He cleared his throat and shuffled his feet uncomfortably.
Her damned nylenth blood again.
“And the Emperor’s son?
Did you capture him?”
O’ka pursed her lips, her voracious nature subsiding for a moment. She looked away, guilt spreading over her visage. “There was a problem.”
“What problem, Empress?”
“The ship is destroyed. The child is dead. Everyone died.” She raised one hand, open palmed. “It could not be helped.”
Enrue leaned back in his chair and fingered his chin, thinking.
It is one less heir. If we kill them all, chaos will tie up the courts when distant relatives lay claims on the future throne.
He nodded. “This is good. Better than what I had hoped for.”
“B—but…you said…”
“I was never one for hostages. That was Jorin’s idea. You know my ways, O’ka. I think mine are in line with yours.”
She regarded him with the sultry gaze she managed without effort. He knew if they were in the same room, her sweet scent would envelope him. Her lust was insatiable, or so he’d heard. Nevertheless, he knew it kept her loyal to him. So long as she desired him, she would continue her flirtations and her interest would not wane. For the nylenth, courtship was a dangerous game of cat and mouse, one he had no intention of playing.
“Very well then.
I’ll send my pods to intercept the second child. If the ship is destroyed…” She shrugged.
“So much the better.”
Enrue nodded. “Com me when the mission is complete. The Empire will be in an uproar over this.”
“Yes, Shiemir.”
She disconnected.
His upper lip curled with disgust. Already his thoughts turned to Melia, the soft feel of her mouth against hers, the way her eyes glittered when he stared into them before Jorin came in. His cock thickened at the idea forming. After Jorin left, he wondered if she would resist him, if she would fight if he took her to his room. Maybe a union in bed would convince her to swear her loyalty. Although he had some experience with sex, he doubted his exploits were as numerous as hers. Somehow, it excited him. He’d never been with a partner like that.
He curled his hand into a fist and thumped it hard on the table. “Damn it!” He groaned and closed his eyes. “I have to get her out of my head.”
* * * *
He worked until night settled in his window, the blue-back sky misted with gray clouds and a few errant stars battling for his attentions. Enrue paced and glanced every so often at the moon. Jorin was gone by now. Giving in, he stomped out of his office and made his way to her cell.
The dim lights in her prison cast an eerie glow. As she had been the night before, Melia sat slumped forward, her wrists drawn high over her head and her hair covering her face. She needed a bath. He figured she’d be hungry and thirsty when she woke as well. Jorin had withheld any nourishment from her in order to weaken her. He keyed in the code and gave in to his needs.
The shackles clacked when they hit the wall. Enrue heaved her pliant body over his shoulder and carried her out. She moaned in her drug-induced stupor, but didn’t make any move to escape.
He carried her to his bedchamber, laid her across his bed and went to draw a warm bath. Pouring a cap of bath oil in the water, he imagined their circumstances were not so sinister, that she was not his prisoner, but his lover. “She cannot be both.”
When the tub filled, he returned to her and pulled off her pants. She wore black panties, lacey things, which incited dark thoughts. He slipped his fingers in the band and tugged the thin fabric away. Her pussy was trimmed and tempting. Enrue looked away, focusing on the data sharer on his desk. He gathered himself and set about removing her blouse and bra.
“Melia.”
He sat beside her on the bed and stroked her cheek. “Wake up.”
Her eyes flickered, the pupils dilated and huge. She blinked and attempted to reach for him. Her hand slapped down on her chest. “Bastard,” she mouthed.
“I’m sorry.” He reached up and unbuttoned his shirt, casting the garment aside with little pomp. He wanted to hold her, to sink into the bath with her atop his body, their skin pressed together. He stood and untied his belt, dropping it. He slipped his feet from his shoes and dropped his pants and underwear. His cock awakened, stiff and at the ready.
“Bastard,” she managed to say aloud.
“You bastard.
I hate you.”
He bent and lifted her, one hand supporting her knees and the other gathered beneath her back. “Did he break you today?”
“Never.
I’ll kill him in the morning. Then the Six will be five.” She reached once more, this time her fingers met the side of his head and curled into his hair.
“Enrue?”
“Yes?” He entered the bathing room and stood there, waiting for her to gather enough energy to speak.
“I’m thirsty. I want to brush my teeth.”
She half-laughed, half-cried.
“I want to kiss you again you son-of-a-bitch.” Smacking her lips together, she laid her head back, her eyes blinking. “But I have to brush my teeth.”
He didn’t know whether to laugh or not.
“All right.
I’ll help you.”
“Yes.” She closed her eyes.
He set her on the chair by the mirror and found her a glass of water. She drank it down while he prepared a toothbrush.
When he offered it to her, she she shook her head.
“More water.”
He nodded as she traded the brush for the empty glass. Enrue filled it at the sink. When he faced her, she narrowed her eyes, brushing her teeth in slow strokes. She took her time, stood on shaky legs and shirked off his hand when he moved to support her. She spit and rinsed in the sink, faced him and shook one finger in his face. “Just why the hell
am
I naked?”
“I’m naked too.” He held out the glass. “I thought we could take a bath.”
Her gaze traveled down his body, appraising. “A bath…” Snatching the glass from his hand, she stared at his erection.
“And that?
Is that supposed to mean nothing?”
“You have nothing to worry about from that. It’s been alone a long time.”
She guzzled down the water, wiped her mouth across her arm and set the glass aside. “Bullshit. You’re the Shiemir. I’m sure you have concubines, wards, probably little boys too. You can have whatever you want.”
He grimaced.
“Little boys?”
Enrue placed his hands on her slight shoulders. “I am not like the leaders in the Empire, little Cossia.”
She rested a hand on his chest. “No. I suppose not.” She closed her eyes and swayed a bit, obviously not recovered from the injections. “Hold me close before I fall on my ass.”
He scooped her up and carried her to the tub. Lifting her high, he stepped in and settled her across his body. His cock brushed her pubic hairs and it tickled, but he didn’t smile. Melia laid her cheek on his bare chest. Enrue leaned back and relaxed, his small fantasy of closeness coming true.
Chapter Twenty
Seducing the Shiemir
The memories became a thin mist. Melia let it dwindle. She calmed and wrapped her arms around Enrue. The water soothed her shivers. His chest made a sturdy pillow to rest against. His hard cock, prodding into her thigh, confirmed her suspicions. She aroused him, like all men she encountered. She hadn’t lost her touch. “Enrue,” she said, breaking the quiet between them. “You’re a fool to bring me here. You know I’m supposed to kill you.”
His large hand rode down her back to her butt. He gripped her ass and urged her down. “I know what you are.”
“You should take me back to the cell now.” She raised her head. His face was serene, his eyes closed, and his lips parted slightly. She hungered for his mouth, for the fire he ignited in her body.
His free hand skimmed her side, her waist, and rested on the other cheek of her ass. “Are you going to keep advising me, or are you going to kiss me?” He raised his leg, parting hers. She slid into position, his cock just at her entrance. All she needed to do was scoot a little more and his length would fill her. She wanted that, had desired it since their first com, but then, she’d desired his death as well.
“Now, I’m not sure,” she whispered.
“Mmm.”
He thrust up once, a small tease. The head of his sex rimmed her channel, dipping inside. “If you kiss me, I’ll tell you anything.”
“I know all your secrets.”
She grasped his face and went in for the taste of his mouth. “I should kill you now. Drown you.” She brushed her lips over his, an ache building in her womb.
He lifted her hips when she kissed him. His cock fell away, and she wanted it back. Struggling in his strong grip, she urged her body into position once more, her kiss urgent.
He squeezed her butt cheeks hard. “Slower,” he said against her open mouth. “It’s been a long time for me.” He nipped at her upper lip. “If I am to die here, I want you to make it a memorable last rite.”
“You’ll never forget me.” She gripped his head and invaded his mouth with her tongue, satisfied when he couldn’t keep up with her advance. In one swift motion, she aligned their bodies and crushed his cock into her pussy, forcing him deep. He was large and fit tight. The satisfying sense of being filled made her shudder. “Will you?”
“I doubt it,” he managed when she pulled her lips away.
Melia sat up and arched her back. She shifted her weight from side to side, his rigid length satiating her need. “Holy Mother, that feels so good.” She wanted to ride him hard and fast, eager to reach a release. His fingers bit into her hips, a painful, delicious sensation. She rose high and slammed down, the solidness of him drawing a moan of delight from her mouth.
She lifted again and he halted her. “Slower,” he said, his voice an order. “Do it the way I want.”
“No!” She took his wrists and forced his hold away. “I need this more than you.” She crashed against him, slapping her body into him, his dick a stiff extension she needed to conquer, to control, just as she wanted to control Enrue’s mind. She hurried her pace. “Touch me here.” Melia took his hand mid-thrust and pressed his fingers to her clit. “You make me cum with you.”
His eyebrows crinkled over his hazel eyes. His harsh touch and inexperienced fingering only served to arouse her more.
“That’s it,” she encouraged. “Harder. Don’t stop.” Her fingers pinched at her erect nipples. She rode him faster, her mind suddenly clear. A pulsing throb embraced his length, signaling her impending climax. She twisted her nipples, clamping her hands over her breasts.
Enrue gasped and rubbed her clit in hasty swipes, his touch closer to the target. He met her thrusts, the two of them locked as one, joined and working toward the same goal. Water sloshed. Bodies slapped. Enrue cried out a long, groaning, “Aaahhh!” He seized up, his muscles taut and tense.
Melia felt his hot cum spurting inside her. She reached for his hand and guided his fingers into a steady rhythm on her swollen clit. Waves of heat swept over her body. She bit her bottom lip and rode the wave of her orgasm, her breath strained and uneven. She bucked and twisted, his cock slipping almost free. Finally, she forced him inside, stilling above his shaking body and lifting his hand away.
She caught her breath and smiled.
“Is it time for you to kill me now?” he asked, his chest heaving.
“Are you ready to die?” She planted her hands on his chest and lowered herself, his softening length still buried inside.
“Not just yet. I have a few more things to do. Can I take a reservation for a later date?”
He half-grinned.