TICEES (29 page)

Korba straightened himself, still grappling with his troubling thoughts, one half of him telling him to be cautious and to heed Chelan’s concerns, his more rational side telling him that her fears were completely unfounded. The Emperor was a trusted friend, and Korba knew the man well. Chelan was simply letting the fears of her past dominate her … or was she?

Korba shook off his agitation. After all, they had been on his home planet only a few hours. As the days came and went and she became more comfortable with her new surroundings and the new routines, she would settle in.

He moved into the wash area and rounded the corner. There he watched Chelan slip from her elegant gown, her fluid grace flowing into him as though she were a wave of liquid aphrodisiac, and he was infused with instant desire.

Chelan stepped into the warm, swirling water and turned suddenly, aware of his intense gaze on her. She smiled, and her provocative expression sent a shock through his loins. He instantly began releasing himself from his uniform. Chelan slipped down into the water, her every motion beckoning to him.

She feasted her eyes on him as he approached her, his arousal more than eager. He was as spectacular in the full light of day as he was over her in the shadows of the night. The knowledge of his sexual prowess coursed through her as the visual cues sent to her by his maleness inflamed her with all-consuming need.

Korba immersed himself in the warm water and immediately seized her, pressing her smooth, soft flesh into his hardness, the dichotomy of their bodies perfectly complementing one another as they began their communion of sweetness.

She straddled him and melted down over his erection; the ultimate possession of her body by him stole her breath away. Chelan never wanted to leave the warm sensuality of the water, its heated embrace matched only by Korba’s gentle and attentive love. She swam in pleasure, floating in another time and dimension, her only link to reality that of the man who touched her so perfectly in every way.

He watched as she arched her back, her body supported by the water, it tendrils licking her beautiful breasts. She tilted her head back, her hair fanning about her like a web of gossamer silk. She was pure art, so exquisite that he was almost afraid to touch her lest he taint her perfection. As her legs surrounded him, he held her shapely hips to him and began his gentle pelvic ministrations. Her hands floated to her breasts and rested on them as he continued to stroke her ever so slowly. As he pressed deeper still, she cried out, and he felt every nerve in his body electrify. But his physical response to her pleasure was nothing compared to what was in his heart. He felt absolutely honored that the wondrous woman in his hands loved him, that she shared herself with him endlessly and freely—mind, body, and soul. And to allow his most intimate possession was a privilege he was not sure he deserved. She was the most treasured gift of the heart that the galaxy had to offer, and she had picked him.

He tipped his head back and closed his eyes, letting her presence wash over him, holding her to the cradle of his body. She saturated his pores, his skin, his being with such sweet sensations that he was almost weak. He wanted to be in her, on her, and entwined around her all at once. When she cried out again and squeezed around him, he released, their mutual peaks the most beautiful expression of their combined love.

Chelan rose up and collapsed against his chest. Her fingers laced through his hair as his arms crushed her to him. She worked to catch her breath as she kissed his bronze flesh. “Stay inside me. Never withdraw from me,” she whispered. “I want time to stop.”

He kissed the top of her wet hair. “If only,” he said, his voice deep and filled with an upwelling of emotion.

But it was not to be. Only about an hour had passed when suddenly Korba froze, pressing his fingers to her lips. He cocked his head.

Chelan’s heart pounded, his abrupt withdrawal from her body leaving her terrified. Then he leapt from the pool, dragging her with him. He pushed her to the far wall, shoving her forcefully to the floor and signing her to stay put as he drew one of his throwing blades from a nearby boot.

Korba edged along the wall toward the bedroom, moving with the stealth of a panther, every muscle coiled for battle. He rounded the corner, his arm drawn back to throw just as Ticees turned, and despite his superior station, instantly dropped to one knee in submission. The Emperor gasped as he looked into Korba’s wild eyes, the Warlord’s body ready to release the weapon with all his force.

“Damn you, Sire!” Korba shouted. “You tempt disaster, my Lord.”

Ticees rose to his feet, a look of shock on his face. “I’ve visited you unannounced many a time, my friend, and I have never before received such a reception as this.”

Korba shook his head as he dropped his arm. “I’ve never had Chelan with me before. May I suggest that in the future, for your own safety, you announce your arrival to me ahead of time?”

Ticees nodded as he watched Korba set the knife down on a dresser and grab a fresh uniform. “My word, Korba. Surely you remember that this is our home ground and not the battle-weary decks of the RIBUS. You should relax.”

Korba threw him a cutting glance. “You know better than any man what my feelings must be toward Chelan. With her I relax nowhere, including in your presence, my Lord. Heed my warning, for you deal with a different man now than the one who left here three long years ago.”

Ticees nodded. “So I see. I apologize, my friend. And you are right. I do understand her importance to you. I will respect your wishes in the future.”

Korba took a deep breath as he slipped into the pants. He looked back up at Ticees, not sure he believed his own wildly protective feelings. He could only assume that his reaction to Ticees’ entrance was because he knew Ticees was one of the only men powerful enough to be a threat to his position, not to mention Chelan.

Ticees moved toward him in an attempt at a formal greeting, but Korba bristled again, acutely aware of Chelan’s modesty and of her nakedness just behind him.

Ticees stopped midstep, raising his hands in a show of respect. “I apologize again.”

“She is not Iceanean,” Korba stated sternly. “She is not comfortable with our ease with nudity.”

Ticees nodded and backed up.

Korba unclenched his fists and took a deep breath. He wondered if Chelan’s revelations about Ticees were fueling his angst with his own friend. But right now he did not care. He would analyze his feelings later. His only concern at the moment was to attend her.

He stepped backward into the bath area and reached for the white gown he had sent down earlier. He looked to her, finding her cowering against the wall where he had left her, her fear still evident, her body shaking violently in the cold. Korba signaled to her in battle language to come to him. She rose immediately, running to him and hugging to him for his warmth and security.

Korba let her linger with him momentarily and then pushed her back. He signed for her to dry herself and to dress. Then she was to come out into the bedroom and talk with them. She nodded to him and he kissed her tenderly. Then he turned and tugged on his boots. He walked back into the bedroom and slipped into a jacket before sheathing the knife. Finally he nodded to Ticees. “Would you like a drink, Sire?”

Ticees smiled, his voice warm and friendly. “Considering the welcome I just received, I think two or three are in order.”

Korba chuckled. “Two or three it is.”

Ticees looked about him. “Actually, it should be I who does the offering, but I humbly accept since I am in your domain.”

Korba smiled. He was beginning to feel his old kinship with the Emperor returning. Ticees followed him across the room and sat down in one of the large lounges. Korba passed him a drink.

“I can’t tell you,” began Ticees, “how relieved I am that you are well and that you managed to pull off the Rigilean mission considering the circumstances. I’m still in shock over the extent of the ROPE colonies there and how they had advanced and multiplied without any indication to us whatsoever.”

Korba sat down in the other lounge, facing Ticees. “They’re a powerful and well-organized entity now, backed by some formidable technology. We will have to be more diligent in the future and leave nothing out of the realm of possibility. The only good news so far is that there are no indications that they have acquired any of our genetic strains. But that could change. I assume that you have received all the final reports pertaining to the whole mess by now?”

Ticees nodded as he sipped his drink. “From what I have read, I should be thanking Dar for the fact that you are still alive and well.”

Korba looked up at him with a glint in his eye. “Why’s that?”

Ticees straightened slightly. “Well, the power plant mission, of course. I had pictures of the flybys shown to me, and his decision to ignore the camouflaged ships and go in search of the real vessels was brilliant. Finding those fighters saved the Empire from what would have been its worst defeat in history.”

Korba looked down at his drink. “I think you’ll find that Dar will redirect your praise to another person. He didn’t locate the power plant.”

“What are you talking about? You mean it was Solis, or another member of the aerial team on board the ships?”

“No,” said Korba slowly. “It was Chelan who correctly interpreted the air photos and found the ROPE fighters. It is because of her that I am here today.” Korba took a casual sip of his drink, smiling at the stunned expression on Ticees’ face.

Suddenly, the Emperor’s eyes lit and focused beyond Korba, and he rose from his chair.

Overly self-conscious of the form-fitting white gown and her exposure to the Emperor, Chelan glanced nervously at Korba as the Warlord stood. But she stifled her apprehension and walked into the room, carrying herself with elegance and grace. She stepped up next to Korba and nodded to Ticees. “My Lord,” she acknowledged as warmly and as confidently as she could.

“My Lady,” he whispered. He remained motionless, still reeling from the surprise delivered to him by Korba’s words, and now equally stunned once again by Chelan’s extreme feminine beauty.

Korba watched Ticees carefully, noticing the Emperor’s faltering composure in Chelan’s presence, a hesitation Korba had never witnessed in the Emperor before. He wondered if the man’s inadvertently displayed reaction to Chelan was a good sign or a bad one.

Chelan looked up at Korba, unsure of her next move and whether she could sit in Ticees’ presence. But almost as if Korba had read her mind, he straightened, setting his drink down to one side. He reached for her arm and pulled her down into his lap as he sat, his need to hold her stemming from his need to protect her. From just what, he was still not sure.

Chelan was shocked at his contact and his blatant show of intimacy in front of the Emperor, but she was not about to question his comfort or her good fortune. She sighed with relief as she curled up on him like a Persian kitten, his arms surrounding her tightly.

Ticees, too, was surprised by Korba’s poignant display of possessiveness, not sure if it was directed at him or an act simply born out of the Warlord’s own need. Either way, Ticees drew in a deep breath, noticing how small and fragile the porcelain beauty appeared to be when coiled up against Korba’s massive, black-clad body. Slowly, he resumed his seat, his eyes riveted to the demure alien who seemed to fit so well into the arms of the mighty Warlord.

Ticees cleared his throat. “Korba just revealed some shocking news to me, my Lady.” He hesitated as he watched her nestle deeper into the security of Korba’s arms, her sensual white thigh exposed to him and temporarily scattering his thoughts. Ticees began again. “It seems that I owe you much for the safe return of my dear friend, not to mention the lives of his men.”

Chelan relaxed, smiling up at Korba now that she understood to which news Ticees referred. She looked at the Emperor. “I’m sure that my correct interpretation of the air photos was quite by accident, my Lord. I have not been trained in the art of military detection.”

Ticees smiled warmly. “Maybe not. But you’ve been trained with photos nonetheless, or you would have never been able to make heads or tails of anything that was displayed to you.”

Chelan nodded to him. “Yes, my Lord. I have been trained, but of course that was with the inferior technology available to me on Earth.”

Ticees glanced at Korba. “Earth?”

Korba smiled. “Calley, my Lord.”

“Ah, yes. Excuse me, Chelan. I should have realized the obvious.” Suddenly he stood. “And, I should also be more conscious of my hospitality and my manners, what few I have. May I get you a drink?”

Chelan straightened up slightly from Korba. “Why yes, thank you,” she said quietly.

Korba nodded to her. “I apologize for my manners also,” he whispered softly, nuzzling her neck and causing her to blush.

Chelan nuzzled him back. “I have better things to do with you than drink,” she whispered.

Ticees caught their interaction in his peripheral vision, and he felt his muscles tighten. He returned promptly and handed her a glass of cool blue liquid.

“Thank you,” she smiled.

“So Chelan,” began Ticees as he sat back down, pressing comfortably into his chair. “Tell me about yourself. I have not had a chance to speak to Korba about you.”

Chelan nervousness returned tenfold, and she glanced anxiously to Korba. He nodded to her warmly, urging her on. “I’m afraid that there is not much to tell, Sire.” She hesitated. “In fact, my Lord, I would prefer that you receive my story from Korba. My view of the events leading up to my life on RIBUS 7 is undoubtedly tainted. My acquisition was somewhat traumatic. And for that matter, I am not sure of all the events that led up to my meeting with Korba, myself.”