by Tammy Walsh
Still, she looked strong.
We ran over to Alice and Slak.
“Hey, asshole,” I said.
Alice reacted fast and clamped her eyes shut.
Slak didn’t do so well.
He stood there with his head bowed over and red marks around his neck where Alice had been clinging to him.
“Not so tough now, are you?” I said to Slak.
I slapped him across the face. My palm burned and turned pink.
Ouch.
But it was worth it.
“That was for betraying my boyfriend and our emperor,” I said. “Now, get in a pod.”
Slak shuffled off without a word of argument, an angry red palm glowing on his cheek.
I repeated the command to the others who also did as I said.
None of us breathed a sigh of relief until they were all locked away.
“What do we do with the other girls?” Alice said.
They still stood to attention before their pods.
“Do you think there’s a de-de-neuralizer switch on this thing?” I said.
Fiath
“We’re getting close to the signal now, sir,” the pilot said.
He pointed out the windshield at the large spaceship nestled in a rocky alcove by the seashore. Its engines were engaged and it looked ready to take off at a moment’s notice.
And if it did…
I might lose her forever.
I couldn’t allow that to happen.
After the ship took off, the communicator’s signal was weak but strong enough for us to follow it. I was only relieved the ship hadn’t left the planet.
Not yet.
They likely wanted to make sure they had what they’d come there to steal.
My fated mate.
I swear, I’ll tear them to pieces with my bare hands.
I would ensure the ship remained on this planet, no matter what.
“Target the ship’s thrusters,” I said. “If it attempts to take off, bring it down.”
The other Titans turned to me. They wanted to argue, to make other suggestions, as their own fated mates were on board.
But I was their emperor. When I issued a command, it had to be obeyed.
I understood how helpless they must be feeling right now but I knew I was doing the right thing.
I decided to give them a little encouragement to ease their fear.
“If they make it into space, it’ll be a million times more difficult for us to find them again,” I said. “In space, we’ll be unable to fire on their ship. If they leave our atmosphere, it could be years before we find them again. In the meantime, we would be at Slak’s whim. I can’t allow that to happen. This is our best chance of getting them back. I have no intention of letting any of your mates get harmed in the process.”
A couple eased a little but the others refused to look at me and peered out the window at the ship below instead.
The Creator help me if anything does happen to their mates.
I got the feeling that if they held me responsible for the loss of their mates, it wouldn’t matter I was their emperor. They would cut through as many men as necessary to get their hands on me.
But for now, they were on my side.
“Take us down,” I said. “Tell the other ships to cover us.”
“Sir, may I suggest we set down behind the blind corner over there?” the pilot said. “It’ll make it harder for them to shoot us down.”
“Do as I ask,” I said, doing nothing to calm the chill in my voice.
If they wanted to kill me, then they’d better get on and do it.
“If they open fire, I want all ships to target their weapons, engines, and thrusters,” I said. “Anything that won’t rupture the core and result in an explosion. They have some very valuable cargo on board and I will not risk it being harmed.”
“Understood, sir,” the pilot said before issuing my commands to the other ships.
We sat down directly in front of the Changeling spaceship. It was an old model, fully capable of interstellar travel, but not at modern speeds.
I descended the ramp and wasn’t surprised when the other Titans joined me. They carried plasma rifles and blaster pistols. Ready for a fight if it was necessary.
I wore no weapons. My shield was my title and influence. If they killed me, they lost both.
I eyed the ship and the giant turret on its underside. It tracked us as we approached.
I was keenly aware every step might be our last.
Our boots crunched the charcoal gravel underfoot until we came to a stop a dozen yards out. The other Titans stood with their weapons at their sides, ready to fire on the ship at a moment’s notice. I hope none of them acted hastily.
“Hello there,” I said in a cool, level voice.
I directed it at the windshield that marked the cockpit high up on the craft.
I couldn’t see anyone through the window. Moonlight obliterated anyone who might be looking down at us.
“I am the emperor,” I said. “If you return the women you took from us, we will not open fire and you will be allowed to leave. All we ask is you give us back what you took.”
I waited for a response but none came. I shared a sideways look with the others. They shrugged their shoulders.
CRUUUUUNG!
I started as a hatch opened in the belly of the ship. It groaned loudly as it pressed itself into the dirt. I waited for someone to present themselves, someone to come and speak with us. Instead, there was nothing but empty darkness inside.
Did they expect us to go in there? I would be handing myself over to them. Was that the smartest thing to do?
“What do you think?” I said to the others.
“I say we go inside,” Chax said. “We’ve got weapons. We can defend ourselves if they try anything.”
“I say we all go in there, except you,” Kal said. “They’ll wield too much power through you if they take you captive.”
“I have to agree with Lord Taw,” Traes said. “We’d be handing them exactly what they want if you go in there.”
“I can’t stay out here while the rest of you put your lives on the line,” I said.
“We’re putting our lives on the line already,” Dyrel said.
A figure appeared in the gaping doorway.
It was small, feminine, but strong.
I would have recognized her anywhere. It was Hazel.
“Well?” she said. “Are you coming in or aren’t ya?”
I’d never been so happy to see anyone my entire life, and when she said those words, it meant she had to be okay. She wasn’t hurt and neither were the others. It was a huge weight off our shoulders.
We bolted forward but the others couldn’t keep up with me. I was greased lightning and even the Creator himself couldn’t have stopped me.
I scaled up the ramp like it wasn’t at a sinister forty-five degrees. Hazel stood at the peak like manna from heaven. She had her hands on her hips and opened her mouth to berate or poke fun at me, but I scooped her up in my arms and spun her around before she could say a word.
She forgot whatever she was going to say and threw her head back and laughed.
The others sprinted past us. With no way of knowing where they should head, they spread out when they hit the cargo hold.
“At the back, on the right!” Hazel yelled, waving her arms. “Some of them are a little frozen but they’ll be fine!”
I let her roll down my body. Her dress slid up. She tried to pull it down but I squeezed her tighter, stopping her. She slapped my arm to release her dress. I smiled and did as she asked.
“Pervert,” she said.
I nuzzled her cheek.
“Unapologetically,” I said.
I didn’t care about anything else any longer. She was all that mattered. She was healthy and happy and her smile was as big and beautiful as I remembered.
She grunted.
“Are you hurt?” I said. “Are you injured?”
“On
ly if you keep squeezing,” she said.
I pressed my nose to her bare skin and breathed her in.
“I was so worried,” I said. “I thought I might lose you and never see you again.”
She prodded me in the chest.
“You’re going to have to work a lot harder than that to get rid of me, Bub!” she said.
My translator strip came up empty with what the word “Bub” meant but it didn’t matter. I got the gist.
“It’s not safe for you to be near me,” I said. “I can see that now. I won’t let anything like this ever happen again. I’ve thought about it and I’ve come to a decision.”
I hadn’t thought about it at all. The moment I saw her at the top of the ramp I knew what I had to do to keep her safe from harm. If it was between her or the empire, the choice was simple.
“I’m abdicating my throne,” I said. “I can’t take the risk something might happen to you. And it won’t, so long as people don’t want to hurt me. And they will, so long as I’m the emperor.”
She looked at me strangely. Not happy, not sad… but confused.
She placed a hand on my arm, and I released her.
“What’s wrong?” I said. “I thought you would be happy.”
“I am,” she said, though her expression was anything but joyful. “I just… never expected you to give up everything for me.”
“It’s not easy. Being the emperor was what I was brought up to be. My education, my ancestry… but I would give it all up in a heartbeat if it meant I could be with you.”
She shook her head and ran a finger down my nose.
“Don’t you see?” she said. “You already have me. You will always have me.”
“Then I’ll get the papers drawn up,” I said. “I’ll name my successor and we can be away from here by the end of the day.”
“And miss the wedding?”
I smiled.
“Okay,” I said. “After the wedding.”
But there was still that pursed cluster of lines on her brow again. She was in deep thought.
“Nothing will change, you know,” she said. “You can’t wrap me up in cotton wool to keep me safe.”
“You just watch me!”
She shook her head and gently placed her hands on my arms.
“No,” she said.
“No?”
“No. I won’t let you give up your throne.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “I’ve made my decision—”
“But I haven’t made mine. I love you, Fiath. I’ve loved you from the very first moment I saw you. It doesn’t have anything to do with the money or power you have. It’s the kind of person you are. You grew up in a palace and I want our kids to grow up to be just like you.”
She giggled at the image.
“Little princes and princesses,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ve always loved kids but I’ve never thought about having them with someone before. I guess I always preferred the idea of having kids with the right person than the wrong one.”
“So, you’re okay with being the empress?” I said.
“I am,” she said.
I scooped her up in my arms again and spun her around.
“It doesn’t need to be forever,” I said. “Any time you want to leave and live somewhere else, we can. There’s nothing stopping us.”
“I know,” she said.
She lowered her lips to mine and we kissed. It began slow and sensuous and turned passionate like I was riding thunder and I couldn’t stop myself.
She was the best of me.
She was my heart, my soul.
She was my fated mate.
Hazel pulled her head back.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” she said.
She took me by the hand and led me toward the back of the cargo hold.
Further along, nestled in the corner, I spied the other guys cradling their fated mates in their arms.
It was then the seed for an idea took root. I wonder…
Hazel pointed to one of the pods.
“Look who it is!” she said.
The good feelings I’d been harboring faded as I gazed upon the figure who’d attempted not only to claim my life and steal my throne but abducted my future wife.
Slak was frozen inside the pod. He’d been outwitted by an “undeveloped species” as he liked to refer to them.
“It’s my wedding present to you,” Hazel said.
“It’s… beautiful,” I said.
Hazel nudged me in my ribs with her sharp elbow.
“Where’s my present?” she asked.
“My unconditional, undying love for all eternity,” I said.
“Well, I’ve got that already. What else?”
I planted a kiss on her lips and peered at the other couples over her shoulder.
“How about an extended family?” I said.
She pulled back and looked at me. She followed my gaze to her friends and their lovers. So joyful, so happy to be reunited once more.
“What do you have in mind?” Hazel said.
I arched an eyebrow and shared my idea with her.
She clapped her hands like a little kid.
She was in.
I doubted everyone else would be quite so ecstatic.
I enjoyed less than three minutes of a delicious lie-in with my gorgeous fiancée before the wedding staff carted me off to a separate wing of the palace.
It was hard to be separated from Hazel for so long. Every moment dragged as if the Creator deliberately drew time out to annoy me.
The stylists washed me, cut my hair, gave me makeup, dressed me, and then went over the directions for the wedding. The entire empire would be watching but I couldn’t say I was nervous.
I was looking forward to our little surprise event. The first thing we did once we returned to the palace was tell the wedding planners of our idea.
She was not impressed.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “You might be the emperor and all-powerful, but it simply can’t be done. The arrangements have already been made.”
“So, change them,” I said. “There’s no way around this. It’s what is going to happen.”
Hazel placed a hand on my arm to calm me down.
“What my future husband is trying to say is… IF YOU DON’T DO YOUR JOB, SOMEBODY ELSE WILL!”
The wedding planner was so shocked by Hazel’s outburst, she fell off her chair and onto the floor.
“I… uh… I’ll see to the arrangements,” she said.
She scurried off to organize everything.
“That was almost cruel,” I said.
“Almost,” Hazel said. “People like her get stuck in their little ruts. She wouldn’t listen unless she was shocked a little. I’ll apologize to her later. Now, let me show you what real cruelty looks like…”
She then proceeded to suck my cock until I was ready to explode… and then she backed off and let me calm down before bringing me up to the boil again. By the time she finished me off—after making me (the emperor!) beg for release—I came so hard I felt lightheaded afterward.
“There,” she said, wiping her lips with the back of her hand. “That’s real cruelty… except for the ending.”
She got up to leave but I dragged her back to bed and performed the same cruelty game on her. By the time I was done with her, she was a quivering puddle on the floor.
I clapped off my hands.
“Never say I’m never cruel to you!” I said.
The wedding guests began arriving shortly after dawn. It was my job to greet them as they entered the ballroom where our wedding would be held. The TV cameras had been switched on since dawn and beamed our event to all four corners of the empire.
By the time the wedding began, my arm hurt from all the saluting. I was ushered to the front of the temple. The most devout Titans knelt as I passed. The others just bowed their heads.
I smiled and nodded politely at Hazel’s friends, who were seated on the front row. With t
hem as Hazel’s only guests, it only seemed fair they got the best seats.
On my side of the room, I had family members, dignitaries, kings, queens, and a pope or two. But none of them meant anything like what Hazel’s friends meant to her.
Hazel wanted a traditional Earth wedding with a few Titan ceremonial dashes to keep it local. The wedding planner loved it. She thought it would make a great TV event that would be remembered for a generation.
I took my place at the front, beside the high priest of Agnathion. Then the music kicked in. It was a strange, high-pitched tune, very simple compared to Titan music. Underneath it, some Titan musicians played our most traditional song, the Dance of Death. Despite its name, it was quite a happy and sprightly tune.
She appeared at the other end of the temple wearing a slender white dress that hugged her thin frame. She carried a bouquet—Healer’s Touch—and a veil over her face. Titan children carried her train behind her.
She was mesmerizing.
The guests had never seen an Earth wedding before. They gasped and murmured how beautiful she looked.
I agreed. She was stunning.
She walked with the second most powerful man in the galaxy on her arm. My uncle and heir to the throne should anything happen to me.
I had eyes only for Hazel. She floated like a cloud in her frilly white dress, a dress I very much looked forward to tearing off her body later.
Her friends had tears in their eyes and grinned as she passed.
When she drew up to me, my uncle handed her over to me with a gracious bow before taking his seat.
Then the ceremony began in earnest. The High Priest read his sermon. He spoke about peace and fighting for what was right, for our freedoms and those of our family and friends. I tuned him out and spoke to Hazel out the corner of my mouth.
“You look gorgeous,” I said.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she said.
“I wish I could tear that dress off you right now and—”
“Focus on the ceremony, please.”
Even through the veil, I could make out her smile.
“Can I touch you?” I said.
“Now?” she said. “No.”
“But I want to.”
“Control yourself.”
“I can’t.”
I reached out and placed my hand on hers. After a moment, she held my finger.