by Reagan Woods
She gave a cautious nod of affirmation.
“You will not give your attentions to anyone else.”
This time, her confused nod was not enough.
“Say it. Say you will not give anyone else what you give to me. You are mine.” His voice became harsher as his words became more demanding.
“I won’t give myself to anyone else,” she floundered, out of her depth, unsure what he wanted from her.
“Say that you are mine, Arianna. Now.”
“I’m yours, as much as you are mine.” He already physically owned her. What else could he want from her? She had no rights in his society. By the law of his people, she was nothing more than a slave. She could admit to herself that she’d come to him willingly enough tonight, but she wasn’t entirely certain that the results would have been different if she’d been less cooperative. He could be very…persuasive.
“You will give me your loyalty. Swear it.”
“What do you want me to say, Darvan? I will be as loyal to you as you are to me.”
“That will suffice. For now.” He kissed her mouth tenderly, in direct contrast with his rough words and domineering attitude.
He wanted assurances that she would be his toy until he put her aside and got a new one. It was sobering as a splash of ice cold water to her face after they’d shared such an intense experience.
Her body clamoring for healing rest and mind overwhelmed, she acquiesced quietly when he withdrew from her body but continued to hold her close.
“I won’t allow you to be taken from me ever again –“ She barely registered the words before sinking into blessed oblivion.
∞ ∞ ∞
“General, you’re needed on the command deck,” an intercom buzzed Arianna awake. She was alone in the big bed. The indented pillow where he’d slept was cool to the touch.
“Darvan?” she called sleepily.
“I heard,” he called back from somewhere in the suite. “Do you remember where your life pod is located if you need it?”
“Yes.”
“I doubt there’s any threat, but get dressed just in case,” he entered the room and tossed a long tunic and pair of pants on the end of the sleeping platform. “There are shoes next to the door. Your palm print will open it in an emergency. For now, it’s imperative you stay here. The medics didn’t want you exposed to blaring sounds or flashing lights. I’ve had the suite rigged to light up a constant blue in the event of an emergency. Be aware, the halls and lifts are all still set to standard alert procedures.”
Scrambling into the clothes he tossed her way she asked, “Where are my collar and cuffs?”
“They won’t be required so long as you remain in the suite,” he dropped a quick kiss on her lips and moved to leave. “Try to sleep as much as possible today.”
After he left, she stretched out on the sleeping platform. She wasn’t used to sitting around all day – at least, not consciously. Left with too much time on her hands, there was no telling what her mental state would be by the end of the day. She’d been marching through from day to day because she didn’t have any choice. Now, she had time to reflect and regroup…and analyze. There might be some merit in going through the settings on the reconditioner one more time…just to be sure she hadn’t missed anything.
∞ ∞ ∞
“General, there has been a breach at the Texas compound. At least twenty-five Earthers are gone as are fifteen of the Doranos who were running the camp,” Skylan reported from a holoscreen on the command deck.
“Have the other camps had similar issues?”
“Negative, Sir.”
“Why weren’t we prepared for this type of action?”
“Frankly, Sir, we thought we were dealing with one or two rogue Doranos. I wouldn’t be surprised to find they’re all complicit. The organized precision with which this mass abduction occurred speaks to a much broader conspiracy than we expected.”
“How did you discover the plot?”
“One of the kitchen staff was being pursued by one of the Doranos. She raised the alarm and evaded capture until our warriors could rescue her.”
“How did fifteen untrained Doranos manage to abduct twenty-five Earthers?”
“I believe the absent Doranos males had help from the Doranos who remain here, running the camp,” Skylan touched his ear to indicate that he was receiving an update from his team. “It would appear they only absconded with twenty females. In the ensuing chaos, at least five Earthers escaped the compound.”
“How long ago did these deserters and their captives leave?”
“They were in marauders and have just cleared the atmosphere. We didn’t want to shoot them down for fear of harming the Earthers.”
“Find out how far this conspiracy reaches. Use whatever means necessary. If you have to imprison every non-military Doranos, so be it.” Darvan dismissed Skylan.
“I want energy scans in all directions,” Darvan barked to his hustling team. “They have to be rendezvousing with a larger ship somewhere. Update the fleet and ask for assistance performing a grid scan. I’ll be in my office. Notify me as soon as you find any sign of the marauders or a larger ship.”
He had a sinking feeling they wouldn’t find anything. They’d been a step behind Jorkan and his cronies at every turn.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ventix Space, Novink Governor’s Palace
Back pressed to a large grey stone, Ilana sat on the ground listening, waiting. The meeting taking place in the sumptuously appointed bathing grotto behind her held her entire focus. The Novink, like her own Doranos, enjoyed their carnal pleasures rather publicly. Unlike her people, however, the Novink often preferred to slake their lusty appetites prior to discussing business. This made her job rather tedious.
She knew it could be quite some time before the two gargantuan males in the bathing pool finished having their way with the serving girls. Suppressing a shudder of revulsion, she did her utmost to distract herself from the sounds of sloshing water and slapping skin. The occasional cry of pain made her wince in sympathy. It could be her in there pinned beneath one of the behemoths, held immobile by one set of arms and molested by the other set that each male possessed. It was clear they viewed her as alluringly different and the only thing the Novink warlords prized more than glory in battle was exotic sex.
Warlords weren’t delicate with the females they unleashed their ardor on. She said a quick prayer of thanks that, for once, her relationship with her asshole step-brother worked in her favor. The Novink governor didn’t fear brother dearest but His Excellency needed him. For now. Her own reprieve from the Governor’s attention was probably short-lived, but she’d known what she was doing when she took this assignment. A few months of rough sex would be a small price to pay for the information that would bring her father’s killer down. It wasn’t as if she were a prude without a few kinks of her own. She could handle the beast. She hoped.
Shifting to find a more comfortable position for her six foot frame, she nearly screamed when a scaly gray head poked through the surrounding foliage. Thankfully, it was just a Tixerian servant. She carefully avoided looking into its disconcerting beady black eyes. She couldn’t tell the difference between the male and female Tixerians and, frankly, didn’t care to.
About her height, the Tixerian was a bi-ped from the planet Tixeria. Rumor had it that the Tixerians were forced into an alliance with the Venori millennia ago just as the Novink had been. Possessing no special skills, the Tixerians had been relegated to involuntary servitude within the sprawling Ventix Empire.
She’d never heard a Tixerian speak and had come to the conclusion that they were not capable of speech. They obviously understood enough to follow commands, but they seemed little better than automatons going about their master’s bidding.
It begged the question: which master had sent this Tixerian for her? And how had he or she known where to look? Her mission couldn’t be blown already. There was too much at stake. She’
d risked it all by using her own identity and had barely scratched the surface of the ever-expanding plot.
The beady-eyed creature slowly brought a finger to its mouth indicating that she should be silent. She nodded her head in agreement, puzzling over the Tixerian’s behavior. Slowly, it withdrew from her hiding place, moving away from her as quietly as it had arrived.
She didn’t have time to give the matter much more thought because, with a mighty bellow, one of the Novink finished plundering his servant. Soon both warlords were settling down to discuss their business. Finally.
“The Doranos will be here soon. It is our job to see to the comfort of his people until then,” she recognized the Governor’s voice immediately.
“Is it wise to host them here so openly?” the other warlord asked casually.
“Hash-Han has commanded that we offer them asylum until we’ve accomplished our goals.”
Interesting, she hadn’t known the Emperor Himself was involved in her wayward brother’s plotting. She really hoped she didn’t draw the short straw and get sent to the Venori Imperial Palace. Hash-Han and his people scared the daylights out of her with their animalistic traits and she was damn near fearless.
“Hash-Han has taken a personal interest in the machinations of these so-called ‘separatists’?”
“He has. Until our Great Emperor says otherwise, we are to protect and serve the Doranos and his family in any way we can.”
“I guess that means the starlight-skinned female is off the menu until such a time as he rescinds his offer of protection? A pity.”
They shared an ugly laugh at her expense. At least they knew she had asylum, temporary though it may be. Her best bet would be to finish her work here and be on her way. Unfortunately, there were too many factors in play for her to accurately determine how long the Emperor’s grace would be extended to her.
“Ah, Kiev, it is good to have you here, old friend. What brought you back to Opu? And why now?” the Governor’s voice held a hint of suspicion. That didn’t bode well for the pirate.
“Is it so wrong to want to visit my home?” Kiev answered, teasing lilt in his voice. He clearly wasn’t worried about the Governor’s reputation for publicly executing his enemies.
“I find it odd that you spent so many years away, spitting in the face of your heritage and now here you are. Just when the Doranos are finally prepared to make their move.”
“You caught me,” Kiev said seriously. “I heard you might be receiving a shipment of unfamiliar goods that were recently liberated from the CGA’s possession. I do love pirated goods. I came all this way for a sampling and now it seems I’m to be denied.”
This time, their laughter was uproarious.
By now, she feared she was too late to prevent a full-scale intergalactic war. Her fuck-up of a brother, Jorkan, and his supporters had gone too far if they’d openly defied the CGA as the Novink Warlords seemed to believe. All she could do was keep the Council apprised and try to mitigate the fall-out for her people.
These males were just oodles of charm and her butt was going numb from sitting on the hard ground for so long. She should’ve brought a snack. Hiding, listening to their banter, she’d missed dinner. It would be a long time before she could scrounge something up to eat.
Assuming the strange Tixerian didn’t out her as a spy to her dubious hosts, she still needed to make the trek to her hidden equipment and send the transmission. It would be a wonder if she actually saw her bed this night. The thought made her cranky.
If her cover had been blown, she’d have to kill the Tixerian and anyone he brought with him to arrest her. Destroying bodies and eliminating evidence was a painstaking time-suck. Espionage was never as glamorous as the holovids made it seem, but she’d get through it. Failure wasn’t an option.
∞ ∞ ∞
“Victory,” Darvan addressed the ship’s communication system as he strode into his office.
“Go ahead.”
“Please establish a communications connection to Cor I, Sector One.”
“Connection established.”
“General Darvan, did we have a conference scheduled?” Councilor Darkan’s austere countenance appeared on screen after an interminable wait.
“No, Sir. We’ve had a situation arise and I wanted to update the Council. However, knowing the Council is not in session this late in your cycle, I thought it wise to advise you of this matter personally so that you might take the necessary steps on your end.”
“Proceed,” the older male nodded.
“Thank you. As of now, the Texas camp has been relieved of twenty Earth females of child-bearing age. Fifteen Doranos males have decamped as well. My team believes the Earthers are in the custody of the absent Doranos. My warriors observed small ships fleeing the surface. The fleet is scanning for energy signatures now so that we may track the traitors.”
“I’ll expect your report on my desk before the Council meets in the morning. There have been developments here as well. Some disturbing intelligence reports regarding the Ventix have come into our hands. An unidentified source is reporting that there is a Doranos separatist group seeking haven on the Novink home world, just inside Ventix space,” the lines of concern on Darkan’s face couldn’t be missed.
“Separatists? Who or what are they separating themselves from?”
“There’s always been a strong desire for racial purity among the Doranos culture. I suspect they are separating themselves from the CGA,” Darkan said tiredly.
“So they chose not to withdraw from the Alliance peacefully. What does Councilor Tegas have to say about all of this?”
“He is, as you can imagine, outraged.”
“You have no idea who the source could be?” Pieces of the heretofore murky puzzle were starting to slide into place. The Novink were a brutal race of cunning warlords who’d been absorbed by the Venori empire millennia ago. The Venori, Novink and Tixerian races were collectively known as the Ventix. Darvan recalled that he and Vank had wondered how the Ventix hoped to gain the upper hand over the CGA. It was starting to look as these separatists had gone rogue and formed an alliance with the Ventix.
“None.”
“Is this source new to us, or is the source established and trust-worthy? Are you able to verify the intelligence?”
“Not yet. However, the same transmission codes were used to report the rumored whereabouts of a group of surviving Lyarans a few months ago. At the time, the Council could see no reason to follow-up on the information.”
“I don’t think anyone could have survived the decimation of Lyara but I’m sure some Lyarans were off-planet at the time,” Darvan murmured, puzzling over the seemingly random bits of information.
“We’ve tried following up on the rumor since the new report came in but, as you might expect, there is no evidence of Lyarans at coordinates that are several months old.”
“Of course not. I’ll keep you appraised of the situation here as it develops, Councilor,” Darvan prepared to sign off.
“Thank you, General. I’m only sorry we were unable to apprehend Jorkan. Perhaps we would have been able to prevent the loss of these other Earthers. How are your preparations for bonding your Earther proceeding?”
“We’re moving forward,” Darvan said tightly. The longer he knew Arianna, the more he wished he didn’t have to use her in this political maneuvering. His instincts shouted for him to both tie her to him unequivocally and to protect her from his ugly world at all costs. The two contradicting ideas warred within his head for supremacy.
“Tegas is pushing for an official hearing on her involvement in the misappropriated energy array codes and schematics the Ventix attempted to use against us.”
“She’s not fit to stand trial. Nor should she,” Darvan said heatedly. He wasn’t going to lose her, especially not on the heels of losing Vank.
“No one has intimated that she should be tried,” Darkan assured. “However, many members of the Council are unconvinced that
she is innocent in all of this. They would like her imprisoned at the very least. Be prepared, Tegas has the support to launch a full-scale inquiry in the matter.”
“What do you suggest I do?”
“Either bolster her position in our society or throw her to the wolves. You have to commit to one course of action or another,” Darkan signed off abruptly.
Darvan didn’t know what to make of his uncle’s words. He’d already began his campaign to change Arianna’s status in their society and in his life. He couldn’t just make her accept him as her mate, could he? And, if he could, should he? A Corian woman wouldn’t stand for such high-handed behavior. But Arianna was an Earther, an Earther without options… His pride rebelled at the idea that he was only a means for her to escape harsh punishment. The other part of him, the part that was coming to care for the little Earther, didn’t care how he gained Arianna’s acceptance – as long as he possessed her.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Arianna woke slowly from the dream. Her cheeks wet with tears, she draped an arm over her eyes to block out the light in the room.
“Did you eat today?” Darvan’s voice startled her into a sitting position.
“Umm?” She blinked, staring stupidly at him as he slid out of his uniform shirt and stretched his delicious muscles.
“It looks like you slept right where I left you all day long. How are you feeling?”
“Sad,” she answered momentarily distracted by his ripped body.
“Let’s eat something and you can tell me what’s troubling you,” he scooped her up and held her against his chest.
She breathed his comforting scent deep into her lungs, thankful for his sensitivity. Peter hadn’t ever been this understanding about her recurring dreams. She pushed the unbidden thought away, determined to focus on who she was with here and now.
She wrapped her arms around Darvan, returning his embrace and snuggled closer. Bad idea, his scent made her itch to tear his clothes off. She wanted to protest when he sat her back on her feet and led her by the hand into the food prep area, but she managed to restrain herself. Barely.