I felt myself blush.
His voice was too soft and sultry for it to sound like a complaint.
I watched his fingers trace over my hand with my lips parted.
Just that little caress made me feel heady.
I was at a loss for words.
Fortunately the Domestic came with our food.
It kind of looked like matzo ball soup.
“I love soup,” I said (like a dope).
Elentinus laughed.
He broke into his matzo ball with the crescent utensil.
Yellow goo spilled out into the broth.
Now I could smell how delicious it was.
I made a yummy sound.
“This won’t be an exact reprise of last night,” Elentinus said.
“I’ve come up with a game for us after we eat.”
“Oh, nice.”
I tasted the soup, and then wiped my mouth on a napkin.
“Last night I told you everything about me.
Tonight is your turn.”
Elentinus lifted back his head and gave an exasperated smile.
“I suppose that’s…only fair.”
He rubbed his hand down the side of his face and then cupped his chin.
I sat staring at him.
I bet my eyes gleamed.
I was dying to hear all about him.
“My father was the druid Maun, who sat in the second holiest seat.
I don’t know who my mother was.
I was removed from her womb after conception to be gestated artificially.”
My lips parted.
So Elentinus had started out just like one of those babies I’d be having.
I found that encouraging.
“I was raised by a family on one of our oldest slave planets, Dornovonia.
I had a Dornovonian brother the same age as me.
My parents were humble.
Doting.
The Dak-Hiliah officials rewarded them on three occasions for how well they’d cared for me.
Eventually I left to finish my education on the Dak-Hiliah home world.
After my sixth year I summoned my Dornovonian brother to come and work as my servant.
It was a…foolish mistake.
He behaved as my equal, which insulted some of my peers.
They ordered him to come to an isolated courtyard at night so they could take turns…raping him.”
I covered my mouth with my hand.
“I showed up in his stead and killed the lead boy.”
I was shocked (but not
that
shocked).
“He turned out to be the only child of Shindray, the druid in the holiest seat.
I’d had no idea.
I was brought before the high council itself to answer for my crime.
Shindray was so despised, six out of seven council members voted for my clemency.
I was not only set free, they made me viceroy of Dornovonia.”
“Wow.”
“I’d taken over for a weak leader who’d allowed a rebellion to form.
I quelled it, and set up reforms to ensure there would be no further dissension.
After fifteen years of service my world became the model by which all slave worlds were judged.
Many other viceroys copied my charter word for word.
Those who tried to modify it suffered failure precisely due to their modifications.
I received the highest decorations possible for my governance, policies, and military deployments.
A seat on the council opened up six years ago.
Four fifths of our empire openly supported my taking that seat.
Shindray granted the post to a far more obscure candidate.
The druid suffered his most severe assassination attempt shortly after this.
It left half his body paralyzed.
Four years ago another seat on the council opened.
Shindray awarded it to me.”
I was riveted.
I held my crescent spoon thing in my bowl but didn’t take a bite.
“When I joined the council our chief concern was the conflict with Earth.
We’d never had an adversary whom we needed to keep alive.
I spearheaded the decision to withdraw our forces.
A new tactic was needed to gain the humans’ surrender.”
He spooned his soup.
“The rest you know.
Since I was the most integral in Earth’s surrender I was put in place as overseer until things stabilize enough for a viceroy.”
I started eating again.
“You talked about slave planets.
Your family was enslaved?”
“Dak-Hiliah slaves are the most privileged in the universe.
They thrive better under our rule than most free worlds.
Thousands of aliens willingly immigrate to slave worlds every year.”
“Huh.”
It was a little mind-boggling, but not incomprehensible.
Wasn’t I a slave now, too?
“What do you think of me now, my dear?”
“Well…my opinion of you hasn’t changed.
Your history seems about right for who you are.
There were a lot of things you talked about that I may or may not object to.
I’m pretty vacuous on all that.
My frame of reference is two thousand years out of date, and it only applied to Earth.
I’m in no position to judge.”
Elentinus gave a broad smile.
“How incredibly insightful.”
He looked me up and down while continuing to smile.
“I like you, Maritza.
Your mind is keen, and there’s this tantalizing innocence about you.
I find you silly sometimes, also.
I had no idea that would appeal to me.”
He pushed his hand into my hair.
“All I want to do is spend time with you.”
I peeked up at him.
He was ravishing me with those sexy dark eyes.
“I never thought I’d feel this way.”
If some other guy opened up like that I might have been suspicious.
Elentinus didn’t have to make with the sweet nothings.
I was already his.
The words felt sincere to me.
He kept stroking my hair, causing exquisite tingles through my scalp.
I was dying for him to kiss me.
He moved his hand away instead.
“It’s time to play our game.”
He rose and extended his hand.
“Come.”
I took his hand and let him lead me toward the back of the room.
I realized we were headed for his bed.
My stride faltered.
The curtains that normally blocked the alcove with his big round mattress were pinned back.
I gave him a dubious look that he didn’t catch.
Once we were in front of the bed I saw that there was a rectangular platter with six small vials on it.
Three were red and three were a yellow/green chartreuse color.
Elentinus sat beside the platter.
He gestured for me to sit on the other side.
I hesitated a moment, but then sat.
I was probably overreacting.
“Three of these vials contain a sweet liquid.
Two of them contain a sour liquid.
In one vial there’s a drug.”
I eyed him.
His face and tone seemed too serious for a game.
“The drug will intoxicate you in a very pleasant way.
It will also leave you helpless.”
My eyes widened.
“It…it’s a roofie?”
“I don’t know what that is.”
“It’s a drug that makes girls black out so they can be raped.”
Elentinus grimaced at the word rape, and then locked eyes with me again.
“No, my dear.
You won’t black out.
You’ll be quite conscious of everything that happens to you.”
I blinked a few times.
“The game is simple.
Select a vial and drink it.
If you pick a sweet vial, you win.
If you pick a sour vial, you must pick again.
If you pick the drug, I win.”
“What kind of game is this, Lord Elentinus?”
He lowered his eyes and slowly moved his hand over to cover mine.
“Hor told me you’re ovulating, Maritza.”
I felt the blood drain out of my face.
Elentinus’ lips parted.
He took my hand in both of his.
“Does this terrify you?”
I rubbed my free hand over my face.
“No.
No, it’s fine.
I’m a big girl.
I can handle it.”
“If you’ll come to hate me for this, then I’d rather stop.”
I swallowed.
“I’m not going to hate you for it.”
I really meant it, too.
But then the thought of being helpless wormed its way into my head.
“If I lose though…you…you’ll…”
He rubbed my hand.
“I’ll be gentle, my dear.”
The words caused a pang in my middle.
I was still scared, but his promise sounded so sweet.
I took a deep breath.
“If I win you need to let me walk away!”
Yeah, right.
I pretty much knew how this night was going to end.
He made his soft laugh.
“Of course.”
His hands withdrew from mine.
“Let me make it easier.”
He took one of the chartreuse vials and moved it ahead of the others.
“This is the vial that I want you to pick.”
I gasped.
“That’s not fair.
You can’t just tell me which one to pick.”
“It’s not a command.
It’s a suggestion.
You’re still free to pick whichever vial you want.”
I was flabbergasted.
“You just showed me which one has the drug in it.”
“Have I?
Or is it a trick?”
I leaned my forehead in my hand.
“Oh my God.”
I righted and took another deep breath.
“Okay, sweet I win, sour I pick again, and drug I lose.”
My hand hovered over the red vial on the far left.
I looked at Elentinus’ face.
He stared into my eyes with no expression.
I moved it over the next one to see if that got a reaction.
Nothing.
Same with the third one.
When I my hand hovered over his vial he smiled with one side of his mouth.
The smile remained when I tested the last two, but only because he’d figured out my strategy.
I sighed and picked up the first red vial.
“Drink it in one gulp, my dear.
Tip your head all the way back.”
I uncorked it and obeyed.