by Stormie Kent
“Jammer’s up,” Olaf said.
“Are you okay?” Rhine asked.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” She refused to look at him.
“What did Camryn say? I saw her hands moving,” Bronwyn said.
Niki smiled. “She said, ‘Somebody’s going to die.’”
They all smiled with her.
“It’s early, but we may want to get ready now. I don’t know how quickly Venn can get us out, but we want to be prepared. Good job, everyone,” Rhine said.
Niki left the room without him. She took a shower, ignoring the possible eyes on her. She dressed in her last clean dress. It was peach with an embossed design. Just in case she needed to smack down anyone, she plaited her hair and tied it up in a bun. She shoved her things back into Rhine’s satchel. She was sitting on the side of the bed waiting when Rhine exited the bathroom with a black towel wrapped around his waist.
Yeah, her pulse picked up a little. She fought down a strong desire to lick the last bead of water coursing down the center of his chest. Or follow it inside his towel. She had yet to get her hands on the monster he housed under there. Taking it in her mouth would be a challenge, but she was up for it. Or he was. She smiled at the tent he had going on.
“I’m sorry, but you will have to wait to take advantage of my body, Niki.”
“Say what now?” She raised her eyebrow and gave him her haughtiest look.
“You’re staring at me as if you would like to molest me. I don’t mind, but we have to be focused now, not become distracted by love play.” He pulled another leather tunic over his head.
“You’re something else, you know that?” she asked.
“Yes, I am Ordanian.”
She snickered.
“Was there a translation problem?” he asked.
“You could say that?”
She didn’t even bother to avert her eyes as he dropped his towel and pulled on his pants. She admired his ass as he bent over. Her hand actually itched as she thought about caressing it and holding it tightly. He was right. She did want to molest him. A lot.
She leaned back on her forearms, and squeezed her thighs together. He picked up his socks and boots, walked to the bed and placed them by her feet. Then he leaned over her, bracing his hands near her shoulders. She looked up at him. His hair was cool against her face and throat.
“Did you want something?” she asked.
“I want you,” he said close to her mouth.
“I thought we had to focus.”
He nibbled the edges of her mouth before kissing her deeply. The kiss was slow and sweet, but the shocks racing through her body were not. Even her toes tingled. Her eyes remained closed for a moment after he pulled away. The bed dipped beside her. She opened her eyes and sighed. He tugged on his socks and shoes. His expression was indifferent, even though her body pulsed and throbbed.
When he stood, he pulled her up with him and walked them out of the room.
“You know I don’t like to be manhandled.” She managed a glare.
“I am showing you courtesy by escorting you from place to place. If you would take my arm, I wouldn’t have to hold yours.” He sounded as if he was instructing her on proper etiquette.
The others were waiting in the large room. They sat around stiffly. Even though their faces were expressionless, she still felt the tension in the air.
“If they party all night, do you think anyone will be awake this morning?” she asked.
Her stomach was a little growly since her dinner was interrupted the night before.
“We can go down and see. There should be something set out for early rising guests,” Rhine said.
She didn’t feel as if she was a guest. She felt as if she was a prisoner. They left the room and were joined by several guards halfway to their destination. The great hall was surprisingly full. Niki looked around warily. She remembered what happened the last time these people congregated for a meal. Her stomach fluttered.
“What’s wrong,” Rhine whispered.
“I don’t want a sideshow with my breakfast,” she responded.
They sat at the table and Niki sighed heavily before taking her place on his lap.
“If there is a problem today, I will send you out with Gunter.”
“No, then you won’t have anyone to watch your back. I’ll just put my big-girl panties on and deal with it.” But not without a lot of grumbling.
“You aren’t wearing panties?” Rhine glanced down at her lap.
Gunter coughed. She glared at him, then Rhine.
“It is an expression. It means I need to be a grown woman and deal with my problems directly.”
They both nodded as though she was handing out sage wisdom. It was kind of…cute. You know, if ginormous men could be labeled with a word as mild as cute.
Servants appeared with enormous platters of food. She picked at everything. Nothing looked or tasted as she thought it should, but she was happy to have anything at all. Bute Chaeen walked in followed by six women of various species. He sat on his crimson throne and the women began to choose food and drink for him.
This place was right out of a bad dream. Harems, prison guards and a child leading it all in the body of a grown man. She observed the beast shifter. So far, he hadn’t said a word about the transmission they’d sent earlier that morning. She really didn’t think Bute Chaeen was as smart as the men thought.
The sound of a platter hitting the floor jerked her attention to the right.
“I’m sorry, sir.” A brick-red-skinned woman was desperately wiping at the shirt and pants of a large Contu male.
Rhine stiffened beneath her. The Contu was already partially shifted. His body was rigid and he had both hands balled into fists. The entire room had fallen silent.
“You’re useless,” he said.
He growled and then brought his fist down on the side of her face. The woman doubled over and whimpered. Niki stood and began to round the table. Rhine pulled her back with an arm around her stomach.
“Hell, no. I’m not going to watch some woman get beaten,” she hissed at him.
His world was screwed up. He was a fool if he thought she was just going to sit there with the rest of them and watch. He passed her to Gunter and stood. He’d crossed half the floor before she could begin her assault on his cousin. She stilled.
The Contu grabbed the woman’s hair, and jerked his fist back to hit her again. Rhine grabbed his wrist and held it. The Contu threw his head back and howled. He actually howled.
“You dare, Ordanian. This doesn’t concern you,” the Contu said.
“She’s half your size. Why don’t you attempt to give me the beating you’d intended for her?” Rhine’s voice was cold.
Niki held her breath. The Contu wasn’t as tall as Rhine, but he was as wide and muscular. Plus, he had wicked long sharp teeth and claws. For a second, fear gripped her. She hadn’t taken bulk, teeth and claws into account when she’d decided to interfere.
“He will be fine, Niki,” Gunter whispered.
She remembered they knew what she felt and she swallowed her emotions. Rhine didn’t need to worry about her right now.
Bute Chaeen spoke, “Sir Rhine has challenged you, Sarwee. The winner will be awarded the Rarian slave to do with what they will.”
Bute Chaeen’s tone was bored, but his eyes gleamed. She wished she had some itching powder for his loincloth. Rhine took off his jacket and tossed it on the table as he stepped back to a clear spot on the floor. The Contu snarled a bit and drool slid down his fangs.
The beast man circled Rhine, lunging at him and pulling back before he was within arm’s length. The crowded room erupted in shouts and laughter. Rhine looked as calm as a mild summer breeze. His hands were up and ready, but he didn’t seem to respond to any of the beast shifter’s deceptive movements beyond keeping his eyes on him.
It was torture trying to suppress her emotions. The contents of her stomach were churning with all the turmoil of a t
yphoon and her heart lodged in her throat. She watched as the Contu swiped at Rhine with his claws. Rhine leaned away and grabbed the man’s fully extended wrist. He followed immediately with an elbow jab to the underside of the shifter’s snout.
The shifter’s head snapped back and Rhine didn’t hesitate. Methodically, he delivered blow after blow to the stunned man. His jabs were faster than anything she’d seen outside a movie. The Contu’s face was bloody and he clutched at his ribs. Rhine alternated his punches between the man’s sides, gut and face.
The crowd had fallen silent as the shifter received his beating. She was slightly uncomfortable with the ease in which Rhine dealt with the beast shifter. She thought about her attacks on him earlier as the Contu fell to his knees. He’d obviously been modifying his strength to keep from hurting her. She’d known he was strong, but this was chilling.
He didn’t appear to be pulling any punches now as he delivered a beating the beast man would never forget. The sound of fist hitting flesh and bone was unmistakable and slightly nauseating. This wasn’t a fight. Rhine slaughtered the other man.
“Rhine,” she said.
In the silent room, her voice seemed to carry and the Ordanian paused. His head cocked, but he never looked away from the Contu. He raised his hand and dealt the man a flat-handed chop to the side of his neck. The beast shifter slumped to the floor. He didn’t move. Had he killed him?
Rhine turned. He grabbed his jacket and a cloth napkin from the table. He tossed the jacket over his shoulder and wiped the blood from his hands as he walked toward her. His eyes never left her face. Gunter released her and she walked around the table and waited.
“I thought you were the diplomatic one in your tribe,” Bute Chaeen said. He turned his frown from Rhine’s back to the defeated Contu on the floor.
“There are no weak links in Tribe Huntu,” Rhine said as he reached her side.
She chose another napkin from the table and reached up to wipe the splatters of blood from his face and shirt.
“Thank you,” she whispered. He nodded.
She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. The beaten woman knelt before Rhine. Niki caught the red woman’s hand before she could touch the waistband of Rhine’s pants.
“No.” Niki showed the woman her fiercest expression.
The woman looked up at her in surprise and tried to shake her loose, then turned to Rhine. “Master?”
Bute Chaeen looked beyond irritated. “Why is the exotic blocking the slave’s tribute? She shows you great honor by immediately servicing your cock with her mouth.”
Niki was going to show them all beyond irritated if this damn woman didn’t keep her hands and mouth to herself. She allowed displeasure to radiate from her. She didn’t take a deep breath or try to mask her feelings at all.
“This one is my number-one slave. I leave slave direction to her. There is an order and the new one hasn’t earned the right to touch me yet,” Rhine said.
She narrowed her eyes at him. Later, she’d show him what she thought about this latest foolishness out of his mouth. He lied facilely, and though the dubious talent came in handy, it made her nervous.
“You have a strange way of dealing with your slaves. Though I do believe you make sense. I will think on this.” Bute Chaeen actually looked thoughtful as he accepted a chalice from the same bald blue slave she’d watched blow him yesterday.
What a wasted life. She stiffened as Rhine placed his hand on her back and rubbed. He leaned down close to her ear.
“She will do what you tell her,” he said softly.
She looked down at her fist still wrapped around the poor woman’s wrist. She looked scared and Niki released her slowly and tried to smooth away the anger on her face.
“What is your name?” Niki asked.
“I am A’Di,” she said softly.
“I’m Niki. Don’t touch him.” Niki jerked her thumb at Rhine.
The other woman looked at Rhine, who just stood there as if he was a great lumbering ox. She nodded, and stood.
“She needs ice,” Niki said.
The woman’s face was already swelling. Rhine directed a server to bring him ice in a cloth. He walked to his chair and sat, pulling Niki onto his lap. Niki looked at the woman, who now stood behind their chair.
“She can’t just stand there. Some big-ass dude just hit her in the face. She needs to rest,” Niki whispered.
“I understood a third of what you just said. Would you like me to offer her my other leg?” Rhine asked.
She pinched his side where no one in front of them could see. A’Di gasped. Niki looked at the other men. Only Gunter stared at her.
“Please, Gunter,” she said. She tried for an innocent look and the man smirked at her.
He nodded. Niki turned to A’Di. The woman now held an ice pack to her eye.
“A’Di, this is Sir Gunter. You’re going to sit on his lap so you can rest,” Niki said.
“Yes, Mistress Niki,” A’Di said.
Niki rolled her eyes, and turned to Rhine. “What’s that about?”
He leaned very close to her ear. “You obviously have rank and value to her master. In our world, that elevates you to mistress status.”
“I don’t like it,” she said.
He shrugged.
“Were you just going let her suck your dick right in front of me?” she asked suddenly.
She hadn’t meant to say anything. He leaned back in the seat. He shrugged again. His eyes never left her face. Her insides lit and sparked with the intensity of firecrackers. Her hand rose.
“Niki,” Gunter said sharply.
She remembered why hitting him wasn’t a good idea in this environment and reached for Rhine’s cup instead. Rhine smiled. Her aunt used to call that naughty glimmer in a man’s eyes devilish intent.
The screen on the far left wall lowered.
“No, no, no, no.” She wasn’t going to sit through another fuck fest.
A cheer went through the crowd. It stopped when the blank screen changed to one of Lord Huntu dressed in what appeared to be a leather battlesuit. He took up the entire screen and his face was frightening in its intensity. His eyes alone made her shudder. Where the other Ordanians never seem to display emotions, this man dripped with menace. Niki shuddered. Camryn was married to this man?
Bute Chaeen addressed the image. “Lord Huntu, how—”
“Release my family and all their possessions, now. Every tribe on Ordan has begun to mobilize in a mutual desire to avenge the slight you have shown me. I have contacted all of my allies in the galaxy. Fuzar fighters are now entering your air space to ensure the speedy release of the Edela, my Council and the Lady Huntu’s kinswoman. Deny me and perish. You have less than an hour. Huntu out.”
The screen went completely blank. Women began screaming and men jumped up and fled the hall.
Bute Chaeen yelled to one of his guards, “Bring me a report on the air space around the planet.
Niki glanced at her companions. A’Di was the only one who appeared in any way concerned. They each continued to eat slowly and chat softly. Rhine rubbed the small of her back in slow circles. It didn’t calm her as it usually did. He reached for a dark-blue item which had the consistency of meat. She grabbed his hand.
“No, you still have animal blood on your hands.” She picked up one of the slices and fed it to him. She had visions of him somehow ingesting the blood and going all flea collar and howling at the moon as though he was in a werewolf movie.
She tried to keep her eyes on everything that was happening. It was as if the Ordanians existed in a bubble, unconcerned, as everyone else screamed and yelled. Guards filed into the room. One of them approached Bute Chaeen at a run. He spoke quietly to the dictator. Bute Chaeen howled and pushed over the raised table in front of him. Food and drink tumbled to the floor. The women surrounding him scattered.
“Sir Rhine, take your people, and go. The guards will take you to retrieve your things and to your shi
p.” He flung his hand toward the door.
“I will have A’Di’s deed first,” Rhine said calmly.
Bute Chaeen looked away as he waved his hand at one of his people. The man came forward with a small, flat, black electronic tablet. Rhine pressed a few keys on the gray electronic device strapped to his wrist. Rhine waved his wrist past the man’s tablet, then checked the information.
Slight pressure at her back alerted her he wanted her to stand. They left the large chamber quickly. She wanted to be safely away from this planet. She believed Lord Huntu would attack Tuetvon if they were even a second late breaking the planet’s atmosphere.
When they entered the room, Tor closed the door firmly in the guards’ faces.
“A’Di, is there access to the computer mainframe in this room?” Rhine asked.
“There should be an outlet here.” She walked over to the far right wall and tapped a panel.
A large square cabinet doorway opened to reveal a small screen and exposed connectivity points.
“I’ll handle it,” Olaf said. He walked over to the wall.
“I’ll grab your bag,” Tor said. He walked off toward the rooms.
Niki followed Rhine into their bedroom.
“What is he doing?” she asked.
Rhine reached into his hair and Niki realized he’d turned on the mini-jammer.
“He’s setting a virus to eat through their computer mainframe. Tuetvon isn’t much more than what is contained within the walls of this fortress and the lands it protects. We have to take advantage of this opportunity while we’re here.”
She nodded. It was a good initial strike. The Contu were already struggling to understand how to react to Lord Huntu’s threats.
“Please wash the blood from your hands,” she whispered.
There was something about knowing he had the Contu’s blood on his hands that unsettled her. She almost felt as if it could contaminate him. He stared at her for a moment before walking into the bathroom.
When he returned she noticed his hairline was wet. The tightness in her chest eased as she realized he’d washed his face as well.
“Thank you,” she said.