TICEES (23 page)

Chelan headed directly to the workout area and found her loving Warlord doing laps in the cerulean blue pool. She sat on the edge and dipped her legs in, the shock of the water’s icy embrace causing her to shiver from head to toe. In a way, she was disappointed. Chelan had always loved to swim, and as a child she had spent nearly every spare moment of her time either in lakes or pools. But she had known ever since her first few days in the Command Center, when she had washed out her old clothes in the pool, that her time in it would be measured in mere moments of survivability.

Chelan smiled as the small ripples made by Korba’s passes licked at her skin. Then she peered over and noticed her shin’s redness and felt the numbness in her feet. Finally, she was forced to remove her legs as they began to ache painfully. Her gaze remained riveted to Korba as his muscular, yet sleek, bronze body knifed easily through the water. His strokes were powerful, his speed beyond belief.

Chelan longed to join him, and she sighed with envy as she hugged her cold legs tightly. She wonder if he even knew she was there, but she would receive her answer soon enough as she watched him submerge at the far end of the pool. Chelan became temporarily concerned when he failed to surface, but her heart nearly stopped as he rose up abruptly in front of her, his massive body splattering her with the frigid water.

Chelan gasped, startled by his appearance and shocked by the cold. She tried to scramble back away from the deadly water, but his arms shot out from the depths, grabbing her ankles and pulling her forcefully toward the edge. Chelan braced herself, fearing entry into the pool. “Damn you!” she shouted, reaching forward and swatting water at the devilish grin on his face. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

Korba placed his hands on the pool’s edge and rose up, taking her lips firmly and passionately. Chelan responded, her hands barely brushing his deathly cold shoulders.

Finally, he let himself back down into the water. “Come in with me,” he commanded alluringly.

Chelan’s eyes grew large. “Are you kidding? I’d die in that stuff.”

Korba grinned. “Oh, come on now, it’s not that bad.”

Chelan huffed. “Not that bad! The only things that pool is fit for is polar bears and penguins.” She paused, noting his feigned hurt expression. “Korba,” she began softly. “I love to swim, and I’ve always wanted to go in this pool, especially with you. But I would get hypothermia in a matter of minutes, possibly seconds.”

Korba continued to stare into her beautiful brown eyes, realizing that he had simply neglected to think of the water temperature. He had just assumed she didn’t like to swim. “Why didn’t you say something?”

Chelan looked at him, trying to think of why she hadn’t. “I guess because I assumed there was nothing you could do about it. It’s such a vast expanse of water.”

Korba lip quirked as he moved silently toward her. “There is nothing I cannot do, my Lady.” In one fluid motion, he raised himself from the water and knelt before her, pressing her back gently to the floor. “I guess if you can’t join me,”—he paused as his gaze traced over her warm inner thighs—“then I’ll have to join you.”

Chelan remained very still, her hands resting on her chest as her eyes drank in his moist, aroused body, his wet blue-black hair hanging down over his pecs, his piercing azure eyes pinning her to her spot. “I guess so,” she whispered softly as she smiled coyly at him.

Korba did not waste any time bringing first her and then himself to their peak, for he knew she was cold, and his frosty flesh pressed to her did little to remedy that. Then he lifted her up quickly and carried her to the shower area, immersing her in the warm soaking tub to thaw while he dressed.

Chelan watched him as she languished in the warmth. “Why is the water so cold?” she finally asked. “Surely even you find it barely tolerable.”

“I suppose,” he began, “but we have adapted to it. Though our bodies efficiently dissipate heat, the coldness of the pool helps to do that for me when I press myself to the limit of my endurance. It is simply more comfortable that way.”

Chelan continued to watch him. “The air temperature in the Command Center and in your quarters—you’ve raised it for me. Is it uncomfortable for you?”

Korba smiled. “No. It is within my tolerance limits, as I notice it is for you. Besides, the material of my uniform provides the insulation I require, against both hot and cold.”

“Then the only problem you have is at night, when you are without your uniform?”

Korba chuckled. “You worry about me too much, Chelan. Yes, I find my quarters warm at night even though you still require several layers of blankets. But it is not too warm to sleep as long as I remain uncovered. And no, my admission about feeling warmth does not give you license, my fair Lady, to withdraw your warm body from my side out of concern. Should you even consider that, I will drop the temperature in my chambers so low you will have to remain glued to my body just for simple survival.”

Chelan laughed. “Your warning is heeded, my Lord.”

Korba smiled back as he extended his hand to her. Chelan stepped from the tub and began drying herself as Korba disappeared for a moment. Then he returned holding a neatly folded white bundle, and he presented it to her.

Chelan drew her gown over her head quickly and then looked at the gift Korba held, her eyes widening. At first she had to tame her initial reaction to recoil, recognizing instantly that the garment was made of fur. She had always abhorred the practice on Earth of slaughtering animals for clothing, but she quickly quelled her objection. Among a race that killed people as easily as she squished bugs, skinning a few animals would not warrant a second thought. Besides, the plush fur was heart-stoppingly beautiful, and she reached for it. As her fingers sank into it, she moaned. “Oh my god, it’s the softest thing I have ever felt.”

Korba smiled at the delight reflected in her eyes. He watched her as she allowed it to unfold. “It’s a full-length cloak made from the hides of a small, native Iceanean animal,” he began.

Chelan looked up at him, and then closed her eyes as she held it up to her face. Korba beamed. “I found out that it was Dredon who helped you with the Koll gown. He still had your tastes pretty well pinned down. He surmised that you might like a cloak made of that particular pelt. He felt that it suits you, and I agree.”

Chelan rubbed her cheek against the plush, white fur and kneaded her fingers into it. It appeared to be from a rabbit, the fur quite long, but as she burrowed her fingers deep, she knew it was like nothing her planet had to offer. The guard hairs were dense enough on their own to produce a wonderful garment, but the underfur was nearly beyond description. She knew what chinchilla felt like, and this made that pale in comparison. She just wanted to lie in a bed of the fur and never leave.

Finally, Korba took the cloak from her and draped it over her shoulders, closing it at her neck with a gold clasp. The cloak was long and voluminous, its hem just pooling at the floor, the length allowing for her shoes. It had a hood similar to that of the shrouds, and the whole garment was furred on the outside as well as the inside. Chelan hugged the soft, downy cloak to herself, adoring the feel and appreciating the added warmth it supplied.

She looked up into Korba’s loving eyes. “How …” she whispered, “how did he do it in such a short time?”

Korba reached for her long hair and drew it out of the cloak. “It seems, my pretty woman, that my fair warrior was taken by you beyond words. When I asked him if he could come up with something simple temporarily, he would have nothing to do with it. He told me that he would get help, and that within three hours he would present to me a cloak which would befit you and your status.” Korba smiled. “I must admit that I was somewhat surprised and more than pleased when he presented this to me.

“The animal is called a Batex. It’s a relatively small and rare, dog-like creature. Their hides are usually worn only by royalty to special functions, and I was unaware that we had any of the material on board. But obviously, you are royalty to him”—Korba lifted her chin up to him—“as you are to me.”

Chelan held her breath as he kissed her tenderly. Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to curl up in his arms and while away the day with him. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice hopelessly overcome with emotion.

Korba immediately drew her to him and hugged her close. “Oh, my Lady,” he breathed. “You are pleased by such small tokens of my affection for you when you actually deserve so much more.” He drew her back, kissing her cheeks. “When we reach Iceanea, my Empire is yours, and with it, all its riches.”

He tried to continue, but Chelan shook her head and pressed her fingers to his lips. “Only you,” she said, her voice soft and low. “I want only you and nothing else. If I were stripped naked tomorrow, I would still be the richest woman in the galaxy as long as you remained by my side. I want nothing more.”

Korba hugged her feverishly, nearly crushing her. He buried his face in her neck, his powerful feelings overwhelming him. He would do anything for her, kill anyone to protect her, and he wanted her by him always.

They lingered together in each other’s arms for a long time, and then Chelan looked up to him. “May I see more of the ship now?” she smiled.

Korba nodded, his azure eyes misted with love. “Yes, you may,” he whispered. Slowly, he turned and led her out into the Command Center. There she watched as he armed himself heavily, expertly concealing everything beneath his shroud, while she quickly slipped into her delicate shoes. Turning to her, he pressed a button and the doors parted, allowing access to Lazen and his men.

“All is well, my Lord,” he indicated to Korba. Then he turned to Chelan. “And, my Lady,” he added, smiling warmly.

Chelan smiled back at the guard and nodded to him out of respect. Then she faltered slightly, the tip of her shoe catching on the hem of the cloak as she moved to Korba’s side.

Korba frowned. “I don’t know how you can walk in those things.”

Chelan hugged into him, nipping at his neck easily at her new height. “Walking may not be ideal, but wait till you see what else I can do in them,” she whispered seductively.

She stepped back and smiled flirtatiously, biting her lip, and for the first time she thought she saw her man’s skin flush.

And he was indeed ablaze. Korba had no problem picturing her long, lean, naked body exposed before him in nothing but those shoes, and a potent, carnal image suddenly exploded across his brain. Stripping her naked and splaying her across the control panels surged into his mind, and the restraint it took to keep from acting on his impulse while ordering the men from the room nearly staggered him.

Chelan grinned. “My tour, my Lord,” she reminded.

Korba took a deep and strained breath. He reached for her and drew her close, lowering his lips to her ear. His voice was a devious, low rumble. “Next time, my Lady ... I will take you in front of my men.”

Chelan pressed her cheek close to his. “If you do, my Lord, I may invite them to play.”

Korba straightened and grinned down at her. “Watch what you say. You could get more than you bargained for.”

Chelan purred. “We shall see, my Lord. But I sincerely feel that you would not chance such an interplay with your men.”

His eyes flared, heat detonated throughout his body, a blast erupting that could only be quenched by drowning in her wet silk. His ardor was further fanned by the thought of the other men attempting to partake in the depths that he knew so well, the depths he considered his, and his alone, Fremma aside. Despite nearly divine governance over his body, the thought of bloody battle entwined with the pleasure only she could offer set him off. He clenched his teeth as he attempted to will his body to stand down. But if she even twitched, he was going to take her so hard even his men would be shocked. And god help any man who approached him or her in his deranged state.

Chelan recognized the feral predator she had just unleashed in the wildcat eyes that bore into her. He was pure, raw heat, a sexual menace whose fuse she had just lit, and despite his earlier tease, she knew he would kill any man who even contemplated approaching her at this moment.

She dared not move a muscle. Shrinking from him would seal her fate, and if she touched him she would fare no better. She knew that despite all his control, he was hard as a rock under his shroud, locked and loaded with her in his sights.

Regardless of the incendiary nature of the atmosphere, Chelan was ecstatic that she could arouse the beast within him so easily, but now was not the time, nor did she want anyone hurt. She stared back at him with the same rapt intensity. She leaned close to him, her lips only inches from his ear, and in as level a voice as she could muster, she sought to diffuse the situation. “I do not want to be touched by your men, nor do I want anyone killed. When we are alone tonight, you may take me as hard as you dare, but right now you need to command a battleship.”

Korba’s higher brain functions finally rallied, and his lethal expression fueled by lust and need abated. He drew in a slow, deep breath. “You are my undoing, you know that,” he rumbled.

Chelan backed from him half a step. “I know that,” she whispered. “But I am not sorry, my Lord.”

Korba finally tamed his internal storm and restored his composure. But what she had just so easily done to him disturbed him. She was a virulent potion that infused into him at the cellular level, a potion that controlled his every thought, his every desire, his every need. In her intoxicating grip, he was nearly powerless.

Korba finally righted his world and focused on his very rigid men. Then he reached for her hand. “Let’s get up to the Bridge so that I can get on with my duties.” And they were off.

*****

Chelan was surprised at how short a walk it was to the Bridge, but then decided that it was only logical. It would be necessary for Korba to have quick access to the very heart and lungs of the massive ship, and it was also wise to have it buried deep within the vessel. Chelan knew there were two Bridges and that this one was topside, while the other was somewhere below her feet, also deep within the soul of the cruiser. She thought about the enormous magnitude of the vessel, and she wondered how Korba got around. Obviously one could not simply walk to wherever one wished, at least not on a 120-km-long ship. Lazen had mentioned a connector earlier, but she hadn’t bothered to ask him about it.