Acting Out (7 page)

Jessica had groaned aloud the first time she viewed her
schedule that Rox’Ana had sent over via transmission. Every single day, Rox’Ana
and her daughter had her booked from midday until well past sunsdown. While
seeing more of the alien world and meeting new people every day was exciting,
the additional burden of having to deal with the sly noblewoman and her
spoiled, shallow daughter made for a lot of biting her tongue and laughing falsely
when she’d rather be snatching the woman bald.

The first time she heard Rox’Ana drop a nasty comment about
Korian was the very next day after her pep talk from Mahoney. The noblewoman
had sent her conveyance to the king’s compound to pick her up right after
breakfast. Apparently, her foray into T’Kalan noble society was to begin with a
delegates’ meeting there in P’Hartha. From what she had been able to gather,
the delegates from each major province on T’Kala had elected representatives
that all met in the capital city once a month to propose new laws, discuss any
important issues that may affect the planet, and conduct business with one
another. In other words, they did a lot of hobnobbing. Jessica may have been a
new player, but she was no stranger to the game. Even though it centered on politics,
it was still familiar territory for Jessica. The subject may not be movies,
Oscars, and box office receipts, but it was still the same rich, entitled
people making deals under the table and backbiting those in power until they
were present and then unceremoniously kissing their asses.

The event reminded her of a mixture of a board room meeting
and a cocktail party. Her attention was riveted when the delegates present,
including a warrior from the warrior class, all sat in a circle at a table and
began to discuss the concerns that pertained to their province. Jessica was
enthralled to hear about the civil unrest in a city called Funija from a
faction of citizens that were unsatisfied with the lack of reliable access to
medi-beds and corrective treatment for their rural farmers. Yet another
province, this one located by the sea, requested a contingent of warriors to
come to their city and help them slay something called a
jorlunk
. From
what she could gather, it was a water-dwelling creature roughly the size of a
whale that was indiscriminately snacking on the natives and tourists when they
entered the water.

Then the warrior delegate, an older, bronzed god of a man
with pale amber eyes and salt-and-pepper long hair, stood to his feet and
addressed the whole congregation. “As most of you know, my name is Rojan
Var’Mor, and I am the king’s hand-chosen delegate. He has heard rumors of
unrest and discontent with his rule, and he bade me deliver a message to the
esteemed delegates of his kingdom.”

Jessica looked around the room as noblemen and women gasped,
looked shocked, and even scandalized. She could only deduce that a direct
message from the king was not commonplace. Her nerves ratcheted up as she
caught snippets of the surrounding conversations. Taking the moment of shock
that his announcement afforded her, she turned to her hostess and whispered,
“Why is everyone so unsettled by a message from the king?”

Rox’Ana’s nose was flared and her lips turned white with
distaste. “Because it simply isn’t done, Jessica. Warrior kings for the past
century have allowed the delegates to dictate the course of their own
provinces, and only step in to rule on those matters when there is no consensus
on a course of action from a vote by the delegates. By addressing the
delegation this way, he is asserting his authority where it doesn’t belong. He
should focus his concentration on his band of soldiers and keep it out of the delegation
process.”

Jessica furrowed her brow in confusion and asked, “But isn’t
it his job as king to direct the path of his people? I thought the delegates
all answered to him.”

The noblewoman made a rude noise. “Please. The warrior kings
have nothing more on their mind than clanging swords and fighting like
younglings at play. Korian is a mere youngling himself, and has no idea what he
is doing as king. He makes a mockery of T’Kala with his bumbling inexperience.”

Jessica’s eyes widened at the blatant animosity the woman
held for her king. She silently sat back in her seat and waited for the warrior
delegate to deliver the king’s message. Once Rojan had the attention of the
entire room, he touched several buttons on the sensor pad of the table and a 3D
projection of Korian filled the center of the table. Jess couldn’t hold back
the shiver of awareness that flooded through her body as she remembered the
feeling of being held up by those powerful arms as he had taken her body.

“Delegates of T’Kala,” the image of the king began, “I come
before you today with a matter of utmost urgency and seek your assistance. It
has come to my attention that many of you are unsatisfied with my rule as your
king and seek to either dethrone me or do away with warrior kings altogether.”
There was an audible gasp of shock throughout the room, and Jessica was
surprised at how many of the delegates were honestly taken aback at the news.
“I admit that the past three years have been a learning experience for me, as I
had not anticipated having to take the throne until much later in my life. I
had foolishly assumed that I would be training at my father’s side for many
more years, but he was taken from me, from all of us, while defending our world
from attack. It is my wish to be the king that you deserve, and I humbly come
before you to seek your assistance and guidance in matters that affect your
provinces so that I may be better equipped to provide the resources our people
need in order to be both safe and prosperous. To that end, it is my intention
to take over the task of warrior delegate and will be attending all future
meetings. I will also be traveling to each of your provinces at least once a
year in order to meet with your people, hear their stories, and familiarize
myself with their cultures. I ask for your support in this endeavor and request
that you bear with me as I learn how to be the king that T’Kala deserves. I may
be a warrior, but I am first a T’Kalan citizen, and my priority will always be
to ensure the happiness and safety of all our people. Thank you, and may the
stars shine down upon you in blessing.”

As the transmission came to an end, the silence in the room
was thick and heavy. Jessica watched the reactions of each of the delegates and
made mental notes on who looked impressed, who looked pissed, and who looked
scared. She didn’t have to guess at what Rox’Ana felt, because she immediately
stood to her feet to address the stunned delegates.

“Pretty words from a desperate man,” her deep voice boomed
across the room. “Do you not see his trick? He appeals to your vanity in order
to gain your compliance as he infiltrates the very heart of the delegation! He
is a barbarian warrior born and bred, and he seeks nothing more than to conquer
those that would rise up against him. Do you truly believe that you will be
allowed to speak as freely as you do now when the king is in attendance? He is
nothing more than a young boy who seeks to cling to his tired throne through
any means necessary. Do not say I didn’t warn you when he shows you his hidden
daggers and you find them buried in your back.”

Rojan jolted to his feet, and his swarthy face was a mask of
rage. “How dare you speak about your king with such disrespect? Have you no
honor, delegate? You speak of hidden daggers while slinging your own with your
words.” Turning to face the entire company of delegates, he continued, “I have
known Korian since he was born waving his fists at the stars, and watched him
grow into the compassionate, honorable, and intelligent man he has become. He
is a man of his word, and does not understand the concept of deception. It took
great courage for him to admit his failings and seek your knowledge and
patience while he grows into his role as leader of T’Kala. Rox’Ana Ful’Tera
would paint him as a bloodthirsty barbarian and uses fear to instill distrust
in your hearts. I only ask that each of you stop to think what she seeks to
gain with such vitriol, and ask yourselves if you are willing to pay the
price.”

Jessica’s body was strung tight with stress at the tension
in the room. She had seen plenty of angry women in her life, but nothing
compared to the icy determination and contempt that showed on the noblewoman’s
face. “Are we to ignore the laws of our delegation, or do we now blindly bend
to the will of the king? Every delegate must be voted upon before entrance to
the delegation is granted. I urge each of you to vote against the king’s
appointment. You will see for yourselves his reaction should he be denied
entrance to these halls.”

Rojan pressed more buttons on the table sensor before
addressing the congregation again. “Korian would expect no less than your
cooperation and adherence to your statutes. Should you choose not to accept him
as delegate, he will abide by your decision. However, I would say that making a
friend of your new king can only be an advantage for your provinces. What
better way to ensure the needs of your people are met than by holding counsel
with your regent each month?” He met and held the gazes of each delegate in the
room before adding, “I have cued up the vote for each of you. Should King
Korian be our new warrior delegate? Cast your votes now.”

The delegates were silent as their eyes tracked back and
forth from the elder warrior to the power-hungry noblewoman while they weighed
their decision. Some of them voted without pause, while still others continued
to contemplate the consequences of each vote. Just by looking from face to
face, Jessica had no idea which way the vote would go. Her nerves were shot by
the time the last person cast their vote and the vidscreen announced the
decision.

Rojan’s face was lit up with fierce victory. “It is a
decisive vote for allowing King Korian to take my place as delegate. You won’t
be sorry to put your trust in your king. He is a good and honorable man.”

Rox’Ana was livid. Standing to her considerable height, she
looked down upon the faces of each of her colleagues and spat, “Spineless, weak
fools. You stink of fear and cowardice. When your actions today turn back upon
you, remember who it was among you who was brave enough to speak the truth.”
With a flick of her headscarf, she stalked from the room.

Jessica’s mind was reeling at the implications of everything
that had occurred that day. She could tell that Rox’Ana’s sole goal in bringing
her to the meeting was to show off her powerbase and impress upon the Earthling
who was really in charge on T’Kala, but King Korian’s bombshell had ruined her
plans. Not only had the king brazenly addressed the malicious discontent
circulating about his rule, he had deftly outmaneuvered the greedy plans of his
opposition by appealing to the delegation for their help and guidance. It was
an inspired and clever bit of politics that took away the weapons from his
enemy while empowering the rest of the delegates to embrace their king and
their role in his reign. Her respect for Korian grew by bounds that day.

When Jessica finally joined the noblewoman in the dining
hall after the meeting concluded, she was surprised to find the T’Kalan female
acting as if nothing at all had occurred. Rox’Ana was in her element,
introducing Jessica to delegates from the biggest and most powerful provinces,
acting as her agent in setting up further parties and dinners, and using the
alien actress to bolster her own fame. Jessica had seen this power play many
times from Hollywood producers and directors, so she was unfazed by the usury,
and took the opportunity to make her own connections. From what she had seen in
that room, Korian would need all the help he could get in securing his throne,
and she meant to do all she could to help him.

Korian stood before transmission screen in his rooms and
studied the projected video feed of his captive. She was sleeping in her bed,
one arm thrown over her head, with her
bimbop
companion nestled along
the valley between her breasts. Her
thalia
-colored hair was a tangled
halo around her pale face, and her lips and cheeks were flushed with warmth.
Korian couldn’t tear his eyes away from her, though he knew it was wrong of him
to look upon her in this manner. It had been four cycles of the sun since that
night he had taken her against the window, and then several more times later
that night in her bed. It had been four long, lonely days since he had smelled
the floral musk of her skin, felt the silky strands of her hair between his
fingers, and tasted the sweetness of her breasts on his tongue.

They had both been busy the past several days. She had been
whisked away each morning by his enemy, and he had destroyed three new training
bots in his frustration at seeing her walk away from his compound each day and
out from under his protection. It helped that his network of spies were able to
follow her everywhere she went and reported back to him on her movements, but
it still made him crazy that she was knowingly placing herself in danger at his
behest. The reports from his spies were encouraging, though. Jessica was the
toast of the town, and requests for her presence were pouring into his
secretary faster than she could schedule them. Gossip and intel reached him
daily of how she laughed and flirted while deftly fishing for information on
how the nobles viewed their king, and she had even managed to uncover fresh
intelligence on Rox’Ana’s bid for power. The noblewoman herself had let slip
that she had been in contact with a high-ranking ambassador from one of the
powerful planets in the Great Alliance in order to secure a political match
through her daughter’s hand in marriage, which she hoped would lead to the
Alliance’s support in her quest to seize power over T’Kala. This information
had been crucial in his communications with the Council governing the alliance,
and had given him the leverage he needed to shore up his support. Bribery of
any kind was strictly prohibited within the Alliance, and Korian had spent much
of the past week in secret transmissions with Council members, giving evidence
of her treachery and forging alliances with the ruling parties of the most
powerful of the planets within the Alliance. By the time he had finished his
meetings a few moments ago, he was exhausted, but elated, at the progress he
had made in securing their agreement to meet with him here on T’Kala at month’s
end.

His finger reached out to trace the outline of her cheek on
the vidscreen surface. He owed this mysterious human so much already and in
such a short time. Jessica MacGregor was a fascinating and complex woman that
kept him on his toes. She was both affectionate and temperamental,
compassionate yet fierce, capturing his gaze with her laugh and setting him on
fire with her desire. Never had he met a female like her before, and he was at
a loss for what to do about her when her time on T’Kala came to an end.

Putting thoughts of the future out of his mind, he closed
the transmission and strode from his room. It only took him a few minutes to
reach the door of her suite, and only a few moments more to be standing over
her bed. The youngling companion stirred and began to growl, but Korian shushed
the animal by placing his palm on its head and pressing down gently until it
was
burr
-ing happily. With careful movements, he picked the animal up
and deposited it inside its crate and returned back to Jessica’s side. She had
stirred in her sleep until the strap of her silk chemise slipped off her shoulder
and slid away from her chest to reveal one rosy-tipped breast. He couldn’t seem
to stop himself from reaching out to brush his knuckles across the tip until it
puckered and hardened under his touch. Jessica sighed and arched her back in
her sleep, the movement pushing her soft flesh into his touch.

“Mmm…Korian…” she murmured, as her eyelids began to flicker.
“I was dreaming about you, and here you are.” Her voice was thick with sleep,
but her hands reached out toward him.

He was helpless to resist her. Stopping only long enough to
shrug out of his dressing gown, he slid beneath her covers and pressed his bare
flesh along the soft planes of her sleep-warmed body. The silk of her nightgown
slid between them deliciously as he found his place between her legs and covered
her body with his own. Even with her eyes still closed, she smiled and hummed
her eagerness for his attention as she threaded her arms around his neck and
hooked her feet behind his calves. Korian groaned with painful desire when she
rolled her hips against his hardness.

He buried his nose in the sweet spot beneath her ear and
whispered, “How did you know it was me? You have not yet opened your beautiful
eyes to confirm it.”

Jessica chuckled seductively as her hands grew busy tracing
the defined bulges of his back. “I smelled your cologne first, my king. And
then, Little Mahoney did not rip you to shreds for approaching me, so all doubt
was dispelled.”

Korian kissed his way up the column of her neck and nipped
her earlobe. “I have thought of nothing else these past days except the desire
to return to your bed.”

“You’re here now, Korian. Show me what’s on your mind,” she
sighed as the warrior slid a big hand up her thigh, dragging her sheer
nightgown along with it.

Korian thought he would unman himself at her words. She had
no idea the kind of restraint he had to employ to keep from ravishing her as
completely and totally as he wanted. Gripping her chin between his thumb and
forefinger, he pulled her mouth open and plunged inside. Her lips still tasted
of the minty concoction she used to clean her teeth since she had eschewed the
laser treatments T’Kalans preferred, but he had found himself craving the
flavor of it on her tongue. He loved the passion that she returned to him with
her teeth worrying his bottom lip and the erotic way she sucked his tongue into
her mouth.

His body was already strung tight by his need to have her,
and she showed no mercy when she flipped him on his back and rose above him
until her wet heat cradled his swollen shaft. Her hands trailed up and over the
muscled mounds of his chest and her fingernails lightly brushed over the small,
flat discs of his nipples until he hissed. She chuckled huskily at his
reaction, and holding his gaze, she gripped the silk material of her gown in
her hands and whipped it over her head until she was just as naked as he.

She shimmied atop him, setting her breasts to swaying
enticingly, and said, “I thought I had better take that off before you got it
in your head to tear it in half. I really like that nightie.”

Korian ran his hands up her sides until her breasts
overflowed into his palms. He ran the calloused pad of his thumb over each peak
and gave them a sharp pinch. “I confess that I like it, too, but I like it much
better on the floor.”

Her laughter rolled over him like a benediction, lighting up
all the dark places in his heart, and pulling his own happiness up to meet
hers. He couldn’t recall ever laughing in bed with a woman before, but he had
also never met anyone like his
thalia
, either. The past three years
since his father had died in battle, Korian had felt numb and indifferent. He
had spent his days reacting to one crisis after another, with little time left
to embrace joy and happiness. When Jessica had appeared in his life, it was if
a comet blazed through his sky, setting his world on fire and burning away the
cobwebs and dust in his soul. She had unlocked his emotions, and helped him
reclaim his drive and ambition.

Korian’s mouth watered at the sight of all that delicate, flushed,
pale skin awaiting him. He had to taste her, drink from her, and he had no more
patience left to achieve his goal. He gripped her around the waist and lifted
her off of his tortured shaft. He ignored her squeals of surprise and situated
her until her knees were braced on each side of his head and her sweet, slick
center was exposed to his gaze. He inhaled her musky scent and swiped the flat
of his tongue through her nether lips until her essence filled his mouth.

“Oh!” she cried out in shocked pleasure as she braced one
arm against the wall and anchored the other in the thick waves of his hair.

Korian groaned into her moist heat and feasted on her sex
while his hands palmed the plump mounds of her behind to hold her still. His
tongue traced through her folds, darted inside to coax out more of her sweet
nectar, and teased at her bud until he heard her cry out his name. That’s what
he had been waiting for, the one thing he desired to hear from her lips. His
name. Not Zandar Nic’Omar’s name, or any of the other warriors under his
command. His
thalia
called out to
him
when her body flew apart to
commune with the stars. The sound of it filled him with fierce pride and
unreasonable lust and he couldn’t get enough of hearing her come apart by his
hand or mouth.

The primal part of his nature rose to the surface and he
growled, “I could drink from you for hours, Jessica. Your passion is
delicious.”

A tremor chased down her spine and sent shockwaves through
his body as she climaxed again against his tongue. She was so responsive to
him, so open with her pleasure, that he craved her almost to the point of
madness. He had barely been able to concentrate during the most important and
crucial communications with the Great Alliance for thinking about what she was
doing at the moment and who she was talking to and if Zandar would be there to
press his suit. He and the male had sized each other up, but Korian had staked
his claim.

“Korian, please!” his captive begged him, her voice ragged
and broken.

He thought his shaft
would burst if he didn’t sink
inside her soon. Picking her back up, he saw that she was too wrung out to
support herself astride him. She felt so delicate and fragile in his hands, and
he was gentle when he rolled her to the bed and took his place between her
thighs. He paused for a long moment above her, and drank in the sight of her
flushed cheeks, sparkling eyes, and heaving breasts. His heart lurched in his
chest at the sight of her, and his body followed suit by plunging inside her
own.

The heat and the pressure of her sheath clinging to him
almost made him lose his mind. His
thalia
was so soft and her curves so
rounded that he felt as if he could sink into her over and over for all his
days. The fact that her urgency matched his own only drove him higher. As he
pulled back, only to sink back in hard and deep, Jessica would cry out and dig
her heels into his ass to pull him in deeper. He tried to hold on and prove
himself to be a worthy lover to her, but the days without her touch had brought
him to the brink too soon.

Pulling away from where he was leaving stubble burn across
her neck, he raised himself on his arm until there was some space between their
sweat-slick bodies. He found her swollen and slippery pearl and swirled it with
his fingers. “Come with me, Jessica. Do not send me to the stars alone.”

Her body arched beneath him and her slick walls clamped down
on his shaft like a vice as she wailed her release to the stars. Korian freed
himself to chase his own completion, burying himself as deep inside her as he
could go, and released his seed with a groan of relief frosted with ecstasy.
His nerve endings were on overload, and his senses became hyper-aware of the
woman beneath him. His skin tingled everywhere they touched, her breaths were
harsh in his ear, and the smell of her hair reminded him of home. Her eyes were
closed once more, but this time, he did not demand that she open them for him.

“Rest, my
thalia
,” he whispered, before pulling back
to run his finger across her cheek. “I will make you comfortable so you may
sleep.”

As he made to pull away, her legs tightened around his waist
and stopped his progress. Though her eyes remained shut, she swallowed thickly
and whispered, “Stay the night?”

Korian felt a warmth bloom in his chest, and he assured her,
“I would love to wake in the morning with you in my arms.”

Her limbs turned to liquid and flowed down into the
mattress. He hated to pull out of the snug haven of her body, but he wanted her
to rest comfortably and regain her strength for the coming day. He would not be
the reason for her ill health; her well-being was his responsibility for the
next few weeks, and he took that charge seriously. He would ensure she was
eating the vitamin-rich food of T’Kala, that she was clothed in the finest
gowns, and that her every need was met by him. He just hadn’t expected that she
would fill his needs, too, and give him a reason to fight for what was most
important to him.

Korian made quick work of cleansing them both and positioned
Jessica with her head on the pillow and her body propped on her side. Before he
could join her beneath the covers, however, the persistent whine of her
companion youngling complaining from her cage brought him to a halt. He knew
that the
bimbop
would not cease its cries until he released her to
return to her mistress.

Scooping the wriggling mass of fur against his chest, he
walked over to the bed where his
thalia
lay sleeping so peacefully.
“Believe me, I understand your eagerness to return to her embrace, for I feel
the same way.” Rubbing the animal under its chin, he added, “But just remember,
Little Mahoney, I got here first.”