by Cheree Alsop
At a word from Lady Winden, one of the guards led Kovak to a chair that was across the table from Nova and directly next to Lady Winden and pulled out his chair. Nova would have laughed at the narrow-eyed look the gladiator threw the guard, but she managed to keep it suppressed as he sat and then gazed suspiciously at the food.
“Eat your fill, gladiator,” Lady Winden said. The way she let the last word roll off her tongue gave it a flirtatious twist.
Kovak glanced at Nova. When their eyes met, a little flutter tightened her stomach. She didn’t let the reaction show and instead pointed to the tray of meat closest to him.
“The boban flank is very similar to the velvet steaks served in the Bacarian system,” she said.
Kovak’s eyebrows rose. “You’ve been to a battle?”
She nodded. “My father took my brother and I when we were younger.” She rushed on to say, “But only to the preliminary bouts. He said we were far too young for the finals.”
Kovak nodded. What he felt about her seeing the gladiatorial fights didn’t show on his face. With a calm and slightly curious expression, he speared one of the slabs of boban flank and levered it onto his plate.
“Allow me to assist you with the gravy,” Lady Winden said.
Nova watched the woman lean over to pour a generous helping of the yellow gravy across Kovak’s meat. She shifted her grip on the gravy boat and leaned even closer so that her breast brushed against the man’s arm.
Kovak grew completely still. Nova wondered if he even breathed. He didn’t move at all until Lady Winden had drawn back and returned the gravy boat to its spot on the table close enough that the gladiator could have retrieved it himself. She then began to eat as though she didn’t notice his reaction.
Nova couldn’t begin to guess the Smiren’s thoughts. He kept his eyes on his plate. Only when she took a bite from her own plate did he proceed to cut a corner off the flank and eat it.
“I suppose we’ll get rain in a day or so, ‘tis the season,” Lady Winden said conversationally. “It’ll probably bring the usual electric storm, so you’ll want to be off before it strikes. Those storms can be most unpleasant.”
“We plan to,” Nova replied. “Thank you for your concern.”
“And,” Lady Winden continued, “While we’re talking about it, I will send you a bill for the repairs of your ATL. By reports, it was quite damaged during landing.”
“We were shot down,” Nova told the woman. She hid her irritation by taking a bite of the purple salad leaves. They were surprisingly sweet and had a light, lovely flavor.
“The unpleasantness of war,” Lady Winden replied. “May your people always be at peace.”
“Let’s hope,” Nova said.
She glanced at Kovak. He hadn’t said a word since being seated, but he had made good use of his plate. Sometime during her conversation with Lady Winden, the Smiren had served himself several more helpings of boban flank along with a dousing of gravy. He shoveled three bites into his mouth as she watched and then washed it down with a gulp of mint nog. He cut up the next set and ate it in quick succession.
Nova’s heart slowed. She realized that since buying the Smiren at Roan Seven, he hadn’t had anything to eat. With all that had happened during the chase and the battle with the Drakornians followed by landing on Lorv only to be accosted by the Raths, she hadn’t once given a thought to the Smiren’s wellbeing. Watching him eat as though he wasn’t sure when his next meal would be made her realize he felt exactly that. Why would he trust that any sort of security would come from her? She hadn’t been exactly forthcoming as to her reason for attaining him anyway, not that she could. At least he didn’t ask.
Why was that? If she had been purchased from some prison planet in the middle of nowhere, she would want to know why. What was it that kept him from asking?
She glanced at Lady Winden. The woman watched the gladiator with a hungry expression that made her sick. Nova had seen the way the woman’s hands had ran over him as if he was a tarsat she wanted to purchase. A flare of something fierce and protective had filled Nova at the look on Kovak’s face when she did it. His eyes flattened and face locked into an expressionless mask. Only a slight twitch in his jaw had given away any emotion.
It was the same look that crossed his face when Lady Winden poured his gravy. He had become as still as a statue and could have been carved from marble for all the response he gave the woman for her overt flirting. It should have made Nova happy that he didn’t seem to care about the beautiful Lady’s advances; instead, she felt sick to her stomach. The realization that the gladiator was used to such things made her wonder about that side of his life. What had he gone through? Who had used him? The fact that she was as bad as the rest of them made her mouth go dry.
She took a drink of the mint nog, but it did little to bring back her appetite.
“Not eating, Countess, darling?” Lady Winden asked. “Does the food not suit you? I hope you aren’t offended by this measly fare.”
It was a vain search for a compliment. The palace’s many kitchens had prepared more food than an entire troop could eat in one sitting. Nova would have felt guilty, but she was used to Lady Winden’s ways.
Aware of Kovak’s eyes on her, she said, “I have seldom seen an offering of sustenance with such variety and perfection in cooking. I apologize for the weakness of my stomach. I attribute it to the battle and the rough flight. If you don’t mind, I would prefer to retire after glancing in on Kaj and checking with Junquit.”
“I mind not at all, Lady Ardis. My guards will escort you to wherever you wish to go, and your rooms are prepared for when you choose to retire.”
To Nova’s surprise, Kovak stood when she did.
Lady Winden looked him up and down from her seat. “I was hoping you would want to stay a bit longer. You know, for some dessert.” She batted her eyes at him.
The invitation was straightforward. Nova swallowed past her tight throat. She told herself that she could command him to follow her. She could make up something about needing him to guard her room because she was still unsettled by the Rathian skirmish. She had bought him; in a way, she literally owned him.
She nearly said something even knowing that she would hate herself for it. Instead, Nova bit her tongue and waited for Kovak to decide.
He kept his eyes from Lady Winden as he should given his lower rank, and he inclined his head the proper amount to show her due honors. “Lady Winden, I am grateful for the attentive care of your healers, for the food and seating at your own table despite my lowly status, and for allowing a Smiren within your palace.” He tipped his head just enough to cast a glance at Nova. “But I am also exhausted and feel that my place is to guard Lady Ardis and ensure that she sleeps in peace.”
A thrum of excitement ran through Nova. She had expected Kovak to comply with Lady Winden’s wishes. At every ball and royal gathering, the gentlemen had flocked to the Lady. Of course, they also paid tribute to Nova; her dance card was always full before the first notes began. Yet a preference had always been shown to the red-haired woman who flirted with each of them and promised grand things.
Lady Winden had swept several suitors away to the point of marrying her. They were always on the upper tiers of wealth, able to assist the planet of Lorv and fund the Amarian war to protect their statue and holy city. Only once in Nova’s memory had the city actually been overrun with Rathian soldiers and turned over. It had happened just before Lady Winden’s father passed away and left her as the sole heir to the Amarian throne. At barely eighteen, Lady Winden had wasted no time in finding a stout, very rich lord from the Tarnash System to resupply her soldiers.
The fight had been quick and brutal, from what Nova recalled. Lady Winden had arrived at the next ball in triumph, telling stories about the ferocity of her soldiers and the comfort of being at home once more in her palace. She had shed a single tear for her lord who had been slain in the midst of the battle, but was sure she could get over it with the
help of her more-than-willing suitors.
Nova had lost count of how many other men she had wed only for them to disappear when the woman became tired of them. She would wait a proper thirty days of mourning and wear the requisite black, but as soon as the month was up, she was at the next gathering dressed in every color of the rainbow that complimented her red tresses. The men had no problem courting and wooing her, for to be Lord of Lorv and the husband of such a catch was an honor indeed. Unfortunately, none of them looked at the length of days her husbands survived as an indication of their own pending doom.
More than one had been sweet young lordlings who had shown enough interest in Nova to catch her eye, yet with her father as her constant shadow, nobody dared to show too much preference to the young countess of the wealthiest star system in the known Universe.
Nova’s heart ached. She had barely had time to mourn; so much had happened in the last few weeks that she felt as though she held onto reality by a thread. Time refused to slow and wait for her emotions to catch up to the events. Instead, she was running from her feelings with the fear that if they caught her unaware, she would break down and not be fit to handle everything that rested on her shoulders. So much depended on her being strong.
“Are you alright, Lady Ardis?”
Nova started at Lady Winden’s words only to realize that tears had caught her unaware. She blinked quickly and refused to let them fall.
“One of the spices is just making my eyes water,” she said.
She glanced over and found Kovak watching her. His brown eyes were dark and unreadable. She hated looking weak in front of him. What must he think of her?
Lady Winden made no effort to hide her disappointment. She pushed back from the table before any of her footmen could help her and rose with a loud sigh. “Very well. I suppose a battle for one’s life should make up for being a bore in the evening. Your rooms are prepared, Lady Ardis. I look forward to seeing you in the morning.”
She turned away with her flat last sentence still hanging in the air. When the door shut behind her, Nova turned to see Kovak still watching the door.
“I think I’ve scorned a powerful woman,” he said with a hint of question in his voice.
“Thank you for that,” Nova replied. When he looked at her, she could feel her cheeks turn red. “Nobody ever says no to Lady Winden. She’s used to getting her way.”
“I could tell,” he replied. His eyes lightened and sparkled with mischief. “I enjoyed it.”
Nova couldn’t help the answering smile that lifted her lips. “Me, too.”
She was aware of the guards who still waited at the door. Not wanting to spread too much ill will toward their hostess, she let the tiredness she felt show. “I am looking forward to bed.”
“Me as well,” Kovak replied.
He glanced toward the table. Nova read the worry in his gaze. Propriety made him leave the food now that they had risen to their feet. She could urge him to take more, but that might only reveal that she had seen his hunger. Instead of embarrassing him, she chose a different route.
“I would hate for all of this to go to waste.”
She grabbed a plate and began to pick and choose from the amazing assortment Lady Winden’s staff had spread across the long table. She was aware of Kovak’s intense gaze. The fact that he didn’t move said a great deal about him.
She met his eyes. “I feel as though you should take advantage of this, too. I would hate for the poor staff to think that their efforts were in vain.”
One of Kovak’s dark eyebrows twitched and he looked as though he was about to say something, but he grabbed a plate instead.
By the time they left the dining hall, both platters were piled high with rolls, sweets, meats, and cheeses. The smell was enticing, but Nova’s stomach was still unsettled. She made a mental note to offer her serving to Kovak when he finished his own.
The guards followed at a sedate pace as they trailed the footman Lady Winden had left to guide them to the rooms that had been prepared regardless of the fact that Nova knew where she was going. The same young maid who had assisted her earlier followed along behind far enough not to eavesdrop. Kovak had insisted on carrying her plate as well as his. He hadn’t spoken since she began to dish up food. He walked at her side quietly for a minute before he broke his silence.
“You’re a surprising woman.”
She glanced at him and hoped the way her heart thrummed at his deep voice didn’t show on her face. She never responded in such a way to a man. Perhaps it was just exhaustion and the remnants of adrenaline from the battle. Whatever it was, she schooled her voice to be steady when she asked, “How so?”
“This,” Kovak replied, lifting the plates. A slight smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “You don’t expect me to believe you’re still hungry. I saw you at dinner. You barely touched your food while I ate like a brute.”
Heat rolled up Nova’s neck at being found out. She forced the embarrassment away and said, “You can’t be blamed for the way you ate. It’s my fault for being a bad captain.” At his questioning look, she lowered her eyes and said, “It’s my responsibility to see to the wellbeing of my crew, and I let you starve.”
His words were quiet when he replied, “You had other things on your mind than the stomach of some scoundrel you bought from a prison planet.”
A hint of a smile touched Nova’s lips when she said, “Bought is a loose term.”
A laugh escaped him. He looked as surprised as she did about it. The grin that filled his face made her stomach warm.
“Bought is a loose term,” he agreed with another chuckle. “You’re quite daring for a Lady.”
“And you’re quite gentlemanly for a scoundrel.”
His smile lingered as they followed the footman down the hall and to the massive doors. He opened them to reveal a sitting room followed by wide doors that were spread to reveal the huge bedroom and closets Lady Winden always prepared for when Nova visited. She paused at the realization that Kovak hadn’t been given his own quarters. It wouldn’t be proper for an unmarried man to stay in the same rooms as an unmarried Lady. The scandal could ruin her reputation. After all the effort her father had put into ensuring that his daughter was properly raised and trained for society, the last thing she wanted to do was tarnish his endeavors with a blunder.
“I’ll set these here for a moment,” Kovak said.
He slipped past her and set the plates on the closest end table. Before she could say anything, the man then grabbed a red velvet cushioned chair and carried it out the door.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
He glanced at her as he set the chair just in front of the wide double doors and scooted it forward to ensure the doors wouldn’t hit it when they were closed. He then went back for his plate.
“I told Lady Winden I would guard you while you slept, and I intend to do so.” At the beginnings of her protest, his gaze softened. “You’ve risked plenty by just allowing a Smiren on your ship. I’m not about to let you risk more tonight.” He gestured toward the bedroom with his free hand. “Please get some sleep and know that I will be out here if trouble arises.”
Nova found herself still staring at the doors long after they had been closed.
A small throat cleared. “Lady Ardis, shall I assist you in preparing for bed?”
She nodded at the young maid. The girl’s face was bright and eyes sparkled at the continued opportunity to take care of a Countess. It was an honor that would surely raise her status among the staff.
“Thank you,” Nova said. “It’s been a rough day.” She lifted her arms to slip the first latch on the back of her dress, then lowered her hands. “I’m awfully sore.”
“Let me do that, My Lady,” the maid insisted. “Please put me to work. It’s an honor to assist you.” She silently undid the latches and helped Nova out of the maroon dress. After uncinching the corset and allowing Nova to step out of the petticoats, she slipped a kolen silk shift ove
r Nova’s head.
sigh escaped Nova at the feeling of the soft fabric against her skin. She had a moment of guilt when she thought of Kovak sitting in the rumpled SevenWolf uniform he had worn beneath his spacesuit, but she appreciated how the man had shown such concern for her reputation. Why he even cared was beyond her, but it had helped her sidestep what could have been an awkward conversation.
As if the maid had read her mind, she asked, “Is he as dangerous as they say he is?”
Nova shouldn’t have been surprised that the staff were already talking. She knew well enough how quickly word traveled through royal manors.
“He is,” she admitted as much to herself as to the maid. “But he has surprised me.”
“How so?”
Nova glanced at the maid in the mirror and realized she was talking to someone who would be foresworn to relay everything to Lady Winden.
She shook her head. “Never mind. Please forget I said anything.”
The little maid hesitated in her act of brushing Nova’s long dark hair. She met Nova’s gaze for the briefest second. It was a brave moment considering that servants were punished by whipping for less. She lowered her eyes again quickly and red touched her cheeks.
“Please forgive me, My Lady, but I would never reveal your secrets to anyone.”
“I know,” Nova said to gently let her off the hook. “We all have our duties, and I completely understand—”
“No, My Lady. I don’t think you do.”
Nova stared at the maid. She had never been cut off by someone who knew their rank. The act was shocking enough to make her forget what she had been saying.
The little maid’s eyes widened when she met Nova’s in the mirror again. She dropped a quick, low curtsy.