TICEES (32 page)

“Chelan!” he gasped in disbelief.

“No, you don’t understand!” she pleaded in a panic. “I was sure that I would win. It was actually Fremma’s choice of stakes.”

Korba began to chuckle as he shook his head, but Chelan was embarrassed beyond words.

Fremma looked into Korba’s eyes. “Dar had told her that it was not unusual for three or more of our people to engage in sexual play. And of course she once saw such activity after one of your training sessions onboard the RIBUS, so, since she was so sure that she could pulverize me in battle, to the point of arrogance, I might add, I proposed those stakes and stacked the deck, so to speak, as a lesson, my Lord.”

Fremma winked at Korba and smiled. Then the Warlord stepped forward and raised Chelan’s chin, his face and his voice suddenly taking on serious overtones. “Regardless of your intent, dear Fremma, my Lady accepted your stakes, did she not?”

Chelan’s jaw dropped, but Korba continued. “And she accepted your choice of games blindly, so despite deceit, I believe that she reaps what she sows.” His eyes moved to Fremma’s. “If the game were to continue, she would lose, would she not?”

“Yes, my Lord,” smiled Fremma.

Korba raised his hands and shrugged. “I cannot help you, my Lady. But I should think that you will enjoy Fremma’s choice of terms.”

Chelan stopped breathing, her face losing all color. “Surely you jest?” she gasped. “I couldn’t do that.”

“Then do you renege on your word?” Korba asked, allowing feigned disappointment to edge in on his words.

Chelan drew a deep breath. She was well aware of the extreme importance that honesty held in his world. She looked down. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I will honor my word.”

Fremma’s eyes shot to Korba’s, both men stunned by her acquiescence. Fremma released her shoulders as if her flesh had just singed him and attempted to catch his breath.

Chelan looked up into Korba’s face, but she still did not detect his tease. “I’m not sure I am ready for such an act, but I will not go back on my promise. I will need some time, though.”

Korba shook his head, finally allowing his smile. “It’s okay, Chelan.” He reached for her and hugged her close. “I’m not sure I would be ready, either. We will not bind you to your word.”

Chelan realized that he had been playing with her all along. She swung around in his arms and glared at Fremma just as the warrior burst out laughing. “You!” she shouted. She lunged at him, but Korba restrained her.

“Now, now, Chelan,” Korba soothed as he released her and moved to Fremma’s side. “We tease you because we know you, but my words were accurate. You did accept Fremma’s stakes, and it could have been a legitimate game. Never assume you will win. That assumption leads to over-confidence and potentially fatal mistakes. And also, had Fremma been serious, and you had lost fairly, you would have been obligated to follow through on your word, no matter what the stakes.”

Chelan exhaled in partial relief. But she knew he was right. “I’m sorry,” she uttered. She was silent for a time. She looked at the two men whom she loved so dearly and smiled. “Actually,” she began quietly, “I guess I accepted the stakes knowing that deep down such an act would be far from unpleasurable.”

She stepped between the men as she smoothed her hands down her gown. Then she rose on her toes, her fingers brushing along Korba’s chest as her tongue licked up his neck and over his strong jaw. She took his lips tenderly, and just when she felt him respond, she withdrew and looked at him through smoky eyes. Still staring at the shocked Warlord, she reached to Fremma, grabbing a fist full of his thick hair, and pulled him to her. She saw Korba quit breathing, and she smiled to herself.

With one hand still on Korba’s chest, she turned to Fremma, and she nuzzled into his neck, tasting him, nipping him, and trailing her way up to his lips. Still holding him tightly to her, she kissed him softly.

Fremma hesitated, feeling Korba’s eyes on them, but as she deepened her kiss, he lost his ability to refuse. She trailed her fingers up Korba’s chest, entangling her hand in his hair and drawing him closer still. Then she pulled back from Fremma and looked between the two immobilized men. She took a step back from them, releasing them both. Her fingers touched her lips, and she closed her eyes, letting her hands run down her sensuous neck and between her full breasts. Then she pirouetted on her toes, grinning to herself, and skipped off, leaving both men standing in stunned silence.

After a moment, Fremma shook himself back to reality, and his eyes met Korba’s. He took a deep breath. “Speaking honestly, my Lord, and from the heart, it is a good thing she just left this room.”

Korba looked at his Fremma intently. “I’m afraid you are right, my friend. I must admit that the same thought crossed my mind.”

Both men smiled, and then Korba nodded to Fremma and left for his chambers. He found Chelan sitting on the bed awaiting his return. Korba knelt before her. “You play interesting games, my Lady,” he said quietly.

She grinned. “It’s called retaliation. You two deserved it for baiting me.”

Korba nodded. “You’re right. We deserved that.”

Chelan smirked. “And I honestly thought I would win. I thought he would select a game that gave me a fair chance.”

Korba smiled at her. “You should have known that with those stakes, no matter how fair the game, Fremma would have made sure he won.”

Chelan leaned forward and kissed his lips. “You’re right, as usual. I should have known.”

Korba rose to his feet. “I have to get some sleep, but I wanted you by my side.”

Chelan stood. “I’m glad,” she whispered as she pulled him to her. She began undoing his jacket.

Korba remained still, watching her carefully as she undressed him. Finally, he could deal with his curiosity no longer. He reached for her and looked deep into her alluring eyes. His voice was a baritone whisper. “Someday, do you think you could allow Fremma and me to take you?”

Chelan was surprised, but she saw he was serious. “Why?” she asked.

“Because,” he began, “the two of us together could do so much for you.”

Chelan hesitated, and then she thought about it seriously for the first time. What she had just done to them replayed in her mind, but then she let it go further as she pictured their hands on her, over her, their fingers parting her … in her … and she shivered.

Korba’s fingers trailed along her jaw and over her lips, his eyes searching hers. One hand slipped to the small of her back, sliding down over her shapely bottom. Heat invaded her to the core as visions formed, both men inside her, one filling her mouth, the other … A small moan erupted from her lips before she could swallow it. “Maybe, someday,” she uttered almost breathlessly.

Korba simply released her, his eyes on fire with desire. He took a step back, wrestling with the urge to call Fremma. Then in a last-ditch effort to gain control, he turned from her and removed his remaining clothing.

Chelan quivered, the force of the arousal that flooded her throwing her off-center. She was unsure of her answer, values versus basal needs scraping for supremacy. But then she realized that there would never be any pressure and that she had the control. She gathered herself together. “I’m going to go have a shower. I’ll be right back.”

Korba glanced over his shoulder and watched her go. He exhaled sharply, staggered by his own request. He was not even sure he could participate. He had himself engaged in numerous multiple couplings in his past, and he had found them all intensely erotic and exceptionally satisfying. But all the other women he had been with were not Chelan. He really did not know if he could handle watching another man touching her intimately, entering her while in his presence, even if that man was Fremma.

He shook his head and cleared his thoughts. His fatigue was edging in on him. He crawled slowly into bed and then smiled to himself. The answers to his questions did not matter at the moment. He knew that Chelan was far from comfortable with the idea, and in fact, he was fairly sure she would never participate in such a trilogy. But then, he reminded himself, there were never any absolutes in his world, only that of death itself.

When Chelan returned to him, his breathing was quiet and his eyes were closed. She slipped in beside him and curled up away from him, afraid to disturb him. But almost instinctively he reached for her, coiling up around her tightly. Chelan remained very still, listening to his breathing, and finally she relaxed, feeling that he had gone to sleep. She lay motionless for a long time, and then peeked back at him, startled to look into his bright azure eyes.

“I thought you had gone to sleep,” she whispered.

Korba smiled. “I was a fool to think I could simply go to sleep next to you without first tasting of your soft flesh.”

Chelan smiled and turned in his arms toward him. “Were you awaiting my permission?” she asked quietly.

“No,” he returned. “I was waiting to see how long I could restrain myself, your soft scent and your sensual body driving me half wild.”

Chelan smiled broadly. “How much longer were you going to endure your desires?”

Korba’s hand smoothed down over her hip and around to her soft buttocks. He pressed her to him and Chelan felt his engorgement against her abdomen. “Not long,” he breathed as he took her lips.

Slowly and softly, he made sweet love to her, his touch so tender that at times Chelan wondered if he was even with her. He delicately brought her to a long and gentle peak, a soft wave of lingering ecstasy washing over her from head to toe. Then, just as gently, he brought himself to the same soft release, his undulating motions mesmerizing her.

Later, he withdrew from her depths, rolling from her body and drawing her with him. He did not speak, but he held her tightly as he closed his eyes, quickly relinquishing his mind and body to sleep.

Chelan smiled. She was not tired, but she would lie quietly by him as he had done so many times with her. She was lulled into tranquility by his strong heartbeat and his gentle breaths, and the time passed quickly. She loved her gentle Warlord, and she knew that she would simply die if he ever left her. But he was hers, and she was his, and he would never leave her, and in her mind, that was an absolute.

*****

The next week went by quickly, and Korba spent nearly every moment with Chelan, taking only a little time out to help Dar and Fremma train some new men. He was edgy about leaving her at all, as he wanted her to come to accept her new home, and he felt that the best way to do that was to love her constantly within his domain. Hopefully, she would associate his passion and the feelings of security with her new surroundings and become comfortable with them.

It was not exactly a sacrifice for him. Spending as much time with her as possible was a pleasure beyond imagination, and the fact that it aided in her adjustment to his home was just an added bonus.

During this time he exposed her to Ticees as little as possible, catching only fleeting glimpses of the Emperor at the breakfast or dinner table, and only when Chelan chose to accompany Korba there. All had gone smoothly, and finally, the day of Toran’s arrival had come.

Korba returned to his room to don his dress uniform just as Chelan began to arise. She watched him dreamily as he dressed, happy for him because she knew how dearly he held Toran to his heart. After years of separation, they would be united once again.

When he had finished, Chelan pushed herself up. “Will I meet him today?” she asked.

“I hope so, but it will depend on what Ticees has scheduled for us.” He walked over to the bed and sat down beside her. “I’ll tell you what. If I can’t return immediately, I’ll send Fremma back to inform you, and if Ticees permits, I’ll get Fremma to stay with you.”

Chelan smiled. “I think I can keep myself entertained for one day. And I know Ticees will be with you, so I don’t have to worry.” She lay back into the pillows. “Besides,” she whispered, “I can go a long way on last week’s love.”

Korba smiled warmly and kissed her quickly. “I’ve got to go, my Lady. I will return as soon as I can.”

Chelan nodded and watched him leave. She had thought of asking to go with him, but she knew that he would be more relaxed without having to worry about her safety, so she had not bothered.

The day went by quickly, however. She used the computer that Korba had hooked up for her with all the information one could ever want on Iceanea. She also learned how to tap into the main military computers, for Korba had used the codes freely in front of her, confident that she would not misuse her privileges or betray his confidence. A lot of the material coming over the screen was decoded automatically for Korba, and from this material Chelan learned much about the Empire’s routine military functions.

But Chelan also received lots of incoming messages in code designated for Korba’s eyes only, and today was no exception. The only difference was that Chelan had learned the very intricate and difficult language that allowed her access to the decoding mechanisms in the computer. She had watched Korba many times, and he had not minded. What was for his eyes could also be for hers, and he had put no restraints on her acquisition of the knowledge.

Chelan watched the message scroll by and then loaded it into the decoder. Times and dates flowed by in a continual and detailed stream. Chelan rested her head on her fist as she tried to make heads or tails out of the whole thing. Finally she understood that it read simply and concisely that all three fighters were home safely, and that the mission was a complete success. Specifics of the sortie would be presented to Korba upon his request.

Chelan sat back, puzzled. She looked at the dates of the beginning of the mission and furrowed her brow. The fighters had been dispatched right before the Koll, but he had never mentioned anything about a small side mission. She could not even decipher where the mission was to and what exactly it had been about. Destinations and targets remained in an unfamiliar code, and it was obvious that it was of the highest level of security possible. Chelan shrugged to herself. Oh well, it didn’t matter. Maybe the mission had been so small that there had been no reason to mention it. Besides, there were probably hundreds of side missions going on at any one time, and she promptly shoved the information into the recesses of her mind.