He didn’t answer, not that she expected him to as she watched his even breathing.
“It would be nice to have the PJP back. Um, that’s the portable jump prototype that I had to travel to different planes without their main portal.” She rubbed her wrist, thinking of the device. “You know, just to have it. Just in case I ever needed it.” Karre laughed softly. “Just to get to my stash one last time to do what I need to.”
Still, he slept.
“You should see some of the things I’ve collected. I have notes about missions Divinity wouldn’t want anyone knowing about. I have pictures and video files and confessions. I have their office policies and contract copies that show obvious moral codes violations. I think that is why they want me alive, but where I can do no harm. They think by analyzing the PJP they will find out everywhere I have gone. What they don’t know is that I have reset the history. They will never find what they’re looking for.”
She ran her hand lightly over his cheek and down his throat. His pulse beat steadily under her fingers. The fur blanket covered his stomach but left his chest bare. She drew her hand down to feel his heart beneath her fingers.
“Divinity is not the company you think it to be. They present themselves well, but they are not noble. They do things. Horrible things.” She took a deep breath. “They make people do things, become things.”
“What did they force you to do?”
Karre gasped, jumping back at Vidar’s calm words. Apparently, he wasn’t as asleep as she’d thought. How much had he heard? “You’re awake.”
His eyes opened, meeting hers. “Of course.”
“You should have said something. You should have stopped me.”
“Why would I interrupt? I was listening to you speak.” He turned on his side, resting on his arm as he touched her naked thigh. “Please continue.”
Karre hesitated. It was different now with him looking at her.
“Please,” he insisted.
“Divinity’s actions made me a thief. They changed the entire course of my life.” Karre pulled away from him, turning to stand on the floor. She felt too exposed as she strode naked to his trunk. Pulling up the lid, she grabbed the first tunic she found and pulled it over her head. “I’ve spent many years trying to prove what I know of the corporation, but they have covered their tracks very efficiently. I foolishly thought I might be able to stop them, but there are too many planes for them to hide.”
“What is it you know?”
“That they stole lives. My land was called Grenlay Islah. I lived with my father near the water. He had retired from our country’s military. I wanted to be a scientist and build better technology to be used in astronomical research. Astronomy is what we call the study of the universe beyond the earth’s atmosphere—stars, sun, moon, planets. It seems so far away now, so small in importance to what I know now. My world isn’t anywhere near close to discovering inter-dimensional travel. Normally such ideas were the thing of entertainment novels and holographic plays.” Karre continued to pace, not meeting his eyes but very aware that they were on her. It seemed strange telling this story, perhaps because it was the truth. It had been a long time since she had told her truth to anyone.
“Come, my lady,” he urged, patting the bed. “Sit. Please.”
Karre refused, continuing to pace. “But you see, just because we weren’t close to actually discovering parallel plane travel, it doesn’t mean we didn’t understand the concept. I think that’s why Divinity came to us. We were primitive enough not to know how to chase after them but advanced enough to understand what had happened when they took us to a new plane.”
“They stole your people?”
Karre stopped at his words and nodded, wondering if he could possibly believe her. No one else had. “Yes. Kidnapped them. Plucked them up and carted them away like they were picking flowers for their table. They took my father. They pulled him right off the street when he was out for a run. I would have never known what had happened, but I happened to be coming home at the time. I saw their uniforms, their alien equipment. No one would believe me. The police, um, enforcers of the law, thought I was distraught. They wanted me to seek medical help and have myself committed into a grief asylum. A few months later I saw the uniformed men again.”
“What did you do?” he prompted when she paused.
“I followed them through their portal. It was like nothing I’d ever felt or seen. It’s like being pulled apart on a molecular level and put back together. I thought I was dying. But then I showed up in their science facility. They were so arrogant, they didn’t even have guards, like they knew no one could touch them or stop them. I grabbed one of their jackets, slipped it on and walked undetected through their facility. Someone asked me if I was from some place I had never heard of. I said yes. From there I integrated and learned, going from base to base, changing my appearance and my name until I found myself working for the science and technology department.”
“And you sought the truth of what had happened?”
“There is no proof. I’ve looked. When the rest of the company, also known as those people not in charge, started to spread rumors about it, the executives terminated the project. That included permanently terminating those involved.”
Vidar arched a brow.
“They killed everyone who knew anything,” Karre clarified. “As for my father, I never saw him again.”
“What did they take him for?”
“Gladiator fights,” she said, “in some Romanesque plane. They took soldiers from my world and sold them to masters who forced them to fight to the death. The plane loved it because they felt all other planes were inferior to them. Otherworlders didn’t have rights and were considered a subspecies.”
“Were they at war? Not that such a thing would excuse forcing men from other worlds to fight a war that was not theirs to fight.”
“No. It was for entertainment.”
Vidar frowned in disgust. “To waste life for the sake of passing amusement. Shameful.”
“When I finally got to the gladiator plane, I found my father’s portrait painted on an arena wall.” She paused, letting the pain of the memory roll through her. Karre had sat by that wall, weeping for hours, only leaving when one of the plane’s residents came by trying to sell her loaves of green-tinted bread. “Apparently, he did really well before they decided to make him battle three wild beasts with his bare hands in celebration of their ruler’s birth anniversary.”
“I am sorry to hear this. My father died in battle, as well.”
“At least it was a battle he chose to fight and not because some pompous rich master wanted to be entertained,” Karre said, feeling bitter from the memory. “I might be a thief, but I only steal from Divinity and their allies for the purpose of stopping them.”
“Why are you telling me this now?” Vidar frowned and pulled the fur covers from his waist to swing his legs around. Her eyes instantly turned to his waist before glancing away. “Do you think to leave me to continue your pursuits?”
“I had no intention of ever telling you any of this,” she admitted with a humorless laugh. “I thought you were sleeping.”
“Then I suppose it is good that I have been trained to sleep lightly.” His hand shot forward and he grabbed her wrist. Gently, he pulled her toward him.
Karre resisted briefly but then gave up, needing to feel something other than pain and uncertainty. “I’m tired of running. I want to stay here, but I’m terrified of the Caniba. If I could just see them for myself, I’m sure I could put my mind at ease. The images of them that have been described to me are—”
“You have nothing to fear. We will protect you.” Vidar cupped her cheek, running his thumb over her lips. “I will protect you.”
“I know better than anyone there are no guarantees in life. Rules and ideas that work on one plane do not on another. You can’t promise that I will be safe. You can’t promise that I will be protected. All you can do is promise you wil
l do your best.” Karre put her fingers over his lips to keep him from answering. “And all I ask is that you try.”
His eyes narrowed, the intensity of the look all the more effective by the way the gold flecks picked up the firelight. “You have my word, my lady.”
Karre was struck with the full impact of what she had revealed to him. More or less, it had been her life story. No one, not on any of the planes, knew so much about her.
She grabbed his face, pulling his lips to hers in a deep kiss. Moaning, she thrust her tongue between his lips. Vidar’s hands roamed the backs of her thighs to push up the tunic she wore. He cupped her ass, rocking her hips forward.
Karre put her knee between his legs and crawled over him, urging him onto his back. When her lungs burned for need of air, she pulled back, panting as she looked down at him. This time there would be no games between them. She was too tired of pretending, of being someone else. “I don’t want to run anymore.”
Vidar pulled at the tunic shirt, helping her to lift it over her head. His hands skimmed over her breasts and ribs before settling on her hips. “You don’t have to run. You are home.”
Karre smiled. “But I do need to fight. If the Caniba are as bad as everyone says they are, then I wish to help in the battle to be rid of them. I can’t sit here inside a fortress and do nothing. I need to focus on fighting so the fear doesn’t overtake me. And if I could just get to my stash, I have things there that can help.”
“There is no reason for you to go to battle.” Vidar ran a lazy fingertip over her stomach, tracing the lines of her muscles. “Your presence in Spearhead helps greatly, my lady. Your beauty gives the men hope.” He pushed his hips up, drawing attention to the ever-growing strength of his arousal.
She laughed, feeling giddy as she lightly scratched his chest. His cock brushed her stomach as she straddled his thighs. Karre kissed his neck, trailing her tongue over his flesh. His pulse beat against her lips.
Vidar wrapped his arms around her, caressing the small of her back and curve of her ass. Her breasts rubbed his chest until her nipples peaked against him. He moaned, his breath tickling her shoulder.
She laid her body fully to his, their legs twining, their flesh pressed together, hands exploring, hips rocking, moving in harmony. Parting her lips wide, she took in his breath as her mouth hovered over his. He flicked his tongue, enticing her to close the distance. She did, pouring all the passion she felt into her kiss.
Vidar groaned, rolling her onto her back. He shoved her thighs open with his, becoming more aggressive in his need. The tip of his cock brushed her folds, parting her with its firm persistence.
Karre closed her eyes and bit her lip. She arched her hips into him while pulling on his ass, silently begging him to take her. Every inch sang with pleasure and awareness. The mattress shifted with their weight, but he didn’t thrust inside.
Breathing hard, she opened her eyes to study his face. He stared down at her, his narrowed eyes sweeping along her chest, up her neck to her lips. She worked her legs along his and reached between them to stroke his cock. A soft moan escaped him as she massaged the velvet length.
Muscles flexed and tensed along his chest as she drew his cock along her moist folds, enticing and teasing at the same time. The thick tip bumped her clit. She jolted in pleasure and did it again.
Vidar entered her slowly, taking his time, letting her feel every sliding inch. She let go of his cock. Her hands explored everywhere she could reach. She wanted to touch all of him, taste all of him. When she drew him into her kiss, she moaned, sucking his tongue past the borders of her lips.
Karre angled her hips, meeting his thrust, urging him deeper into her pussy. A light sheen of sweat covered their bodies. She squirmed beneath him, her head rolling on the mattress as she broke their kiss to gasp for breath. Delightful sensations coursed through her body, radiating everywhere at once until she felt as if her body might explode into flames.
Vidar pushed up for leverage and he thrust harder, deeper. Her body tensed, her entire length going rigid as she met with release. The tremors racked over her. Vidar grunted, his hips jerking as he emptied himself into her. He collapsed against her, bracing his weight on his elbows to keep from crushing her.
After a long moment, he crawled off her. They readjusted on the bed and Karre burrowed under the covers, stretching out next to him. Suppressing a yawn, she said, “I really do want to help in the fight against the Caniba. If I am going to stay, I need to help. I have skills, ones that could be put to good use.”
“Your desire to fight is understandable,” he answered, closing his eyes and pulling her tight against him. “But your presence is enough. It gives us pride and a sense of duty to see what it is we are fighting for. A beautiful lady, a symbol of family and hope, is what you are to the warriors.”
Karre’s expression dropped some as she looked at him. He was serious. She stiffened in disbelief. “A pretty face to fight for?”
That wasn’t exactly what she had in mind.
Vidar closed his eyes and nodded. “Yea. Very pretty.”
—
“I’ll show him pretty,” Karre grumbled as she shoved the lock-picking pin into her upswept hair. The once-locked door swung open on silent hinges. She grinned, glancing down the long corridor to make sure she wasn’t followed.
Karre had been into most of the rooms at Spearhead Fortress, but there were still a few locked doors she needed to get behind. The first one she’d visited that morning had been a weapons chamber, filled with rows of swords and shields, spiked maces and sharp daggers, spears and arrows. There had even been a few potion bottles and strange contraptions she had never seen before.
She shut the door behind her. Dust stirred as she walked. Unlike the rest of the fortress, the chamber had not been cleaned for some time. It made her search easier. She lifted her skirt, pulling it between her legs and tucking the end into the bottom of her corset so it wouldn’t drag on the ground and give evidence of her being there. Stepping lightly, she placed her foot in the markings of larger footprints, following them across the room to a wall of shelves stuffed full of rolled parchments.
Karre pulled one from the shelf, noting its lack of dust. The wax seal had been broken and she unrolled it. The tight script was impossible to read. Although the words were probably ones she knew, apparently the Starian alphabet wasn’t, because she couldn’t read it. Without something to compare it to, it could take months for her to decipher what it said.
Putting the document back where she’d found it, she slowly retraced her steps to the door. She secured the room and straightened her gown before making her way down the corridor in search of the next locked door. Under her breath, she muttered, “I’ll show him pretty.”
—
Nothing. In the past, documents had always been one of the surefire ways of discovering fast information. Only, with no key to read the Starian language, she had no hope of leaning anything from that method. She had searched every locked room in Spearhead and found no clue as to how she could help against the Caniba.
However, never one to give up, Karre decided to try the next best thing—gossipers.
“What are you mumbling about?” Jordinne asked, frowning as she looked up from her sewing. “Show him pretty?”
“I didn’t say anything,” Karre answered, grimacing.
“You’ve been saying it over and over.” Bratene appeared more interested in poking her finger with the tip of her needle than applying it to her task. She didn’t draw blood, but it seemed to alleviate her boredom. Then, mimicking, the woman said, “I’ll show him pretty. How dare he say I’m just supposed to be pretty.”
Jordinne laughed. “Got a taste of the Starian warrior, did you?”
“I got a giant bite of him,” Karre grumbled, inciting laughter. Even Synna giggled from her place in the corner of the room.
“What did he do?” Jordinne cut her short thread and immediately began threading the needle with a new one. She worke
d fast, as if she’d sewn her whole life.
“He told me I was to be an inspiration for the warriors,” Karre said. It seemed strange talking to the women, almost as if they were…friends. She hid her frown, uncomfortable with the word, unable to trust it completely.
“Ah, the ‘something for the men to fight for’ speech,” Bratene said. “Methinks they want us to wear our best dresses every day.”
“You mean our tightest corsets,” Jordinne teased.
“They want us to scrub the floors and look like goddesses while doing it,” Synna inserted.
“Well, to be fair, I like mine to be shirtless and silent.” Bratene laughed. “And with a big sword to take into battle.”
“Shameless,” Synna murmured. “Utterly shameless.”
Bratene threw a scrap of cloth at the woman. “I dare you to tell me you don’t like a man with a big spear.”
“I just like him to know how to wield it,” Jordinne said, drawing Bratene’s attention away from Synna. Karre noticed the woman tended to do that a lot, saving the more timid servant from Bratene’s cruder barbs.
“I know you all said that we were supposed to let the men protect us, but who protects the men from themselves?” Karre studied them carefully.
“Every woman knows a man cannot take care of himself,” Synna answered, reaching toward Jordinne to grab a small knife to cut her thread. “If not for women, they’d be running about naked and covered in dirt.”
Taking Karre Page 12