagined rills of water running down her soft body with its plump curves.
Nur wheeled around abruptly, not wanting Tasha to see his reaction to the enticing thoughts running through his head. He made a come-along gesture as he headed for the guest facility, refusing to look at the Earther who had caused more forms of excitement than Nur could take. “Let me get you set up.”
Her concerned tone stopped him. “Can you – is there some way to monitor Noelle while I’m out of the room? If she wakes up and no one’s around, she might get scared.”
He turned to her. Tasha remained near the guest room’s door, reluctant to be out of earshot of her little cousin. Nur understood the concern.
He headed back. “There is a room com that I can set for live monitoring in the rest of the home. Just a moment.”
Nur went into the guest sleeping room and adjusted the com for one-way monitoring. “There,” he whispered to Tasha. “I made it so we’ll hear her wherever we are. If she calls out while you’re in the shower, I’ll dash in and take care of her until you can get in here.”
The stiff set of Tasha’s shoulders relaxed. “Thank you, Nur.”
He led her to the bath facility across the hall from the guest bedroom. Tasha gazed around the navy-and-white bath. It was as much Nur’s storage as it was a lavatory. Open shelving held at least a couple hundred labeled bottles and jars, Nur’s main inventory of hair and bath products. He picked through them with a critical eye, selecting about half a dozen, which he set in the shower stall.
Tasha blinked at the myriad of moisturizers, conditioners, and oils. “Goodness. You could set up a salon.”
Nur grinned at her as he set out three fluffy white towels on the table next to the shower. “I’m a professional groomer. Most of my clients are vacationing Imdikos and Dramoks who want special pampering on their holiday.”
“Not a Nobek thing, huh?”
Nur laughed at her observation. “I don’t get many Nobek clients, though they’ll allow me to trim their hair if their Dramoks yell enough.” He stopped setting out soaps to look at her hair with the same measuring gaze he’d given his products. After scrutinizing, he picked out more toiletries. “Deep cleanser for your face, body scrub, moisturizer, hair mask. Who has been chopping on your hair with a hedge laser? That’s a shame with such pretty, thick hair. And you need deep conditioning—”
He broke off when she tittered, partly because he wondered what was so funny, but mostly because Tasha was so pretty when she smiled. He wished he knew why the world slammed to a stop every time she beamed at him.
She said, “Nur, I don’t know how to use half this stuff. I’m a wash-and-go kind of girl most of the time. Shampoo and soap are about the extent of it.”
Nur gave her a mock glower and shifted the products he’d selected for her so he could shake a finger at her. “Not in my house, you don’t. Get washed and then come into my lavatory. I’ll get everything ready. You’re going to be pampered so hard that you won’t ever walk out the door again without sun-blocking moisturizer on every inch of your skin.”
His arms full, he turned and walked out. Tasha’s throaty chuckle followed him, making Nur’s gut heat. Maybe it wasn’t sex, but grooming a woman would be a rare pleasure Nur couldn’t deny himself. The thought of touching Tasha’s lovely face and hair made his steps light as he hurried down the hall. If he went to bed with ramrod-hard cocks because of it, it would be worthwhile. Especially if he could get Tasha to smile at him again.
Nur beamed with anticipation as he mentally ticked off all the indulgences he’d give Tasha. Who knew dangerous situations could lend themselves to such fun?
Chapter 12
Once she’d scrubbed herself free of the prison yard’s filth, turning her skin pink from the scouring, Tasha wrapped herself up in one of the downy towels Nur had set out. Another went around her head in a turban.
She hadn’t heard a peep since getting into the shower, but Tasha peeked in on Noelle anyway. The girl hadn’t stirred an inch since Nur had set her in the bed, and her face looked less drawn than before. Tasha sighed in relief, glad to see Noelle sleeping soundly. They weren’t truly safe from Ket, but at least the child could relax in the illusion of security for a little while.
She padded down the hallway and into the clan’s sleeping room. The light from the hall and bathroom illuminated part of it, but there were still shadows that Earther sight couldn’t pierce. Tasha wondered at a couple of large indistinct shapes in the corners of the room, but she wasn’t one for snooping into other peoples’ business. She kept going to the private bath.
Peeking into the room that had been her sanctuary during Ket’s search of the house, she saw Nur loading up the curtained countertop she and Noelle had hidden beneath. Some of the products looked vaguely familiar to Tasha. She’d lied a little about not bothering with
anything more than washing and going. On occasion she had availed herself of the Matara Complex’s luxurious spa. It was a nice indulgence once in a while, but Tasha kept busy enough that she didn’t frequent it as much as some of the women. Being pampered by Nur sounded like a real treat.
She observed the Imdiko as he worked. His lips lifted in a pleasant smile, lighting his face with an inner beauty she appreciated far more than physical perfection. Nur didn’t have the heavy jawline of his Dramok that made Falinset look rather brutish. Nor did he have those amazing scars that gave brave Wekniz the aspect of a fearsome beast. Nur still looked interesting, someone Tasha could gaze at and discover something new about in each moment. Even with the typical Imdiko compassion, he possessed an underlying darkness, a hint of something that didn’t offer false promises of sweetness and rainbows. The shadows in his eyes drew Tasha more than anything else.
That magnificent body she’d gotten a gander at in the shower was rather compelling as well. Parts below gave a happy throb at the memory. Nur possessed an exquisite build that Tasha knew she’d enjoy putting her body all over. She wondered at her chances in scoring a tumble with the delicious Imdiko.
Unlike many women who had come from sexually-repressed Earth, Tasha felt no shame for her lively libido. As far as she was concerned, sexuality was one of her many attributes. It was no more obscene than the need to sleep when she was tired or the drive to eat when she was hungry. Sex felt good. Tasha believed she had every right to enjoy it.
Looking Nur up and down, she thought she’d enjoy it with him, thank you so very much. She eyed the breadth of his chest, the way his shirt clung to his shoulders, and the lean muscles in his forearms left bare by his rolled up sleeves. She sighed.
Nur looked up at her, his gaze lingering over her towel-clad body. It appeared to take some effort for him to lift his gaze to her eyes. Tasha rubbed her hands over the fluffy fabric that covered her hips as she said, “I don’t suppose my clothes are clean yet?”
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