How Mirim held such faith in any goodness remaining in Nikol when she was alive, he didn’t know.
Perhaps this was to be his fate for failing his mother and now failing Mirim.
There was one task Nikol would not fail.
As soon as the guard moved, Nikol jumped into the seat of the shuttle and programmed the flight. A tiny foot thumped his chest.
Nikol glanced around. The dark shields on the view screens were down and the shuttles engine vibrated the vessel with a low rumble. With care, he opened his hooded cloak. Harat’s brown eyes glowed, chubby fists and feet flailing.
“You must be quiet.”
The baby gurgled anyway. Nikol finished his launch sequence, already knowing the course he had set. Once he had everything in place, he leaned back and held his brother close to his chest while the shuttle took off, leaving Marenia far behind.
***
“Stop, Marlin. I give in.” Laughter mingled with the squeal as a man picked up the running woman, stopping her in her tracks. Then he lifted her high above his head.
Their blond heads tipped together as he lowered her down his body slowly. Nikol grimaced when they engaged in a long intimate kiss. Two days he’d watched them. Marlin and Shaya Alonson. Marlin worked for the Jutaks governing council and his wife worked in an administrative capacity for the government as well.
They lived in a house surrounded by land and farming animals. Perfect for what he planned. A cry pulled Nikol’s attention away from the couple as they re-entered their house, arms entwined.
“A promise is a promise, Harat.” Nikol picked up the crying infant and soothed him as he headed for the spot he’d scouted earlier.
Timing was everything. He needed to return to Marenia before his father. Already Nikol pushed the limit by staying this long but he wanted to be sure. Had to be sure. He owed Mirim and he’d not break his promise.
Nikol hurried along the path he’d discovered but when the time came to do what he needed, he couldn’t. The tightening sensation in his chest spread. Harat rested in his hold, waving his arms and unaware of how his life was about to change.
Enotia. A planet of peace. A planet filled with gentle people who weren’t afraid to express their love and kindness. Also the home of the military Jutak Units. Nothing in Lothar’s business would bring him anywhere near Enotia. Here, his brother would be safe and thrive.
Once more, Nikol lowered his bruher to the ground. He tucked the blanket Mirim had lovingly made close to keep Harat warm until the couple in the house ventured out and found him.
“I love you,” he whispered, saying the words for the first time in his entire life. “You will never know how much but one day you’re going to be strong and honorable. Everything your mother hoped for.”
Everything Nikol’s own mother had wanted for him. His brother would have that chance. A chance to grow up out from under the shadow of Lothar’s ruthless control. It was a silent vow Nikol made on his life.
Harat’s arms waved and he grinned, revealing the two slashes in his cheeks that Mirim had often rubbed while making funny faces to cause laughter. Nikol caressed a finger over one of the slashes and Harat giggled.
The sudden pain encompassing him was more than Nikol expected. He straightened and stepped back, ignoring the way his nose burned.
Several deep breaths canceled the emotions and with resolute determination, he left behind the only thing he loved in the Universe.
Death to any who sought to destroy that tiny life.
Chapter 2
6 years later
“This is a big moment for you.” Lothar clamped a hand to Nikol’s forearm, stopping him from leaving his office after giving his report on his latest sale from a shipment of Bliss. The erotic deadly drug was highly profitable because it was cheap to make and highly addictive.
“It is a day like any other.” Nikol shrugged off his father’s arm and tried once more to leave.
“I’ve set you up with your own kitse.” Lothar’s words halted him as nothing else could.
Nikol kept his back to this man he hated more than he hated any other being. He should have known this moment was coming. Should have expected with the onset of his twenty-first year of birth that Lothar would force his hand.
His own kitse. Nikol grimaced. A harem full of unwilling tutanis, his to breed. His stomach rolled. As if. “I prefer to select my own tutanis. Whores have sufficed for now.”
Whores. He had to speak in a manner his father would understand. Nikol turned slowly, allowing a smirk to curl his lips. “Would you have me take one permanently for fucking without knowing if she’ll last?”
Every girl child on Marenia was groomed to know her place and future. Slavery was a way of life for them and never questioned. Some ended as household help. Their parents expended great effort to make sure the females of their line ended with someone who would care for them and treat them well.
Householders got sneered upon, though, considered beneath the low and subject to the slightest punishment if perceived infractions occurred.
Others aspired to place a girl as a tutanis. A pleasure giver. It was an honor when the position was treated appropriately. The greatest honor remained in securing a spot as a tutanis in a kitse. Those of great wealth possessed kitses and lavished attention on the females they bought and used.
Not all were as kind, though. Some died from the abuse if their master was anything like his father.
Lothar sat on the edge of his desk and laughed, dark eyes lit with amusement. “Word spreads that you don’t give any your seed. You have no hidden children. No First Placement.”
Word didn’t spread. His father’s spies watched Nikol. As he grew older, so did Lothar’s obsessive attention about having a son as evil as he. It was a fine game they both played but Nikol didn’t give himself away. He was careful. Careful in who he trusted to guard his back, careful in who he fucked and never the same woman.
Since all of the women on Marenia were without rights and could be bought to tell his secrets, Nikol sought women elsewhere. As Lothar’s son and blooded kin to the Majad himself, many would drop to their knees and suck his seed out in front of an audience if demanded. He wanted no part in that.
“I am too young for a First Placement.” Nikol addressed one point in Lothar’s statement while ignoring the others, and it worked as a distraction.
Still smiling, Lothar leaned forward, his black hair falling about his horns and face. It never ceased to amaze Nikol that a male as attractive as his father could be so ugly on the inside. That physical appeal was what failed to warn others to take note of the evil lurking within.
“You can have many First Placements. When they displease you, dispose of them.”
As Lothar did with all the women he claimed to favor. Nikol’s mother had been First Placement. Mirim too. It was a coveted role in the kitse as the woman who held the title held prominent favor. While any Marenian male could express interest in fucking a tutanis from another’s kitse, it was an insult to request such from one identified as First Placement.
“As I said before, I will form my own kitse, Father.” The title flowed smoothly from his tongue though it choked him each time he used it.
Lothar stood with a sigh. “It is your right. As a youth, I enjoyed the selection process and can not be angered you wish to do the same. I will put the women down. I thought to give you a gift for your day of birth as I know you have always had a fondness for the tutanis in my kitse.”
It was a subtle insult, the reference to his feelings for Mirim when he had been young.
Nikol swallowed, the skin around his neck heating. What did Lothar intend? “You...you are getting rid of your kitse?”
Nikol couldn’t begin to imagine what Lothar would do if he couldn’t ravish and attack the women he’d spent considerable time gathering. They were the finest beauties on the planet with lush curves and trained in the art of pleasure and seduction.
“Only the older females from
your mother’s time. I have no use for their aged bodies. I am keeping my recent purchases, of course.”
“Of course,” Nikol agreed while his mind raced. There was always the possibility that if he changed his mind and accepted, Lothar would put the women to death for spite. There were four women in total who remained from when Nikol used to spend time in the kitse.
Lothar picked up his data pad, preparing to return to his work and already putting Nikol from his thoughts. “Was there anything else?”
Controlling his breathing, Nikol forced down his emotions. It came with ease after years of practice. “Perhaps I will take the older ones only. I can enjoy the expert training you gave them while I search for women more to my desire and needs.”
Lothar didn’t even glance up as he waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “Fine. They are in the suite next to your wing. I had them moved this morning as a surprise.”
The section of the house designed for Nikol’s personal use contained several rooms as his private residence. A connecting door opened into a large area broken into smaller alcoves for a kitse.
“Is the space prepared?” When Nikol had left to deliver the bliss, it was an empty space as he preferred since he never intended to gather a harem.
“Furnished with the things they need, including a fully stocked cleanser room for each.” Lothar grunted and lifted his head from the screen. “Why are you still here?”
Nikol gritted his teeth and bowed as he left. His steps once outside his father’s office gained speed as he hurried. He burst through the door of his residence straight to the entrance of the connecting suite. Then froze as he crossed the threshold of the newly decorated kitse.
Lavish and strategically placed furniture separated his suite from the comfortable area reserved for the kitse. Deep cushions in blue were scattered across several plump pallets on the floor suitable for lazing about. The usually empty fountain at the center of the space bubbled with water tinted purple and light music piped in from overhead.
Billowing lengths of white fabric swayed from the ceiling, hinting at privacy though the sheerness did nothing to hide the four nude women standing in a circle together. They immediately lowered their heads and dropped to their knees before him. “We wish only to serve.”
They spoke in unison, their posture correct, spines straight, breasts thrust forward. Nikol expected no less from what they probably endured under his father’s hand for training purposes.
Gray streaked their dark hair left loose and flowing to mid-back. Smaller than a male’s, their horns curved tighter at the sides of their heads. Lines of experience marred the corners of their eyes and mouths. It was a gentle fading, time being kind to all of their appearances.
Bodies ranged from lush to thickly curved, breasts overly round and full. Their mounds remained shaved bare as his father preferred, the shape of thighs less firm than years past but no less attractive. Nothing could detract from their beauty.
Nikol expected no less. His father wanted only the most beautiful and rare in his possession in order to boast among his countrymen. No matter how cruel he treated the women in his care, families still fought to present him with their young nubile girls to add to his collection. These women were a reflection of that.
Taking time to slow his breathing, Nikol crossed his hands behind his back and braced his legs apart. “Face me.”
He made his voice deliberately harsh but not by a twitch did they betray their fear. Dark heads lifted, their gazes dull and resigned. They expected him to kill them. Or worst, cast them out to service others on the streets to survive. It was an insult to the years they’d given but not an uncommon practice to former tutanis who no longer held esteem in a kitse.
“Listen carefully. I won’t remove you from my kitse.” Lashes fluttered and bellies quivered. Not so well trained they couldn’t hide their relief. He gave them the truth. “I have no need of you in my bed. I don’t want what belonged to Lothar and you’re beyond the age of breeding.”
Questions formed in their brown eyes. It was Cecilee, once friend to Mirim, who risked speaking. “What will you have us do, if you wish to answer?”
If he wished. This discussion pertained to their life, their very existence. Nikol growled, causing them to flinch and duck their heads. Were it not for Lothar’s manipulative action, he wouldn’t have to make excuses and deal with this. He inhaled deeply and forced himself to calm.
“Face me.” Nikol waited until he had their attention again. “At some point, I’ll add women more to my taste. I’ll fuck them and only them. When I decide on a First Placement, she isn’t to be harmed. You will watch over her. I won’t tolerate disobedience in this one dictate.”
Confusion flashed across their faces then disappeared. These were not the women who’d played vicious games, poisoning competition and fighting for Lothar’s favor. Those women were either dead or traded as Lothar only suffered their machinations for as long as it amused him. This was the remainder of the small few who dared to stay true to themselves with kindness in their hearts. Only fortune and their looks kept them from a far worst fate than being pawned on Nikol.
“Obey me in this and I will keep you in my kitse until you go to rest in the beyond.”
They exchanged glances, the gratitude in their eyes bright enough to lodge a knot in Nikol’s throat. They shouldn’t have to be grateful for their lives being spared.
“It will be as you command,” Cecilee said and the other three nodded.
***
4 years later
“You don’t visit me enough.”
Nikol leaned back against the colored pillows piled on the floor and laughed at the familiar complaint from the Majad. His father’s brother would have him live at the palace if he had his way. “I visit as much as I can. Lothar’s empire has grown and keeps me busy.”
Majad Renik paused, his lips curling in a sneer. The physical similarities between the brothers were uncanny, but that’s where the likeness ended. “Lothar sends you into danger at much risk to our line.”
Because Nikol was the only son in their family. The Majad and his First Placement of thirty years had no children despite their attempts and medical technology on their world. It made Renik even more protective of Nikol.
Instead of getting into the old argument, Nikol tossed pieces of roasted vegetable and meat into his mouth, grinning at the burst of flavor and juices exploding on his tongue. Food at the palace far outweighed what the householders prepared at Lothar’s. Probably because those here were happy to work and service an appreciative audience.
“I bring wealth to Marenia.”
Majad shifted on the over large pillows and glared. “I have no need of more wealth. My brother brings unwanted attention to our home with his actions.”
It always amazed Nikol how adamantly opposed Renik was to the crimes Lothar committed yet felt no wrongdoing in the enforced slavery of their women. “I agree. You’ve spoken to him about this many times without change. My words won’t do anything.”
In fact, if Lothar wasn’t so concerned about staying in his brother’s good grace, he’d completely ignore Renik’s warnings to back off from some of his more illegal pursuits. The Majad offered more leeway than he should and refused to enforce an edict that would stop Lothar.
Renik sighed and finished off the food on his plate. Massi, his First Placement, came forward and removed the dish, then wiped his fingers clean with a cloth and kissed his wrist.
In return, Renik drew her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. They stared into one another’s eyes, love clear to see. When they broke apart, Massi smiled at Nikol and backed away to return to her kneeling spot in the corner of the room. A pang of envy pierced Nikol’s chest.
Renik had seventeen women in his kitse. None had managed to birth him a child successfully. He no longer added to his kitse with younger, fresher faces in an effort to breed a child. It had become a painful endeavor in his household.
Now he preferred the co
mfort of the familiar he’d once told Nikol. Many of these women had been with him for almost thirty years and suffered the same heartbreak at not having little ones around to spoil and watch grow.
“Speaking to your father is a waste.”
Nikol scanned the room, taking note of the guards strategically placed around. He never spoke freely at the palace and never about his father.
Renik noticed his action and snorted as he pointed to the three guards in the room one by one. “Everyone in my household is loyal to me. I took Gaerod in when his family left him on the street. Him, I found half-dead on my way back to the palace and offered him food and shelter. Laskon’s mother was First Placement in a kitse but was thrown out when no longer seen to have value. Her master tossed their young son out with her for having a misshapen horn. I welcomed her into my kitse and assigned her son to my guard unit.”
Knowing the background on the men allowed Nikol to breathe easier, but he still trusted only those he personally knew.
“Things are different here at the palace.” After making the announcement, Renik shoved up to his feet and brushed his hands on the startling white pants and shirt he wore. Massi came over holding up an ankle-length sleeveless blue robe that Renik slipped his arms into. She caressed Renik’s horns and went to her knees before him.
That action alone proved the two households were different. Lothar’s First Placement, all six of them through the years, had never shown him such affection. His cruelty negated the desire to even consider attempting it.
Renik brushed a hand over Massi’s hair then tipped his head at Nikol. “Come, we will walk and you’ll tell me of your sisters and how they fare.”
Nikol had seven sisters. Well, seven who survived to adulthood in the deadly kitse his father owned but it was the younger three that Renik referenced. They were the ones Nikol personally knew since they were a dozen years separating him from his older siblings. Lothar continually tried to place the younger girls in a kitse to the highest bidder. The Majad blocked each contract citing his fondness for them and how an owner would keep them from family.
Nikol's Surrender (A World Beyond, #10) Page 2