by Eve Vaughn
“Enter,” he called out with more hope in his voice than he’d wanted to project.
Instead of his wee queen stepping through the door, Ani, the serving wench, came inside. He frowned. What did she want? He’d told her that once he took his mate he’d no longer have use of her services -- at least the sexual ones. It was the way of their people to stay true to their mates even if it was his right as king to take a mistress. Despite what his brothers believed of him, he was a man of honor. Besides, after joining with Eden, he doubted anyone else would ever satisfy him quite the way she did.
His cock stirred just thinking about Eden’s lush form and how good it felt to be inside of her. Cupping his hand over his groin, Rohman remembered that Ani stood before him, a sly look in her eyes. She was up to something, that was certain, but what?
“What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you already that once I chose my queen, you’d no longer be needed?”
The blue woman flushed, a frown bending her lips temporarily. “I understand that your queen comes first, Rohman, but --”
“I didn’t give you leave to use my name so freely. I may have let you when we fucked, but it would serve you well if you learned your place. Now don’t waste any more of my time. I need to find Queen Eden.”
Ani stepped forward. “But… your majesty,” she began, sounding as if she had a difficult time getting the words out. “She’s the reason I’m here. I know she’s gone. I saw her leave. She… she said she’s running away and wants to go home. Your majesty, you have me, you don’t need her. She can never know our ways like I do, and she can never satisfy you like I can.”
When Ani gripped his wrist, he yanked it away. Had this woman lost her mind? “You forget yourself again, woman. Tell me which way she went. I’ll bring her back, kicking and screaming if need be.”
“She’s not worthy of you.”
Ani looked flustered, annoyed even, but he brushed it aside. He had other things to worry about right now. If he could, he’d read her mind to gage the truth but she was Fherenji, able to cloak her thoughts from him.
He knew as well as anyone else that she was a bit of a troublemaker, but all women were dishonorable. It was easier to deal with Ani because she didn’t go to great lengths to hide her true nature. Besides, he only had himself to blame for her behavior. He’d allowed her too many liberties as his mistress. He’d kept Ani, however, because at one time she greatly pleased him sexually. Now, looking at her, Rohman couldn’t imagine what he’d seen in her. She was no Eden.
Where had that thought come from? His treacherous wife would pay for her defection when he got his hands on her, but first he needed to deal with this insolent wench. “I will remind you, once again, to remember your place. I may have allowed you liberties in the past, but no more. Just because you warmed my bed before doesn’t give you leave to criticize my choice in mates, nor will you ever disrespect your queen again.”
“She’s no queen of mine!” the blue woman hissed.
If he had the time, he would have throttled her. “Again you get above yourself. I’ll deal with your insolence later, but for now you’ll tell me where my queen is or else I’ll have you flogged!” With each word his voice rose. Ani’s yellow eyes widened. He didn’t believe in lashings against the weaker sex, no matter how deceitful they were, but his worry increased with each passing minute.
He suddenly remembered that not only was she roaming through Zerus unescorted, but he had yet to put his cheka around her ankle. Any unmated Ceyan male could lay claim to her without it. The thought of another man touching her made his blood boil. She belonged to him and him alone!
Angrily, he grabbed Ani by the forearm, his fingers digging into her skin.
“You’re hurting me, Ro -- your majesty,” she whined as he dragged her out of his room.
“You’ll hurt even more if you don’t tell me which way she went.”
“But… I don’t know. She walked out one of the side entrances. I didn’t see which direction she went from there.”
Rohman may not have been able to read her mind, but judging from the shifty look in her eyes, she knew exactly which way Eden had gone, had perhaps even urged her on. “Which exit did she leave from?”
“I can’t be sure, it was done so quickly -- ow!” she exclaimed when his grip tightened. “Please, let me go. I only meant to help and this is how I’m treated? I thought I meant more to you than this. Why have you let that insignificant little woman come between us?”
“Us? You’ve taken leave of your senses. There has never been an us. Yes, you warmed my bed, but that didn’t make us a couple. Tell me which way she went, or I’ll make you wish you never existed.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “How can you be so cruel to me?” She began to sob uncontrollably.
Rohman let go of her. Nothing disgusted him more than a female who used her tears as a weapon, and he wasn’t fool enough not to see through her ruse. Was this some kind of stall tactic? Had she aided Eden in her escape?
“Enough! You will stop your senseless wailing. I have neither the time nor desire to hear it. Where is my queen?” he roared, probably loud enough for the entire castle to hear.
“I… All right, I didn’t want to say anything because I was trying to keep my promise, but she told me not to tell you where she was going. She wanted to get far enough ahead of you before you came looking for her. I told her that you’d find her, but she wouldn’t listen. Can’t you see now why I would hold contempt for her? I love you! I would make a much better queen than she could ever be, but my status as slave in your palace has made it impossible for you to take me as a mate and… well, I wanted her to leave. I was jealous.”
Rohman’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t want to tell me where she went, not because you wanted to keep your promise to her but because you were jealous?”
She nodded her head vigorously. “That’s exactly it. I know what I did was wicked, but it’s only because I love you so much, majesty. I care too much about you to see you with a woman who calls you a brute behind your back.”
His heart twinged with an unfamiliar feeling, breath catching in his throat. It took Rohman a few moments to respond. “Are you saying she called me names behind my back?”
She tilted her head back, yellow eyes looking up at him with pity. “It pains me to tell you this, your majesty, but yes. Forgive me, but I told her she wasn’t worthy to be your queen because of the awful things she said about you.”
“And what did she say about me?” he asked tightly.
“She called you a brute, of course, and then said she mated with you to make you compliant. But in my opinion, when she realized you wouldn’t bend to her will she decided to escape. Please, your majesty, I’m only guilty of my love for you.”
Rohman tightened his lips. He was sure there was much more that she was guilty of, but he couldn’t help but dwell on what Eden had said to her. Had she really said those things about him? Did she think him a brute, after she’d given herself to him so beautifully?
They’re all treacherous, son. Never trust a single one of them. Those had been his father’s words.
And to think she’d so easily fooled him into believing there was something different about her. His patience was now threadbare. He’d waste no more words with Ani. He would find his errant bride with or without this wench’s help.
He turned to go, but a blue hand stopped him. “Wait! She went to the east, your majesty.”
He stared pointedly at her hand until she let go. “If I find that you’ve lied to me, you do know what that could mean, don’t you?” he asked quietly.
She nodded her head vigorously. “Of course, your majesty, but you know I would never lie to you.”
“I can only hope for your sake that’s true. Now get out of my sight.”
* * *
Ani scurried away, but halted when she was sure he could no longer see her. She realized what a lucky escape she’d had from that incident. In order for him to believe he
r some truth had to be revealed, but not all. Sure that there’d been no witnesses, she felt confident no one would discover what really happened.
Eden’s broken lifeless body probably rested at the bottom of the cliff by now. She smiled. Now that the little woman was out of the way, Rohman would be hers once again. If only she could convince him to take her as his queen, all would be right again. In her former homeland of Hustrem, she’d been the pampered daughter of her king’s advisor.
King Orso’d had eyes for her and would have made her his queen if they hadn’t lost that demmed war. She was born to rule. No one would stop her. Not even Rohman.
Chapter Four
Eden felt something damp on her forehead. Her head pounded and she didn’t want to open her eyes, but knew she had to. Struggling to lift her lids, she was startled to see a pale woman standing over her.
“By the stars, you’re awake.”
Wanting to respond, Eden found her throat too dry. “Wat… wat…” Trying to say water hurt.
“You poor thing, you must be thirsty. Let me fetch you something cool to drink and soothe your throat.” The woman left her side, leaving Eden alone in the semi dark room.
Memories came flooding back and she wondered how in the world she was still alive. She was sure she was a goner when that evil blue woman threw her over the ledge. When she tried to sit up, Eden winced. Her body ached.
“No, you mustn’t make any sudden moves. You took a pretty nasty tumble. Here you go. Take small sips at a time.”
The woman held a cup to Eden’s dry lips and she eagerly wrapped her hands around it. Wanting to gulp the cool refreshing beverage, she took her caretaker’s advice and sipped.
“That’s it. Don’t stop until you drink it all.”
Eden happened to catch the eager gleam in the woman’s eyes and the cup slipped from her fingers, but her hostess quickly caught it. The woman was being nice to her, but again she had the feeling that something just wasn’t right. The last time she didn’t trust her first instinct she’d been thrown over a cliff. What was this woman up to?
“Oh, no. You have to finish your drink. I mixed it special. It has Elven medicine in it to help you heal.”
“Why are you helping me?”
“Why wouldn’t I help you? Enech could hardly leave you on the cliff like that.”
“Where am I? Better yet, how did I survive the fall?”
“Why, Enech saved you. He was at the bottom of the cliff collecting firewood when he heard your scream. You fell against a slope, knocking yourself out, and when you would have plummeted to the ground, you landed on a lower ledge. Then Enech climbed up to fetch you.”
“Enech?”
“My husband. He’s as anxious for your well-being as I am.”
“Are you? Why?” Maybe the potion was starting to work because her headache was beginning to subside and some of the aches she felt were melting away.
“I bet you’re feeling better already. Here, drink the rest of it. Drink it all up.” The woman held the cup to Eden’s lips, practically forcing it on her. By now she felt so relaxed and uninhibited, it was difficult to hold a coherent thought.
When she finished the last drop, her caretaker smiled. “Now that should make you feel better. You’ll be healed in no time.”
Eden’s tongue felt heavy all of a sudden. The room began to spin and her eyelids grew heavier with each passing second. “I… I need to get back to the… Queen… sick.” She had trouble getting the words out.
The woman frowned. “The palace? Are you by chance a servant at the king’s palace?”
Beads of sweat popped out of her forehead. Did someone turn the heat up in this house? Eden tried to shake the cloudiness in her head away, but to no avail. “Queen is sick. Must… help. Ceremony… King… me, please.” What was wrong with her? What had they done to her, and what the hell was in that drink?
The woman mused, “Hmm, you’re not wearing a cheka, so you’re obviously not a claimed woman, and if you were a servant of the palace, you’d have the brand. Who are you?”
“Queen,” Eden whispered before the darkness overtook her.
* * *
Seri stood over the tiny dark woman, studying her. What manner of race did this woman belong to? She could be a member of any number of the several hundreds on H’trae, but her features were hard to place. Whatever kind of being she was, there was no doubt that the little woman was a beauty. Men would pay a lot of coin to possess her.
She looked toward the door after a sound broke her out of her silent musings. Enech stepped inside to look at the woman he’d rescued from the cliffs. “She lives?”
“Yes, I gave her some medicine to take care of her wounds. It’s a wonder there were no broken bones. This wee one is more resilient than she looks. It’s lucky for her that she landed on the lower ledge, otherwise the damage would be far worse. She might even have died.”
“Aye. I thought I just heard voices in here. Did she wake up?”
“Briefly, but I gave her a concoction to put her under, just long enough for her wounds to heal. It will also keep her compliant in case she wants to put up a fight when we take her to Rozak.”
“She’s such a tiny thing, need you worry about her fighting you?”
“One can’t take that chance. She survived a fall from the cliff and we don’t know what manner of woman she is. Her size might belie her strength.”
Enech looked distinctly uncomfortable, and Seri’s lips tightened. “You’re not going to back out on me in this are you? She’ll bring us a lot of coin if she’s sold.”
“But… look at how she was dressed when I brought her here. Only royalty or the very wealthy could afford such expensive material.”
“She wears no cheka and she doesn’t bear any mark that says she’s a servant at the palace. Besides, wouldn’t you like to see me garbed in such fine material? I could have married a royal guard instead of a simple farmer, then I would live in a much better style.”
Enech sighed. “You seem to take pleasure in belittling me, but I grow tired of it.”
Who was he to chastise her? She’d at one time been the most sought after female in their village and she’d foolishly given her heart to him when any number of men could have made better providers for her. “Then be a man and take care of our family. I bore you three sons, work this farm day in and day out, take care of your home, and you seek to criticize me?”
“But what you want to do isn’t right. She could belong to someone.”
“If she belonged to anyone, she’d be wearing a cheka. No, I say we do things according to plan and that when we go to Rozak, sell her to one of the slavers. We can make a lot of coin with this one. You can hire some more help around the farm, perhaps buy Kiles a uniform to begin his training as a guard, and then buy some pretty trinkets for me, maybe some ilsa cloth.”
“Seri, you have been a good wife to me, that is true, but sometimes you do think above yourself. Whatever possessed you to come up with this scheme is beyond me.”
“We’ve sold things in Rozak before,” she pouted, changing tactics. There were times when Enech did dig in his heels and no amount of wheedling would stray him from his course. She didn’t want this to be one of those times.
“Yes, we’ve sold farm goods at Rozak, not people.”
“This woman is a nobody. She isn’t even claimed. What will be the harm?”
“Do you know what could happen to a woman like her if she’s bought by a harsh master? Would you wish that on her?”
“Once the deed is done, does it really matter who she is sold to?”
“I believe it does.”
“You worry overmuch for this woman. I begin to wonder if you defend her for your own selfish reasons.”
Enech’s silver eyes narrowed to slits. “Seri, you know you’re the only woman I’ve ever cared about.”
“Then prove it. Do this one thing for me. If your concern is whether she’ll be sold to a harsh master, you have nothing t
o worry about. Just look at her. One such as she wouldn’t waste a single day with hard labor. No, she’ll probably be some wealthy man’s mistress and get treated like royalty. Judging from her mode of dress, I wouldn’t be surprised if she hadn’t been some man’s leman already.”
“You seem to have given this a lot of thought, wife. Like I said, she could belong to someone.”
“What of the missing cheka then?”
“It could have fallen off when she fell from the cliff or maybe she took it off.”
“If she took it off that’s her problem. What about us? Will you put this stranger above your own family? When I chose you as my mate, you told me you’d always provide for me, but things have been rough lately, what with this illness spreading and the crops not doing as well as they should. But just because we’ve experienced these setbacks, it doesn’t give you the right to shirk your responsibilities. If you won’t do it for me, at least think of your sons. They all have the chance to serve in the king’s army. Would you deny them that chance because of your concern over this woman who may or may not be someone important?”
“And what if someone does come looking for her? What then?”
Seri shrugged. “Then we’ll just deny it of course. Besides, by the time anyone comes looking for her, we’ll be in Rozak with the coin safely in our pockets.”
Enech had a look on his face that Seri recognized very well. Defeat. Victory would be hers this time. She decided to go in for the kill. “You only have to look at this woman to know she’ll have a pampered lifestyle as someone’s mistress. She’ll probably end up better off than us. If you think about it, we’re doing her a favor.”
He sighed, as though giving in would be better than to continue arguing. “Fine. I’ll do it. At first light, we’ll take her to Rozak to sell her to one of the slavers.”
* * *
Genesis did not take the news of her missing sister very well, throwing a fit to the point where Kal had to escort her back to their room.
“You can’t keep me here. We have to find her. She doesn’t know this world. What if something terrible happens to her?” Tears streamed down her face and she was unable to bear the thought of something occurring to the one person other than her mate that she loved.