by Emma Dean
“Have a seat wherever you like,” he gestured to the expansive room.
The courtesan eyed every possible position and weighed the benefits and the risks. If she sat at either of the chairs in front of his desk she would be at a disadvantage and he would hold all the power. If she rested on the lounge she would have to recline which would put him above her physically and he could easily overpower her. Slowly Nadyah removed her cloak to buy herself a few more moments.
Varan crossed his arms and watched her, but didn’t say anything as she walked around his office, touching a shelf overflowing with books and maps. Her eyes glanced up at the row of jars on a shelf that went around the ceiling. The floating eyeballs disgusted her but she kept her face blank. Then Nadyah walked around his desk and sat in his chair. She crossed her legs, exposing skin to her thigh before eyeing the Prince of Thieves.
Varan gave her a rueful smile but didn’t sit. “Of course you would sit in my chair.”
“Of course,” she agreed.
Varan walked around his desk until he was close enough to brush against her legs. His crotch was right at her eye level and Nadyah didn’t even try to hide her cursory look. She remembered what was there hiding in his pants, the feel of him against her was branded in her memory.
The thief propped one hip up on his desk and leaned back. “I believe we need to talk.”
“About?” she asked smoothly, no trace of nerves or fear in her voice despite the sweat on her palms.
“What are you doing here my love, when you have been assigned to the palace as the sweet princess’s personal courtesan?” The dark glint in his emerald eyes hardened with his serious tone.
Nadyah needed to talk to the Spider about the Prince’s resources. He had to have people in the palace as well as the ones he had scattered throughout Draga Terra and the Draga galaxy. Perhaps the Spider had a list of his informants. She would need to steer clear of them in the palace if she could, or at the very least ensure they didn’t have information they shouldn’t about her or the princess.
“I was bored.” Nadyah kept her tone blasé and inspected her fingernails. “Perhaps I even missed you, my Prince.” She had missed him, but that was not the point.
Varan’s fake smile dropped from his face and he planted his hands on either side of her, gripping the arms of the chair until his knuckles were white. “Don’t play with me, courtesan. There are whispers of an invasion and here I find you traipsing around the city when you should be at your princess’s side. Tell me what is going on.”
Her breathing quickened and she winced. Varan was cold and dangerous. He would pluck her eyes from her head if he thought it necessary yet her desire for him didn’t lessen. Varan had his job to do and she had hers. Nadyah weighed the benefits against the disadvantages. She wanted to confide in him, but her traitorous heart didn’t understand what the Spider would do to her if she found out Nadyah had broken.
Her hands trembled and she couldn’t hide the obvious rise and fall of her chest as her breath quickened and her heart pounded. The only thing Nadyah could do was look straight in Varan’s eyes and tell him the truth. “I cannot,” she whispered, his face was only a few spaces from hers. He was so close their breath mingled and the spicy scent of the winterflowers overpowered her senses.
Varan pulled back and she flinched. Nadyah had expected him to strike her, but he didn’t. He studied her, his face thoughtful. “You can’t tell me, or you won’t?” he asked.
The bastard was too smart for his own good.
“I can’t tell you,” Nadyah said. Her whispered words barely carried across the small distance between them. She wasn’t a traitor and she never would be, but perhaps she could have what she wanted and keep her vow to the House as well as the Spider.
“Can you tell me who you work for?”
She shook her head, never once looking away. Her life was on the line and one wrong word would send her to the Gentle God’s door before her time. Her life would be taken by Varan or Jael; it was only a matter of who would kill her first. Death’s embrace wasn’t something she was ready for yet, and certainly not to be delivered to her by the hands of the man who held her heart in a vise. If Nadyah was very careful she could walk out of this unscathed and perhaps with another ally and informant.
Varan rested his elbow against his leg and stared into her sapphire eyes. “Do you work for the House or the Spider?”
“Yes.”
There was a long pause. “Huh.” Varan leaned back further and glanced up at the ceiling as he contemplated her words. “Well, that explains a lot.”
Nadyah was curious if he had made the connection the two were actually the same person, but she didn’t dare give anything away by confirming her suspicions.
“Why do you want to know?” she asked. Other than the endless games each player set up, Varan knowing about her double life didn’t seem beneficial to him.
He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “I watched a Kharan warship land without permission. I heard the soldiers were dressed for battle. There have been rumors about the Neprijat’s intentions for Draga now that they’ve conquered the Corinthians.”
Nadyah couldn’t sit still any longer. She didn’t care that the current position made her look inviting. Varan was never affected by her charms unlike the rest of the Draga galaxy.
“Prince Nash arrived at court,” she stated, tapping her fingertips on the arm of the chair.
She had to pace. She needed to think and standing still did nothing to dispel the nerves and adrenaline.
Both of Varan’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “He is supposed to be dead. How did Prince Nash manage to survive the Neprijat?”
Nadyah paced the length of the room, fingers brushing various surfaces to help ground her. Goddess protect her, she should not be confiding in Varan. “The king is suspicious as well, but so far what the prince has said has proven to be true. Princess Adelina also believes in his innocence and that girl is surprisingly an excellent judge of character.” There was so much more to the young princess than she ever could have imagined and Nadyah felt herself falling in love with the girl little by little.
Varan grinned wolfishly. “I can’t wait to meet the sweet princess.”
Nadyah whirled around and jabbed her finger into his chest hard enough to bruise. “You will be nice to her, Varan, or so help me I will remove your balls from your body with my bare hands.”
His face paled. Varan rubbed his chest and his face instantly became serious. “Of course, Mistress, I apologize for being crass.”
She was stronger than she looked and there was no doubt she could follow through with her threat. Adelina was hers to protect and she would do so even if it meant her death. Courtesans were taught the fighting arts for precisely that reason.
Her other job had extended her training to be sure she could escape a deadly situation if need be, but Varan only knew of her public training. She waved a hand at him in irritation. Removing parts from his body required brute strength, not skill, and she kept up with her training daily now that Adelina joined her.
The princess needed it more than she did. She was so small and innocent in appearance. Every move was delicate and she seemed so breakable. It would be a rude awakening to any who tried to force her. Then they would have to deal with Nadyah and they wouldn’t survive that encounter.
Varan watched her pace again as she tried to think of the consequences to all the information she had gathered. Adelina had a wealth of information stored in a secret shreve. Everyone had such a device to be used as a personal computer, but the princess had two. The first was unlocked and contained the usual blather Nadyah had expected.
A book caught her eye and her finger traced the spine. The gold-leaf shone against the warm light in Varan’s office. Nadyah pulled the book out and flipped through the pages detailing the proper time to plant and harvest. It went on to explain the best combination for fertile soil. Varan’s love for plants had always been endearing.
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br /> His large, tanned hand plucked the book from hers and he carefully placed it back on the shelf, his arm over her shoulder. Nadyah could feel his body against her back and she closed her eyes, yanking hard on her self-control. He teased her on purpose and it drove her mad. He drew back his hand and let his fingers brush her bare neck and she shivered, tilting her head to give him better access.
Nadyah thoughts returned to Adelina’s second shreve and what she had found in it. The seemingly naïve little princess kept coded records of her business deals and trade on the shreve as well as notes she had made of every single person she met in the palace and wherever she had visited. Pages of details on every noble at court and the nobles she met on visits to the other planets in the Draga galaxy. Adelina even tracked the businesses of each noble family, their whereabouts, and who was romantically involved with whom, or even just her suspicions. Most of it Nadyah had known, but so much was new to her and the information invaluable – and that wasn’t even all of what was on the shreve.
After cracking a portion of the code she had transferred the data to her own secret shreve and studied it after Adelina had fallen asleep. There was a lifetime’s worth of information on it. What shocked Nadyah the most was how accurate Adelina’s assessments were. They were identical to what the spies among Draga Terra and the Draga galaxy reported to the Spider. To know the princess could have been a skilled spy if she were born in a different life intrigued the courtesan.
Varan’s hand rested on her waist and she inhaled sharply at his hot touch. Nadyah leaned back and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of him against her and how it made her skin tingle. Just for a moment she wanted to allow herself this weakness.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Neprijat King has contacts in the Draga galaxy,” Varan said. “The word is he has a line of allies to get him within ten thousand light-cycles of the capitol, Draga Terra. He wants this kingdom and apparently he wants Raena as his Queen.”
“This is how he will circumvent the unrest,” she muttered, her thoughts going through who might be on the list for possible treason and who wouldn’t. “With Raena as queen the people won’t fight back, but she would be his puppet.”
There was an infinite number of ways that could destroy them all. Would the Neprijat impregnate her only to kill the princess the moment the babe was born? He had no need for the royal family, only their bloodline. That didn’t count the number of promises he must have made to his so-called allies.
Varan’s other hand rubbed her back, easing aches she hadn’t known were there. Then it was on her hip. Nadyah refused to turn around and press herself to him. She wanted her breasts on his chest and for him to know how hard her nipples were. She wanted him to feel the molten heat between her legs and dip a finger to feel the wetness.
Why did the prince have to make her so hot? Nadyah wished the gods hadn’t cursed her with a love she could never have. If there was even a chance he was her true mate she couldn’t take the risk.
He moved his hand around her waist so it was pressed flat against her stomach. His long fingers and large palm reached from one hip to the other. It was such an intimate and affectionate touch Nadyah couldn’t resist pressing her ass into his cock. It was hard against her and she wanted nothing more than to bend over and let him take her exactly as they were.
His lips touched her neck as he murmured against her sensitive skin. “They say his eyes are blacker than the night sky and they reflect the depth of his evil. The Neprijat are strong and fast, but it’s their power of persuasion that we should truly be frightened of; the king’s power and his monsters.” The hand still on her hip slid down to her thigh and reached inward until he pulled back ever so slightly, parting her legs.
The air on her soaked pussy made her moan. Nadyah couldn’t stop herself even if she tried. Varan was everything she wanted and more. He was attractive, demanding, and mysterious.
“I’ve never heard of these monsters,” she whispered. Her eyes were still closed as she focused on the sensations and what he did to her body.
The Prince of Thieves spun her around and pressed into her, hard. The pressure of his cock against her felt incredible even through the folds of her dress. Nadyah rubbed against him and took pleasure in his sharp intake of breath. His arms were planted on either side of her and she was surrounded.
She wanted to peel his clothes from his body and take in every sculpted part of him. Her tongue would dance across his abdomen before taking him in her mouth.
Then her hands went to his biceps. She should push him away and leave. Nadyah had vital information to relate to her Mistress, but Varan was telling her secrets from his people she might not learn anywhere else. He stared into her eyes and her fingers flexed, nails digging into his skin through the fabric of his shirt.
One of his hands buried into her hair and he held her roughly. She tilted her head and closed her eyes, enjoying the rough possession of her body. “I have reports from my spies in the outer rim. These monsters are his dogs. They scout and learn and destroy in a mindless rage. They feast on flesh.”
Her stomach turned at his words but she couldn’t ignore the rhythmic way he moved against her. His hard cock stroked her pussy through their clothes. It was a sweet, maddening rhythm that gave her wave after wave of pleasure. It built like a fire in her belly and fed the hot, wet center of her. The pressure against her clit made her lose her mind and if she wasn’t careful she would let him have his way with her.
There was no doubt he simply used his charms to gain the information she had, but part of her felt it was more than that. “I want a copy of this report,” she told him. His attentions had her sounding breathless and needy. Damn him she should be demanding this information. “I need proof of these creatures.”
He pressed his lips to hers. “You’ll have the reports,” he murmured against her mouth. His tongue did wicked things with hers.
Her hands went up his arms and buried themselves in his hair. She tugged him down and he resisted. Her feet came up off the floor and he wrapped his arms around her waist. Varan kissed her hard and possessed her lips with his. His tongue dove into her mouth over and over and she moaned as she wondered what it would feel like somewhere else.
Varan carried her to the chaise and laid her down. His hips pressed down on her and she lifted hers in response. Nadyah ached and she’d never wanted someone so badly in her entire life. “Give them to me,” she said against his mouth.
“I’ll give you something else first,” he growled.
The demanding tone, the growl, and the taste of him nearly sent her over the edge. But her head caught up with his words and she jerked back. “No,” Nadyah said, nearly panicked. She pushed him back and breathed hard through the sexual fog. The goddess help her. He had almost taken her and Nadyah had barely thought of the consequences. Varan was dangerous. “No,” she said again. She pushed back on his chest hard and stood up. She started towards her cloak and he caught her hand and pulled her back.
Nadyah whipped around and saw the confused look on his face, and then dropped her eyes to the floor. She couldn’t look at him. His face was contorted and it appeared as though she may have actually hurt him.
“Look at me damn it,” Varan snapped.
She clasped her trembling hands in front of her and looked up, but at a spot a little over his left shoulder. She couldn’t forget that no matter how much her body wanted him, no matter how much she ached for him to fill her, Varan was her weakness. It did not even matter if she loved him. “If you wouldn’t mind giving me those reports I need to be on my way. I’m already late and I’ll make sure to share what I learn with you in the future.” It was the best she could do.
The prince stood and she could feel the anger as it radiated off of him in waves but he said nothing. He crossed to his desk and grabbed his shreve. “If this is all you want.” The words he left unsaid hung heavy in the air and she could no longer resist.
Nadyah met his dark emerald eyes
as they studied her, leaving her soul bare before him. Varan’s gaze ate her alive and she couldn’t help the shiver. She took out her shreve and set up the data transfer. She would send him what she had as well. The Spider could flay her alive for the betrayal, but Nadyah had to believe this was the best option in the long run. Varan may hear things and gain reports from people she would never have access to. He was loyal to Draga, she could count on that.
When she handed him back his shreve he took a quick glance at it and frowned at the added information. Varan set it down and sighed. “Tell me something,” he said. The anger was hidden, simmering under the surface. “Do you want me?”
His blunt question caught her off guard and Nadyah couldn’t even formulate a response. “Excuse me?” she finally managed. Never in a million cycles had she thought he would ask her that in complete seriousness.
He raised his brows at her. “Do you find me attractive? Do you want my cock in your pussy and for me to use it to fuck you until you scream?” His tone was almost bored but the words hit her like a slap.
Nadyah nearly panted as she felt the ache between her legs grow. She squirmed under his close scrutiny and it did nothing to ease the intense longing and desire. She took a long, deep breath and tried to think of something to say, anything really without telling him how badly she wanted all of those things. She would go to her knees and beg for it if she had her way, but her life wasn’t her own. She had a duty and she couldn’t throw it all away for a quick fuck. If he didn’t feel the same she could lose everything.
The silence stretched as he patiently waited for her to respond.
The truth was on the tip of her tongue and she mentally scolded herself for wanting to give up everything she’d worked so hard for. “Even if I do, it’s not something I can have,” Nadyah finally whispered. Not yet anyway.