"I wasn't hungry and then Tora and I started talking. You know, you weren't really gone that long, Wray." She could see her answer didn't satisfy him. "What did your brother want?" She asked, trying to distract him.
"I will tell you after you eat." Wray said, putting a hand on her waist, guiding her to the table. "I will tell both of you."
"Wray..." Kim tried to protest. She still wasn't sure her stomach would take it.
"Don't, Kim." He said angrily. "I wasn't able to see that you were properly cared for on Pontus. I will now!"
Sighing heavily Kim let him lead her back to the table. She understood his anger, knew it still frustrated him that there had been so little to eat on Pontus. She needed to let him care for her now.
“Alright. Fine, but both of you will eat too.”
Kim was surprised at how well the meal went after that. Wray and Tora talked. She listened. She even chuckled a few times at some of the stories Wray told.
She tried a little from every platter, agreeing that Reeve's cook had over seasoned the meat and that she didn’t like it, although the pastry was good. She found she liked the items from Wray’s platter the most. It was like the food Jen would have made. Simple yet tasty. The thought had her hand stilling as a sense of homesickness overwhelmed her.
"What is wrong, Kim?” Wray asked, instantly knowing something had upset her.
“I was just thinking about Jen." Kim told him her eyes filling as she looked at him. "About how she would have prepared this. She would have made it unbelievably good.”
“Your manno truly had two females?” Tora asked tentatively.
“Yes." Kim said, forcing the tears back to answer Tora. "It’s not that uncommon on Earth.” Kim missed the shocked look Tora sent his manno. “She was older than me by five years. She was a trained chef, she loved to take the raw foods like these,” Kim gestured to her platter, “and make them into wonderful things. She was going to open a restaurant with her husband and then my parents died and she had to care for me instead. When they disappeared, I was devastated.”
“What happened to them?” Tora asked.
“I don’t know. I just know they’re dead.”
“You don’t know that for sure, Kim.” Wray told her lifting her into his lap as he always did when they were in the cave. Knowing she needed to be held as much as he needed to hold her. It was an amazing thing… touch. He never realized how important it was until Kim. Had never understood how comforting it could be. Now he couldn’t live without it. “They could have been found by now.”
“No, Wray, thank you for saying that, but no.” Kim laid her head on his chest, letting the steady beat of his heart ease her pain. “Jen never would have abandoned me like that, no matter how much I deserved it.”
“You didn’t deserve it, Kim. None of it.” Wray told her as he leaned down, pressing his cheek against the top of her head.
“Maybe… I just wish I knew what happened. I miss her.” Kim whispered, cuddling in closer.
“I know Kim and if I could, I would bring her back to you.”
“I know you would Wray, just like I would bring back Van for you and Tora if I could.” Kim eyes went to Tora, who was sitting, silently watching them.
“What did Grim need?” Tora finally asked.
“They found the wreckage of the Jerboaian ship.” Before Tora could ask, Wray quickly filled him in on how they had found Jerboaian males on the Ganglian ship.
“That’s what was so urgent?” Tora couldn’t keep the disbelief out of his voice and Wray frowned at him, then looked down at Kim.
“You don’t want to talk about it in front of me.” Kim said not even having to look up at Wray to know she was right. Pressing against his chest, she eased out of his arms.
“Kim…”
“It’s alright Wray.” Kim said, leaning over to kiss him lightly on the lips. “I’m tired, so I’m going to go to bed. You and Tora can stay up and talk about all those things males talk about that you don’t want females to hear.” She gave him a slight smile, then looked to Tora. “It was very nice meeting you Tora. At least for me. I’m sure you don’t feel that way, but…” Kim just shrugged her shoulders.
“Kim, I’m sure Tora has been just as pleased to meet you. Aren’t you Tora.”
“Wray stop.” Kim puts her fingers across his lips. “You can’t tell Tora to accept me and have it be true. It’s going to take time and work. Time you are going to give both of us and hopefully we’ll get to the point where we can at least be friends.” Replacing her fingers with her lips, she gave him one last kiss. “Wake me when you come to bed.” She whispered, then left them alone.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Tora watched Kim walk away with a frown on his face. Had she really just said she would like to be ‘friends’? How was that possible? Males and females were never ‘friends’.
“She is nothing like our females Tora.” Wray told his offspring quietly. “She is more. More loving. More understanding. She is everything I’ve ever wanted but didn’t know was possible. She makes me… whole.”
Tora couldn’t believe it was his manno talking like this. He couldn’t believe any male would talk like this. Yes, every female deserved to be treated with respect, Tornian or not, but to make you ‘whole’. How was that possible?
“I know you don’t understand.” Wray rose from his chair to walk to the window, trying to organize his thoughts as he watched the flashes of lightening in the distance. “If a male had come to me saying what I just said, I wouldn’t understand it either. I couldn’t, because I had yet to experience Kim. I can only hope the Goddess will see fit to bless you with a female such as my Kim.”
“Even if she gives you no offspring?” Tora couldn't help but ask.
“Even then. She matters more to me.” Wray said, turning to face Tora.
Tora sat quietly watching his manno for several minutes. Finally, he spoke his truth. “The Assembly will never accept her as your Empress. She isn’t Tornian.”
“She will be Tornian once I have declared her so.”
“What!" Tora's chair hit the floor as he stood. "But…”
“It is within my power as Emperor to declare anyone Tornian I deem worthy.” Wray told him.
“Yes, but it hasn’t been done in centuries and never with a female.” Tora argued back.
“Nothing prevents it." Wray told him firmly. "She will be my Empress.”
Tora recognized that look on his manno’s face. It meant he has made his decision and the time for discussion was over. It also meant Tora would have to decide if he was going to support it.
Could he?
Could he not?
This was his manno and he had never met a fitter or a more worthy male. He never decided things on a whim. Has always ruled fairly and with the best interest of his people at heart. He didn’t take a new Empress after Tora's mother had died so others could have offspring. Now he had found a female that he said made him 'whole'.
Joining with her took away no other male's chance of having fit offspring and if she did have offspring, it would never take his place.
Was it his right to deny his manno this?
“If that is your decision, then know I will support it.” Tora told him. “So was it only wreckage that Grim found?” Tora asked, changing the subject.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Wray saw Tora's struggle on his face. Saw him carefully think it through, and at that moment saw the fit and worthy male his offspring was becoming. He was questioning... not just accepting... even with his manno. It was what he needed to do, to become a good Emperor.
"No." Wray said, moving away from the window, clapping a hand of acknowledgement on Tora's shoulder before he leaned down to right the chair. "He found evidence that this wasn't the first ship the Ganglians had destroyed. Apparently they've been at this for some time."
"Why? What possible reason could they have for taking Jerboaian males and females from an unknown planet?"
"I don't know, but Grim has notified General Rayner about what he has found and Rayner plans to investigate it further on the Kaliszian side while Grim plans to monitor the area the Ganglians seem to be using more closely."
"And you did not want the fe..." Tora stopped himself when he saw his manno's eyes darken. If he was going to truly accept his father's decision, he needed to start now and give Kim the respect he would want for his own Empress. "Kim to know this?"
"No. I don't know if she's considered it, but it is possible that the Ganglians captured her sister too. Kim was taken from the same area as her sister disappeared from."
"Why not tell her your suspicions?" Tora asked.
"Kim was barely alive when I found her Tora, the best we can tell, the Ganglians had her for nearly two weeks." Wray saw Tora pale as he finally realized the amount of abuse Kim had survived. "Jen has been missing for over six months. The chances that she is alive..."
"Are zero, no one survives that long with the Ganglians."
"No and I don't want Kim imagining the abuse her sister had to suffer. She will blame herself."
"Why? There was nothing she could have done to prevent it."
"Did that stop you? With Van?" Wray asked.
"No." Tora whispered. Finally, what Kim had been trying to tell him sunk in and a little of the guilt he has been carrying slipped away.
Chapter Twenty-Three
"You want us to take her and sell her to a pleasure house?" Gyula asked, frowning at Lord Reeve. They had been summoned to his private chambers and he was now sitting and facing him and Fala.
Reeve had been thinking this over ever since he talked to Bertos. Bertos wanted the female dead. He wanted Reeve to make it look as if she had taken her own life because of what the Ganglians had done but Bertos had never seen her. A pleasure house would pay an exorbitant price for her and Reeve needed it. She could die there, Reeve would profit and no one would be the wiser.
"Yes. We cannot allow one such as her to sully the title Empress even for a moment."
"The Emperor will kill us!" Fala exclaimed, the smart one of the two.
"He will never know it was you. I will arrange it to look as if Veron, his most trusted Captain, has taken her and you are pursuing him, proving to the Emperor that you are both fit and worthy warriors."
"What's in it for us?" Fala demanded.
Reeve’s eyes hardened as he looked at Fala. “Is it not enough that you will be back in the Emperor’s guard? That all will know what fit and worthy males you are?”
“No.” Fala said.
“Fala…” Gyula looked worriedly from Reeve to his friend.
“We are taking all the chances Gyula. We are the ones that will die if caught.” Fala said and Gyula’s jaw snapped shut, his eyes returning to Reeve.
“What do you want?” Reeve demanded.
“First, half of whatever the pleasure house pays you.”
“What!” Reeve surged out of his chair enraged. He needed all she brought.
“Half!” Fala shouted back not intimidated at all by his Lord, he never had been. Reeve would never have survived if he hadn’t been a Lord’s offspring.
Reeve slowly sat back down. “Agreed.”
“Second,” Fala went on knowing he had him now. “We each get a turn at her en-route.”
“As long as you don’t damage her I don’t care. If you lower her value it comes out of your half.”
“Agreed.”
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Wray stood at the side of the bed watching Kim as she rested. Goddess, the only way this sight could get more beautiful was if she were in his bed, in his chambers in Torino. When she suddenly jerked and cried out, he was instantly by her side.
“Kim.” He said, leaning over gently rubbing her arm. “Kim. Wake up.” He wrapped his arms around her as she suddenly jerked up screaming. The nightmares came every night and he didn’t expect it any less tonight, especially not after her conversation with Tora… but he had hoped. Hoped that someday the Goddess would take them away.
“I’m here Kim. I’m here.” He whispered into her ear as he pulled her into his arms.
“Wray?” The fear and uncertainly in her voice broke Wray’s heart.
“I’m here Kim. You are safe.”
“I was dreaming… about Jen…” Kim raised drenched eyes to his. “She was screaming for me to help her and I turned my back on her.”
“You would never do that my Kim,” Wray reassured her, “and neither would I. It was just Daco playing on your fears.”
“Daco? Who’s Daco?” She asked, taking a stuttering breath as she tried to let go of the fear left by the nightmare. She knew she was safe. She was with Wray.
“Daco is the lower God who stole the Goddess from her mate. Remember?”
“Oh yeah, Warriors from House Berto saved her before she was forced to Join with him.”
“Yes. He is the God of destruction and pain. He likes to use one’s fears and insecurities against them.”
“The stuff of nightmares.”
“Yes. He would like nothing better than to destroy you Kim. His goal is to take all that is good and bright and make it dark and terrible.”
“Like he did with Emperor Lucan.” She said softly burrowing into his chest.
“What?” Wray asked, looking down at her sharply. “Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know, it just seems fitting don’t you think? Lucan's line stopped Daco from abusing the Goddess. What better way to extract his revenge than to cause her most favored warrior to commit the same crime?”
“I…” Wray looked down at her in shock. He has never considered that before. Could what she thought be true? It would explain so much. There had been a time when Emperor Lucan had been considered a great Emperor. He had ended many wars, had brought all the species closer, but all that had been forgotten when his crimes had been revealed. “I never considered that.”
“Hmm.” Kim brought her hand up slipping under Wray’s shirt to rub his chest. “So did you and Tora finish discussing what I shouldn’t know?” She asked, tweaking his nipple playfully.
“Yes.” Wray’s voice caught at her playfulness. “So, it’s going to be like that, is it?” He asked, twisting so he was lying beneath her on the bed. If she wanted to play, he would let her play. Anything to drive away the darkness that had been in her eyes when he had woken her from her nightmare.
“It’s going to be exactly like that.” Kim told him as she straddled his hips, tearing his shirt down his arms, knowing he was allowing her to pin them to his side. “I’ve been missing you all day.” She said, leaning down to kiss his chest. “I’ve wanted to touch you… kiss you… love you…” her voice trailing off as her tongue trailed down his chest to his clenching abs.
“Then do it, Kim.” Wray said, groaning as she nipped at his abs.
“I will.” She told him. “Tonight I am taking what I want. What I will always want. You, Wray.” She pulled her mouth from his tantalizing skin to let him see the truth in her eyes. He was what mattered to her. Just him.
Releasing his shirt, her hands went to his pants, stroking his already hard shaft several times before she finally opened his bulging pants, allowing him to spring into her waiting hands.
Kim knew she would never tire of this… of touching Wray like this, especially tonight. Somehow, he knew she needed to be in control, needed to feel like there was something in her new life she could control and he let it be him.
Only a male, confident in who he was, confident in the female above him, could do such a thing. Kim would make sure she never gave him cause to regret it.
“Lift your hips, my love.” She whispered, her hot breath bathing his shaft with its moist heat. When he did, she quickly pulled his pants down, lightly scraping her nails over his skin as she went, causing him to shiver.
“Kim…” Wray growled warningly.
“What, Wray?” she asked, her mouth a hair’s breadth away from the tip of his engorged
shaft.
“Kiss me.” He begged.
“You mean like this?” she asked, leaning down to kiss the tip of his shaft before opening her mouth to take him inside.
“Goddess, Kim!” Wray shouted, his hips thrusting up, choking her before she wrapped both hands around the base of his shaft, so she could control the depths of his thrusts.
Back in control, she swirled her tongue around his shaft, as if he were a dripping ice cream cone, one she didn’t want to miss a drop of. And she didn’t. He tasted too good. Finally making her way back to the tip she licked at the pre-cum that was starting to pulse out.
“No more, Kim!” Wray demanded. Finally freeing his hands from his shirt, he sat up. Gripping her night covering he pulled it off, forcing her mouth away from its treat. “I need to be inside you!” He said, gripping her hips, he lifted her and positioned her opening over the throbbing head of his shaft, his arms trembling.
Wray’s eyes bored into hers and Kim knew he was waiting for her permission. For her to tell him it was okay for him to take control and in doing so he gave it back to her.
“I need you inside me, Wray.” She said, bracing her hands on his chest as he slowly lowered her, impaling her on his engorged shaft. “Yes.” She groaned her head falling back at the sensations filling her.
Wray knew he would never see anything as beautiful as his Kim, finding her pleasure. Taking it, from him. The brush of a lush breast against his cheek had his mouth latching on to its pebbled nipple, drawing it deep.
"Wray!" Kim cried out, her womb contracting around him as he devoured her breast, all the while moving her up and down his shaft, hitting that sweet spot again and again. "More, Wray! Goddess more!" She cried out as she wrapped her arms around his head, pulling it to her other breast that was begging for his attention.
Wray immediately devoured what she offered. Feasting on her as if she were his last meal and knew no God had ever feasted as well. Gripping her hips, he held her, stilling her movements, knowing he was too close to losing control and refusing to go without her.