“Well, you’re sitting here, so I’m guessing he didn’t,” Roke said dryly, but he was smiling, apparently enjoying her story.
“Of course not.” Elli smiled back. “He did give my father a nasty burn when he tried to take me away, though. He still has the scar—just here—on his arm.” She indicated her own forearm, where her father’s scar was. “They had to wait until Killer went to sleep before they ‘rescued’ me.” She shrugged. “And I’ve lived most of my life in the stables training zorels ever since. Well…until I was shipped off to the Mother Ship to be a priestess.” She sighed.
“It doesn’t sound like you went by choice,” Roke pointed out.
“I didn’t,” Elli admitted.
“Well, then—who ‘shipped you off’ as you put it?” He looked genuinely interested. Despite their past encounter, he was surprisingly easy to talk to, Elli thought.
“My stepmother,” she said. “She never liked me—especially didn’t like the fact that I was good with zorels. She wanted me to give up training them and act quiet and ladylike—take up knitting and needle-work and that kind of thing.”
“And I’m guessing you don’t like ‘that kind of thing’?” Roke raised an eyebrow.
Elli shook her head.
“Not a bit. And by the time she came along, I’d been working with the zorels for years—all my life. Asking me to give it up was like asking me to give up breathing.”
“So you refused,” Roke said.
“Of course I did!” Elli exclaimed. “I loved working with zorels. They’re so beautiful and powerful and graceful and majestic—”
“So are you, when you’re working with them,” Roke murmured.
“What?” Elli looked up, startled.
“Never mind.” He gave her his one-sided smile again. “Go on. How did your stepmother persuade you to leave your beloved zorels and go into the priestess-hood?”
“She didn’t—she blackmailed me,” Elli still got angry when she thought about it. Angry and ashamed. “She caught me—” She stopped herself abruptly, realizing that she had almost told Roke her shameful secret. Gods, how could she be so careless? He really was dangerously easy to talk to.
“Caught you what?” he asked, leaning forward with interest gleaming in his dark eyes.
“Caught me…doing something I ought not to have been doing,” Elli said quickly, trying to gloss over the subject. “And that’s all you need to know,” she added primly, when he looked like he was going to ask more questions. “At any rate, she threatened to tell my father about my…indiscretion if I didn’t agree to sign up to be a priestess.”
“That’s low,” Roke growled—he was frowning now. “I’m a thief and a smuggler, but even I won’t resort to that. Blackmail is completely without honor. When you steal a male’s gold, he can replace it. But take his reputation and you ruin his entire life.”
Elli spread her hands.
“I’d be the first to agree with you, but what could I do? I cried and begged her for mercy, but she had none. She’d been looking for a way to get rid of me for five years—ever since she married my father. The minute she found it, she wouldn’t let up until I was gone.”
“She sounds like one of those evil stepmothers you hear about in legends sometimes,” Roke remarked.
“I certainly thought so,” Elli admitted. “But it was my own fault, really—a moment of indiscretion changed my whole life.” She looked up at Roke. “And then another indiscretion—with you at the Christmas party—changed it again.”
He shook his head.
“I’m sorry again, little priestess. I didn’t realize how strict your order was.”
“The Ascending Priestess Superior is exceedingly strict,” Elli informed him. “That’s why she decided to send me to the Priory of Extreme Atonement here on Pok. Well, that and so she could say that she’d asked the Tenebrians for a piece of their Healing Lattice when she actually has no intention of even trying to get some in order to save the old Priestess Superior.”
Roke frowned.
“So her plan is to let her predecessor die? Even when she knows what can heal her? She sounds as evil as your stepmother!”
“They’re certainly cut from the same cloth,” Elli admitted. She had often thought that the Ascending Priestess Superior reminded her of her stepmother.
“So the Priestess Superior sent you off here and you decided that instead of going into that Priory of…”
“Extreme Atonement,” Elli supplied.
“Right. Extreme Atonement. So you decided instead to go on a quest and get a piece of the Tenebrians’ Healing Lattice yourself?” Roke asked. “But how do you expect to manage it?”
“I don’t know,” Elli confessed. “From what I’ve heard, you either have to pay an exorbitant amount of credit or do a personal service for the Crown Prince.” She lifted her chin. “But I’ll find a way. I’ve come this far and I’m not going back to the Mother Ship without a piece of that Lattice!”
“Well, you’re determined—I’ll give you that,” Roke murmured. “And I give you my word, I’ll do my best to help you fulfill your quest.”
“You will?” Elli looked at him uncertainly.
“It’s the least I can do after I fucked up your life so royally,” he growled. “Yes, little priestess, I’ll help you get a piece of that Lattice if it kills me.”
“Hopefully it won’t come to that,” Elli objected. “I believe I’ll find a way to get a piece of it once I—we—get inside.”
Roke gave her that one-sided smile again.
“Well, I’m glad you’ve actually accepted me as your partner. And now, here comes the food.”
He nodded at the waitress who was bringing two plates piled high with fluffy honey cakes. As the sweet, spicy, delicious scent drifted towards her nose, Elli’s stomach growled again. She’d thought she would never taste the food of her home world again, after being sent off to the Mother Ship. How glad she was for the flavors of home!
As soon as the waitress put the plate in front of her, she slathered the top honey cake with the spicy nut chutney and dug in.
“Mmm, so good,” she nearly moaned as the familiar taste hit her tongue.
“Is that how you eat it?” Roke also slathered his top cake with the chutney.
“It’s a bit spicy,” Elli tried to warn him. “So if you’re sensitive to peppers or—”
“I can handle it.” He took a large bite and his eyes widened as he chewed. “That’s…” He wheezed a bit, his face going slightly red. “You were right—it’s spicy.” His voice was tight.
“Just the way I love it,” Elli said, smiling. “All the food they give us on the Mother Ship is so bland. When I go back, I’ll have to see if I can smuggle some peppers with me.”
“Well, you won’t have to bring many if they’re as hot as this.” Roke took a big drink of his roozle sparkle and surreptitiously scraped some of the spicy nut chutney off his cakes.
“This would probably last me for a while,” Elli said, nodding and taking another bite. “Mmm, I never thought I’d get to taste the food of my home world again! Or work with zorels either—I’ve missed it so much.”
“That’s something I’ve been wondering about—how do you get them to listen to you?” Roke asked, taking another bite himself. “I mean, the minute you looked that big beast in the eye, it calmed immediately. How did you do that?”
“Well…” Elli looked at him, wondering how much to reveal. Would he think she was crazy if she told the truth?
“Go on…” He made a gesture with his fork, urging her to continue.
“It might sound strange but…the minute I can get a zorel to look me in the eye, I have a kind of…instant connection with it. I can…feel what it wants—what it needs.” Elli shook her head. “I know that sounds strange…”
“Not strange at all,” Roke countered, surprising her.
“Really?” Elli looked at him uncertainly. “You don’t think it’s…odd?”
; “The tonga herders on Feebish Five are said to have a telepathic connection with their beasts,” Roke said. “And the people on R’opp have an entire subset of priests dedicated to communicating with the Holy Olaph—a huge animal as big as a building that they worship as a god.” He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling with the gesture. “So why shouldn’t you be able to talk to zorels?”
This new view surprised Elli so much she stopped eating with a bite halfway to her mouth.
“I…never thought of it like that,” she admitted. “Every time I tried to tell someone back home how I can communicate with zorels, they just thought I was crazy. Even my brothers thought it sounded strange.”
“It sounds to me like you come from a fairly close-minded society,” Roke remarked. “When you’ve been around the galaxy and seen as many strange and wondrous things as I have, you tend to have a more open mind.”
“I guess so,” Elli murmured and finally got the bite to her mouth. As she chewed, she kept an eye on the big warrior. He was nothing like what she had expected him to be. She’d never admitted to anyone about her special communication with zorels without them getting a funny look in their eye and treating her like she was slightly crazy. It was nice to be believed for once and not thought of as “a little off.”
Maybe he’s not so bad after all, she thought, taking another bite of her honey cakes. Of course, that didn’t mean she ought to let down her guard around him. She’d done that once, at the Christmas party, and look where it had gotten her. But maybe she could consider the big warrior an ally—if not exactly a friend—in her quest.
Elli hoped so, since it seemed they were going to be working together until she got the piece of Healing Lattice and finally went home to the Mother Ship.
Thirteen
Roke watched with amusement at the quick, dainty bites Ellilah took.
She eats like a little bird, he thought, as he took another bite of the spicy honey cakes. The more he got to know the curvy little priestess, the more fascinating he found her.
For instance, what was it her stepmother had blackmailed Ellilah with in order to make her go into the priestess-hood? She had mentioned that one “indiscretion” had changed her life forever and then said a second one—the kissing and touching with him at the humans’ Christmas party—had changed it again. Did that mean that her first indiscretion had been sexual in nature too? If so, what male had she been with?
Roke found himself feeling jealous of whoever it was and made himself stop.
Don’t be foolish—you’re only here to help her with her quest. It’s not like you’d ever want to bond with her—or with anyone for that matter.
He could still remember the pain of losing his mother, but as bad as it had been for him, it had been ten times worse for his Sire. His mate’s death had gutted him—leaving him an empty shell of a male who could barely function. Roke had raised himself after that—his Sire had only been going through the motions until Roke was old enough to be out on his own. The moment he had seen his son off onto a ship at the start of Roke’s first job—
But Roke cut that line of thinking off. There was no use in reliving old hurts. No use in digging up the past and letting it give you pain all over again.
The main thing was, he didn’t intend to repeat his Sire’s mistakes. If you didn’t allow a female to worm her way into your heart, then you couldn’t be hurt when she died or left you. Far better to keep females at a distance—at least emotionally—than to let one in where she might devastate you, as his Sire had been devastated when Roke’s mother died.
But there was no denying that Ellilah was interesting and beautiful and honestly, fucking adorable. With her sweet, high voice and quick movements, she reminded Roke of a little bird who has only recently flown outside her cage. She was determined to fulfill the quest she had set for herself and yet innocent of the danger that lay in her way.
I’ll protect her, he thought, watching her as she ate. And not just because the Goddess told me to. Nobody is going to lay a hand on her unless they go through me first.
And in the meantime, just because he had sworn never to bond a female to him, didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy her company. Which he was, very much, now that he was getting to know her.
I just want to spend more time with her, Roke thought, watching her lovely face as she sat across from him. There’s no harm in that. No harm at all.
Fourteen
“Oh no, Roke—I can’t get this! It’s much too expensive!” Elli looked uncertainly at the vivid crimson gown with its shimmering emerald and gold needlework. It reminded her of the humans’ Christmas colors—there had been a lot of red and green and gold decorations at their party.
“You’ll need something striking if you’re going to impress the Tenebrians,” the big warrior rumbled. “Go on—try it on.” He nodded to the fitting room at the back of the smart little shop, which was located down at the end of the Garment District.
The saleslady beckoned her over and Elli went uncertainly with her. She had seen the price tag on the gorgeous crimson gown—it was more than she would have paid for a really nice saddle back home.
I just hope he’s not expecting me to pay him back, she thought. Since I don’t have a credit to my name!
With a little help from the saleslady, she got into the gown and she had to admit it looked magnificent. The high-necked bodice hugged her hour-glass shape closely, revealing her curves, and presenting her figure to the best advantage.
“Is this the kind of thing Tenebrian ladies wear?” she asked the saleslady, who was a little old woman with bright eyes and a pair of thin, spidery spectacles perched on her sharp nose.
“Oh yes, my dear—out here they do, anyway,” the saleslady said, turning Elli this way and that to show off the shimmering waves of crimson silk which fell to her ankles.
“Out here?” Elli asked, looking at herself in the 3-D viewer. “What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, well everyone knows the Teenies have some strange customs amongst themselves,” the saleslady said. “We sell the kinds of clothes they wear when they come out of their palace, but I hear tell they dress very differently inside their Court.”
“Differently how, though?” Elli asked.
But the only lady only shrugged.
“Don’t know, my dear. It’s all just rumors. Do you want the dress or not? It looks fabulous on you.”
“I don’t know,” Elli confessed. “Let me ask my…let me ask Roke.” She still wasn’t quite sure what to call the tall warrior, though he had declared himself her ‘partner.’
“Your Heart’s Companion?” the saleslady asked. “That’s what the Teenies call their sweethearts,” she added, smiling. “I hear them all the time when they come into the shop. Well, go on—go ask him.”
Elli came out of the fitting room and took a spin in front of Roke.
“Well, what do you think?” she asked, looking up at her.
“Hmm…” His dark eyes were suddenly half-lidded as he looked at her. “I think you look fucking gorgeous, little priestess,” he murmured. “That color suits you down to the ground—I knew it would.”
Elli felt her cheeks getting hot. She wished he wouldn’t look at her that way—it made her feel nervous and flushed and reminded her of the way he’d kissed her and touched her at the Christmas party.
I have to stop thinking about that! she told herself firmly. I have to make myself forget it or I’ll never be able to work with him!
“It’s really expensive,” she said, making an effort to drag her mind out of the past and back to the present where it belonged.
“Mmm-hmm, but you’re worth it, sweetheart,” he murmured. “We’ll take it,” he told the saleslady, who nodded and smiled.
“But—” Elli started to protest but the big warrior only strode past her to pay for the dress without another word.
After the dress shop, Roke had another surprise for her. He took her to a men’s clothing shop on the other side of th
e Garment District.
“Are we going to get you an outfit for Court, too?” she asked as they walked into the cool interior of the shop which smelled like leather and expensive fabric.
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea,” Roke rumbled. “But to be honest, I was thinking of getting something for you. Specifically, some trousers.”
“What? But I can’t wear trousers.” Elli was aghast. Her whole life on Torl Prime, she’d grown up in a society where women only wore skirts and dresses. And of course, when she’d become a Novice priestess, she was only allowed to wear the plain white robes that went with her station. Never had anyone suggested that she wear trousers like a male before!
“Why not?” Roke asked, raising an eyebrow at her. “Why can’t you wear trousers?’
“Well, I mean…it would be wrong,” Elli protested.
“Why?” he asked again.
“Because it’s unladylike,” Elli pointed out.
“So is training zorels, according to you, but you do that well enough,” he remarked.
“Oh yes, but…but I’ve always trained them in skirts,” Elli said.
“Don’t you find the skirts get in the way?” he demanded. “Aren’t you ever afraid one of those big beast’s claws is going to get hooked in the fabric and drag you down?”
“Oh, I’m much too quick and careful for that to happen,” Elli told him.
Roke frowned, his face going dark.
“Be that as it may, little priestess, I’d prefer not to take the chance. My heart was in my throat while I was watching you tame that big brute today—I’d prefer that you were as safe as possible.”
“But—” Elli started to protest again but by then the salesman had come forward.
“I need some trousers which will fit my curvy little friend here,” Roke told him, nodding at Elli. “Can you accommodate us?”
If the salesman was surprised by the big warrior’s request, he didn’t give any indication. He simply took Elli’s measurements with the long tape draped around his neck, gave a short nod, and disappeared into the back room for a moment.
The Priestess and the Thief Page 7